This research focused on existential and motivational implications of the emotion of nostalgia. Nostalgia (relative to control) increased meaning in life, which, in turn, galvanised intentions to ...pursue one's most important goal (Experiment 1) and to pursue one's most important, but not least important, goal (Experiment 2). The basic pattern held in two cultures (British and Danish) independently of positive affect. This is the first evidence that nostalgia has specific motivational consequences (i.e., pursuit of more, but not less, important goals) and transmits these consequences via meaning in life. Also, this is the first evidence that meaning is associated with specific motivational consequences. Discussion considers the relevance of the findings for the emotion and motivation literatures.
We examined predictors of collective action among bystander group members in solidarity with a disadvantaged group by extending the dual pathway model of collective action, which proposes one ...efficacy‐based and one emotion‐based path to collective action (Van Zomeren, Spears, Fischer, & Leach, 2004). Based on two proposed functions of social identity performance (Klein, Spears, & Reicher, 2007), we distinguished between the efficacy of collective action at consolidating the identity of a protest movement and its efficacy at achieving social change (political efficacy). We expected identity consolidation efficacy to positively predict collective action tendencies directly and indirectly via political efficacy. We also expected collective action tendencies to be positively predicted by moral outrage and by sympathy in response to disadvantaged outgroup's suffering. These hypotheses were supported in two surveys examining intentions to protest for Palestine in Britain (Study 1), and intentions to attend the June 4th vigil in Hong Kong to commemorate the Tiananmen massacre among a sample of Hong Kong citizens (Study 2). The contributions of these findings to research on the dual pathway model of collective action and the different functions of collective action are discussed.
Abstract
Background
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) omicron variant, designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization, carries numerous spike ...mutations that are known to evade neutralizing antibodies elicited by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines. A deeper understanding of the susceptibility of omicron variant to vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies is urgently needed for risk assessment.
Methods
Omicron variant strains HKU691 and HKU344-R346K were isolated from patients using TMPRSS2-overexpressing VeroE6 cells. Whole genome sequence was determined using nanopore sequencing. Neutralization susceptibility of ancestral lineage A virus and the omicron, delta and beta variants to sera from 25 BNT162b2 and 25 CoronaVac vaccine recipients was determined using a live virus microneutralization assay.
Results
The omicron variant strain HKU344-R346K has an additional spike R346K mutation, which is present in 8.5% of strains deposited in the GISAID database. Only 20% and 24% of BNT162b2 recipients had detectable neutralizing antibody against the omicron variant HKU691 and HKU344-R346K, respectively, whereas none of the CoronaVac recipients had detectable neutralizing antibody titer against either omicron isolate. For BNT162b2 recipients, the geometric mean neutralization antibody titers (GMTs) of the omicron variant isolates (5.43 and 6.42) were 35.7–39.9-fold lower than that of the ancestral virus (229.4), and the GMTs of both omicron variant isolates were significantly lower than those of the beta and delta variants. There was no significant difference in the GMTs between HKU691 and HKU344-R346K.
Conclusions
Omicron variant escapes neutralizing antibodies elicited by BNT162b2 or CoronaVac. The additional R346K mutation did not affect the neutralization susceptibility. Our data suggest that the omicron variant may be associated with lower COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness.
Immune sera from BNT162b2 and Coronavac recipients had substantially reduced neutralizing antibody titers against the omicron variant. There was no statistically significant difference between the geometric mean neutralization titers against omicron variant strains with or without spike R346K mutation.
Osteocytes: Master Orchestrators of Bone Schaffler, Mitchell B.; Cheung, Wing-Yee; Majeska, Robert ...
Calcified tissue international,
01/2014, Letnik:
94, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Osteocytes comprise the overwhelming majority of cells in bone and are its only true “permanent” resident cell population. In recent years, conceptual and technological advances on many fronts have ...helped to clarify the role osteocytes play in skeletal metabolism and the mechanisms they use to perform them. The osteocyte is now recognized as a major orchestrator of skeletal activity, capable of sensing and integrating mechanical and chemical signals from their environment to regulate both bone formation and resorption. Recent studies have established that the mechanisms osteocytes use to sense stimuli and regulate effector cells (e.g., osteoblasts and osteoclasts) are directly coupled to the environment they inhabit—entombed within the mineralized matrix of bone and connected to each other in multicellular networks. Communication within these networks is both direct (via cell–cell contacts at gap junctions) and indirect (via paracrine signaling by secreted signals). Moreover, the movement of paracrine signals is dependent on the movement of both solutes and fluid through the space immediately surrounding the osteocytes (i.e., the lacunar–canalicular system). Finally, recent studies have also shown that the regulatory capabilities of osteocytes extend beyond bone to include a role in the endocrine control of systemic phosphate metabolism. This review will discuss how a highly productive combination of experimental and theoretical approaches has managed to unearth these unique features of osteocytes and bring to light novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms operating in bone.
