An investigation into the moderating role of fear appeals on the relationship between regulatory fit and persuasion

As one of the ways to persuade young people effectively, several scholars have indicated that using a tailored message that is consistent with individuals’ concerns and interests can influence their attitude and behavioral changes. Among diverse tactics to construct tailored health-messages, this research especially paid attention to individuals’ motivational goals (i.e., regulatory focus) that make them more inclined to a certain outcome. While promotion-oriented individuals primarily focus on how to achieve a desired ending, prevention-oriented individuals mainly focus on avoiding undesirable outcomes (Higgins, 1997; Higgins et al., 2001). Although numerous studies support the positive effects of the congruency between regulatory focus and message frame on persuasion, the researcher was concerned with the limited discussion about the effects of some message attributes (i.e., fear appeals) in tailored health-related Public Service Announcements (PSAs). In particular, a large number of health campaigns provide information in the context of highly emotive graphic images and text; however, the stimulus used in previous studies did not consider such factors’ possible moderating effects. In the context of an anti-binge drinking health campaign, the researcher therefore focused on how the level of fear in tailored messages influences college students’ perceptions of the message, their message processing, and their attitudes and behavioral changes. Using a 2 (regulatory focus: promotion vs. prevention) X 2 (message framing: gain vs. loss) X 2 (level of fear appeals: low vs. high) experimental design, the researcher found that messages that are consistent with individuals’ interests are more persuasive. When the tailored message contained a low fear appeal, more fluent message processing and greater perceptions of message relevance occurred, which in turn impacted persuasion. However, the findings indicate that message effectiveness should be discussed cautiously because the effectiveness of tailored messages is reduced when combined with a high fear appeal. Overall, this study advances our understanding of how a tailored message’s attributes influence individuals’ message processing and persuasion. The findings have practical and theoretical implications for future studies on the use of emotional appeals in persuasive advertising

Competition between B-Z and B-L transitions in a single DNA molecule: Computational studies

Under negative torsion, DNA adopts left-handed helical forms, such as Z-DNA and L-DNA. Using the random copolymer model developed for a wormlike chain, we represent a single DNA molecule with structural heterogeneity as a helical chain consisting of monomers which can be characterized by different helical senses and pitches. By Monte Carlo simulation, where we take into account bending and twist fluctuations explicitly, we study sequence dependence of B-Z transitions under torsional stress and tension focusing on the interaction with B-L transitions. We consider core sequences, (GC)(n) repeats or (TG)(n) repeats, which can interconvert between the right-handed B form and the left-handed Z form, imbedded in a random sequence, which can convert to left-handed L form with different (tension dependent) helical pitch. We show that Z-DNA formation from the (GC)(n) sequence is always supported by unwinding torsional stress but Z-DNA formation from the (TG)(n) sequence, which are more costly to convert but numerous, can be strongly influenced by the quenched disorder in the surrounding random sequence.National Research Foundation NRF-2012 R1A1A3013044 NRF-2014R1A1A2055681NRF-2012R1A1A2021736IBS-R023-D1NRF-2015R1A2A2A01005916Chemistr

Exploring American Indian Students’ Problem-Solving Propensity in the Context of Culturally Relevant STEM Topics

This study presents an out-of-school problem-solving lesson we designed for American Indian students using a culturally relevant STEM topic. The lesson was titled “Shelter Design for Severe Weather Conditions.” This shelter design lesson was developed based on an engineering design allowing us to integrate STEM topics within a traditional indigenous house-building context. This problem context was used to encourage students to apply their prior knowledge, experience, and community/cultural practice to solve problems. We implemented the lesson at a summer program on an American Indian reservation. Using the lesson, this study explores how American Indian students use cultural knowledge and experience to solve a STEM problem. We collected student data through pre- and post-STEM content knowledge tests, drawings and explanations of shelter models on the students’ group worksheets, and classroom observations. We used interpretive and inductive methods to analyze the data. This study demonstrates that our culturally relevant, STEM problem-solving lesson helped the American Indian students solve a complex, real-world problem. This study examines how students’ prior experiences and cultural knowledge affect their problem-solving strategies. Our findings have implications for further research on designing problem-solving lessons with culturally relevant STEM topics for students from historically marginalized populations

Vav1 inhibits RANKL-induced osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption

Vav1 is a Rho/Rac guanine nucleotide exchange factor primarily expressed in hematopoietic cells. In this study, we investigated the potential role of Vav1 in osteoclast (OC) differentiation by comparing the ability of bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) obtained from Vav1-deficient (Vav1−/−) and wild-type (WT) mice to differentiate into mature OCs upon stimulation with macrophage colony stimulating factor and receptor activator of nuclear kappa B ligand in vitro. Our results suggested that Vav1 deficiency promoted the differentiation of BMMCs into OCs, as indicated by the increased expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, cathepsin K, and calcitonin receptor. Therefore, Vav1 may play a negative role in OC differentiation. This hypothesis was supported by the observation of more OCs in the femurs of Vav1−/− mice than in WT mice. Furthermore, the bone status of Vav1−/− mice was analyzed in situ and the femurs of Vav1−/− mice appeared abnormal, with poor bone density and fewer number of trabeculae. In addition, Vav1-deficient OCs showed stronger adhesion to vitronectin, an αvβ3 integrin ligand important in bone resorption. Thus, Vav1 may inhibit OC differentiation and protect against bone resorption

In Vitro Chemosensitivity Using the Histoculture Drug Response Assay in Human Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

