Consensus statement on improving the mental health of high performance athletes

This consensus statement is the product of an international Think Tank on the initiative of the International Society of Sport Psychology. The purpose of the Think Tank was to unify major sport psychology organizations in a discussion of the current status and future challenges of applied and research aspects of athlete mental health. The contributors present six propositions and recommendations to inspire sport organizations and researchers. The propositions are: Mental health is a core component of a culture of excellence; Mental health in a sport context should be better defined; Research on mental health in sport should broaden the scope of assessment; Athlete mental health is a major resource for the whole athletic career and life post-athletic career; The environment can nourish or malnourish athlete mental health; and Mental health is everybody’s business but should be overseen by one or a few specified members. It is recommended that researchers unite to develop a more contextualized definition of athlete mental health and more comprehensive strategies of assessment, as well as join forces with sporting organizations to investigate sustainable elite sport environments and the role of the mental health officer. Sport organizations are advised to recognize athlete mental health as a core component of a healthy elite sport system and a key indicator of their effectiveness, support research initiatives, and to promote the mental health literacy of all their staff while engaging a mental health officer with the responsibility to oversee a support system

Buff-burning clay resources of southwestern and southern Illinois

Bibliography: p. 8, 21-23

The InVEST Volcanic Concept Survey: Exploring Student Understanding About Volcanoes

Results from the Volcanic Concept Survey (VCS) indicated that many undergraduates do not fully understand volcanic systems and plate tectonics. During the 2006 academic year, a ten-item conceptual survey was distributed to undergraduate students enrolled in Earth science courses at five U.S. colleges and universities. A trained team of graders scored 672 completed surveys, coding responses to each item with a score, out of 3, based on accuracy and comprehensiveness. Questions requiring only basic content knowledge (e.g., terminology, volcano topology) received more high scoring responses than questions requiring higher thinking and deeper conceptual connections (association with plate tectonics, prediction of hazards and impacts on the environment). The mechanics of eruptions also appeared to be poorly understood. Special attention was paid to students’ alternate conceptions about where volcanoes are likely to form. Male students, students highly interested in science, and students who lived in a volcanically active area received significantly higher total scores than other student groups. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors also performed significantly better than non-STEM majors. Understanding the nature of student comprehension and misconception may be useful for geoscience educators seeking to address student preconceptions and promote conceptual change

United States Department of State Diplomacy Laboratory An External Evaluation of Kosovo’s American Corners Program

This report provides analysis, findings, and recommendations as they pertain to American Corners in Kosovo as a contribution to an ongoing U.S. Department of State program. Stemming from America’s foreign policy, three corners located throughout Kosovo have been working to educate the populations they serve and to unite the country and improve its identity. The Corners, Pristina, Prizren, and Mitrovica serve their communities with a variety of educational and informational topics to include law, economics, language, STEM, and the promotion of regional stability with economic growth. It is the goal of the research to improve the Corners and support Kosovo as it works to become a democratic state. Methods of research derived from a variety of resources; open online resources, the American Corner’s website, lectures, and resources from the Indiana‐Purdue University Library database. Research was also conducted by Zoom meetings with the American Corner’s staff members. Staff members were asked specific, structured questions, and were also given open-ended discussion opportunities. Findings from research show an overwhelming response for improved collaboration among the three Corners. If done together program planning and implementation would benefit. For further collaboration, there is a need for increased involvement with the US Embassy to implement more cohesive training for all Corners staff. Some staff and space requirements and subject recommendations are presented as well. The authors recognize the limitations of the research. None of the authors have spent time in Kosovo first‐hand. The research is also being conducted during a serious international Pandemic, creating an environment and issues that may not always be consistent. The corners are also a relatively new foreign policy State Department enterprise in Kosovo and as well have been impacted by the Pandemic

Circulating and gut-resident human Th17 cells express CD161 and promote intestinal inflammation

The C-type lectin-like receptor CD161, which has recently been described to promote T cell expansion, is expressed on a discrete subset of human CD4 T cells. The function of such cells, however, has remained elusive. We now demonstrate that CD161+ CD4 T cells comprise a circulating and gut-resident T helper 17 (Th17) cell population. During Crohn's disease (CD), these CD161+ cells display an activated Th17 phenotype, as indicated by increased expression of interleukin (IL)-17, IL-22, and IL-23 receptor. CD161+ CD4 T cells from CD patients readily produce IL-17 and interferon γ upon stimulation with IL-23, whereas, in healthy subjects, priming by additional inflammatory stimuli such as IL-1β was required to enable IL-23–induced cytokine release. Circulating CD161+ Th17 cells are imprinted for gut homing, as indicated by high levels of CC chemokine receptor 6 and integrin β7 expression. Supporting their colitogenic phenotype, CD161+ Th17 cells were found in increased numbers in the inflammatory infiltrate of CD lesions and induced expression of inflammatory mediators by intestinal cells. Our data identify CD161+ CD4 T cells as a resting Th17 pool that can be activated by IL-23 and mediate destructive tissue inflammation