In this article, we present an analytical approach that focuses on how transnational and translingual learners mobilize their multilingual, multimodal, and multisemiotic repertoires, as well as their ...learning and work experiences, as resources in language learning. The approach is that of translanguaging, which seeks to push the boundaries not only between different named languages but also between different modalities and across language scripts and writing systems. We base our arguments on a study of self-directed learning of Chinese via online platforms in the context of mobility and aim to demonstrate the transformative capacity of translanguaging. In doing so, we highlight the need for a transdisciplinary approach to language learning that transcends the boundaries between linguistics, psychology, and education, and in particular, the need to go beyond the artificial divides of the different modalities of language learning to strengthen the connections between research on bilingualism and multilingualism and research on language teaching and learning.
Objective
Nostalgia is a sentimental longing for one's past. We examined the hypotheses (rooted in attachment theory and research) that nostalgia prone individuals, by virtue of their greater ...attachment security, are more empathic and enact more prosocial behavior.
Method
In five studies, testing 1,923 participants (Nrange = 132–823, 52.42% women, Agerange = 8–90 years), we measured nostalgia proneness and affective empathy. Additionally, we measured cognitive empathy in Study 3, attachment security in Studies 4–5, and prosocial behavior in Study 5.
Results
Nostalgia proneness was positively related to affective empathy among younger and older adults (Studies 1, 3–5) and among children (Study 2). This association was stronger for affective empathy than cognitive empathy (Study 3). Also, attachment security mediated the relation between nostalgia proneness and affective empathy (Studies 4–5). Finally, nostalgia prone individuals were more likely to engage in prosocial behavior, and this relation was serially mediated by attachment security and affective empathy (Study 5).
Conclusion
The findings establish the empathic and prosocial character of nostalgia prone individuals, and clarify their personality profile.
Nostalgia, a sentimental longing for the past, is not merely a past-oriented emotion, but has implications for the future. Experimentally induced nostalgia fosters optimism by increasing ...social-connectedness (a sense of acceptance and belongingness) and self-esteem. Do these effects depend on trait nostalgia (i.e., proneness to nostalgic engagement)? Consistent with past research, induced nostalgia fostered optimism, and this effect was mediated by social-connectedness and self-esteem. More important, these effects uniquely applied to participants who were high, but not low, on trait nostalgia. That is, induced nostalgia (vs. control) was indirectly linked to heightened optimism through social-connectedness and self-esteem, for nostalgia prone individuals. Proneness to nostalgic engagement, when coupled with momentary nostalgia, confers benefits, not only in terms of greater social-connectedness and self-esteem, but also in terms of higher optimism.
•Induced nostalgia increases optimism.•Induced nostalgia raises optimism by lifting social connectedness and self-esteem.•This causal sequence is obtained among persons high, but not low, in trait nostalgia.
Germination has been widely employed to produce germinated edible seeds and sprouts for consumption in our daily life. Through simple germination procedures, many edible seeds can be germinated in a ...short time with improved nutritional and medicinal values. Understanding the main bioactive compounds and bioactivities of germinated edible seeds and sprouts can be helpful for their better utilization as functional foods.
This review mainly summarizes recent studies about the bioactive compounds and bioactivities of germinated edible seeds and sprouts, and the potential molecular mechanisms of accumulating bioactive compounds in germination are discussed.
Germination can accumulate different bioactive compounds, such as vitamins, γ-aminobutyric acid and polyphenols, and this can be dependent on de novo synthesis and transformation. In addition, germinated edible seeds and sprouts possess many bioactivities, such as their antioxidant capacity, which is significantly increased after germination. Therefore, germination can be a green food engineering method to accumulate natural bioactive compounds, and those germinated edible seeds and sprouts rich in natural bioactive compounds can be consumed as functional foods to prevent chronic diseases.
•Germinated edible seeds and sprouts can accumulate bioactive compounds.•Polyphenol synthesis follows a transformation pathway during germination.•Antioxidant capacity generally increases during germination.•Germinated edible seeds and sprouts are valuable functional foods.
Six studies examined the nostalgia–inspiration link and its motivational implications. In Study 1, nostalgia proneness was positively associated with inspiration frequency and intensity. In Studies 2 ...and 3, the recollection of nostalgic (vs. ordinary) experiences increased both general inspiration and specific inspiration to engage in exploratory activities. In Study 4, serial mediational analyses supported a model in which nostalgia increases social connectedness, which subsequently fosters self-esteem, which then boosts inspiration. In Study 5, a rigorous evaluation of this serial mediational model (with a novel nostalgia induction controlling for positive affect) reinforced the idea that nostalgia-elicited social connectedness increases self-esteem, which then heightens inspiration. Study 6 extended the serial mediational model by demonstrating that nostalgia-evoked inspiration predicts goal pursuit (intentions to pursue an important goal). Nostalgia spawns inspiration via social connectedness and attendant self-esteem. In turn, nostalgia-evoked inspiration bolsters motivation.
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