scholarly journals Assessment of dream-related aspects and beliefs in a large cohort of French students using a validated French version of the Mannheim Dream questionnaire

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. e0247506
Author(s):  
Alice Napias ◽  
Emilie Denechere ◽  
Willy Mayo ◽  
Imad Ghorayeb
Keyword(s):  
Large Cohort ◽  
Science Students ◽  
Specific Population ◽  
French Version ◽  
Validated Questionnaire ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Dream Questionnaire ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Shed Light

Focusing on a specific population when studying dream characteristics can shed light on underlying mechanisms and correlates of dreaming. The aim of this study is to establish a clearer description of specific dream aspects and beliefs in a large cohort of students using a validated questionnaire, and to further investigate the role of sociodemographic variables such as age, gender and field of study. Participants were 1137 students aged from 18 to 34 (mean age: 22.2) who responded to an online version of the questionnaire. Our results showed a difference between humanities and science students, and a differential effect of gender on dream variables. Our results are discussed in light of previous investigations using the same questionnaire or focusing on the same population.

scholarly journals Cytokines and Other Mediators in Alopecia Areata

2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stamatis Gregoriou ◽  
Dafni Papafragkaki ◽  
George Kontochristopoulos ◽  
Eustathios Rallis ◽  
Dimitrios Kalogeromitros ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alopecia Areata ◽  
Stress Hormones ◽  
Disease Onset ◽  
Hla Antigens ◽  
Hair Follicles ◽  
Strong Component ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
As Stress ◽  
Shed Light

Alopecia areata, a disease of the hair follicles with multifactorial etiology and a strong component of autoimmune origin, has been extensively studied as far as the role of several cytokines is concerned. So far, IFN-, interleukins, TNF-, are cytokines that are well known to play a major role in the pathogenesis of the disease, while several studies have shown that many more pathways exist. Among them, MIG, IP-10, BAFF, HLA antigens, MIG, as well as stress hormones are implicated in disease onset and activity. Within the scope of this paper, the authors attempt to shed light upon the complexity of alopecia areata underlying mechanisms and indicate pathways that may suggest future treatments.

scholarly journals Facilitating animacy perception by manipulating relative visual attention

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshiki Saito ◽  
Kosuke Motoki ◽  
Rui Nouchi ◽  
Motoaki Sugiura
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Active Role ◽  
The Other ◽  
Potential Danger ◽  
Top Down ◽  
The Face ◽  
Reverse Relationship ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Study Participants

Animacy perception—discriminating between animate and inanimate visual stimuli—is the basis for engaging in social cognition and for our survival (e.g. avoiding potential danger). Previous studies indicate that bottom-up factors, such as the features or motion of a target, enhance animacy perception. However, top-down factors such as elements in perceivers have received little attention. Research on judgment, decision-making, and neuroeconomics indicate the active role of visual attention in constructing decisions. This study examined the role of visual attention in the perception of animacy by manipulating the relative visual attention to targets. Among Studies 1a to 1c conducted in this study, participants saw two face illustrations alternately; one of the faces was shown to be longer than the other. The participants chose the face that they considered more animated and rounder. Consequently, longer visual attention towards targets facilitated animacy perception and preference rather than the perception of roundness. Furthermore, pre-registered Study 2 examined the underlying mechanisms. The results suggest that mere exposure, rather than orienting behaviour, might play a key role in the perception of animacy. These results suggest that in the reverse relationship between attention and animacy perception, animate objects capture attention, and attention results in the perception of animacy.

scholarly journals Epigenetics as a key link between psychosocial stress and aging: concepts, evidence, mechanisms

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-396 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Stress ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Accelerated Aging ◽  
World Population ◽  
Biochemical Processes ◽  
Complex Phenotypes ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Shed Light

Psychosocial stress—especially when chronic, excessive, or occurring early in life—has been associated with accelerated aging and increased disease risk. With rapid aging of the world population, the need to elucidate the underlying mechanisms is pressing, now more so than ever. Among molecular mechanisms linking stress and aging, the present article reviews evidence on the role of epigenetics, biochemical processes that can be set into motion by stressors and in turn influence genomic function and complex phenotypes, including aging-related outcomes. The article further provides a conceptual mechanistic framework on how stress may drive epigenetic changes at susceptible genomic sites, thereby exerting systems level effects on the aging epigenome while also regulating the expression of molecules implicated in aging-related processes. This emerging evidence, together with work examining related biological processes, begins to shed light on the epigenetic and, more broadly, molecular underpinnings of the long-hypothesized connection between stress and aging.

