Brain region-specific roles of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in social stress-induced depressive-like behavior

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is a key factor in stress adaptation and avoidance of a social stress behavioral response.Recent studies have shown that brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in stressed mice is brain region–specific,particularly involving the corticolimbic system,including the ventral tegmental area,nucleus accumbens,prefrontal cortex,amygdala,and hippocampus.Determining how brain-derived neurotrophic factor participates in stress processing in different brain regions will deepen our understanding of social stress psychopathology.In this review,we discuss the expression and regulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in stress-sensitive brain regions closely related to the pathophysiology of depression.We focused on associated molecular pathways and neural circuits,with special attention to the brain-derived neurotrophic factor–tropomyosin receptor kinase B signaling pathway and the ventral tegmental area–nucleus accumbens dopamine circuit.We determined that stress-induced alterations in brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are likely related to the nature,severity,and duration of stress,especially in the above-mentioned brain regions of the corticolimbic system.Therefore,BDNF might be a biological indicator regulating stress-related processes in various brain regions.

Adolescent suicide risk factors and the integration of socialemotional skills in school-based prevention programs

Adolescents are considered one of the most vulnerable groups affected by suicide.Rapid changes in adolescents’physical and mental states,as well as in their lives,significantly and undeniably increase the risk of suicide.Psychological,social,family,individual,and environmental factors are important risk factors for suicidal behavior among teenagers and may contribute to suicide risk through various direct,indirect,or combined pathways.Social-emotional learning is considered a powerful intervention measure for addressing the crisis of adolescent suicide.When deliberately cultivated,fostered,and enhanced,selfawareness,self-management,social awareness,interpersonal skills,and responsible decision-making,as the five core competencies of social-emotional learning,can be used to effectively target various risk factors for adolescent suicide and provide necessary mental and interpersonal support.Among numerous suicide intervention methods,school-based interventions based on social-emotional competence have shown great potential in preventing and addressing suicide risk factors in adolescents.The characteristics of school-based interventions based on social-emotional competence,including their appropriateness,necessity,cost-effectiveness,comprehensiveness,and effectiveness,make these interventions an important means of addressing the crisis of adolescent suicide.To further determine the potential of school-based interventions based on social-emotional competence and better address the issue of adolescent suicide,additional financial support should be provided,the combination of socialemotional learning and other suicide prevention programs within schools should be fully leveraged,and cooperation between schools and families,society,and other environments should be maximized.These efforts should be considered future research directions.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of the social structure of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins(Sousa chinensis)in Xiamen waters from 2007 to 2019

As highly social animals,Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins(Sousa chinensis)exhibit community differentiation.Nevertheless,our understanding of the external and internal factors influencing these dynamics,as well as their spatiotemporal variations,is still limited.In the present study,variations in the social structure of an endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population in Xiamen Bay,China,were monitored over two distinct periods(2007–2010 and 2017–2019)to analyze the effects of habitat utilization and the composition of individuals within the population.In both periods,the population demonstrated a strikingly similar pattern of social differentiation,characterized by the division of individuals into two main clusters and one small cluster.Spatially,the two primary clusters occupied the eastern and western waters,respectively,although the core distribution area of the eastern cluster shifted further eastward between the two periods.Despite this distribution shift,the temporal stability of the social structure and inter-associations within the eastern cluster remained unaffected.A subset of 16individuals observed in both periods,comprising 51.6%and 43.2%of the population in each respective period,emerged as a foundational element of the social structure and may be responsible for sustaining social structure stability,especially during the 2007–2010 period.These observations suggest that the composition of dominant individuals,an internal factor,had a more substantial influence on the formation of the social network than changes in habitat use,an external factor.Consequently,the study proposes distinct conservation measures tailored to each of the two main clusters.

