Search

Across all cultures, parents have intuitive ideas ("ethnotheories") of what undesirable child characteristics are as well as how to explain them. Yet there have been relatively few cross-cultural comparisons of parents' ethnotheories about the nature and causes of child misbehavior. 108 mothers of 5-year-old children from the United States (N = 52; M[subscript age] = 5.26, SD = 0.07) and mainland China (N = 56; M[subscript age] = 5.31, SD = 0.20) were recruited to participate in a semi-structured interview that allowed parents to generate open-ended responses in relation to the nature and causes of children's misbehavior. Parents were asked to describe the behaviors they would least like to see in their children, before providing causal attributions to a series of hypothetical vignettes depicting a range of externalizing-type child behaviors. Parents' responses were coded based on common themes. Across both cultures, mothers endorsed social insensitivity as the most undesirable child characteristic. With regard to cross-cultural differences, mothers from the US highlighted aggressive and disruptive behaviors as the most salient child misbehaviors, whereas parents from mainland China emphasized cognitive and motivational difficulties. Regarding causes of child misbehaviors, American mothers were more likely than Chinese mothers to report momentary internal states as the primary causes of child misbehavior, followed by immature development. Conversely, Chinese parents attributed child misbehavior primarily to social influences, followed by temperament. Our results provide a significant contribution to our understanding on how parents across cultures define and explain misbehaviors in young children.

Are children from "Eastern" cultures less emotionally expressive and reactive than children from "Western" cultures? To answer this, we used a multi-level and multi-contextual approach to understand variations in emotion displays and cortisol reactivity among preschoolers living in China and the United States. One hundred two preschoolers from China (N = 58; 55% males) and the United States (N = 44, 48% males) completed three (i.e., control, interpersonal-related, and achievement-related) emotion-challenging paradigms over 3 days. Behavioral emotion expressions were coded, and salivary cortisol was sampled 30 minutes before and across 90 minutes post-task. Without considering context, Chinese preschoolers displayed fewer levels of positive and negative emotion expressions relative to their United States counterparts. However, Chinese preschoolers displayed similar levels of expressions as their United States counterparts during an achievement-related challenge that is more salient to their sociocultural emphases and showed higher negative emotion expressions in this challenge, relative to other contexts. Moreover, only the achievement-related challenge elicited increased cortisol levels among Chinese preschoolers, and this was correlated with higher levels of negative expressions. For US preschoolers, no cortisol increase was observed in any challenging paradigms, nor was cortisol associated with emotional expressions. Findings counter prior notions that East Asian children are generally less emotionally expressive. Instead, an achievement-related challenge elicited higher emotion expression and cortisol reactivity among Chinese preschoolers, suggesting that children's emotion expression and biological reactivity may be most responsive to contexts salient to their socio-cultural environments. We discuss the importance of considering cultural contexts when studying emotion regulation.

This study adopts a cultural ecological perspective to examine how cumulative effects of external transcultural and cultural strengths are related to baseline and changes in three markers of Mexican-origin adolescents' self-growth (i.e., resilience, life meaning, and discipline). Using a three-wave longitudinal data set (5 years) of 604 adolescents, cumulative strengths (CS) was calculated, and growth curve analyses showed a similar pattern of findings for both transcultural and cultural cumulative strengths models: Adolescents with higher CS showed higher baseline resilience, life meaning, and discipline. While there were no significant associations between adolescents' CS scores and the increase in resilience, adolescents with higher CS scores showed steeper declines in life meaning and discipline (although these declines were no longer significant for cultural CS when transcultural and cultural CS were simultaneously tested in the same model). The findings emphasize a cultural ecological understanding of Mexican-origin youths' positive development from early to later adolescence. They also provide support for a CS model and have implications for positive psychology theories.

