A systematic review of the neural correlates of sexual minority stress: towards an intersectional minority mosaic framework with implications for a future research agenda

Background: Systemic oppression, particularly towards sexual minorities, continues to be deeply rooted in the bedrock of many societies globally. Experiences with minority stressors (e.g. discrimination, hate-crimes, internalized homonegativity, rejection sensitivity, and microaggressions or everyday indignities) have been consistently linked to adverse mental health outcomes. Elucidating the neural adaptations associated with minority stress exposure will be critical for furthering our understanding of how sexual minorities become disproportionately affected by mental health burdens. Following PRISMA-guidelines, we systematically reviewed published neuroimaging studies that compared neural dynamics among sexual minority and heterosexual populations, aggregating information pertaining to any measurement of minority stress and relevant clinical phenomena. Results: Only 1 of 13 studies eligible for inclusion examined minority stress directly, where all other studies focused on investigating the neurobiological basis of sexual orientation. In our narrative synthesis, we highlight important themes that suggest minority stress exposure may be associated with decreased activation and functional connectivity within the default-mode network (related to the sense-of-self and social cognition), and summarize preliminary evidence related to aberrant neural dynamics within the salience network (involved in threat detection and fear processing) and the central executive network (involved in executive functioning and emotion regulation). Importantly, this parallels neural adaptations commonly observed among individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the aftermath of trauma and supports the inclusion of insidious forms of trauma related to minority stress within models of PTSD. Conclusions: Taken together, minority stress may have several shared neuropsychological pathways with PTSD and stress-related disorders. Here, we outline a detailed research agenda that provides an overview of literature linking sexual minority stress to PTSD and insidious trauma, moral affect (including shame and guilt), and mental health risk/resiliency, in addition to racial, ethnic, and gender related minority stress. Finally, we propose a novel minority mosaic framework designed to inform future directions of minority stress neuroimaging research from an intersectional lens

A search for radio pulsations from neutron star companions of four subdwarf B stars

We searched for radio pulsations from the potential neutron star binary companions to subdwarf B stars HE 0532-4503, HE 0929-0424, TON S 183 and PG 1232-136. Optical spectroscopy of these subdwarfs has indicated they orbit a companion in the neutron star mass range. These companions are thought to play an important role in the poorly understood formation of subdwarf B stars. Using the Green Bank Telescope we searched down to mean flux densities as low as 0.2 mJy, but no pulsed emission was found. We discuss the implications for each system.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 4 pages, 1 figur

Search for Pairs of Isolated Radio Pulsars - Components in Disrupted Binary Systems

We have developed a method for analyzing the kinematic association of isolated relativistic objects - possible remnants of disrupted close binary systems. We investigate pairs of fairly young radio pulsars with known proper motions and estimated distances (dispersion measures) that are spaced no more than 2-3 kpc apart. Using a specified radial velocity distribution for these objects, we have constructed 100-300 thousand trajectories of their possible motion in the Galactic gravitational field on a time scale of several million years. The probabilities of their close encounters at epochs consistent with the age of the younger pulsar in the pair are analyzed. When these probabilities exceed considerably their reference values obtained by assuming a purely random encounter between the pulsars under consideration, we conclude that the objects may have been gravitationally bound in the past. As a result, we have detected six pulsar pairs (J0543+2329/J0528+2200, J1453-6413/J1430-6623, J2354+6155/J2321+6024, J1915+1009/J1909+1102, J1832-0827/J1836-1008, and J1917+1353/J1926+1648) that are companions in disrupted binary systems with a high probability. Estimates of their kinematic ages and velocities at binary disruption and at the present epoch are provided

1958: Abilene Christian College Bible Lectures - Full Text

“GOD” Being the Abilene Christian College Annual Bible Lectures 1958 Price: $3.00 Published by FIRM FOUNDATION PUBLISHING HOUSE Box 77 Austin, Texa

Rubisco mutagenesis provides new insight into limitations on photosynthesis and growth in Synechocystis PCC6803

Orthophosphate (Pi) stimulates the activation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) while paradoxically inhibiting its catalysis. Of three Pi-binding sites, the roles of the 5P- and latch sites have been documented, whereas that of the 1P-site remained unclear. Conserved residues at the 1P-site of Rubisco from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803 were substituted and the kinetic properties of the enzyme derivatives and effects on cell photosynthesis and growth were examined. While Pi-stimulated Rubisco activation diminished for enzyme mutants T65A/S and G404A, inhibition of catalysis by Pi remained unchanged. Together with previous studies, the results suggest that all three Pi-binding sites are involved in stimulation of Rubisco activation, whereas only the 5P-site is involved in inhibition of catalysis. While all the mutations reduced the catalytic turnover of Rubisco (Kcat) between 6- and 20-fold, the photosynthesis and growth rates under saturating irradiance and inorganic carbon (Ci) concentrations were only reduced 40–50% (in the T65A/S mutants) or not at all (G404A mutant). Analysis of the mutant cells revealed a 3-fold increase in Rubisco content that partially compensated for the reduced Kcat so that the carboxylation rate per chlorophyll was one-third of that in the wild type. Correlation between the kinetic properties of Rubisco and the photosynthetic rate (Pmax) under saturating irradiance and Ci concentrations indicate that a >60% reduction in Kcat can be tolerated before Pmax in Synechocystsis PCC6803 is affected. These results indicate that the limitation of Rubisco activity on the rate of photosynthesis in Synechocystis is low. Determination of Calvin cycle metabolites revealed that unlike in higher plants, cyanobacterial photosynthesis is constrained by phosphoglycerate reduction probably due to limitation of ATP or NADPH

Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies

Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade. Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models, and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies, such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

The Evolution of Compact Binary Star Systems

We review the formation and evolution of compact binary stars consisting of white dwarfs (WDs), neutron stars (NSs), and black holes (BHs). Binary NSs and BHs are thought to be the primary astrophysical sources of gravitational waves (GWs) within the frequency band of ground-based detectors, while compact binaries of WDs are important sources of GWs at lower frequencies to be covered by space interferometers (LISA). Major uncertainties in the current understanding of properties of NSs and BHs most relevant to the GW studies are discussed, including the treatment of the natal kicks which compact stellar remnants acquire during the core collapse of massive stars and the common envelope phase of binary evolution. We discuss the coalescence rates of binary NSs and BHs and prospects for their detections, the formation and evolution of binary WDs and their observational manifestations. Special attention is given to AM CVn-stars -- compact binaries in which the Roche lobe is filled by another WD or a low-mass partially degenerate helium-star, as these stars are thought to be the best LISA verification binary GW sources.Comment: 105 pages, 18 figure

Extreme differences in 87Sr/86Sr between Samoan lavas and the magmatic olivines they host: Evidence for highly heterogeneous 87Sr/86Sr in the magmatic plumbing system sourcing a single lava

.Investigations of mantle heterogeneity in ocean island basalts (OIB) frequently compare heavy radiogenic isotopes (i.e. 87Sr/86Sr), often measured in whole rock powders, with 3He/4He and δ18O, commonly measured in olivines. However, the 87Sr/86Sr in the olivines, which is dominated by Sr in melt inclusions, may not be in equilibrium with the 87Sr/86Sr in the whole rock. Here we present new 87Sr/86Sr measurements made on Samoan magmatic olivines, where multiple olivine crystals are aggregated for a single isotopic measurement. The olivines host abundant melt inclusions, and yielded relatively large quantities of Sr (13.0 to 100.6 ng) in 19 to 185 mg aliquots of fresh olivine, yielding high Srsample/Srblank ratios (≥ 427). These new data on olivines show that samples can exhibit significant 87Sr/86Sr disequilibrium: in one extreme sample, where the basaltic whole rock 87Sr/86Sr (0.708901) is higher than several different aliquots of aggregate magmatic olivines (0.707385 to 0.707773), the whole rock-olivine 87Sr/86Sr disequilibrium is > 1590 ppm. The 87Sr/86Sr disequilibrium observed between whole rocks and bulk olivines relates to the isotopic disequilibrium between whole rocks and the average 87Sr/86Sr of the population of melt inclusions hosted in the olivines. Therefore, a population of olivines in a Samoan lava must have crystallized from (and trapped melts of) a different 87Sr/86Sr composition than the final erupted lava hosting the olivines. A primary question is how melts with different 87Sr/86Sr can exist in the same magmatic plumbing system and contribute heterogeneous 87Sr/86Sr to a lava and the magmatic olivines it hosts. We explore potential mechanisms for generating heterogeneous melts in magma chambers. The reliance, in part, of chemical geodynamic models of the relationships between isotopic systems measured in whole rocks (87Sr/86Sr) and systems measured in olivines (3He/4He and δ18O) means that whole rock-olivine Sr-isotopic disequilibrium will be important for evaluating relationship among these key isotopic tracer systems. Moving forward, it will be important to evaluate whether whole rock-olivine Sr-isotopic disequilibrium is a pervasive issue in OIB globally

Ascorbate-mediated regulation of growth, photoprotection, and photoinhibition in Arabidopsis thaliana.

The requirements for ascorbate for growth and photosynthesis were assessed under low (LL; 250 µmol m-2 s-1) or high (HL; 1600 µmol m-2 s-1) irradiance in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and two ascorbate synthesis mutants (vtc2-1 and vtc2-4) that have 30% wild-type ascorbate levels. The low ascorbate mutants had the same numbers of leaves but lower rosette area and biomass than the wild type under LL. Wild-type plants experiencing HL had higher leaf ascorbate, anthocyanin, and xanthophyll pigments than under LL. In contrast, leaf ascorbate levels were not increased under HL in the mutant lines. While the degree of oxidation measured using an in vivo redox reporter in the nuclei and cytosol of the leaf epidermal and stomatal cells was similar under both irradiances in all lines, anthocyanin levels were significantly lower in the low ascorbate mutants than in the wild type under HL. Differences in the photosynthetic responses of vtc2-1 and vtc2-4 mutants were observed. Unlike vtc2-1, the vtc2-4 mutants had wild-type zeaxanthin contents. While both low ascorbate mutants had lower levels of non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll a fluorescence (NPQ) than the wild type under HL, qPd values were greater only in vtc2-1 leaves. Ascorbate is therefore essential for growth but not for photoprotection

A Review of the Rationale for Additional Therapeutic Interventions to Attain Lower LDL-C When Statin Therapy Is Not Enough

Statins alone are not always adequate therapy to achieve low-density lipoprotein (LDL) goals in many patients. Many options are available either alone or in combination with statins that makes it possible to reach recommended goals in a safe and tolerable fashion for most patients. Ezetimibe and bile acid sequestrants reduce cholesterol transport to the liver and can be used in combination. Niacin is very effective at lowering LDL, beyond its ability to raise high-density lipoprotein and shift LDL particle size to a less atherogenic type. When statins cannot be tolerated at all, red yeast rice can be used if proper formulations of the product are obtained. Nutrients can also be added to the diet, including plant stanols and sterols, soy protein, almonds, and fiber, either individually or all together as a portfolio diet. A clear understanding of how each of these strategies works is essential for effective results