The Lack of Consensus Among Catholics for Establishing New Elementary Schools

For a century Catholic schools have formed the basis for a strong system of acculturation into Catholic identity and values. Catholic schools provided a low-cost basic education and served as a common school for all social classes of Catholics. This system has weakened considerably in the last decades. Between 1970 and 2000 there was a net loss of 3,595 Catholic schools in the United States, a 29.9% decline. In addition, the nature of these schools seems to be changing as the percentage of total Catholic school enrollment made up by non-Catholics has increased ten-fold in 30 years. Many Catholic Schools seem to have pursued increased academic excellence at the expense of religious acculturation. This paper examines diocesan data to determine the extent to which Catholics still consider Catholic elementary schools to be important. Findings include survey data on school importance from 55,000 diocesan Catholics. I addition, parishioner survey results are presented from two suburban parishes, each of which is considering establishing a parochial elementary school. If new elementary schools are going to be established, a way must be found for Catholics to arrive at a consensus on this issue

2003 research briefs : Materials and Process Sciences Center.

This report is the latest in a continuing series that highlights the recent technical accomplishments associated with the work being performed within the Materials and Process Sciences Center. Our research and development activities primarily address the materials-engineering needs of Sandia's Nuclear-Weapons (NW) program. In addition, we have significant efforts that support programs managed by the other laboratory business units. Our wide range of activities occurs within six thematic areas: Materials Aging and Reliability, Scientifically Engineered Materials, Materials Processing, Materials Characterization, Materials for Microsystems and Materials Modeling and Computational Simulation. We believe these highlights collectively demonstrate the importance that a strong materials-science base has on the ultimate success of the NW program and the overall DOE technology portfolio

Magnetic ordering above room temperature in the sigma-phase of Fe66V34

Magnetic properties of four sigma-phase Fe_(100-x)V_x samples with 34.4<x<55.1 were investigated by Mossbauer spectroscopy and magnetic measurements in the temperature interval 5-300 K. Four magnetic quantities viz. hyperfine field, Curie temperature, magnetic moment and susceptibility were determined. The sample containing 34.4 at% V was revealed to exhibit the largest values found up to now for the sigma-phase for average hyperfine field, B = 12.1 T, average magnetic moment per Fe atom, m = 0.89 mB, and Curie temperature, TC = 315.5 K. The quantities were shown to be strongly correlated with each other. In particular, TC is linearly correlated with m with a slope of 406.5 K/mB, as well as B is so correlated with m yielding 14.3 T/mB for the hyperfine coupling constant.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures, 1 tabl

Site Occupancy and Lattice Parameters in Sigma-Phase Co-Cr alloys

Neutron diffraction technique was used to study distribution of Co and Cr atoms over different lattice sites as well as lattice paramaters in sigma-phase Co100-xCrx compounds with x = 57.0, 62.7 and 65.8. From the diffractograms recorded in the temperature range of 4.2 - 300 K it was found that all five sites A, B, C, D and E are populated by both kinds of atoms. Sites A and D are predominantly occupied by Co atoms while sites B, C and E by Cr atoms. The unit cell parameters a and c, hence the unit cell volume, increase with x, the increase being characteristic of the lattice paramater and temperature. Both a and c show a non-linear increase with temperature.Comment: 5 figure

Controllability of structural brain networks.

Cognitive function is driven by dynamic interactions between large-scale neural circuits or networks, enabling behaviour. However, fundamental principles constraining these dynamic network processes have remained elusive. Here we use tools from control and network theories to offer a mechanistic explanation for how the brain moves between cognitive states drawn from the network organization of white matter microstructure. Our results suggest that densely connected areas, particularly in the default mode system, facilitate the movement of the brain to many easily reachable states. Weakly connected areas, particularly in cognitive control systems, facilitate the movement of the brain to difficult-to-reach states. Areas located on the boundary between network communities, particularly in attentional control systems, facilitate the integration or segregation of diverse cognitive systems. Our results suggest that structural network differences between cognitive circuits dictate their distinct roles in controlling trajectories of brain network function

Association Between Changes in Subjective and Objective Measures of Mobility in People With Lower Limb Amputations After Inpatient Rehabilitation

Functional recovery for people with lower limb amputations is quantified using objective or subjective measures of performance. In this brief report, the prospective relationship between objective and subjective mobility after rehabilitation was evaluated in people with lower limb amputations. Adults undergoing inpatient prosthetic rehabilitation for a first unilateral transtibial or transfemoral level lower limb amputation were recruited. Assessment times: discharge and 4-mo follow-up. Gait velocity and the L Test under single- and dual-task conditions measured objective mobility. The Prosthetic Evaluation Questionnaire (section 4 and question 5b) measured subjective mobility. Paired t tests and Pearson correlation analysis evaluated change over time and the association between mobility types, respectively. Twenty-one people with lower limb amputations (61.6 ± 8.2 yrs) participated. Gait velocity significantly improved (single- and dual-task: P \u3c 0.001). L Test significantly improved for single-task (P = 0.002) but not dual-task conditions. No statistically significant Prosthetic Evaluation Questionnaire changes were observed. One subjective mobility question (sidewalk walking) correlated with objective mobility at follow-up (L Test single- and dual-task: r = -0.77; P \u3c 0.001). Objective mobility improved after discharge; however, subjective reporting had no change. Lack of association may represent a mismatch between quantitative outcomes and subjective self-assessment. Both subjective and objective measures of mobility should be collected to provide a holistic picture of clinical and patient-relevant outcomes in people with lower limb amputations

