Molecular architecture and activation of the insecticidal protein Vip3Aa from Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3 (Vegetative Insecticidal Protein 3) toxins are widely used in biotech crops to control Lepidopteran pests. These proteins are produced as inactive protoxins that need to be activated by midgut proteases to trigger cell death. However, little is known about their three-dimensional organization and activation mechanism at the molecular level. Here, we have determined the structures of the protoxin and the protease-activated state of Vip3Aa at 2.9 Å using cryo-electron microscopy. The reconstructions show that the protoxin assembles into a pyramid-shaped tetramer with the C-terminal domains exposed to the solvent and the N-terminal region folded into a spring-loaded apex that, after protease activation, drastically remodels into an extended needle by a mechanism akin to that of influenza haemagglutinin. These results provide the molecular basis for Vip3 activation and function, and serves as a strong foundation for the development of more efficient insecticidal proteins

Childhood emotional trauma and cyberbullying perpetration among emerging adults: a multiple mediation model of the role of problematic social media use and psychopathology

Research suggests that a small minority of social media users experience problems as a result of their online use. The purpose of the present study was to examine the association of cyberbullying perpetration and problematic social media use with childhood emotional trauma, Cluster B (narcissistic, histrionic, antisocial, and borderline) personality traits, dissociative experiences (DEs), depression, and self-esteem in a nonclinical undergraduate sample. A total of 344 university students volunteered to complete a questionnaire that included measures on the aforementioned dimensions. Thirty-eight percent of the participants had emotional neglect and 27% had emotional abuse, while 44% of them demonstrated at least one cyberbullying perpetration behavior. Results indicated that cyberbullying perpetrators had higher scores on problematic social media use, dissociative experiences, Cluster B traits, depression and childhood emotional trauma, and lower on self-esteem. Path analysis demonstrated that, while adjusting for gender and age, childhood emotional trauma was directly and indirectly associated with cyberbullying perpetration via Cluster B traits. Moreover, depression and dissociation were directly associated with problematic social media use. The findings of this study emphasize the important direct role of childhood emotional trauma and pathological personality traits on cyberbullying perpetration

Development and validation of the Online Histrionic Personality Scale (OHPS) using the DSM-5 criteria for Histrionic Personality Disorder

The present study evaluated personality presentation in online environments in terms of histrionic personality. The aim of the study was to develop the Online Histrionic Personality Scale (OHPS). The OHPS was developed using the diagnostic criteria for histrionic personality disorder (HPD) in the DSM-5 and assesses histrionic behavior in online environments. The present study comprised 381 university students (219 females and 162 males) from four different samples. The validity of the OHPS was investigated utilizing exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and criterion validity. As a result of the EFA, a single-factor structure with an eigenvalue of 3.850 was found and accounted for 48.12% of the total variance. This one-dimensional structure was tested with CFA in two different samples. CFA results show that OHPS had an acceptable fit. The criterion validity of the OHPS was examined with the Desire for Being Liked Scale (DBLS) and the Histrionic Personality Belief subscale of the Personality Belief Questionnaire-Short Form (PBQ-STF). Analysis showed that the OHPS was significantly associated with desire for being liked (r = .65, p < .01) and histrionic personality beliefs (r = .70, p < .01). The reliability of the OHPS was evaluated with Cronbach’s α internal consistency reliability coefficient and corrected item total correlation coefficient in three different samples. The Cronbach α internal consistency coefficients of the OHPS were .84 (EFA sample), .88 (CFA sample), and .88 (criterion validity sample). Corrected item total correlation coefficients of OHPS ranged from .53 to .62 in the EFA sample, .47 to .78 in the CFA sample, and .52 to .76 in the criterion validity sample. The distribution of data was examined with floor and ceiling effects in three different samples. Finally, the standard error of measurement (SEM) was calculated in three different samples. There were no floor and ceiling effects in the data, and the SEM values were within acceptable limits. When validity and reliability analyses of the OHPS are considered as a whole, it is concluded that the OHPS is a valid and reliable scale that assesses online histrionic personality among university students

Association between fear of childbirth and maternal acceptance of pregnancy

PMID = 2849786

Correlation between smartphone addiction and dysfunctional attitudes in nursing/midwifery students

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to determine the correlation between smartphone addiction and dysfunctional attitudes. DESIGN AND METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted with the students of Nursing/Midwifery Department of a state university from March 01 to April 01, 2018. FINDINGS: Participant students had a mean score of 27.25 ± 11.41 in smartphone addiction scale and a mean score of 27.96 ± 14.74 in dysfunctional attitudes scale. The number of students' friends was found to affect their problem solving skills. Loneliness levels of participant students affected their dysfunctional attitude scores. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: It is highly important for our country to have sufficient knowledge of smartphone addiction, detect the dysfunctional attitudes and develop nursing care methods