Background: With the right support, people with learning disabilities can be 'good enough' parents (Coren et al., 2011; Murphy & Feldman, 2002). Parenting programmes exist to support parents and are made accessible for people with learning disabilities who are expecting a baby, but evaluation of the benefit of these interventions is poor due to a lack of accessible outcome measures (May & Harris, 2020; Wade et al., 2008). The Tool to Measure Parenting Self-Efficacy in the antenatal period (TOPSE ante-natal) measures the impact of parenting interventions on an individual's self-efficacy during the antenatal period. This study aimed to modify the TOPSE ante-natal tool through a process of inclusive research, to support a consistent approach to evaluating parenting interventions from the perspective of parents-to-be with learning disabilities. Methods: A two-phase study using interviews and discussion groups was conducted in a process of inclusive research to modify the TOPSE ante-natal tool. Phase one involved conducting eight cognitive interviews (interviews to understand how individuals process and recall information) with parents with learning disabilities. These were conducted remotely via Microsoft Teams, transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis (Krippendorff, 2013). Participants were recruited using snowballing techniques through the advisory groups' networks. Phase two included three discussion groups with study collaborators and advisors (n = 14) to assess the accessibility and acceptability of adaptations of the tool, each making further refinements for consideration. Findings: Interviews and discussion groups highlighted how parents-to-be with learning disabilities experienced some of the original TOPSE-ante-natal negative statements, including negative points on a Likert scale, difficult to comprehend. Figurative statements and unfamiliar words also caused confusion, and statements focussed on the pressures of parenting were experienced as confrontational by people with learning disabilities. Statements were removed or replaced and agreed upon in discussion groups to ensure that the tool was accessible and meaningful to people with learning disabilities. Conclusions: We have used a process of inclusive research to modify a self-efficacy tool for parents-to-be with learning disabilities that is freely available on the TOPSE website (https://www.topse.org.uk/site/). The next steps are for this tool to be used and validated in future studies evaluating parenting interventions for people with learning disabilities. This will inform a knowledge base of what interventions should be used by practitioners who are supporting people with learning disabilities to prepare for parenthood.

Early childbearing is associated with high maternal stress and family violence. However, the long-term effects of rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP) in young motherhood on child outcomes remain largely unknown. This study examined the pathways between maternal RRP at young ages and child psychosocial problems and emergency room visits in later years. A total of 232 Chinese mother-child dyads provided baseline data in 2015 (Time 1; T1) and follow-up data 6 years later in 2021 (Time 2; T2). At T1, mothers completed questionnaires about child physical abuse frequency and family cohesion and reported their own stress levels. At T2, mothers were re-surveyed with the same questionnaires about child physical abuse frequency and family cohesion. Children's psychosocial problems were assessed through parent proxy-reports and records of emergency room visits were retrieved from hospital databases. After adjusting for demographic information, maternal history of RRP was associated with child physical abuse at T1 ([beta] = 0.15, p < 0.05) and in turn linked to child physical abuse recurrence ([beta] = 0.22, p < 0.01) and emergency room visits at T2 ([beta] = 0.22, p < 0.001). Improved family cohesion over time did not break the link between maternal RRP and child physical abuse recurrence. Poor family dynamics can lead to child physical abuse recurrence and worsen developmental outcomes in children, particularly when coupled with other risk factors such as maternal RRP at young ages. Early interventions to enhance support and reduce vulnerabilities are important for preventing child physical abuse in at-risk families.

The geometry of unconformities carved by deep time ice sheets is often obscured and restricted by discontinuous exposure, or outcrop conditions that do not readily permit the examination of glacial unconformities (for example, steeply dipping strata). Here, we present new uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) data from selected outcrops across northern, central and southern Namibia to shed further light on the nature of the basal Dwyka Group unconformity. This includes the onlap relationship of basal diamictites onto the Gomatum palaeo-fjord system in northern Namibia, highly complex mapped ice flow orientations elsewhere in the northern Kaokoveld, previously undiscovered grooves along the Fish River area, and a set of subglacial grooves along the border with South Africa along the Orange River. In the latter two cases, photogrammetric methods integrating orthophotos and digital elevation models reveal the presence of subglacial grooves. Furthermore, subglacial grooves often show different orientations to striations and fabrics measured in overlying diamictites, raising fresh questions about the nature of small-scale flow variations beneath Late Palaeozoic ice sheets.

