Role for a cortical input to hippocampal area CA1 in the consolidation of a long-term memory

A dialogue between the hippocampus and the neocortex is thought to underlie the formation, consolidation and retrieval of episodic memories, although the nature of this cortico-hippocampal communication is poorly understood. Using selective electrolytic lesions in rats, here we examined the role of the direct entorhinal projection (temporoammonic, TA) to the hippocampal area CA1 in short-term (24 hours) and long-term (four weeks) spatial memory in the Morris water maze. When short-term memory was examined, both sham- and TA-lesioned animals showed a significant preference for the target quadrant. When re-tested four weeks later, sham-lesioned animals exhibited long-term memory; in contrast, the TA-lesioned animals no longer showed target quadrant preference. Many long-lasting memories require a process called consolidation, which involves the exchange of information between the cortex and hippocampus. The disruption of long-term memory by the TA lesion could reflect a requirement for TA input during either the acquisition or consolidation of long-term memory. To distinguish between these possibilities, we trained animals, verified their spatial memory 24 hours later, and then subjected trained animals to TA lesions. TA-lesioned animals still exhibited a deficit in long-term memory, indicating a disruption of consolidation. Animals in which the TA lesion was delayed by three weeks, however, showed a significant preference for the target quadrant, indicating that the memory had already been adequately consolidated at the time of the delayed lesion. These results indicate that, after learning, ongoing cortical input conveyed by the TA path is required to consolidate long-term spatial memory

Understanding happiness among university students: The role of general health, psychological well-being, and sociodemographic variables

Background: Happiness is an important dimension for university students since it can have a positive impact on students’ academic performance and social relationships. This research was conducted to investigate the role of sociodemographic variables in explaining individual differences in subjective happiness in a sample of university students and to test the mediating role of psychological well-being in the association between perceived general health and subjective happiness. Methods: Participants were 504 university students (62% female; Mage = 20.97; SD = 2.42). The data was collected in person using self-report scales for measuring general health, psychological well-being, and subjective happiness. Results: The results of the study indicated that students who study in the institution in which they want to study and students who were married or involved in a romantic relationship presented higher levels of subjective happiness. Additionally, the mediational proposed model showed that perceived general health was linked to subjective happiness through psychological well-being, specifically happiness and self-esteem. Conclusions: Prioritizing happiness can help create a more positive and fulfilling university experience for students. This can be achieved by promoting student’s general health and psychological well-being.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Cingulate-Hippocampus Coherence and Trajectory Coding in a Sequential Choice Task

Interactions between cortex and hippocampus are believed to play a role in the acquisition and maintenance of memories. Distinct types of coordinated oscillatory activity, namely at theta frequency, are hypothesized to regulate information processing in these structures. We investigated how information processing in cingulate cortex and hippocampus relates to cingulate-hippocampus coordination in a behavioral task in which rats choose from four possible trajectories according to a sequence. We found that the accuracy with which cingulate and hippocampal populations encode individual trajectories changes with the pattern of cingulate-hippocampal theta coherence over the course of a trial. Initial theta coherence at ∼8 Hz during trial onsets lowers by ∼1 Hz as animals enter decision stages. At these stages, hippocampus precedes cingulate in processing increased amounts of task-relevant information. We hypothesize that lower theta frequency coordinates the integration of hippocampal contextual information by cingulate neuronal populations, to inform choices in a task-phase-dependent manner.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portugal)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (grant 5-RO1-MH061976-09

Government Communication and the 50-year Dubai Charter

Government communication is increasingly one of the most visible aspects of political communication. As part of the longitudinal study that has been carried out since 2016 on the communication of the government of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, in particular on the Ministry of Happiness, it was considered that the 50-year Charter, as a legacy document of governance, should undoubtedly be part our study. In this paper, the content analysis of the 50-year Charter is performed with the purpose of understanding, on the one hand, the main political concepts contained therein and, on the other, the approach to Happiness and Positivity in that document. In the scope of government communication, we intend to understand the visibility given to publication in the media; to this end, we collected and analysed the headlines of the news published in the latent corpus on the 50-year Charter. The results allow us to conclude that, with regard to the relationship between the content and the National Happiness and Positivity Programme, it is possible to find a close connection, namely through the value of charity as an element capable of creating happiness. As for the visibility of the news in the media, we concluded that there is a cadence of information and that the news goes on over time with emphasis also being given to the implementation of the actions described in the Charter by several organisations.publishe

