A survey of X-ray emission from 100 kpc radio jets

We have completed a Chandra snapshot survey of 54 radio jets that are extended on arcsec scales. These are associated with flat spectrum radio quasars spanning a redshift range z=0.3 to 2.1. X-ray emission is detected from the jet of approximately 60% of the sample objects. We assume minimum energy and apply conditions consistent with the original Felten-Morrison calculations in order to estimate the Lorentz factors and the apparent Doppler factors. This allows estimates of the enthalpy fluxes, which turn out to be comparable to the radiative luminosities.Comment: Conference Proceedings IAU Symposium No. 313, Extragalactic jets from every angle, pp. 219-224, 4 figure

A novel method for measuring the extragalactic background light: Fermi application to the lobes of Fornax A

We describe a new method for measuring the extragalactic background light (EBL) through the detection of $\gamma$-ray inverse Compton (IC) emission due to scattering of the EBL photons off relativistic electrons in the lobes of radio galaxies. Our method has no free physical parameters and is a powerful tool when the lobes are characterized by a high energy sharp break or cutoff in their electron energy distribution (EED). We show that such a feature will produce a high energy IC `imprint' of the EBL spectrum in which the radio lobes are embedded, and show how this imprint can be used to derive the EBL. We apply our method to the bright nearby radio galaxy Fornax A, for which we demonstrate, using WMAP and EGRET observations, that the EED of its lobes is characterized by a conveniently located cutoff, bringing the IC EBL emission into the {\sl Fermi} energy range. We show that {\sl Fermi} will set upper limits to the optical EBL and measure the more elusive infrared EBL.Comment: ApJL, accepte

Environmental Evaluation of Subdivision Site Developments

An environmental evaluation was performed at 16 subdivision sites within four communities in east-central Michigan. The primary objective was to evaluate the fit between environmental ordinances and the physical/environmental conditions to which they were applied. An environmental response index was developed with indicators to assess water, soil, slope, development density, roads, vegetation, and ecology. Water-related indicators achieved the highest scores, while soil-related indicators scored the poorest, with generally poor performance across all indicators. The poor performance indicates there are problems in the ability of environmental ordinances developed at broader jurisdictional scales (e.g., the state) to address the existing environmental conditions at smaller geographic scales (subdivisions within communities). Two key problems include the lack of scientific specificity in the broader state-level ordinances and the lack of local expertise and/or resources to monitor the environment.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42403/1/267-29-6-801_20290801.pd

How High? Trends in Cannabis Use Prior to First Admission to Inpatient Psychiatry in Ontario, Canada, between 2007 and 2017

Objectives: To examine the trends in cannabis use within 30 days of first admission to inpatient psychiatry in Ontario, Canada, between 2007 and 2017, and the characteristics of persons reporting cannabis use. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted for first-time admissions to nonforensic inpatient psychiatric beds in Ontario, Canada, between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2017, using data from the Ontario Mental Health Reporting System (N = 81,809). Results: Across all years, 20.1% of patients reported cannabis use within 30 days of first admission. Use increased from 16.7% in 2007 to 25.9% in 2017, and the proportion with cannabis use disorders increased from 3.8% to 6.0%. In 2017, 47.9% of patients aged 18 to 24 and 39.2% aged 25 to 34 used cannabis, representing absolute increases of 8.3% and 10.7%, respectively. Increases in cannabis use were found across almost all diagnostic groups, with the largest increases among patients with personality disorders (15% increase), schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders (14% increase), and substance use disorders (14% increase). A number of demographic and clinical factors were significantly associated with cannabis use, including interactions between schizophrenia and gender (area under the curve = 0.88). Conclusions: As medical cannabis policies in Canada have evolved, cannabis use reported prior to first admission to inpatient psychiatry has increased. The findings of this study establish a baseline for evaluating the impact of changes in cannabis-related policies in Ontario on cannabis use prior to admission to inpatient psychiatry