Enhancing Data Forwarding Efficiency in SIoT with Multidimensional Social Relations

Effective data communication is a crucial aspect of the Social Internet of Things(SIoT)and continues to be a significant research focus.This paper proposes a data forwarding algorithm based on Multidimensional Social Relations(MSRR)in SIoT to solve this problem.The proposed algorithm separates message forwarding into intra-and cross-community forwarding by analyzing interest traits and social connections among nodes.Three new metrics are defined:the intensity of node social relationships,node activity,and community connectivity.Within the community,messages are sent by determining which node is most similar to the sender by weighing the strength of social connections and node activity.When a node performs cross-community forwarding,the message is forwarded to the most reasonable relay community by measuring the node activity and the connection between communities.The proposed algorithm was compared to three existing routing algorithms in simulation experiments.Results indicate that the proposed algorithmsubstantially improves message delivery efficiency while lessening network overhead and enhancing connectivity and coordination in the SIoT context.

Predicting Users’ Latent Suicidal Risk in Social Media: An Ensemble Model Based on Social Network Relationships

Suicide has become a critical concern,necessitating the development of effective preventative strategies.Social media platforms offer a valuable resource for identifying signs of suicidal ideation.Despite progress in detecting suicidal ideation on social media,accurately identifying individuals who express suicidal thoughts less openly or infrequently poses a significant challenge.To tackle this,we have developed a dataset focused on Chinese suicide narratives from Weibo’s Tree Hole feature and introduced an ensemble model named Text Convolutional Neural Network based on Social Network relationships(TCNN-SN).This model enhances predictive performance by leveraging social network relationship features and applying correction factors within a weighted linear fusion framework.It is specifically designed to identify key individuals who can help uncover hidden suicidal users and clusters.Our model,assessed using the bespoke dataset and benchmarked against alternative classification approaches,demonstrates superior accuracy,F1-score and AUC metrics,achieving 88.57%,88.75%and 94.25%,respectively,outperforming traditional TextCNN models by 12.18%,10.84%and 10.85%.We assert that our methodology offers a significant advancement in the predictive identification of individuals at risk,thereby contributing to the prevention and reduction of suicide incidences.

Social Robot Detection Method with Improved Graph Neural Networks

Social robot accounts controlled by artificial intelligence or humans are active in social networks,bringing negative impacts to network security and social life.Existing social robot detection methods based on graph neural networks suffer from the problem of many social network nodes and complex relationships,which makes it difficult to accurately describe the difference between the topological relations of nodes,resulting in low detection accuracy of social robots.This paper proposes a social robot detection method with the use of an improved neural network.First,social relationship subgraphs are constructed by leveraging the user’s social network to disentangle intricate social relationships effectively.Then,a linear modulated graph attention residual network model is devised to extract the node and network topology features of the social relation subgraph,thereby generating comprehensive social relation subgraph features,and the feature-wise linear modulation module of the model can better learn the differences between the nodes.Next,user text content and behavioral gene sequences are extracted to construct social behavioral features combined with the social relationship subgraph features.Finally,social robots can be more accurately identified by combining user behavioral and relationship features.By carrying out experimental studies based on the publicly available datasets TwiBot-20 and Cresci-15,the suggested method’s detection accuracies can achieve 86.73%and 97.86%,respectively.Compared with the existing mainstream approaches,the accuracy of the proposed method is 2.2%and 1.35%higher on the two datasets.The results show that the method proposed in this paper can effectively detect social robots and maintain a healthy ecological environment of social networks.

Social prescribing in the metaverse:a new frontier for primary care practice

The advent of immersive technologies such as the metaverse,extended reality,artificial intelligence,and blockchain offers novel possibilities to transform healthcare services.These innovations coincide with clinicians'aspirations to deliver more comprehensive,patient-centered care tailored to individuals singular needs and preferences.Integration of these emerging tools may confer opportunities for providers to engage patients through new modalities and expand their role.However,responsible implementation necessitates deliberation of ethical implications and steadfast adherence to foundational principles of compassion and interpersonal connection underpinning the profession.While the metaverse introduces new channels for social prescribing,this perspective advocates that its ultimate purpose should be strengthening,not supplanting,human relationships.We propose an ethical framework centered on respect for patients'dignity to guide integration of metaverse platforms into medical practice.This framework serves both to harness their potential benefits and mitigate risks of dehumanization or uncompassionate care.Our analysis maps the developing topology of metaverse-enabled care while upholding moral imperatives for medicine to promote healing relationships and human flourishing.

