For many decades,Alzheimer's disease research has primarily focused on impairments within cortical and hippocampal regions,which are thought to be related to cognitive dysfunctions such as memory and language defi...For many decades,Alzheimer's disease research has primarily focused on impairments within cortical and hippocampal regions,which are thought to be related to cognitive dysfunctions such as memory and language deficits.The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is still under debate,making it challenging to establish an effective therapy or early diagnosis.It is widely accepted that the accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide in the brain parenchyma leads to synaptic dysfunction,a critical step in Alzheimer's disease development.The traditional amyloid cascade model is initiated by accumulating extracellular amyloid-beta in brain areas essential for memory and language.However,while it is possible to reduce the presence of amyloid-beta plaques in the brain with newer immunotherapies,cognitive symptoms do not necessarily improve.Interestingly,recent studies support the notion that early alterations in subcortical brain regions also contribute to brain damage and precognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.A body of recent evidence suggests that early Alzheimer's disease is associated with alterations(e.g.,motivation,anxiety,and motor impairment)in subcortical areas,such as the striatum and amygdala,in both human and animal models.Also,recent data indicate that intracellular amyloid-beta appears early in subcortical regions such as the nucleus accumbens,locus coeruleus,and raphe nucleus,even without extracellular amyloid plaques.The reported effects are mainly excitatory,increasing glutamatergic transmission and neuronal excitability.In agreement,data in Alzheimer's disease patients and animal models show an increase in neuronal synchronization that leads to electroencephalogram disturbances and epilepsy.The data indicate that early subcortical brain dysfunctions might be associated with non-cognitive symptoms such as anxiety,irritability,and motivation deficits,which precede memory loss and language alterations.Overall,the evidence reviewed suggests that subcortical brain regions could explain early dysfunctions and perhaps be targets for therapies to slow disease progression.Future research should focus on these non-traditional brain regions to reveal early pathological alterations and underlying mechanisms to advance our understanding of Alzheimer's disease beyond the traditionally studied hippocampal and cortical circuits.展开更多
Based on personality trait theory and experiential learning theory,lots of studies have revealed a reverse causal relationship between volunteering and the non-cognitive abilities of college students.Using data from a...Based on personality trait theory and experiential learning theory,lots of studies have revealed a reverse causal relationship between volunteering and the non-cognitive abilities of college students.Using data from a longitudinal survey of college students in Hunan Province,China,this study employed the difference-in-differences method to examine the causal relationship between volunteering and non-cognitive abilities,aiming to determine whether volunteering screens or cultivates the non-cognitive abilities of college students.The findings confirmed the screening effect of volunteering on extraversion and conscientiousness and the cultivating effect on agreeableness.However,there was neither a screening effect nor a cultivating effect on emotional stability and openness.It is indicated that volunteering during college primarily screens the non-cognitive abilities of students through personality trait mechanisms,with a limited cultivating effect on non-cognitive abilities.This highlights the necessity to prompt a re-evaluation of how volunteering fulfills its educational function.展开更多
We assess how implicit selections based on non-cognitive abilities may have changed in the context of the great higher education expansion in China,applying the classic supply-demand framework and utilizing the Big Fi...We assess how implicit selections based on non-cognitive abilities may have changed in the context of the great higher education expansion in China,applying the classic supply-demand framework and utilizing the Big Five personality model.Using the Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS)data from 2012,difference-in-difference(DID),difference-in-difference-in-difference(DDD)and descriptive analyses establish the following three major findings.First,from the generation entering college before the expansion-post-70s-to the generation entering college after the expansion-post-80s and post-90s-implicit selections in higher education based on personality have weakened with the increased supply of higher education opportunities.Second,selections have significantly weakened in terms of the openness dimension of personality,yet there is some evidence that selections have strengthened in terms of conscientiousness.This reflects that open-mindedness has become a relatively higher supply trait and conscientiousness has become a relatively lower supply trait among members of the post-90s generation.Third,selections have weakened only on the openness dimension for males,but on multiple dimensions beginning with agreeableness for females,reflecting a greatly increased supply of higher education opportunities for females with this dominant trait.The finding on strengthened selections based on conscientiousness has important implications for what and how to educate today’s college students.展开更多
Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects both cognition and non-cognition functions.The disease follows a continuum,starting with preclinical stages,progressing to mild cognitiv...Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects both cognition and non-cognition functions.The disease follows a continuum,starting with preclinical stages,progressing to mild cognitive and behavioral impairment,ultimately leading to dementia.Early detection of AD is crucial for better diagnosis and more effective treatment.However,the current AD diagnostic tests of biomarkers using cerebrospinal fluid and/or brain imaging are invasive or expensive,and mostly are still not able to detect early disease state.Consequently,there is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic techniques with higher sensitivity and specificity during the preclinical stages of AD.Various non-cognitive manifestations,including behavioral abnormalities,sleep disturbances,sensory dysfunctions,and physical changes,have been observed in the preclinical AD stage before occurrence of notable cognitive decline.Recent research advances have identified several biofluid biomarkers as early indicators of AD.This review focuses on these non-cognitive changes and newly discovered biomarkers in AD,specifically addressing the preclinical stages of the disease.Furthermore,it is of importance to explore the potential for developing a predictive system or network to forecast disease onset and progression at the early stage of AD.展开更多
Policymakers in developing countries have prioritized the mass expansion of vocational education and training(VET).This study examines whether the quality of VET in developing countries increases by investing greater ...Policymakers in developing countries have prioritized the mass expansion of vocational education and training(VET).This study examines whether the quality of VET in developing countries increases by investing greater resources per student.To achieve this goal,we examine the impacts of attending model schools(which have far more resources per student)on a range of student cognitive,non-cognitive,and behavioral outcomes.Using representative data from a survey of approximately 12,000 VET students from China,multivariate regression and propensity score matching analyses show that attending model vocational high schools do not benefit student outcomes,despite their substantially greater resources.展开更多
