Use of operational analyses to study the dynamics of troposphere-stratosphere interactions in polar regions

Operational analyses produced by large weather centers have been used in the past to monitor various aspects of the general circulation as well as address dynamical questions. For a number years researchers have been monitoring National Meteorological Center (NMC) analyses at 100 millibars because it is the level from which stratospheric analyses are built. In particular, they closely examined the pressure-work term at that level which is an important parameter related to the forcing of the stratosphere by the troposphere. Rapid fluctuations typically seen in this quanity during the months of July-November, and similarly noted by Randel et al., (1987) may raise some concern about the quality of the analyses. Researchers investigated the behavior of the term mainly responsible for these variations, namely the eddy flux of heat, and furthermore have corroborated the presence of these variations in contemporaneous analyses produced by the European Centre for Medium Range Forecasts (ECMWF). Researchers demonstrated that fluctuations in standing eddy heat fluxes, related to the forcing of the stratosphere by the troposphere, agree in two largely independent meteorological analyses. Researchers believe, that these fluctuations are mostly real

Extinction Learning as a Potential Mechanism Linking High Vagal Tone with Lower PTSD Symptoms among Abused Youth

Childhood abuse is a potent risk factor for psychopathology, including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research has shown high resting vagal tone, a measure of parasympathetic nervous system function, protects abused youth from developing internalizing psychopathology, but potential mechanisms explaining this effect are unknown. We explored fear extinction learning as a possible mechanism underlying the protective effect of vagal tone on PTSD symptoms among abused youth. We measured resting respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and skin conductance responses (SCR) during a fear conditioning and extinction task in youth with variability in abuse exposure (N = 94; aged 6–18 years). High RSA predicted lower PTSD symptoms and enhanced extinction learning among abused youths. In a moderated-mediation model, extinction learning mediated the association of abuse with PTSD symptoms only among youth with high RSA. These findings highlight extinction learning as a possible mechanism linking high vagal tone to decreased risk for PTSD symptoms among abused youth

Peripheral Innate Immune Activation Correlates With Disease Severity in GRN Haploinsufficiency.

Objective: To investigate associations between peripheral innate immune activation and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) in progranulin gene (GRN) haploinsufficiency. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, ELISA was used to measure six markers of innate immunity (sCD163, CCL18, LBP, sCD14, IL-18, and CRP) in plasma from 30 GRN mutation carriers (17 asymptomatic, 13 symptomatic) and 29 controls. Voxel based morphometry was used to model associations between marker levels and brain atrophy in mutation carriers relative to controls. Linear regression was used to model relationships between plasma marker levels with mean frontal white matter integrity [fractional anisotropy (FA)] and the FTLD modified Clinical Dementia Rating Scale sum of boxes score (FTLD-CDR SB). Results: Plasma sCD163 was higher in symptomatic GRN carriers [mean 321 ng/ml (SD 125)] compared to controls [mean 248 ng/ml (SD 58); p < 0.05]. Plasma CCL18 was higher in symptomatic GRN carriers [mean 56.9 pg/ml (SD 19)] compared to controls [mean 40.5 pg/ml (SD 14); p < 0.05]. Elevation of plasma LBP was associated with white matter atrophy in the right frontal pole and left inferior frontal gyrus (p FWE corrected <0.05) in all mutation carriers relative to controls. Plasma LBP levels inversely correlated with bilateral frontal white matter FA (R2 = 0.59, p = 0.009) in mutation carriers. Elevation in plasma was positively correlated with CDR-FTLD SB (b = 2.27 CDR units/μg LBP/ml plasma, R2 = 0.76, p = 0.003) in symptomatic carriers. Conclusion: FTLD-GRN is associated with elevations in peripheral biomarkers of macrophage-mediated innate immunity, including sCD163 and CCL18. Clinical disease severity and white matter integrity are correlated with blood LBP, suggesting a role for peripheral immune activation in FTLD-GRN

Tracking the Legacy of Inner-City Catholic Schools: An Analysis of U.S. Elementary Catholic School Organizational and Demographic Data

