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Obesity has become a major health risk in industrialized countries, with disturbed sleep identified as a correlate. This study used data drawn from Taiwan's 2005 Social Development Trend Survey on Health and Safety and the propens...
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Obesity has become a major health risk in industrialized countries, with disturbed sleep identified as a correlate. This study used data drawn from Taiwan's 2005 Social Development Trend Survey on Health and Safety and the propensity-score-matching method to shed light on gender-specific associations between sleep problems and obesity among 24,113 adults aged 20-64 years. The average increase in obesity prevalence among respondents with disrupted sleep was 1.85%, as compared to those who did not report disrupted sleep, with similar psycho-social attributes. Similarly, the prevalence of obesity among those who reported restless sleep was increased by an average of 1.40% compared to those who did not report restless sleep with similar psycho-social attributes. We also found gender-specific vulnerability to different types of sleep problems. Among men who reported disrupted sleep, we found a 3.12% increase in the prevalence of obesity. Among women exposed to restless sleep, the increase in obesity prevalence was 1.84%. The observed gender difference in the prevalence of increases in obesity may be attributed to gender-specific behavioral responses to poor sleep. With poor sleep, men may respond to hunger by overeating; women may respond by physical inactivity. Both can contribute to an elevated risk of obesity.
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The Hakka people, the largest ethno-linguistic minority group in Taiwan, have found their ethnic language retention diminishing. Using the data collected by the Taiwan Education Panel Survey and Beyond in 2010, we are the first to...
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The Hakka people, the largest ethno-linguistic minority group in Taiwan, have found their ethnic language retention diminishing. Using the data collected by the Taiwan Education Panel Survey and Beyond in 2010, we are the first to study its reason for decrease. Results indicate that out-marriage amongst Hakka people and losing ethnic concentration are the major factors preventing Hakka language retention.
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Drug addiction behavior that is established and maintained by psychostimulants has been shown to be associated with the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system. Cocaine has bee...
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Drug addiction behavior that is established and maintained by psychostimulants has been shown to be associated with the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system. Cocaine has been used for most prior studies testing this effect of psychostimulants and therefore relatively little is known about its counterpart amphetamine (AMP). To fill this gap, the present study was designed to test whether BDNF mRNA expression levels in the DA terminal regions were changed specifically by D-AMP-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) followed by drug-primed reinstatement. The dose of D-AMP, 1 mg/kg, was confirmed to significantly induce CPP. Using this dose, a group of rats was initially subjected to D-AMP CPP, which was followed by entry into an extinction protocol with an additional 3-day withdrawal before a drug-primed reinstatement test was carried out. Following extinction of D-AMP CPP, a lower dose of D-AMP, namely 0.75 mg/kg, was able to significantly reinstate CPP. The BDNF mRNA levels in the selected brain areas were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after the CPP and reinstatement. The BDNF mRNA level in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) was significantly increased after the reinstatement, but not the CPP test. And, none of the other four assessed brain areas showed any change in BDNF mRNA level after D-AMP CPP or reinstatement. These findings support the notion that BDNF is involved in drug-seeking behavior and indicate that D-AMP reinstatement after extinction may be linked to an increase in BDNF mRNA expression in the mPFC. (C) 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Impulsive action can be measured using rat's responses on a differential reinforcement of low-rate-response (DRL) task in which performance may be varied between rats. Nevertheless, neurobiological profiles underlying the trait im...
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Impulsive action can be measured using rat's responses on a differential reinforcement of low-rate-response (DRL) task in which performance may be varied between rats. Nevertheless, neurobiological profiles underlying the trait impulsivity of DRL behavior remain largely unknown. Here, in vivo non-invasive proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) and Western blot assay were performed to assess neurobiological changes in the dorsal striatum (DS) and nucleus accumbens (NAc) in relation to individual differences in DRL behavior. A cohort of rats was subjected to acquire a DRL task over 14 daily sessions. High impulsive (HI) and low impulsive (LI) rats were screened by behavioral measures displaying a lower response efficiency and performing more nonreinforced responses in HI rats and vice versa. MRS measurements indicated that the HI group had a lower NAc glutamate (Glu) level than did the LI group, whereas no such difference was found in the other five metabolites in this area. Moreover, no intergroup difference was observed in any metabolite in the DS. The results of Western blot assay revealed that protein expressions of GluN1 (but not GluN2B) subunit of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the DS and NAc were higher in the HI group than in the LI group. This inherent timing impulsivity was not attributed to risky behavioral propensity because both Hl and LI rats could acquire a risk-dependent choice. The findings of this study, supported by certain correlations among behavioral, brain imaging, and neuroreceptor indices, provide evidence of the neurobiological changes of striatal Glu underlying trait impulsive action of DRL behavior.
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We present a video-based monitoring system to determine the sleep status and optimal wakeup time in this paper. We envision a smart living space in which a data collection and processing module named iWakeUp is installed in the be...
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We present a video-based monitoring system to determine the sleep status and optimal wakeup time in this paper. We envision a smart living space in which a data collection and processing module named iWakeUp is installed in the bedroom to record and monitor sleep in a non-invasive manner. We describe the overall structure of the iWakeUp system, including the procedure to measure amount of motion, the method for inferring wake/sleep status from the acquired video and the logic for deciding the optimal wakeup time. In particular, a time-dependent decision rule has been incorporated to account for unequal penalties when classification error occurs. Validation experiments have been carried out to compare alertness levels upon awakening with/without the assistance of iWakeUp. It was found that participants using iWakeUp reported a lower level of sleepiness and higher level of vigor in comparison to the control group. The proposed iWakeUp module has been integrated into the Sleep Coach system which is currently under extensive field tests to validate its efficacy and efficiency in practical situations.
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This article reports that both jump amplitudes and arrival rates are related to the economic states in the DJX and the SPX markets. It then proposes a jump-diffusion process model with modulated frequency and amplitude (JD-MF-MA) ...
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This article reports that both jump amplitudes and arrival rates are related to the economic states in the DJX and the SPX markets. It then proposes a jump-diffusion process model with modulated frequency and amplitude (JD-MF-MA) to depict these patterns. Using this model, we also derive a closed-form formula for the European index option through the characteristic function pricing approach. The empirical results show that the model with modulated jumps not only captures the characteristics of returns but also improves pricing performance. Overall, the modulated jump should be the default modeling choice for derivatives pricing models.
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Purpose-Customer engagement (customers' behavioral manifestations going beyond customer-firm purchase transactions) has been regarded as strategic imperatives for generating enhanced corporate performance. The plethora of new medi...
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Purpose-Customer engagement (customers' behavioral manifestations going beyond customer-firm purchase transactions) has been regarded as strategic imperatives for generating enhanced corporate performance. The plethora of new media has provided customers with different options to interact with firms and other customers. However, the primacy of value-laden interactive customer relationships and value cocreation raises challenges for firms and customers, especially in the context of broader business ecosystems such as brand partnership for extending value co-creation. This study aims to explore how customer engagement with well-designed choreograph of various new media's channels can increase the value cocreation extent in the context of broader business ecosystems, resulting in higher levels service offerings, experiences and innovation.
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