Exploring the Reasons for Selfie-Taking and Selfie-Posting on Social Media with Its Effect on Psychological and Social Lives:A Study among Indian Youths

‘Selfie’taking was introduced to the common people by smartphones and has become a common practice across the globe in no time.With technological advancement and the popularity of smartphones,selfie-taking has grown rapidly within a short time.In light of the new trend set by the generation,this study aimed to explore reasons for selfie-taking and selfie-posting on social media and their effects on the social and psychological lives of young adults.A purposive sampling method was adopted to select 20 Indian citizens,between 18 and 24 years.The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.Selfie-taking and posting on social media give positive feelings,and it acts as a mood modifier dependent mostly on the favourability and feedback about the post which in turn affects emotions and self-satisfaction.

Potential use of large language models for mitigating students’problematic social media use:ChatGPT as an example

The problematic use of social media has numerous negative impacts on individuals'daily lives,interpersonal relationships,physical and mental health,and more.Currently,there are few methods and tools to alleviate problematic social media,and their potential is yet to be fully realized.Emerging large language models(LLMs)are becoming increasingly popular for providing information and assistance to people and are being applied in many aspects of life.In mitigating problematic social media use,LLMs such as ChatGPT can play a positive role by serving as conversational partners and outlets for users,providing personalized information and resources,monitoring and intervening in problematic social media use,and more.In this process,we should recognize both the enormous potential and endless possibilities of LLMs such as ChatGPT,leveraging their advantages to better address problematic social media use,while also acknowledging the limitations and potential pitfalls of ChatGPT technology,such as errors,limitations in issue resolution,privacy and security concerns,and potential overreliance.When we leverage the advantages of LLMs to address issues in social media usage,we must adopt a cautious and ethical approach,being vigilant of the potential adverse effects that LLMs may have in addressing problematic social media use to better harness technology to serve individuals and society.

A Study on the Influence of Social Media Use on Psychological Anxiety among Young Women

To explore the relationship between social influence,social comparison,clarity of self-concept,and psychological anxiety among young women during their usage of social networking sites,our study selected 338 young women aged 14-34 from the social site platforms of Little Red Book and Weibo for questionnaire surveys.The Passive Social Network Utilization Scale,Social Comparison Scale(SCS),Social Influence Questionnaire,Self-Concept Clarity Scale(SCCS),and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale(GAD-7)were employed to measure the subjects.Our results show that the frequency of passive social media use is positively related to the level of psychological anxiety.Social comparison,social influence,and unclear self-concepts under social media use are negatively predictive of psychological anxiety.The chain mediation effects indicate that social comparison and social influence under social media use negatively predict the clarity of self-concept,thus having a negative impact on the psychological health of young women.Therefore,young women should strengthen their self-concepts,control their frequency of social media usage,avoid addiction,and pay special attention to their frequency of passive use,in order to protect their psychological health.Our study provides some practical implications and insights regarding the relationship between young women’s social media use and psychological health.

Validity,Reliability,and Measurement Invariance of the Thai Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale

Background:In recent years,there has been increased research interest in both smartphone addiction and social media addiction as well as the development of psychometric instruments to assess these constructs.However,there is a lack of psychometric evaluation for instruments assessing smartphone addiction and social media addiction in Thailand.The present study evaluated the psychometric properties and gender measurement invariance of the Thai version of the Smartphone Application-Based Addiction Scale(SABAS)and Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale(BSMAS).Method:A total of 801 Thai university students participated in an online survey from January 2022 to July 2022 which included demographic information,SABAS,BSMAS,and the Internet Gaming Disorder Scale-Short Form(IGDS9-SF).Results:Confirmatory Factor Analyses(CFAs)found that both the SABAS and BSMAS had a one-factor structure.Findings demonstrated adequate psychometric properties of both instruments and also supported measurement invariance across genders.Moreover,scores on the SABAS and BSMAS were correlated with scores on the IGDS9-SF.Conclusion:The results indicated that the SABAS and BSMAS are useful psychometric instruments for assessing the risk of smartphone addiction and social media addiction among Thai young adults.

