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Memories in Public Speaking Performance Anxiety Reconstructed: A Qualitative Exploration Using Imagery Rescripting
Get PDFPrior research on social anxiety disorder (SAD) has demonstrated the importance of anxiety provoking images which can be related to memories. Furthermore, by targeting the scope and meaning of these images, imagery rescripting (ImRs) has been proven to be effective. The present study examines how imagery plays a role in young adults’ public speaking anxiety, a specifier of SAD. This is studied by reconstructing memories in adolescence conducted through ImRs. It was aimed to look for memories that provoked anxiety responses similar to the current anxiety and study them in terms of etiological factors. With regard to etiology, influence of negative teacher behavior was reported. The present results therefore suggest the factor teacher behavior as additional factor to Rapee and Spence’s model on SAD when describing the development of public speaking performance anxiety. Furthermore, the results provide indications that ImRs could be effective for the specific anxiety group also. The focus should then be on negative teacher behavior as contributing to the anxiety. Finally, future research could examine whether a cognitive session preceding the ImRs will improve the effect of the intervention. This is considered as the time frame between the memory and the intervention is short and the young adult could still be vulnerable to teacher influence. Cognitively challenging encapsulated beliefs could then make the adult more aware of the teacher’s deviant behavior in their memories. Ultimately, this could facilitate thinking of interventions to change this behavior.
Human Papilloma Virus Analysis of HPV FISH patterns in low and high grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia
Get PDFHuman Papilloma Virus is the most common sexually transmitted infection, with anestimated 80% of sexually active men and women acquiring an infection at some pointin their lifetime. 10-20% of infected individuals can not clear this infection effectivelyand consequentially are at risk for progression of Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia(CIN) to cancer. Presence of HPV can be determined using PCR and/or (Fluorescence) InSitu Hybridization. The aim of the performed experiments was to determine the generalFISH patterns that are specifically linked to low grade and high grade CIN lesions and toinvestigate whether or not these patterns could be used to grade these lesions.12 formalin fixed and paraffin embedded sections from one patient and 30 formalin fixedand paraffin embedded sections from different patients where used to perform a FISHprocedure and to analyze the general FISH hybridization pattern for CIN 1,2 and 3. For theanalysis 3 distinct patterns for the physical status of the virus were determined: episomal,integrated and mixed pattern. Also the presence of replication, load and the ratio betweenbasal load and superficial load was analyzed to determine the general pattern.Results show that load and physical status of the virus are not associated with the severityof the lesions. High loads are present in both high and low grade lesions. Also physicalstatus of the virus is not different for the sections, episomal and mixed patterns are foundin low and high grades. Only integrated pattern is a marker for severity, as this is only foundin CIN 3. Presence of replication is most common in CIN 1, this might contribute to correctgrading. The ratio between the load in the Basal layer and the load in the superficial layeris the most informative discriminant of severity: <0.5 for CIN 1, 0.5<load<1 for CIN 2 and 1for CIN 3. Based on these results it is possible to classify the severity of the lesio
Introduction: Environmental Experts in Context
Get PDFEver since the concept ‘environment’ became a household term in the 1970s, it has been a constant object of controversy. The way we should deal with natural resources, and, more generally, how we should relate to nature as a whole has over the previous decades continuously been discussed by politicians, civil society, journalists and academics. The stakes of these discussions are high. According to sociologists such as Ulrich Beck (1992) and Anthony Giddens (1999), our modern society is characterized by high levels of environmental risk. What is more, Beck and his colleagues have stressed that contemporary society increasingly acknowledges human agency in both the production of environmental risks, and the possible mitigation of those risks. In order to organize this mitigation successfully, expert knowledge is considered crucial by most stakeholders involved. Therefore, experts of all kinds are called upon to settle controversies about how to deal with the environment. It is exactly this role of experts that constitutes the topic of this volume.
Towards a Better Understanding of Public Resistance: Carbon Capture and Storage and the Power of the Independent-minded Citizen
Get PDFProjects like power plants, wind farms, electricity routes, airports or waste disposal sites go hand in hand with more or less significant interference with the balance of nature. This interference often causes resistance by individuals or groups, citizens’ initiatives and environmental organizations, especially if the implementation or testing phase is supposed to take place right “next door”. As a result of the increased citizens’ involvement in environmental debates, research into public acceptance has become an important instrument for policy advice in recent years, not least because the past has shown that the public’s opinion and attitude can have a crucial impact on the development of a technology. Projects or political decisions that fail to accommodate the broad public run the risk of facing strong resistance which can, in the end, interfere with or even prevent the implementation of the planned project.
