Does Expectation Influence Relationship? A Mixed Methods Investigation of Parental Expectation and Parent-Child Relationship Among Chinese Family Groups 期望是否會影響關係？華裔家庭中父母的期望對親子關係的影響之研究

Abstract Parental expectation, particularly among Chinese family groups, is understood to be formative upon their children’s identity, behavior in family relationships, educational success and decisions in career choices. China\u27s long history of traditionalism in its social values, heavily based on Confucian philosophy of the family, bears this out. Significant social changes have happened in recent years due to political shifts, modernization, capitalization, immigration, and government population control policies. However, expectation is an element on which both academic study and educational research are rather limited. Current study has touched on the topic of parental expectation and raised some awareness, but the need for further empirical study would serve not only to clarify the changing state of parental expectation regarding the development of children, but also its critical impact on the much weakened family relationships among contemporary Chinese families. The purpose of this study is to investigate parental expectation and its influence upon the parent-child relationship in family relationships through mixed methods due to the complexity of a very reserved nature culturally rooted among Chinese groups. The qualitative research methods involved both interviews and focus group studies, while the quantitative research explored the influence of parental expectation on parent-child relationship through a questionnaire survey with 41 items in Likert scale via Exploratory Factor Analysis on SPSS. Keywords: expectation, relationship, parental expectation, parent-child relationship, family relationship, Chinese cultural groups. 關鍵詞：期望、關係、父母期望、親子關係、家庭關係、華裔文化群

Vermonters’ Opinions on Low-Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening

Introduction: Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer death among men and women in Vermont and the United States. Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer—nearly 90% of lung cancer is due to smoking. Frequently, lung cancers do not present clinically until they are advanced stage and therefore prognosis is poor. However, if detected early lung cancers are more operable and patients have better outcomes. In December 2013 the US Preventive Services Task Force released new guidelines for lung cancer screening among current and former smokers ages 55 to 80. It is recommended that current and former (within 15 years of quitting) smokers of 30 pack years receive an annual low-dose CT scan. The objective of this project was to assess the level of knowledge and attitudes towards lung cancer screening with low-dose CT scanning among Vermonters in the Burlington area.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1205/thumbnail.jp

Cultural beliefs about cancer influencing help-seeking and symptom appraisal: a meta-synthesis of qualitative findings

Abstract presented at the 2014 World Cancer Congress, 3-6 December 2014, Melbourne, Australi

Spatial mapping of translational diffusion coefficients using diffusion tensor imaging: A mathematical description

In this article, we discuss the theoretical background for diffusion weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. Molecular diffusion is a random process involving thermal Brownian motion. In biological tissues, the underlying microstructures restrict the diffusion of water molecules, making diffusion directionally dependent. Water diffusion in tissue is mathematically characterized by the diffusion tensor, the elements of which contain information about the magnitude and direction of diffusion and is a function of the coordinate system. Thus, it is possible to generate contrast in tissue based primarily on diffusion effects. Expressing diffusion in terms of the measured diffusion coefficient (eigenvalue) in any one direction can lead to errors. Nowhere is this more evident than in white matter, due to the preferential orientation of myelin fibers. The directional dependency is removed by diagonalization of the diffusion tensor, which then yields a set of three eigenvalues and eigenvectors, representing the magnitude and direction of the three orthogonal axes of the diffusion ellipsoid, respectively. For example, the eigenvalue corresponding to the eigenvector along the long axis of the fiber corresponds qualitatively to diffusion with least restriction. Determination of the principal values of the diffusion tensor and various anisotropic indices provides structural information. We review the use of diffusion measurements using the modified Stejskal–Tanner diffusion equation. The anisotropy is analyzed by decomposing the diffusion tensor based on symmetrical properties describing the geometry of diffusion tensor. We further describe diffusion tensor properties in visualizing fiber tract organization of the human brain

Evidence of state-dependence in the effectiveness of responsive neurostimulation for seizure modulation

An implanted device for brain-responsive neurostimulation (RNS System) is approved as an effective treatment to reduce seizures in adults with medically-refractory focal epilepsy. Clinical trials of the RNS System demonstrate population-level reduction in average seizure frequency, but therapeutic response is highly variable. Recent evidence links seizures to cyclical fluctuations in underlying risk. We tested the hypothesis that effectiveness of responsive neurostimulation varies based on current state within cyclical risk fluctuations. We analyzed retrospective data from 25 adults with medically-refractory focal epilepsy implanted with the RNS System. Chronic electrocorticography was used to record electrographic seizures, and hidden Markov models decoded seizures into fluctuations in underlying risk. State-dependent associations of RNS System stimulation parameters with changes in risk were estimated. Higher charge density was associated with improved outcomes, both for remaining in a low seizure risk state and for transitioning from a high to a low seizure risk state. The effect of stimulation frequency depended on initial seizure risk state: when starting in a low risk state, higher stimulation frequencies were associated with remaining in a low risk state, but when starting in a high risk state, lower stimulation frequencies were associated with transition to a low risk state. Findings were consistent across bipolar and monopolar stimulation configurations. The impact of RNS on seizure frequency exhibits state-dependence, such that stimulation parameters which are effective in one seizure risk state may not be effective in another. These findings represent conceptual advances in understanding the therapeutic mechanism of RNS, and directly inform current practices of RNS tuning and the development of next-generation neurostimulation systems

Eye size and shape in newborn children and their relation to axial length and refraction at 3 years

10.1111/opo.12212Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics354414-423GUSTO (Growing up towards Healthy Outcomes

Vav2 Is an Activator of Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA

Vav and Vav2 are members of the Dbl family of proteins that act as guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) for Rho family proteins. Whereas Vav expression is restricted to cells of hematopoietic origin, Vav2 is widely expressed. Although Vav and Vav2 share highly related structural similarities and high sequence identity in their Dbl homology domains, it has been reported that they are active GEFs with distinct substrate specificities toward Rho family members. Whereas Vav displayed GEF activity for Rac1, Cdc42, RhoA, and RhoG, Vav2 was reported to exhibit GEF activity for RhoA, RhoB, and RhoG but not for Rac1 or Cdc42. Consistent with their distinct substrate targets, it was found that constitutively activated versions of Vav and Vav2 caused distinct transformed phenotypes when expressed in NIH 3T3 cells. In contrast to the previous findings, we found that Vav2 can act as a potent GEF for Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA in vitro. Furthermore, we found that NH(2)-terminally truncated and activated Vav and Vav2 caused indistinguishable transforming actions in NIH 3T3 cells that required Cdc42, Rac1, and RhoA function. In addition, like Vav and Rac1, we found that Vav2 activated the Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase cascade and also caused the formation of lamellipodia and membrane ruffles in NIH 3T3 cells. Finally, Vav2-transformed NIH 3T3 cells showed up-regulated levels of Rac-GTP. We conclude that Vav2 and Vav share overlapping downstream targets and are activators of multiple Rho family proteins. Therefore, Vav2 may mediate the same cellular consequences in nonhematopoietic cells as Vav does in hematopoietic cells