Light intensity regulation of cab gene transcription is signaled by the redox state of the plastoquinone pool.

The eukaryotic green alga Dunaliella tertiolecta acclimates to decreased growth irradiance by increasing cellular levels of light-harvesting chlorophyll protein complex apoproteins associated with photosystem II (LHCIIs), whereas increased growth irradiance elicits the opposite response. Nuclear run-on transcription assays and measurements of cab mRNA stability established that light intensity-dependent changes in LHCII are controlled at the level of transcription. cab gene transcription in high-intensity light was partially enhanced by reducing plastoquinone with 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea (DCMU), whereas it was repressed in low-intensity light by partially inhibiting the oxidation of plastoquinol with 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone (DBMIB). Uncouplers of photosynthetic electron transport and inhibition of water splitting had no effect on LHCII levels. These results strongly implicate the redox state of the plastoquinone pool in the chloroplast as a photon-sensing system that is coupled to the light-intensity regulation of nuclear-encoded cab gene transcription. The accumulation of cellular chlorophyll at low-intensity light can be blocked with cytoplasmically directed phosphatase inhibitors, such as okadaic acid, microcystin L-R, and tautomycin. Gel mobility-shift assays revealed that cells grown in high-intensity light contained proteins that bind to the promoter region of a cab gene carrying sequences homologous to higher plant light-responsive elements. On the basis of these experimental results, we propose a model for a light intensity signaling system where cab gene expression is reversibly repressed by a phosphorylated factor coupled to the redox status of plastoquinone through a chloroplast protein kinase.

The Affective Dimensions of Social Controversy

Social controversy is a sustained, mediated debate between at least two oppositional parties which is more than just a difference of opinion; rather it is a persistent conflict over the political and cultural implications that dominant forms of communicative reasoning, practices, and norms have for a public. Simply put, during social controversies the norms guiding public life can be negotiated, reaffirmed, negated, and/or transformed. This can lead to progressive political, cultural, and/or social change in some instances, while establishing or reifying conservative and even oppressive norms, practices, and laws in others. Building upon Olson and Goodnight's (1994) theoretical and methodological framework of social controversy, this dissertation argues that scholars should analyze the role affect plays in this type of conflict as a means to address the regulation of public conduct as well as public discourse. The rhetorical and argumentative significance of the affective dimensions of social controversy have been conceptualized and analyzed via an examination of emotion-based claims and affective states that have become salient, discernable and/or apprehendable during specific public disagreements. Such a conceptualization demonstrates that critical insights regarding the norms that guide public conduct, the role risk and vulnerability play in the regulation of individuals' public behavior, and the relationship between affect and citizenship can be gained by focusing on a controversy's affective dimensions. To highlight the importance of the study of affect in social controversy as well as better understand the larger critical significance affect theory has for rhetorical and argumentation studies, this dissertation has analyzed the affective dimensions of three conflicts. They are: the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse social controversy, the International Freedom Center social controversy, and the controversy over the 2004 French ban on conspicuous religious attire in public schools. The findings from this dissertation that have specific and general implications for future work in the field of controversy as well as rhetoric and argumentation, respectively.

EmotiBlog: a finer-grained and more precise learning of subjectivity expression models

The exponential growth of the subjective information in the framework of the Web 2.0 has led to the need to create Natural Language Processing tools able to analyse and process such data for multiple practical applications. They require training on specifically annotated corpora, whose level of detail must be fine enough to capture the phenomena involved. This paper presents EmotiBlog – a fine-grained annotation scheme for subjectivity. We show the manner in which it is built and demonstrate the benefits it brings to the systems using it for training, through the experiments we carried out on opinion mining and emotion detection. We employ corpora of different textual genres –a set of annotated reported speech extracted from news articles, the set of news titles annotated with polarity and emotion from the SemEval 2007 (Task 14) and ISEAR, a corpus of real-life self-expressed emotion. We also show how the model built from the EmotiBlog annotations can be enhanced with external resources. The results demonstrate that EmotiBlog, through its structure and annotation paradigm, offers high quality training data for systems dealing both with opinion mining, as well as emotion detection.