Over the past twenty years, Catholic elementary schools that self-identify as “inner-city” have closed at a higher rate than Catholic schools in other locations. These schools have also long been associated with a legacy of effectively serving low-income students, students of color, and recent immigrant students, suggesting that the persistent closure of these schools may have a negative impact on these communities. In this paper, we set out to assess the extent to which there have been demographic or organizational changes over the past twenty years in these “inner-city” schools. We found that while these schools do still serve higher proportions of students of color than Catholic schools nationally, there are distinct organizational and demographic trends that have developed in these schools that merit additional analysis or investigation. We conclude this paper with several suggestions for how to build a research agenda around this up-to-date demographic and organizational analysis of this segment of U.S. Catholic elementary schools

Tracking the Legacy of Inner-City Catholic Schools: An Analysis of U.S. Elementary Catholic School Organizational and Demographic Data

Over the past twenty years, Catholic elementary schools that self identify as “inner-city” have closed at a higher rate than Catholic schools in other locations. These schools have also long been associated with a legacy of effectively serving low-income students, students of color, and recent immigrant students, suggesting that the persistent closure of these schools may have a negative impact on these communities. In this paper, we set out to assess the extent to which there have been demographic or organizational changes over the past twenty years in these “inner-city” schools. We found that while these schools do still serve higher proportions of students of color than Catholic schools nationally, there are distinct organizational and demographic trends that have developed in these schools that merit additional analysis or investigation. We conclude this paper with several suggestions for how to build a research agenda around this up-to-date demographic and organizational analysis of this segment of U.S. Catholic elementary schools

Comparison of Oral Iron Supplement Formulations for Normalization of Iron Status Following Roux-EN-y Gastric Bypass Surgery: a Randomized Trial

Background The evidence behind recommendations for treatment of iron deficiency (ID) following roux-en-y gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) lacks high quality studies. Setting Academic, United States Objective The objective of the study is to compare the effectiveness of oral iron supplementation using non-heme versus heme iron for treatment of iron deficiency in RYGB patients. Methods In a randomized, single-blind study, women post-RYGB and iron deficient received non-heme iron (FeSO4, 195 mg/day) or heme iron (heme-iron-polypeptide, HIP, 31.5 to 94.5 mg/day) for 8 weeks. Measures of iron status, including blood concentrations of ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and hemoglobin, were assessed. Results At baseline, the mean ± standard deviation for age, BMI, and years since surgery of the sample was 41.5 ± 6.8 years, 34.4 ± 5.9 kg/m2, and 6.9 ± 3.1 years, respectively; and there were no differences between FeSO4 (N = 6) or HIP (N = 8) groups. Compliance was greater than 94%. The study was stopped early due to statistical and clinical differences between groups. Values before and after FeSO4 supplementation, expressed as least square means (95% CI) were hemoglobin, 10.8 (9.8, 11.9) to 13.0 (11.9, 14.0) g/dL; sTfR, 2111 (1556, 2864) to 1270 (934, 1737) μg/L; ferritin, 4.9 (3.4, 7.2) to 15.5 (10.6, 22.6) μg/L; and sTfR:ferritin ratio, 542 (273, 1086) to 103 (51, 204); all p 0.05). Conclusions In accordance with recommendations, oral supplementation using FeSO4, but not HIP, was efficacious for treatment of iron deficiency after RYGB

State and trait characteristics of anterior insula time-varying functional connectivity.

The human anterior insula (aINS) is a topographically organized brain region, in which ventral portions contribute to socio-emotional function through limbic and autonomic connections, whereas the dorsal aINS contributes to cognitive processes through frontal and parietal connections. Open questions remain, however, regarding how aINS connectivity varies over time. We implemented a novel approach combining seed-to-whole-brain sliding-window functional connectivity MRI and k-means clustering to assess time-varying functional connectivity of aINS subregions. We studied three independent large samples of healthy participants and longitudinal datasets to assess inter- and intra-subject stability, and related aINS time-varying functional connectivity profiles to dispositional empathy. We identified four robust aINS time-varying functional connectivity modes that displayed both "state" and "trait" characteristics: while modes featuring connectivity to sensory regions were modulated by eye closure, modes featuring connectivity to higher cognitive and emotional processing regions were stable over time and related to empathy measures