Phylogeny of the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus in European Aquaculture

<p>One of the most valuable aquaculture fish in Europe is the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, but the profitability of trout production is threatened by a highly lethal infectious disease, viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), caused by the VHS virus (VHSV). For the past few decades, the subgenogroup Ia of VHSV has been the main cause of VHS outbreaks in European freshwater-farmed rainbow trout. Little is currently known, however, about the phylogenetic radiation of this Ia lineage into subordinate Ia clades and their subsequent geographical spread routes. We investigated this topic using the largest Ia-isolate dataset ever compiled, comprising 651 complete G gene sequences: 209 GenBank Ia isolates and 442 Ia isolates from this study. The sequences come from 11 European countries and cover the period 1971-2015. Based on this dataset, we documented the extensive spread of the Ia population and the strong mixing of Ia isolates, assumed to be the result of the Europe-wide trout trade. For example, the Ia lineage underwent a radiation into nine Ia clades, most of which are difficult to allocate to a specific geographic distribution. Furthermore, we found indications for two rapid, large-scale population growth events, and identified three polytomies among the Ia clades, both of which possibly indicate a rapid radiation. However, only about 4% of Ia haplotypes (out of 398) occur in more than one European country. This apparently conflicting finding regarding the Europe-wide spread and mixing of Ia isolates can be explained by the high mutation rate of VHSV. Accordingly, the mean period of occurrence of a single Ia haplotype was less than a full year, and we found a substitution rate of up to 7.813 × 10^-4 nucleotides per site per year. Finally, we documented significant differences between Germany and Denmark regarding their VHS epidemiology, apparently due to those countries' individual handling of VHS.</p

Cognitive Testing, Neuroimaging, and Blood Biomarkers in the Development and Progression of Alzheimer's Disease

Gemstone Team BRAINAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, characterized by significant loss of memory and cognitive dysfunction. It has a significant impact on an individual’s health and may financially and socially burden these individuals and their loved ones. Although the disease has been researched extensively, there is still no clear understanding of the proposed mechanisms behind the development of AD and factors aside from genetics which potentially influence the risk of developing AD. The purpose of this research is to compile and analyze data on cognitively healthy participants, participants with MCI, and participants with AD to better understand the importance of genetic risk and changes in cognitive function, bioimaging and biomarker levels, as recorded on the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database. There are complex and significant relationships among these three variable groups with genetics and time. Executive function scores in healthy participants and participants with MCI were decreased with age and increased with education. In participants with AD, scores decreased over time. Language scores in healthy participants decreased with age, increased with education and for women. In participants with MCI, scores decreased with risk and time, and there was an interaction between these two variables. They also decreased with age and increased with education. In participants with AD language scores decreased over time. Memory scores in healthy participants increase with time and education and for women. In participants with MCI, scores increased with education and decreased with risk and time, and there was an interaction between these two variables. For participants with AD, there was a decrease over time. Visuospatial ability scores in healthy participants decreased with education. In participants with MCI, scores decreased with genetic risk and increased with education. In participants with AD, scores decreased over time and increased with age. Left hippocampal volume in healthy participants decreased with time, age, and education, and is increased in women. In participants with MCI, volume decreased with risk, time, age, and education. In participants with AD, volume decreased with time and age. Right hippocampal volume in healthy participants decreased with time, age, and education. In participants with MCI, volume decreased with risk and time, and there was an interaction between these two variables. Volumes also decreased with age. For participants with AD, volume decreased with risk, time, and age. Total hippocampal volume in healthy participants decreased with time, age, and education, and was increased for women. There was also an interaction between risk and time. In participants with MCI, volumes decreased with risk and time, and there was an interaction between these two variables. Volumes also decreased with age and education. For participants with AD, volumes decreased with risk, time, and age. Aβ42 levels in healthy participants decreases with risk and increased with time. In participants with MCI, levels increased with time and age, and were lower in women. In participants with AD, levels increased with time. Aβ40 levels in healthy participants increased with time and were lower for women. For participants with MCI, levels increased with time and age, and were lower for women. In participants with AD, levels increased over time. The Aβ42/40 ratio in healthy participants decreased with risk and time, and decreased with time in participants with MCI. The findings give insight into AD development and contribute to a greater understanding of longitudinal changes in AD progression. In relation to the study of AD includes the perpetuation of racial inequalities. People of color have an increased risk of developing AD and are disproportionately affected by the disease, yet are severely underrepresented in most research studies, including the research collected in the ADNI database. Racial minorities also often do not have the same access to healthcare as white people, thus contributing to the decreased possibility of early detection and treatment of AD. Black Americans, specifically, often face socio-economic barriers, which further renders the burden of AD development and progression more serious for minority families. In order to promote awareness of AD among underrepresented communities, Team Brain virtually presented to the African American Health Program, a local community of minority elders, via virtual presentations. Overall, this research concluded that hippocampal atrophy and cognitive tests appear to be the most consistent factors in the progression of MCI and AD. The analysis of blood biomarkers produced inconclusive results. This research indicates a clear set of imaging and cognitive factors that can be used to create less invasive and novel diagnostic methods for AD as well as supports the need for further research on blood biomarkers to understand their relationship with cognitive decline and progression of AD

Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infection in Older Adults in Long-term Care Facilities and the Community, United States, 1998–20031

Invasive infection develops almost 6 times as frequently in the elderly in long-term care facilities