Prevention of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms in Adolescents: 42 and 54 Months Follow-Up of the Aussie Optimism Program-Positive Thinking Skills

Anxiety and depression are the most commonly reported mental health problems amongst Australian children and adolescents. The Aussie Optimism: Program-Positive Thinking Skills (AOP-PTS) is a universal intervention program based on cognitive and behavioral strategies and aimed to prevent anxiety and depression in the middle primary school children aged 9–10 years old. 370 students randomly assigned to the intervention and control condition participated in the 42 and 54 months follow-up study. The intervention group received the AOP-PTS 10-week program and the control group received the regular health education curriculum. Students were assessed on anxiety, depression and attribution style at school whilst parents reported on their child’s externalizing and internalizing problems at home. Results showed there were no significant reductions across groups in the depressive and anxiety symptoms, and attribution style at either 42 or 54 months follow-up. These findings suggest that AOP-PTS has short and medium term effects but were not sustained in longer term period. Future strategies to achieve the desirable outcomes in a longitudinal study are discussed

Focal and Ambient Processing of Built Environments: Intellectual and Atmospheric Experiences of Architecture

Citation: Rooney, K. K., Condia, R. J., & Loschky, L. C. (2017). Focal and Ambient Processing of Built Environments: Intellectual and Atmospheric Experiences of Architecture. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 20. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00326Neuroscience has well established that human vision divides into the central and peripheral fields of view. Central vision extends from the point of gaze (where we are looking) out to about 5 degrees of visual angle (the width of one's fist at arm's length), while peripheral vision is the vast remainder of the visual field. These visual fields project to the parvo and magno ganglion cells, which process distinctly different types of information from the world around us and project that information to the ventral and dorsal visual streams, respectively. Building on the dorsal/ventral stream dichotomy, we can further distinguish between focal processing of central vision, and ambient processing of peripheral vision. Thus, our visual processing of and attention to objects and scenes depends on how and where these stimuli fall on the retina. The built environment is no exception to these dependencies, specifically in terms of how focal object perception and ambient spatial perception create different types of experiences we have with built environments. We argue that these foundational mechanisms of the eye and the visual stream are limiting parameters of architectural experience. We hypothesize that people experience architecture in two basic ways based on these visual limitations; by intellectually assessing architecture consciously through focal object processing and assessing architecture in terms of atmosphere through pre-conscious ambient spatial processing. Furthermore, these separate ways of processing architectural stimuli operate in parallel throughout the visual perceptual system. Thus, a more comprehensive understanding of architecture must take into account that built environments are stimuli that are treated differently by focal and ambient vision, which enable intellectual analysis of architectural experience versus the experience of architectural atmosphere, respectively. We offer this theoretical model to help advance a more precise understanding of the experience of architecture, which can be tested through future experimentation. (298 words

The Efficacy of the Enhanced Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program in Improving Social and Emotional Learning in Middle Childhood

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of the modified and enhanced Aussie Optimism Positive Thinking Skills Program (AO-PTS) on Year 4 and 5 children’s social and emotional learning (SEL) skills. AO-PTS is a universal-school based program that is implemented by class teachers as part of regular school curricula and was developed for the prevention of depression and anxiety. The study comprised a total of 683 Year 4 and 5 students from 10 private primary schools in Western Australia. Students were assessed on two subscales of emotional attribution at school whilst parents reported on their children’s externalising and internalising problems outside of school and at home. Two analyses were conducted: seven intervention schools were assessed at pre- and post-test (Analysis 1) and three intervention schools matched with three control schools were compared and assessed respectively (Analysis 2). Results from Analysis 1 showed that the intervention children had increased in their overall emotional attribution accuracy and decreased in total difficulties and hyperactivity; Results from Analysis 2 revealed no intervention effect on emotional attribution accuracy or internalising or externalising problems. These findings suggest that the enhanced AO-PTS’s effects on SEL were not evident in short-term period after intervention. Discussion of the non-significant findings and future directions for AO-PTS research and program modification were discussed