KIR Polymorphisms Modulate Peptide-Dependent Binding to an MHC Class I Ligand with a Bw6 Motif

Molecular interactions between killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) and their MHC class I ligands play a central role in the regulation of natural killer (NK) cell responses to viral pathogens and tumors. Here we identify Mamu-A1*00201 (Mamu-A*02), a common MHC class I molecule in the rhesus macaque with a canonical Bw6 motif, as a ligand for Mamu-KIR3DL05. Mamu-A1*00201 tetramers folded with certain SIV peptides, but not others, directly stained primary NK cells and Jurkat cells expressing multiple allotypes of Mamu-KIR3DL05. Differences in binding avidity were associated with polymorphisms in the D0 and D1 domains of Mamu-KIR3DL05, whereas differences in peptide-selectivity mapped to the D1 domain. The reciprocal exchange of the third predicted MHC class I-contact loop of the D1 domain switched the specificity of two Mamu-KIR3DL05 allotypes for different Mamu-A1*00201-peptide complexes. Consistent with the function of an inhibitory KIR, incubation of lymphocytes from Mamu-KIR3DL05+ macaques with target cells expressing Mamu-A1*00201 suppressed the degranulation of tetramer-positive NK cells. These observations reveal a previously unappreciated role for D1 polymorphisms in determining the selectivity of KIRs for MHC class I-bound peptides, and identify the first functional KIR-MHC class I interaction in the rhesus macaque. The modulation of KIR-MHC class I interactions by viral peptides has important implications to pathogenesis, since it suggests that the immunodeficiency viruses, and potentially other types of viruses and tumors, may acquire changes in epitopes that increase the affinity of certain MHC class I ligands for inhibitory KIRs to prevent the activation of specific NK cell subsets

Enzymatic Shaving of the Tegument Surface of Live Schistosomes for Proteomic Analysis: A Rational Approach to Select Vaccine Candidates

Adult schistosome parasites can reside in the host bloodstream for decades surrounded by components of the immune system. It was originally proposed that their survival depended on the secretion of an inert bilayer, the membranocalyx, to protect the underlying plasma membrane from attack. We have investigated whether any proteins were exposed on the surface of live worms using incubation with selected hydrolases, in combination with mass spectrometry to identify released proteins. We show that a small number of parasite proteins are accessible to the enzymes and so could represent constituents of the membranocalyx. We also identified several proteins acquired by the parasite on contact with host cells. In addition, components of the cytolytic complement pathway were detected, but these appeared not to harm the worm, indicating that some of its own surface proteins could inhibit the lytic pathway. We suggest that, collectively, the ‘superficial’ parasite proteins may provide good candidates for a schistosome vaccine

Reduction of Natural Killer but Not Effector CD8 T Lymphoyctes in Three Consecutive Cases of Severe/Lethal H1N1/09 Influenza A Virus Infection

Background: The cause of severe disease in some patients infected with pandemic influenza A virus is unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: We present the cellular immunology profile in the blood, and detailed clinical (and postmortem) findings of three patients with rapidly progressive infection, including a pregnant patient who died. The striking finding is of reduction in natural killer (NK) cells but preservation of activated effector CD8 T lymphocytes; with viraemia in the patient who had no NK cells. Comparison with control groups suggests that the reduction of NK cells is unique to these severely ill patients. Conclusion/Significance: Our report shows markedly reduced NK cells in the three patients that we sampled and raises the hypothesis that NK may have a more significant role than T lymphocytes in controlling viral burden when the host is confronted with a new influenza A virus subtype

A shared MHC supertype motif emerges by convergent evolution in macaques and mice, but is totally absent in human MHC molecules

The SIV-infected rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) is the most established model of AIDS disease systems, providing insight into pathogenesis and a model system for testing novel vaccines. The understanding of cellular immune responses based on the identification and study of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules, including their MHC:peptide-binding motif, provides valuable information to decipher outcomes of infection and vaccine efficacy. Detailed characterization of Mamu-B*039:01, a common allele expressed in Chinese rhesus macaques, revealed a unique MHC:peptide-binding preference consisting of glycine at the second position. Peptides containing a glycine at the second position were shown to be antigenic from animals positive for Mamu-B*039:01. A similar motif was previously described for the Dd mouse MHC allele, but for none of the human HLA molecules for which a motif is known. Further investigation showed that one additional macaque allele, present in Indian rhesus macaques, Mamu-B*052:01, shares this same motif. These “G2” alleles were associated with the presence of specific residues in their B pocket. This pocket structure was found in 6% of macaque sequences but none of 950 human HLA class I alleles. Evolutionary studies using the “G2” alleles points to common ancestry for the macaque sequences, while convergent evolution is suggested when murine and macaque sequences are considered. This is the first detailed characterization of the pocket residues yielding this specific motif in nonhuman primates and mice, revealing a new supertype motif not present in humans