Relating Self-Complexity to Coping and Adaptation with Chinese College Students: A New Measurement Perspective

Research into self-complexity has been hampered by problems with its measurement. The present study was designed to test the generality of Western findings about self-complexity and improve the measurement and our understanding of this construct by examining the relationships of four measures of self-complexity to coping and psychological adaptation with 347 Chinese college students. A new measure, the Self-Complexity Task was developed to obtain the number of self-aspects and the average distinction among self-aspects separately, and was employed in parallel to Linville’s H measure as the overlap among self-aspects in terms of their descriptive traits. As found in Western cultures, the positive correlation between the H statistic and overlap supports the position that H is not an appropriate measure of self-complexity. Among the four measures, the average distinction is the most powerful indicator of self-complexity in terms of its relationship with coping and adaptation variables in the sample of Chinese college students. Although higher average distinction implies the use of more effective coping strategies, it may be the latter which directly affects adaptation in the long run. Implications of these findings are discussed for future research of self-complexity from a cross-cultural perspective

SELF-EFFICACY, ACHIEVEMENT GOALS, AND ACHIEVEMENT: ACADEMIC HELP-SEEKING TENDENCIES AS MEDIATORS

This study investigated how students’ academic help-seeking tendencies mediate motivation and subsequent achievement. A large sample of Singapore Secondary 2 students took a survey on math self-efficacy, achievement goals (mastery and performance), and help-seeking tendencies (adaptive, expedient, and avoidant), followed by a math achievement test about 3 months later. We conducted structural equation modeling and found that after controlling for gender and previous math achievement, students’ help-seeking tendencies fully mediated the predictive relationship from math self-efficacy and achievement goals to subsequent math achievement. More specifically, math self-efficacy was associated positively with adaptive help seeking, mastery goals were associated positively with adaptive help seeking and negatively with avoidant help seeking, and performance goals were associated negatively with adaptive help seeking and positively with both expedient and avoidant help seeking. Adaptive help seeking in turn positively and expedient help seeking negatively predicted subsequent math achievement. Through the mediation of help-seeking tendencies, math self-efficacy and mastery goals positively and performance goals negatively predicted subsequent math achievement. The importance of help seeking in learning and implications for classroom teaching are discussed

Circuit formation in the adult brain

Neurons in the mammalian central nervous system display an enormous capacity for circuit formation during development but not later in life. In principle, new circuits could be also formed in adult brain, but the absence of the developmental milieu and the presence of growth inhibition and hundreds of working circuits are generally viewed as unsupportive for such a process. Here, we bring together evidence from different areas of neuroscience—such as neurological disorders, adult-brain neurogenesis, innate behaviours, cell grafting, and in vivo cell reprogramming—which demonstrates robust circuit formation in adult brain. In some cases, adult-brain rewiring is ongoing and required for certain types of behaviour and memory, while other cases show significant promise for brain repair in disease models. Together, these examples highlight that the adult brain has higher capacity for structural plasticity than previously recognized. Understanding the underlying mechanisms behind this retained plasticity has the potential to advance basic knowledge regarding the molecular organization of synaptic circuits and could herald a new era of neural circuit engineering for therapeutic repair

Reference trajectory modification based on spatial iterative learning for contour control of 2-axis NC systems

Contour error is a main factor that affects the quality of products in numerical control (NC) machining. This paper presents a contour control strategy based on digital curves for high-precision control of computer numerical control (CNC) machines. A contour error estimation algorithm is presented for digital curves based on a geometrical method. The dynamic model of the motion control system is transformed from time domain to space domain because the contour error is dependent on space instead of time. Spatial iterative learning control (sILC) is developed to reduce the contour error, by modifying the reference trajectory in the form of G code. This allows system improvement without interference of low-level controllers so it is applicable to many commercial controllers where interpolators and feed-drive controllers cannot be altered. The effectiveness of this method is verified by experiments on a NC machine, which have shown good performance not only for smooth trajectories but also for large curvature trajectories

Transcriptional and morphological profiling of parvalbumin interneuron subpopulations in the mouse hippocampus