Detecting implicit expressions of affect in text using EmotiNet and its extensions

In the past years, an important volume of research in Natural Language Processing has concentrated on the development of automatic systems to deal with affect in text. The different approaches considered dealt mostly with explicit expressions of emotion, at word level. Nevertheless, expressions of emotion are often implicit, inferrable from situations that have an affective meaning. Dealing with this phenomenon requires automatic systems to have “knowledge” on the situation, and the concepts it describes and their interaction, to be able to “judge” it, in the same manner as a person would. This necessity motivated us to develop the EmotiNet knowledge base — a resource for the detection of emotion from text based on commonsense knowledge on concepts, their interaction and their affective consequence. In this article, we briefly present the process undergone to build EmotiNet and subsequently propose methods to extend the knowledge it contains. We further on analyse the performance of implicit affect detection using this resource. We compare the results obtained with EmotiNet to the use of alternative methods for affect detection. Following the evaluations, we conclude that the structure and content of EmotiNet are appropriate to address the automatic treatment of implicitly expressed affect, that the knowledge it contains can be easily extended and that overall, methods employing EmotiNet obtain better results than traditional emotion detection approaches.

Polymorphisms in the 5 '-untranslated region of the human serotonin receptor 1B (HTR1B) gene affect gene expression

We present evidence of complex balancing regulation of HTR1B transcription by common polymorphisms in its promoter. Computational analysis of the HTR1B gene predicted that a 50 segment, spanning common DNA sequence variations, T-261G, A-161T, and -182INS/DEL-181, contained a putative functional promoter. Using a secreted alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) reporter gene system, we found that the haplotype -261G_-182INS-181_A-161 enhanced transcriptional activity 2.3-fold compared with the haplotype T-261_-182INS-181_A-161. Conversely, -161T reversed this, and the net effect when -261G and -161T were in the same haplotype (-261G_-182INS-181_-161T) was equivalent to the major haplotype (T-261_-182INS-181_A-161). Electrophoretic mobility shift experiments showed that -261G and -161T modify the binding of transcription factors (TFs): -261G generates a new AP2 binding site, while alleles A-161 and -161T exhibit different binding characteristics to AP1. T-261G and A-161T were found to be in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with G861C in a European ancestry population. Interestingly, G861C has been reported to be associated with several psychiatric disorders. Our results indicate that HTR1B is the target of substantial transcriptional genetic regulation by common haplotypes, which are in LD with the HTR1B single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) most commonly used in association studies.

Mechanisms underlying the diminished sensitivity to prolactin negative feedback during lactation: Reduced STAT5 signaling and up-regulation of cytokine-inducible SH2 domain-containing protein (CIS) expression in tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic neurons

Hyperprolactinaemia during lactation is a consequence of the sucking stimulus and in part due to reduced prolactin (PRL) negative feedback. To date, the mechanisms involved in this diminished sensitivity to PRL feedback are unknown but may involve changes in PRL signal transduction within tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons. Therefore, we investigated signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT) 5 signaling in the TIDA neurons of lactating rats. Dual-label confocal immunofluorescence studies were used to determine the intracellular distribution of STAT5 within TIDA neurons in the dorsomedial arcuate nucleus. In lactating rats with pups removed for 16 h, injection of ovine PRL significantly (P < 0.05) increased the STAT5 nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio compared with vehicle-treated mothers. In contrast, ovine PRL injection did not increase the STAT5 nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio in lactating mothers with pups, demonstrating that PRL signal transduction through STAT5 is reduced in TIDA neurons in the presence of pups. To investigate possible mechanisms involved in reduced PRL signaling, we examined the expression of suppressors of cytokine signaling (SOCS) proteins. Northern analysis on whole hypothalamus showed that CIS (cytokine-inducible SH2 domain-containing protein), but not SOCS1 or SOCS3, mRNA expression was significantly (P < 0.01) up-regulated in suckled lactating rats. Semiquantitative RT-PCR on arcuate nucleus micropunches also showed up-regulation of CIS transcripts. Immunofluorescence studies demonstrated that CIS is expressed in all TIDA neurons in the dorsomedial arcuate nucleus, and the intensity of CIS staining in these neurons is significantly (P < 0.05) increased in lactating rats with sucking pups. Together, these results support the hypothesis that loss of sensitivity to PRL-negative feedback during lactation is a result of increased CIS expression in TIDA neurons.

A facial expression for anxiety

Anxiety and fear are often confounded in discussions of human emotions. However, studies of rodent defensive reactions under naturalistic conditions suggest anxiety is functionally distinct from fear. Unambiguous threats, such as predators, elicit flight from rodents (if an escape-route is available), whereas ambiguous threats (e.g., the odor of a predator) elicit risk assessment behavior, which is associated with anxiety as it is preferentially modulated by anti-anxiety drugs. However, without human evidence, it would be premature to assume that rodent-based psychological models are valid for humans. We tested the human validity of the risk assessment explanation for anxiety by presenting 8 volunteers with emotive scenarios and asking them to pose facial expressions. Photographs and videos of these expressions were shown to 40 participants who matched them to the scenarios and labeled each expression. Scenarios describing ambiguous threats were preferentially matched to the facial expression posed in response to the same scenario type. This expression consisted of two plausible environmental-scanning behaviors (eye darts and head swivels) and was labeled as anxiety, not fear. The facial expression elicited by unambiguous threat scenarios was labeled as fear. The emotion labels generated were then presented to another 18 participants who matched them back to photographs of the facial expressions. This back-matching of labels to faces also linked anxiety to the environmental-scanning face rather than fear face. Results therefore suggest that anxiety produces a distinct facial expression and that it has adaptive value in situations that are ambiguously threatening, supporting a functional, risk-assessing explanation for human anxiety.

