The influence of rumination and distraction on depressed and anxious mood: a prospective examination of the response styles theory in children and adolescents

The present study sought to test predictions of the response styles theory in a sample of children and adolescents. More specifically, a ratio approach to response styles was utilized to examine the effects on residual change scores in depression and anxiety. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires including measures of rumination, distraction, depression, and anxiety at baseline (Time 1) and 8–10 weeks follow-up (Time 2). Results showed that the ratio score of rumination and distraction was significantly associated with depressed and anxious symptoms over time. More specifically, individuals who have a greater tendency to ruminate compared to distracting themselves have increases in depression and anxiety scores over time, whereas those who have a greater tendency to engage in distraction compared to rumination have decreases in depression and anxiety symptoms over time. These findings indicate that a ratio approach can be used to examine the relation between response styles and symptoms of depression and anxiety in non-clinical children and adolescents. Implications of the results may be that engaging in distractive activities should be promoted and that ruminative thinking should be targeted in juvenile depression treatment

Calibration of trap stiffness and viscoelasticity in polymer solutions

We present an experimental demonstration of a method using optical tweezers proposed by Fischer and Berg-Sorensen for measuring viscoelasticity using optical tweezers. It is based on a sinusoidal oscillation of the liquid in combination with force measurements using optical tweezers. We verify the method by applying it to measurements in water, glycerol and polyethylene oxide (PEO)

Joint morphogenetic cells in the adult mammalian synovium

The authors thank all members of the Arthritis & Regenerative Medicine Laboratory, particularly Dr Ana Sergijenko; Drs David Kingsley, Grigori Enikolopov, Fernando Camargo and Lora Heisler for sharing transgenic mice; Drs Henning Wackerhage, Neil Vargesson, Lynda Erskine, Chris Buckley, Francesco Dell’Accio and Frank Luyten for support and helpful discussions; Staff at the University of Aberdeen’s Animal Facility, Microscopy & Histology Facility and Iain Fraser Cytometry Centre for their support. C.D.B. is grateful to Dr Frank Luyten’s support for the experiment in Fig. 8, performed in his laboratory at KU Leuven, Belgium. We are grateful for the following funding: Arthritis Research UK (Grants No. 20050, 19429 and 20775), Medical Research Council (Grant No. MR/L020211/1) and Tenovus Scotland (Grant No. G13/14). A.H.K.R. is supported by the Wellcome Trust through the Scottish Translational Medicine and Therapeutics Initiative (Grant No. WT 085664).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

How, when and where current mass flows in Martian gullies are driven by CO2 sublimation

Martian gullies resemble water-carved gullies on Earth, yet their present-day activity cannot be explained by water-driven processes. The sublimation of CO2 has been proposed as an alternative driver for sediment transport, but how this mechanism works remains unknown. Here we combine laboratory experiments of CO2-driven granular flows under Martian atmospheric pressure with 1D climate simulation modelling to unravel how, where, and when CO2 can drive present-day gully activity. Our work shows that sublimation of CO2 ice, under Martian atmospheric conditions can fluidize sediment and creates morphologies similar to those observed on Mars. Furthermore, the modelled climatic and topographic boundary conditions for this process, align with present-day gully activity. These results have implications for the influence of water versus CO2-driven processes in gully formation and for the interpretation of gully landforms on other planets, as their existence is no longer definitive proof for flowing liquids

Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Enhance Cartilage Healing in a Murine Joint Surface Injury Model

Funding: This research was funded by Versus Arthritis, grant numbers 18480, 19429 and 21156, and the Medical Research Council, grant number MR/L010453/1. Acknowledgments: We thank Pat Evans and Martin Pritchard, Histopathology Dept, RJAH Orthopaedic Hospital, for guidance on histology; Meso Scale Diagnostics, LLC for advice and the loan of equipment for analyte analyses; all members of the Arthritis and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the University of Aberdeen, particularly Hui Wang, Sharon Ansboro and Ausra Lionikiene for their help with mouse surgeries and tissue collection, as well as staff at the University of Aberdeen’s animal facility and microscopy and hystology facility for their supportPeer reviewedPublisher PD

