COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Procedures Designed for Minimizing Trauma in School-Age Children

When COVID-19 arrived in the United States in March of 2020, most of the country was unprepared for the virus\u27s severe nature. A collective mental state seized the public with a hard-to-fathom health emergency that bewildered most adults who have not witnessed during their lifetime. The closest parallels would be the HIV/AIDS pandemic that became embedded in the cultural mindset of 1985; however, once scientists and researchers identified the medical realities of HIV/AIDS, they could educate the populace with appropriate prevention mandates. With rare exceptions, this was not a disease that touched children, except a schoolyard taunt in the years following. Telling a peer they have AIDS was a derogatory message meaning the child was gay and dirty. The idea of one who contracts a disease was then identifiable as a social negative, one that still permeates the culture. A program that educates school-age children about the realities of COVID-19 and instills in them prevention knowledge will be controversial, but necessary, to prevent a generation of traumatized children. With the constant repetition of school shooter drills, children have proven to be resilient. COVID-19 education and preventative measures will require providers to build on this resilience

Inflammatory and immune system correlates of rape

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of measuring stress hormones and immunity following rape. The long-term goal is to evaluate the predictive value of stress-immune-inflammatory responses to later health outcomes. Fifteen women reporting rape were compared with 16 control participants. Serum stress hormones, proinflammatory cytokines, acute phase proteins, functional assays, and lymphocyte subsets were measured in blood samples. Women reporting rape had higher cytotoxic cells, lower B lymphocyte counts, higher proinflammatory biomarkers, and decreased lymphocyte proliferation compared to the control group. This finding suggests that rape produces activation of the innate immunity and suppression of some aspects of adaptive immunity. If these immune changes persist, they may contribute to the pathophysiology of long-term health sequelae by provoking chronic inflammation and decreased cellular immunocompetence

Effects of composted dairy manure on soil chemical properties and forage yield and nutritive value of coastal Bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.]

Research was conducted to compare the effects of composted dairy manure and raw dairy manure alone, or in combination with supplemental inorganic fertilizer, on soil chemical properties and Coastal bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] yield and nutritive value. Composted dairy manure was surface applied at rates of 14 (125 kg N ha-1), 29 (250 kg N ha-1) and 57 (500 kg N ha-1) Mg dry matter (DM) ha-1, and raw dairy manure was surface applied at a rate of 54 (420 kg N ha-1) Mg DM ha-1 to established bermudagrass. Selected compost and manure plots received supplemental inorganic N at rates of 56, 84 and 112 kg ha-1 cutting-1 or 112 kg ha-1 cutting-1 of supplemental N with supplemental inorganic phosphorus or potassium at rates of 112 kg P2O5 ha-1 yr-1 and 112 kg K2O ha-1 cutting-1, respectively. Composted dairy manure (29 and 57 Mg DM ha-1) or raw manure alone increased cumulative forage yields compared to the untreated check in both years of the study, but were less than those obtained using only inorganic fertilizer. Application of 56 kg N ha-1 cutting-1 or more of supplemental N to compost (29 and 57 Mg DM ha-1) or iv manure produced forage yields that were equal to or greater than those obtained using inorganic fertilizer alone. However, increasing compost rate did not increase tissue N concentrations regardless of supplemental inorganic N rate. Yield and tissue K concentrations were increased in the second growing season when supplemental inorganic K was applied to 29 Mg ha-1 of compost or 54 Mg ha-1 of raw dairy manure. No yield response was observed when supplemental inorganic P was applied to compost or manure. Soil pH and concentrations of NH4, NO3, K, Ca, Mg and Mn were increased by application of compost or manure. Soil P concentrations in the 0 to 5-cm zone exceeded 200 mg kg-1 when compost was applied at the high rate. Dairy manure compost was an effective nutrient source for bermudagrass hay production, but will require the use of supplemental N and, in some cases, K to achieve yields comparable to inorganic fertilizer

