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Past work in China has revealed that approximately 60% of young people in China consider themselves to be adults. However, no work, prior to this study, has been done examining either the views of Chinese parents regarding their children’s adult status or the criteria that Chinese parents use in determining whether or not their children have reached adulthood. Participants included 92 unmarried college students, ages 18 to 25, and at least one of their parents (83 fathers, 84 mothers). Results revealed that (a) the majority of children and their parents did not yet view their children as adults, and (b) there was disagreement between emerging adult children and their parents in the emphasis they placed on various criteria for adulthood. Discussion will focus on how the traditional Chinese notion of “face” may play an important role in the criteria young people and their parents endorse as necessary for adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely believed that the induction of a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb) response will be a critical component of a successful vaccine against HIV. A significant fraction of HIV-infected individuals mount bNAb responses, providing support for the notion that such responses could be elicited through vaccination. Infection of macaques with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) or SIV/HIV chimeric virus (SHIV) has been widely used to model aspects of HIV infection, but to date, only limited bNAb responses have been described. Here, we screened plasma from 14 R5-tropic SHIV-infected macaques for broadly neutralizing activity and identified a macaque with highly potent cross-clade plasma NAb response. Longitudinal studies showed that the development of broad and autologous NAb responses occurred coincidentally in this animal. Serum-mapping studies, using pseudovirus point mutants and antigen adsorption assays, indicated that the plasma bNAbs are specific for epitopes that include carbohydrates and are critically dependent on the glycan at position 332 of Env gp120. The results described herein provide insight into the development and evolution of a broad response, suggest that certain bNAb specificities may be more rapidly induced by immunization than others, and provide a potential model for the facile study of the development of bNAb responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines adolescent hope as a mediator between connectedness to mother and father, and positive and negative child outcomes. Participants included 489 adolescents aged 9 to 14 years (M = 11.29; SD = 1.01) and their parents from the Flourishing Families Project, and data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results suggested that hope mediated the relation between child-reported parent-child connectedness and adolescents’ prosocial behavior, school engagement, and internalizing behavior. Mother-and father-reported connectedness were not related to adolescent hope but were directly related to behavioral outcomes. This study highlights the importance of adolescents’ cognitive-motivational processes for both positive and negative outcomes and has important implications for prevention and intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the role of empathy and self-regulation as mediators between positive parenting (mothering and fathering) and early adolescents' prosocial behavior toward 3 targets (strangers, friends, and family). Data were taken from Time 1 and Time 2 of the Flourishing Families Project, and included reports from 500 families with an early adolescent child (mean age of child at Time 1=11.29). Analyses suggested that predictors of prosocial behavior toward the 3 targets differed, with empathy (as reported by mothers only) and self-regulation mediating the relation between positive parenting and prosocial behavior toward strangers and friends, but not toward family. Positive mothering was the only variable that was significantly related to prosocial behavior toward family. The discussion focuses on the need for continued research examining a relational approach to prosocial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Though much research has focused on the positive outcomes of parents’ monitoring of adolescents’ media use, few studies have examined predictors of parents’ media monitoring. Accordingly, the current study was designed to assess both parent and child predictors of proactive media monitoring during adolescence. Participants consisted of 478 families who completed parenting and media questionnaires at two time points, approximately one year apart. Results revealed that both maternal and paternal authoritative parenting predicted proactive media monitoring. Specifically, parental connection and regulation were associated with increased levels of prearming (also called active mediation); regulation was associated with higher levels of cocooning (also called restrictive mediation); and autonomy was associated with higher levels of deference. Additionally, adolescents’ self regulation, media use, and age all predicted lower levels of parental cocooning. This research highlights the importance of examining both parent and child factors when determining what strategies parents use to monitor the media. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of the current study was (a) to examine the role of family process on child disclosure, parental solicitation, and parental knowledge and (b) to examine how patterns might differ as a function of family structure. Data for this study were taken from the Flourishing Families Project, which consists of 353 two- and 147 single-parent families with an adolescent child (X age of child = 11.35). Path analysis via structural equation modeling suggested that, for single- and two-parent families, family process was positively and directly related to child disclosure (two-parent only) and parental solicitation, and indirectly related to disclosure and solicitation via adolescents’ externalizing behaviors. In turn, externalizing behaviors, child disclosure, and parental solicitation were all directly related to parental knowledge. Despite mean differences in parenting variables as a function of family structure, findings highlight the importance of family process in promoting parents’ knowledge of their adolescent children, regardless of family structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The changing nature of the transition to adulthood in western societies, such as the United States, may be extending the length of time parents are engaged in 'parenting' activities. However, little is known about different approaches parents take in their interactions with their emerging-adult children. Hence, this study attempted to identify different clusters of parents based on the extent to which they exhibited both extremes of control (psychological control, punishment, verbal hostility, indulgence) and responsiveness (knowledge, warmth, induction, autonomy granting), and to examine how combinations of parenting were related to emerging adult children's relational and individual outcomes (e.g. parent-child relationship quality, drinking, self-worth, depression). The data were collected from 403 emerging adults ( M age = 19.89, SD = 1.78, range = 18-26, 62% female) and at least one of their parents (287 fathers and 317 mothers). Eighty-four percent of participants reported being European American, 6% Asian American, 4% African American, 3% Latino, and 4% reported being of other ethnicities. Data were analyzed using hierarchical cluster analysis, separately for mothers and fathers, and identified three similar clusters of parents which we labeled as uninvolved (low on all aspects of parenting), controlling- indulgent (high on both extremes of control and low on all aspects of responsiveness), and authoritative (high on responsiveness and low on control). A fourth cluster was identified for both mothers and fathers and was labeled as inconsistent for mothers (mothers were above the mean on both extremes of control and on responsiveness) and average for fathers (fathers were at the mean on all eight aspects of parenting). The discussion focuses on how each of these clusters effectively distinguished between child outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of the current study was to explore clusters of proactive parenting practices, and how they might vary as a function of parental demographics, the quality of the parent–child relationship, and the traits and behaviors of the adolescent child. Data were taken from the Flourishing Families Project, which includes 500 families with an early adolescent child (M age = 11.49). Findings suggested that there were four clusters of parents, and patterns were similar for mothers and fathers. Findings also suggested that proactive clusters varied primarily as a function of demographics of the parent (e.g., religiosity, ethnicity, education) and the traits and behaviors of the adolescent child (e.g., empathy, internalizing and externalizing behaviors). Discussion highlights the importance of using a typological approach to study parenting, and places particular emphasis on parents’ use of pre-arming (alone, or in conjunction with other practices) in an attempt to avoid misbehavior before it occurs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this study was to gain a clearer understanding of the pattern of video game and internet use among college students and to examine how electronic leisure was related to risk behaviors (i.e., drinking, drug use, sex), perceptions of the self (i.e., self worth and social acceptance), and relationships with others (i.e., relationship quality with parents and friends). Participants included 813 undergraduate students (500 young women, 313 young men, M age = 20, SD = 1.87) who were mainly European American (79%), unmarried (100%) and living outside their parents’ home (90%). Results suggested that (a) video game use was linked to negative outcomes for men and women, (b) different patterns of video game and internet use existed for men and women and (c) there were different relations to risk behaviors, feelings about the self, and relationship quality based on the type of internet use, and based on gender. The discussion focuses on the implications of electronic leisure on the overall health and development of young people as they transition to adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of the current study was to examine adolescents'' perceptions of negative and positive peer influence (i.e., indirect peer association and direct peer pressure) as they related to adolescent behavior. Regression analyses were conducted using a sample of African American, European American, and Hispanic adolescents (N =1659, M age=16.06, SD=1.10). The study found differences and similarities in relation to respondents'' ethnicity vis-à-vis indirect