Depois do cancro da mama: acontecimentos significativos no ciclo de vida

Na trajectória do processo de adoecer do cancro da mama acontecem mudanças significativas na rotina e no estilo de vida destas mulheres. Mudanças estas, susceptíveis de resultar em acontecimentos de vida revestidos de significado, descendentes do acontecimento vital doença. Pretendemos com este trabalho conhecer e compreender que acontecimentos significativos de vida decorrem, na perspectiva das doentes, do adoecer de cancro da mama, e de que forma são vivenciados. O estudo é de natureza qualitativa, pois o nosso objectivo é aceder ao significado, e baseia-se na colocação de quatro questões abertas, relacionadas com mudanças vividas como significativas no seio familiar, na vida profissional e ocupacional, e na vida social, e por ultimo, propomo-nos conhecer as expectativas futuras das doentes. Foram evocados como principais acontecimentos significativos decorrentes da doença, a manifestação de estima familiar, a diminuição da funcionalidade na execução das actividades da vida diária, e a restrição da vida social. Viver, melhorar e ter saúde são as expectativas futuras mais proferidas pelas doentes.ABSTRACT: In the path of the process of becoming ill from breast cancer occur in significant changes in routine and lifestyle of these women. These changes, which could result in life events invested with meaning, descendants of the vital event disease. We intend this work to know and understand that significant life events result from the perspective of patients falling ill from breast cancer, and how they are experienced. The study is qualitative in nature, because our goal is to access the meaning, and is based on the placement of four open questions related to significant changes experienced within the family, at work and occupational and social life, and last future expectations. Have been mentioned as the main significant events from the disease, the manifestation of family esteem, decreased functionality in the execution of activities of daily living, and the restriction of social life. Living, improve health and have more future expectations are taken by patients

Potencialidades das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação para a Eficácia do Sistema de Gestão da Qualidade e a Imagem Empresarial: Estudo Aplicado nas Pequenas e Médias Empresas da Euro Região Norte de Portugal-Galiza

A utilização de Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC)nas empresas tem provocado amplos debates e produzido literatura nacional e internacional. Este artigo revê algumas obras e centra-se no estudo da utilização de TIC no Sistema de Gestão da Qualidade (SGQ) e na Imagem das Pequenas e Médias Empresas (PME) da Euro Região Norte de Portugal-Galiza, dos sectores industrial, comércio e serviços. Os resultados do projeto de investigação quantitativo, baseados numa amostra de 173 empresas, que responderam a um questionário on-line, entre setembro e dezembro de 2009, mostram que as TIC contribuem para a melhoria da eficácia do SGQ e a imagem empresarial. As barreiras à sua utilização mais frequente são sobretudo as mudanças organizacionais exigidas e os custos de investimento para as empresas

Creation of the 'Happiness 360º' Model: Qualitative Analysis from Survey Responses

Qualitative data analysis has been increasingly important in the development of research, especially in the author’s main fields of investigation: Happiness Economics and Communication for the Development. To understand what Happiness means and in what form certain variables like gender, literacy, etc., influence the concept of happiness, based on a survey conducted in April 2018, we have analyzed the answers to the question "What is happiness for you? " using the software of Qualitative Analysis, Webqda. The great peculiarity is that it is an open question. It could be considered that the question is recurrent and the work redundant, but the results are very interesting from an analytical point of view. The 360º Happiness model main purpose is to support organizations in understanding the expectations of their workforce and help on defining their human resources management policies and adapt them according to the gender, generation or education level, for instance.A análise qualitativa está sendo cada vez mais importante no desenvolvimento das pesquisas, especialmente nos principais campos de investigação do autor: Economia da Felicidade e Comunicação para o Desenvolvimento. Para entender o que a felicidade significa e de que forma certas variáveis como género, alfabetização etc. influenciam o conceito de felicidade, com base num inquérito realizado em abril de 2018, analisaram-se as respostas à pergunta “O que é para si a Felicidade?”, usando o software de Análise Qualitativa - webQDA. A grande peculiaridade é que se trata de uma questão ‘aberta’. Pode considerar-se que a questão é recorrente e o trabalho é redundante, mas os resultados são muito interessantes do ponto de vista analítico. O principal objetivo do modelo ‘Felicidade 360o’ é apoiar as organizações na compreensão das expectativas da sua força de trabalho e ajudar na definição das suas políticas de gestão de recursos humanos e adaptá-las de acordo com o género, geração ou nível de educação, por exemplo