The biodistribution of triamcinolone acetonide injections in severe keloids:an exploratory three-dimensional fluorescent cryomicrotome study

Intralesional corticosteroid injections are a first-line treatment for keloids; yet clinical treatment results are highly variable and often suboptimal. Variation in triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) biodistribution may be an important reason for the variable effects of TAC treatment in keloids. In this exploratory study we investigated the biodistribution of TAC in keloids and normal skin using different drug delivery techniques. Fluorescent-labeled TAC suspension was administered into keloids and normal skin with a hypodermic needle and an electronic pneumatic jet injector. TAC biodistribution was represented by the fluorescent TAC volume and 3D biodistribution shape of TAC, using a 3D-Fluorescence-Imaging Cryomicrotome System. Twenty-one keloid and nine normal skin samples were analyzed. With needle injections, the mean fluorescent TAC volumes were 990 µl ± 479 in keloids and 872 µl ± 227 in normal skin. With the jet injector, the mean fluorescent TAC volumes were 401 µl ± 252 in keloids and 249 µl ± 67 in normal skin. 3D biodistribution shapes of TAC were highly variable in keloids and normal skin. In conclusion, TAC biodistribution in keloids is highly variable for both needle and jet injection. This may partly explain the variable treatment effects of intralesional TAC in keloids. Future research is needed to confirm this preliminary finding and to optimize drug delivery in keloids.</p

Structural specializations of the sperm tail

Sperm motility is crucial to reproductive success in sexually reproducing organisms. Impaired sperm movement causes male infertility, which is increasing globally. Sperm are powered by a microtubule-based molecular machine-the axoneme-but it is unclear how axonemal microtubules are ornamented to support motility in diverse fertilization environments. Here, we present high-resolution structures of native axonemal doublet microtubules (DMTs) from sea urchin and bovine sperm, representing external and internal fertilizers. We identify \u3e60 proteins decorating sperm DMTs; at least 15 are sperm associated and 16 are linked to infertility. By comparing DMTs across species and cell types, we define core microtubule inner proteins (MIPs) and analyze evolution of the tektin bundle. We identify conserved axonemal microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) with unique tubulin-binding modes. Additionally, we identify a testis-specific serine/threonine kinase that links DMTs to outer dense fibers in mammalian sperm. Our study provides structural foundations for understanding sperm evolution, motility, and dysfunction at a molecular level

The Dynamics of CO 2 ‐Driven Granular Flows in Gullies on Mars

Martian gullies are landforms consisting of an erosional alcove, a channel, and a depositional apron. A significant proportion of Martian gullies at the mid‐latitudes is active today. The seasonal sublimation of CO2 ice has been suggested as a driver behind present‐day gully activity. However, due to a lack of in situ observations, the actual processes causing the observed changes remain unresolved. Here, we present results from flume experiments in environmental chambers in which we created CO2‐driven granular flows under Martian atmospheric conditions. Our experiments show that under Martian atmospheric pressure, large amounts of granular material can be fluidized by the sublimation of small quantities of CO2 ice in the granular mixture (only 0.5% of the volume fraction of the flow) under slope angles as low as 10°. Dimensionless scaling of the CO2‐driven granular flows shows that they are dynamically similar to terrestrial two‐phase granular flows, that is, debris flows and pyroclastic flows. The similarity in flow dynamics explains the similarity in deposit morphology with levees and lobes, supporting the hypothesis that CO2‐driven granular flows on Mars are not merely modifying older landforms, but they are actively forming them. This has far‐reaching implications for the processes thought to have formed these gullies over time. For other planetary bodies in our solar system, our experimental results suggest that the existence of gully like landforms is not necessarily evidence for flowing liquids but that they could also be formed or modified by sublimation‐driven flow processes