Imbalanced functional link between executive control network and reward network explain the online-game seeking behaviors in Internet gaming disorder

Literatures have shown that Internet gaming disorder (IGD) subjects show impaired executive control and enhanced reward sensitivities than healthy controls. However, how these two networks jointly affect the valuation process and drive IGD subjects' online-game-seeking behaviors remains unknown. Thirty-five IGD and 36 healthy controls underwent a resting-states scan in the MRI scanner. Functional connectivity (FC) was examined within control and reward network seeds regions, respectively. Nucleus accumbens (NAcc) was selected as the node to find the interactions between these two networks. IGD subjects show decreased FC in the executive control network and increased FC in the reward network when comparing with the healthy controls. When examining the correlations between the NAcc and the executive control/reward networks, the link between the NAcc - executive control network is negatively related with the link between NAcc - reward network. The changes (decrease/increase) in IGD subjects' brain synchrony in control/reward networks suggest the inefficient/overly processing within neural circuitry underlying these processes. The inverse proportion between control network and reward network in IGD suggest that impairments in executive control lead to inefficient inhibition of enhanced cravings to excessive online game playing. This might shed light on the mechanistic understanding of IGD.

Stabilization of the i-motif structure by the intra-strand cross-link formation

The i-motif structures are formed by oligonucleotides containing cytosine tracts under acidic conditions. The folding of the i-motif under physiological conditions is of great interest because of its biological role. In this study, we investigated the effect of the intra-strand cross-link on the stability of the i-motif structure. The 4-vinyl-substituted analog of thymidine (T-vinyl) was incorporated into the 5′-end of the human telomere complementary strand, which formed the intra-strand cross-link with the internal adenine. The intra-strand cross-linked i-motif displayed CD spectra similar to that of the natural i-motif at acidic pH, which was transformed into a random coil with the increasing pH. The pH midpoint for the transition from the i-motif to random coil increased from pH 6.1 for the natural one to pH 6.8 for the cross-linked one. The thermodynamic parameters were obtained by measuring the thermal melting behaviors by CD and UV, and it was determined that the intra-strand cross-linked i-motif is stabilized due to a favorable entropy effect. Thus, this study has clearly indicated the validity of the intra-strand cross-linking for stabilization of the i-motif structure.

Corporate governance in Fiji’s Native Land Trust Board

This article examines corporate governance in one of Fiji’s largest trust organisations, the Native Land Trust Board. The principal-agent framework is utilised to analyse the governance issue in this study. An examination of the annual reports and final accounts over the last three decades indicates that poor governance practices by the agent have resulted in the Board not delivering maximum returns to its principal, the landowners.

Understanding the link between single cell and population scale responses of Escherichia coli in differing ligand gradients

We formulate an agent-based population model of Escherichia coli cells which incorporates a description of the chemotaxis signalling cascade at the single cell scale. The model is used to gain insight into the link between the signalling cascade dynamics and the overall population response to differing chemoattractant gradients. Firstly, we consider how the observed variation in total (phosphorylated and unphosphorylated) signalling protein concentration affects the ability of cells to accumulate in differing chemoattractant gradients. Results reveal that a variation in total cell protein concentration between cells may be a mechanism for the survival of cell colonies across a wide range of differing environments. We then study the response of cells in the presence of two different chemoattractants.In doing so we demonstrate that the population scale response depends not on the absolute concentration of each chemoattractant but on the sensitivity of the chemoreceptors to their respective concentrations. Our results show the clear link between single cell features and the overall environment in which cells reside.

Gender diversity and board performance: women's experiences and perspectives

Despite considerable progress that organizations have made during the past 20 years to increase the representation of women at board level, they still hold few board seats. Drawing on a qualitative study involving 30 companies with women directors in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ghana, we investigate how the relationship between gender in the boardroom and corporate governance operates. The fi ndings indicate that the presence of a minority of women on the board has an insignifi cant effect on board performance. Yet the chairperson’s role is vital in leading the change for recruiting and evaluating candidates and their commitment to the board with diversity and governance in mind. Our study also sheds light on the multifaceted reasons why women directors appear to be resisting the discourse of gender quotas.

Transit times – the link between hydrology and water quality at the catchment scale

In spite of trying to understand processes in the same spatial domain, the catchment hydrology and water quality scientific communities are relatively disconnected and so are their respective models. This is emphasized by an inadequate representation of transport processes, in both catchment-scale hydrological and water quality models. While many hydrological models at the catchment scale only account for pressure propagation and not for mass transfer, catchment scale water quality models are typically limited by overly simplistic representations of flow processes. With the objective of raising awareness for this issue and outlining potential ways forward we provide a non-technical overview of (1) the importance of hydrology-controlled transport through catchment systems as the link between hydrology and water quality; (2) the limitations of current generation catchment-scale hydrological and water quality models; (3) the concept of transit times as tools to quantify transport and (4) the benefits of transit time based formulations of solute transport for catchment-scale hydrological and water quality models. There is emerging evidence that an explicit formulation of transport processes, based on the concept of transit times has the potential to improve the understanding of the integrated system dynamics of catchments and to provide a stronger link between catchment-scale hydrological and water quality models.