Perceived Parenting and Adolescent Cyber-Bullying: Examining the Intervening Role of Autonomy and Relatedness Need Satisfaction, Empathic Concern and Recognition of Humanness

Due to the progress in information technology, cyber-bullying is becoming one of the most common forms of interpersonal harm, especially among teenagers. The present study (N = 548) aimed to investigate the relation between perceived parenting style (in terms of autonomy support and psychological control) and cyber-bullying in adolescence. Thereby, the study tested for the intervening role of adolescent need satisfaction (i.e., autonomy and relatedness), empathic concern towards others, and adolescents' recognition of full humanness to cyber-bullying offenders and victims. Findings revealed both a direct and an indirect relation between parenting and cyber-bullying. More specifically, parental psychological control directly predicted cyber-bullying, whereas parental autonomy support related to less cyber-bullying indirectly, as it was associated with the satisfaction of adolescents' need for autonomy, which predicted more empathic concern towards others, which in turn differentially related to recognition of humanness to victims and bullies. The discussion focuses on the implications of the current findings

Localization organization and dynamics of cytomegalovirus (CMV) genomes during a productive infection

Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a DNA herpes virus and a common human pathogen of considerable clinical interest. To image the IE1-72kDa HCMV protein a recombinant virus encoding IE1 fused to EGFP was constructed (CR401). Using this construct, the IE1-EGFP fusion was detected at ND10 within 2 h.p.i. and the complete disruption of ND10 imaged through to 6 h p.i. HCMV genomes and IE2-86K protein could be detected adjacent to the IE1-72K/ND10 foci. IE1-72K associates with metaphase chromatin, recruiting PML, Sp100 and STAT2. hDaxx, STAT1 and IE2-86K did not re-locate to metaphase chromatin; the fate of hDaxx is particularly important as this protein contributes to an intrinsic barrier to HCMV infection. Since the progress of mitosis in infected cells has not thoroughly studied, we used the recombinant CR401 to visualize this dynamic phenomenon in living fibroblasts. Time-lapse microscopy in transiently expressing EGFP-IE1 and HcRed1-H2A HeLa cells revealed that IE1 was clearly associated with condensed chromatin at various stages of mitosis and eventually the IE1-expressing cells successfully completed cell division. Monitoring of individually infected fibroblasts by live cell imaging showed that a small proportion of cells initiated mitosis, progressing to prometaphase and metaphase quite readily. However, in the very few cells continuing to anaphase, lagging chromosomes were evident. A destruction of the mitotic spindle because of a HCMV expressed protein results in severe chromosome segregation defects. We demonstrate here that the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) immediate early (IE) proteins IE1 and IE2 differentially upregulate expression of ULBP2 and MICA/B, respectively. Expression of either HCMV IE protein in target cells was sufficient by itself to promote NK cell activation. A panel of replication-deficient adenovirus recombinants encoding defined HCMV IE1 mutants has been generated, and is being used to characterize the mechanism responsible for promoting the ULBP2 response. Furthermore, the EBV IE proteins Zta and Rta were also found to provide a dramatic upregulation of MICA, MICB and ULBP2 surface expression. The NKG2D receptor thus, appears to be exquisitely sensitive to herpesvirus IE gene expression.Ο ανθρώπινος Κυτταρομεγαλοϊός (HCMV) είναι ένας DNA ερπητοϊός και αποτελεί ένα κοινό παθογόνο με αξιοσημείωτο κλινικό ενδιαφέρον. Για να οπτικοποιήσουμε την IE1-72kDa του HCMV, κατασκευάστηκε ένας ανασυνδυασμένος ιός που είχε την ικανότητα να κωδικοποιεί την IE1 συνδεδεμένη με την φθορίζουσα EGFP στο καρβοξυτελικό της άκρο. Χρησιμοποιώντας αυτόν τον ιό, η IE1-EGFP πρωτεΐνη ανιχνεύθηκε στα ND10 μέσα σε 2 h.p.i. ενώ η πλήρης διάσπαση των ND10 παρατηρήθηκε μέχρι τις 6 h.p.i. Τα HCMV γονιδιώματα και η IE2-86K πρωτεΐνη μπορούσαν να ανιχνευθούν παραπλεύρως των IE1-72K/ND10 εστιών. Η IE1-72K συνδέεται με τη μεταφασική χρωματίνη, παίρνοντας μαζί της τις PML, Sp100 και STAT-2. Οι πρωτεΐνες hDaxx, STAT-1 και IE2-86K δεν μετατοπίστηκαν στη μεταφασική χρωματίνη; η μοίρα της hDaxx είναι ιδιαίτερα σημαντική καθώς η πρωτεΐνη αυτή συμβάλλει ως ένα εσωτερικό φράγμα της HCMV μόλυνσης. Καθώς η πρόοδος της μίτωσης σε μολυσμένα κύτταρα δεν έχει μελετηθεί εκτενώς, χρησιμοποιήσαμε τον ανασυνδυασμένο CR401 ιό ώστε να παρακολουθήσουμε αυτό το δυναμικό φαινόμενο σε ζωντανούς ινοβλάστες. Η μικροσκοπία σε ζωντανά HeLa κύτταρα που εξέφραζαν τις διαμολυσμένες EGFP-IE1 και HcRed1-H2A πρωτεΐνες έδειξε πως η ΙΕ1 συνδεόταν ξεκάθαρα με τη συμπυκνωμένη χρωματίνη σε διάφορα στάδια της μίτωσης, και τελικά τα κύτταρα που παροδικά εξέφραζαν την ΙΕ1 ολοκλήρωναν την διαίρεσή τους με επιτυχία. Μικροσκοπική παρατήρηση μεμονωμένων HCMV μολυσμένων ινοβλαστών έδειξε ότι ένα μικρό ποσοστό των κυττάρων που ξεκινούσαν τη μίτωση, προχωρούσαν στην πρόφαση και τη μετάφαση άμεσα και με ευκολία. Αντίθετα, στα ελάχιστα κύτταρα που έφταναν στην ανάφαση, τα χρωμοσώματα δεν κατάφερναν να μετατοπιστούν ομαλά στους πόλους. Μια πιθανή καταστροφή της μιτωτικής ατράκτου εξαιτίας μιας HCMV πρωτεΐνης, οδηγεί σε αδυναμία διαχωρισμού των χρωμοσωμάτων. Στη μελέτη αυτή παρουσιάζεται η ικανότητα των HCMV IE πρωτεϊνών να ρυθμίζουν θετικά την έκφραση των ULBP2 και MICA/B προσδετών, προάγοντας την ΝΚ ενεργοποίηση. Μια ομάδα ανασυνδυασμένων αδενοϊών που εξέφραζαν μεταλλαγμένες μορφές της ΙΕ1 πρωτεΐνης κατασκευάστηκε και χρησιμοποιήθηκε για τη μελέτη του μηχανισμού ενεργοποίησης του ULBP2. Περίληψη Επιπλέον οι EBV IE πρωτεΐνες Zta και Rta βρέθηκαν να προκαλούν ισχυρή ενεργοποίηση της έκφρασης των MICA, MICB και ULBP2 στην κυτταρική επιφάνεια. Η ενεργοποίηση των NKG2D προσδετών φαίνεται να είναι εξαιρετικά ευαίσθητη στην έκφραση των άμεσα πρώιμων γονιδίων των ερπητοϊώ