Predation Risk, Elk, and Aspen: Comment

With the exception of humans, gray wolves (Canis lupus) are perhaps the most significant predator of cervids in the northern hemisphere, mainly due to the group-hunting, year-round activity, and widespread geographic distribution (Peterson et al. 2003). Thus, interactions between wolves and large herbivore prey, such as elk (Cervus elaphus) and moose (Alces alces), have long been of interest to biologists (Peterson 1995, Jęodrzejewska et al. 2000, Mech and Boitani 2003). The potential ecological role this apex predator may have, via trophic cascades, has also received attention in recent years by researchers (e.g., Callan et al. 2013, Kuijper et al. 2013, 2014), wildlife management agencies (e.g., state wolf management plans), as well as the general public. Perhaps nowhere in the western United States has a heightened examination of this large predator been more focused than in Yellowstone National Park (YNP; Laundré et al. 2001, Smith et al. 2003, 2013, Fortin et al. 2005). Here, wolves were reintroduced in the mid-1990s, again completing the park\u27s large predator guild after approximately seven decades of absence, thus providing a long-term, landscape-scale, natural experiment (Diamond 1983). The Gallatin winter range is one of two that occur along the northern portion of YNP, the other is the northern ungulate winter range, or “northern range,” located some 25 km or more to the east. Of these, the Gallatin has been less studied. Nevertheless, the Gallatin winter range, like the northern range, experienced high levels of elk herbivory following the extirpation of wolves in the early 1900s. Over a period of approximately seven decades, intensive herbivory by elk led to the long-term decline in aspen (Populus tremuloides) and willow (Salix spp.) recruitment (i.e., growth of young plants above the browse level of elk) in the Gallatin winter range, leaving these plant communities in an impoverished condition (Lovaas 1967, Patten 1968, Kay 2001, Ripple and Beschta 2004, Halofsky and Ripple 2008). Accelerated soil and channel erosion also occurred (Lovaas 1967, Beschta and Ripple 2006). Thus, when wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone in the mid-1990s, aspen recruitment within the Gallatin elk winter range, had been largely absent for several decades (Kay 2001, Halofsky and Ripple 2008). In 2010, Winnie (2012) sampled 65 aspen stands in the northwestern corner of YNP, within the Gallatin elk winter range, to determine if a behaviorally mediated trophic cascade (BMTC) was occurring. As background information Winnie (2012:2600) included only a single sentence about wolves in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the remainder of the paragraph briefly discussed elk numbers, with most of the emphasis on elk in YNP\u27s northern range where there has been a pronounced redistribution of elk since the reintroduction of wolves (White et al. 2012). A more complete summary regarding the status and dynamics of wolves and elk over the last 15 years (i.e., 1995–2010) in the Gallatin elk winter range, as well as in the Daly Creek sub-drainage where Winnie\u27s study occurred, would have helped readers better understand the context of his study. Furthermore, information regarding human harvest of elk in the Gallatin winter range since the return of wolves, or whether such hunting has been affecting elk numbers or distribution in recent years was not provided. As part of his 2010 field study, Winnie (2012) characterized the presence or absence of several hypothesized risk factors (independent variables) for each aspen stand, including escape impediments, visual impediments, distance to conifer forest edge, and presence of deadfall trees. For dependent variables, Winnie (2012) recorded the presence or absence of browsing on aspen suckers (ramets \u3c2 m in height) and the number of aspen juveniles (plants \u3e2 m in height but \u3c6 cm in diameter at breast height). A height of 2 m generally represents the upper browse level of elk, and young aspen exceeding this height are considered to have successfully recruited. Such recruitment would represent a major departure from the browsing suppression that occurred in his study area over recent decades (Kay 2001, Halofsky and Ripple 2008) and an indication that a tri-trophic cascade involving wolves, elk, and aspen may be underway. From the results of his analyses, Winnie (2012:2600) concluded that “aspen were not responding to hypothesized fine-scale risk factors in ways consistent with the current BMTC hypothesis.” We respectfully submit that the design and analysis used to support such a conclusion may be deficient for two reasons, the first based on conceptual concerns and the second on statistical concerns. (1) Unfortunately, some aspen stands