Supersonic transport lubrication system investigation Second semiannual report

Performance of aircraft gas turbine mainshaft ball bearings, seals, and lubricants under simulated supersonic transport engine condition

Reflecting on nostalgic, positive, and novel experiences increases state Openness

Objective Personality change is a growing field of interest, but relatively few studies have examined causes of change in Openness. We investigated whether it is possible to influence state Openness, and through what mechanisms this effect may occur. Method In two experiments (Study 1: N = 144, Mage = 36.4, 58% female, 88% White; Study 2: N = 269, Mage = 34.0, 60% female, 91% White), participants reflected on and wrote about a personal experience requested to be either: nostalgic; positive and novel (Study 1); positive or novel (Study 2); or ordinary. They rated the events for nostalgia, positivity, novelty, and sociality, and completed measures of state positive affect, self‐esteem, social connectedness, meaning in life, and state Openness. Results Participants who recalled positive and/or novel events reported greater state Openness than those who recalled ordinary events. In Study 1, this also applied to those recalling nostalgic events. Event ratings of positivity (both studies), nostalgia and novelty (Study 2) independently predicted state Openness. State positive affect and self‐esteem were independent predictors in both studies, suggesting possible indirect paths. Conclusions Reflecting on nostalgic, positive, and novel experiences can increase state Openness. This finding may be useful for interventions targeting trait‐level change

Childhood maltreatment, personality vulnerability profiles, and borderline personality disorder symptoms in adolescents

Adverse childhood experiences are significant risk factors in the development of adolescent borderline personality disorder symptoms (BPDs). Theorists have posited that two personality vulnerabilities factors, self-criticism and dependency, may inform our understanding of this relationship. However, no research has examined the associations between early negative experiences, personality vulnerabilities, and adolescent BPDs. The current study aimed to identify profiles of dependency and self-criticism to examine the associations of these profiles with cumulative forms of childhood maltreatment (CM) and BPDs as well as to explore the mediating and moderating role of vulnerable personality profiles in the relationship between cumulative CM and BPDs. Two hundred and forty-one nonclinical and clinical adolescents participated in the study (Mage = 16.37, SD = 1.84). The findings indicated three different profiles: average dependent profile, dependent and self-critical profile, and self-critical profile. Individuals in the average dependent profile presented lower levels of CM and BPDs. Mediation analyses showed that relative to the average dependent profile, a higher cumulative CM history predicted a higher probability of belonging in the dependent and self-critical profile or the self-critical profile and, in turn, this was associated with higher levels of BPDs. No moderating effects of profiles of dependency and self-criticism were found

Covid-19: Emerging needs for unemployed and economically inactive individuals

This Voices article presents emerging findings from research investigating the consequences of Covid-19 on individuals engaged on employability programmes in the United Kingdom. It outlines the challenges presented by ‘lockdown’ restrictions, as introduced to reduce the spread of Covid-19, on the delivery of employability programmes. Individuals engaged on such programmes experience a wealth of needs that have been compounded by Covid-19, resulting in new, emerging needs relating to personal wellbeing, social isolation, and confidence. Without effective and innovative support, individuals experiencing unemployment and economic inactivity will undoubtedly experience increased inequality; this inequality impacts on family, with individuals experiencing isolation from such, which in turn reduces wellbeing and stimuli, and indeed work, with Covid-19 compounding challenges in securing employment

Three-dimensional optical method for integrated visualization of mouse islet microstructure and vascular network with subcellular-level resolution

Microscopic visualization of islets of Langerhans under normal and diabetic conditions is essential for understanding the pathophysiology of the disease. The intrinsic opacity of pancreata, however, limits optical accessibility for high-resolution light microscopy of islets in situ. Because the standard microtome-based, 2-D tissue analysis confines visualization of the islet architecture at a specific cut plane, 3-D representation of image data is preferable for islet assessment. We applied optical clearing to minimize the random light scattering in the mouse pancreatic tissue. The optical-cleared pancreas allowed penetrative, 3-D microscopic imaging of the islet microstructure and vasculature. Specifically, the islet vasculature was revealed by vessel painting-lipophilic dye labeling of blood vessels-for confocal microscopy. The voxel-based confocal micrographs were digitally processed with projection algorithms for 3-D visualization. Unlike the microtome-based tissue imaging, this optical method for penetrative imaging of mouse islets yielded clear, continuous optical sections for an integrated visualization of the islet microstructure and vasculature with subcellular-level resolution. We thus provide a useful imaging approach to change our conventional planar view of the islet structure into a 3-D panorama for better understanding of the islet physiology. (C) 2010 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. [DOI: 10.1117/1.3470241