Associations between Social Media Use and Sleep Quality in China:Exploring the Mediating Role of Social Media Addiction

Sleep quality is closely linked to people’s health,and during the COVID-19 pandemic,the sleep patterns of residents in China were notably poor.The lockdown in China led to an increase in social media use,prompting questions about its impact on sleep.Therefore,this study investigates the association between social media use and sleep quality among Chinese residents during the COVID-19 outbreak,highlighting the potential mediating role of social media addiction.Data were collected via questionnaires through a cross-sectional survey with 779 valid responses.Variance analysis was used to test for differences in social media use among different demographic variables.Bivariate correlation analysis was employed to explore the relationships between variables,while regression analysis investigated the correlations between various media factors and sleep quality.Additionally,Bootstrap sampling was utilized to analyze the potential mediating influence of social media addiction in the relationship between social media use and sleep.The study's findings reveal a significant correlation between social media use,particularly before bedtime,and sleep quality(p<0.01),with pre-sleep activity notably linked to poorer overall sleep scores(β=0.141,p=0.004).Although the daily use of social media did not directly impact most individuals’sleep quality,specific platforms like news apps,short video apps,dating apps,and content community platforms were associated with higher levels of social media addiction,subsequently negatively affecting sleep quality.Specifically,the use of news apps(B=0.068,95%CI[0.000,0.019]),short video apps(B=0.112,95%CI[0.001,0.031]),dating apps(B=0.147,95%CI[0.000,0.028]),and content community platforms(B=0.106,95%CI[0.001,0.028])was found to increase the risk of social media addiction,subsequently leading to adverse effects on sleep quality.The study underscores a notable link between social media use and sleep quality,suggesting that mindful social media habits,particularly before bedtime,and reducing addiction-associated apps could enhance sleep quality.

Understanding the Link:Emotional Attention in Italian Families and Children’s Social Development

Background:Emotional attention refers to the capacity to recognize and properly respond to one’s and others’emotional states.On another note,family is a primary source of socialization that influences the development of various social skills.In another line,adolescence is a complex stage that has been associated with emotional difficulties that could be related to competences such as prosociability and inclusion.It is inferred that through the family context and the attention that is processed,a series of competencies are transmitted to the youngsters,but this relationship is still unclear.For this reason,the study’s purpose was to examine the relationship between the emotional attention of mothers and fathers and the social and prosocial competencies of their children.Methods:To accomplish this,a cross-sectional study and ex post facto design were conducted.The Trait-Meta Mood Scale(TMMS-24)-to assess emotional attention-,the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire(SDQ)-to determine the prosociality dimension-,and the Test on Passing Developmental Tasks in Adolescence(TCS-A)-to measure social inclusionwere administered.The participants were N=228 families composed of n=114 mothers/fathers(67.5%females)and n=114 daughters/sons(38.5%females)selected through non-probabilistic sampling using a convenience sample in the Bari region of Italy.A descriptive and inferential analysis-Student’s test and Pearson’s correlation-was performed with the statistic package SPSS version 28(significance level p<0.05).Results:The findings showed that the families possessed an adequate background in emotional attention and that their daughters and sons were also generally well-adjusted in social inclusion and prosociality.It also found certain signs that the prosocial competence of the children could be related to the behavior of their mothers and fathers.Conclusion:In conclusion,social inclusion is related to prosocial behavior,and maybe primarily cultivated within families where parents’emotional self-regulation serves as a model for children although further research is necessary.Comparative studies between different cultures are also proposed.

Making the case for the evolving role of social media in health professions education and a literature review on the application of some in ophthalmology

