Are Asian Thinking Styles Different? Acculturation and Thinking Styles in a Chinese-Canadian Population

This research examined the theory of mental self-government and its various thinking styles. The theory of mental self-government (Sternberg, 1988a) has established its utility in verbal contexts including education, occupation, partner choices, and cross-culturally. The Associated Thinking Style Inventory (TSI; Sternberg & Wagner, 1991; 1992) has also demonstrated its reliability and validity in a Hong Kong population (Zhang, 1999; Zhang & Lcks, 1997; Zhang & Sternberg, 1998), but it has not been used with Chinese-Canadians. It was hypothesized that as Chinese individuals become more acculturated to the North American cultural system, their thinking styles approach European-American norms. This study found the a to be an internally consistent measure of thinking styles in a Chinese-Canadian population; ! median alpha reliability was .82. Observed intercorrelations between the various thinking variables were in the anticipated directions and three factors were found to account for 55% of the variance. Significant relationships were found between some thinking styles and socialization variables such as gender, age, amount of education, and years lived in North America. However : present data do not support the hypothesis that Chinese-Canadian acculturation was related to : theory of mental self-government. Although the TSI and Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity co-culturation Scale (SL-ASIA; Suinn, Rikard-Figueroa, Lew, & Vigil, 1987) were both reliable, here were no significant correlations between the two measures. The absence of a relationship 1etween the TSI and the SL-ASIA is understandable considering the complexity of these constructs; acculturation has been shown to be multi-faceted and there are numerous possibilities f thinking style profiles. In addition, individuals may diversify their thinking styles to better adapt to an environment, further complicating the matter. Perhaps the complexity of c0-culturation and thinking style profiles does not allow for simple categorization. However, this study was able to demonstrate that Chinese-Canadians think somewhat differently from two Hong Kong populations (Zhang, 1999; Zhang & Sacks, 1997). This sample of Chinese-Canadians preferred the legislative, executive, local, and liberal thinking styles over the Hong Kong samples

Effect of Ca2+ on the Steady-State and Time-Resolved Emission Properties of the Genetically Encoded Fluorescent Sensor CatchER

We previously designed a calcium sensor CatchER (a GFP-based Calcium sensor for detecting high concentrations in the high calcium concentration environment such as ER) with a capability for monitoring calcium ion responses in various types of cells. Calcium binding to CatchER induces the ratiometric changes in the absorption spectra, as well as an increase in fluorescence emission at 510 nm upon excitation at both 395 and 488 nm. Here, we have applied the combination of the steady-state and time-resolved optical methods and Hydrogen/Deuterium isotope exchange to understand the origin of such calcium-induced optical property changes of CatchER. We first demonstrated that calcium binding results in a 44% mean fluorescence lifetime increase of the indirectly excited anionic chromophore. Thus, CatchER is the first protein-based calcium indicator with the single fluorescent moiety to show the direct correlation between the lifetime and calcium binding. Calcium exhibits a strong inhibition on the excited-state proton transfer nonadiabatic geminate recombination in protic (vs deuteric) medium. Analysis of CatchER crystal structures and the MD simulations reveal the proton transfer mechanism in which the disrupted proton migration path in CatchER is rescued by calcium binding. Our finding provides important insights for a strategy to design calcium sensors and suggests that CatchER could be a useful probe for FLIM imaging of calcium in situ

IllustrisTNG in the HSC-SSP: image data release and the major role of mini mergers as drivers of asymmetry and star formation

At fixed galaxy stellar mass, there is a clear observational connection between structural asymmetry and offset from the star forming main sequence, $\Delta$SFMS. Herein, we use the TNG50 simulation to investigate the relative roles of major mergers (stellar mass ratios $\mu\geq0.25$), minor ($0.1 \leq \mu < 0.25$), and mini mergers ($0.01 \leq \mu < 0.1$) in driving this connection amongst star forming galaxies (SFGs). We use dust radiative transfer post-processing with SKIRT to make a large, public collection of synthetic Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program (HSC-SSP) images of simulated TNG galaxies over $0.1\leq z \leq 0.7$ with $\log M_{\star} / \mathrm{M}_{\odot}\geq9$ ($\sim750$k images). Using their instantaneous SFRs, known merger histories/forecasts, and HSC-SSP asymmetries, we show (1) that TNG50 SFGs qualitatively reproduce the observed trend between $\Delta$SFMS and asymmetry and (2) a strikingly similar trend emerges between $\Delta$SFMS and the time-to-coalescence for mini mergers. Controlling for redshift, stellar mass, environment, and gas fraction, we show that individual mini merger events yield small enhancements in SFRs and asymmetries that are sustained on long timescales (at least $\sim3$ Gyr after coalescence, on average) -- in contrast to major/minor merger remnants which peak at much greater amplitudes but are consistent with controls only $\sim1$ Gyr after coalescence. Integrating the boosts in SFRs and asymmetries driven by $\mu\geq0.01$ mergers since $z=0.7$ in TNG50 SFGs, we show that mini mergers are responsible for (i) $55$ per cent of all merger-driven star formation and (ii) $70$ per cent of merger-driven asymmetric structure. Due to their relative frequency and prolonged boost timescales, mini mergers dominate over their minor and major counterparts in driving star formation and asymmetry in SFGs.Comment: 32 pages; 18 figures; submitted to MNRAS; Image data available via the TNG website: www.tng-project.org/bottrell2

