Grit and different aspects of well-being: Direct and indirect relationships via sense of coherence and authenticity

Grit, passion and perseverance for long-term goals, is strongly related to success in goal attainment even under challenging circumstances. We investigated how grit relates to three aspects of well-being: psychological well-being (PWB), satisfaction with life, and harmony in life. This relationship is approached through organismic valuing theory, which proposes that people are naturally motivated to grow towards their highest potential; grit is proposed as being akin to such growth motivation. In two studies (Study 1 with 196 university students, and Study 2 with 396 non-students), direct and indirect (mediating) effects between grit and well-being were investigated. Sense of coherence (SOC) and authenticity were used as mediators, and gender as a moderator. Grit was positively related to all well-being factors, and SOC and authenticity were significant mediators (complementary for PWB and indirect-only for satisfaction with life and harmony in life). This suggests that grittiness in goal pursuits requires both a sense that the world is coherent and an authentic connection with the self in order for it to fully benefit well-being. No gender moderation was found

Temporally and spatially regulated collagen XVIII isoforms are involved in ureteric tree development via the TSP1-like domain

Abstract Collagen XVIII (ColXVIII) is a component of the extracellular matrix implicated in embryogenesis and control of tissue homoeostasis. We now provide evidence that ColXVIII has a specific role in renal branching morphogenesis as observed in analyses of total and isoform-specific knockout embryos and mice. The expression of the short and the two longer isoforms differ temporally and spatially during renal development. The lack of ColXVIII or its specific isoforms lead to congenital defects in the 3D patterning of the ureteric tree where the short isoform plays a prominent role. Moreover, the ex vivo data suggests that ColXVIII is involved in the kidney epithelial tree patterning via its N-terminal domains, and especially the Thrombospondin-1-like domain common to all isoforms. This morphogenetic function likely involves integrins expressed in the ureteric epithelium. Altogether, the results point to an important role for ColXVIII in the matrix-integrin-mediated functions regulating renal development