Understanding the impact of repository gas, generated from degradation of waste and its interaction with the host rock, is essential when assessing the performance and safety function of long-term disposal systems for radioactive waste. Numerical models based on conventional multi-phase flow theory have historically been applied to predict the outcome and impact of gas flow on different repository components. However, they remain unable to describe the full complexity of the physical processes observed in water-saturated experiments (e.g., creation of dilatant pathways) and thus, the development of novel representations for their description is required when assessing fully saturated clay-based systems. This was the primary focus of Task A within the international cooperative project DECOVALEX-2019 (D-2019) and refinement of these approaches is the primary focus of this study (Task B in the current phase of DECOVALEX-2023). This paper summarises development of enhanced numerical representations of key processes and compares the performance of each model against high-quality laboratory test data. Experimental data reveals that gas percolation in water-saturated compacted bentonite is characterised by four key features: (i) a quiescence phase, followed by (ii) the gas breakthrough, which leads to a (iii) peak value, which is then followed by (iv) a negative decay. Three models based on the multiphase flow theory have been developed. These models can provide good initial values and reasonable responses for gas breakthrough (although some of them still predict a too-smooth response). Peak gas pressure values are in general reasonably well captured, although maximum radial stress differences are observed at 48 mm from the base of the sample. Here, numerical peak values of 12.8 MPa are predicted, whereas experimental values are about 11 MPa. These models are also capable of providing a reasonable representation of the negative pressure decay following peak pressure. However, other key specific features (such as the timing of gas breakthrough) still require a better representation. The model simulations and their comparison with experimental data show that these models need to be further improved with respect to model parameter calibration, the numerical representation of spatial heterogeneities in material properties and flow localisation, and the upscaling of the related physical processes and parameters. To further understand gas flow localisation, a new conceptual model has been developed, which shows that discrete channels can possibly be induced through the instability of gas-bentonite interface during gas injection, thus providing a new perspective for modeling gas percolation in low-permeability deformable media.

Social-emotional deficits in school-aged children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) greatly hinder these children from fully participating in various school activities in the inclusive education setting. Previous studies have demonstrated evidence regarding the effectiveness of using virtual reality (VR) for enhancing the children's affective expression and social reciprocity. However, considering the technical and logistical complexity of the enabling hardware and software systems, how such approaches can be effectively and sustainably delivered in the school setting remains underexplored. This paper presents a study that utilised VR headsets to enhance affective expression and social reciprocity for children with ASD and explored how the approach could be effectively and sustainably delivered at schools. A total of eight VR learning scenarios were designed based on Kolb's experiential learning framework. 176 children aged 6-12 with a clinical diagnosis of ASD participated in the study. The statistical analyses showed that the participants who received the intervention significantly improved in affective expression and social reciprocity, compared to those who were in the control group. Moreover, the approaches to enhance long-term sustainability have also been presented and discussed in this paper.

Emotion dysregulation is common among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined the relationship between emotion dysregulation and resting heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of the autonomic nervous system, in ASD adolescents. Resting HRV data were collected from ASD (n = 23) and typically developing (TD) adolescents (n = 32) via short-term electrocardiogram. Parents/caregivers reported participants' level of emotion dysregulation with the Emotion Dysregulation Inventory (EDI). Controlling for the effects of age and gender, regression analyses revealed moderating effects of group, suggesting that lower resting HRV was more strongly associated with greater emotion dysregulation in ASD than TD adolescents. The results support the view that disruptions in autonomic functioning may contribute to emotion dysregulation in ASD.