The Neon Abundance in the Ejecta of QU Vul From Late-Epoch IR Spectra

We present ground-based SpectroCam-10 mid-infrared, MMT optical, and Spitzer Space Telescope IRS mid-infrared spectra taken 7.62, 18.75, and 19.38 years respectively after the outburst of the old classical nova QU Vulpeculae (Nova Vul 1984 #2). The spectra of the ejecta are dominated by forbidden line emission from neon and oxygen. Our analysis shows that neon was, at the first and last epochs respectively, more than 76 and 168 times overabundant by number with respect to hydrogen compared to the solar value. These high lower limits to the neon abundance confirm that QU Vul involved a thermonuclear runaway on an ONeMg white dwarf and approach the yields predicted by models of the nucleosynthesis in such events.Comment: ApJ 2007 accepted, 18 pages, including 5 figures, 1 tabl

Cognitive Fatigue Influences Time-On-Task during Bodyweight Resistance Training Exercise

Prior investigations have shown measurable performance impairments on continuous physical performance tasks when preceded by a cognitively fatiguing task. However, the effect of cognitive fatigue on bodyweight resistance training exercise task performance is unknown. In the current investigation 18 amateur athletes completed a full body exercise task preceded by either a cognitive fatiguing or control intervention. In a randomized repeated measure design, each participant completed the same exercise task preceded by a 52 minute cognitively fatiguing intervention (vigilance) or control intervention (video). Data collection sessions were separated by 1 week. Participants rated the fatigue intervention as being significantly more mentally demanding than the control intervention (p .05). There was no statistical difference for heart rate or metabolic expenditure as a function of fatigue intervention during exercise. Cognitively fatigued athletes have decreased time-on-task in bodyweight resistance training exercise tasks

Sign patterns for chemical reaction networks

Most differential equations found in chemical reaction networks (CRNs) have the form $dx/dt=f(x)= Sv(x)$, where $x$ lies in the nonnegative orthant, where $S$ is a real matrix (the stoichiometric matrix) and $v$ is a column vector consisting of real-valued functions having a special relationship to $S$. Our main interest will be in the Jacobian matrix, $f'(x)$, of $f(x)$, in particular in whether or not each entry $f'(x)_{ij}$ has the same sign for all $x$ in the orthant, i.e., the Jacobian respects a sign pattern. In other words species $x_j$ always acts on species $x_i$ in an inhibitory way or its action is always excitatory. In Helton, Klep, Gomez we gave necessary and sufficient conditions on the species-reaction graph naturally associated to $S$ which guarantee that the Jacobian of the associated CRN has a sign pattern. In this paper, given $S$ we give a construction which adds certain rows and columns to $S$, thereby producing a stoichiometric matrix $\widehat S$ corresponding to a new CRN with some added species and reactions. The Jacobian for this CRN based on $\hat S$ has a sign pattern. The equilibria for the $S$ and the $\hat S$ based CRN are in exact one to one correspondence with each equilibrium $e$ for the original CRN gotten from an equilibrium $\hat e$ for the new CRN by removing its added species. In our construction of a new CRN we are allowed to choose rate constants for the added reactions and if we choose them large enough the equilibrium $\hat e$ is locally asymptotically stable if and only if the equilibrium $e$ is locally asymptotically stable. Further properties of the construction are shown, such as those pertaining to conserved quantities and to how the deficiencies of the two CRNs compare.Comment: 23 page

Lunar Lander Offloading Operations Using a Heavy-Lift Lunar Surface Manipulator System

This study investigates the feasibility of using a heavy-lift variant of the Lunar Surface Manipulator System (LSMS-H) to lift and handle a 12 metric ton payload. Design challenges and requirements particular to handling heavy cargo were examined. Differences between the previously developed first-generation LSMS and the heavy-lift version are highlighted. An in-depth evaluation of the tip-over risk during LSMS-H operations has been conducted using the Synergistic Engineering Environment and potential methods to mitigate that risk are identified. The study investigated three specific offloading scenarios pertinent to current Lunar Campaign studies. The first involved offloading a large element, such as a habitat or logistics module, onto a mobility chassis with a lander-mounted LSMS-H and offloading that payload from the chassis onto the lunar surface with a surface-mounted LSMS-H. The second scenario involved offloading small pressurized rovers with a lander-mounted LSMS-H. The third scenario involved offloading cargo from a third-party lander, such as the proposed ESA cargo lander, with a chassis-mounted LSMS-H. In all cases, the analyses show that the LSMS-H can perform the required operations safely. However, Chariot-mounted operations require the addition of stabilizing outriggers, and when operating from the Lunar surface, LSMS-H functionality is enhanced by adding a simple ground anchoring system

