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Analysis of patient-derived DNA samples has identified hundreds of variants that are likely involved in neuropsychiatric diseases such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCZ). While these studies couple behavioral phenotypes to individual genotypes, the number and diversity of candidate genes implicated in these disorders highlights the fact that the mechanistic underpinnings of these disorders are largely unknown. Here, we describe a RNAi-based screening platform that uses C. elegans to screen candidate neuropsychiatric risk genes (NRGs) for roles in controlling dendritic arborization. To benchmark this approach, we queried published lists of NRGs whose variants in ASD and SCZ are predicted to result in complete or partial loss of gene function. We found that a significant fraction (>16%) of these candidate NRGs are essential for dendritic development. Furthermore, these gene sets are enriched for dendritic arbor phenotypes (>14 fold) when compared to control RNAi datasets of over 500 human orthologs. The diversity of PVD structural abnormalities observed in these assays suggests that the functions of diverse NRGs (encoding transcription factors, chromatin remodelers, molecular chaperones and cytoskeleton-related proteins) converge to regulate neuronal morphology and that individual NRGs may play distinct roles in dendritic branching. We also demonstrate that the experimental value of this platform by providing additional insights into the molecular frameworks of candidate NRGs. Specifically, we show that ANK2/UNC-44 function is directly integrated with known regulators of dendritic arborization and suggest that altering the dosage of ARID1B/LET-526 expression during development affects neuronal morphology without diminishing aspects of cell fate specification.

This study seeks to understand how online discussion, fact-checking, and sources of fact-checks will influence individuals' risk perceptions toward nuclear energy when they are exposed to fake news. Using a 2 × 3 experimental design, 320 participants were randomly assigned to one of the six experimental conditions. Results showed an interaction effect between online discussion and exposure to fact-checking, in which online discussion lowered individuals' risk perception toward nuclear energy when a fact-check was unavailable. Of those who participated in the online discussion, those who viewed a fact-check posted by traditional media have higher risk perception as compared to those who viewed a fact-check posted by a fact-check organization. Our findings indicate that different fact-checking sources can have differential effects on public risk perceptions, depending on whether online discussion is involved. To curb the spread of fake news, different fact-checking strategies will need to be deployed depending on the situation. National Research Foundation (NRF) This work is funded by the Singapore National Research Foundation under the Nuclear Safety Research and Education Programme (NSREP) Award No. NRF2014NPR-NPRP001-004.

This study investigates a mechanism of mediated intergroup contact effects that occurs through experiencing social presence of a stigmatized outgroup character. Conceiving narrative texts as a context for mediated intergroup contact, we experimentally test (N = 505) the effects of narrative perspective (first vs. third person) and the photograph of the outgroup protagonist (present vs. absent) on perceived social presence of the outgroup character. We further test whether experiencing the outgroup protagonist as socially present affects intergroup outcomes (i.e., perspective-taking, intergroup anxiety, outgroup knowledge, and outgroup attitudes). Findings indicate that first-person narratives are more effective than third-person narratives in inducing social presence of the stigmatized outgroup character; photos, unexpectedly, did not have such an effect. Social presence, in turn, plays a key role in facilitating positive intergroup outcomes from reading online narrative texts. The implications of our findings are discussed. Ministry of Education (MOE) This work was supported by Singapore Ministry of Education Academic Research Fund Tier 1 Grant.

Contains fulltext : 226720.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) In the last 10 years, many canonical findings in the social sciences appear unreliable. This so-called "replication crisis" has spurred calls for open science practices, which aim to increase the reproducibility, replicability, and generalizability of findings. Communication research is subject to many of the same challenges that have caused low replicability in other fields. As a result, we propose an agenda for adopting open science practices in Communication, which includes the following seven suggestions: (1) publish materials, data, and code; (2) preregister studies and submit registered reports; (3) conduct replications; (4) collaborate; (5) foster open science skills; (6) implement Transparency and Openness Promotion Guidelines; and (7) incentivize open science practices. Although in our agenda we focus mostly on quantitative research, we also reflect on open science practices relevant to qualitative research. We conclude by discussing potential objections and concerns associated with open science practices. 26 p.

It is imperative to provide emergency preparedness messages so that the public can react appropriately to potential nuclear crises. Considering the mass media's extensive audience outreach, this study investigates how emergency preparedness message frames and the type of communication channels can influence individuals’ trust in government, risk perceptions, and acceptance of nuclear energy development in a neighboring country. A 4 (Emergency preparedness message frame: competence vs. care vs. honesty vs. control) × 2 (Communication channel: social media vs. traditional media) between-subjects factorial experiment was conducted online with 600 participants. Messages centered on care influenced participants’ trust in government the most. Messages disseminated through traditional media impacted participants’ trust in government more than social media. Participants’ trust in government and risk perceptions mediated the relationship between message frames and the types of communication channel on their acceptance of nuclear energy development in a neighboring country. Theoretical implications, practical implications, and directions for future research are discussed. Accepted version

This study contributes to the still limited evidence on the effects of online intergroup contact. We conceptualize online contact as occurring through users’ comments online, an easy and accessible venue for intergroup encounters. We test two forms of online contact: encountering an outgroup member directly (direct online contact) or through an ingroup member (extended online contact) and their effects on outgroup attitudes, here various forms of threat and social distance. We also examine the emotional mechanisms through which these effects emerge. We rely on an online experiment (N = 396) testing online contact with two distinct outgroups, an undocumented immigrant or a gay person. Compared to the control, direct online contact decreased perceived threat and social distance toward gays and lesbians, but not toward undocumented immigrants. Direct online contact improved attitudes toward both outgroups through positive and negative emotions, whereas extended online contact reduced negative emotions, improving attitudes towards undocumented immigrants. We discuss theoretical, methodological and practical implications of these findings. Accepted version