Few studies have considered bilingualism's impact on cognitive development within the sociolinguistic and cultural context of the immigrant communities where bilingualism is commonly practiced. In the United States, many Mexican-origin bilingual youth practice their bilingual skills by "brokering" (i.e. translating/interpreting between languages) for their immigrant parents who have low English proficiency. Meanwhile, these youth may also experience discrimination in their daily life. The present study focuses on Mexican-origin bilingual youth brokers (N = 334) in order to examine how discriminatory experiences (i.e. daily and ethnic discrimination) and bilingual brokering experiences captured by profiles are related to cognitive control performance (i.e. attentional control and inhibition). We found no significant direct influence of either bilingual broker profiles or discriminatory experiences on cognitive control. However, the associations between discriminatory experiences and cognitive control performance depended upon brokering experiences. Specifically, greater discrimination was associated with lower cognitive control performance among moderate brokers (with moderate bilingual experiences), but the association was attenuated among efficacious brokers (with positive bilingual experiences). Findings highlight the need to consider the sociolinguistic heterogeneity of both discriminatory experiences and language use when investigating cognitive control performance in bilinguals.

Abstract Astrocytes, the predominant glial cells in the central nervous system, play essential roles in maintaining brain function. Reprogramming induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to become astrocytes through overexpression of the transcription factors, NFIB and SOX9, is a rapid and efficient approach for studying human neurological diseases and identifying therapeutic targets. However, the precise differentiation path and molecular signatures of induced astrocytes remain incompletely understood. Accordingly, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing analysis on 64,736 cells to establish a comprehensive atlas of NFIB/SOX9-directed astrocyte differentiation from human iPSCs. Our dataset provides detailed information about the path of astrocyte differentiation, highlighting the stepwise molecular changes that occur throughout the differentiation process. This dataset serves as a valuable reference for dissecting uncharacterized transcriptomic features of NFIB/SOX9-induced astrocytes and investigating lineage progression during astrocyte differentiation. Moreover, these findings pave the way for future studies on neurological diseases using the NFIB/SOX9-induced astrocyte model.

Abstract Background DNA metabarcoding applies high-throughput sequencing approaches to generate numerous DNA barcodes from mixed sample pools for mass species identification and community characterisation. To date, however, most metabarcoding studies employ second-generation sequencing platforms like Illumina, which are limited by short read lengths and longer turnaround times. While third-generation platforms such as the MinION (Oxford Nanopore Technologies) can sequence longer reads and even in real-time, application of these platforms for metabarcoding has remained limited possibly due to the relatively high read error rates as well as the paucity of specialised software for processing such reads. Results We show that this is no longer the case by performing nanopore-based, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) metabarcoding on 34 zooplankton bulk samples, and benchmarking the results against conventional Illumina MiSeq sequencing. Nanopore R10.3 sequencing chemistry and super accurate (SUP) basecalling model reduced raw read error rates to ~ 4%, and consensus calling with amplicon_sorter (without further error correction) generated metabarcodes that were ≤ 1% erroneous. Although Illumina recovered a higher number of molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) than nanopore sequencing (589 vs. 471), we found no significant differences in the zooplankton communities inferred between the sequencing platforms. Importantly, 406 of 444 (91.4%) shared MOTUs between Illumina and nanopore were also found to be free of indel errors, and 85% of the zooplankton richness could be recovered after just 12–15 h of sequencing. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that nanopore sequencing can generate metabarcodes with Illumina-like accuracy, and we are the first study to show that nanopore metabarcodes are almost always indel-free. We also show that nanopore metabarcoding is viable for characterising species-rich communities rapidly, and that the same ecological conclusions can be obtained regardless of the sequencing platform used. Collectively, our study inspires confidence in nanopore sequencing and paves the way for greater utilisation of nanopore technology in various metabarcoding applications.