Improved dd+4^4He potentials by inversion, the tensor force and validity of the double folding model

Improved potential solutions are presented for the inverse scattering problem for $d$+$^4$He data. The input for the inversions includes both the data of recent phase shift analyses and phase shifts from RGM coupled-channel calculations based on the NN Minnesota force. The combined calculations provide a more reliable estimate of the odd-even splitting of the potentials than previously found, suggesting a rather moderate role for this splitting in deuteron-nucleus scattering generally. The approximate parity-independence of the deuteron optical potentials is shown to arise from the nontrivial interference between antisymmetrization and channel coupling to the deuteron breakup channels. A further comparison of the empirical potentials established here and the double folding potential derived from the M3Y effective NN force (with the appropriate normalisation factor) reveals strong similarities. This result supports the application of the double folding model, combined with a small Majorana component, to the description even of such a loosely bound projectile as the deuteron. In turn, support is given for the application of iterative-perturbative inversion in combination with the double folding model to study fine details of the nucleus-nucleus potential. A $d$-$^4$He tensor potential is also derived to reproduce correctly the negative $^6$Li quadrupole moment and the D-state asymptotic constant.Comment: 22 pages, 12 figures, in Revte

Seasonal changes in patterns of gene expression in avian song control brain regions.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Photoperiod and hormonal cues drive dramatic seasonal changes in structure and function of the avian song control system. Little is known, however, about the patterns of gene expression associated with seasonal changes. Here we address this issue by altering the hormonal and photoperiodic conditions in seasonally-breeding Gambel's white-crowned sparrows and extracting RNA from the telencephalic song control nuclei HVC and RA across multiple time points that capture different stages of growth and regression. We chose HVC and RA because while both nuclei change in volume across seasons, the cellular mechanisms underlying these changes differ. We thus hypothesized that different genes would be expressed between HVC and RA. We tested this by using the extracted RNA to perform a cDNA microarray hybridization developed by the SoNG initiative. We then validated these results using qRT-PCR. We found that 363 genes varied by more than 1.5 fold (>log(2) 0.585) in expression in HVC and/or RA. Supporting our hypothesis, only 59 of these 363 genes were found to vary in both nuclei, while 132 gene expression changes were HVC specific and 172 were RA specific. We then assigned many of these genes to functional categories relevant to the different mechanisms underlying seasonal change in HVC and RA, including neurogenesis, apoptosis, cell growth, dendrite arborization and axonal growth, angiogenesis, endocrinology, growth factors, and electrophysiology. This revealed categorical differences in the kinds of genes regulated in HVC and RA. These results show that different molecular programs underlie seasonal changes in HVC and RA, and that gene expression is time specific across different reproductive conditions. Our results provide insights into the complex molecular pathways that underlie adult neural plasticity

Evidence that breast cancer risk at the 2q35 locus is mediated through IGFBP5 regulation.