Addressing Health Needs of Burlington Probation and Parole Clients

Introduction. Higher rates of recidivism have been observed in offenders with specific health risks. Criminal justice literature identifies probation/parole as an ideal time to im-plement health interventions to reduce recidivism, but significant barriers existhttps://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1093/thumbnail.jp

Using the Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) to optimize an HIV care continuum intervention for vulnerable populations : a study protocol

Abstract: Background. More than half of persons living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States are insufficiently engaged in HIV primary care and not taking antiretroviral therapy (ART), mainly African Americans/Blacks and Hispanics. In the proposed project, a potent and innovative research methodology, the multiphase optimization strategy (MOST), will be employed to develop a highly efficacious, efficient, scalable, and cost-effective intervention to increase engagement along the HIV care continuum. Whereas randomized controlled trials are valuable for evaluating the efficacy of multi-component interventions as a package, they are not designed to evaluate which specific components contribute to efficacy. MOST, a pioneering, engineering-inspired framework, addresses this problem through highly efficient randomized experimentation to assess the performance of individual intervention components and their interactions. We propose to use MOST to engineer an intervention to increase engagement along the HIV care continuum for African American/Black and Hispanic PLWH not well engaged in care and not taking ART. Further, the intervention will be optimized for cost-effectiveness. A similar set of multi-level factors impede both HIV care and ART initiation for African American/Black and Hispanic PLWH, primary among them individual- (e.g., substance use, distrust, fear), social- (e.g., stigma), and structural-level barriers (e.g., difficulties accessing ancillary services). Guided by a multi-level social cognitive theory, the study will evaluate five distinct intervention components (i.e., Motivational Interviewing counseling sessions, pre-adherence preparation, support groups, peer mentorship, and patient navigation), each designed to address a specific barrier to HIV care and ART initiation. These components are well-grounded in the empirical literature and were found acceptable, feasible, and promising with respect to efficacy in a preliminary study. Methods/design. Study aims are: 1) using a highly efficient fractional factorial experimental design, identify which of five intervention components contribute meaningfully to improvement in HIV viral suppression, and secondary outcomes of ART adherence and engagement in HIV primary care; 2) identify mediators and moderators of intervention component efficacy; and 3) using a mathematical modeling approach, build the most cost-effective and efficient intervention package from the efficacious components. A heterogeneous sample of African American/Black and Hispanic PLWH (with respect to age, substance use, and sexual minority status) will be recruited with a proven hybrid sampling method using targeted sampling in community settings and peer recruitment (N=512). Discussion. This is the first study to apply the MOST framework in the field of HIV prevention and treatment. This innovative study will produce an HIV care continuum intervention for the nation's most vulnerable PLWH, optimized for cost-effectiveness, and with exceptional levels of efficacy, efficiency, and scalability

The infrared-dominated jet of 3C401

We present a Hubble Space Telescope image of the FRII radio galaxy 3C 401, obtained at 1.6 microns with the NICMOS camera in which we identify the infrared counterpart of the brightest region of the radio jet. The jet has a complex radio structure and brightens where bending occurs, most likely as a result of relativistic beaming. We analyze archival data in the radio, optical and X-ray bands and we derive its spectral energy distribution. Differently from all of the previously known optical extragalactic jets, the jet in 3C401 is not detected in the X-rays even in a long 48ksec X-ray Chandra exposure and the infrared emission dominates the overall SED. We propose that the dominant radiation mechanism of this jet is synchrotron. The low X-ray emission is then caused by two different effects: i) the lack of any strong external photon field and ii) the shape of the electron distribution. This affects the location of the synchrotron peak in the SED, resulting in a sharp cut-off at energies lower than the X-rays. Thus 3C401 shows a new type of jet which has intermediate spectral properties between those of FRI, which are dominated by synchrotron emission up to X-ray energies, and FRII/QSO, which show a strong high-energy emission due to inverse-Compton scattering of external photons. This might be a clue for the presence of a continuous ``sequence'' in the properties of large scale jets, in analogy with the ``blazar sequence'' already proposed for sub-pc scale jets.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in the ApJ. A typo in the value of the radio to X-ray spectral index (sect. 5, paragraph 2, thanks to T. Cheung) and other minor corrections have been mad

