Social Avoidance in Depression:A Study Using a Social Decision-Making Task

Depression significantly affects interpersonal functioning. Social avoidance may play an important role in depression, limiting opportunities and social skills acquisition, contributing to the maintenance of social difficulties. In the last few years, the need for studying social interactions using interactive tasks has been highlighted. This study investigated social avoidance in unmedicated depressed (n = 26) and matched healthy control (n = 26) participants, using a novel computerized social decision-making task (the TEAM task). In this task, participants choose between a social option (playing in a team with a coplayer) and an individual option (playing alone). Although the social option is more profitable from a material point of view, it can also be challenging because of social comparison and guilt feelings for failing the team. It was found that the higher the rank of the coplayer, the stronger the negative emotions (shame, guilt) reported by participants and the more they opted for the individual option. Depressed participants reported significantly less positive (happiness) and more negative (shame, guilt, disappointment) feelings regarding the task. Importantly, depressed participants chose the individual option significantly more often than controls, which led to lower gains in this group. Furthermore, as the task progressed, controls selected the individual option less often, whereas depressed participants selected the individual option more often. Our findings illustrate the importance of social avoidance in depression and how this behavior can lead to negative consequences. They also highlight the role of social comparison and guilt-related processes in underlying social avoidance in depression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved

Risk assessment of the biocontrol product Nemaslug 2.0 with the active organisms Phasmarhabditis californica (strain P19D) and Moraxella osloensis

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Universality of Performance Indicators based on Citation and Reference Counts

We find evidence for the universality of two relative bibliometric indicators of the quality of individual scientific publications taken from different data sets. One of these is a new index that considers both citation and reference counts. We demonstrate this universality for relatively well cited publications from a single institute, grouped by year of publication and by faculty or by department. We show similar behaviour in publications submitted to the arXiv e-print archive, grouped by year of submission and by sub-archive. We also find that for reasonably well cited papers this distribution is well fitted by a lognormal with a variance of around 1.3 which is consistent with the results of Radicchi, Fortunato, and Castellano (2008). Our work demonstrates that comparisons can be made between publications from different disciplines and publication dates, regardless of their citation count and without expensive access to the whole world-wide citation graph. Further, it shows that averages of the logarithm of such relative bibliometric indices deal with the issue of long tails and avoid the need for statistics based on lengthy ranking procedures.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures, 11 pages of supplementary material. Submitted to Scientometric

Expression, purification and characterization of the Lily symptomless virus coat protein from Lanzhou Isolate

Background: Lily symptomless virus (LSV) is widespread in many countries where lily are grown or planted, and causes severe economic losses in terms of quantity and quality of flower and bulb production. To study the structure-function relationship of coat protein (CP) of LSV, to investigate antigenic relationships between coat protein subunits or intact virons, and to prepare specific antibodies against LSV, substantial amounts of CP protein are needed. Results: Thus, full-length cDNA of LSV coat protein was synthesized and amplified by RT-PCR from RNA isolated from LSV Lanzhou isolate. The extended 33.6 kDa CP was cloned and expressed prokaryoticly and then purified by Ni-ion affinity chromatography. Its identity and antigenicity of recombinant CP were identified on Western-blotting by using the prepared anti-LSV antibodies. Conclusions: The results indicate that fusion CP maintains its native antigenicity and specificity, providing a good source of antigen in preparation of LSV related antibodies. Detailed structural analysis of a pure recombinant CP should allow a better understanding of its role in cell attachment and LSV tropism. This investigation to LSV should provide some specific antibodies and aid to development a detection system for LSV diagnostics and epidemiologic surveys

Reviewing, indicating, and counting books for modern research evaluation systems

In this chapter, we focus on the specialists who have helped to improve the conditions for book assessments in research evaluation exercises, with empirically based data and insights supporting their greater integration. Our review highlights the research carried out by four types of expert communities, referred to as the monitors, the subject classifiers, the indexers and the indicator constructionists. Many challenges lie ahead for scholars affiliated with these communities, particularly the latter three. By acknowledging their unique, yet interrelated roles, we show where the greatest potential is for both quantitative and qualitative indicator advancements in book-inclusive evaluation systems.Comment: Forthcoming in Glanzel, W., Moed, H.F., Schmoch U., Thelwall, M. (2018). Springer Handbook of Science and Technology Indicators. Springer Some corrections made in subsection 'Publisher prestige or quality

Risk assessment of Psychrobacter sp. as plant protection product - Nemaslug

Helse- og miljørisiko ved bruk av bakterien Psychrobacter sp. i plantevernmiddelet Nemaslug® Helserisikoen for mennesker ved bruk av Nemaslug® anses som lav, men man kan ikke utelukke risiko for svært infeksjonsutsatte pasientgrupper. Det er ingen bevis for helseproblemer som oppstår ved inntak av matvarer behandlet med Nemaslug®. Vitenskapskomiteen for mat og miljø (VKM) har, på oppdrag fra Mattilsynet, utført en risikovurdering av bakterien Psychrobacter sp. som inngår i plantevernmiddelet Nemaslug®. Plantevernmiddelet Nemaslug®, som er godkjent for bruk i Norge siden 2005, inneholder nematoden Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita. Nematoden bærer en symbiotisk bakterie som fungerer som den aktive biokontrollorganismen ved å produsere giftstoffer som dreper snegler ved infeksjon. Bakgrunnen for oppdraget er at det ble avdekket at bakterien i Nemaslug® ikke er Moraxella osloensis, som den tidligere godkjenningen er basert på. Den er i stedet blitt identifisert som en art i bakterieslekten Psychrobacter, mest sannsynlig Psychrobacter faecalis, alternativt Psychrobacter pulmonis. Denne vurderingen skal danne grunnlag for Mattilsynets beslutning om hvorvidt Nemaslug® skal beholde sin godkjenning for bruk i Norge eller ei. Resultater Det er begrenset informasjon om helsefarene ved Psychrobacter sp. hos mennesker. Kunnskap om antibiotikaresistens og patogenisitet i slekten Psychrobacter er i stor grad mangelfull. Det er lite informasjon om forekomsten av Psychrobacter sp. i Norge. Potensialet for spredning og etablering av Psychrobacter sp. i miljøet under norske forhold vurderes som lavt. Risikoen Nemaslug® utgjør for ikke-målorganismer, spesielt bløtdyr, er usikker og krever videre forskning. Videre taksonomisk analyse og fullstendig genomsekvensering er nødvendig for å bekrefte artstilhørigheten til bakterien i Nemaslug®. Konklusjoner Selv om informasjonen om helsefarene knyttet til Psychrobacter sp. hos mennesker er begrenset, betraktes den generelt som et lavrisikopatogen. Helserisikoen for mennesker ved bruk av Nemaslug® anses derfor som lav, men risiko for pasientgrupper som er svært mottakelige for infeksjoner kan ikke utelukkes. Det er ingen bevis for helseproblemer som oppstår ved inntak av matvarer behandlet med Nemaslug®. Metode VKM har hentet data og informasjon fra søkeren via Mattilsynet og VKMs forrige rapport om Nemaslug®. Et grundig litteratursøk ble gjennomført for å innhente ytterligere relevant informasjon. ​Vurderingen er godkjent av VKMs faggruppe for plantehelse.Risk assessment of Psychrobacter sp. as plant protection product - NemaslugpublishedVersionsubmittedVersionpublishedVersio