How Being Observed Influences Preschoolers’ Emotions Following (Less) Deserving Help

Children sometimes show positive emotions in response to seeing others being helped, yet it remains poorly understood whether there is a strategic value to such emotional expressions. Here, we investigated the influence seeing a peer receive deserving help or not on children’s emotions, which were assessed while the peer was present or not. To measure children’s emotional expression, we used a motion depth sensor imaging camera, which recorded children’s body posture. Five-year-old children (N = 122) worked on a task which yielded greater rewards for them compared to their peer, rendering the peer to be in greater need of help. An adult––who was unaware of the different levels of neediness––then either helped the child who had a lesser need for help (less deserving outcome) or helped the needier peer (deserving outcome). Overall, both children showed a lowered body posture, a more negative emotional expression, after not being helped and an elevated body posture, a more positive emotional expression, after being helped. Seeing their peer (less deservedly) not receive help, and to a lesser extent being observed, blunted children’s otherwise positive emotions in response to receiving help. These results are discussed in the broader theoretical context of how children’s emotions sometimes reflect their commitment to cooperative relationships with peers.

The Effects of a Single Blood Donation on the Lipid Profile, Iron Storage and Enzymatic Antioxidants

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a global illness causing 31% of global mortality. Though many factors contribute to CVD, oxidative stress advances atherosclerosis through several complementary components, such as the initiation of lipid peroxidation by iron. Blood donation may decrease the risk of CVD due to reducing the iron level. Literature reported that blood donors have a lower risk of CVD, possibly due to the lower iron levels. Various effects of blood donation are involved in preventing type II diabetes. However, little is known of the exact mechanism of the benefits of blood donation. In this study, samples were collected from 33 healthy male participants pre- (1 day) and post-donation (1 day, 1, 2 and 3 weeks) and the effect of the blood donation on the iron, lipids and enzymatic antioxidants profiles were assessed. A repeated-measures ANOVA was used for comparing the quantitative variables between the visits. We found that the iron decreased significantly by week 1 (–25.3%). Ferritin decreased significantly at weeks 1, 2, and 3 (–26.3%, –40.3%, –36.7%, respectively). The superoxide dismutase increased significantly at post-donation day 1, weeks 1, 2, and 3 (17.9%,35.7%, 31.1%, 36.6%, respectively) and in correlation with time [r (165) = 0.50, P <0 .01]. Glutathione peroxide decreased significantly at week 1 (–25.0%). Glutathione reductase decreased significantly 1-day post donation (–5.7%) then increased over the next three weeks [r (165) = 0.3, P <0.01]. Finally, the lipids were significantly reduced 24 hours after the donation but not at week 1, 2 and 3. We conclude that blood donation, resulting in a lowered body iron concentration, is an effective way to increase superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase, which prevent the initiation of lipid oxidation. Our results could be used to advocate for the benefits of blood donation. However, further studies are required to assess the role of blood donation in plaque formation and arteriosclerosis.

Pediatric Hypothermia: An Ambiguous Issue

Hypothermia in pediatrics is mainly about small body size. The key thermal factor here is the large surface-to-volume ratio. Although small mammals, including human infants and children, are adapted to higher heat losses through their elevated metabolic rate and thermogenic capacity, they are still at risk of hypothermia because of a small regulatory range and an impending metabolic exhaustion. However, some small mammalian species (hibernators) use reduced metabolic rates and lowered body temperatures as adaptations to impaired energy supply. Similar to nature, hypothermia has contradictory effects in clinical pediatrics as well: In neonates, it is a serious risk factor affecting respiratory adaptation in term and developmental outcome in preterm infants. On the other hand, it is an important self-protective response to neonatal hypoxia and an evidence-based treatment option for asphyxiated babies. In children, hypothermia first enabled the surgical repair of congenital heart defects and promotes favorable outcome after ice water drowning. Yet, it is also a major threat in various prehospital and clinical settings and has no proven therapeutic benefit in pediatric critical care. All in all, pediatric hypothermia is an ambiguous issue whose harmful or beneficial effects strongly depend on the particular circumstances.

Burrowing star-nosed moles (Condylura cristata) are not hypoxia tolerant

ABSTRACT Star-nosed moles (Condylura cristata) have an impressive diving performance and burrowing lifestyle, yet no ventilatory data are available for this or any other talpid mole species. We predicted that, like many other semi-aquatic and fossorial small mammals, star-nosed moles would exhibit: (i) a blunted (i.e. delayed or reduced) hypoxic ventilatory response, (ii) a reduced metabolic rate and (iii) a lowered body temperature (Tb) in hypoxia. We thus non-invasively measured these variables from wild-caught star-nosed moles exposed to normoxia (21% O2) or acute graded hypoxia (21–6% O2). Surprisingly, star-nosed moles did not exhibit a blunted HVR or decreased Tb in hypoxia, and only manifested a significant, albeit small (&lt;8%), depression of metabolic rate at 6% O2 relative to normoxic controls. Unlike small rodents inhabiting similar niches, star-nosed moles are thus intolerant to hypoxia, which may reflect an evolutionary trade-off favouring the extreme sensory biology of this unusual insectivore.

