Cortisol Administration Normalizes Aberrant Functional Connectivity in Women with Depression

Previous resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) research has identified aberrant connectivity in several large brain networks in depression, including the default mode (DMN), frontoparietal (FPN), and salience networks (SN). Connectivity of these networks is also related to depressive symptom severity and is affected by cortisol levels. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the effects of acute cortisol administration on rsFC of DMN, FPN, and SN in individuals varying in depression history and severity. We collected resting-state fMRI scans for 74 women with and without a history of depressive disorder after administration of cortisol and placebo using a double-blind, crossover design. We conducted seed-based rsFC with seed regions from the DMN, FPN, and SN to examine the relationship between rsFC changes in these networks after cortisol, with depression history group predicting changes in rsFC after cortisol vs. placebo. To investigate rsFC changes in DMN, FPN, and SN due to the administration of cortisol as a function of depression severity we assessed the relationship between Beck Depression Inventory-II scores and rsFC changes in the networks of interest after cortisol vs. placebo administration for the entire sample. Results revealed that those with a history of depression exhibited increased connectivity between the left amygdala of the SN and left medial temporal gyrus of the DMN regardless of treatment. Further, we found that those who received cortisol had increased connectivity between the anterior insula of the SN and regions within the SN and DMN. Lastly, we found an interaction between depression symptom severity and rsFC between the PCC of the DMN and the right cerebellum of the SN, with greater depression symptoms associated with increased rsFC of the PCC and cerebellum. These findings are the first to show that women with greater depression severity may be more likely to normalize aberrant connectivity of DMN and SN regions after acute cortisol administration. Our results could help inform clinical treatments for depression that naturally increase endogenous cortisol levels and efficiency of glucocorticoid receptors, such as long-term daily exercise. Overall, these findings contribute to the literature on the neurobiological effects of exogenous cortisol in depression

FOOD DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH PRIORITIES TO ALLOW MAJOR IMPROVEMENTS IN TOTAL SYSTEMS PRODUCTIVITY BY 1985: FOOD WHOLESALING

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Effect of Young Consumers’ Self-Concept on Hedonic/Utilitarian Cool Attitudes

Understanding the self-concept of young consumers is crucial for apparel marketers because such consumers prefer to purchase products with images congruent with their self-images (i.e., one dimension of self-concept) (Runyan, 1988). Apparel marketers strive to attach target consumers’ perceived self-images to products as a marketing strategy to spur a greater probability of being purchased (Ataman & Ulengin, 2003). Thus, commercial marketers need to understand the projected or ideal self-image of their consumers to increase product sales

Suicide among North Carolina women, 1989-93: information from two data sources

Objectives: To characterize the events and examine suicide precursors among women and to examine gaps in surveillance

The Moderating Effect of Family-Ownership on Firm Performance: An Examination of Entrepreneurial Orientation and Social Capital

Within the small business literature, a number of recent studies have examined the importance of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and the development of social capital (SC) as each contributes to a firm's performance. While it is generally accepted in previous studies that each of these constructs positively affects firm performance, relatively less attention has been paid to potential moderating factors that can affect these relationships. The purpose of our research is to address one such moderator, family ownership. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the moderating effect of family ownership on the relationships among entrepreneurial orientation, social capital, and firm performance, our results show that the effects of EO and SC vary depending upon whether the firm is family-owned or non-family owned. Implications of these findings and future research directions are provided

A millimeter-wave kinetic inductance detector camera for long-range imaging through optical obscurants

Millimeter-wave imaging provides a promising option for long-range target detection through optical obscurants such as fog, which often occur in marine environments. Given this motivation, we are currently developing a 150 GHz polarization-sensitive imager using a relatively new type of superconducting pair-breaking detector, the kinetic inductance detector (KID). This imager will be paired with a 1.5 m telescope to obtain an angular resolution of 0.09° over a 3.5° field of view using 3,840 KIDs. We have fully characterized a prototype KID array, which shows excellent performance with noise strongly limited by the irreducible fluctuations from the ambient temperature background. Full-scale KID arrays are now being fabricated and characterized for a planned demonstration in a maritime environment later this year

High resolution CMB power spectrum from the complete ACBAR data set

In this paper, we present results from the complete set of cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation temperature anisotropy observations made with the Arcminute Cosmology Bolometer Array Receiver (ACBAR) operating at 150 GHz. We include new data from the final 2005 observing season, expanding the number of detector-hours by 210% and the sky coverage by 490% over that used for the previous ACBAR release. As a result, the band-power uncertainties have been reduced by more than a factor of two on angular scales encompassing the third to fifth acoustic peaks as well as the damping tail of the CMB power spectrum. The calibration uncertainty has been reduced from 6% to 2.1% in temperature through a direct comparison of the CMB anisotropy measured by ACBAR with that of the dipole-calibrated WMAP5 experiment. The measured power spectrum is consistent with a spatially flat, LambdaCDM cosmological model. We include the effects of weak lensing in the power spectrum model computations and find that this significantly improves the fits of the models to the combined ACBAR+WMAP5 power spectrum. The preferred strength of the lensing is consistent with theoretical expectations. On fine angular scales, there is weak evidence (1.1 sigma) for excess power above the level expected from primary anisotropies. We expect any excess power to be dominated by the combination of emission from dusty protogalaxies and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect (SZE). However, the excess observed by ACBAR is significantly smaller than the excess power at ell > 2000 reported by the CBI experiment operating at 30 GHz. Therefore, while it is unlikely that the CBI excess has a primordial origin; the combined ACBAR and CBI results are consistent with the source of the CBI excess being either the SZE or radio source contamination.Comment: Submitted to ApJ; Changed to apply a WMAP5-based calibration. The cosmological parameter estimation has been updated to include WMAP

Efficient Irrigation for Water conservation in the Rio Grande Basin: 2010-2011 Progress and Accomplishments

Since 2001, the Efficient Irrigation for Water Conservation in the Rio Grande Basin Federal Initiative— known as the Rio Grande Basin Initiative (RGBI)—has saved more than 5 million acre-feet of water. Researchers, Extension specialists, and county Extension agents from Texas AgriLife Research, the Texas AgriLife Extension Service, and the New Mexico State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service work with local irrigation districts, agricultural producers, homeowners, and regional agencies to meet present and future water demand through water conservation and efficient irrigation measures. This project is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture and is administered by the Texas Water Resources Institute and the New Mexico State University Water Task Force.This material is based on work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2010-34461-20677 and Agreement No. 2010-45049-20713