The choice of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat patients with epithelial ovarian cancer has not depended on individual patient characteristics. We have investigated the correlation between in vitro chemosensitivity, as determined by the histoculture drug response assay (HDRA), and clinical responses in epithelial ovarian cancer. Fresh tissue samples were obtained from 79 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. The sensitivity of these samples to 11 chemotherapeutic agents was tested using the HDRA method according to established methods, and we analyzed the results retrospectively. HDRA showed that they were more chemosensitive to carboplatin, topotecan and belotecan, with inhibition rates of 49.2%, 44.7%, and 39.7%, respectively, than to cisplatin, the traditional drug of choice in epithelial ovarian cancer. Among the 37 patients with FIGO stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ serous adenocarcinoma who were receiving carboplatin combined with paclitaxel, those with carboplatin-sensitive samples on HDRA had a significantly longer median disease-free interval than patients with carboplatin- resistant samples (23.2 vs. 13.8 months, p＜0.05), but median overall survival did not differ significantly (60.4 vs. 37.3 months, p＝0.621). In conclusion, this study indicates that HDRA could provide useful information for designing individual treatment strategies in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer

The Characteristics of Necessity, Commoner, and Parasite with Multicultural Data Comparison

Three different types of employees can be found in workplaces all over the world: “Necessities,” “Commoners,” and “Parasites.” A person is a Necessity if s/he is irreplaceable and crucial to the functioning of an organization. A Commoner is a person of normal ability and talent who has no significant impact on organizational success. Parasites are detrimental freeloaders who damage the functioning of an organization. To identify the principal characteristics of these three types of workers, a group of researchers led by Chong W. Kim conducted six studies in which they collected survey data from undergraduate and graduate business students in the U.S., India, Korea, Chile, and Japan. The results of this research effort are reported in Kim & Sikula (2005), Kim & Sikula (2006), Kim, Sikula & Smith (2006), Kim, Cho & Sikula (2007), Kim, Arias- Bolzmann & Smith (2008), and Kim, Arias-Bolzmann & Magoshi (2009). The summary of these six studies has been reported in Kim, Smith, Sikula & Anderson (2011). The purpose of this article is to compare the results of the summary study with a new set of data, which was collected from a multicultural student body. The authors note the points of commonality between the data sets and offer their thoughts on future research in this area

Singlet Fermionic Dark Matter with Dark ZZ

We present a fermionic dark matter model mediated by the hidden gauge boson. We assume the QED-like hidden sector which consists of a Dirac fermion and U(1)$_X$ gauge symmetry, and introduce an additional scalar electroweak doublet field with the U(1)$_X$ charge as a mediator. The hidden U(1)$_X$ symmetry is spontaneously broken by the electroweak symmetry breaking and there exists a massive extra neutral gauge boson in this model which is the mediator between the hidden and visible sectors. Due to the U(1)$_X$ charge, the additional scalar doublet does not couple to the Standard Model fermions, which leads to the Higgs sector of type I two Higgs doublet model. The new gauge boson couples to the Standard Model fermions with couplings proportional to those of the ordinary $Z$ boson but very suppressed, thus we call it the dark $Z$ boson. We study the phenomenology of the dark $Z$ boson and the Higgs sector, and show the hidden fermion can be the dark matter candidate.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure

Taurine chloramine protects RAW 264.7 macrophages against hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis by increasing antioxidants

Taurine chloramine is the major chloramine generated in activated neutrophils via the reaction between the overproduced hypochlorous acid and the stored taurine. Taurine chloramine has anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective effects in inflamed tissues by inhibiting the production of inflammatory mediators. Taurine chloramine increases heme oxygenase activity and also protects against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-derived necrosis in macrophages. In this study, we examined further whether taurine chloramine could protect RAW 264.7 macrophages from apoptosis caused by H2O2. Macrophages treated with 0.4 mM H2O2 underwent apoptosis without showing immediate signs of necrosis, and the cells pretreated with taurine chloramine were protected from the H2O2-derived apoptosis. Taurine chloramine increased heme oxygenase-1 expression and heme oxygenase activity. The taurine chloramine-derived upregulation of heme oxygenase-1 expression was blocked by inhibition of ERK phosphorylation. Taurine chloramine decreased cellular glutathione (GSH) levels initially, but the GSH level increased above the control level by 10 h. Taurine chloramine also increased catalase expression and protected macrophages from the apoptotic effect of H2O2. Combined, these results indicate that the taurine chloramine, produced and released endogenously by the activated neutrophils, can protect the macrophages in inflamed tissues from the H2O2-derived apoptosis not only by increasing the expression of cytoprotective enzymes like heme oxygenase-1 and catalase, but also by increasing the intracellular antioxidant GSH level

Perceived Diagnosticity of Virtual Try-on Technologies and Attitudes toward the Product: A Case for Male Consumers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of virtual try-on technologies on male consumers\u27 perceived diagnosticity, attitude, and purchase intentions. The conceptual model investigated perceived risk as a mediator between perceived diagnosticity and attitude toward the suit. A within-subjects research design was developed to empirically test the conceptual model. Participants were directed to a website to virtually try Hugo Boss suits in different sizes on their personalized avatars. A total of 264 usable data were collected. Perceived diagnosticity of virtual try-on technology was found to play an important role in reducing male consumers\u27 perceived risk regarding fit of products. Findings suggest that menswear e-tailers and technology developers should continue to develop and implement virtual try-on technologies and provide detailed visual information regarding attributes (e.g., garment, color, size, fit, and appearances on the body) of products to enhance perceived diagnosticity, thus increasing male consumers\u27 attitudes towards the products