Gender Stereotype Susceptibility

Gender affects performance on a variety of cognitive tasks, and this impact may stem from socio-cultural factors such as gender stereotyping. Here we systematically manipulated gender stereotype messages on a social cognition task on which no initial gender gap has been documented. The outcome reveals: (i) Stereotyping affects both females and males, with a more pronounced impact on females. Yet an explicit negative message for males elicits a striking paradoxical deterioration in performance of females. (ii) Irrespective of gender and directness of message, valence of stereotype message affects performance: negative messages have stronger influence than positive ones. (iii) Directness of stereotype message differentially impacts performance of females and males: females tend to be stronger affected by implicit than explicit negative messages, whereas in males this relationship is opposite. The data are discussed in the light of neural networks underlying gender stereotyping. The findings provide novel insights into the sources of gender related fluctuations in cognition and behavior.     

Unpacking the link between family socioeconomic status and civic engagement during the transition to adulthood: Do work values play a role?

We investigated whether the link between family-of-origin socioeconomic status (SES) and civic engagement in young adulthood is mediated by youth’s work values, that is, the desired characteristics of their current or future jobs. We used data from a Finnish study: 2004 (age 16–18, N_T1?=?1,301); 2011 (age 23–25, N_T2?=?1,096); and 2014 (age 25–27, N_T3?=?1,138). A higher family SES in 2004 predicted youth’s higher civic engagement in 2014. A higher family SES also predicted a lower importance of extrinsic job rewards (e.g., good pay) in 2011, but it was unrelated to the importance of intrinsic job rewards (e.g., learning opportunities). Extrinsic work values, in turn, predicted lower civic engagement in 2014, above and beyond sociodemographic and personality characteristics. Intrinsic work values predicted higher civic engagement. Thus, extrinsic, but not intrinsic, work values partly mediated the link between family SES and youth civic engagement.     

As Extracellular Glutamine Levels Decline,Asparagine Becomes an Essential Amino Acid

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Biomarkers of toxicity in Clarias gariepinus exposed to sublethal concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Physiological, biochemical and histological indices in Clarias gariepinus broodstock, and teratogenic indices in embryos exposed to sublethal concentrations of naphthalene, phenanthrene and pyrene were investigated in 2014 using a static-renewal bioassay protocol. Phenanthrene (1.41 mg l^?1) was the most toxic, followed by pyrene (1.53 mg l^?1) and naphthalene (7.21 mg l^?1), based on 96 h LC50 values. Hepatosomatic indices were significantly higher in naphthalene- and pyrene-treated males compared with solvent controls, whereas fecundity in females was significantly lower by factors of 2.4 (naphthalene), 2.8 (phenanthrene) and 2.4 (pyrene), compared with controls. Catalase levels were lower in female phenanthrene-treated fish compared with controls. Histological alterations observed in PAH-treated fish include oedema, inflammatory cells, epithelial lifting and hyperplasia in the gills, vacuolation, haemosiderin pigments and sinusoidal congestion in the liver, and degenerated zona radiata in the ovary. Teratogenic effects were not observed, as evidenced by the lack of histological alterations in embryos spawned from pre-exposed broodstock. Sex-specific responses and the utility of biomarkers at cellular and individual levels of organisation are therefore demonstrated for holistic evaluations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in ecotoxicological studies.     

The β3‐integrin endothelial adhesome regulates microtubule‐dependent cell migration

Integrin β3 is seen as a key anti‐angiogenic target for cancer treatment due to its expression on neovasculature, but the role it plays in the process is complex; whether it is pro‐ or anti‐angiogenic depends on the context in which it is expressed. To understand precisely β3's role in regulating integrin adhesion complexes in endothelial cells, we characterised, by mass spectrometry, the β3‐dependent adhesome. We show that depletion of β3‐integrin in this cell type leads to changes in microtubule behaviour that control cell migration. β3‐integrin regulates microtubule stability in endothelial cells through Rcc2/Anxa2‐driven control of active Rac1 localisation. Our findings reveal that angiogenic processes, both in vitro and in vivo, are more sensitive to microtubule targeting agents when β3‐integrin levels are reduced.