Rumination, Mindfulness, and Posttraumatic Growth During the Coronavirus Disease-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Model

Early research examining the impact of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on the health and well-being of U.S. adult residents suggested the majority were experiencing an increase in anxiety, depression, and trauma-related symptoms. The current study responded to calls for mental health professionals to view the COVID-19 pandemic as a form of mass trauma and sought to understand whether U.S. adult residents reported experiencing posttraumatic growth (PTG) in response to this mass trauma. Consistent with Tedeschi and Calhoun’s (2004) theoretical framework of PTG, the current study attempted to replicate a mediational model that had been used to explain the process of PTG and determine whether deliberate rumination mediated the relationship between intrusive rumination and PTG in the current sample. Mindfulness as a moderator of this mediation was also explored in an effort to add to the preliminary evidence linking mindfulness with rumination and PTG. Eight-two (82) participants in the current study completed the Impact of Events Scale-COVID19 to assess for traumatic stress associated with pandemic, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory to assess for posttraumatic growth, the Event-Related Rumination Inventory to measure intrusive and deliberate rumination, and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale to assess for mindfulness. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze the data and both moderation and mediation analyses were conducted using PROCESS Macro. Results showed 82 participants who endorsed significant levels of distress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic were also experiencing PTG in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Consistent with Tedeschi and Calhoun’s theoretical framework, deliberate rumination mediated the relationship between intrusive rumination and PTG, suggesting individuals were experiencing the same sequential process of PTG in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as others had in response to traumatic events such as natural disasters and other life-threatening events. Trait mindfulness did not appear to have a significant impact on PTG or the proposed mediation model

Master of Environmental Management Needs assessment 2021

To better understand the potential impact of a Master of Environmental Management (MEM) program at Boise State University, Idaho Policy Institute (IPI) was asked to assess peer programs across the nation, as well as employment opportunities for individuals with this skill set. IPI’s analysis included a review of peer program websites, interviews with peer program directors, an online survey of PhD program directors in related fields, analysis of job listings, and both an online survey and interviews with potential employers. Key findings of IPI’s analysis include: Peer programs tend to target working professionals who are interested in advancing their existing careers, thus serving as a terminal degree. MEM students that go on to pursue a PhD are typically self-directed. Programs situated near public policy hubs (e.g., state capitals, industry centers) are well suited to leverage that proximity into program opportunities, such as internships, policy clinics, or project-based activities. Communication skills are highly valued by employers in today’s market. Jobs in the environmental field increasingly call for collaborative approaches that are effective in communicating complicated material to diverse audiences. Peer programs emphasize the importance of diversity, both in course offerings and growing their student base. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in realignments among employers, requiring a flexible workforce that is able to adapt to changing circumstances and assume additional responsibilities. The more an MEM program can prepare students to adjust to these realities, the better off they will be in the job market

Leibniz algebroids, twistings and exceptional generalized geometry

We investigate a class of Leibniz algebroids which are invariant under diffeomorphisms and symmetries involving collections of closed forms. Under appropriate assumptions we arrive at a classification which in particular gives a construction starting from graded Lie algebras. In this case the Leibniz bracket is a derived bracket and there are higher derived brackets resulting in an $L_\infty$-structure. The algebroids can be twisted by a non-abelian cohomology class and we prove that the twisting class is described by a Maurer-Cartan equation. For compact manifolds we construct a Kuranishi moduli space of this equation which is shown to be affine algebraic. We explain how these results are related to exceptional generalized geometry.Comment: 58 page

Theoretical Summary of the HADRON99 conference

The Constituent Quark Model has provided a remarkable description of the experimentally observed hadron spectrum but still has no firm theoretical basis. Attempts to provide a QCD justification discussed at Hadron99 include QCD Sum Rules, instantons, relativistic potential models and the lattice. Phenomenological analyses to clarify outstanding problems like the nature of the scalar and pseudoscalar mesons and the low branching ratio for $\psi' \to \rho-\pi$ were presented. New experimental puzzles include the observation of $\bar p p \to \phi \pi$.Comment: 10 pages, espcrc1.st

Porewater Carbonate Chemistry Dynamics in a Temperate and a Subtropical Seagrass System

Seagrass systems are integral components of both local and global carbon cycles and can substantially modify seawater biogeochemistry, which has ecological ramifications. However, the influence of seagrass on porewater biogeochemistry has not been fully described, and the exact role of this marine macrophyte and associated microbial communities in the modification of porewater chemistry remains equivocal. In the present study, carbonate chemistry in the water column and porewater was investigated over diel timescales in contrasting, tidally influenced seagrass systems in Southern California and Bermuda, including vegetated (Zostera marina) and unvegetated biomes (0–16 cm) in Mission Bay, San Diego, USA and a vegetated system (Thallasia testudinium) in Mangrove Bay, Ferry Reach, Bermuda. In Mission Bay, dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA) exhibited strong increasing gradients with sediment depth. Vertical porewater profiles differed between the sites, with almost twice as high concentrations of DIC and TA observed in the vegetated compared to the unvegetated sediments. In Mangrove Bay, both the range and vertical profiles of porewater carbonate parameters such as DIC and TA were much lower and, in contrast to Mission Bay where no distinct temporal signal was observed, biogeochemical parameters followed the semi-diurnal tidal signal in the water column. The observed differences between the study sites most likely reflect a differential influence of biological (biomass, detritus and infauna) and physical processes (e.g., sediment permeability, residence time and mixing) on porewater carbonate chemistry in the different settings

