Self-actualization and Communication Contexts: Developments Toward a Theory of Communication

This study addresses the relationship between a person\u27s time spent in communication contexts {as defined by Costaris 11982), Costaris and Surlin (1982), Makuch (1984) and this researcher, and measured by the Personal Time Survey, PTS) and a person\u27s level of self-actualization (as defined by Abraham H. Maslow and measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory, POI, Shostrum, 1966, 1974)

A Statistical Method for Generating Cross-Mission Consistent Normalized Water-Leaving Radiances

Accurate merging of primary radiometric ocean color products like the normalized water-leaving radiance, requires combining data from various space missions which may be affected by different uncertainties as resulting from absolute calibration and minimization of the atmospheric effects. A statistical correction scheme based on a multi-linear regression algorithm is here used to remove systematic differences between in situ and remote sensing measurements. The application of the correction scheme to SeaWiFS and MODIS primary radiometric products has shown an increased convergence between remote sensing and in situ measurements, with the largest effects at 412 and 443 nm. Specifically, the scatter and bias of MODIS derived with respect to in situ Lwn at 412 nm has shown values of 12% and 2% for corrected with respect to values of 29% and -20% for uncorrected data, respectively. Similarly, the scatter and bias for SeaWiFS derived Lwn at 412 nm has shown values of 11% and 2% for corrected with respect to 27% and -11% for uncorrected data. Results at 667 nm for MODIS, and at 670 nm for SeaWiFS, although displaying a reduction in the scatter of data, have shown a significant residual bias of about 8% with respect to in situ values. Differently, the correction scheme does not improve Lwn values at the other center-wavelengths were the agreement between remote sensing and in situ data is already comparable to the intrinsic uncertainty of the in situ data. Finally, the study has shown the need of restricting the application of the correction scheme to data with spectral features represented within the reference dataset used for defining the correction parameters.JRC.H.3-Global environement monitorin

Issue Competition Comparative Project (ICCP)

