The Effect of a Real Dog,Toy Dog and Friendly Person on Insecurely Attached Children During a Stressful Task: An Exploratory Study

ABSTRACT

The regulation of stress by an attachment figure is a key feature of attachment relationships. Previous research suggests that in some cases animal companionship may be regarded as an attachment relationship. This may be particularly important for persons with an insecure or disorganized attachment pattern who may find it more difficult than securely attached individuals to accept social support from humans. In our study, we investigated whether 31 boys (aged 7–12 years) with insecure/disorganized attachment would profit more from the presence of a dog (n = 11) than of a friendly human (n = 11) or a toy dog (n = 9) as support during a socially stressful situation (Trier Social Stress Test for Children, TSST-C). Stress levels were assessed via salivary cortisol recorded five times before, during, and after the TSST-C. The behavior of the children was coded from video recordings. Self-reported stress levels did not significantly differ between the groups before and after the TSST-C. Salivary cortisol, however, was significantly lower in the real dog condition than in the other two conditions (Kruskal-Wallis H test on area under the curve increase (AUCi): χ² = 15.17, df = 2, p = 0.001). Also, the more the children stroked the dog, the less pronounced was their stress reaction (r_s = ?0.818, p = 0.002). Our data suggest an important role of physical contact in the stress reducing effect. We conclude that the children investigated profited more from interacting with a friendly dog than with either a human or a toy dog in a stressful situation. We discuss the relevance of our findings for animal-assisted interventions.     

The Exocyst: Dynamic Machine or Static Tethering Complex?

The exocyst is a conserved octameric complex that physically tethers a vesicle to the plasma membrane, prior to membrane fusion. It is important not only for secretion and membrane delivery but also, in mammalian cells, for cytokinesis, ciliogenesis, autophagy, tumorigenesis, and host defense. The combination of genome editing and advanced light microscopy of exocyst subunits in living cells has recently shown the complex to be much more dynamic than previously appreciated, and exposed how little we still know about its function and regulation.     

Adhesion of Pseudomonas putida onto Palygorskite and Sepiolite Clay Minerals

Adhesion of bacteria to clay minerals is of great importance in both natural soil environments and technological applications. In the present study, equilibrium experiments along with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were used to investigate the adhesion of Pseudomonas putida to the palygorskite and sepiolite clay minerals. The results showed that bacterial adhesion was rapid and reached equilibrium within 30 min. Equilibrium data showed that sepiolite has higher capacity and affinity than palygorskite for P. putida retention. Mixed FT-IR peak features of the clay minerals and P. putida were observed in the clay–bacteria complex spectra, indicating significant adhesion of P. putida to the minerals. However, some differences in the position of the individual bands were observed between infrared spectra obtained for pure bacteria or clay minerals and their corresponding clay–bacteria complexes, which are believed to be related to clay–bacteria interactions via different mechanisms. SEM/EDX analysis demonstrated fine fibrous clay particles adhered to the surface of individual P. putida cells. The results revealed rapid and close interactions of palygorskite and sepiolite with P. putida cells, which is important for better understanding the fate of bacteria in soil systems dominated by fibrous clay minerals and their practical applications in bioengineering and biotechnology.     

The Emotional Lives of Companion Animals: Attachment and Subjective Claims by Owners of Cats and Dogs

There is a growing body of scientific evidence supporting the existence of emotions in nonhuman animals. Companion-animal owners show a strong connection and attachment to their animals and readily assign emotions to them. In this paper we present information on how the attachment level of companion-animal owners correlates with their attribution of emotions to their companion cat or dog and their attribution of mirrored emotions. The results of an online questionnaire, completed by 1,023 Dutch-speaking cat and/or dog owners (mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium), suggest that owners attribute several emotions to their pets. Respondents attributed all posited basic (anger, joy [happiness], fear, surprise, disgust, and sadness) and complex (shame, jealousy, disappointment, and compassion) emotions to their companion animals, with a general trend toward basic emotions (with the exception of sadness) being more commonly attributed than complex emotions. All pet owners showed strong attachment to their companion animal(s), with the degree of attachment (of both cat and dog owners) varying significantly with education level and gender. Owners who ascribed human characteristics to their dog or cat also scored higher on the Pet Bonding Scale (PBS). Finally, owners who found it pleasant to pet their dog or cat had a higher average PBS score than those who did not like to do so. The relationship between owners’ attributions of mirrored emotions and the degree of attachment to dogs was significant for all emotions, whilst for cats this relationship was significant only for joy, sadness, surprise, shame, disappointment, and compassion.     

Optimizing Attachment of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Poly(ε-caprolactone) Electrospun Yarns

Research into biomaterials and tissue engineering often includes cell-based in vitro investigations, which require initial knowledge of the starting cell number. While researchers commonly reference their seeding density this does not necessarily indicate the actual number of cells that have adhered to the material in question. This is particularly the case for materials, or scaffolds, that do not cover the base of standard cell culture well plates. This study investigates the initial attachment of human mesenchymal stem cells seeded at a known number onto electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) yarn after 4 hr in culture. Electrospun yarns were held within several different set-ups, including bioreactor vessels rotating at 9 rpm, cell culture inserts positioned in low binding well plates and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) troughs placed within petri dishes. The latter two were subjected to either static conditions or positioned on a shaker plate (30 rpm). After 4 hr incubation at 37 ^oC, 5% CO₂, the location of seeded cells was determined by cell DNA assay. Scaffolds were removed from their containers and placed in lysis buffer. The media fraction was similarly removed and centrifuged – the supernatant discarded and pellet broken up with lysis buffer. Lysis buffer was added to each receptacle, or well, and scraped to free any cells that may be present. The cell DNA assay determined the percentage of cells present within the scaffold, media and well fractions. Cell attachment was low for all experimental set-ups, with greatest attachment (30%) for yarns held within cell culture inserts and subjected to shaking motion. This study raises awareness to the actual number of cells attaching to scaffolds irrespective of the stated cell seeding density.     

