Prayer as Interpersonal Coping in the Lives of Mothers with HIV

The spirituality of 22 mothers diagnosed with HIV was explored through face-to-face interviews and revealed that 95% of the mothers pray. Active prayers (e.g., talking to God by adoring, thanking, confessing, and supplicating) were more frequently reported than receptive prayers (e.g., quietly listening to God, being open, surrendering). Supplicatory or petitionary prayers for help and health were the most frequent type of prayer, and adoration was the least frequent. The majority of mothers in the sample perceived prayer as a positive coping mechanism associated with outcomes such as: support, positive attitude/affect, and peace. Overall, results supported expanding the boundary conditions of the interpersonal coping component of the Social Interaction Model (Derlega & Barbee, 1998) to include the spiritual dimension of prayer

The Melanocortin 3 Receptor: A Novel Mediator of Exercise-Induced Inflammation Reduction in Postmenopausal Women?

The purpose of this study was to determine whether resistance exercise training-induced reductions in inflammation are mediated via melanocortin 3 receptor expression in obese (BMI 32.7 ± 3.7) women (65.6 ± 2.8 yrs) randomized to either a control (N = 11) or resistance training group (N = 12). The resistance trained group performed resistance training 3 days/week for 12 weeks. Resting blood samples were collected before and after the training intervention in both resistance trained and control groups. Resistance training upregulated melanocortin 3 receptor mRNA by 16-fold (P = .035) and decreased monocyte count, without changing leukocyte number, body composition, or body weight. Resistance trained individuals exhibited increased sensitivity to inflammatory stimuli, whereas control individuals exhibited no change. While there was no change in whole blood tumor necrosis factor alpha mRNA between the groups, whole blood interleukin 10 mRNA was higher in the resistance trained group following the intervention period. In summary, it appears that resistance training may modulate melanocortin 3 receptor expression, providing a possible mechanism for the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise training

Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia: The Effects of Carbohydrate and Hydration Status on IL-6, ADH, and Sodium Concentrations

Exercise-associated hyponatremia (serum sodium \u3c 135 mmol/L) is a rare, but serious condition that has been identified in those engaging in prolonged, physical activity conducted in the heat. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of hydration status and glycogen level on plasma IL-6, ADH, and sodium concentrations during and after prolonged exercise in the heat. METHODS: Ten male participants completed four trials: a glycogen depleted, euhydrated condition (DE); a glycogen depleted, dehydrated condition (DD); a glycogen loaded, euhydrated condition (LE); and a glycogen loaded, dehydrated condition (LD) consisting of cycling 90 minutes at 60% VO2 max in a 35˚C environment followed by a 3-h rehydration (RH) period. During RH, subjects received either 150% of fluid lost (DD & LD) or an additional 50% of fluid lost (DE & LE). Exercise and RH blood samples were analyzed for glucose, IL-6, ADH, and Na+. Sweat and urine samples were analyzed for [Na+]. RESULTS: Post-exercise to post-rehydration [Na+] changes for LD, DD, DE and LE were -6.85, -6.7, -1.45 and 0.10 mM, respectively. Post-exercise [IL-6] for DD, LD, DE, and LE were 5.4, 4.0, 3.7, and 3.49 pg/mL, respectively. Post-exercise [ADH] for LD, DD, DE, and LE were 21.5, 12.8, 7.6, and 1.9 pg/mL, respectively. The number of hyponatremic measurements for all RH samples was 5, 5, 20, and 10 for LD, DD, DE, and LE, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite our glycogen and hydration manipulations, no regulatory effects of IL-6 and ADH on plasma sodium were observed. The timing of fluid intake did alter plasma sodium since euhydration during exercise combined with an additional 50% intake during RH, and a post-exercise RH volume of 150% of fluid lost both resulted in sodium concentrations below initial levels. Supported by a grant from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute

Observation of an Isotope Shift in the Superconducting Transition Temperature of La\u3csub\u3e1.85\u3c/sub\u3eSr\u3csub\u3e0.15\u3c/sub\u3eCuO\u3csub\u3e4\u3c/sub\u3e

An oxygen isotope shift is observed in superconducting La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 when 18O is substituted partially for 16O; the superconducting transition temperature Tc is lowered by 0.3 to 1.0 K in different samples. We examine these results using conventioanl phonon-mediated BCS theory and conclude that, for La1.85Sr0.15CuO4, phonons play an important role in the pairing mechanism

Theory and Applications of X-ray Standing Waves in Real Crystals

Theoretical aspects of x-ray standing wave method for investigation of the real structure of crystals are considered in this review paper. Starting from the general approach of the secondary radiation yield from deformed crystals this theory is applied to different concreat cases. Various models of deformed crystals like: bicrystal model, multilayer model, crystals with extended deformation field are considered in detailes. Peculiarities of x-ray standing wave behavior in different scattering geometries (Bragg, Laue) are analysed in detailes. New possibilities to solve the phase problem with x-ray standing wave method are discussed in the review. General theoretical approaches are illustrated with a big number of experimental results.Comment: 101 pages, 43 figures, 3 table

Achievement of the planetary defense investigations of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission

NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was the first to demonstrate asteroid deflection, and the mission's Level 1 requirements guided its planetary defense investigations. Here, we summarize DART's achievement of those requirements. On 2022 September 26, the DART spacecraft impacted Dimorphos, the secondary member of the Didymos near-Earth asteroid binary system, demonstrating an autonomously navigated kinetic impact into an asteroid with limited prior knowledge for planetary defense. Months of subsequent Earth-based observations showed that the binary orbital period was changed by –33.24 minutes, with two independent analysis methods each reporting a 1σ uncertainty of 1.4 s. Dynamical models determined that the momentum enhancement factor, β, resulting from DART's kinetic impact test is between 2.4 and 4.9, depending on the mass of Dimorphos, which remains the largest source of uncertainty. Over five dozen telescopes across the globe and in space, along with the Light Italian CubeSat for Imaging of Asteroids, have contributed to DART's investigations. These combined investigations have addressed topics related to the ejecta, dynamics, impact event, and properties of both asteroids in the binary system. A year following DART's successful impact into Dimorphos, the mission has achieved its planetary defense requirements, although work to further understand DART's kinetic impact test and the Didymos system will continue. In particular, ESA's Hera mission is planned to perform extensive measurements in 2027 during its rendezvous with the Didymos–Dimorphos system, building on DART to advance our knowledge and continue the ongoing international collaboration for planetary defense