The involvement of the ceramide transporter in Alzheimer’s disease Investigating the binding properties of the ceramide transporter in the human brain by optimizing the splitubiquitin Yeast Two-Hybrid system
Get PDFBackground: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, characterized by aggregates of Amyloid-ß (Aβ) peptides. The ceramide transporter (CERTL ) exists in a complex with serum amyloid P component in the Aβ plaques of AD patients. The goal is to obtain more information about the protein binding activity of CERTL in the human brain. To be able to do so, the Yeast Two-Hybrid (Y2H) technique, that was used to confirm the results from a previously executed CERTL Y2H screening, had to be optimized. Technical problems were encountered with the plasmid purification of the yeast NMY51 using the EZNA plasmid DNA minikit I and with the transformation in competent E.coli cells. Initially it was believed that there was a problem with the EZNA plasmid DNA minikit I. In this report troubleshooting was performed to identify the problem of the plasmid purification technique that has been used. Methods: To examine the protein binding activity of CERTL a split-ubiquitin Y2H system was used. In this system proteins are attached to two parts of one complete ubiquitin molecule, called the split-ubiquitin. The middle region domain of CERTL (the bait) was attached to the C-terminal half of the split-ubiquitin and the transcription factor LexA-VP16. The possible interactor, a prey library containing human brain proteins was fused to the N-terminal half of the split-ubiquitin. The presence of an interaction between bait and prey will results in the re-assembly of the split-ubiquitin, which activates ubiquitin proteases. The transcription factor is released and reporter genes are activated.The results of a previously executed Y2H screening had to be confirmed by performing another Y2H screening. The new screening had to be carried out using glycerol stocks of the yeast NMY51, containing both bait and prey, from the earlier performed Y2H screening. To optimize prey plasmid purification from the yeast using the EZNA plasmid DNA minikit I, troubleshooting was performed on the technique. Next to this, other methods to isolate the plasmid DNA, a QIAprep spin miniprep kit protocol and a phenol extraction and ethanol precipitation, were performed. The failing results were possibly due to the yeast being stored as a glycerol stock. In order to correct for this, a freshly transformed yeast sample was made. Results: Extracting the plasmid from glycerol stocks from the yeast NMY51 did not succeed. Plasmid purification and transformation of the prey plasmid from the fresh transformed yeast in E.coli competent cells was successful. Conclusion: From the results it is now believed that storing the yeast NMY51 containing the prey plasmid in glycerol stocks causes the prey plasmid to integrate into the genomic DNA of the yeast. Performing a new Y2H screening would therefore only be possible on fresh transformed yeast NMY51 cells
Chased by wolves: Effects of a threat prime on working-memory in Portuguese and Hong Kong populations
Get PDFCultural differences between Western and East Asian populations have often been categorized in terms of Individualism versus Collectivism, or analytic versus holistic thinking and perception. In this study, 30 participants from Hong Kong and 26 participants from Portugal were compared. Individualism and Collectivism levels were measured using the Auckland Individualism and Collectivism Scale. Furthermore, they were tested on working memory using the Corsi Block-tapping task. Finally, they performed a modified version of the wolfpack task to investigate analytic / holistic perception, perceived animacy, and changes in working memory after a threat prime. We found an interaction between priming condition and culture. The performance of the Hong Kong group stayed constant when seeing a neutral prime and when seeing a threat prime. In contrast, the Portuguese group performed worse after seeing a threat prime, compared to a neutral prime. In both conditions, the Hong Kong group performed better than the Portuguese group. Hong Kong also scored higher on the Corsi block-tapping task, but this effect was only marginally significant. While Hong Kong scored higher on Collectivism, no difference was found for Individualism. However, no correlation was found between Collectivism and working memory performance after threat prime. The wolfpack task used here proved insufficient to detect differences in analytic and holistic perception, or differences in perceived animacy across cultures. This study urges caution when applying the Individualism-Collectivism distinction to these cultures
The effect of testing on the vulnerability to misinformation in adolescents and adults
