EMSL Outlook Review 2005

The William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) is a national user facility that contains state-of-the-art instrumentation and expert resources available for use by researchers from academia, industry, and the national laboratory system. The facility is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Biological and Environmental Research Program, but the research conducted within the facility benefits many funding agencies, including other branches of DOE, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Defense. EMSL requires the continued funding and support of its stakeholders and clients to continue to grow its mission, build its reputation as a sought-after national user facility with cutting-edge capabilities, and attract high-profile users who will work to solve the most critical scientific challenges that affect DOE and the nation. In this vein, this document has been compiled to provide these stakeholders and clients with a review document that provides an abundance of information on EMSL’s history, current research activities, and proposed future direction

The Association between Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Symptom Dimensions and Relationship Functioning

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) affects individual functioning by causing obsessional anxiety and urges to avoid and perform senseless compulsive rituals. But OCD also affects, and is affected by, interpersonal functioning. The present study examined the associations between various theme-based OCD symptom dimensions and relationship variables in a sample of 21 couples in which one partner had an OCD diagnosis. Correlations were completed which associated the different OCD symptom dimensions with different relationship dynamics. Results indicated there to be less overall relationship satisfaction, more accommodation, more and perceived criticism in couples where the patient reported contamination OCD symptoms. The correlations also revealed less perceived criticism and more constructive communication in couples where the patient reported unacceptable thought OCD symptoms. These findings suggest that different OCD symptoms have different associations with relationship dynamics and suggest the need for further research on the interpersonal aspects of OCD.Bachelor of Art

Eccentric loading of triceps surae modulates stretch shortening cycle behaviour - a possible therapeutic mechanism

Context: Eccentric exercises are increasingly being used to treat lower limb musculoskeletal conditions such as Achilles tendinopathy. Despite widespread clinical application and documented efficacy, mechanisms underpinning clinical benefit remain unclear. Positive adaptations in motor performance are one potential mechanism. Objective: To investigate how an eccentric loading intervention influences measures of stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) behaviour during a hopping task. Design: Within subjects repeated measures observational study. Setting: University motion analysis laboratory. Participants: Healthy adults. Interventions: A single intervention of 5 sets of 10 eccentric plantarflexion contractions at 6 RM using a commercial seated calf raise machine. Main outcome measures: Lower limb stiffness, sagittal plane ankle kinematics, and temporal muscle activity of the agonist (soleus) and antagonist (tibialis anterior) muscles, measured during sub-maximal hopping on a custom-built sledge-jump system. Results: Eccentric loading altered ankle kinematics during sub-maximal hopping; peak ankle angle shifted to a less dorsiflexed position by 2.9° and ankle angle pre-contact shifted by 4.4° (p\u3c0.001). Lower limb stiffness increased from 5.9 to 6.8 Nm-1 (p\u3c0.001), whilst surface EMG measures of soleus occurred 14 to 44% earlier (p\u3c0.001) following the loading intervention. Conclusions: These findings suggest that eccentric loading alters SSC behaviour in a manner reflective of improved motor performance. Decreased ankle excursion, increased lower limb stiffness and alterations in motor control may represent a positive adaptive response to eccentric loading. These findings support the theory that mechanisms underpinning eccentric loading for tendinopathy may in part be due to improved ‘buffering’ of the tendon by the neuromuscular system

Eccentric fatigue modulates stretch-shortening cycle effectiveness - a possible role in lower limb overuse injuries

The role of fatigue in injury development is an important consideration for clinicians. In particular, the role of eccentric fatigue in stretch shortening cycle (SSC) activities may be linked to lower limb overuse conditions. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of ankle plantarflexor eccentric fatigue on SSC effectiveness during a hopping task in healthy volunteers. 11 healthy volunteers (23.2 ± 6.7 years) performed a sub-maximal hopping task on a custom- built sledge system. 3D motion capture and surface EMG were utilised to measure lower limb stiffness, temporal kinematic measures and muscle timing measures at baseline and immediately following an eccentric fatigue protocol. A linear mixed model was used to test whether measures differed between conditions. Compared to baseline, eccentric fatigue induced increased stiffness during the hopping task (+ 15.3 %; P \u3c 0.001). Furthermore, ankle stretch amplitude decreased (– 9.1 %; P \u3c 0.001), whilst all other ankle kinematic measures remained unchanged. These changes were accompanied by a temporal shift in onset of activity in soleus and tibialis anterior muscles (– 4.6 to – 8.5 %; p \u3c 0.001). These findings indicate that eccentric fatigue alters SSC effectiveness in healthy volunteers. These findings may be applied to inform pathogenetic models of overuse injury development

Culture and psychopathology: an attempt at reconsidering the role of social learning

This paper proposes a model for developmental psychopathology that is informed by recent research suggestive of a single model of mental health disorder (the p factor) and seeks to integrate the role of the wider social and cultural environment into our model, which has previously been more narrowly focused on the role of the immediate caregiving context. Informed by recently emerging thinking on the social and culturally driven nature of human cognitive development, the ways in which humans are primed to learn and communicate culture, and a mentalizing perspective on the highly intersubjective nature of our capacity for affect regulation and social functioning, we set out a cultural-developmental approach to psychopathology

The Nucleation and Growth of Calcium Oxalate Monohydrate on Self-Assembled Monolayers (SAMs)

A physical chemical approach was used to study calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) nucleation and growth on various organic interfaces. Self-assembling monolayers (SAMs), containing derivatized organic functional groups, were designed to mimic various amino acid residues present in both urine and stone matrix macromolecules. Derivatized surfaces include SAMs with terminal methyl, bromo, imidazole, and thiazolidine-carboxylic acid functional groups. Pronounced differences in COM deposition were observed for the various interfaces with the imidazole and thiazolidine surfaces having the greatest effect and the methyl and bromo groups having little or no nucleating potential

Feminist identification, actions, beliefs and commitments at CSB/SJU

Does self-identification as a feminist, non-feminist, or non-labeler, affect actions, beliefs, and commitments regarding feminist ideals? Is there any dissonance between identifying with feminist beliefs and identifying with the feminist label? Will our data give us insight into education about feminist ideas at CSB/SJU (College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University)? Is the “feminist” label stigmatized on our campuses

Suppression of systemic autoimmunity by the innate immune adaptor STING

Cytosolic DNA-sensing pathways that signal via Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) mediate immunity to pathogens and also promote autoimmune pathology in DNaseII- and DNaseIII-deficient mice. In contrast, we report here that STING potently suppresses inflammation in a model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Lymphoid hypertrophy, autoantibody production, serum cytokine levels, and other indicators of immune activation were markedly increased in STING-deficient autoimmune-prone mice compared with STING-sufficient littermates. As a result, STING-deficient autoimmune-prone mice had significantly shorter lifespans than controls. Importantly, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-dependent systemic inflammation during 2,6,10,14-tetramethylpentadecane (TMPD)-mediated peritonitis was similarly aggravated in STING-deficient mice. Mechanistically, STING-deficient macrophages failed to express negative regulators of immune activation and thus were hyperresponsive to TLR ligands, producing abnormally high levels of proinflammatory cytokines. This hyperreactivity corresponds to dramatically elevated numbers of inflammatory macrophages and granulocytes in vivo. Collectively these findings reveal an unexpected negative regulatory role for STING, having important implications for STING-directed therapies