Feasibility of a Research Protocol to Investigate the Effect of the TherapressureTM Program Using Salivary Cortisol

Background: There is an absence of high quality research to support the use of the Therapressure ProgramTM. This pilot study aimed at developing appropriate research protocols to investigate the effectiveness of the Therapressure ProgramTM on the stress response in children with sensory overresponsivity. Method: A one-group pre-test/post-test repeated measures design was conducted using a convenience sample. Six children (6-8 years of age) with sensory overresponsivity received 14 consecutive days of the Therapressure ProgramTM by their parents at home. Parents concurrently collected salivary cortisol samples from their children. Results: Children with sensory overresponsivity displayed both hyper- and hypo-cortisolism at baseline. All of the children’s cortisol levels shifted toward a normative range after intervention. Aspects have been identified related to the data collection protocol. Conclusion: When testing children with sensory overresponsivity who are constantly activating their stress response system, we raise awareness of the need to check for both hyper- and hypo-cortisolism during statistical analysis. Preliminary pilot data may also show modulation of sympathetic arousal following the intervention. Further research is warranted and recommendations are made related to data collection protocols

Transition probabilities in the X(5) candidate 122^{122}Ba

To investigate the possible X(5) character of 122Ba, suggested by the ground state band energy pattern, the lifetimes of the lowest yrast states of 122Ba have been measured, via the Recoil Distance Doppler-Shift method. The relevant levels have been populated by using the 108Cd(16O,2n)122Ba and the 112Sn(13C,3n)122Ba reactions. The B(E2) values deduced in the present work are compared to the predictions of the X(5) model and to calculations performed in the framework of the IBA-1 and IBA-2 models

Multinucleon transfer reactions in closed-shell nuclei

Multinucleon transfer reactions in 40Ca+96Zr and 90Zr+208Pb have been measured at energies close to the Coulomb barrier in a high resolution gamma-particle coincidence experiment. The large solid angle magnetic spectrometer PRISMA coupled to the CLARA gamma-array has been employed. Trajectory reconstruction has been applied for the complete identification of transfer products. Mass and charge yields, total kinetic energy losses, gamma transitions of the binary reaction partners, and comparison of data with semiclassical calculations are reported. Specific transitions in 95Zr populated in one particle transfer channels are discussed in terms of particle-phonon couplings. The gamma decays from states in 42Ca in the excitation energy region expected from pairing vibrations are also observed

Thermal Nature of Mantle Upwellings Below the Ibero-Western Maghreb Region Inferred From Teleseismic Tomography

©2019. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved. Independent models of P wave and S wave velocity anomalies in the mantle derived from seismic tomography help to distinguish thermal signatures from those of partial melt, volatiles, and compositional variations. Here we use seismic data from SW Europe and NW Africa, spanning the region between the Pyrenees and the Canaries, in order to obtain a new S-SKS relative arrival-time tomographic model of the upper mantle below Iberia, Western Morocco, and the Canaries. Similar to previous P wave tomographic results, the S wave model provides evidence for (1) subvertical upper-mantle low-velocity structures below the Canaries, Atlas Ranges, and Gibraltar Arc, which are interpreted as mantle upwellings fed by a common lower-mantle source below the Canaries; and (2) two low-velocity anomalies below the eastern Rif and Betics that we interpret as the result of the interaction between quasi-toroidal mantle flow induced by the Gibraltar slab and the mantle upwelling behind it. The analysis of teleseismic P wave and S wave arrival-time residuals and the conversion of the low-velocity anomalies to temperature variations suggest that the upwellings in the upper mantle below the Canaries, Atlas Ranges, and Gibraltar Arc system may be solely thermal in nature, with temperature excesses in the range ~100–350 °C. Our results also indicate that local partial melting can be present at lithospheric depths, especially below the Atlas Ranges. The locations of thermal mantle upwellings are in good agreement with those of thinned lithosphere, moderate to high heat-flow measurements, and recent magmatic activity at the surface

Population and y-decay studies of neutron-rich nuclei around 48Ca with deep inelastic collisions

The population and -decay of n-rich nuclei around 48Ca has been measured with the PRISMA-CLARA setup using deep-inelastic collisions (DIC) on 64Ni, at energies ~2.5 times above the Coulomb barrier. After a careful analysis of the response of the PRISMA magnetic spectrometer, a detailed investigation of the reaction properties is carried out. This provides total cross sections and energy integrated angular distributions of the most relevant transfer channels, which are compared with predictions from a semiclassical multi-nucleon transfer model. Good agreement is found for the 0p, 1p and 1n channels. In few cases, angular distributions of the first excited states are also measured and the experimental results are interpreted in terms of DWBA calculations, providing information on the basic ingredients of the theoretical models

