PACAP centrally mediates emotional stress-induced corticosterone responses in mice

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) is a pleiotropic neuropeptide widely distributed in the nervous system. Recently, PACAP was shown to be involved in restraint stress-induced corticosterone release and concomitant expression of the genes involved in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation. Therefore, in this study, we have addressed the types of stressors and the levels of the HPA axis in which PACAP signaling is involved using mice lacking PACAP (PACAP?/?). Among four different types of stressors, open-field exposure, cold exposure, ether inhalation, and restraint, the corticosterone response to open-field exposure and restraint, which are categorized as emotional stressors, but not the other two, was markedly attenuated in PACAP?/? mice. Peripheral administration of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) or adrenocorticotropic hormone induced corticosterone increase similarly in PACAP?/? and wild-type mice. In addition, the restraint stress-induced c-Fos expression was significantly decreased in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and medial amygdala (MeA), but not the medial prefrontal cortex, in PACAP?/? mice. In the PVN of PACAP?/? mice, the stress-induced c-Fos expression was blunted in the CRF neurons. These results suggest that PACAP is critically involved in activation of the MeA and PVN CRF neurons to centrally regulate the HPA axis response to emotional stressors.     

The personality profile of IPS employment specialists,and how it relates to job satisfaction: A longitudinal cohort study

The role of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) employment specialist is a new type of occupation within mental healthcare. High turnover among employment specialists necessitates improvement in their recruitment and retention. One element that impacts retention is job satisfaction. We assessed the personality of 38 employment specialists (Big 5 Inventory-2) and measured job satisfaction over three time periods. Compared to norm data, employment specialists were significantly higher on Extraversion (ΔT = 8.0, CI: 5.59–10.42), Agreeableness (ΔT = 7.8, CI: 5.56–10.12), Conscientiousness (ΔT = 3.3, CI: 0.8–5.84), Open-mindedness (ΔT = 3.5, CI: 0.97–6.07), while lower on Negative emotionality (ΔT = −3.5, CI: −6.5 to −0.42). Extraversion had a substantial longitudinal positive effect on job satisfaction (β at T1 = 0.39; CI: 0.10–0.73) (β at T2 = 0.40; CI: 0.03–0.80), while Negative emotionality – a substantial negative effect (β at T1 = −0.60; CI: −0.90 to −0.30) (β at T2 = −0.50; CI: −0.90 to −0.12). Male gender was significantly associated with higher job satisfaction at the time point 1 (β = −0.46; CI: −0.80 to −0.14). Age, length of employment in the role, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Open-mindedness were not found to have substantial significant effects on job satisfaction of employment specialists. Recruiting employment specialists who score high on Extraversion and low on Negative emotionality may be a good fit for the role and job satisfaction.     

Research Ethics in Japanese Higher Education: Faculty Attitudes and Cultural Mediation

Principles of research ethics, derived largely from Western philosophical thought, are spreading across the world of higher education. Since 2006 the Japanese Ministry of Education has required universities in Japan to establish codes of ethical conduct and ensure that procedures are in place to punish research misconduct. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 13 academics in a research-intensive university in Japan, this paper considers how research ethics is interpreted in relation to their own practice. Interviewees articulated a range of ethical issues connected with data gathering and interpretation, applying for and using research funds, relationships with peers and research subjects, and the dissemination of results. The paper also explores the effect of personal values and cultural norms on the Japanese interpretation of research ethics identifying the impact in terms of the treatment of graduate research students and decision-making processes.     

The role of the prefrontal cortex in the go/no-go task in humans: a positron emission tomography study

To study the localization of response inhibition in the human brain, especially the role of the prefrontal cortex and laterality of its activation, we used positron emission tomography (PET) to measure regional cerebral blood flow in 11 right-handed participants while they performed a go/no-go and a simple control reaction-time task. In the control task, the participants responded to a target stimulus following a cue stimulus. In the go/no-go task they were instructed to inhibit the required response if the target stimulus did not appear. These tasks were performed using each hand. The right prefrontal cortex was found to be significantly activated when the go/no-go task was compared with the control task, regardless of the responding hand. The results indicated that response inhibition per se may be controlled by the right prefrontal cortex regardless of response hand for right-handed participants.     

六朝灵宝经中的葛仙公(上)

本文参考了大渊忍尔、小林正美、柏夷(Stephen R. Bokenkamp)和王承文等人的研究成果,以现存灵宝经(《道藏》本、敦煌抄本)所见葛玄的材料为中心,考察了灵宝经与佛教教理、上清派道经及天师道的思想关系。因篇幅关系,译文分两次刊出。     

六朝灵宝经中的葛仙公(下)

本文参考了大渊忍尔、小林正美、柏夷(Stephen R. Bokenkamp)和王承文等人的研究成果,以现存灵宝经(《道藏》本、敦煌抄本)所见葛玄的材料为中心,考察了灵宝经与佛教教理、上清派道经及天师道的思想关系。因篇幅关系,译文分两次刊出。     

Tapping speed asymmetry in drummers for single-hand tapping with a stick

The purpose of this study was to investigate tapping speed asymmetry in 13 right-handed drummers and 13 right-handed nondrummers. The participants executed single-hand tapping with a stick as fast as possible for 10 sec. with the left and right hand. There was no significant difference in the tapping speed of the right hand between the drummers and the nondrummers, whereas in the left hand, the drummers tapped significantly faster than the nondrummers. Drummers showed less tapping speed asymmetry than nondrummers. These results suggest that the tapping speed of the nonpreferred hand progressed nearly to the level of the preferred hand through daily drum training.     

Where's the impairment: An examination of factors that impact sustained attention following a stressor

This contribution examines the emotional engagement of men and women when reading narrative texts, aiming to see under which textual conditions men and women turn out to be different from or similar to each other in what they think and feel during reception. As part of an experimental mixed-methods study, male and female readers are asked to read either experience-type texts (focusing on inner experiences of characters) or action-type texts (focusing on actions as part of a suspenseful plot) and report their engagement on questionnaire scales and in written protocols. Results show that men and women differ in their engagement when reading action texts and in their emotional affinity to plots. They are highly similar when reading the experience texts, however, and in their affinity to characters. This study underlines that the emotional responses of males and females during reading are highly dependent on (con)textual cues.     

Sexually dimorphic preference for altruism in the opposite sex according to recipient

Sexual selection may affect human altruistic behaviour. Evolutionary psychology predicts that human mate preference reflects sexual selection. We investigated sex differences in preference for opposite‐sex altruism according to recipient because the reasons for altruistic behaviour differ according to the relationship between actor and recipient. We employed the Self‐Report Altruism Scale Distinguished by the Recipient, which was newly developed to evaluate altruism among Japanese undergraduates. We asked participants to evaluate preferences for each item based on the recipient of the altruistic behaviour (family members, friends or acquaintances, and strangers). Preference for opposite‐sex altruism differed according to recipient, gender of the participant, and relationship type, and several significant interactions were observed among these factors. We suggest that whereas women use a potential partner's altruism towards strangers as a costly signal of their resource‐holding potential when choosing a mate, they consider altruism towards family when they are in a long‐term relationship to ensure that resources are not allocated to non‐relatives.