Search for: All records

Abstract ObjectivesBased on socioemotional selectivity theory, one might predict that older adults’ well-being would be less negatively affected by coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19)-stress, as with other stressors, than younger people. However, whether sleep quality, which is negatively affected by aging, is similarly protected from the negative consequences of Covid-19-stress with age is unknown. Here, we examined the association between Covid-19-stress, above and beyond general-stress, and sleep quality and how it varies by age. MethodFrom December 2020 to April 2021, 386 adults reported their Covid-19-stress, sleep quality, and resilience in an online study. ResultsWhile older age was related to lower Covid-19-stress, Covid-19-stress was associated with worse sleep quality with greater age. DiscussionThese results suggest that at least some aspects of one’s well-being may be more susceptible to the negative consequences of stress with increasing age. Our results might be better understood via the strength and vulnerability integration model, which posits that older adults have increased susceptibility to prolonged and unavoidable stress. 

Abstract The microtubule cytoskeleton is a major structural element inside cells that directs self‐organization using microtubule‐associated proteins and motors. It has been shown that finite‐sized, spindle‐like microtubule organizations, called “tactoids,” can form in vitro spontaneously from mixtures of tubulin and the antiparallel crosslinker, MAP65, from the MAP65/PRC1/Ase family. Here, we probe the ability of MAP65 to form tactoids as a function of the ionic strength of the buffer to attempt to break the electrostatic interactions binding MAP65 to microtubules and inter‐MAP65 binding. We observe that, with increasing monovalent salts, the organizations change from finite tactoids to unbounded length bundles, yet the MAP65 binding and crosslinking appear to stay intact. We further explore the effects of ionic strength on the dissociation constant of MAP65 using both microtubule pelleting and single‐molecule binding assays. We find that salt can reduce the binding, yet salt never negates it. Instead, we believe that the salt is affecting the ability of the MAP65 to form phase‐separated droplets, which cause the nucleation and growth of tactoids, as recently demonstrated.