The effects of ethnic group membership on bullying at school:when do observers dehumanize bullies?

The purpose of this experiment was to test how ethnic group membership of both the bullies and the victims influence the way that observers attribute human characteristics to bullies. Ethnic group membership was manipulated in terms of bullies’ and victims’ ethnicity (ingroup-majority group versus outgroup-minority group). Furthermore, we examined the mediating role of empathic concern towards the victim and perspective taking of the bully in the relation between ethnic group membership of bullies and victims and attributions of humanness to the bullies. We hypothesized that observers would attribute lower human characteristics to outgroup bullies when bullies inflict harm on an ingroup victim. Moreover, we expected that perspective taking of the bully and empathic concern towards the victim would mediate this relation. Analysis of data from a sample of 293 Greek-Cypriot adolescents fully corroborated our hypotheses. The findings are discussed in terms of the discrimination-based nature of bullying at school

Controlled Motivational Orientation and Prejudice:The Mediating Role of Dehumanization

This research investigates the effect of controlled versus autonomous motivation on intergroup relations. Two studies were conducted: Study 1 (N = 152 Greek Cypriot undergraduate students) showed that controlled motivational orientation, measured as a personality variable, was related to more prejudicial beliefs toward outgroups, lower intrinsic motives for contact, less desire for contact, and less actual contact with outgroups. Study 2 (N = 93 Greek Cypriot undergraduate students) experimentally replicated the findings of Study 1, revealing that controlled motivation, manipulated as a social/situational variable, was related to a higher level of prejudice toward outgroups, less intrinsic motives for contact with outgroups, and less desire for contact with outgroups. Most importantly, these relationships were mediated by dehumanization (i.e., denial of uniquely human traits) of the outgroup. The findings highlight the role of interpersonal control as an important factor determining the quality of intergroup relations

