How long do mood induction procedure (MIP) primes really last? Implications for cognitive vulnerability research.

BACKGROUND: Mood Induction Procedures (MIPs) are used widely in research on cognitive vulnerability to depression. Although empirical evidence supports certain MIPs as effective, little research has evaluated whether MIP-induced sad moods are sufficiently persistent. This study aimed to determine (1) how long an MIP-induced mood lasts according to commonly used operational definitions and (2) whether these findings vary according to the type of MIP used. METHODS: Four-hundred-and-one undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of three commonly used sad MIPs (music, memory, music+memory) or to one of three matched neutral MIPs. Mood was repeatedly measured immediately prior to and following the MIP. RESULTS: Results did not support the widely held belief that commonly used MIPs induce a sufficient and persistent sad mood. The memory-related MIPs induced the most persistent sad mood. Based on the majority of operational definitions, however, induced mood effects did not last longer than 4 min, regardless of MIP type. LIMITATIONS: Future studies should examine additional factors that may have affected the trajectories observed in the current study (e.g., task completed in between mood measurements) and in vulnerable (e.g., past-depressed) populations. CONCLUSIONS: This study constitutes an important first step in validating the use of MIPs in cognitive vulnerability research and provides researchers with important information on future study designs. More important, the study raises doubt about the validity of various conclusions drawn from some MIP studies and calls into question the theoretical conceptualizations of depression that are based on potentially biased results and a possibly incomplete literature.

SUMO Pathway Modulation of Regulatory Protein Binding at the Ribosomal DNA Locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In this report, we identify cellular targets of Ulp2, one of two Saccharomyces cerevisiae small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) proteases, and investigate the function of SUMO modification of these proteins. PolySUMO conjugates from ulp2Δ and ulp2Δ slx5Δ cells were isolated using an engineered affinity reagent containing the four SUMO-interacting motifs (SIMs) of Slx5, a component of the Slx5/Slx8 SUMO-targeted ubiquitin ligase (STUbL). Two proteins identified, Net1 and Tof2, regulate ribosomal DNA (rDNA) silencing and were found to be hypersumoylated in ulp2Δ,slx5Δ, and ulp2Δ slx5Δ cells. The increase in sumoylation of Net1 and Tof2 in ulp2Δ, but not ulp1ts cells, indicates that these nucleolar proteins are specific substrates of Ulp2 Based on quantitative chromatin-immunoprecipitation assays, both Net1 and Tof2 lose binding to their rDNA sites in ulp2Δ cells and both factors largely regain this association in ulp2Δ slx5Δ A parsimonious interpretation of these results is that hypersumoylation of these proteins causes them to be ubiquitylated by Slx5/Slx8, impairing their association with rDNA. Fob1, a protein that anchors both Net1 and Tof2 to the replication-fork barrier (RFB) in the rDNA repeats, is sumoylated in wild-type cells, and its modification levels increase specifically in ulp2Δ cells. Fob1 experiences a 50% reduction in rDNA binding in ulp2Δ cells, which is also rescued by elimination of Slx5 Additionally, overexpression of Sir2, another RFB-associated factor, suppresses the growth defect of ulp2Δ cells. Our data suggest that regulation of rDNA regulatory proteins by Ulp2 and the Slx5/Slx8 STUbL may be the cause of multiple ulp2Δ cellular defects.

Igniting Transformative Change in Dementia Care Through Research-based Drama.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: Little research has examined the lasting impact of the arts. As part of a longitudinal research project, we set out to examine how personal images, understandings, and actions of family members (FMs) of persons with dementia and health care professionals (HCPs) change after the introduction of a research-based drama about the experiences of living with dementia called I'm Still Here. This article focuses on the shorter- (6 weeks) and longer-term (12 months) experiences of engaging with I'm Still Here and how those experiences triggered personal transformation. DESIGN AND METHODS: Informed by phenomenology, this article presents findings from follow-up telephone interviews conducted 6 weeks and 12 months after FMs of persons with dementia and HCPs attended a live performance of I'm Still Here. RESULTS: The phenomenological shifts reflected in the longitudinal data suggest a process of engagement with research-based drama that involves four themes: bearing witness to suffering evokes compassion; expanding with new awareness and understanding; finding comfort, confidence, and courage to change; and envisioning and enacting new possibilities. IMPLICATIONS: Findings demonstrate the possibilities of the arts for knowledge mobilization in changing the culture of dementia care through a process of illuminating new and enduring realizations and transforming actions and practices.

Phenomenological shifts for healthcare professionals after experiencing a research-based drama on living with dementia.

AIM: The aim of this article is to report research findings describing phenomenological shifts, that is, changes in patterns of lived experience, for healthcare professionals who attended a performance of a research-based drama, called I'm Still Here. BACKGROUND: The research drama, based on six studies, was created to help change the ways persons understand, think about and relate with persons living with dementia. METHODS: In 2006-2007, 50 healthcare professionals from various disciplines and eight nursing students participated in this study. Participants were recruited from four Canadian cities in the province of Ontario where focus groups were held before and after engaging in a live performance of I'm Still Here. FINDINGS: Analysis of focus group transcripts showed shifts in patterns of lived experience for the healthcare professional participants as evident in the participants' descriptions. The phenomenological shifts reflected a move from descriptions of 'diminishing humanness to discerning humanness', from 'disengaged care/mundane relating to reflexive relating in the now', and 'terrifying portrayals of loss to awakening to hopeful possibility'. The shifts described herein are supported with examples from the focus group transcripts. CONCLUSIONS: Findings reveal the power of drama as a vibrant and meaningful means of shifting understandings, images and intended actions of healthcare professions which have the potential to affect the lived experiences, relationships and quality of life of persons with dementia.

The characterisation of supported platinum nanoparticles on carbon used for enantioselective hydrogenation: a combined electrochemical-STM approach.

The action of chiral modifiers like cinchonine and cinchonidine in facilitating enationselectivity in heterogeneous catalysis is investigated using a combination of electrochemical and scanning probe methods. The surface chirality of corner kink sites is suggested as being crucial for chirality recognition at supported catalyst nanoparticles. Other aspects of chirality in relation to one, two, three and four dimensions are also discussed.