Purpose – It is a challenge for Small-Cap companies, i.e., Small and Medium-sized listed companies in Hong Kong (“SMEs”) in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting as they may lack knowledge, skills and motivation. This paper investigates a spectrum of the drivers and barriers that these SMEs faced for better ESG reporting. Design/methodology/approach – In this study, 22 persons responsible for ESG reporting in their SMEs were interviewed. The results were analysed by using grounded theory with the assistance of concept mapping. Findings – Regulations and management support are the first two critical drivers, whereas lack of management support and lack of expertise are the first two significant barriers. To overcome the obstacles, various stakeholders including regulators, bankers, investors, customers, competitors, NGOs and employees have their roles to play. Stakeholder theory is most relevant in explaining the results as stakeholders can exert effective pulling forces by creating tangible benefits for SMEs, resulting in more substantial management support. Originality/value – This is amongst the first comprehensive investigation on the motivational factors in SMEs’ ESG reporting. Policy makers should not only focus on the effort to upgrade the reporting standards but also contemplate more effective ways to balance the short-term and the long-term benefits of ESG reporting by mobilising various stakeholders to exert more influences.

In this short intervention addressing the impact of crises on geographical knowledge practices, we, members of GenUrb (a multi-sited, longitudinal, partnered urban research project), ask, “what counts as crisis?”, sketching out epistemological and methodological points about our project's engagement with this call. We query the adeptness of dominant Eurocentric epistemologies in addressing crises, adopting the work of Bedour Alagraa, who places crises firmly within a historical–geographical colonial framing that conceptualizes crises not through rupture but through continuation. We illustrate the utility of this epistemological framing of crisis, honing in on the everyday violence that women continually experience, with our research in the cities of Cochabamba, Delhi, Georgetown, Ibadan, Ramallah, and Shanghai, showing that one in every two women participants had experienced intimate partner violence. We further ask what crises mean for the methodologies we adopt, specifically concerning questions of the co-production of knowledge and methods.

There are only eight approved small molecule antiviral drugs for treating COVID-19. Among them, four are nucleotide analogues (remdesivir, JT001, molnupiravir, and azvudine), while the other four are protease inhibitors (nirmatrelvir, ensitrelvir, leritrelvir, and simnotrelvir-ritonavir). Antiviral resistance, unfavourable drug‒drug interaction, and toxicity have been reported in previous studies. Thus there is a dearth of new treatment options for SARS-CoV-2. In this work, a three-tier cell-based screening was employed to identify novel compounds with anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. One compound, designated 172, demonstrated broad-spectrum antiviral activity against multiple human pathogenic coronaviruses and different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Mechanistic studies validated by reverse genetics showed that compound 172 inhibits the 3-chymotrypsin-like protease (3CLpro) by binding to an allosteric site and reduces 3CLpro dimerization. A drug synergistic checkerboard assay demonstrated that compound 172 can achieve drug synergy with nirmatrelvir in vitro. In vivo studies confirmed the antiviral activity of compound 172 in both Golden Syrian Hamsters and K18 humanized ACE2 mice. Overall, this study identified an alternative druggable site on the SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro, proposed a potential combination therapy with nirmatrelvir to reduce the risk of antiviral resistance and shed light on the development of allosteric protease inhibitors for treating a range of coronavirus diseases.

Abstract Whole virion inactivated vaccine CoronaVac (C) and Spike (S) mRNA BNT162b2 (B) vaccines differ greatly in their ability to elicit neutralizing antibodies but have somewhat comparable effectiveness in protecting from severe COVID-19. We conducted further analyses for a randomized trial (Cobovax study, NCT05057169) of third dose homologous and heterologous booster vaccination, i.e. four interventions CC-C, CC-B, BB-C and BB-B. Here, we assess vaccine immunogenicity beyond neutralizing function, including S and non-S antibodies with Fc receptor (FcR) binding, antibody avidity and T cell specificity to 6 months post-vaccination. Ancestral and Omicron S-specific IgG and FcR binding are significantly higher by BNT162b2 booster than CoronaVac, regardless of first doses. Nucleocapsid (N) antibodies are only increased in homologous boosted CoronaVac participants (CC-C). CoronaVac primed participants have lower baseline S-specific CD4+ IFNγ+ cells, but are significantly increased by either CoronaVac or BNT162b2 boosters. Priming vaccine content defined T cell peptide specificity preference, with S-specific T cells dominating B primed groups and non-S structural peptides contributing more in C primed groups, regardless of booster type. S-specific CD4+ T cell responses, N-specific antibodies, and antibody effector functions via Fc receptor binding may contribute to protection and compensate for less potent neutralizing responses in CoronaVac recipients.