Incorporating Acupuncture Into American Healthcare: Initiating a Discussion on Implementation Science, the Status of the Field, and Stakeholder Considerations

Introduction: The field of implementation science is the study of methods that promote the uptake of evidence-based interventions into healthcare policy and practice. While acupuncture has gained significant traction in the American healthcare landscape, its journey has been somewhat haphazard and non-linear. Methods: In June 2019, a group of thirty diverse stakeholders was convened by the Society for Acupuncture Research with the support of a Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Eugene Washington Engagement Award. This group of stakeholders represented a diverse mix of patients, providers, academicians, researchers, funders, allied health professionals, insurers, association leaders, certification experts, and military program developers. The collective engaged in discussion that explored acupuncture\u27s status in healthcare, including reflections on its safety, effectiveness, best practices, and the actual implementation of acupuncture as seen from diverse stakeholder viewpoints. Objectives: A primary goal was to consider how to utilize knowledge from the field of implementation science more systematically and intentionally to disseminate information about acupuncture and its research base, through application of methods known to implementation science. The group also considered novel challenges that acupuncture may present to known implementation processes. Findings: This article summarizes the initial findings of this in-person meeting of stakeholders and the ongoing discussion among the subject matter experts who authored this report. The goal of this report is to catalyze greater conversation about how the field of implementation science might intersect with practice, access, research, and policymaking pertaining to acupuncture. Core concepts of implementation science and its relationship to acupuncture are introduced, and the case for acupuncture as an Evidence Based Practice (EBP) is established. The status of the field and current environment of acupuncture is examined, and the perspectives of four stakeholder groups--patients, two types of professional practitioners, and researchers--are explored in more detail

Anharmonic effects in the A15 compounds induced by sublattice distortions

We demonstrate that elastic anomalies and lattice instabilities in the the A15 compounds are describable in terms of first-principles LDA electronic structure calculations. We show that at T=0 V_3Si, V_3Ge, and Nb_3Sn are intrinsically unstable against shears with elastic moduli C_11-C_12 and C_44, and that the zone center phonons, Gamma_2 and Gamma_12, are either unstable or extremely soft. We demonstrate that sublattice relaxation (internal strain) effects are key to understanding the behavior of the A15 materials.Comment: 5 pages, RevTex, 3 postscript figures, Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. Apr. 23, 1997 July 7, 1997: minor corrections, final accepted versio

Damage to left frontal regulatory circuits produces greater positive emotional reactivity in frontotemporal dementia.

Positive emotions foster social relationships and motivate thought and action. Dysregulation of positive emotion may give rise to debilitating clinical symptomatology such as mania, risk-taking, and disinhibition. Neuroanatomically, there is extensive evidence that the left hemisphere of the brain, and the left frontal lobe in particular, plays an important role in positive emotion generation. Although prior studies have found that left frontal injury decreases positive emotion, it is not clear whether selective damage to left frontal emotion regulatory systems can actually increase positive emotion. We measured happiness reactivity in 96 patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a neurodegenerative disease that targets emotion-relevant neural systems and causes alterations in positive emotion (i.e., euphoria and jocularity), and in 34 healthy controls. Participants watched a film clip designed to elicit happiness and a comparison film clip designed to elicit sadness while their facial behavior, physiological reactivity, and self-reported emotional experience were monitored. Whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses revealed that atrophy in predominantly left hemisphere fronto-striatal emotion regulation systems including left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, anterior insula, and striatum was associated with greater happiness facial behavior during the film (pFWE < .05). Atrophy in left anterior insula and bilateral frontopolar cortex was also associated with higher cardiovascular reactivity (i.e., heart rate and blood pressure) but not self-reported positive emotional experience during the happy film (p < .005, uncorrected). No regions emerged as being associated with greater sadness reactivity, which suggests that left-lateralized fronto-striatal atrophy is selectively associated with happiness dysregulation. Whereas previous models have proposed that left frontal injury decreases positive emotional responding, we argue that selective disruption of left hemisphere emotion regulating systems can impair the ability to suppress positive emotions such as happiness