Spectroscopy of odd-mass cobalt isotopes toward the N=40 subshell closure and shell-model description of spherical and deformed states

The neutron-rich cobalt isotopes up to A = 67 have been studied through multinucleon transfer reactions by bombarding a 238U target with a 460-MeV 70Zn beam. Unambiguous identification of prompt γ rays belonging to each nucleus has been achieved using coincidence relationships with the ions detected in a high-acceptance magnetic spectrometer. The new data are discussed in terms of the systematics of the cobalt isotopes and interpreted with large-scale shell-model calculations in the fpgd model space. In particular, very different shapes can be described in 67Co, at the edge of the island of inversion at N = 40, where a low-lying highly deformed band coexists with a spherical structureThis work was partially supported by the European Community FP6, Structuring the ERA Integrated Infrastructure Initiative Contract No. EURONS RII3-CT-2004-506065, by MICINN, Spain (Contract No. FPA2011-29854), by IN2P3, France (Contract No. AIC-D-2011-648), by Comunidad de Madrid, Spain (Contract No. HEPHACOS S2009-ESP-1473), and by Generalitat Valenciana, Spain (Contract No. PROMETEO/ 2010/101). A. Gadea and E. Farnea acknowledge the support of MICINN, Spain, and INFN, Italy, through the AIC-D-2011-0746 bilateral actio

Probing the nature of particle–core couplings in 49Ca with γ spectroscopy and heavy-ion transfer reactions

This work was supported by the Italian Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare and partially by the Spanish MICINN (ACI2009-1070 bilateral action) and Generalitat Valenciana (Grant Nos. BEST/2009/073 and PROMETEO/2010/101). The work has also been partially supported by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education (Grant No. N N202 309135)

Proton-hole states in the N=30 neutron-rich isotope K49

Excited states in the N=30 neutron-rich isotope K49 have been studied using multinucleon transfer reactions with thin targets and the PRISMA-CLARA spectrometer combined with thick-target γ-coincidence data from Gammasphere. The d3/2 proton-hole state is located 92 keV above the s1/2 ground state, and the proton-particle f7/2 state is suggested at 2104 keV. Three other levels are established as involving the coupling to 2+ of two neutrons above the N=28 shell. The measured or estimated lifetimes served to reinforce the interpretation of the observed level structure, which is found to be in satisfactory agreement with shell-model calculations

Synergistic Parasite-Pathogen Interactions Mediated by Host Immunity Can Drive the Collapse of Honeybee Colonies

The health of the honeybee and, indirectly, global crop production are threatened by several biotic and abiotic factors, which play a poorly defined role in the induction of widespread colony losses. Recent descriptive studies suggest that colony losses are often related to the interaction between pathogens and other stress factors, including parasites. Through an integrated analysis of the population and molecular changes associated with the collapse of honeybee colonies infested by the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, we show that this parasite can de-stabilise the within-host dynamics of Deformed wing virus (DWV), transforming a cryptic and vertically transmitted virus into a rapidly replicating killer, which attains lethal levels late in the season. The de-stabilisation of DWV infection is associated with an immunosuppression syndrome, characterized by a strong down-regulation of the transcription factor NF-κB. The centrality of NF-κB in host responses to a range of environmental challenges suggests that this transcription factor can act as a common currency underlying colony collapse that may be triggered by different causes. Our results offer an integrated account for the multifactorial origin of honeybee losses and a new framework for assessing, and possibly mitigating, the impact of environmental challenges on honeybee health

Maize Inbreds Exhibit High Levels of Copy Number Variation (CNV) and Presence/Absence Variation (PAV) in Genome Content

Following the domestication of maize over the past ∼10,000 years, breeders have exploited the extensive genetic diversity of this species to mold its phenotype to meet human needs. The extent of structural variation, including copy number variation (CNV) and presence/absence variation (PAV), which are thought to contribute to the extraordinary phenotypic diversity and plasticity of this important crop, have not been elucidated. Whole-genome, array-based, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) revealed a level of structural diversity between the inbred lines B73 and Mo17 that is unprecedented among higher eukaryotes. A detailed analysis of altered segments of DNA conservatively estimates that there are several hundred CNV sequences among the two genotypes, as well as several thousand PAV sequences that are present in B73 but not Mo17. Haplotype-specific PAVs contain hundreds of single-copy, expressed genes that may contribute to heterosis and to the extraordinary phenotypic diversity of this important crop