peer association and adolescent behavior. Although few ethnic-based differences occurred as a function of indirect negative peer association, indirect positive peer association was not as consistently or as strongly related to behaviors for minority youth as it was for European American youth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The resurgence of yellow fever in South America has prompted vaccination against the etiologic agent, yellow fever virus (YFV). Current vaccines are based on a live-attenuated YF-17D virus derived from a virulent African isolate. The capacity of these vaccines to induce neutralizing antibodies against the vaccine strain is used as a surrogate for protection. However, the sensitivity of genetically distinct South American strains to vaccine-induced antibodies is unknown. We show that antiviral potency of the polyclonal antibody response in vaccinees is attenuated against an emergent Brazilian strain. This reduction was attributable to amino acid changes at two sites in central domain II of the glycoprotein E, including multiple changes at the domain I–domain II hinge, which are unique to and shared among most South American YFV strains. Our findings call for a reevaluation of current approaches to YFV immunological surveillance in South America and suggest approaches for updating vaccines. [Display omitted] • YFV vaccine-induced neutralization is attenuated against South American YFV strains • Reduced neutralization sensitivity genetically maps to domain II of the E protein • Multiple genetic changes in domain I–domain II hinge affect antibody recognition • Approach to YFV immunological surveillance in South America should be reevaluated Yellow fever vaccines based on an African strain induce neutralizing antibodies that are associated with protection. Haslwanter et al. show that these antibodies have reduced activity against South American strains because hey bear genetically distinct surface proteins, suggesting that changes are needed in how immune protection against YFV is monitored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Emerging adulthood has been characterized as an age of possibilities that involves heightened identity exploration and risk-taking. Although some scholars have investigated the relation between identity status and risk behaviors in emerging adulthood, less attention has been paid to the relation between identity status and prosocial orientations. Thus, the current study examined how emerging adults’ engagement in positive behaviors (i.e., prosocial tendencies, internalization of values, religiosity) varied as a function of identity status and gender. Results indicated that emerging adults who were in identity diffusion reported fewer prosocial tendencies, lower scores on internalization of values and lower religiosity, but emerging adults who were experiencing moratorium reported prosocial tendencies and levels of religiosity as frequently as emerging adults who had reached identity achievement. Also, young women reported higher levels of emotional and altruistic prosocial tendencies, higher levels of internalization of values, and higher levels of religiosity than did young men. The discussion focuses on emerging adulthood as a period of possibilities and exploration for not only risk behaviors, but prosocial behaviors as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

c-Myc induces widely varying cellular effects, including cell proliferation and cell death. These different cellular effects are determined, in part, by c-Myc protein expression levels, which are regulated through several transcriptional and post-transcriptional pathways. c-Myc transcripts can be detected in cells at all stages of B and T lymphocyte development. However, little is known about c-Myc protein expression, and how it varies, in developing lymphocytes. Here mice have been generated in which the endogenous c-Myc locus has been modified ( c-Myc) so that it encodes a GFP-c-Myc fusion protein. c-Myc mice are viable, appear normal and exhibit grossly normal lymphocyte development. Flow cytometric analyses revealed significant heterogeneity in c-Myc protein expression levels in developing c-Myc B and T lymphocytes. GFP-c-Myc expression levels were highest in proliferating lymphocytes, suggesting that c-Myc up-regulation is important for promoting lymphocyte cell division, and demonstrating that GFP-c-Myc expression is a marker of proliferating lymphocytes in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was (a) to identify the criteria parents of emerging adults consider necessary and important for their children to achieve adulthood. (b) to compare parents' criteria for adulthood with the criteria espoused by emerging adults, and (c) to examine how these criteria might differ on the basis of gender of the parent and gender of the child. Participants included 392 unmarried college students, ages 18-25. and at least 1 of their parents (271 fathers. 