Postsynaptic Positioning of Endocytic Zones and AMPA Receptor Cycling by Physical Coupling of Dynamin-3 to Homer

Endocytosis of AMPA receptors and other postsynaptic cargo occurs at endocytic zones (EZs), stably positioned sites of clathrin assembly adjacent to the postsynaptic density (PSD). The tight localization of postsynaptic endocytosis is thought to control spine composition and regulate synaptic transmission and plasticity. However, the molecular mechanisms that situate the EZ near the PSD, and the role of local spine endocytosis in synaptic transmission, are unknown. Here we report that a physical link between dynamin-3 and the postsynaptic adaptor Homer positions the EZ near the PSD. Disruption of dynamin-3 or its interaction with Homer uncouples the PSD from the EZ, resulting in synapses devoid of postsynaptic clathrin. This loss of the EZ leads to a loss of synaptic AMPA receptors and reduced excitatory synaptic transmission that corresponds with impaired synaptic recycling. Thus, a physical link between the PSD and the EZ ensures localized endocytosis and recycling by recapturing and maintaining a proximate pool of cycling AMPA receptors

Cellular/Molecular Differential Ubiquitination and Proteasome Regulation of Ca V 2.2 N-Type Channel Splice Isoforms

Ca V 2.2 (N-type) calcium channels control the entry of calcium into neurons to regulate essential functions but most notably presynaptic transmitter release. Ca V 2.2 channel expression levels are precisely controlled, but we know little of the cellular mechanisms involved. The ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) is known to regulate expression of many synaptic proteins, including presynaptic elements, to optimize synaptic efficiency. However, we have limited information about ubiquitination of Ca V 2 channels. Here we show that Ca V 2.2 proteins are ubiquitinated, and that elements in the proximal C terminus of Ca V 2.2 encoded by exon 37b of the mouse Cacna1b gene predispose cloned and native channels to downregulation by the UPS. Ca V 2.2 channels containing e37b are expressed throughout the mammalian nervous system, but in some cells, notably nociceptors, sometimes e37a-not e37b-is selected during alternative splicing of Ca V 2.2 pre-mRNA. By a combination of biochemical and functional analyses we show e37b promotes a form of ubiquitination that is coupled to reduced Ca V 2.2 current density and increased sensitivity to the UPS. Cell-specific alternative splicing of e37a in nociceptors reduces Ca V 2.2 channel ubiquitination and sensitivity to the UPS, suggesting a role in pain processing

Brown Dwarf Candidates in the JADES and CEERS Extragalactic Surveys

By combining the JWST/NIRCam JADES and CEERS extragalactic datasets, we have uncovered a sample of twenty-one T and Y brown dwarf candidates at best-fit distances between 0.1 - 4.2 kpc. These sources were selected by targeting the blue 1$\mu$m - 2.5$\mu$m colors and red 3$\mu$m - 4.5$\mu$m colors that arise from molecular absorption in the atmospheres of T$_{\mathrm{eff}} <$ 1300K brown dwarfs. We fit these sources using multiple models of low-mass stellar atmospheres and present the resulting fluxes, sizes, effective temperatures and other derived properties for the sample. If confirmed, these fits place the majority of the sources in the Milky Way thick disk and halo. We observe proper motion for seven of the candidate brown dwarfs with directions in agreement with the plane of our galaxy, providing evidence that they are not extragalactic in nature. We demonstrate how the colors of these sources differ from selected high-redshift galaxies, and explore the selection of these sources in planned large-area JWST NIRCam surveys. Deep imaging with JWST/NIRCam presents an an excellent opportunity for finding and understanding these very cold low-mass stars at kpc distances.Comment: 22 pages, 9 figures, accepted by ApJ (January 18, 2024