GWAS have identified a breast cancer susceptibility locus on 2q35. Here we report the fine mapping of this locus using data from 101,943 subjects from 50 case-control studies. We genotype 276 SNPs using the 'iCOGS' genotyping array and impute genotypes for a further 1,284 using 1000 Genomes Project data. All but two, strongly correlated SNPs (rs4442975 G/T and rs6721996 G/A) are excluded as candidate causal variants at odds against &gt;100:1. The best functional candidate, rs4442975, is associated with oestrogen receptor positive (ER+) disease with an odds ratio (OR) in Europeans of 0.85 (95% confidence interval=0.84-0.87; P=1.7 × 10(-43)) per t-allele. This SNP flanks a transcriptional enhancer that physically interacts with the promoter of IGFBP5 (encoding insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 5) and displays allele-specific gene expression, FOXA1 binding and chromatin looping. Evidence suggests that the g-allele confers increased breast cancer susceptibility through relative downregulation of IGFBP5, a gene with known roles in breast cell biology

BRCA2 polymorphic stop codon K3326X and the risk of breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers

Background: The K3326X variant in BRCA2 (BRCA2*c.9976A&gt;T; p.Lys3326*; rs11571833) has been found to be associated with small increased risks of breast cancer. However, it is not clear to what extent linkage disequilibrium with fully pathogenic mutations might account for this association. There is scant information about the effect of K3326X in other hormone-related cancers. Methods: Using weighted logistic regression, we analyzed data from the large iCOGS study including 76 637 cancer case patients and 83 796 control patients to estimate odds ratios (ORw) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for K3326X variant carriers in relation to breast, ovarian, and prostate cancer risks, with weights defined as probability of not having a pathogenic BRCA2 variant. Using Cox proportional hazards modeling, we also examined the associations of K3326X with breast and ovarian cancer risks among 7183 BRCA1 variant carriers. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: The K3326X variant was associated with breast (ORw = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.17 to 1.40, P = 5.9x10- 6) and invasive ovarian cancer (ORw = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.43, P = 3.8x10-3). These associations were stronger for serous ovarian cancer and for estrogen receptor–negative breast cancer (ORw = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.2 to 1.70, P = 3.4x10-5 and ORw = 1.50, 95% CI = 1.28 to 1.76, P = 4.1x10-5, respectively). For BRCA1 mutation carriers, there was a statistically significant inverse association of the K3326X variant with risk of ovarian cancer (HR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.22 to 0.84, P = .013) but no association with breast cancer. No association with prostate cancer was observed. Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that the K3326X variant is associated with risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers independent of other pathogenic variants in BRCA2. Further studies are needed to determine the biological mechanism of action responsible for these associations

Utilising daily diaries to examine oral health experiences associated with dentine hypersensitivity

Background: The current investigation examined the determinants of oral health experiences associated with dentine hypersensitivity using prospective diary methodology. Methods: Staff and students from a large UK university who had self-diagnosed dentine hypersensitivity completed an online daily diary and text survey for two weeks recording their mood, oral health-related coping behaviours, coping and pain appraisals, pain experiences and functional limitations. Cross sectional and lagged path analyses were employed to examine relationships. Results: 101 participants took part in the diary study. Participants had a mean age of 26.3 years (range=18-63) and most were female (N=69). Individuals who used more oral health-related coping behaviours predicted and experienced greater levels of pain on subsequent days. Negative mood also predicted worse pain outcomes. The daily diary method provided a useful avenue for investigating variations in oral health experiences and relationships between variables that can fluctuate daily. Conclusions: Psychological variables such as coping and mood play an important role in the pain experiences of people with dentine hypersensitivity. The study highlights the benefits of using prospective methods to elucidate the experiences of people with oral condition

Normative and self-perceived orthodontic treatment need of a Peruvian university population

BACKGROUND: Previous studies on orthodontic treatment need in young adults have shown that up to 50% had malocclusions that needed orthodontic treatment. The aims of this study were to assess the normative and self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) and to determine if the treatment need levels were influenced by sex, age and socio-economic status (SES) in a sample of Peruvian young adults. METHODS: 281 first-year students (157 male and 124 female students) with a mean age of 18.1 +/- 1.6 years were randomly selected and evaluated through the Dental Health Component (DHC) and Aesthetic Component (AC) of the IOTN. Structured interview and clinical examination were used to assess the students. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used for data analysis with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: An intra-examiner reliability of 0.89 was obtained (weighted Kappa). The percentage of students according to SES was 51.2%, 40.6% and 8.2% corresponding to low, medium and high SES respectively. The percentage of students with DHC grades 4–5 was 29.9% whereas the percentage of students with AC grades 8–10 was 1.8%. There were no significant differences in the distribution of normative and self-perceived orthodontic treatment need based on sex, age and SES comparisons. CONCLUSION: Normative orthodontic treatment need was not matched by a similar level of self-perceived treatment need in these young adults. Sex, age and SES were non-significant factors associated with levels of treatment need

Coffee consumption modifies risk of estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer

10.1186/bcr2879Breast Cancer Research133R4