Background and Objective:Social media(SoMe)has emerged as a tool in health professions education(HPE),particularly amidst the challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic.Despite the academia’s initial skepticism SoMe has been gaining traction in supporting learning communities,and offering opportunities for innovation in HPE.Our study aims to explore the integration of SoMe in HPE.Four key components were outlined as necessary for a successful integration,and include designing learning experiences,defining educator roles,selecting appropriate platforms,and establishing educational objectives.Methods:This article stemmed from the online Teaching Skills Series module on SoMe in education from the Ophthalmology Foundation,and drew upon evidence supporting learning theories relevant to SoMe integration and models of education.Additionally,we conducted a literature review considering Englishlanguage articles on the application of SoMe in ophthalmology from PubMed over the past decade.Key Content and Findings:Early adopters of SoMe platforms in HPE have leveraged these tools to enhance learning experiences through interaction,dialogue,content sharing,and active learning strategies.By integrating SoMe into educational programs,both online and in-person,educators can overcome time and geographical constraints,fostering more diverse and inclusive learning communities.Careful consideration is,however,necessary to address potential limitations within HPE.Conclusions:This article lays groundwork for expanding SoMe integration in HPE design,emphasizing the supportive scaffold of various learning theories,and the need of furthering robust research on examining its advantages over traditional educational formats.Our literature review underscores an ongoing multifaceted,random application of SoMe platforms in ophthalmology education.We advocate for an effective incorporation of SoMe in HPE education,with the need to comply with good educational practice.

Habits on Social Networks at Workplace: A Survey of Motivations and Behaviour

This article explores the use of social networks by workers in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, with particular emphasis on a descriptive or quantitative analysis aimed at understanding motivations and methods of use. More than five hundred and fifty questionnaires were distributed, highlighting workers’ preferred digital channels and platforms. The results indicate that the majority use social media through their mobile phones, with WhatsApp being the most popular app, followed by Facebook and LinkedIn. The study reveals that workers use social media for entertainment purposes and to develop professional and social relationships, with 55% unable to live without social media at work for recreational activities. In addition, 35% spend on average 1 to 2 hours on social networks, mainly between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. It also appears that 46% believe that social networks moderately improve their productivity. These findings can guide marketing strategies, training, technology development and government policies related to the use of social media in the workplace.

Experienced Involvement (ExIn) in Social-Psychiatric Care of Germany-Challenges and Chances

This study explores the integration of Experienced Involvement(ExIn)in social-psychiatric care in Germany,emphasizing both the challenges and opportunities it presents.The European Leonardo da Vinci Project(2005-2007)established a curriculum for ExIn,promoting participatory structures in psychiatric services.While peer support is well-established in other European countries,Germany’s experience is still developing.This research uses a mixed methods design,combining quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews,to investigate the professional experiences of ExIn recovery companions and team colleagues in German clinics and support services.The findings reveal numerous benefits:for social-psychiatric services,ExIn enhances service quality,inclusivity,and accessibility;for team colleagues,it fosters reflexivity,hope,and trust,and improves self-care;for service users,it provides empowerment,easy access to support,trust,and hope,and offers credible role models.Despite these benefits,challenges such as stigmatization,lack of recognition,and financial constraints remain and require to be addressed.The study highlights the need and provides implications for a dedicated and inclusive approach to effectively implementing ExIn,ultimately enriching psychiatric care through experiential knowledge and reducing prejudice within mental health services.

Integrated ribosome and proteome analyses reveal insights into sevoflurane-induced long-term social behavior and cognitive dysfunctions through ADNP inhibition in neonatal mice

A growing number of studies have demonstrated that repeated exposure to sevoflurane during development results in persistent social abnormalities and cognitive impairment.Davunetide,an active fragment of the activity-dependent neuroprotective protein(ADNP),has been implicated in social and cognitive protection.However,the potential of davunetide to attenuate social deficits following sevoflurane exposure and the underlying developmental mechanisms remain poorly understood.In this study,ribosome and proteome profiles were analyzed to investigate the molecular basis of sevoflurane-induced social deficits in neonatal mice.The neuropathological basis was also explored using Golgi staining,morphological analysis,western blotting,electrophysiological analysis,and behavioral analysis.Results indicated that ADNP was significantly down-regulated following developmental exposure to sevoflurane.In adulthood,anterior cingulate cortex(ACC)neurons exposed to sevoflurane exhibited a decrease in dendrite number,total dendrite length,and spine density.Furthermore,the expression levels of Homer,PSD95,synaptophysin,and vglut2 were significantly reduced in the sevoflurane group.Patch-clamp recordings indicated reductions in both the frequency and amplitude of miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents(mEPSCs).Notably,davunetide significantly ameliorated the synaptic defects,social behavior deficits,and cognitive impairments induced by sevoflurane.Mechanistic analysis revealed that loss of ADNP led to dysregulation of Ca^(2+)activity via the Wnt/β-catenin signaling,resulting in decreased expression of synaptic proteins.Suppression of Wnt signaling was restored in the davunetide-treated group.Thus,ADNP was identified as a promising therapeutic target for the prevention and treatment of neurodevelopmental toxicity caused by general anesthetics.This study provides important insights into the mechanisms underlying social and cognitive disturbances caused by sevoflurane exposure in neonatal mice and elucidates the regulatory pathways involved.

