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The exploration of neuroinflammatory mechanism by which CRHR2 deficiency induced anxiety disorder
No full textInflammation stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and triggers glial neuroinflammatory phenotypes, which reduces monoamine neurotransmitters by activating indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase enzyme. These changes can induce psychiatric diseases, including anxiety. Corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRHR2) in the HPA axis is involved in the etiology of anxiety. Omega(n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can attenuate anxiety through anti-inflammation and HPA axis modulation. However, the underlying molecular mechanism by CRHR2 modulates anxiety and its correlation with neuroinflammation remain unclear. Here, we first constructed a crhr2 zebrafish mutant line, and evaluated anxiety-like behaviors, gene expression associated with the HPA axis, neuroinflammatory response, neurotransmitters, and PUFAs profile in crhr2+/+ and crhr2−/− zebrafish. The crhr2 deficiency decreased cortisol levels and up-regulated crhr1 and down-regulated crhb, crhbp, ucn3l and proopiomelanocortin a (pomc a) in zebrafish. Interestingly, a significant increase in the neuroinflammatory markers, translocator protein (TSPO) and the activation of microglia M1 phenotype (CD11b) were found in crhr2−/− zebrafish. As a consequence, the expression of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, pro-inflammatory cytokines vascular endothelial growth factor, and astrocyte A1 phenotype c3 were up-regulated. While microglia anti-inflammatory phenotype (CD206), central anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-4, arginase-1, and transforming growth factor-β were downregulated. In parallel, crhr2-deficient zebrafish showed an upregulation of vdac1 protein, a TSPO ligand, and its downstream caspase-3. Furthermore, 5-HT/5-HIAA ratio was decreased and n-3 PUFAs deficiency was identified in crhr2−/− zebrafish. In conclusion, anxiety-like behavior displayed by crhr2-deficient zebrafish may be caused by the HPA axis dysfunction and enhanced neuroinflammation, which resulted in n-3 PUFAs and monoamine neurotransmitter reductions
Research Days Poster: Creation of a Non-Profit and Non-Governmental Organization Cybersecurity Incident Reporting and Dataset Repository
Full text linkCyber attacks have become a major concern in today’s digital age, affecting organizations across various sectors and industries. Cyber attacks have increased over the years, with new attacks emerging, putting various public and private entities at risk. Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are no exception and are increasingly becoming targets of cyberattacks. In this context, cybersecurity has become a critical issue for NPOs and NGOs as they handle sensitive data and information related to their donors, beneficiaries, and operations. In this poster, we will delve into the topic of cybersecurity in the context of NGOs, exploring the types of cyberattacks they face and the measures they can take to protect themselves against such attacks
Neighborhood garden\u27s age shapes phyllosphere microbiota associated with respiratory diseases in cold seasons
No full textNeighborhood gardens serve as sensitive sites for human microbial encounters, with phyllosphere microbes directly impacting our respiratory health. Yet, our understanding remains limited on how factors like season, garden age, and land use shape the risk of respiratory diseases (RDs) tied to these garden microbes. Here we examined the microbial communities within the phyllosphere of 72 neighborhood gardens across Shanghai, spanning different seasons (warm and cold), garden ages (old and young), and locales (urban and rural). We found a reduced microbial diversity during the cold season, except for Gammaproteobacteria which exhibited an inverse trend. While land use influenced the microbial composition, urban and rural gardens had strikingly similar microbial profiles. Alarmingly, young gardens in the cold season hosted a substantial proportion of RDs-associated species, pointing towards increased respiratory inflammation risks. In essence, while newer gardens during colder periods show a decline in microbial diversity, they have an increased presence of RDs-associated microbes, potentially escalating respiratory disease prevalence. This underscores the pivotal role the garden age plays in enhancing both urban microbial diversity and respiratory health
Reducing Bias in Cyberbullying Detection with Advanced LLMs and Transformer Models
Full text linkThis paper delved into a comprehensive exploration of the inherent biases present in Large Language Models (LLMs) and various Transformer models, with a focus on their role in identifying and addressing instances of cyberbullying. The objective was to refine and enhance the accuracy and fairness of these models by mitigating the biases deeply ingrained in their structures. This was crucial because language models could inadvertently perpetuate and amplify existing biases present in the data they were trained on
Utilizing a Virtual Firewall Appliance for Introducing and Reinforcing the Concepts and Implementation of Devices to Improve Security in a Computing Environment
Full text linkThe educational realm of higher education cybersecurity curriculum continues to evolve to provide more opportunities for experiential hands-on and work role-related practical applications of technology solutions. Gaining more excellent competencies is quickly becoming a standard requirement for programs with the National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence designation. The work roles of cybersecurity include a variety of knowledge, skills, and abilities, depending on the activity category or task. Firewalls have been a staple cybersecurity, network security, and information security device and strategy to protect organization networks and computing environments. This paper will provide details and a description of the effort and project to utilize a professionally available virtual firewall to give introductory students an opportunity to get an authentic and practical experience. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate to other faculty interested in holding a firewall class a chance to share and review the process, tools, and implementation used with students that resulted in a positive outcome. This write-up will demonstrate the potential for using virtual firewalls as a learning tool in information technology security learning. In addition, content that resulted from a feedback survey administered to students who utilized the virtual firewalls as part of this activity is provided
