Generalised exchange orientation: a new construct and its antecedents and consequences

Although generalised exchange has been considered to be a key ingredient of organisational social capital, it has attracted limited attention in the organisational behaviour (OB) literature. Drawing upon studies of generalised exchange in a wide range of social science disciplines and social exchange research in the OB literature, I aim to answer a key question about generalised exchange: why do some people and not others engage in generalised exchange? In this thesis, I propose that the rule of collective reciprocity is the fundamental regulating mechanism of generalised exchange and introduce the concept of generalised exchange orientation (GEO) – individuals’ beliefs in favour of the rule – as an individual characteristic that motivates individuals to engage in generalised exchange. I create a theoretical framework on the antecedents and consequences of GEO and conduct three empirical studies to examine the propositions. In the first study, I develop and validate scales to measure GEO and orientations to other forms of social exchange. The results support the new scales’ validity and their measurement invariance between the United States and Japan. The second study is to analyse the antecedents of GEO and indicates that task interdependence and depersonalised trust promote GEO over time. The third study involves analysing the impact of GEO on knowledge-sharing behaviours on an in-house online platform, and it shows that GEO promotes the behaviours, moderated by organisational identification. This evidence unpacks the micro-foundations of the occurrence of generalised exchange in organisations and provide insights into the development of individual orientation towards generalised exchange. Theoretical and practical implications will be discussed

A SCINTIGRAPHIC STUDY OF MASS PERISTALSIS IN HUMAN COLON

Although many attempts have been made to study human colonic motility, the colonic transit is still poorly understood. Both spontaneous and neostigmine-induced peristalsis of the colon were studied with scintigraphy. A polythene tube was inserted into the cecum through a colonofiberscope. 37 MBq of ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DTPA and 75 ml of saline were instilled and dynamic scan was begun. Eight healthy volunteers were examined by the method above mentioned. The sampling time was set at fifteen seconds in six persons and three seconds in the rest. 0.5 mg of neostigmine was injected intravenously to stimulate the paristalsis when no peristalsis occurred within thirty minutes after the study was begun. Dynamic scanning was performed for sixty to ninety minutes. This scintigraphic study revealed that the spontaneous and induced peristalsis were almost identical on colonogram. ⁹⁹ᵐTc-DTPA solution was propelled from the cecum and ascending colon to the sigmoid colon or the rectum for about fifteen seconds during mass peristalsis. Colonogram (time-activity curve) enables us to analyze mass peristalsis easily and more objectively than colonoscintigram. The spontaneous and neostigmine-induced peristalsis seemed to be almost identical in all but one of eight subjects

[11C]Doxepin binding to histamine H1 receptors in living human brain: reproducibility during attentive waking and circadian rhythm

Molecular imaging in neuroscience is a new research field that enables visualization of the impact of molecular events on brain structure and function in humans. While magnetic resonance-based imaging techniques can provide complex information at the level of system, positron emission tomography (PET) enables determination of the distribution and density of receptor and enzyme in the human brain. Previous studies using [11C]raclopride and [11C]FLB457 revealed that the release of neuronal dopamine was increased in human brain by psychostimulants or reward stimuli. Following on from these previous [11C]raclopride studies, we examined whether the levels of neuronal release of histamine might change [11C]doxepin binding to the H1 receptors under the influence of physiological stimuli. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the test–retest reliability of quantitative measurement of [11C]doxepin binding between morning and afternoon and between resting and attentive waking conditions in healthy human subjects. There was a trend for a decrease in [11C]doxepin binding during attentive calculation tasks compared with that in resting conditions, but the difference (less than 10%) was not significant. Similarly, the binding potential of [11C]doxepin in the cerebral cortex was slightly higher in the morning than that in the afternoon, but it was also insignificant. These data suggest that higher histamine release during wakefulness could not decrease the [11C]doxepin binding in the brain. This study confirmed the reproducibility and reliability of [11C]doxepin in the previous imaging studies to measure the H1 receptor

The dynamics of genome replication using deep sequencing

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Intelligent Chiral Sensing Based on Supramolecular and Interfacial Concepts

Of the known intelligently-operating systems, the majority can undoubtedly be classed as being of biological origin. One of the notable differences between biological and artificial systems is the important fact that biological materials consist mostly of chiral molecules. While most biochemical processes routinely discriminate chiral molecules, differentiation between chiral molecules in artificial systems is currently one of the challenging subjects in the field of molecular recognition. Therefore, one of the important challenges for intelligent man-made sensors is to prepare a sensing system that can discriminate chiral molecules. Because intermolecular interactions and detection at surfaces are respectively parts of supramolecular chemistry and interfacial science, chiral sensing based on supramolecular and interfacial concepts is a significant topic. In this review, we briefly summarize recent advances in these fields, including supramolecular hosts for color detection on chiral sensing, indicator-displacement assays, kinetic resolution in supramolecular reactions with analyses by mass spectrometry, use of chiral shape-defined polymers, such as dynamic helical polymers, molecular imprinting, thin films on surfaces of devices such as QCM, functional electrodes, FET, and SPR, the combined technique of magnetic resonance imaging and immunoassay, and chiral detection using scanning tunneling microscopy and cantilever technology. In addition, we will discuss novel concepts in recent research including the use of achiral reagents for chiral sensing with NMR, and mechanical control of chiral sensing. The importance of integration of chiral sensing systems with rapidly developing nanotechnology and nanomaterials is also emphasized

Vascular RAGE transports oxytocin into the brain to elicit its maternal bonding behaviour in mice

金沢大学医薬保健研究域医学系Oxytocin sets the stage for childbirth by initiating uterine contractions, lactation and maternal bonding behaviours. Mice lacking secreted oxcytocin (Oxt -/-, Cd38 -/-) or its receptor (Oxtr -/-) fail to nurture. Normal maternal behaviour is restored by peripheral oxcytocin replacement in Oxt -/- and Cd38 -/-, but not Oxtr -/- mice, implying that circulating oxcytocin crosses the blood-brain barrier. Exogenous oxcytocin also has behavioural effects in humans. However, circulating polypeptides are typically excluded from the brain. We show that oxcytocin is transported into the brain by receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) on brain capillary endothelial cells. The increases in oxcytocin in the brain which follow exogenous administration are lost in Ager -/- male mice lacking RAGE, and behaviours characteristic to abnormalities in oxcytocin signalling are recapitulated in Ager -/- mice, including deficits in maternal bonding and hyperactivity. Our findings show that RAGE-mediated transport is critical to the behavioural actions of oxcytocin associated with parenting and social bonding.3082047