Comportamento de compra da moda sustentável: as motivações da geração Z

A moda sustentável tem sido um tema de crescente interesse, especialmente entre a geração Z, que demonstra uma preocupação cada vez maior com questões socioambientais. Este estudo busca compreender as motivações de compra dessa geração em relação à moda sustentável, utilizando uma abordagem quantitativa para analisar fatores como conscientização ambiental, preocupações sociais e a influência do conceito de "coolness" das marcas. A pesquisa envolve a aplicação de questionários a uma amostra representativa de consumidores da geração Z, explorando suas percepções, atitudes e comportamentos em relação à moda sustentável. Os resultados quantitativos fornecem insights importantes sobre os principais impulsionadores de compra nesse segmento demográfico, bem como sobre a eficácia das estratégias de marketing e comunicação das marcas sustentáveis. A análise de uma amostra de 104 indivíduos brasileiros revelou uma preferência crescente dessa geração por marcas que adotam práticas éticas e sustentáveis. Os resultados destacam a importância da conscientização ambiental, das preocupações sociais e da autenticidade das marcas nas decisões de compra desse grupo demográfico. Compreender essas motivações é essencial para desenvolver produtos que atendam às suas expectativas, fomentando um consumo mais ético e sustentável na indústria da moda.Sustainable fashion has become a topic of growing interest, especially among Generation Z, who demonstrate increasing concern for socio-environmental issues. This study aims to understand the purchasing motivations of this generation regarding sustainable fashion, using a quantitative approach to analyze factors such as environmental awareness, social concerns, and the influence of brand “coolness”. The research involves administering questionnaires to a representative sample of Generation Z consumers, exploring their perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors towards sustainable fashion. The quantitative results provide valuable insights into the main drivers of purchasing within this demographic segment, as well as the effectiveness of marketing and communication strategies of sustainable brands. The analysis of a sample of 104 Brazilian individuals revealed a growing preference among this generation for brands that adopt ethical and sustainable practices. The findings underscore the importance of environmental awareness, social concerns, and brand authenticity in the purchasing decisions of this demographic group. Understanding these motivations is essential for developing products that meet their expectations, fostering more ethical and sustainable consumption in the fashion industry

Government communication: the case of the ministry of happiness of the United Arab Emirates

A Felicidade é um tema explorado desde a antiguidade, alvo de uma constante abordagem ao longo da história da humanidade, integrado nos seus vários aspetos sobretudo os sociais e os emocionais. Desde os finais do século passado, a felicidade começou a fazer parte da economia tendo vindo a constituir-se como ciência autónoma. A criação do Ministério da Felicidade, por parte dos Emirados Árabes Unidos (EAU), pode considerar-se um marco na ação governamental orientada para a Felicidade dos cidadãos. Neste âmbito, os autores têm vindo a desenvolver um estudo sobre a criação do referido Ministério. Neste trabalho, apresentam-se para análise as duas primeiras notícias sobre o Ministério da Felicidade. Os textos analisados foram publicados em outubro de 2014 e em fevereiro de 2016 respetivamente. Com este trabalho pretendeu-se identificar e compreender as fases de conceção do organismo governamental e da criação efetiva. Preconizamos a análise de conteúdo como técnica de análise de dados utilizando como ferramenta de apoio o software webQDA. A análise permitiu obter os conceitos e palavras mais frequentes em cada um dos textos. Os resultados permitiram concluir que não existiram alterações substanciais na comunicação entre os dois momentos, ainda que seja percetível uma evolução no discurso incluindo temáticas não apresentadas inicialmente. Atendendo à relevância do estudo na área da comunicação governamental, os resultados sugerem o interesse na continuidade do acompanhamento da comunicação do Ministério da Felicidade.Happiness is one theme that has been studied since antiquity and has been the subject of a constant approach throughout the history of humanity, integrated in its various aspects, especially social and emotional. Since the end of the last century, Happiness began to form part of the economy and has become an autonomous science. The creation of the Ministry of Happiness by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can be understood as a milestone in government action aiming at the Happiness of citizens. In this context, the authors have been developing a study on the creation of this Ministry. In this paper, the first two published news about the Ministry of Happiness are subject of analysis. The analysed texts were published in October 2014 and in February 2016 respectively. With this work we tried to identify and to understand between the phase of the conception of the governmental organism and of its effective creation. We advocate content analysis as a data analysis technique through the webQDA software. The analysis allowed to obtain the most frequent concepts and words in each of the texts. The results allowed to conclude that there were no substantial changes in the communication between the two moments, although an evolution in the discourse including topics not presented initially was perceptible. Given the relevance of the study in the area of government communication the results suggest the interest in the continuity of the monitoring of the communication of the Ministry of Happiness

Effect of online Kundalini Yoga mental health of university students during Covid-19 pandemic: A randomized controlled trial

University students were at an increased risk for psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a randomized controlled trial, we examined the efficacy of an online Kundalini Yoga intervention on students’ psychological functioning. Healthy university students (N=106) were randomly assigned to a Kundalini Yoga group, an active control group, or a passive control group in a 1:1:1 ratio. The experimental group attended six Yoga sessions over 6weeks and the active control group attended to six autogenic relaxation sessions over 6weeks. All participants completed the study protocol, which involved answering questionnaires related to psychological distress, emotion regulation, self-compassion, self-concept, spiritual well-being, and subjective happiness at three different time points: baseline, at the end of the intervention, and at 1-month follow-up. Results showed that Yoga contributed to improving self-compassion, extrinsic affect improving, and personal and communal spiritual well-being, in comparison to the control groupsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio