Discordance in Recovery Between Altered Locomotion and Muscle Atrophy Induced by Simulated Microgravity in Rats

Exposure to a microgravity environment leads to adverse effects in motion and musculoskeletal properties. However, few studies have investigated the recovery of altered locomotion and muscle atrophy simultaneously. The authors investigated altered locomotion in rats submitted to simulated microgravity by hindlimb unloading for 2 weeks. Motion deficits were characterized by hyperextension of the knees and ankle joints and forward-shifted limb motion. Furthermore, these locomotor deficits did not revert to their original form after a 2-week recovery period, although muscle atrophy in the hindlimbs had recovered, implying discordance in recovery between altered locomotion and muscle atrophy, and that other factors such as neural drives might control behavioral adaptations to microgravity.     

The moderating role of positive beliefs about worry in the relationship between stressful events and worry

Some theorists suggest that worry is elevated by positive beliefs when stressful events occur. Although several cross-sectional studies have revealed an association between positive beliefs and worry, few longitudinal studies have been conducted on this topic. Moreover, the effect of positive beliefs as a moderator on worry when stressful events occur has not been investigated. Against this background, the present study conducted a two-wave longitudinal survey to examine the moderating role of positive beliefs. One hundred and ninety-four college students voluntarily completed questionnaires. Hierarchical regression analysis showed a prospective relationship between the experience of stressful events and the subjective report of worry. Moreover, this relationship was moderated by an interaction with positive beliefs; stressful events were a stronger predictor of the extent of worry for individuals with a high level of positive beliefs than for those with a low level of positive beliefs. The moderating role of positive beliefs suggests that the level of positive beliefs amplifies the threat of worry caused by stressful events.     

Women and “body-isms” in television beer commercials

Research on women in print advertisements has shown that pictures of women's bodies and body parts (body-isms) appear more often than pictures of men's bodies. Men's faces (face-isms) are photographed more often than their bodies. This present study is the first to confirm this finding for television commercials. Results showed that men appear twice as often as women in beer commercials. The body-isms of women significantly outnumbered the body-isms of men. Women also appeared in swimwear more often than men, thus increasing the photo opportunities for body-isms. This study raises concerns about the dehumanizing influence of these images in beer commercials, and their association with alcohol use and the violence in the televised sporting events during which beer commercials are frequently aired.     

Microstructural evolution of single-walled carbon nanotubes under electron irradiation

A sample containing single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) has been annealed at 900°C and then irradiated by high-energy electrons in an ultrahigh-vacuum transmission electron microscope. Sequential high-resolution images showed that the structures of SWCNT bundles and individual SWCNT segments first collapsed into disordered and fullerene-like carbon materials and then reorganized into graphitic particles under continuous electron irradiation. The speed of structural evolution is dependent on the flux density of the electron irradiation.     

Enhanced recovery of NK cell activity in mice under restraint stress by the administration of a biological response modifier derived from the mycelia of the basidiomycete Tricholoma matsutake

Some types of stressor act on the immune system via the network comprising the endocrine-immune-nervous systems, and are reportedly responsible for the onset of diseases as well as giving impetus to their advance. It is important for the maintenance and promotion of health to cope with stress-induced changes in immunocompetence. Therefore, we studied the effects of administration of a novel biological response modifier (CM6271) derived from the mycelia of the basidiomycete Tricholoma matsutake on the NK cell activity in mice under restraint stress, in order to evaluate its potential to modulate immune responsiveness in stress-loaded individuals. (1) When C57BL/6 mice were restrained in 50-ml tubes for more than 6 h, splenic NK cell activity decreased significantly, but recovered gradually after the mice were released. The extent of the reduction of activity and the degree of recovery depended on the duration of the restraint. (2) The oral administration of CM6271 caused a significant acceleration of the recovery of the activity. This effect was dependent on the timing of administration and the dose given. (3) The administration of CM6271 had no clear effect on the blood levels of ACTH, corticosterone or lipid peroxide levels in the liver. These findings suggest that CM6271 promotes recovery from the decrease in NK cell activity induced by restraint stress.     

Development of the Brief Personal Values Inventory for Sense of Values

The Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) is a widely used questionnaire for assessing sense of values; however, it is difficult to apply for children and adolescents. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a questionnaire for sense of values, called the Brief Personal Values Inventory (BPVI), consisting of simple questions and fewer items compared to the PVQ. We first created 12 items for the BPVI and then tested criterion-related validity with values in the PVQ-57 in 167 Japanese general population participants (81 males, mean age [SD], range: 23.4 [8.2], 15–57 years). Each of these items was correlated with one or more of the values in the PVQ-57 and covered all higher-order values in Schwartz's theory (openness to change, self-enhancement, conservation, and self-transcendence). In summary, the BPVI adequately corresponded with Schwartz's value theory, indicating an acceptable criterion-related validity. This questionnaire is applicable to a wide population, including adolescents, and will be a useful tool for researchers to elucidate the developmental pathway of personal sense of values.     

Repetitive Thought and Self-Reported Sleep Disturbance

Repetitive thought has been focused upon as a transdiagnostic risk factor for depression, anxiety, and poor physical health. Among the forms of repetitive thought, rumination and worry are considered to play important roles in the onset and maintenance of insomnia. However, there have been few attempts to clarify the similarities, differences, and interaction between the functions of rumination and worry in sleep problems. Furthermore, no study has investigated the prospective relationships between these two forms of repetitive thought and sleep disturbance. In the present study, we examined the prospective associations between repetitive thought and subjective sleep quality, measured by a self-report questionnaire. A total of 208 undergraduates participated in a 2-wave longitudinal survey with an interval of 3 weeks between assessments. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed that baseline rumination predicted reduction in the follow-up assessment of subjective sleep quality, controlling for levels of depressive and anxious symptoms. This main effect of rumination was qualified by the levels of worry; for individuals with higher levels of worry, rumination was associated with greater reduction in subjective sleep quality. These results suggest that both rumination and worry have unique associations with sleep and that their interaction is especially important in sleep problems.     

Is self-positive information more appealing than money? Individual differences in positivity bias according to depressive symptoms

The self-positivity bias, which is inherent to healthy people, is known to be blunted in depression. The lack of positive or excessive negative self-reference is considered to be a potential mechanism underlying depressive rumination. However, the motivational factors that drive people to approach and avoid emotional self-related materials are still unclear. Therefore, we measured intrinsic motivation that is associated with emotional self-references by using a reward-based decision-making task (pay-per-view paradigm). Forty-nine undergraduates completed two tasks in which they were asked to choose between negative vs. positive references (Task 1) and self vs. other references (Task 2) for variable monetary rewards. Participants with lower levels of depressive symptoms showed a self-positivity bias, sacrificing rewards for the opportunity to engage in positive self-reference, whereas those with higher levels of depressive symptoms had no specific preference for either negative or positive self-reference (Task 1). However, all participants sacrificed monetary rewards for the opportunity for self-reference versus other reference, regardless of the symptom level or the primed valence (Task 2). Together, these findings suggest that depressive cognition could be characterised by the lack of intrinsic motivation for positive self-reference, which is attributable to the biased valence selection, but not to self–other preferences.