Abstract Background Rapid point-of-care tests for malaria are now widely used in many countries to guide the initial clinical management of patients presenting with febrile illness. With China having recently achieved malaria elimination, better understanding regarding the identity and distribution of major non-malarial causes of febrile illnesses is of particular importance to inform evidence-based empirical treatment policy. Methods A systematic review of published literature was undertaken to characterise the spectrum of pathogens causing non-malaria febrile illness in China (1980–2015). Literature searches were conducted in English and Chinese languages in six databases: Ovid MEDLINE, Global Health, EMBASE, Web of Science™ – Chinese Science Citation Database SM, The China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and WanFang Med Online. Selection criteria included reporting on an infection or infections with a confirmed diagnosis, defined as pathogens detected in or cultured from samples from normally sterile sites, or serological evidence of current or past infection. The number of published articles, reporting a given pathogen were presented, rather than incidence or prevalence of infection. Results A total of 57,181 records from 13 provinces of China where malaria used to be endemic were screened, of which 392 met selection criteria and were included in this review. The review includes 60 (15.3%) records published from 1980 to 2000, 211 (53.8%) from 2001 to 2010 and 121 (30.9%) from 2011 to 2015;. Of the 392 records, 166 (42.3%) were from the eastern region of China, 120 (30.6%) were from the south-west, 102 (26.0%) from south-central, and four (1.0%) were multi-regional studies. Bacterial infections were reported in 154 (39.3%) records, viral infections in 219 (55.9%), parasitic infections in four (1.0%), fungal infections in one (0.3%), and 14 (3.6%) publications reported more than one pathogen group. Participants of all ages were included in 136 (34.7%) studies, only adults in 75 (19.1%), only children in 17 (4.3%), only neonates in two (0.5%) and the age distribution was not specified in 162 (41.3%) records. The most commonly reported bacterial pathogens included Typhoidal Salmonella (n = 30), Orientia/ Rickettsia tsutsugamushi (n = 31), Coxiella burnetii (n = 17), Leptospira spp. (n = 15) and Brucella spp. (n = 15). The most commonly reported viral pathogens included Hantavirus/Hantaan virus (n = 89), dengue virus (DENV) (n = 76 including those with unknown serovars), Japanese encephalitis virus (n = 21), and measles virus (n = 15). The relative lack of data in the western region of the country, as well as in in neonates and children, represented major gaps in the understanding of the aetiology of fever in China. Conclusions This review presents a landscape of non-malaria pathogens causing febrile illness in China over 36 years as the country progressed toward malaria elimination. These findings can inform guidelines for clinical management of fever cases and infection surveillance and prevention, and highlight the need to standardize operational and reporting protocols for better understanding of fever aetiology in the country.

Abstract Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has emerged as a revolutionary technique for accessing and modulating brain circuits. DBS is used to treat dysfunctional neuronal circuits in neurological and psychiatric disorders. Despite over two decades of clinical application, the fundamental mechanisms underlying DBS are still not well understood. One reason is the complexity of in vivo electrical manipulation of the central nervous system, particularly in rodent models. DBS-devices for freely moving rodents are typically custom-designed and not commercially available, thus making it difficult to perform experimental DBS according to common standards. Addressing these challenges, we have developed a novel wireless microstimulation system for deep brain stimulation (wDBS) tailored for rodents. We demonstrate the efficacy of this device for the restoration of behavioral impairments in hemiparkinsonian mice through unilateral wDBS of the subthalamic nucleus. Moreover, we introduce a standardized and innovative pipeline, integrating machine learning techniques to analyze Parkinson’s disease-like and DBS-induced gait changes.