Sports Related Brain Injury and Neurodegeneration in Athletes

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vipin V. Dhote ◽  
Muthu Kumaradoss Mohan Maruga Raja ◽  
Prem Samundre ◽  
Supriya Sharma ◽  
Shraddha Anwikar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Injuries ◽  
Human Life ◽  
American Football ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Diseases ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Sports Activities ◽  
Shed Light

: Sports deserve a special place in human life to impart healthy and refreshing wellbeing. However, sports activities, especially contact sports, renders athlete vulnerable to brain injuries. Athletes participating in a contact sport like boxing, rugby, American football, wrestling, and basketball are exposed to traumatic brain injuries (TBI) or concussions. The acute and chronic nature of these heterogeneous injuries provides a spectrum of dysfunctions that alters the neuronal, musculoskeletal, and behavioral responses of an athlete. Many sports-related brain injuries go unreported, but these head impacts trigger neurometabolic disruptions that contribute to long-term neuronal impairment. The pathophysiology of post-concussion and its underlying mechanisms are undergoing intense research. It also shed light on chronic disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and dementia. In this review, we examined post-concussion neurobehavioral changes, tools for early detection of signs, and their impact on the athlete. Further, we discussed the role of nutritional supplements in ameliorating neuropsychiatric diseases in athletes.

scholarly journals The role of individual audit partners for narrative disclosures

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Mauritz ◽  
Martin Nienhaus ◽  
Christopher Oehler
Keyword(s):  
Financial Reports ◽  
Field Evidence ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Client Firm ◽  
Structure Similarity ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms ◽  
Content Similarity ◽  
Shed Light

AbstractWe analyze the extent to which individual audit partners influence the audited narrative disclosures in their clients’ financial reports. Using a sample of 3,281,423 private and public client firm-pairs, we find that the similarity among audited narrative disclosures is higher when two client firms share the same audit partner. Specifically, we find that the wording similarity of management reports (notes) increases by 30 (48) percent, the content similarity by 29 (49) percent, and the structure similarity by 48 (121) percent. Moreover, we find that audit partners in particular are relevant for their clients’ narrative disclosures because the increase in narrative disclosure similarity when sharing the same audit partner is nine (four) times greater than when sharing the same audit firm (audit office). We show that this influence of audit partners goes beyond adding boilerplate statements and, using novel field evidence, we shed light on the underlying mechanisms. Our findings are economically relevant because a stronger involvement of audit partners with their clients’ narratives is associated with a higher quality of narrative disclosures, which helps users better predict the future profitability of client firms.

The Role of Zinc in Thyroid Hormones Metabolism

2019 ◽  
Vol 89 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 80-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliana Soares Severo ◽  
Jennifer Beatriz Silva Morais ◽  
Taynáh Emannuelle Coelho de Freitas ◽  
Ana Letícia Pereira Andrade ◽  
Mayara Monte Feitosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thyroid Hormones ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽  
Zinc Transporters ◽  
Serum Concentrations ◽  
Metabolic Adaptations ◽  
Serum T3 ◽  
Regulatory Effects ◽  
Shed Light

Abstract. Thyroid hormones play an important role in body homeostasis by facilitating metabolism of lipids and glucose, regulating metabolic adaptations, responding to changes in energy intake, and controlling thermogenesis. Proper metabolism and action of these hormones requires the participation of various nutrients. Among them is zinc, whose interaction with thyroid hormones is complex. It is known to regulate both the synthesis and mechanism of action of these hormones. In the present review, we aim to shed light on the regulatory effects of zinc on thyroid hormones. Scientific evidence shows that zinc plays a key role in the metabolism of thyroid hormones, specifically by regulating deiodinases enzymes activity, thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) synthesis, as well as by modulating the structures of essential transcription factors involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones. Serum concentrations of zinc also appear to influence the levels of serum T3, T4 and TSH. In addition, studies have shown that Zinc transporters (ZnTs) are present in the hypothalamus, pituitary and thyroid, but their functions remain unknown. Therefore, it is important to further investigate the roles of zinc in regulation of thyroid hormones metabolism, and their importance in the treatment of several diseases associated with thyroid gland dysfunction.