The diversity reflected by >100 different neural cell types fundamentally contributes to brain function and a central idea is that neuronal identity can be inferred from genetic information. Recent large-scale transcriptomic assays seem to confirm this hypothesis, but a lack of morphological information has limited the identification of several known cell types. In this study, we used single-cell RNA-seq in morphologically identified parvalbumin interneurons (PV-INs), and studied their transcriptomic states in the morphological, physiological, and developmental domains. Overall, we find high transcriptomic similarity among PV-INs, with few genes showing divergent expression between morphologically different types. Furthermore, PV-INs show a uniform synaptic cell adhesion molecule (CAM) profile, suggesting that CAM expression in mature PV cells does not reflect wiring specificity after development. Together, our results suggest that while PV-INs differ in anatomy and in vivo activity, their continuous transcriptomic and homogenous biophysical landscapes are not predictive of these distinct identities

Single-Cell RNA-Seq Reveals Developmental Origins and Ontogenetic Stability of Neurexin Alternative Splicing Profiles

Neurexins are key synaptic organizers that are expressed in thousands of alternatively spliced isoforms. Because transsynaptic neurexin interactions with different postsynaptic molecules are largely isoform dependent, a cell type-level census of different neurexin isoforms could predict molecular interactions relating to synapse identity and function. Using single-cell transcriptomics to study the origin of neurexin diversity in multiple murine mature and embryonic cell types, we have discovered shared neurexin expression patterns in developmentally related cells. By comparing neurexin profiles in immature embryonic neurons, we show that neurexin profiles are specified during early development and remain unchanged throughout neuronal maturation. Thus, our findings reveal ontogenetic stability and provide a cell type-level census of neurexin isoform expression in the cortex

Pcdh11x controls target specification of mossy fiber sprouting

Circuit formation is a defining characteristic of the developing brain. However, multiple lines of evidence suggest that circuit formation can also take place in adults, the mechanisms of which remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the epilepsy-associated mossy fiber (MF) sprouting in the adult hippocampus and asked which cell surface molecules define its target specificity. Using single-cell RNAseq data, we found lack and expression of Pcdh11x in non-sprouting and sprouting neurons respectively. Subsequently, we used CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to disrupt the Pcdh11x gene and characterized its consequences on sprouting. Although MF sprouting still developed, its target specificity was altered. New synapses were frequently formed on granule cell somata in addition to dendrites. Our findings shed light onto a key molecular determinant of target specificity in MF sprouting and contribute to understanding the molecular mechanism of adult brain rewiring

Commissural dentate granule cell projections and their rapid formation in the adult brain

Dentate granule cells (GCs) have been characterized as unilaterally projecting neurons within each hippocampus. Here, we describe a unique class, the commissural GCs, which atypically project to the contralateral hippocampus in mice. Although commissural GCs are rare in the healthy brain, their number and contralateral axon density rapidly increase in a rodent model of temporal lobe epilepsies. In this model, commissural GC axon growth appears together with the well-studied hippocampal mossy fiber sprouting and may be important for the pathomechanisms of epilepsy. Our results augment the current view on hippocampal GC diversity and demonstrate powerful activation of a commissural wiring program in the adult brain

Activation of feedforward wiring in adult hippocampal neurons by the basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor Ascl4

Although evidence indicates that the adult brain retains a considerable capacity for circuit formation, adult wiring has not been broadly considered and remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate wiring activation in adult neurons. We show that the basic-helix-loop-helix transcription factor Ascl4 can induce wiring in different types of hippocampal neurons of adult mice. The new axons are mainly feedforward and reconfigure synaptic weights in the circuit. Mice with the Ascl4-induced circuits do not display signs of pathology and solve spatial problems equally well as controls. Our results demonstrate reprogrammed connectivity by a single transcriptional factor and provide insights into the regulation of brain wiring in adults

Self-construal, incremental beliefs of ability, and learning preferences of singapore students

This study investigated how self-construal as a sociocultural indicator relates to Singapore students’ incremental beliefs of ability and competitive and cooperative learning preferences, and the mediational role of incremental beliefs of ability in the relationship between self-construal and students’ learning preferences. A large sample of 2648 Singapore secondary students from 102 classes took measures of independent and interdependent self-construal, and about 3 months later they took measures of incremental beliefs of math ability and also competitive and cooperative learning preferences in their math study. We conducted multi-group confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, and the results supported measurement and structural invariance between boys and girls. Interdependent self-construal positively predicted incremental beliefs of math ability, and incremental beliefs of math ability were positively associated with both competitive and cooperative learning preferences. Interdependent self-construal positively predicted cooperative learning preference both directly and through the mediation of incremental beliefs of math ability; it also positively predicted competitive learning preference indirectly through incremental beliefs of math ability. Independent self-construal directly predicted competitive learning preference positively. The findings and implications for classroom teaching are discussed in the academic context of Singapore