The SCOUT-O3 Darwin Aircraft Campaign: rationale and mateorology

An aircraft measurement campaign involving the Russian high-altitude aircraft M55 Geophysica and the German DLR Falcon was conducted in Darwin, Australia in November and December 2005 as part of the European integrated project SCOUT-O3. The overall objectives of the campaign were to study the transport of trace gases through the tropical tropopause layer (TTL), mechanisms of dehydration close to the tropopause, and the role of deep convection in these processes. In this paper a detailed roadmap of the campaign is presented, including rationales for each flight, and an analysis of the local and large-scale meteorological context in which they were embedded. The campaign took place during the pre-monsoon season which is characterized by a pronounced diurnal evolution of deep convection including a mesoscale system over the Tiwi Islands north of Darwin known as �\x83¢Â�Â�HectorâÂ�Â�. This allowed studying in detail the role of deep convection in structuring the tropical tropopause region, in situ sampling convective overshoots above storm anvils, and probing the structure of anvils and cirrus clouds by Lidar and a suite of in situ instruments onboard the two aircraft. The large-scale flow during the first half of the campaign was such that local flights, away from convection, sampled air masses downstream of the âÂ�Â�cold trapâÂ�Â� region over Indonesia. Abundant cirrus clouds enabled the study of active dehydration, in particular during two TTL survey flights. The campaign period also encompassed a Rossby wave breaking event transporting stratospheric air to the tropical middle troposphere and an equatorial Kelvin wave modulating tropopause temperatures and hence the conditions for dehydration

Next Steps from a School Gardening Partnership Conference (AGES: Academic Gardening to Enrich our Students): Expanding the Impact of School Gardens Through Higher Education, K-12 School and Community Coalitions

Research suggests that there are many benefits of school gardens for students, teachers and community. Not only can they help children eat more fruits and vegetables and be more physically active, they can help to create learning opportunities and increase teacher satisfaction. In Worcester, Massachusetts, a city with high poverty and food insecurity rates, a broad community coalition formed to brainstorm novel implementation models to improve the use and sustainability of school gardens. The group decided to foster new collaborations among higher education, K-12 schools and community organizations. The innovative idea was that higher education could meet their need for real-world application of various curricula, such as education, business, urban agriculture, marketing, horticulture, sustainable development, and engineering, through the implementation of school gardens. The resulting conference called AGES (Academic Gardening to Enrich our Students) united school teachers, professors, administration and community partners. The sessions featured information on: 1) successful models of higher education-K12 school garden partnerships, 2) building school gardening into the curriculum (psychosocial skills, STEM, environmental sciences, project-based learning, nutrition, healthy lifestyles), 3) research evidence on the benefits of school gardens, 4) strategies for building community through gardening, and 5) garden planning and maintenance. US Representative Jim McGovern was the keynote speaker, highlighting the importance of this collaborative work

Recalibration of thinking about adrenocortical function assessment: how the ‘random’ cortisol relates to the short synacthen test results

Background The short synacthen test (SST) is the most commonly performed investigation to assess adrenal function. Appropriate criteria for when an SST is performed are subject to debate. We investigated how random serum cortisol levels relate to SST response. Methods We examined random cortisol measurements taken between 04.40–23.55 p.m. results of SST baseline and 30-/60-min cortisol performed over 12 months (225 SSTs) at Salford Royal Hospital. Serum cortisol was measured on the Siemens Centaur Analyser. A 30–60-min cortisol concentration of ≥450 nmol/L defined a pass; 350–449 nmol/L defined borderline. Results Patients only proceeded to SST if random cortisol was <400 nmol/L. For those not on corticosteroids for at least 2 weeks, 42/43 (97.7%) cases with random cortisol concentration of ≥200 nmol/L had an SST ‘pass’. The relation was less clear with corticosteroid treatment (19/35 cases; 54%). For those not taking glucocorticoid treatment (including inhaled/topical corticosteroids) in the previous 2 weeks, 91.8% of SSTs were pass/2.7% borderline/5.5% fail. For those on steroids, 51.9% of SSTs were a pass/11.4% were borderline. In relation to the postsynacthen cortisol pass cut-off of ≥450 nmol/L, in 15/207 (7.2%) of cases, the 60-min cortisol was ≥450 nmol/L (adequate adrenocortical function), but 30-min cortisol was below this. In all cases where the 30-min cortisol did indicate a pass (i.e. was ≥450 nmol/L) the 60-min cortisol was also ≥450 nmol/L. Conclusion Our findings suggest that if the random cortisol level is ≥200 nmol/L, regardless of the time of day and the person was not taking corticosteroid treatment in the previous 2 weeks, SST may not be needed. Our data also suggests that 60-min cortisol retains utility