319 mothers). Results revealed that (a) as did their children, most parents did not yet view their children as adults. (b) there was disagreement between children and their parents in the emphasis they placed on various criteria for adulthood. (c) mothers and fathers did not always agree on the importance of various criteria, and (d) the gender of both the parent and the child played a role in the criteria parents deemed important for adulthood. Taken together, the findings suggest that parents and children view the transition to adulthood differently, which might have implications for the parent child relationship during this period of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined the mediating role of adolescents' personal values on the relation between maternal and peer expectations for prosocial behaviors and adolescents' selfreported prosocial and antisocial behaviors. One hundred thirty-four adolescents (mean age = 16.22 years, 54% girls) completed measures of their own values and behaviors, as well as their perceptions of the positive expectations that their mother and their best friend(s) had for their (the adolescents') prosocial behaviors. Stepwise regression analyses suggested that adolescents' personal proancial values mediated the relation between adolescents' perceptions of both maternal and peer expectations and adolescents' prosocial behaviors. In addition, for boys, perceptions of positive peer expectations were directly and negatively related to antisocial behaviors. The current study has important implications for parents, educators, and practitioners who are concerned about promoting adolescents' positive behaviors and discouraging negative behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined how academic background and course involvement differentially predicted students' performance on lecture- and text-based exam questions (N = 114; 34% men; 76% freshmen). Results showed that academic background and course involvement predicted performance on lecture-based questions and overall exam performance, whereas academic background variables alone predicted performance on text-based questions. We discuss the pedagogical implications of the findings on course and test design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether offering daily extra credit quizzes predicted exam performance in an advanced psychology course (n =36). Results revealed that extra credit performance was a strong predictor of exam performance, above and beyond gender, college grade point average, and ACT scores. In addition, results suggested that nearly half of the students reported their primary motivation for completing extra credit was to earn extra points toward their grade. This research has important pedagogical implications in highlighting the use of daily extra credit quizzes as a practice that facilitates learning and directly affects exam performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) protein kinase mediates early cellular responses to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) generated during metabolic processes or by DNA-damaging agents. ATM deficiency leads to ataxia-telangiectasia, a disease marked by lymphopenia, genomic instability and an increased predisposition to lymphoid malignancies with chromosomal translocations involving lymphocyte antigen receptor loci. ATM activates cell-cycle checkpoints and can induce apoptosis in response to DNA DSBs. However, defects in these pathways of the DNA damage response cannot fully account for the phenotypes of ATM deficiency. Here, we show that ATM also functions directly in the repair of chromosomal DNA DSBs by maintaining DNA ends in repair complexes generated during lymphocyte antigen receptor gene assembly. When coupled with the cell-cycle checkpoint and pro-apoptotic activities of ATM, these findings provide a molecular explanation for the increase in lymphoid tumours with translocations involving antigen receptor loci associated with ataxia-telangiectasia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examines proactive parenting strategies used to deal with potentially conflicting messages of values presented by agents outside the family. Forty European American mothers with children ages /1 to 16 participate in semistructured, in-depth interviews. Quantitative and qualitative findings reveal that parental strategy choice varies depending on the source of influence parents are combating, with parents using more controlling strategies in response to media influences than peer influences. Findings also suggest that parental cognitions of the degree of threat to values, the child's susceptibility, and the importance of values are differentially predictive of parental strategy choice as a function of the source of influence. Parental goals have the most consistent influence on strategy choice, with more controlling goals consistently predicting more controlling parenting strategies. The current study adds to our knowledge of parenting in the face of conflicting sources of values and provides important questions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined whether offering extra credit for research participation was effective at meeting educational goals (e.g., enabling all students to learn about the research process) and providing a representative sample of college students for researchers. Results revealed that less than half (38%) of 193 undergraduate students in an introductory course participated in research. Those who did participate scored higher on measures of academic performance than those who did not participate. Offering extra credit for research participation might not meet educational goals and possibly limits the generalizability of research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how parents respond when their children encounter values outside the home that conflict with family values. Forty-eight middle-class European American parents completed questionnaires consisting of 11 vignettes asking