Associations between impulsivity behaviors and difficulty extinguishing conditioned fear in adults with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

The majority of adults will experience a traumatic event, although only a minority (25%) of people exposed to a potentially traumatic event (PTE) develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) within 12 months (Zatzick et al., 2007). This discrepancy underscores the importance of identifying risk factors that predict and contribute to the likelihood of developing PTSD. Individuals with PTSD face an increased risk for engaging in impulsive behaviors including substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors, self-harm, and disordered eating. The presence of these behaviors exacerbates impairments associated with PTSD and complicates the treatment and recovery processes (Roley et al., 2017; Goldstein et al., 2016). Using statistical methods in the R computing environment, the present project examined the associations between difficulty extinguishing a fear-potentiated startle response and impulsivity behavior among adults with PTSD. An association was expected between increased impulsive behaviors and decreased ability to inhibit learned fear within adults with PTSD. Preliminary data analyses showed no significant interaction between participants’ ability to extinguish conditioned fear and impulsive behaviors

Identification and Detection of Gaseous Effluents from Hyperspectral Imagery Using Invariant Algorithms

The ability to detect and identify effluent gases is, and will continue to be, of great importance. This would not only aid in the regulation of pollutants but also in treaty enforcement and monitoring the production of weapons. Considering these applications, finding a way to remotely investigate a gaseous emission is highly desirable. This research utilizes hyperspectral imagery in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum to evaluate an invariant method of detecting and identifying gases within a scene. The image is evaluated on a pixel-by-pixel basis and is studied at the subpixel level. A library of target gas spectra is generated using a simple slab radiance model. This results in a more robust description of gas spectra which are representative of real-world observations. This library is the subspace utilized by the detection and identification algorithms. The subspace will be evaluated for the set of basis vectors that best span the subspace. The Lee algorithm will be used to determine the set of basis vectors, which implements the Maximum Distance Method (MaxD). A Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test (GLRT) determines whether or not the pixel contains the target. The target can be either a single species or a combination of gases. Synthetically generated scenes will be used for this research. This work evaluates whether the Lee invariant algorithm will be effective in the gas detection and identification problem

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Cardiometabolic Risks Associated with Work-to-family Conflict: Findings from the Work Family Health Network

Objective: Work and family stressors may be associated with elevated cardiovascular risk factors. Methods: To assess the effects of work-to-family conflict (WTFC) on biomarkers of cardiometabolic risk, we examined 1524 extended care employees over 18 months and estimated multilevel linear models that accounted for the nested nature of the data. Results: WTFC was positively associated with BMI [β = 0.53, CI = (0.08, 0.98), p = .02 at baseline and β = 0.59, CI = (0.12, 1.04), p = .01 across the 18-month study period] and negatively with HDL cholesterol [β = −0.32, CI = (−0.57, −0.08), p = .01 across the 18-month study period]. The rate of change in BMI from baseline to 18 months increased with higher levels of WTFC as well (β = 0.08, CI = (0.03, 0.15), p = .0007). However, WTFC was not associated with other variables reflecting cardiometabolic risk, such as including blood pressure, cholesterol, glycosylated hemoglobin and cigarette smoking status. Conclusion: Findings suggest that BMI, which is linked to potentially malleable health behaviors, is more closely related to inter-role conflict than biological markers reflecting longer-term physiologic processes. These effects are exacerbated over time and may be particularly detrimental to already overweight and obese individuals

An Implantable Human Stem cell-derived Tissue-engineered Rostral Migratory Stream for Directed Neuronal Replacement

The rostral migratory stream (RMS) facilitates neuroblast migration from the subventricular zone to the olfactory bulb throughout adulthood. Brain lesions attract neuroblast migration out of the RMS, but resultant regeneration is insufficient. Increasing neuroblast migration into lesions has improved recovery in rodent studies. We previously developed techniques for fabricating an astrocyte-based Tissue-Engineered RMS (TE-RMS) intended to redirect endogenous neuroblasts into distal brain lesions for sustained neuronal replacement. Here, we demonstrate that astrocyte-like-cells can be derived from adult human gingiva mesenchymal stem cells and used for TE-RMS fabrication. We report that key proteins enriched in the RMS are enriched in TE-RMSs. Furthermore, the human TE-RMS facilitates directed migration of immature neurons in vitro. Finally, human TE-RMSs implanted in athymic rat brains redirect migration of neuroblasts out of the endogenous RMS. By emulating the brain’s most efficient means for directing neuroblast migration, the TE-RMS offers a promising new approach to neuroregenerative medicine. © 2021, This is a U.S. Government work and not under copyright protection in the US; foreign copyright protection may apply

Tissue Engineered Bands of Büngner for Accelerated Motor and Sensory Axonal Outgrowth

Following peripheral nerve injury comprising a segmental defect, the extent of axon regeneration decreases precipitously with increasing gap length. Schwann cells play a key role in driving axon re-growth by forming aligned tubular guidance structures called bands of Büngner, which readily occurs in distal nerve segments as well as within autografts – currently the most reliable clinically-available bridging strategy. However, host Schwann cells generally fail to infiltrate large-gap acellular scaffolds, resulting in markedly inferior outcomes and motivating the development of next-generation bridging strategies capable of fully exploiting the inherent pro-regenerative capability of Schwann cells. We sought to create preformed, implantable Schwann cell-laden microtissue that emulates the anisotropic structure and function of naturally-occurring bands of Büngner. Accordingly, we developed a biofabrication scheme leveraging biomaterial-induced self-assembly of dissociated rat primary Schwann cells into dense, fiber-like three-dimensional bundles of Schwann cells and extracellular matrix within hydrogel micro-columns. This engineered microtissue was found to be biomimetic of morphological and phenotypic features of endogenous bands of Büngner, and also demonstrated 8 and 2× faster rates of axonal extension in vitro from primary rat spinal motor neurons and dorsal root ganglion sensory neurons, respectively, compared to 3D matrix-only controls or planar Schwann cells. To our knowledge, this is the first report of accelerated motor axon outgrowth using aligned Schwann cell constructs. For translational considerations, this microtissue was also fabricated using human gingiva-derived Schwann cells as an easily accessible autologous cell source. These results demonstrate the first tissue engineered bands of Büngner (TE-BoBs) comprised of dense three-dimensional bundles of longitudinally aligned Schwann cells that are readily scalable as implantable grafts to accelerate axon regeneration across long segmental nerve defects. © Copyright © 2020 Panzer, Burrell, Helm, Purvis, Zhang, Le, O’Donnell and Cullen

Early isotopic evidence for maize as a staple grain in the Americas

© 2020 The Authors. Maize is a cultigen of global economic importance, but when it first became a staple grain in the Americas, was unknown and contested. Here, we report direct isotopic dietary evidence from 52 radiocarbon-dated human skeletons from two remarkably well-preserved rock-shelter contexts in the Maya Mountains of Belize spanning the past 10,000 years. Individuals dating before ∼4700 calendar years before present (cal B.P.) show no clear evidence for the consumption of maize. Evidence for substantial maize consumption (∼30% of total diet) appears in some individuals between 4700 and 4000 cal B.P. Isotopic evidence after 4000 cal B.P. indicates that maize became a persistently used staple grain comparable in dietary significance to later maize agriculturalists in the region (\u3e70% of total diet). These data provide the earliest definitive evidence for maize as a staple grain in the Americas