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Abstract: One of the morphological symptoms of old age in trees is the development of rough bark on trunks and branches. Here we characterized pear seedlings with a unique phenotype, early rough bark (ERB). Eight-year-old normal and ERB seedlings from a cross between the European pear (Pyrus communis) cultivar ‘Bartlett’ and the Chinese pear (Pyrus bretschneideri) cultivar ‘Yali’ were used for morphological analyses and the determination of carbohydrates and lignin. Many rough surface patches were observed on the stems of 2-year-old ERB shoots, and most stem surfaces were covered by rough bark in 3-year-old ERB shoots while most stem surfaces were smooth in 2- and 3-year-old normal shoots. ERB plants also displayed rough-barked trunks, and the trunk surface was relatively smooth in normal plants. The content of lignin, one of the major components of cork tissues, was higher in ERB plants than in normal plants. The levels of starch and sucrose, which play roles in storage and translocation of carbon, were higher in ERB plants than that in normal plants, suggesting that the rate of carbon use is low in ERB plants. The novel phenotype ERB may enable future research on the formation of rough bark in fruit trees. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background and Objectives: Striving to attain personal goals is important for maintaining well-being. Previous research indicates that repetitive thoughts can influence the affect and cognition associated with personal goal strivings. Repetitive thought in the concrete-experiential processing mode improves affect and cognition after a negative event more than does repetitive thought in the abstract-analytic processing mode. We extend this prior work by examining whether repetitive thought directly influences the maintenance of personal goal strivings through a longitudinal survey.Methods: In Study 1, we examined the daily maintenance effect of repetitive thought on personal goal strivings using a multilevel analysis of 29 participants who reported their thoughts and goal strivings daily for one week. In Study 2, participants (N = 131) reported their thoughts and goal strivings over 10 weeks, and we examined the maintenance effect of repetitive thought on personal goal strivings every two weeks.Results: Highly repetitive thought in the abstract-analytic processing mode decreased the maintenance of short-term personal goal strivings in individuals with difficult goals. However, highly repetitive thought in the concrete-experiential processing mode increased the maintenance of long-term personal goal strivings in individuals with difficult goals.Limitations: The study participants were university students; therefore, we cannot generalize the results to clinical populations or other age groups.Conclusion: Interventions that increase repetitive thought in the concrete-experiential processing mode may be effective in facilitating long-term goal strivings in individuals attempting to overcome difficult situations and achieve important personal goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals with low concreteness-experiential thought (CET) tend to have exacerbated depressive symptoms. Interventions aimed at increasing CET have been shown to influence depressive symptoms. The present study examined the effects of increasing CET on depressive symptoms and its protective factors. A two-armed experimental intervention was conducted with 86 healthy university students in Japan. They were randomly allocated to the intervention and waitlist groups. Participants in the intervention group engaged in an unguided and web-based (UW) intervention to increase CET (UW-CET). This intervention included a one-off session, to explain the rationale behind increasing CET via a psychoeducation video, and a five-session training on CET over a week. We assessed depressive symptoms, thought styles, and protective factors, such as mindfulness and goal striving, both pre- and-post-assessment and at the one-month follow-up. Participants in the intervention group had marginally increased CET in the follow-up assessments; however, participants in the waitlist group did not. Furthermore, participants in the intervention showed marginally increased mindfulness tendencies and strivings toward their personal goals, but their depressive symptoms were not affected. The present study did not include any active control conditions. Additionally, the sample consisted of only healthy university students. The findings suggest that the UW-CET can marginally increase adaptive thinking, such as CET, and promote positive psychological aspects in healthy young adults; however, the effect is small. The findings may also help expand clinical implementations to prevent depression in young adults. • Increasing concrete-experiential thoughts (CET) is helpful for young adults. • It is unclear if CET intervention promotes protective factors against depression. • A two-arms experimental intervention was conducted on healthy young adults. • The intervention promoted participants' mindfulness and goal striving. • Intervention group participants' depressive symptoms did not decrease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have successfully synthesized novel polyurethanes where PU1 contains a [3]rotaxane that consists of N -3,5-di- tert -butylbenzyl- N -3-hydroxypropylammonium hexafluorophosphate ( AOH1 ) and N , N′ -Dimethyl- N , N′ -bis(dibenzo-24-crown-8)-terephthalamide (BisC ) as well as PU2 contains a [2]rotaxane that consists of AOH1 and dibenzo-24-crown-8 ether. Diphenylmethanediisocyanate (MDI), 1,4-butanediol (BD) and poly( ε -caprolactone)diol (PCL) were used as an isocyanate, chain expander, and soft segment, respectively. A polyurethane without any rotaxane structures (PU0) were also prepared as a reference polymer. The existence of the rotaxanes in the polyurethanes was confirmed by 1 H NMR spectroscopy and TGA measurement. ATR-FT-IR spectral measurement revealed that the rotaxanes disturb the formation of hydrogen bonding between the polyurethane chains. From the DSC result, the rotaxanes retard the recrystallization of the PCL unit whereas no influence on the glass transition temperatures of the polyurethanes was observed. The retarding effect appeared remarkably with PU1. These thermal behaviors of the polyurethanes were also supported by viscoelastic measurement. In tensile test, the tensile strength and break of strain of PU1 were larger than those of PU2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]