Alcohol Use, Drinking Motivations, and Depression Among College Students: The Roles of Sociotropy and Autonomy

Sociotropy and autonomy are two cognitive personality dimensions, or personality styles, that have been implicated in the way individuals may uniquely develop, experience, and respond to treatment for depression. The goal of the current study was to investigate whether these cognitive personality dimensions are differentially related to drinking motivations and alcohol-related behaviors among college students. Participants included 311 college students (Mage = 23.1, 63% male) recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Results partially supported hypothesized relationships showing that generally, those higher in sociotropy were more likely to endorse external motivations for drinking (i.e. social and conformity motives), while those higher in autonomy were more likely to endorse internal motivations for drinking (i.e., coping motives). Moreover, results showed that sociotropy moderated the relationship between social drinking motives and binge drinking, and that gender did not impact this result. In comparison, autonomy moderated the relationship between coping drinking motives and alcohol-related negative consequences, and this relationship varied as a function of gender. Findings provide initial evidence that sociotropy and autonomy are differentially related to student drinking motivations and alcohol-related behaviors. Research that is sensitive to the heterogeneous nature of the development, maintenance, and treatment for depression may yield important treatment implications when considering alcohol misuse among college students

Native Conformation and Canonical Disulfide Bond Formation Are Interlinked Properties of HIV-1 Env Glycoproteins

We investigated whether there is any association between a native-like conformation and the presence of only the canonical (i.e., native) disulfide bonds in the gp120 subunits of a soluble recombinant human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope (Env) glycoprotein. We used a mass spectrometry (MS)-based method to map the disulfide bonds present in nonnative uncleaved gp140 proteins and native-like SOSIP.664 trimers based on the BG505 env gene. Our results show that uncleaved gp140 proteins were not homogeneous, in that substantial subpopulations (20 to 80%) contained aberrant disulfide bonds. In contrast, the gp120 subunits of the native-like SOSIP.664 trimer almost exclusively retained the canonical disulfide bond pattern. We also observed that the purification method could influence the proportion of an Env protein population that contained aberrant disulfide bonds. We infer that gp140 proteins may always contain a variable but substantial proportion of aberrant disulfide bonds but that the impact of this problem can be minimized via design and/or purification strategies that yield native-like trimers. The same factors may also be relevant to the production and purification of monomeric gp120 proteins that are free of aberrant disulfide bonds

Repertoires of habitual emotion regulation strategy use in trauma-exposed undergraduates: associations with PTSD symptoms and emotional awareness

Emotion regulation (ER) is theorized to play a prominent role in the development and maintenance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Although a large literature has documented the links between several ER strategies and PTSD symptoms, recent advancements in ER research emphasize the need to move beyond the treatment of ER strategies as isolated processes. Instead, there is a growing movement to understand ER repertoires, or the patterns in which trauma-exposed individuals select and deploy the multiple ER strategies available to them based on the demands and opportunities imposed by the situation. Accordingly, the nuanced information derived from attending to and understanding one’s emotional experiences might play a key role in facilitating the effective selection and implementation of ER strategies. The current study examined person-centered repertoires of the habitual use of eleven ER strategies among 372 undergraduates exposed to Criterion A trauma – and their relations to PTSD symptoms and two key facets of emotional awareness (attention to emotion and emotional clarity). Latent profile analysis yielded a three-profile solution (Adaptive, Average, and Maladaptive Regulators) and profile differences were evident with respect to PTSD symptoms and emotional clarity, but not attention to emotion, even after adjusting for negative affect. Findings suggest that successful identification and understanding of one’s emotions might help foster healthy use of ER strategies and buffer against the development of PTSD among trauma-exposed individuals

How Stable Are Human Aesthetic Preferences Across the Lifespan?

How stable are human aesthetic preferences, and how does stability change over the lifespan? Here we investigate the stability of aesthetic taste in a cross-sectional study.We employed a simple rank-order preference task using paintings and photographs of faces and landscapes. In each of the four stimulus classes, we find that aesthetic stability generally follows an inverted U-shaped function, with the greatest degree of stability appearing in early to middle adulthood. We propose that one possible interpretation of this result is that it indicates a role for cognitive control (i.e., the ability to adapt cognition to current situations) in the construction of aesthetic taste, since cognitive control performance follows a generally similar trajectory across the lifespan. However, human aesthetic stability is on the whole rather low: even the most stable age groups show ranking changes of at least 1 rank per item over a 2-week span. We discuss possible implications for these findings in terms of existing theories of visual aesthetics and in terms of methodological considerations, though we acknowledge that other interpretations of our results are possible

Meeting report: a hard look at the state of enamel research.

The Encouraging Novel Amelogenesis Models and Ex vivo cell Lines (ENAMEL) Development workshop was held on 23 June 2017 at the Bethesda headquarters of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). Discussion topics included model organisms, stem cells/cell lines, and tissues/3D cell culture/organoids. Scientists from a number of disciplines, representing institutions from across the United States, gathered to discuss advances in our understanding of enamel, as well as future directions for the field

АДАПТАЦИОННЫЕ ВОЗМОЖНОСТИ, ФЕРТИЛЬНОСТЬ И ЖИЗНЕСПОСОБНОСТЬ ПОТОМСТВА САМОК КРЫС ПРИ РАЗЛИЧНОЙ ДЛИТЕЛЬНОСТИ ВОЗДЕЙСТВИЯ ЭТАНОЛА

The investigation was carried out on the white outbred female rats (n = 80) which were being under the influence of15 % solution of ethanol during pregnancy, from the first to the sixth months before its approach and on their viable posterity (n = 440). Anatomic, macro-microscopic and statistical methods of research were used. Two periods of increasing mortality in rats were revealed: the first fell on 1st month of the experiment (mortality reached 25 %) and the second - on 5th and 6th months of the experiment when this indicator rose up to 10 %. The rats' pregnancy duration was increased: the most considerable prolongation of pregnancy (for 5 days) was determined in the female rats which were under the ethanol influence within six months before its approach. The pre-implantation mortality was prevailed in structure of the general antenatal mortality. The highest rates of these indicators were noted in the rats under the ethanol only during pregnancy, and also within two and six months before its approach. The maximum post-implantation mortality was registered in the animals which were affected by alcohol throughout five months before pregnancy. The indicator of mortality of posterity in the early post-natal period reached 100 % in posterity of female rats under the ethanol within three months before pregnancy and for its duration.Работа выполнена на самках беспородных белых крыс (n = 80), находившихся под воздействием 15 %-го раствора этанола во время беременности, от одного до шести месяцев до ее наступления, и на их жизнеспособном потомстве (n = 440). Использованы анатомические, макромикроскопические и статистические методы исследования. Выявлено два периода повышения уровня смертности самок крыс: первый приходился на 1-й месяц эксперимента (смертность достигала 25 %) и второй - 5-й и 6-й месяцы эксперимента, когда этот показатель повышался до 10 %. У крыс наблюдалось увеличение длительности беременности: наиболее значительная пролонгация беременности (на 5 дней) выявилась у самок, находившихся под воздействием этанола в течение шести месяцев до ее наступления. В структуре общей внутриутробной смертности преобладала доимплантационная смертность, наиболее высокие показатели которой отмечались у крыс, получавших этанол только во время беременности, а также в течение двух и шести месяцев до ее наступления. Максимальная постимплантационная смертность регистрировалась у самок, подвергавшихся воздействию алкоголя на протяжении пяти месяцев до беременности. Показатель смертности потомства в раннем постнатальном периоде достигал 100 % у потомства самок, получавших этанол в течение трех месяцев до наступления беременности и на ее протяжении

Spectropolarimetry of R Coronae Borealis in 1998--2003: Discovery of Transient Polarization at Maximum Brightness