Multidimensional connectedness among the volatility of global financial markets around the Russian-Ukrainian conflict
No full textThis study investigates the impact of the Russo–Ukrainian war-induced uncertainty on multidimensional connectedness measures across the volatility of global stock and commodity markets using time-, frequency-, and quantile-based approaches. The results show that the war-induced uncertainty significantly increases the connectedness among the volatilities of global financial markets, notably in the short term, reflecting its impact on the decisions of traders. Unlike the impact of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the impact of COVID-19 is stronger and more apparent in the short, medium, and long terms. Considering various quantiles, the war considerably affects volatility connectedness at the middle quantile, whereas its impact becomes insignificant at the upper quantiles. Further analysis shows that a large increase in the uncertainty induced by the Russo-Ukrainian war can exert a significant and positive impact on the total volatility connectedness index. These findings are useful for the decision-making of traders and investors and can help policymakers formulate resourceful guidelines to deal with the adverse impact of war-induced uncertainty on financial markets
Firm investment steering through state-level policy uncertainty
No full textDoes state-level policy uncertainty (SPU) stifle firm investment? We document fresh evidence of a strong negative association between SPU and firms’ capital spending. This finding remains robust after excluding states with overrepresentation, through alternative measures of investment and SPU, as well as during low- and high-SPU periods. Furthermore, this effect is stronger for firms facing low market competition. Interestingly, however, firms intensifying lobbying efforts can maintain higher investments during policy turmoil. Additional analyses propose that the mitigating role of lobbying may be explained by the lobbying firms’ greater access to debt financing. Using matched samples based on propensity score matching (PSM) estimation ensures the empirical resilience of these findings
The social engineering of civility in a progressive middle school
No full textThis paper discusses the efforts of teachers at a progressive U.S. middle school to socially engineer the ontology of a group of 7th and 8th grade girls to become more inclusive in their relationships with their peers. I argue that this effort was authoritative and that the teacher-promoted civility discourse usurped students\u27 genuine dialogic investigation of the realities faced in their relationships with each other. In response to these social engineering efforts, I discuss the need for ontological, eventful dialogue as characterised by Bakhtin\u27s (1999) notion of internally persuasive discourse to sensitively and meaningfully address interpersonal conflict and social exclusion
Integration between asset management tokens, asset management stock, and other financial markets: Evidence from TVP-VAR modeling
No full textUsing TVP-VAR modeling, we investigate return and volatility connectedness between asset management tokens and the largest asset management stock as well as other traditional assets. We find asset management tokens offer diversification opportunity in a portfolio comprising traditional assets. Net shock receivers are asset management tokens, while net shock transmitters are asset management stock and other assets. A dynamic analysis of system-wide spillover reveals periodic waves with varying degrees of connectedness. Additionally, we calculate the optimal weights and hedging ratios for asset management token pairs and other financial markets. Results are particularly helpful for policymakers, hedge funds, and portfolio managers
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the relationship between attitudes toward socially responsible corporations and purchasing intentions
No full textPurpose: A majority of consumers are supportive of socially responsible companies making positive contributions to their communities. However, results of empirical studies on consumers’ attitudes toward corporate social responsibility (ACSR) and their purchasing intentions (PI) have been inconsistent. The purpose of this paper is to measure the strength of association between ACSR and PI. This study also aims to examine the moderating effects of firm characteristics (product type and commitment to green/sustainability initiatives), consumer demographics (gender and age) and external factors (geographic region). Design/methodology/approach: The authors conducted a systematic search, which yielded 28 studies that met the criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis (total participants = 12,242). This study used meta-analysis to examine the association between ACSR and PI using random effects analyses. Subgroup analyses and meta regression were used to detect moderators in the meta-analysis. Findings: The main result showed that the average weighted correlation (r+) was 0.478, indicating that ACSR had a strong positive relationship with PI. Subgroup analyses indicated geographic region and product type had no significant moderating effect on the relationship between ACSR and PI. However, the difference for commitment to green initiatives was marginally significant. The high levels of heterogeneity (Q = 535.199, I² = 94.955) and a possible absence of publication bias were evident in the meta-analysis. Originality/value: This meta-analysis can make meaningful contributions to the existing body of knowledge on corporate social responsibility by testing the influence of the important moderators that include geographic region, product type and commitment to green initiatives