The Issue Competition Comparative Project (ICCP) is a comparative research project about party competition. The aim is to analyze party competition through an issue competition perspective, i.e. by conceptualizing political parties and leaders as rational, vote-maximizing political entrepreneurs that strategically exploit available issue opportunities in a context where voters are available across ideological boundaries. The first ICCP data collection round has covered six West European countries (Netherlands, France, United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Italy) that held general elections in 2017 and 2018. The electoral campaign of political parties and party leaders was studied by monitoring, collecting, and analysing their activity on Twitter in the four month preceding the election date. For each party in the 6 ICCP countries, the monitoring activity was carried out on the public profile of the party and on the public profile of the main frontrunners/leaders of the party. 1. Survey Dataset Topics: interest in politics; vote intention; rating of current economic situation; expected economic situation in 12 months; propensity to vote different political parties; party identification; strength of party identification; party closeness to different parties; party that is credible for achieving different policy goals; respondent assigns a high, average or low priority to the policy goal; position to positional issues (self-placement on a 1-6 scale, with values 1-3 corresponding to one goal, and values 4-6 corresponding to the rival goal); shared policy goals (valence issues); left-right self-placement; approvement or disapprovement of the government’s record to date; candidate traits (knowledgeable about politics, strong, honest, and careful) were applicable. Demography: sex; age (year of birth, age class); church attendance; education; city size; profession; sector; self-assessment of social class; living standard. Additionally coded: respondent ID, weigthing factor. 2. Twitter Dataset Topics: study (country and year); abbreviation of party; Issue ID (within country); issue type (Positional or Valence); dimension (cultural or economic); Issue (short description); rival goal (on the issue) assigned to classical left-wing orientation; rival goal (on the issue) assigned to classical right-wing orientation; right-wing positional goal; systematic issue salience; absolute count of tweets the party dedicated to the issue; total number of issue-related party tweets; total number of party tweets dedicated to positional issues; total number of party tweets dedicated to valence issues; proportion of party tweets the party dedicated to the issue, over the total of issue-related tweets; orientation (left/right) of the goal with a higher issue yield for the party; party size in survey sample; whole sample and within party: goal support for positional issues; whole sample and within party: party credibility on goal; (credibility weighted) Issue Yield for goal; Issue Yield cross-party ranking.Das Issue Competition Comparative Project (ICCP) ist ein vergleichendes Forschungsprojekt zum Thema Parteienwettbewerb. Ziel ist es, den Parteienwettbewerb aus der Perspektive des Themenwettbewerbs zu analysieren, d.h. politische Parteien und Führer als rationale, stimmmaximierende politische Unternehmer zu konzipieren, die die verfügbaren Themenmöglichkeiten in einem Kontext, in dem die Wähler über ideologische Grenzen hinweg verfügbar sind, strategisch nutzen. Die erste ICCP-Datenerhebungsrunde erstreckte sich auf sechs westeuropäische Länder (Niederlande, Frankreich, Vereinigtes Königreich, Deutschland, Österreich und Italien), die 2017 und 2018 Parlamentswahlen abgehalten haben. Der Wahlkampf von politischen Parteien und Parteiführern wurde untersucht, indem ihre Aktivitäten auf Twitter in den vier Monaten vor dem Wahltag beobachtet, gesammelt und analysiert wurden. Für jede Partei in den 6 ICCP-Ländern wurde die Überwachungstätigkeit auf dem öffentlichen Profil der Partei und auf dem öffentlichen Profil der wichtigsten Spitzenreiter/Führungskräfte der Partei durchgeführt. 1. Umfragedatensatz Themen: Politikinteresse; Wahlabsicht; Bewertung der aktuellen wirtschaftlichen Situation; erwartete wirtschaftliche Situation in 12 Monaten; Wahlbereitschaft verschiedener politischer Parteien; Parteiidentifikation; Stärke der Parteiidentifikation; Parteinähe zu verschiedenen Parteien; Partei, die für das Erreichen unterschiedlicher politischer Ziele glaubwürdig ist; Befragter weist dem politischen Ziel eine hohe, durchschnittliche oder niedrige Priorität zu; Position zu Positionierungsfragen (Selbstplatzierung auf einer Skala von 1-6, mit Werten 1-3, die einem Ziel entsprechen, und Werten 4-6, die dem rivalisierenden Ziel entsprechen); gemeinsame politische Ziele (Wertigkeitsprobleme); links-rechts Selbstplatzierung; Anerkennung oder Missbilligung der bisherigen Regierungsbilanz; Kandidatenmerkmale (Kenntnisse über Politik, stark, ehrlich und vorsichtig) waren anwendbar. Demographie: Geschlecht; Alter (Geburtsjahr, Altersklasse); Kirchgangshäufigkeit; Bildung; Ortsgröße; Beruf; Sektor; Selbstbewertung der sozialen Klasse; Lebensstandard. Zusätzlich codiert: Befragungs-ID, Gewichtungsfaktor. 2. Twitter-Datensatz Themen: Studie (Land und Jahr); Abkürzung der Partei; Issue ID (innerhalb des Landes); Issue Typ (Positional oder Valence); Dimension (kulturell oder wirtschaftlich); Issue (Kurzbeschreibung); rivalisierendes Ziel (zum Thema), das der klassischen linken Orientierung zugeordnet ist; rivalisierendes Ziel (zum Thema), das der klassischen rechten Orientierung zugeordnet ist; rechtes Positionsziel; systematische Issue Salience; absolute Anzahl der Tweets der Partei, die dem Thema gewidmet sind; Gesamtzahl der themenbezogenen Partei-Tweets; Gesamtzahl der Partei-Tweets, die den positionellen Themen gewidmet sind; Gesamtzahl der Partei-Tweets, die den Valenzfragen gewidmet sind; Anteil der Partei-Tweets, die die Partei dem Issue widmet, über die Gesamtzahl der themenbezogenen Tweets; Ausrichtung (links/rechts) des Ziels mit einem höheren Ertragsergebnis für die Partei; Parteigröße in der Umfragestichprobe; Gesamtstichprobe und innerhalb der Partei: Zielunterstützung für Positionsprobleme; ganze Stichprobe und innerhalb der Partei: Glaubwürdigkeit der Partei im Hinblick auf das Ziel (glaubwürdigkeitsgewichtet) Issue Yield für Ziel; Issue Yield Cross-Party-Ranking

Vascular endothelial growth factor enhances in vitro proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), isolated from dental tissues, are largely studied for future application in regenerative dentistry. In this study, we used MSC obtained from human dental pulp (DPSC) of normal impacted third molars that, when cultured in lineage-specific inducing media, differentiate into osteoblasts and adipocytes (evaluated by Alizarin Red S and Red Oil O stainings, respectively), thus showing a multipotency. We confirmed that DPSC, grown under undifferentiating conditions, are negative for hematopoietic (CD45, CD31, CD34, CD144) and positive for mesenchymal (CD29, CD90, CD105, CD166, CD146, STRO-1) markers, that underwent down-regulation when cells were grown in osteogenic medium for 3 weeks. In this condition, they also exhibit an increase in the expression of osteogenic markers (RUNX-2, alkaline phosphatase) and extracellular calcium deposition, whereas the expression of receptors (VEGFR-1 and -2) for vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) and related VEGF binding proteins was similar to that found in undifferentiated DPSC. Exposure of DPSC growing under undifferentiating or osteogenic conditions to VEGF-A165 peptide (10-40 ng/ml) for 8 days dose- and time-dependently increased the number of proliferating cells without inducing differentiation towards endothelial lineage, as evaluated by the lack of expression of specific markers (CD31, CD34, CD144). Additionally, exposure of DPSC cultured in osteogenic medium to VEGF-A165 for a similar period enhanced cell differentiation towards osteoblasts as evaluated after 14 and 21 days by Alizarin Red S staining and alkaline phosphatase activity quantification. These findings may have clinical implications possibly facilitating tissue repair and remodeling