A noncanonical autophagy pathway restricts Toxoplasma gondii growth in a strain-specific manner in IFN-γ-activated human cells

ABSTRACT A core set of autophagy proteins is required for gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-mediated clearance of Toxoplasma gondii in the mouse because of their control of several downstream effectors, including immunity-related GTPases (IRGs) and guanylate-binding proteins (GBPs). However, these effectors are absent (i.e., IRGs) from or nonessential (i.e., GBPs) in IFN-γ-activated human cells, raising the question of how these cells control parasite replication. Here, we define a novel role for ubiquitination and recruitment of autophagy adaptors in the strain-specific control of T. gondii replication in IFN-γ-activated human cells. Vacuoles containing susceptible strains of T. gondii became ubiquitinated, recruited the adaptors p62 and NDP52, and were decorated with LC3. Parasites within LC3-positive vacuoles became enclosed in multiple layers of host membranes, resulting in stunting of parasite replication. However, LC3-positive T. gondii-containing vacuoles did not fuse with endosomes and lysosomes, indicating that this process is fundamentally different from xenophagy, a form of autophagy involved in the control of intracellular bacterial pathogens. Genetic knockout of ATG16L or ATG7 reverted the membrane encapsulation and restored parasite replication, indicating that core autophagy proteins involved in LC3 conjugation are important in the control of parasite growth. Despite a role for the core autophagy machinery in this process, upstream activation through Beclin 1 was not sufficient to enhance the ubiquitination of T. gondii-containing vacuoles, suggesting a lack of reliance on canonical autophagy. These findings demonstrate a new mechanism for IFN-γ-dependent control of T. gondii in human cells that depends on ubiquitination and core autophagy proteins that mediate membrane engulfment and restricted growth

The Italian version of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire: psychometric properties and validation in students, community, and clinical groups

The current study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Italian validation of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ), conceived as a measure of self-criticism and dependency, i.e. two personality factors acting, according to Blatt (2004), as risk factors for depression in particular and psychopathology in general. A series of standardized measures [Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), DEQ, Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R), Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory, 3rd edition (MCMI-III)] was administered to three samples (i.e., students, community and clinical). Factorial validity was evaluated along with convergent and predictive validity. In order to evaluate the reliability and internal consistency, a specific subgroup of participants was retested on the DEQ and BDI-II. Results showed correlations between DEQ dimensions and some personality traits of the MCMI-III. The traditional three-factor model of the DEQ structure as identified by principal component analysis appears to be as stable factors as typically found in American samples, although some items showed elevated cross-loading or low loadings on any factor. Clinical and diagnostic implications of the findings will be discussed

Heroes and villains of world history across cultures

© 2015 Hanke et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedEmergent properties of global political culture were examined using data from the World History Survey (WHS) involving 6,902 university students in 37 countries evaluating 40 figures from world history. Multidimensional scaling and factor analysis techniques found only limited forms of universality in evaluations across Western, Catholic/Orthodox, Muslim, and Asian country clusters. The highest consensus across cultures involved scientific innovators, with Einstein having the most positive evaluation overall. Peaceful humanitarians like Mother Theresa and Gandhi followed. There was much less cross-cultural consistency in the evaluation of negative figures, led by Hitler, Osama bin Laden, and Saddam Hussein. After more traditional empirical methods (e.g., factor analysis) failed to identify meaningful cross-cultural patterns, Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) was used to identify four global representational profiles: Secular and Religious Idealists were overwhelmingly prevalent in Christian countries, and Political Realists were common in Muslim and Asian countries. We discuss possible consequences and interpretations of these different representational profiles.This research was supported by grant RG016-P-10 from the Chiang Ching-Kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange (http://www.cckf.org.tw/). Religion Culture Entropy China Democracy Economic histor