Child ViReal Support Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study for Effective Support of Parents Raising Children with Attention Deficits

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) results in various functioning impairments in children’s lives and families. Parents of children with ADHD report high levels of parenting stress, low levels of parental self-efficacy, and use of more authoritarian and/or permissive parenting practices than parents of typically developing children. Intervention programs need to address both children’s and parents’ needs and multimodal intervention programs could cover this demand. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy of “Child ViReal Support Program”—a multi-level evidence-based comprehensive program—on parenting stress, parental self-efficacy, parenting practices, and the core symptoms of children’s ADHD. Families with a child diagnosed with ADHD (n = 16) were randomly allocated to two groups (PC and CP; P = parent training, C = child training), and a cross-over design was utilized. Participating parents completed, in four different times during the study, the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire-Short Version, and the parent form of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV. Parents from both groups, after their participation in the parent training, demonstrated reduced parenting stress, enhanced parental self-efficacy, and increased the employ of democratic parenting practices. More than that, they reported decreased levels of inattention and impulsivity/hyperactivity for their children. Evidence-based multi-level intervention programs could produce positive effects on parents and children by incorporating effective methods and tools in accordance with the needs and the demands of the family context

Executive Function, Working Memory, and Verbal Fluency in Relation to Non-Verbal Intelligence in Greek-Speaking School-Age Children with Developmental Language Disorder

Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) is often associated with impairments in working memory (WM), executive functions (EF), and verbal fluency. Moreover, increasing evidence shows poorer performance of children with DLD on non-verbal intelligence tests relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. Yet, the degree and generality of relevant difficulties remain unclear. The present study aimed at investigating WM capacity, key EFs and verbal fluency in relation to non-verbal intelligence in Greek-speaking school-age children with DLD, compared to TD peers (8–9 years). To our knowledge, the present study is the first to attempt a systematic relevant assessment with Greek-speaking school-age children, complementing previous studies mostly involving English-speaking participants. The results showed that children with DLD scored lower than TD peers on the non-verbal intelligence measure. Groups did not differ in the inhibition measures obtained (tapping resistance to either distractor or proactive interference), but children with DLD were outperformed by TD peers in the WM capacity, updating, monitoring (mixing cost), and verbal fluency (phonological and semantic) measures. The effects showed limited (in the case of backward digit recall) or no dependence on non-verbal intelligence. Findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications as well as in relation to future lines of research

Learning How to Learn in a Real-Life Context Insights from Expert Focus Groups on Narrowing the Soft-Skills Gap

The soft-skills gap the misalignment between the soft skills needed at the workplace and the soft skills possessed by the workforce is considered to be widening, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper presents evidence from two focus-group interviews conducted in May 2021 and May 2022 in Greece. We wanted to understand the factors influencing the soft-skills gap and possible ways to narrow it. Participants were experts on soft skills, involved in various ways and roles in the teaching, training, and evaluation of soft skills. They expressed their concerns about the soft-skills gap and identified aspects that involved employees, employers, the work environment, and the broader social environment. The idea of a constantly changing environment led to the conclusion that adaptability, taking the initiative, and metacognitive skills are most important for university graduates. This conclusion came with a caveat: Learning should take place in real-life contexts, and universities should find ways to embed educational practices in social and work interactions, both inside and outside universities, working closely with local communities

Learning How to Learn in a Real-Life Context Insights from Expert Focus Groups on Narrowing the Soft-Skills Gap

The soft-skills gap the misalignment between the soft skills needed at the workplace and the soft skills possessed by the workforce is considered to be widening, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper presents evidence from two focus-group interviews conducted in May 2021 and May 2022 in Greece. We wanted to understand the factors influencing the soft-skills gap and possible ways to narrow it. Participants were experts on soft skills, involved in various ways and roles in the teaching, training, and evaluation of soft skills. They expressed their concerns about the soft-skills gap and identified aspects that involved employees, employers, the work environment, and the broader social environment. The idea of a constantly changing environment led to the conclusion that adaptability, taking the initiative, and metacognitive skills are most important for university graduates. This conclusion came with a caveat: Learning should take place in real-life contexts, and universities should find ways to embed educational practices in social and work interactions, both inside and outside universities, working closely with local communities