The Association of Physical Fitness With Psychological Health Outcomes In Soldiers During Army Basic Combat Training

Despite the current need for investigation of factors involved with soldiers\u27 resilience to stressors in the Basic Combat Training (BCT) environment, and evidence in civilian populations that physical training is associated with psychological benefits, little is known about the relationship between physical fitness and psychological adjustment during BCT. Study one of this dissertation involved an extensive literature review of factors related to the relationship between physical fitness and psychological adjustment of soldiers during BCT. Using qualitative focus group methods, study two assessed soldiers\u27 perceptions about their sleep, and consequences of sleep disruption during BCT at Fort Jackson in Columbia, SC. Soldiers (age \u3c&ge \u3e &ge\u3e 18 years) were assessed in 45-60 min sessions involving three groups of female soldiers (total n=28) and three groups of male soldiers (total n=38). Soldiers reported reductions in their sleep duration and quality, which were attributed to many factors. These sleep changes had many perceived negative effects on performance, mood, and other components of BCT, and were more evident in low-fit soldiers. Study three prospectively examined the association between physical fitness and depressive symptoms in 300 soldiers during BCT at Fort Jackson. Soldiers completed a baseline Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) and survey assessment within one week of arriving at BCT, and an end of cycle survey after eight weeks of BCT. Physical fitness level was determined using the Army standard APFT passing score of greater than or equal to 180 points out of 300 points to assign soldiers to the high fitness category, and less than 180 points to assign soldiers to the low fitness category. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). After adjusting for baseline demographics, BCT confidence score, Army identification score, self-reported sleep prior to BCT, and CES-D score in multivariate analyses, the odds of reporting depressive symptoms were 60% lower for soldiers in the high fitness category (odds ratio, OR 0.40; 95% confidence interval, CI 0.19-0.84), compared to soldiers in the low fitness category. Findings from these studies show evidence of relationships among physical fitness and factors related to the psychological health of soldiers during BCT

Neurosteroid, GABAergic and hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis regulation: what is the current state of knowledge in humans?

A robust epidemiological literature suggests an association between chronic stress and the development of affective disorders. However, the precise biological underpinnings of this relationship remain elusive. Central to the human response and adaptation to stress, activation and inhibition of the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis involves a multi-level, multi-system, neurobiological stress response which is as comprehensive in its complexity as it is precarious. Dysregulation in this complex system has implications for human stress related illness

Blunted neuroactive steroid and HPA axis responses to stress are associated with reduced sleep quality and negative affect in pregnancy: a pilot study

Anxiety during pregnancy has been linked to adverse maternal health outcomes, including postpartum depression (PPD). However, there has been limited study of biological mechanisms underlying behavioral predictors of PPD during pregnancy

The influence of early life sexual abuse on oxytocin concentrations and premenstrual symptomatology in women with a menstrually related mood disorder

Oxytocin (OT), associated with affiliation and social bonding, social salience, and stress/pain regulation, may play a role in the pathophysiology of stress-related disorders, including menstrually-related mood disorders (MRMD's). Adverse impacts of early life sexual abuse (ESA) on adult attachment, affective regulation, and pain sensitivity suggest ESA-related OT dysregulation in MRMD pathophysiology. We investigated the influence of ESA on plasma OT, and the relationship of OT to the clinical phenomenology of MRMD's. Compared to MRMD women without ESA (n=40), those with ESA (n=20) displayed significantly greater OT [5.39 pg/mL (SD, 2.4) vs. 4.36 pg/mL (SD, 1.1); t (58) = −2.26, p =.03]. In women with ESA, OT was significantly, inversely correlated with premenstrual psychological and somatic symptoms (r's = −.45 to −.64, p's < .05). The relationship between OT and premenstrual symptomatology was uniformly low and non-significant in women without ESA. In women with ESA, OT may positively modulate MRMD symptomatology

Mechanical design and development of TES bolometer detector arrays for the Advanced ACTPol experiment

The next generation Advanced ACTPol (AdvACT) experiment is currently underway and will consist of four Transition Edge Sensor (TES) bolometer arrays, with three operating together, totaling ~5800 detectors on the sky. Building on experience gained with the ACTPol detector arrays, AdvACT will utilize various new technologies, including 150mm detector wafers equipped with multichroic pixels, allowing for a more densely packed focal plane. Each set of detectors includes a feedhorn array of stacked silicon wafers which form a spline profile leading to each pixel. This is then followed by a waveguide interface plate, detector wafer, back short cavity plate, and backshort cap. Each array is housed in a custom designed structure manufactured from high purity copper and then gold plated. In addition to the detector array assembly, the array package also encloses cryogenic readout electronics. We present the full mechanical design of the AdvACT high frequency (HF) detector array package along with a detailed look at the detector array stack assemblies. This experiment will also make use of extensive hardware and software previously developed for ACT, which will be modified to incorporate the new AdvACT instruments. Therefore, we discuss the integration of all AdvACT arrays with pre-existing ACTPol infrastructure.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation conference proceeding

Comparing complex impedance and bias step measurements of Simons Observatory transition edge sensors

The Simons Observatory (SO) will perform ground-based observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) with several small and large aperture telescopes, each outfitted with thousands to tens of thousands of superconducting aluminum manganese (AlMn) transition-edge sensor bolometers (TESs). In-situ characterization of TES responsivities and effective time constants will be required multiple times each observing-day for calibrating time-streams during CMB map-making. Effective time constants are typically estimated in the field by briefly applying small amplitude square-waves on top of the TES DC biases, and fitting exponential decays in the bolometer response. These so-called "bias step" measurements can be rapidly implemented across entire arrays and therefore are attractive because they take up little observing time. However, individual detector complex impedance measurements, while too slow to implement during observations, can provide a fuller picture of the TES model and a better understanding of its temporal response. Here, we present the results of dark TES characterization of many prototype SO bolometers and compare the effective thermal time constants measured via bias steps to those derived from complex impedance data.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2020, Paper Number: 11453-18

Physical Fitness and Depressive Symptoms during Army Basic Combat Training

Mental health-related problems are a significant cause of attrition during Basic Combat Training (BCT). Evidence in civilian populations suggests that physical fitness is associated with psychological benefits in civilians, but little is known about the association between physical fitness and psychological adjustment during BCT