The Jet and Circumnuclear Environment of 3C 293

We present the new HST near-infrared polarimetry, broad and narrow-band imaging, and MERLIN 4.5GHz Multi-Frequency Synthesis radio imaging of 3C 293, a unique radio galaxy whose host is an obvious merger remnant, in an exceptionally under-dense region of space. We have discovered near-infrared, optical, and ultra-violet synchrotron emission from the jet. In the optical, the jet is mostly obscured by a dust lane, but three knots are clear in our HST NICMOS images at 1.6 and 2.0 microns, clearly aligning with features in the radio. The outer jet knot is highly polarized (~15%) at 2 microns, confirming the synchrotron emission mechanism. The radio-IR spectral index steepens significantly with distance from the nucleus, as in 3C 273 and in contrast to M 87. The inner knot is visible (with hindsight) on the WFPC2 and STIS images obtained for the earlier 3CR HST snapshot surveys. There is no [Fe II] emission seen associated with the jet, constraining the role of shock-induced ionisation by the jet. Overall there is a strong implication that the NIR jet emission is indeed synchrotron. From our NIR images, the core of the galaxy is clearly identifiable with the main feature in the western extension of the radio ``jet'' image, although no unresolved AGN component is identifiable even at K-band, consistent with an FRII-like nucleus obscured by an optically thick torus. The galaxy appears to have a single nucleus, with any multiple nuclei falling within the central </~100 pc.Comment: ApJ accepted. 31 pages, 12 figures reproduced here at low resolution. High resolution version available from http://www.stsci.edu/~floyd/BIBLIOTECA/3c293

Temporal dynamics of emotional responding: amygdala recovery predicts emotional traits

An individual’s affective style is influenced by many things, including the manner in which an individual responds to an emotional challenge. Emotional response is composed of a number of factors, two of which are the initial reactivity to an emotional stimulus and the subsequent recovery once the stimulus terminates or ceases to be relevant. However, most neuroimaging studies examining emotional processing in humans focus on the magnitude of initial reactivity to a stimulus rather than the prolonged response. In this study, we use functional magnetic resonance imaging to study the time course of amygdala activity in healthy adults in response to presentation of negative images. We split the amygdala time course into an initial reactivity period and a recovery period beginning after the offset of the stimulus. We find that initial reactivity in the amygdala does not predict trait measures of affective style. Conversely, amygdala recovery shows predictive power such that slower amygdala recovery from negative images predicts greater trait neuroticism, in addition to lower levels of likability of a set of social stimuli (neutral faces). These data underscore the importance of taking into account temporal dynamics when studying affective processing using neuroimaging

The PYRIN Domain-only Protein POP1 Inhibits Inflammasome Assembly and Ameliorates Inflammatory Disease

SummaryIn response to infections and tissue damage, ASC-containing inflammasome protein complexes are assembled that promote caspase-1 activation, IL-1β and IL-18 processing and release, pyroptosis, and the release of ASC particles. However, excessive or persistent activation of the inflammasome causes inflammatory diseases. Therefore, a well-balanced inflammasome response is crucial for the maintenance of homeostasis. We show that the PYD-only protein POP1 inhibited ASC-dependent inflammasome assembly by preventing inflammasome nucleation, and consequently interfered with caspase-1 activation, IL-1β and IL-18 release, pyroptosis, and the release of ASC particles. There is no mouse ortholog for POP1, but transgenic expression of human POP1 in monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells protected mice from systemic inflammation triggered by molecular PAMPs, inflammasome component NLRP3 mutation, and ASC danger particles. POP1 expression was regulated by TLR and IL-1R signaling, and we propose that POP1 provides a regulatory feedback loop that shuts down excessive inflammatory responses and thereby prevents systemic inflammation