Investigation of neural correlates of faces and emotional expressions using magnetoencephalography

The recognition of faces and of facial expressions in an important evolutionary skill, and an integral part of social communication. It has been argued that the processing of faces is distinct from the processing of non-face stimuli and functional neuroimaging investigations have even found evidence of a distinction between the perception of faces and of emotional expressions. Structural and temporal correlates of face perception and facial affect have only been separately identified. Investigation neural dynamics of face perception per se as well as facial affect would allow the mapping of these in space, time and frequency specific domains. Participants were asked to perform face categorisation and emotional discrimination tasks and Magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to measure the neurophysiology of face and facial emotion processing. SAM analysis techniques enable the investigation of spectral changes within specific time-windows and frequency bands, thus allowing the identification of stimulus specific regions of cortical power changes. Furthermore, MEG’s excellent temporal resolution allows for the detection of subtle changes associated with the processing of face and non-face stimuli and different emotional expressions. The data presented reveal that face perception is associated with spectral power changes within a distributed cortical network comprising occipito-temporal as well as parietal and frontal areas. For the perception of facial affect, spectral power changes were also observed within frontal and limbic areas including the parahippocampal gyrus and the amygdala. Analyses of temporal correlates also reveal a distinction between the processing of faces and facial affect. Face perception per se occurred at earlier latencies whereas the discrimination of facial expression occurred within a longer time-window. In addition, the processing of faces and facial affect was differentially associated with changes in cortical oscillatory power for alpha, beta and gamma frequencies. The perception of faces and facial affect is associated with distinct changes in cortical oscillatory activity that can be mapped to specific neural structures, specific time-windows and latencies as well as specific frequency bands. Therefore, the work presented in this thesis provides further insight into the sequential processing of faces and facial affect.

An overview of psychological and neurobiological mechanisms by which early negative experiences increase risk of mood disorders

Objective: Early life experiences are associated with severe and long-lasting effects on behavioural and emotional functioning, which in turn are thought to increase the risk for unipolar depression and other disorders of affect regulation. The neurobiological and psychological mechanisms through which adverse early life experiences confer risk are poorly understood. Method: Alterations in brain structure and function in limbic and prefrontal cortical regions have been linked to early negative experiences and to mood disorders. Results: There are a number of psychological domains that may be dysfunctional in people with mood disorders, and which, if the dysfunction occurs prior to onset of mood symptoms, may signify a risk factor for depression. Cognitive dysfunction has been examined in patients with mood disorders, with some suggestion that changes in cognitive function may antedate the onset of mood symptoms, and may be exacerbated in those who experienced early negative trauma. Social cognition, including emotion comprehension, theory of mind and empathy, represent under-studied domains of psychological function that may be negatively influenced by early adverse experience. Temperament and personality factors may also leave people vulnerable to mood instability. Conclusion: This review summarizes the evidence for dysfunction in each of these domains for people with mood disorders.

The Role of TET Proteins in the Epigenetic Regulation of Neural Gene Expression and Behavior

Understanding how genes affect behavior is critical to develop precise therapies for human behavioral disorders. The ability to investigate the relationship between genes and behavior has been greatly advanced over the last few decades due to progress in gene-targeting technology. Recently, the Tet gene family was discovered and implicated in epigenetic modification of DNA methylation by converting 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). 5hmC and its catalysts, the TET proteins, are highly abundant in the postnatal brain but with unclear functions. To investigate their neural functions, we generated new lines of Tet1 and Tet3 mutant mice using a gene targeting approach. We designed both mutations to cause a frameshift by deleting the largest coding exon of Tet1 (Tet1Δe4) and the catalytic domain of Tet3 (Tet3Δe7-9). As Tet1 is also highly expressed in embryonic stem cells (ESCs), we generated Tet1 homozygous deleted ESCs through sequential targeting to compare the function of Tet1 in the brain to its role in ESCs. To test our hypothesis that TET proteins epigenetically regulate transcription of key neural genes important for normal brain function, we examined transcriptional and epigenetic differences in the Tet1Δe4 mouse brain. The oxytocin receptor (OXTR), a neural gene implicated in social behaviors, is suggested to be epigenetically regulated by an unknown mechanism. Interestingly, several human studies have found associations between OXTR DNA hypermethylation and a wide spectrum of behavioral traits and neuropsychiatric disorders including autism spectrum disorders. Here we report the first evidence for an epigenetic mechanism of Oxtr transcription as expression of Oxtr is reduced in the brains of Tet1Δe4-/- mice. Likewise, the CpG island overlapping the promoter of Oxtr is hypermethylated during early embryonic development and persists into adulthood. We also discovered altered histone modifications at the hypermethylated regions, indicating the loss of TET1 has broad effects on the chromatin structure at Oxtr. Unexpectedly, we discovered an array of novel mRNA isoforms of Oxtr that are selectively reduced in Tet1Δe4-/- mice. Additionally, Tet1Δe4-/- mice display increased agonistic behaviors and impaired maternal care and short-term memory. Our findings support a novel role for TET1 in regulating Oxtr expression by preventing DNA hypermethylation and implicate TET1 in social behaviors, offering novel insight into Oxtr epigenetic regulation and its role in neuropsychiatric disorders.