how they would respond to hypothetical situations where outside sources posed potential conflicts with parental values to their adolescent child ( M age of child=13.33 years). We identified five strategies that parents might use: controlled cocooning, reasoned cocooning, compromise, pre-arming, and deference. Parents in the study enlisted all five strategies, with reasoned cocooning and pre-arming occurring most frequently. The self-reported importance of values to parents was the most important predictor of which strategy parents used, with parents using more controlling strategies to defend values that were most important to them. Importance of values also mediated the relation between religion and the parent's self-reported desire for the child's compliance on personal issues, and parental strategy choice. This study is among the first to examine alternative parental strategies for regulating children's values acquisition outside the home, and shows that the extent of parental control is related to the importance of specific values to the parent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that perceived appropriateness of parental discipline plays a role in whether adolescents accept or reject parental messages, but little is known about how adolescents conceptualize or construct their ideas of appropriateness. One hundred twenty-two adolescents (M age = 16.87) answered questions about past situations (both antisocial and prosocial), how parents responded to these situations, the adolescent's perceived appropriateness of the parent's reaction, how the parent's reaction made the adolescent feel, and what the adolescent thought the parent's intentions were. Appropriateness ratings were related to the type of parental discipline used, with yelling associated with lower ratings of appropriateness and talking associated with higher ratings. Ratings were also related to adolescents' emotions, with negative emotions associated with lower ratings of appropriateness and positive emotions associated with higher ratings. Lastly, ratings were related to adolescents' perceptions of parental intent, with inhibiting and controlling intentions associated with lower ratings of appropriateness and caring and helping intentions associated with higher ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The immune system produces a diverse collection of anti-glycan antibodies that are critical for host defense. At present, however, we know very little about the binding properties, origins, and sequences of these antibodies because of a lack of access to a variety of defined individual antibodies. To address this challenge, we used a glycan microarray with over 800 different components to screen a panel of 516 human monoclonal antibodies that had been randomly cloned from different B-cell subsets originating from healthy human subjects. We obtained 26 antiglycan antibodies, most of which bound microbial carbohydrates. The majority of the antiglycan antibodies identified in the screen displayed selective binding for specific glycan motifs on our array and lacked poly-reactivity. We found that antiglycan antibodies were about twice as likely than expected to originate from IgG+ memory B cells, whereas none were isolated from naïve, early emigrant, or immature B cells. Therefore, our results indicate that certain B-cell subsets in our panel are enriched in antiglycan antibodies, and IgG+ memory B cells may be a promising source of such antibodies. Furthermore, some of the newly identified antibodies bound glycans for which there are no reported monoclonal antibodies available, and these may be useful as research tools, diagnostics, or therapeutic agents. Overall, the results provide insight into the types and properties of antiglycan antibodies produced by the human immune system and a framework for the identification of novel antiglycan antibodies in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite theoretical underpinnings that social influences increase in salience with age, it is currently unclear how relationships with mothers, fathers, and siblings might change during the transition to adulthood and what roles the quality of those relationships play in young adults' longitudinal adjustment. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was twofold. Firstly, we explored longitudinal growth in positive relationship quality with mothers, fathers, and siblings across the transition to adulthood. Secondly, we assessed comparative associations between positive relationship quality with mothers, fathers, and siblings and young adults' depressive symptoms and emotionally supportive prosocial behaviors toward strangers and family members from 18 to 20 years. Participants included 402 young adults (51% female; 69.39% White; Mage at T1 = 18.36 years). Mother‐youth positive relationship quality slightly increased during the transition to adulthood, while both father and sibling positive relationship quality remained stable. Young adults with more positive relationship quality with mothers reported experiencing fewer depressive symptoms, and young adults with more positive relationship quality with siblings were more likely to engage in emotionally supportive prosocial behaviors toward both strangers and family members. The increasing strength of mother‐youth relationships during the transition to adulthood and the comparatively salient role of sibling relationships are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]