Get PDFFalse memories are a frequently recurring problem in the courtroom and therefore research on this topic in highly needed. In the present study, the effect of testing on the vulnerability to misinformation is examined in children, adolescents and adults. The main expectation was that these different age groups have different levels of susceptibility to misinformation. It was hypothesized that the testing effect influences these different levels of susceptibility to misinformation. Fuzzy Trace Theory states that witnesses extract their memories from two different levels of memory representation: gist and verbatim. On the first testing day, after viewing a video of an electrician stealing items from a client’s house, participants received gist (e.g. why do people wear trousers?) or verbatim (e.g. what kind of trousers did Eric wear?) questions. On day two, an eyewitness statement, manipulated with misleading information, was presented, after which participants received a final memory test on a verbatim level. It was found that children were more vulnerable to misinformation than adults, and that adolescents seem to be more similar to children than to adults concerning susceptibility to misinformation. Also, the testing effect was only present when no misinformation was presented. When information was influenced by misinformation, no testing effect was found. No effect was found for the difference between gist and verbatim testing
Trafficking of women for the purpose of sexual exploitation in Europe
Get PDFTens of thousands of women and girls are trafficked from mainly poorer to richer regions of Europe and forced into prostitution. Traffickers abuse the poor socio-economic situation of young women in these poorer regions to exploit them into prostitution. Sex trafficking poses a huge impact on society. Besides the economical side – sanctions for not complying with certain anti-trafficking efforts or health care costs for victims – the political- and social impact is drastic. Social impact for victims is huge: during their trafficking they face extreme violence, coercion, and rape, which leave both psychological as physical marks after their return. Additionally, drug use by victims will eventually place another burden on society. In order to stop sex trafficking the pre-departure state, transit stage, exploitation stage and demand side need to be targeted. The pre-departure state is most important for source countries. The exploitation- and demand stages are tightly intertwined with legislation on prostitution. When prostitution is legalized and demand is high, exploitation is a natural result. Sweden has shown that demand can be strongly decreased by criminalizing the purchase of sex. By not criminalizing sales of sex, victims of sexual exploitation cannot be prosecuted. The European Commission has recently adopted a law prohibiting the purchase of sex, therewith copying this system. Country-specific adaptations might be necessary, as European countries are very different and deal with trafficking in very dissimilar ways. Adopting demand-tackling legislation might not have the desired effect in Eastern European source countries. Additionally, European countries must continue to work together. Sex trafficking seemingly follows basic economics: when there’s no demand, there’s no market, and therefore supplies will drop. Having looked at the different efforts countries make, it can be concluded that – although all stages of sex trafficking need to be targeted – eliminating the demand for sex workers seems to work as a best method
The Main Problems Related to the Financial Transaction Tax: The Case of an Extraterritorial Effect and the Coverage of Pension Funds
Get PDFIt is globally accepted that the financial sector caused the financial crisis of 2008. As a result, it was internationally agreed that it should pay a fair share to the public finances. The Financial Transaction Tax is an European model of ‘the financial sector paying a fair share\u27. However, the Financial Transaction Tax is a new tax proposed by the European Commission which - at the time of this article - still remains at the stage of discussion. Therefore, the author of this article discusses the main problems which might hinder the further introduction and functioning of the tax, explaining the reasons which might have caused such problems and drawing the attention how these problems are dealt with in the context of current debates of the tax
Confirmation: A crucial step in copy number variation analysis after exome sequencing in intellectual disabilities
Get PDFIntellectual disability (ID) comprises a group of mental disorders which have underlying genetic causes, among which the monogenic causes are one of the causes for ID. One kind of a monogenic cause is the copy number variations (CNVs). These CNVs can be indicated using exome sequencing (ES) and the CoNVex and CoNIFER algorithms. To confirm the possible causative CNVs quantitative PCR (QPCR) was used. In a Pakistani ID patient a homozygous deletion of ENTPD3 was indicated and in an Estonian ID patient CPVL-CHN2 a homozygous duplication was indicated. However the QPCR showed that ENTPD3 did not segregate and CPVL-CHN2 was only duplicated heterozygous. Confirmation, like QPCR, is therefore a crucial step in confirming CNVs analysis of ES in ID patients