The Newton constant and gravitational waves in some vector field adjusting mechanisms

As is well known, there exist some Lorentz breaking scenarios which explain the smallness of the cosmological constant in the present era. An important aspect to analyze is the propagation of gravitational waves and the screening or enhancement of the Newton constant $G_N$ in these models. The problem is that the Lorentz symmetry breaking terms may induce an unacceptable value of the Newton constant $G_N$ or introduce longitudinal modes in the gravitational waves. Furthermore there may spoil the standard dispersion relation $\omega=ck$. In [21] the authors have presented a model for which they suggest that the behavior of the gravitational constant is the correct one for asymptotic times. In the present work, an explicit checking is made and we finally agree with these claims. Furthermore, it is suggested that the gravitational waves are also well behaved for large times. In the process, some new models with the same behavior are obtained, thus enlarging the list of possible adjustment mechanisms.Comment: Some subtle detail about the gauge are corrected. No further change

Evaluating Community Based Trauma Among Behavioral Health Workers

Due to the national lack of service providers, current providers are experiencing high levels of stress/trauma because of workload, expectations, and the emotional toll these essential jobs have. Monterey County Behavioral Health Bureau is a public government agency that provides mental health services to the community. The purpose of this capstone is to allow clinicians to express the factors that contribute to the stressors of their jobs in hopes of creating change that will alleviate the trauma they experience. This project had three focus group interviews and one key informant interview that gave expected results based on the contributing factors of this social problem. As expected, clinicians that participated communicated high levels of stress and expressed the need for administrative support, but most importantly change. This change was identified as creating more administrative clinical assistants, a recruiter, easier documentation, as well as time for clinicians to focus on self-care without harming their productivity

The influence of fetal sex on patterns of change in anti-Mullerian hormone during pregnancy

Maternal anti-mullerian hormone declines sharply between 13-15 weeks, likely as a result of feto-placental signaling. Fetal AMH levels are known to be widely disparate after the first trimester, with high levels in male and absent levels in female. However, it is unclear as to whether differing fetal AMH levels influence the pattern of change of maternal AMH. Our objective was to examine AMH throughout gestation to determine if the maternal concentration varies according to the gender of the fetus

ANALYZING THE IMPACTS OF LAND COVER CHANGE TO THE HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC BEHAVIOURS OF THE PHILIPPINES' THIRD LARGEST RIVER BASIN

Changes in land cover can have negative impacts on the hydrological and hydraulic processes in river basins and watersheds such as increase in surface runoff and peak flows, and greater incidence, risk and vulnerability of flooding. In this study, the impacts of land-cover changes to the hydrologic and hydraulic behaviours of the Agusan River Basin (ARB), the third largest river basin in the Philippines, was analysed using an integrated approach involving Remote Sensing (RS), Geographic Information System (GIS), and hydrologic and hydraulic models. Different land-cover classes in the ARB for the years 1995 and 2017 were mapped using Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 8 OLI images. Using a post-classification change detection approach, changes in land-cover were then determined. The impacts of these changes in land-cover to the to the basin discharge were then estimated using a calibrated hydrologic model based on the Hydrologic Engineering Center - Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) under different extreme rainfall conditions. The impact of the changes in land-cover to flood depth and extent was also determined using a hydraulic model based on the HEC-RAS (River Analysis System). Land cover classification results revealed that the ARB is 67.7% forest in 1995 but have decreased to 62.8% in 2017. Agricultural areas in the basin were also found to have increased from 12.2% to 15.5% in the same period. Other notable land cover changes detected include the increase in built-up lands and range lands, and decrease in barren lands. HEC HMS and HEC RAS model simulation results showed that there was an increase in discharge, flood depth, and flood extents between 1995 and 2017, implying that that the detected changes in land cover have negative impacts to hydrologic and hydraulic behaviours of the ARB

The relationship between obesity, pregnancy, and levels of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase

For a successful pregnancy to occur, foreign genetic material such as the allogeneic fetus must be tolerated within the maternal host. Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is an enzyme induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines that has been shown to be key to this process. Obesity as a pro-inflammatory state is associated with poor obstetric outcomes. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between obesity and IDO activity

Effects of biological factors on the expression of arginine vasopressin receptors

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) is a hormone that functions to regulate blood pressure and bodily fluid homeostasis. Vasopressin has three main receptors AVPR1a, AVPR1b, and AVPR2 which were investigated in this project along with OXTR, LNPEP, and CUL5. AVPR1a functions in the smooth muscle and causes vasoconstriction, AVPR1b functions in the pituitary helping to regulate adrenocorticotropic hormone release, and AVPR2 is expressed highly in the kidneys and works to concentrate urine. This project investigates how these various receptors are expressed with different factors related to pregnancy such as, sex of the baby, chronically hypertensive mothers, and gestational age at deliver

The effects of preeclampsia on signaling to hematopoietic progenitor cells

Background: The role of the microenvironment is important in cell differentiation. The effect of placental disease on the growth and differentiation and hematopoietic stem cells has not been well-studied. Methods: Enzyme linked immunoassay was used to measure erythropoietin and osteopontin in plasma from umbilical cord blood of children born to normotensive and preeclamptic women. Additionally, CD34+ cells were isolated from umbilical cord blood and grown in complete methylcellulose media. Colony types were identified and enumerated. Results: Differences in the concentration of erythropoietin in the cord blood between the controls and the preeclamptics approached significance (P = 0.067) using a Mann-Whitney U test. In the plasma of cord blood from children born to normotensive women, the median erythropoietin was 0.186 mIU/mL compared to 1.986 mIU/mL in children of preeclamptic women. We did not find any significant differences in the number and types of colonies; however, there was a trend toward increased BFU-E in the preeclamptic samples. Furthermore, this trend for increased BFU-E colonies was also seen from CD34+ cells isolated from umbilical cord blood of severe preeclamptics compared to mild. Conclusion: Our preliminary studies suggest that abnormalities in the placenta, such as those found when the mother experiences preeclampsia, may affect the ability of hematopoietic stem cells to grow and differentiate

Southern Cascadia Episodic Slow Earthquakes

Continuous GPS and seismic data from northern California show that slow earthquakes periodically rupture the Gorda-North America plate interface within southern Cascadia. On average, these creep events have occurred every 10.9±1.2 months since at least 1998. Appearing as week-long GPS extensional transients that reverse secular forearc contraction, the data show a recurrence interval 22% shorter than slow events recognized to the north. Seismic tremor here accompanies the GPS reversals, correlated across as many as 5 northern California seismometers. Tremor occurs sporadically throughout the year, but increases in duration and intensity by a factor of about 10 simultaneous with the GPS reversals. Beneath west-central Oregon, three reversals are also apparent, but more stations are needed to confirm sporadic slip on the plate interface here. Together, these measurements suggest that slow earthquakes likely occur throughout the Cascadia subduction zone and add further evidence for the role of fault-fluid migration in controlling transient slow-slip events here

Regulatory dendritic cell treatment prevents the development of vasopressin-induced preeclampsia

The concept that persistent feto-placental intolerance is important in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE) has been demonstrated by our lab and others. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) infusion during pregnancy induces cardiovascular, renal, and immune alterations in mice consistent with human PE. These findings identify AVP as a potential contributor to poor fetal tolerance and the development of PE. In addition to their conventional immuno-stimulatory role, dendritic cells (DCs) also play a vital role in immune tolerance. In contrast to conventional DCs, regulatory DCs (DCregs) express low levels of co-stimulatory markers, produce anti-inflammatory cytokines, induce T regulatory cells, and promote tolerance. In mice, DCregs are able to prevent pro-inflammatory responses and induce antigen-specific tolerance. Given these known functions of DCregs, we hypothesize that DCregs will prevent the development of AVP-induced PE