Is body surface temperature measured on the single lambs’ back a reliable indicator of the ewe-lamb bond around birth?

In extensive sheep production systems, most of the lambs' deaths are related to their low vitality at birth, and an inadequate ewe-lamb bond, leading to lambs' hypothermia. In this context, the aim of this study was to determine if lambs' rectal and body surface temperatures were related to the ewes and lambs behaviours at birth and during a separation-reunion test performed 24–36 h later. Rectal and body surface temperatures of lambs were recorded using a digital thermometer and an infrared thermal camera, respectively, and were related to several ewe and lamb behaviours. Rectal temperature was inversely related to the duration of the first suckling at birth. As for lambs' weight, body surface temperatures recorded at birth were inversely related to its latency to suckle for the first time. Body surface temperatures recorded during a separation-reunion test were positively related to the ewe-lamb distance during it. Body surface temperature recorded at birth was negatively related to behaviours recorded during the separation-reunion test, such as the number of lamb vocalizations, the ewe-lamb distance and the latency to suckle after the ewe-lamb separation. Body surface temperatures were greater after the separation-reunion test than at birth. We concluded that lambs' body surface temperatures seem to be indicators of the lambs’ vitality at birth and of the strength of the ewe-lamb bond measured one day after birth.     

Effects of euploid blastocyst morphological development on reproductive outcomes

Blastocyst culture and transplantation have now been widely used in most reproductive centers. Our aim was to explore the effects of euploid blastocyst morphological development on the reproductive outcomes of frozen–thawed euploid blastocysts on the fifth day or sixth day. The retrospective analysis included the clinical data of 849 patients who underwent euploid blastocyst transplantation between January 2014 and January 2018. The patients were divided into well-developed blastocysts (BB) or poorly developed blastocysts (BC, CB) groups according to blastocyst morphology grade. The intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was carried out on the day of egg retrieval. Morphological evaluation of the resulting blastocysts was performed on Day5 or Day6 of in vitro culture. The pregnancy rate, cumulative pregnancy rate, live birth rate and cumulative live birth rate were the highest in the BB group (P ≤ 0.001). In addition, not only the pregnancy rate of CB group Day5 was lower than that of the BB (P = 0.005) and BC (P = 0.042) groups, but the live birth rate in CB group was lower than BB (P = 0.001) and BC (P = 0.007) groups. However, there was no difference in miscarriage rate among the three groups (P = 0.154). Furthermore, the miscarriage rate of BB (P = 0.048) and BC (P = 0.019) groups at the Day5 cycle was lower than the Day6 cycle. Blastocyst morphological development has positive effects on pregnancy rate and live birth rate, but has no effect on miscarriage rate.     

Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Maintain ESC Stemness by Activating FAK

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Engineered antifouling microtopographies: mapping preferential and inhibitory microenvironments for zoospore attachment

An algorithm was developed and implemented to map the locations of attached spores of Ulva linza on patterned surfaces. Using this mapping algorithm, spore preference among regions within a pattern can be detected and quantified. Settlement maps of spores on patterned topographies from several assays showed clear preferences in spore settlement. Over 94% of the spores attached within the depressed regions on the surfaces, including a surface containing pits instead of protruding features. The spores attached primarily at the intersections of several features, with over half and up to 96% of spores settling in these regions. The highest spore densities occurred at intersections where the features were most dissimilar. In contrast, the location of attached beads on the surfaces was nearly uniform across the surface. Identification of preferential attachment locations allows for the study of localized properties that influence cell behavior and aids in the development of new surfaces to control cell–surface interactions.     

Do Men Underreport and Mask Their Emotional Attachment to Animal Companions? The Influence of Precarious Masculinity on Men’s Bonds with Their Dogs

Males’ underreporting of psychological issues, physical symptoms, and personal information is commonplace both in medical and psychological settings in North America. One explanation for this occurrence is men that endorse traditional forms of masculine gender roles underreport or mask their symptoms to avoid being perceived as less masculine. In a similar way, the thesis of the current study was males may also mask and underreport the strength of attachment to their animal companions due to masculinity concerns. These males may also have more difficulty explaining why the bond is of importance. To address these notions, we developed the Human–Animal Interaction Conflicts scale (HAIC) consisting of two psychometrically sound subscales that measure conflicts male owners may have related to their pets. The first subscale involves limiting affection conflict (LAC), which measures underreporting or masking affectionate behavior around animal companions. The second entails conflict explaining the importance of the bond (EBC), which results in males not providing clear or accurate remarks when attempting to describe the bond’s significance. The results from linear regressions analyses support the hypothesis that males endorsing traditional forms of masculine gender (as measured by the Precarious Masculinity Scale) underreport or mask their affectionate behaviors toward animal companions. Similarly, these same men also report more difficulty placing into words the bond they have with their dogs. The current study not only has implications for mental health and medical providers but may also help explain past research where males self-report lower levels of attachment to dogs.