Efficacy of Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation on Ataxia and Functional Dependence Post-Cerebellar Stroke

Ataxia, from Greek meaning, “lack of order,” is described as irregular movement and discoordination of body, gait, eyes, and speech. Ataxia is associated with cerebellar damage due to stroke and other cerebellar pathologies. Ataxia frequently results in functional impairment. Standard physical and occupational therapies in stroke rehabilitation facilitate motor recovery, especially within 90 days. However, many patients experience movement derangements beyond this time frame. Rhythmic auditory stimulation has been shown to be an effective intervention in chronic motor deficits like those observed after cerebellar stroke. Efficacy among patients with chronic stroke-induced ataxia is unexplored. This randomized control trial seeks to determine the benefit of rhythmic auditory stimulation over standard of care for rehabilitation of cerebellar stroke-induced ataxia. Patient progress will be assessed using validated disability and ataxia scales. It is projected that rhythmic auditory stimulation will improve ataxia and independence among patients with chronic disability post-cerebellar stroke, versus standard rehabilitation

Helicopter parenting and parent-child attachment

Helicopter parenting is the colloquial term that refers to a unique patterning of parenting dimensions that result in a style both high in behavioral control and levels of warmth and support, and low in autonomy-granting (Padilla-Walker & Nelson, 2012). Parental attachment–distinct from helicopter parenting–typically involves the initial relationship between parent and child which affects the child’s overall life satisfaction and well-being (mainly in areas associated with relationships, motivation, and health-related behaviors). Despite what areas may overlap between parent-child attachment and helicopter parenting, little research has been done on the relation among these variables. The current study examined the associations among helicopter parenting and attachment and explored their relations with college life variables (i.e. school engagement, academic entitlement, academic motivation and achievement, drinking behavior, and disordered eating). In general, helicopter parenting and overall attachment were found to have an inverse relationship in which high perceived helicopter parenting indicated a lower feeling of overall attachment. Future research is needed to further examine the relation between these variables and to replicate the current findings

Inspired to Adopt: The Role of Social Norms in Media Inspiration

We consider the potential for inspirational media content (inspiring videos about dogs) and injunctive norms (social media comments on the videos) to motivate dog adoption behaviors and intentions. In an online experiment, participants were exposed to pretested inspiring (or non-inspiring) videos and social norms cues and were given an opportunity to browse among a series of dogs on a mock adoption website. Participants also indicated their intention to adopt a dog and completed a series of socio-demographic measures. Results indicated that, although both the inspiring videos and the norm cues successfully induced inspiration and perceived injunctive norms, only injunctive norms significantly affected intention to adopt. The effect of norms remained significant when controlling for barriers to adoption such as financial, time, and space considerations. Discussion focuses on implications for inspiring entertainment and social norms theories, and implications for adoptions and other prosocial behaviors

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data

Framing Inspirational Content: Narrative Effects on Attributions and Helping

Media coverage often construes stories of misfortune as inspirational accounts of individuals overcoming challenges. These reports fail to address the systemic issues that have predisposed these individuals to their current situation, and may have unintended consequences when it comes to the ability to collectively address these failings as a society. The current research examines how audiences are affected by inspirational narrative framings by comparing responses to a narrative that has inspirational coverage of a social challenge to one that includes direct acknowledgement of the larger systemic failings. Participants (N = 495) were randomly assigned to 1) read an inspirational story about a boy saving up to buy a wheelchair for his friend, 2) read a version of the story that emphasized the need for increased disability funding/services, or 3) a no-story control group. Both story conditions raised readers' willingness to help people with disabilities. Importantly, emphasizing social responsibility shifted readers' perceptions: readers of the social responsibility story were less likely to believe an individual with a disability was responsible for paying for their medical devices, believed that some collective measures would have higher efficacy, and viewed the situation as less fair. Even though individuals in the social responsibility condition found the story less enjoyable, they were equally transported into it compared to the inspirational version, and were equally likely to want to share the story with others. Our results offer clear guidelines for media practitioners covering individual struggles and systemic issues within society

Supplemental Material, Appendix_A_PWQ101177036168431875452 - The Effect of Gender on Attributions for Women’s Anxiety and Doubt in a Science Narrative

<p> Supplemental Material, Appendix_A_PWQ101177036168431875452 for The Effect of Gender on Attributions for Women’s Anxiety and Doubt in a Science Narrative by Gili Freedman, Melanie C. Green, Mary Flanagan, Kaitlin Fitzgerald, and Geoff Kaufman in Psychology of Women Quarterly </p

The Antarctic Weddell seal genome reveals evidence of selection on cardiovascular phenotype and lipid handling

The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) thrives in its extreme Antarctic environment. We generated the Weddell seal genome assembly and a high-quality annotation to investigate genome-wide evolutionary pressures that underlie its phenotype and to study genes implicated in hypoxia tolerance and a lipid-based metabolism. Genome-wide analyses included gene family expansion/contraction, positive selection, and diverged sequence (acceleration) compared to other placental mammals, identifying selection in coding and non-coding sequence in five pathways that may shape cardiovascular phenotype. Lipid metabolism as well as hypoxia genes contained more accelerated regions in the Weddell seal compared to genomic background. Top-significant genes were SUMO2 and EP300; both regulate hypoxia inducible factor signaling. Liver expression of four genes with the strongest acceleration signals differ between Weddell seals and a terrestrial mammal, sheep. We also report a high-density lipoprotein-like particle in Weddell seal serum not present in other mammals, including the shallow-diving harbor seal. The Antarctic Weddell inhabits one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Comparative genomics with close relatives reveals the specific genetic adaptations for cardiovascular and fat metabolism that enable it to thrive