We present an extended optical spectropolarimetry of R CrB from 1998 January to 2003 September. The polarization was almost constant in the phase of maximum brightness, being consistent with past observations. We detected, however, temporal changes of polarization ($\sim 0.5$ %) in 2001 March and August, which were the first detection of large polarization variability in R CrB near maximum brightness. The amplitude and the position angle of the `transient polarization' were almost constant with wavelength in both two events. There was a difference by about 20 degrees in the position angle between the two events. Each event could be explained by light scattering due to short-lived dust puff occasionally ejected off the line of sight. The flatness of the polarization against the wavelength suggests that the scatterer is a mixture of dust grains having various sizes. The rapid growth and fading of the transient polarization favors the phenomenological model of dust formation near the stellar photosphere (e.g., within two stellar radii) proposed for the time evolution of brightness and chromospheric emission lines during deeply declining periods, although the fading timescale can hardly be explained by a simple dispersal of expanding dust puff with a velocity of $\sim 200-350$ km s $^{-1}$. Higher expansion velocity or some mechanism to destroy the dust grains should be needed.Comment: 22 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in A

In Vivo Binding and Retention of CD4-Specific DARPin 57.2 in Macaques

The recently described Designed Ankyrin Repeat Protein (DARPin) technology can produce highly selective ligands to a variety of biological targets at a low production cost.To investigate the in vivo use of DARPins for future application to novel anti-HIV strategies, we identified potent CD4-specific DARPins that recognize rhesus CD4 and followed the fate of intravenously injected CD4-specific DARPin 57.2 in rhesus macaques. The human CD4-specific DARPin 57.2 bound macaque CD4(+) cells and exhibited potent inhibitory activity against SIV infection in vitro. DARPin 57.2 or the control E3_5 DARPin was injected into rhesus macaques and the fate of cell-free and cell-bound CD4-specific DARPin was evaluated. DARPin-bound CD4(+) cells were detected in the peripheral blood as early as 30 minutes after the injection, decreasing within 6 hours and being almost undetectable within 24 hours. The amount of DARPin bound was dependent on the amount of DARPin injected. CD4-specific DARPin was also detected on CD4(+) cells in the lymph nodes within 30 minutes, which persisted with similar kinetics to blood. More extensive analysis using blood revealed that DARPin 57.2 bound to all CD4(+) cell types (T cells, monocytes, dendritic cells) in vivo and in vitro with the amount of binding directly proportional to the amount of CD4 on the cell surface. Cell-free DARPins were also detected in the plasma, but were rapidly cleared from circulation.We demonstrated that the CD4-specific DARPin can rapidly and selectively bind its target cells in vivo, warranting further studies on possible clinical use of the DARPin technology

Two HIV-1 Variants Resistant to Small Molecule CCR5 Inhibitors Differ in How They Use CCR5 for Entry

HIV-1 variants resistant to small molecule CCR5 inhibitors recognize the inhibitor-CCR5 complex, while also interacting with free CCR5. The most common genetic route to resistance involves sequence changes in the gp120 V3 region, a pathway followed when the primary isolate CC1/85 was cultured with the AD101 inhibitor in vitro, creating the CC101.19 resistant variant. However, the D1/86.16 escape mutant contains no V3 changes but has three substitutions in the gp41 fusion peptide. By using CCR5 point-mutants and gp120-targeting agents, we have investigated how infectious clonal viruses derived from the parental and both resistant isolates interact with CCR5. We conclude that the V3 sequence changes in CC101.19 cl.7 create a virus with an increased dependency on interactions with the CCR5 N-terminus. Elements of the CCR5 binding site associated with the V3 region and the CD4-induced (CD4i) epitope cluster in the gp120 bridging sheet are more exposed on the native Env complex of CC101.19 cl.7, which is sensitive to neutralization via these epitopes. However, D1/86.16 cl.23 does not have an increased dependency on the CCR5 N-terminus, and its CCR5 binding site has not become more exposed. How this virus interacts with the inhibitor-CCR5 complex remains to be understood