Gender differences and similarities in moral orientations: A narrative approach to moral socialization within the family

Some research suggests that adults as parents, in particular, may orient their moral reasoning and socialization of children differentially by gender (Lollis, Ross, & Leroux, 1996; Pratt, Amold, & Hilbers, 1998; Pratt, Golding, Hunter, & Sampson, 1988). The present study investigates the extent to which mothers and fathers differ in their moral orientations with respect to socializing young children, specifically in their use of a narrative or storytelling mode. The present study also examines the extent to which gender of the child influences the orientation of parents’ socialization narratives told to and about their young children. Thirty married couples, whose first child was approximately four and a half years of age, participated in this study. Two personal narratives were obtained from both parents at separate times. The first narrative involved discussing a family story about an event from the parents’ childhood when he or she had learned an important value. The second narrative involved each parent completing a value choice task and then providing a narrative on a teaching or socialization experience with the child, following the procedure of Pratt and his colleagues (1998). Consistent with previous findings (Pratt et al., 1998), the results revealed that mothers were somewhat more likely than fathers to express stronger levels of care in these narratives, although this finding was only marginally significant (p \u3c .06). Furthermore, mothers and fathers were quite different in the patterns of care expressed to their sons and daughters. Specifically, fathers were significantly more likely to consider justice issues in their narratives regarding their sons than their daughters, whereas mothers did not differentiate by child gender. This finding is consistent with the gender socialization literature, in which fathers are more gender-differentiated in socializing their children than are mothers. The present study highlights the practical usefulness of this narrative technique in studying value socialization within a family context. Future research is needed to further examine what role gender and narrative play in the development of moral thinking

Synthesis and Spectroscopic Characterization of 1,​8-​Naphthalimide Derived "Super" Photoacids

The ground- and excited-​state acid-​base properties of three novel naphthalimide-​based "super" photoacids were studied using steady-​state and time-​resolved spectroscopy. The compds. exhibit pKa = 8.8-​8.0 and pK*a = -​1.2 to -​1.9. The decrease in both ground- and excited-​state pKa is achieved by attachment of an electron withdrawing group (sulfonate) on the arom. system. All compds. are deprotonated upon excitation in alcs. and DMSO. Good correlation is established between the pK*a and the ratio of the neutral and anion emission intensities in a certain solvent. The excited-​state intermol. proton transfer to solvent (H2O and DMSO) is explained by a two-​step model. In the first step, short-​range proton transfer takes place, resulting in the formation of a contact ion pair. Free ion pairs are formed in the diffusion controlled second step

Lessons learned from computer models on blue light therapy for psoriasis vulgaris

Blue light irradiation has been clinically proven to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis vulgaris, a common chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects 2% - 3% of the world’s population. This dermatological condition is characterized by hyperproliferation and disturbed differentiation of keratinocytes, which is evident in lesional areas as thick flaky skin. The lesional areas also exhibit sustained inflammation, induced by immune cells, such as T cells and dendritic cells, infiltrating the affected skin. Blue light reduces the proliferation of keratinocytes and increases their differentiation in a wavelength and fluence dependent manner. Also, it induces apoptosis in T cells and suppresses the activation of dendritic cells. These effects can explain the symptom reduction after treatment. But, the efficacy shown in the clinical studies could be further improved by having a deeper understanding on the underlying mechanism of this therapeutic approach and optimizing the treatment regimens currently used. Diverse findings have been published in different studies of blue light therapy for psoriasis describing large, little or no therapeutic effect. These results may be due to variances in the main treatment parameters of the implemented protocols, i.e. fluence, intensity, and length of treatment. Computational methods can provide a suitable platform to investigate the complex interactions leading to the management of psoriasis by blue light therapy and optimize the treatment protocols. Here, we explore in silico the underlying mechanism of blue light irradiation of psoriatic skin and predict the outcome of a wide range of therapeutic regimens with varying fluence, intensity, and length of treatment. The computational model is defined by a set of ordinary differential equations describing the time evolution of keratinocytes as they move vertically through the layers of the epidermis. The results of our simulations suggest that the temporary decrease in the severity of psoriasis can be explained by the transient decline in the proliferative capacity of keratinocytes. However, it is still unclear how the effects of blue light on the immune system contribute to the reduction of psoriasis symptoms. Simulations implemented for several combinations of treatment parameters predict that high efficacy is achieved by protocols with long duration and high fluence levels, regardless of the chosen intensity. These predictions provide general guidelines for treatment. Our in silico approach constitutes a framework for testing diverse hypotheses on the underlying mechanism of blue light therapy and designing effective strategies for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris

Dual-mode humidity detection using a lanthanide-based metal-organic framework: towards multifunctional humidity sensors

Combined photoluminescence and impedance spectroscopy studies show that a europium-based metal–organic framework behaves as a highly effective and reliable humidity sensor, enabling dual-mode humidity detection

Combined effects of land use and hunting on distributions of tropical mammals

Land use and hunting are 2 major pressures on biodiversity in the tropics. Yet, their combined impacts have not been systematically quantified at a large scale. We estimated the effects of both pressures on the distributions of 1884 tropical mammal species by integrating species’ range maps, detailed land-use maps (1992 and 2015), species-specific habitat preference data, and a hunting pressure model. We further identified areas where the combined impacts were greatest (hotspots) and least (coolspots) to determine priority areas for mitigation or prevention of the pressures. Land use was the main driver of reduced distribution of all mammal species considered. Yet, hunting pressure caused additional reductions in large-bodied species’ distributions. Together, land use and hunting reduced distributions of species by 41% (SD 30) on average (year 2015). Overlap between impacts was only 2% on average. Land use contributed more to the loss of distribution (39% on average) than hunting (4% on average). However, hunting reduced the distribution of large mammals by 29% on average; hence, large mammals lost a disproportional amount of area due to the combination of both pressures. Gran Chaco, the Atlantic Forest, and Thailand had high levels of impact across the species (hotspots of area loss). In contrast, the Amazon and Congo Basins, the Guianas, and Borneo had relatively low levels of impact (coolspots of area loss). Overall, hunting pressure and human land use increased from 1992 to 2015 and corresponding losses in distribution increased from 38% to 41% on average across the species. To effectively protect tropical mammals, conservation policies should address both pressures simultaneously because their effects are highly complementary. Our spatially detailed and species-specific results may support future national and global conservation agendas, including the design of post-2020 protected area targets and strategies