Effect of chronic cold stress on intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and inflammation in rats

The present study evaluated the effect of chronic cold stress on intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and inflammation. Male Wistar rats were subjected to cold exposure for three weeks. At the end of the cold exposure, intestinal cell proliferation, luminal nitrite and protein levels, intestinal myeloperoxidase activity and mast cell numbers were evaluated. Severely compromised proliferation rate of the crypt-base cells was observed under chronic stress conditions. Cells isolated from stressed rats showed a decreased DNA content in villus and lower villus cell fractions and an increased DNA content in the crypt cells, as compared to controls. Chronic cold stress resulted in increased luminal nitrite, luminal protein levels, and intestinal myeloperoxidase activity. The number of mast cells was significantly elevated under chronic stress conditions. Chronic cold stress resulted in a compromised intestinal epithelial cell proliferation rate and induced inflammation in the rat small intestine, through the combined action of nitric oxide, neutrophils and mast cells.     

Conventions,morals and strategy: Greta’s dilemma and the incarceration game

Synthese - I articulate the question of the value of common knowledge, or the question of why common knowledge is preferred to mere widespread knowledge. I argue that common knowledge often enjoys...     

When Good Consumers Turn Bad: Psychological Contract Breach in Committed Brand Relationships

To better understand the conditions under which committed consumers continue to support their preferred brand after a transgression versus turn against the brand and the underlying theoretical process, we study the interplay between brand commitment and specific types of transgressions. Across three scenario‐based and field studies, we show that consumers have psychological contracts with brands, which dictate the terms of the relationship, and for committed consumers, violations of any aspect in (out of) the contract results in a negative (indifferent) response. Furthermore, we demonstrate that consumer trust is the underlying mechanism: committed consumers exhibit more negative responses to in‐contract transgressions as a result of their lower trust in the brand.     

Trading Sex for Money or Compensation: Prevalence and Associated Characteristics from a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Clinic Sample

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and individual risk factors of people who trade or sell sex among sexually active individuals seeking HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing. Using electronic agency records, an analysis of the characteristics of 5,029 youth and adults who voluntarily obtained HIV and STI testing was conducted. Multiple imputation procedures for missing data from 3 variables and logistic regression were conducted. A total of 128 individuals reported having traded sex. Nine variables had statistically significant associations with trading sex. Individuals who identified as White and female had lesser odds of trading sex, whereas individuals who were transgender, were living in a shelter, had been sexually assaulted, had a previous STI, had high-risk sex, or used drugs had greater odds of trading sex. Elevated levels of high-risk behavior in addition to sexual trauma should be considered in intervention research and community health practice. Implications for service providers and researchers are discussed.     

Analyzing Big-Five Personality Traits of Indian Celebrities Using Online Social Media

Personality traits analysis has been an active area of research in information systems and its cognate disciplines. However, there are multiple challenges faced by questionnaire-based measurement of personality traits including low response rate and limited access to the individuals. This research paper presents a social media-based approach to determine the Big-Five personality traits of different groups of celebrities. First, authors collected the Twitter posts of celebrities in different professions and used IBM’s Watson Personality Insights tool to determine the personalities of these celebrities. Next, with the help of statistical analysis and visualization techniques, authors determined the personality pattern within and across the group of celebrities. The results demonstrate that there is significant difference across groups of celebrities on three of the Big-Five personality traits—Openness, Agreeableness, and Extraversion. However, there is no significant difference among the celebrity groups on the Conscientiousness and Neuroticism trait.     

Childhood antecedents of serious violence in adult male offenders

Prospective longitudinal studies have shown strong predictions from conduct disorders (CDs) in childhood to antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and violence in adults. However, little is known of the childhood antecedents of serious violence nor whether these may vary depending on the context in which the violence occurs. In this study, 54 men aged 21-40 years serving prison sentences for violent crime were assessed. Standardized interviews of ASPD and violence were conducted independently of interviews covering retrospective recall of childhood psychiatric disorders and adverse experiences. Analyses of the predictors of overall violence suggested a pathway involving childhood CD and adult ASPD associated with interparental discord, and an additional pathway associated with experiencing interparental violence in childhood. Different results were however obtained when account was taken of the context of the violence. The CD-ASPD pathway was associated with social violence, but not with partner violence. Partner violence was predicted by retrospective reports of having been exposed to interparental violence during childhood but not by reports of childhood CD or adult ASPD. Thus developmental pathways to serious violence may be different depending on the social domain in which the violence occurs.     

Uncovering the structure of a memorist's superior "basic" memory capacity

After extensive laboratory testing of the famous memorist Rajan, Thompson, Cowan, and Frieman (1993) proposed that he was innately endowed with a superior memory capacity for digits and letters and thus violated the hypothesis that exceptional memory fully reflects acquired "skilled memory." We successfully replicated the empirical phenomena that led them to their conclusions. From additional analyses and new experiments, we found support for an alternative hypothesis, namely that Rajan's superior memory for digits was mediated by learned encoding techniques that he acquired during nearly a thousand hours of practice memorizing the mathematical constant pi. Our paper describes a general experimental approach for studying the structure of exceptional memory and how Rajan's unique structure is consistent with the general theoretical framework of long-term working memory (Ericsson and Kintsch, 1995).     

The Influence of Positive and Negative Affectivity on Attitude Change Toward Organizations

This study tests hypothesized differences in pre-post (product-harm) crisis attitude change toward an organization for positively and negatively oriented individuals. Contrary to theoretical predictions, there was not a strong differential attitude change between positively and negatively oriented individuals. The results suggest a possible boundary condition for the influence of positive and negative affectivity on attitude change. Two explanations are offered for these findings: (1) that the vividness of the situation might override affectivity and (2) that affectivity might not be a strong predictor of attitude change for nonpersonalized attitudes.     

Science,state and violence: An indian critique reconsidered

Abstract

This paper explores the work of a specific group of Indian scholar activists who, during the 1980s, produced a body of writing critical of the Indian state's science, technology and environmental policy. They have been described variously as Luddites, anti-science cranks and polemicists (Guha, 1988 Guha, R. 1988. The alternative science movement: an interim assessment. Lokayan Bulletin, 6(3): 7–25.  [Google Scholar]; Nanda, 1991 Nanda, M. 1991. Is modern science a Western, patriarchal myth? A critique of populist orthodoxy. South Asia Bulletin, 11: 110–116.  [Google Scholar]; Baber, 1996 Baber, Z. 1996. The Science of Empire: Scientific Knowledge, Civilization and Colonial Rule in India, New York: SUNY Press.  [Google Scholar]). At the same time, they have been influential among activists critical of state development policies. This paper examines one particularly polemical set of their writings. It has three broad parts. It begins by providing some context and background and describing the methodological choices made in the acquisition and presentation of the material at hand. The second, substantial section is the exposition of the argument underlying the critique being discussed. Finally, the brief last segment explores the relevance of this work for studies of science and culture.