基于Social Transformer的井下多人轨迹预测方法

目前煤矿井下人员轨迹预测方法中,Transformer与循环神经网络(RNN)、长短期记忆(LSTM)网络相比,在处理数据时不仅计算量小,同时还有效解决了梯度消失导致的长时依赖问题。但当环境中涉及多人同时运动时,Transformer对于场景中所有人员未来轨迹的预测会出现较大偏差。并且目前在井下多人轨迹预测领域尚未出现一种同时采用Transformer并考虑个体之间相互影响的模型。针对上述问题,提出一种基于Social Transformer的井下多人轨迹预测方法。首先对井下每一个人员独立建模,获取人员历史轨迹信息,通过Transformer编码器进行特征提取,接着由全连接层对特征进行表示,然后通过基于图卷积的交互层相互连接,该交互层允许空间上接近的网络彼此共享信息,计算预测对象在受到周围邻居影响时对周围邻居分配的注意力,从而提取其邻居的运动模式,继而更新特征矩阵,最后新的特征矩阵由Transformer解码器进行解码,输出对于未来时刻的人员位置信息预测。实验结果表明,Social Transformer的平均位移误差相较于Transformer降低了45.8%,且与其他主流轨迹预测方法LSTM,S−GAN,Trajectron++和Social−STGCNN相比分别降低了67.1%,35.9%,30.1%和10.9%,有效克服了煤矿井下多人场景中由于人员间互相影响导致预测轨迹失准的问题,提升了预测精度。

Effects of individual heterogeneity on social contagions

Despite having significant effects on social contagions,individual heterogeneity has frequently been overlooked in earlier studies.To better understand the complexity of social contagions,a non-Markovian model incorporating heterogeneous social influence and adoption thresholds is introduced.For theoretical analysis,a generalized edge-based compartmental theory which considers the heterogeneities of social influence and adoption thresholds is developed.Focusing on the final adoption size,the critical propagation probability,and the phase transition type,social contagions for adoption thresholds that follow normal distributions with various standard deviations,follow various distributions,and correlate with degrees are investigated.When thresholds follow normal distributions,a larger standard deviation results in a larger final adoption size when the information propagation probability is relatively low.However,when the information propagation probability is relatively high,a larger standard deviation results in a smaller final adoption size.When thresholds follow various distributions,crossover phenomena in phase transition are observed when investigating the relationship of the final adoption size versus the average adoption threshold for some threshold distributions.When thresholds are correlated with degrees,similar crossover phenomena occur when investigating the relationship of the final adoption size versus the degree correlation index.Additionally,we find that increasing the heterogeneity of social influence suppresses the effects of adoption threshold heterogeneity on social contagions in three cases.Our theory predictions agree well with the simulation results.

Impact of different interaction behavior on epidemic spreading in time-dependent social networks

We investigate the impact of pairwise and group interactions on the spread of epidemics through an activity-driven model based on time-dependent networks.The effects of pairwise/group interaction proportion and pairwise/group interaction intensity are explored by extensive simulation and theoretical analysis.It is demonstrated that altering the group interaction proportion can either hinder or enhance the spread of epidemics,depending on the relative social intensity of group and pairwise interactions.As the group interaction proportion decreases,the impact of reducing group social intensity diminishes.The ratio of group and pairwise social intensity can affect the effect of group interaction proportion on the scale of infection.A weak heterogeneous activity distribution can raise the epidemic threshold,and reduce the scale of infection.These results benefit the design of epidemic control strategy.