Winnie (2012) sampled contained juveniles associated with “physical barriers,” barriers that could prevent elk from browsing young aspen. To be scientifically valid, a risk assessment using young aspen as the dependent variable must inherently assure that all evaluated plants were accessible to elk browsing. (2) The inclusion of 10 aspen stands containing some physically protected aspen likely confounded results from his predation risk analyses (i.e., Figs. 5, 6, and 7 in Winnie 2012). While the inclusion of stands with protected aspen may increase the variance associated with his dependent variables (i.e., browsing rate, number of juveniles), the fallacy of doing so is revealed by inspecting these variables for the 85% of his stands (n = 55 stands) that did not have physically protected aspen. Here, a browsing rate of ∼99% and an average of \u3c1 juvenile per stand occurred (back-transformed means from Fig. 8b and a, respectively [Winnie 2012:2609]), indicating a general lack of variance in the dependent variables associated with these stands and little likelihood of a statistically significant outcome. Thus, we suspect that the “statistically significant” results Winnie (2012) found in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, whether contrary to or in support of a BMTC hypothesis, are primarily influenced by the occurrence of risk factors associated with those stands where some of the young aspen were physically protected. A reanalysis by Winnie of browsing rate and number of juveniles vs. his risk factors, using just the 55 stands accessible to elk, could clarify this issue. Because of the above concerns, we would offer that results of Winnie\u27s (2012) analyses of “proportion of sprouts browsed” or “number of juveniles per stand” relative to his hypothesized risk factors may well be spurious. If so, any discussions and conclusions based on those results are in question. A 2004 field study of aspen stands in the Gallatin winter range found aspen recruitment had declined precipitously following the extirpation of wolves in the 1920s and remained essentially absent through the late 1990s (Halofsky and Ripple 2008). Thus, when Winnie (2012) undertook his field study in 2010, a wolf–elk–aspen trophic cascade had not yet been confirmed. While the occurrence of juvenile aspen would be important to the long-term survival of aspen stands, the data for elk-accessible stands continue to show exceptionally high browse rates and little or no recruitment (Winnie 2012). This situation contrasts with YNP\u27s northern range where decreased browsing and increased heights of young aspen in portions of that range have been observed some 6–10 years after the occurrence of increased willow growth, although this recruitment has been spatially patchy (e.g., Ripple and Beschta 2012, Painter 2013; also see northern range photos of aspen recruitment available online).5 It should be noted that decreased browsing and increased heights of willows in the Gallatin winter range (at the base of the Daly Creek watershed) following the return of wolves, and consistent with the occurrence of a trophic cascade, were documented as early as 1999–2000 (Ripple and Beschta 2004), with heights continuing to increase in more recent years (Beschta and Ripple 2010). Also consistent with a trophic cascade, various northern range studies have found increased willow growth/canopy cover, sometimes interacting with climatic fluctuations, following wolf reintroduction (e.g., Groshong 2004, Beschta and Ripple 2007, Beyer et al. 2007, Baril 2009, Tercek et al. 2010, Marshall 2012). The occurrence of 192 juvenile aspen within Winnie\u27s (2012) study area would seem to indicate the beginnings of a tri-trophic cascade, particularly when compared to the lack of juvenile production in the decades immediately before wolf reintroduction (Halofsky and Ripple 2008). However, most of the 192 juveniles were associated with aspen stands characterized as having some degree of physical protection from elk (Fig. 8a in Winnie 2012), making it difficult to confirm if they represent a wolf–elk–aspen trophic cascade involving density and/or behavioral mediation. A trophic cascade involving aspen can be complex and context dependent (e.g., linked to bottom-up factors such as fire [Eisenberg et al. 2013]). Furthermore, undertaking risk assessments associated with large mammalian predators and ungulates in mountainous terrain, where human hunting is also occurring across part of the landscape, can be especially challenging. While we commend Winnie (2012) for attempting such an assessment, without a reanalysis of only those young aspen accessible to elk it would appear that his evaluation may not have been sufficiently rigorous to evaluate the presence or absence of a potential BMTC in the Gallatin winter range

