Erroneous Model Field Representations in Multiple Pseudoproxy Studies: Corrections and Implications

Pseudoproxy experiments evaluate statistical methods used to reconstruct climate fields from paleoclimatic proxies during the Common Era. These experiments typically employ output from millennial simulations by general circulation models (GCMs). It is demonstrated that multiple published pseudoproxy studies have used erroneously processed GCM surface temperature fields: the NCAR Community Climate System Model (CCSM), version 1.4, field was incorrectly oriented geographically and the GKSS ECHO-g FOR1 field was corrupted by a hemispheric-scale smoothing in the Western Hemisphere. These problems are not associated with the original model simulations; they instead arose because of incorrect processing of the model data for the pseudoproxy experiments. The consequences of these problems are evaluated for the studies in which the incorrect fields were used. Some quantitative results are invalidated by the findings: these include all experiments that used the corrupted ECHO-g field and those aspects of previous CCSM experiments that focused on Niño-3 reconstructions. Other results derived from the CCSM field can be reinterpreted based on the information provided herein and their qualitative characteristics remain similar

Acute alcohol administration dampens central extended amygdala reactivity.

Alcohol use is common, imposes a staggering burden on public health, and often resists treatment. The central extended amygdala (EAc)-including the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) and the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ce)-plays a key role in prominent neuroscientific models of alcohol drinking, but the relevance of these regions to acute alcohol consumption in humans remains poorly understood. Using a single-blind, randomized-groups design, multiband fMRI data were acquired from 49 social drinkers while they performed a well-established emotional faces paradigm after consuming either alcohol or placebo. Relative to placebo, alcohol significantly dampened reactivity to emotional faces in the BST. To rigorously assess potential regional differences in activation, data were extracted from unbiased, anatomically predefined regions of interest. Analyses revealed similar levels of dampening in the BST and Ce. In short, alcohol transiently reduces reactivity to emotional faces and it does so similarly across the two major divisions of the human EAc. These observations reinforce the translational relevance of addiction models derived from preclinical work in rodents and provide new insights into the neural systems most relevant to the consumption of alcohol and to the initial development of alcohol abuse in humans

A Pseudoproxy Evaluation of the CCA and RegEM Methods for Reconstructing Climate Fields of the Last Millennium

Canonical correlation analysis (CCA) is evaluated for paleoclimate field reconstructions in the context of pseudoproxy experiments assembled from the millennial integration (850–1999 c.e.) of the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model, version 1.4. A parsimonious method for selecting the order of the CCA model is presented. Results suggest that the method is capable of resolving multiple (3–13) climatic patterns given the estimated proxy observational network and the amount of observational uncertainty. CCA reconstructions are compared to those derived from the regularized expectation maximization method using ridge regression regularization (RegEM-Ridge). CCA and RegEM-Ridge yield similar skill patterns that are characterized by high correlation regions collocated with dense pseudoproxy sampling areas in North America and Europe. Both methods also produce reconstructions characterized by spatially variable warm biases and variance losses, particularly at high pseudoproxy noise levels. RegEM-Ridge in particular is subject to significantly larger variance losses than CCA, even though the spatial correlation patterns of the two methods are comparable. Results collectively indicate the importance of evaluating the field performance of methods that target spatial climate patterns during the last several millennia and indicate that the results of currently available climate field reconstructions should be interpreted carefully

Orange is the new green: exploring the restorative capacity of seasonal foliage in schoolyard trees

Urban schoolyard environments are increasingly characterized by a proliferation of hard surfaces with little if any greenery. Schoolyard “greening” initiatives are becoming increasingly popular; however, schoolyard designs often fail to realize their restorative potential. In this quasi-experimental study, a proposed schoolyard greening project was used to visualize alternative planting designs and seasonal tree foliage; these design alternatives were subsequently used as visual stimuli in a survey administered to children who will use the schoolyard to assess the perceived restorative capacity of different design features. The findings indicate that seasonal changes in tree foliage enhance the perceived restorative quality of schoolyard environments. Specifically, fall foliage colour, when compared to green foliage, is rated as being perceived to be equally restorative for children. Additionally, seasonal planting, including evergreen conifers, may enhance the restorative quality of the schoolyard especially when deciduous trees are leafless. Landscape design professionals, community-based organizations, and other decision-makers in schoolyard greening efforts should strategically consider their tree choices to maximize year-round support for healthy attention functioning in children through restoration

Twenty-One Millisecond Pulsars in Terzan 5 Using the Green Bank Telescope

We have discovered 21 millisecond pulsars (MSPs) in the globular cluster Terzan 5 using the Green Bank Telescope, bringing the total of known MSPs in Terzan 5 to 24. These discoveries confirm fundamental predictions of globular cluster and binary system evolution. Thirteen of the new MSPs are in binaries, of which two show eclipses and two have highly eccentric orbits. The relativistic periastron advance for the two eccentric systems indicates that at least one of these pulsars has a mass >1.68 Msun at 95% confidence. Such large neutron star masses constrain the equation of state of matter at or beyond the nuclear equilibrium density.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures. Accepted by Science. Published electronically via Science Express 13 Jan 200

Junior Recital: Jason Kaplan, saxophone

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Performance. Mr. Kaplan studies saxophone with Sam Skelton.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1497/thumbnail.jp