Physiological basis underlying antidepressant-induced activation of TrkB receptors

We show that both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments of depression activate TrkB receptors - a well-established target of antidepressants - by inducing a physiological response coupled to sedation. Several rapid-acting antidepressants trigger TrkB signaling by evoking a state associated with electroencephalographic slow-wave activity, behavioral immobility, reduced cerebral glucose utilization, and lowered body temperature. Remarkably, antidepressant-induced TrkB signaling was not compromised in animals exhibiting reduced activity-dependent release of BDNF but was diminished by maintaining animals in warm ambient temperature. Most importantly, prevention of the hypothermic response attenuated the behavioral effects produced by rapid-acting antidepressant nitrous oxide. Our results suggest that the phenomenon underlying TrkB transactivation - changes in energy expenditure and thermoregulation - is essential, but not sufficient, for antidepressant responses. Indeed, regardless of differential clinical and pharmacodynamic properties, all drugs that disrupt energy metabolism and induce hypothermia activated TrkB. This study challenges pharmacology-centric hypotheses regarding antidepressant effects and highlight the role of complex changes in bioenergetics and thermoregulation.

The Association Between Sexism, Self-Sexualization, and the Evaluation of Sexy Photos on Instagram

Passive consumption of sexually objectifying content on social networking sites (SNS) has been shown to result in lowered body satisfaction and self-esteem, particularly in women. However, deliberate evaluations of sexually objectifying social media content are scarce. Furthermore, associations between self-objectification and active use of SNS in terms of posting behavior have not been shown so far. The present study asked N = 916 participants to rate 28 Instagram screenshots on three dimensions, namely, whether the given photos were perceived as sexually revealing, appropriate, and attractive. The ratings were related to sexist attitudes, enjoyment of sexualization, and posting behavior of the participants. Sexism was negatively associated with the perceived appropriateness of the presented Instagram photos in women. Furthermore, there were substantial correlations between appropriateness and attractiveness evaluations of the presented photos and the self-sexualizing posting behavior and enjoyment of sexualization of female users. Only inconsistent effects could be found in men. Greater appreciation of objectification seems to go along with self-objectifying behavior, which may be due to an altered perception of what can be considered as sexually revealing. Although effects seem to be smaller in men, future research should also focus on male enjoyment of sexualization, which unfortunately was not considered in the present study.

3D-Printing Hands that Feel

Amputation is always a devastating experience. In addition to the loss of function or sensation, the lowered body image leaves deeper emotional impacts on the victims and their loved ones. For various reasons, traumatic injuries and vascular diseases like diabetes [4] are common for particularly upper limb loss. According to the World Health Organization, there are more than 10 million people with hand amputations worldwide, 80% of whom are in developing countries. Unfortunately, only less than 3% have access to affordable prostheses [1-3]. Over the past few decades, there have been major advances in commercial prosthetic hands, enabling control over six degrees of freedom (flexion/extension in all five digits and thumb rotation).

Measurement of weight change after change in frequency of a locally recognised habit. How much weight is lost while one higher-protein breakfast more is eaten per week?

It is not known how much reduction in weight is caused by an increased frequency of breakfasts including more protein, or whether such a practice suppresses intake by subconscious post-ingestional effects or intentional reduction in frequency of consumption of other foods. Participants with low frequency of what they believed to be higher protein breakfasts (HPBs) were asked to increase HPB frequency for 4 weeks and then to decrease HPB frequency for the subsequent 4 weeks, while participants with high HPB frequency were asked to follow the opposite sequence. Participants recorded daily if they ate an HPB that morning and had eaten perceived energy-dense foods (EDFs) and/or taken exercise at any time. Greater amounts of fat and weight were lost with perceived HPBs increase than decrease. One more perceived HPB per week for 4 weeks lowered body fat by a mean of 0.05 % (95% CLs: 0.15, -0.04), and weight by 97 g (171, 24). One less perceived EDF occasion a week reduced fat 0.04 % (0.11, -0.03) and weight 81 g (134, 27). These findings show that a sustained change in the frequency of a culturally specified habit can influence weight by a measured amount. This effect could come from the delayed gluconeogenesis from dietary protein amino acids but beliefs about protein at breakfast and energy-dense foods may also play a part.

The ontogeny of children's social emotions in response to (un)fairness

Humans have a deeply-rooted sense of fairness, but its emotional foundation in early ontogeny remains poorly understood. Here, we ask if and when children show negative social emotions, such as shame or guilt, in response to advantageous unfairness expressed through a lowered body posture (measured using a Kinect depth sensor imaging camera). We will present young children across the age range of 4 to 9 years with a scenario in which one child (the actor) chooses between two opaque boxes each containing rewards. We then manipulate whether the actor’s box contains 4 rewards or 1 reward (while the other box always contains 1) and measure children’s emotional expression. In a nonsocial context, i.e., when the resource distribution affects only the acting child, we expect that children will express a positive emotion (an elevated posture) after receiving 4 rewards and a negative emotion (a lowered posture) after receiving 1 reward. The crucial question we ask is if and when in ontogeny children express social emotions in response to (un)fairness. In a social context, i.e., when the reward distribution affects the acting child and a peer recipient, receiving 4 rewards while a peer receives 1 reward should result in a negative social emotion similar to shame or guilt (lowered posture), whereas a 1-1 fair split should result in a positive emotion similar to pride (elevated posture). The systematic study of children’s social emotions across a wide age range will shed new light on emotional foundation of the human sense of fairness.