Race of interviewer effects are presumed to occur in surveys because respondents answer questions differently depending on interviewer race. This article explored an alternative explanation: differential respondent recruitment. Data from telephone interviews conducted during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election campaign by major survey organizations (ABC News/Washington Post, CBS News/New York Times, and Gallup) indicate that African-American interviewers were more likely to elicit statements of the intent to vote for Barack Obama than White interviewers. But this effect occurred because African-American interviewers were more likely than White interviewers to elicit survey participation by African-American respondents, and/or White interviewers were more likely to elicit participation by White respondents. Thus, differences between interviewers in terms of responses obtained are not necessarily because of respondent lying. Accepted version

One of the primary challenges in the field of psychiatric genetics is the lack of anin vivomodel system in which to functionally validate candidateneuropsychiatricriskgenes (NRGs) in a rapid and cost-effective manner1−3. To overcome this obstacle, we performed a candidate-based RNAi screen in whichC. elegansorthologs of human NRGs were assayed for dendritic arborization and cell specification defects usingC. elegansPVD neurons. Of 66 NRGs, identified via exome sequencing of autism (ASD)4or schizophrenia (SCZ)5−9probands and whose mutations arede novoand predicted to result in a complete or partial loss of protein function, theC. elegansorthologs of 7 NRGs were found to be required for proper neuronal development and represent a variety of functional classes, including transcriptional regulators and chromatin remodelers, molecular chaperones, and cytoskeleton-related proteins. Notably, the positive hit rate, when selectively assayingC. elegansorthologs of ASD and SCZ NRGs, is enriched >14-fold as compared to unbiased RNAi screening10. Furthermore, we find that RNAi phenotypes associated with the depletion of NRG orthologs is recapitulated in genetic mutant animals, and, via genetic interaction studies, we show that the NRG ortholog of ANK2,unc-44, is required for SAX-7/MNR-1/DMA-1 signaling. Collectively, our studies demonstrate thatC. elegansPVD neurons are a tractable model in which to discover and dissect the fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disease pathogenesis.

We propose a model of how messages about groups one personally dislikes affect individual attitudes. We build upon theories of message persuasion and out-group acceptance to account for evidence type (numerical vs. narrative), facilitating conditions (encouraging empathy vs. objectivity), and the underlying mechanisms (immersion). We test this model in a pretest-posttest experiment, in which a sample of Americans ( N = 601) read counter-attitudinal commentaries below articles presenting either narrative or numerical evidence about illegal immigrants or same-sex couples. Narratives led to greater message acceptance and greater immersion, especially in the empathetic condition. In turn, numerical messages led to self-perceived attitude change in the objective condition. Persuasive effects of narratives in the empathetic, but not the objective, condition were mediated by immersion.

Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is a pleiotropic, pro-inflammatory cytokine that is capable of promoting the Th1 response. A predominant Th1 response induces chronic and persistent inflammatory changes in the gastric mucosa in response to Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential association between IL-18 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to H. pylori infection in the Korean population. A total of 678 subjects who underwent a routine health check-up were enrolled. The IL-18 gene polymorphisms at positions −656, −607, −137, +113, and +127 were genotyped. H. pylori positivity was demonstrated in 456 subjects (67.3%). The allele frequencies of IL-18 gene polymorphisms at position −137 (rs187238) were different based on the status of H. pylori infection (G vs. C, adjusted OR 0.64 CI: 0.47–0.87, P = 0.005). The results indicate that the genetic variants in the IL-18 gene may be associated with susceptibility to H. pylori infection in the Korean population, suggesting that IL-18 plays a role in the pathogenesis of H. pylori-associated diseases. However, this finding requires further replication and validation.

Hypothermia improves neurological outcome from cardiac arrest. The mechanisms of protection are multifold, but identifying some may be useful in exploring potential therapeutic targets. The extracellular calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) was originally found in parathyroid cells in which the receptor senses minute changes in extracellular [Ca(2+)] and promotes Ca(2+) influx and intracellular Ca(2+) release. The CaSR is broadly expressed in the CNS and colocalized with the inhibitory γ-aminobutyric acid-B receptor 1 (GABA-B-R1). In hippocampal neurons, GABA-B-R1 heterodimerizes with CaSR and suppresses CaSR expression. To study the interplay between these two receptors in the development of ischemic cell death and neuroprotection by hypothermia, we subjected C57/BL6 mice to global cerebral ischemia by performing bilateral carotid artery occlusion (10 min) followed by reperfusion for 1-3 days with or without therapeutic hypothermia (33°C for 3 h at the onset of reperfusion). Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling staining and immunohistochemistry showed that forebrain ischemia increased CaSR expression, decreased GABA-B-R1 expression, and promoted cell death. These changes were particularly evident in hippocampal neurons and could be reversed by mild hypothermia. The induction of CaSR, along with reciprocal decreases in GABA-B-R1 expression, may together potentiate ischemic neuronal death, suggesting a new therapeutic target for treatment of ischemic brain injury.