文摘For many decades,Alzheimer's disease research has primarily focused on impairments within cortical and hippocampal regions,which are thought to be related to cognitive dysfunctions such as memory and language deficits.The exact cause of Alzheimer's disease is still under debate,making it challenging to establish an effective therapy or early diagnosis.It is widely accepted that the accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide in the brain parenchyma leads to synaptic dysfunction,a critical step in Alzheimer's disease development.The traditional amyloid cascade model is initiated by accumulating extracellular amyloid-beta in brain areas essential for memory and language.However,while it is possible to reduce the presence of amyloid-beta plaques in the brain with newer immunotherapies,cognitive symptoms do not necessarily improve.Interestingly,recent studies support the notion that early alterations in subcortical brain regions also contribute to brain damage and precognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease.A body of recent evidence suggests that early Alzheimer's disease is associated with alterations(e.g.,motivation,anxiety,and motor impairment)in subcortical areas,such as the striatum and amygdala,in both human and animal models.Also,recent data indicate that intracellular amyloid-beta appears early in subcortical regions such as the nucleus accumbens,locus coeruleus,and raphe nucleus,even without extracellular amyloid plaques.The reported effects are mainly excitatory,increasing glutamatergic transmission and neuronal excitability.In agreement,data in Alzheimer's disease patients and animal models show an increase in neuronal synchronization that leads to electroencephalogram disturbances and epilepsy.The data indicate that early subcortical brain dysfunctions might be associated with non-cognitive symptoms such as anxiety,irritability,and motivation deficits,which precede memory loss and language alterations.Overall,the evidence reviewed suggests that subcortical brain regions could explain early dysfunctions and perhaps be targets for therapies to slow disease progression.Future research should focus on these non-traditional brain regions to reveal early pathological alterations and underlying mechanisms to advance our understanding of Alzheimer's disease beyond the traditionally studied hippocampal and cortical circuits.
文摘Based on personality trait theory and experiential learning theory,lots of studies have revealed a reverse causal relationship between volunteering and the non-cognitive abilities of college students.Using data from a longitudinal survey of college students in Hunan Province,China,this study employed the difference-in-differences method to examine the causal relationship between volunteering and non-cognitive abilities,aiming to determine whether volunteering screens or cultivates the non-cognitive abilities of college students.The findings confirmed the screening effect of volunteering on extraversion and conscientiousness and the cultivating effect on agreeableness.However,there was neither a screening effect nor a cultivating effect on emotional stability and openness.It is indicated that volunteering during college primarily screens the non-cognitive abilities of students through personality trait mechanisms,with a limited cultivating effect on non-cognitive abilities.This highlights the necessity to prompt a re-evaluation of how volunteering fulfills its educational function.
文摘We assess how implicit selections based on non-cognitive abilities may have changed in the context of the great higher education expansion in China,applying the classic supply-demand framework and utilizing the Big Five personality model.Using the Chinese General Social Survey(CGSS)data from 2012,difference-in-difference(DID),difference-in-difference-in-difference(DDD)and descriptive analyses establish the following three major findings.First,from the generation entering college before the expansion-post-70s-to the generation entering college after the expansion-post-80s and post-90s-implicit selections in higher education based on personality have weakened with the increased supply of higher education opportunities.Second,selections have significantly weakened in terms of the openness dimension of personality,yet there is some evidence that selections have strengthened in terms of conscientiousness.This reflects that open-mindedness has become a relatively higher supply trait and conscientiousness has become a relatively lower supply trait among members of the post-90s generation.Third,selections have weakened only on the openness dimension for males,but on multiple dimensions beginning with agreeableness for females,reflecting a greatly increased supply of higher education opportunities for females with this dominant trait.The finding on strengthened selections based on conscientiousness has important implications for what and how to educate today’s college students.
基金supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.32220103006 and 82271524)the Intramural Research Program of NIH,National Institute on Aging(Nos.ZIA AG000944 and AG000928).
文摘Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects both cognition and non-cognition functions.The disease follows a continuum,starting with preclinical stages,progressing to mild cognitive and behavioral impairment,ultimately leading to dementia.Early detection of AD is crucial for better diagnosis and more effective treatment.However,the current AD diagnostic tests of biomarkers using cerebrospinal fluid and/or brain imaging are invasive or expensive,and mostly are still not able to detect early disease state.Consequently,there is an urgent need to develop new diagnostic techniques with higher sensitivity and specificity during the preclinical stages of AD.Various non-cognitive manifestations,including behavioral abnormalities,sleep disturbances,sensory dysfunctions,and physical changes,have been observed in the preclinical AD stage before occurrence of notable cognitive decline.Recent research advances have identified several biofluid biomarkers as early indicators of AD.This review focuses on these non-cognitive changes and newly discovered biomarkers in AD,specifically addressing the preclinical stages of the disease.Furthermore,it is of importance to explore the potential for developing a predictive system or network to forecast disease onset and progression at the early stage of AD.
基金the financial assistance of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.71110107028,71333012,and 71033003).
文摘Policymakers in developing countries have prioritized the mass expansion of vocational education and training(VET).This study examines whether the quality of VET in developing countries increases by investing greater resources per student.To achieve this goal,we examine the impacts of attending model schools(which have far more resources per student)on a range of student cognitive,non-cognitive,and behavioral outcomes.Using representative data from a survey of approximately 12,000 VET students from China,multivariate regression and propensity score matching analyses show that attending model vocational high schools do not benefit student outcomes,despite their substantially greater resources.