The XMM Cluster Survey: Evidence for energy injection at high redshift from evolution of the X-ray luminosity-temperature relation

We measure the evolution of the X-ray luminosity-temperature (L_X-T) relation since z~1.5 using a sample of 211 serendipitously detected galaxy clusters with spectroscopic redshifts drawn from the XMM Cluster Survey first data release (XCS-DR1). This is the first study spanning this redshift range using a single, large, homogeneous cluster sample. Using an orthogonal regression technique, we find no evidence for evolution in the slope or intrinsic scatter of the relation since z~1.5, finding both to be consistent with previous measurements at z~0.1. However, the normalisation is seen to evolve negatively with respect to the self-similar expectation: we find E(z)^{-1} L_X = 10^{44.67 +/- 0.09} (T/5)^{3.04 +/- 0.16} (1+z)^{-1.5 +/- 0.5}, which is within 2 sigma of the zero evolution case. We see milder, but still negative, evolution with respect to self-similar when using a bisector regression technique. We compare our results to numerical simulations, where we fit simulated cluster samples using the same methods used on the XCS data. Our data favour models in which the majority of the excess entropy required to explain the slope of the L_X-T relation is injected at high redshift. Simulations in which AGN feedback is implemented using prescriptions from current semi-analytic galaxy formation models predict positive evolution of the normalisation, and differ from our data at more than 5 sigma. This suggests that more efficient feedback at high redshift may be needed in these models.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS; 12 pages, 6 figures; added references to match published versio

Molecular Profiles of Pyramidal Neurons in the Superior Temporal Cortex in Schizophrenia

Disrupted synchronized oscillatory firing of pyramidal neuronal networks in the cerebral cortex in the gamma frequency band (i.e., 30–100 Hz) mediates many of the cognitive deficits and symptoms of schizophrenia. In fact, the density of dendritic spines and the average somal area of pyramidal neurons in layer 3 of the cerebral cortex, which mediate both long-range (associational) and local (intrinsic) corticocortical connections, are decreased in subjects with this illness. To explore the molecular pathophysiology of pyramidal neuronal dysfunction, we extracted ribonucleic acid (RNA) from laser-captured pyramidal neurons from layer 3 of Brodmann’s area 42 of the superior temporal gyrus (STG) from postmortem brains from schizophrenia and normal control subjects. We then profiled the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of these neurons, using microarray technology. We identified 1331 mRNAs that were differentially expressed in schizophrenia, including genes that belong to the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and the bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) signaling pathways. Disturbances of these signaling mechanisms may in part contribute to the altered expression of other genes found to be differentially expressed in this study, such as those that regulate extracellular matrix (ECM), apoptosis, and cytoskeletal and synaptic plasticity. In addition, we identified 10 microRNAs (miRNAs) that were differentially expressed in schizophrenia; enrichment analysis of their predicted gene targets revealed signaling pathways and gene networks that were found by microarray to be dysregulated, raising an interesting possibility that dysfunction of pyramidal neurons in schizophrenia may in part be mediated by a concerted dysregulation of gene network functions as a result of the altered expression of a relatively small number of miRNAs. Taken together, findings of this study provide a neurobiological framework within which specific hypotheses about the molecular mechanisms of pyramidal cell dysfunction in schizophrenia can be formulated

A Report Card on Urban Erosion and Sedimentation Control in North Carolina

In 1973 North Carolina enacted what has become one of the most stringent erosion and sedimentation control programs in the nation. This article discusses how a survey of 128 construction sites in North Carolina turned up evidence that practice falls short of state goals to curb urban erosion and sedimentation. The authors then discuss policy options to remedy these shortcomings

The XMM Cluster Survey: testing chameleon gravity using the profiles of clusters

The chameleon gravity model postulates the existence of a scalar field that couples with matter to mediate a fifth force. If it exists, this fifth force would influence the hot X-ray emitting gas filling the potential wells of galaxy clusters. However, it would not influence the clusters weak lensing signal. Therefore, by comparing X-ray and weak lensing profiles, one can place upper limits on the strength of a fifth force. This technique has been attempted before using a single, nearby cluster (Coma, z = 0.02). Here we apply the technique to the stacked profiles of 58 clusters at higher redshifts (0.1 < z < 1.2), including 12 new to the literature, using X-ray data from the XMM Cluster Survey and weak lensing data from the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope Lensing Survey. Using a multiparameter Markov chain Monte Carlo analysis, we constrain the two chameleon gravity parameters (beta and phi∞). Our fits are consistent with general relativity, not requiring a fifth force. In the special case of f(R) gravity (where beta = &surd;{1/6}), we set an upper limit on the background field amplitude today of |fR0| < 6 × 10-5 (95 per cent CL). This is one of the strongest constraints to date on |fR0| on cosmological scales. We hope to improve this constraint in future by extending the study to hundreds of clusters using data from the Dark Energy Survey