Response Interference as a Mechanism Underlying Implicit Measures

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bertram Gawronski ◽  
Roland Deutsch ◽  
Etienne P. LeBel ◽  
Kurt R. Peters
Keyword(s):  
Task Performance ◽  
Psychological Research ◽  
Implicit Measures ◽  
Mediation Model ◽  
Response Interference ◽  
Relevant Evidence ◽  
Moderated Mediation Model ◽  
Stimulus Features ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Over the last decade, implicit measures of mental associations (e.g., Implicit Association Test, sequential priming) have become increasingly popular in many areas of psychological research. Even though successful applications provide preliminary support for the validity of these measures, their underlying mechanisms are still controversial. The present article addresses the role of a particular mechanism that is hypothesized to mediate the influence of activated associations on task performance in many implicit measures: response interference (RI). Based on a review of relevant evidence, we argue that RI effects in implicit measures depend on participants’ attention to association-relevant stimulus features, which in turn can influence the reliability and the construct validity of these measures. Drawing on a moderated-mediation model (MMM) of task performance in RI paradigms, we provide several suggestions on how to address these problems in research using implicit measures.

You Are the One I Want to Communicate With!

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Pierucci ◽  
Olivier Klein ◽  
Andrea Carnaghi
Keyword(s):  
Memory Bias ◽  
Shared Reality ◽  
Communication Partner ◽  
Shared Reality Theory ◽  
The One ◽  
Study Participants

This article investigates the role of relational motives in the saying-is-believing effect ( Higgins & Rholes, 1978 ). Building on shared reality theory, we expected this effect to be most likely when communicators were motivated to “get along” with the audience. In the current study, participants were asked to describe an ambiguous target to an audience who either liked or disliked the target. The audience had been previously evaluated as a desirable vs. undesirable communication partner. Only participants who communicated with a desirable audience tuned their messages to suit their audience’s attitude toward the target. In line with predictions, they also displayed an audience-congruent memory bias in later recall.

The More You Say, the Less They Hear

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elsbeth D. Asbeek Brusse ◽  
Marieke L. Fransen ◽  
Edith G. Smit
Keyword(s):  
Hearing Protection ◽  
Entertainment Education ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Attitude Measures ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Abstract. This study examined the effects of disclosure messages in entertainment-education (E-E) on attitudes toward hearing protection and attitude toward the source. In addition, the (mediating) role of the underlying mechanisms (i.e., transportation, identification, and counterarguing) was studied. In an experiment (N = 336), three different disclosure messages were compared with a no-disclosure condition. The results show that more explicit disclosure messages negatively affect transportation and identification and stimulate the generation of counterarguments. In addition, the more explicit disclosure messages affect both attitude measures via two of these processes (i.e., transportation and counterarguing). Less explicit disclosure messages do not have this effect. Implications of the findings are discussed.

The Adult as Foe or Friend?: Childism in Guus Kuijer's Criticism and Fiction

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Joosen
Keyword(s):  
Children's Literature ◽  
Children’S Literature ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Children's Books ◽  
Children’S Books ◽  
Memorial Award ◽  
Adult Reader ◽  
Shed Light ◽  
Selection Of

Compared to the attention that children's literature scholars have paid to the construction of childhood in children's literature and the role of adults as authors, mediators and readers of children's books, few researchers have made a systematic study of adults as characters in children's books. This article analyses the construction of adulthood in a selection of texts by the Dutch author and Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award winner Guus Kuijer and connects them with Elisabeth Young-Bruehl's recent concept of ‘childism’ – a form of prejudice targeted against children. Whereas Kuijer published a severe critique of adulthood in Het geminachte kind [The despised child] (1980), in his literary works he explores a variety of positions that adults can take towards children, with varying degrees of childist features. Such a systematic and comparative analysis of the way grown-ups are characterised in children's texts helps to shed light on a didactic potential that materialises in different adult subject positions. After all, not only literary and artistic aspects of children's literature may be aimed at the adult reader (as well as the child), but also the didactic aspect of children's books can cross over between different age groups.

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