Autonomy-Oriented Social Movements and the Politics of Affect

Abstract This dissertation explores damaging tendencies that exist within autonomy-oriented activism in the West. I examine how affect shapes the way that internal conflict is approached and internal strife is dealt with in radical communities. I adopt Sara Ahmed’s proposition “that our emotions are bound up with the securing of the social hierarchy” (Ahmed, 2004b: 4) and given that autonomy-oriented practices are committed to dismantling existing hierarchies, it follows that the less oppressive social configurations sought by autonomous social movements must have different emotional underpinnings. My thesis involves applying critical theory on affect and emotion in social movements to interview data gathered from activists both currently and historically involved in autonomy-oriented social movement communities in Kingston, Ontario. I ask whether anglophone, western-based, autonomy-oriented social movements reproduced understandings of affect/emotions/feelings that underwrite the social order they are working against? I also ask, “how are our emotions conditioned by capitalism?”. The research that I engage with provides responses to these questions by pointing out how the dominant discourse on emotions in the West encourages and informs certain modes of identity production that affect the diminishing and sad practices of autonomy-oriented communities and the (re)production of oppressive practices found in the dominant order. My work critically places this psychologizing view of emotions, and its damaging effects on resistance, within the context of neoliberal capitalism. I argue that the way we understand the politics of affect is an important dimension of radical struggle, and will inform and impact upon our individual and collective capacities to respond to, and refuse to reproduce relations of control and domination. I look for an understanding of “why” and to “what extent” these determinations exists, and look for hope in a politics of affect which supports an autonomy-oriented ethic.

Affect--or feeling (after Leys)

In recent years the ‘affective turn’ has permeated the arts, humanities, social sciences, and psychology, but like any influential academic movement has not escaped critique. We outline and agree in general terms with the critique by Leys (2011b), which emphasises the influence of the basic emotion paradigm; the dualisms that accompany its deployment; and concerns regarding intentionality and meaning. We then propose an alternate approach to affect and feeling, derived from the philosophies of Whitehead and Langer; demonstrate how this avoids the endorsement of cognitivism to which Leys critique succumbs; illustrate the strengths of this approach with respect to analyses of former U.S. President Reagan; and highlight two strengths of affect theory which are compatible with it. We conclude that our approach closes the intentionality gap that Leys identifies whilst retaining a fruitful emphasis upon the affective realm.

The effects of emotional awareness training on teachers' ability to manage the emotions of preschool children: an experimental study

This article describes the process and results of a Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) on teachers' ability to manage the emotions of preschool children during a constrained play activity. Thirty early childhood education teachers participated in the study. Half of the participants were taught strategies to enhance their own emotional competence. The control group was provided with standard information on child development. The experimental group was trained in active strategies on emotion coaching, emotional schemas, reflective practice focused on emotions, and mindfulness training. The teachers' outcomes were assessed in situ during a pretend play session with small groups of preschoolers. The dependent variables were observed occurrences of different components of emotional competence in teachers. Significant statistical differences were found between the two groups across the three different emotional competence skills (regulation, expression, and knowledge) demonstrated by the early childhood teachers during a game situation. This experimental study highlights the processes through which teachers support the emotional competence of young children, and the importance of the role of early childhood teachers' own emotional competence on the socialisation of children's emotions. Most importantly, it provides evidence, based on the influence of emotion-focused teacher-training and reflective practices, that teachers' emotional skills should be supported such that they can optimally meet the emotional needs of young children.

Adaptação da Florida Affect Battery à população portuguesa

Dissertação de Mestrado, Neurociências Cognitivas e Neuropsicologia, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2016