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Impact litigation: an introductory guide
No full textThis brochure provides an overview of the Impact Litigation Project (ILP), an experiential education initiative that promotes and strengthens the rule of law and democracy around the world
A pilot open-label feasibility trial examining an adjunctive mindfulness intervention for adolescents with obesity
No full textPilot and Feasibility Studies, Volume 6, Issue 1, 6 June 2020, Article number 79.Background: Obesity in adolescence is predictive of obesity in adulthood and risk for chronic disease. Traditional behavioral approaches to addressing obesity in adolescence rarely yield meaningful changes in body mass index (BMI), suggesting that adjunctive treatments are necessary. Herein, we describe a study examining whether it is feasible to integrate a brief mindfulness intervention with the usual recommended care for adolescent obesity in a pediatric weight management clinic. Methods: We conducted a single arm open-label trial with 11 adolescent patients with obesity. Participants received the recommended standard of medical management of obesity (usual care) plus a six-week mindfulness intervention. To assess our primary aim of feasibility, we examined recruitment, retention, and satisfaction rates. Participants also completed measures of mindfulness, emotion regulation, disordered eating, quality of life, and executive functioning, and had their BMI and blood pressure measured. Results: We recruited 11 adolescents to participate in the intervention, with 8 (73%) completing the entire program. Attendance rates (85%) and satisfaction rates (100%) were promising for a larger trial. While preliminary analyses of changes in health outcomes should be examined with caution, effect sizes ranged from small to large with some promising trends in eating behaviors. Discussion: It might be feasible to augment existing behavioral interventions for adolescents with obesity with brief mindfulness; however, some adaptations are needed to enhance recruitment and retention. The lessons learned in this feasibility study can inform an adequately powered efficacy trial
Evaluation of impact of in-line chemical cleaning and diffuser material on fouling mitigation of fine-bubble diffusers
No full textby Erfan Alikhani.Typescript.Thesis (M.S.E.--Materials Science)--Catholic University of America, 2020.Bibliography: leaves 34.Also available in microfilm.Also available in microfiche
Marquee on the Anthem music venue reading 'We'll get thru this'
No full textMarquee on the Anthem reading 'We'll get thru this' with a masked person walking by on the sidewalk in front
Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law annual report 2015-2016
No full textFor over 20 years, the Center has worked with students, faculty, and the international legal community to provide scholarship and support for human rights initiatives around the world
Design and implementation of a 5-year school-based nutrition education intervention
No full textJournal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Volume 52, Issue 4, April 2020, Pages 421-428.Objective: To describe the research methods of a multicomponent nutrition education program empowering teachers to improve nutrition literacy and prevent obesity among elementary school students. Design: Prospective 5-year study following a pre-post intervention design. Setting: Four elementary schools in a high-needs area in Washington, DC: 2 intervention and 2 comparison schools. Participants: Approximately 100 teachers (25/school) and 800 students (200/school) enrolled over the study period. Intervention: Healthy Schoolhouse 2.0 will engage teachers as agents of change by designing, implementing, and evaluating a structured professional development program to support the integration of nutrition concepts in the classroom. Main Outcome Measures: Change in pre-post survey assessment of students’ nutrition literacy, attitudes, and intent; change in teachers’ self-efficacy toward teaching nutrition; fruit and vegetable consumption data collected 6 times/y in the cafeteria. Analysis: Process evaluation throughout the study to document implementation and challenges. Multilevel mixed modeling will be used to determine the impact of the intervention
Estrogen as a neuroprotectant in both sexes: stories from the bird brain
No full textFrontiers in Neurology, Volume 11, 23 June 2020, Article number 497.Estrogens such as estradiol (E2) are potent effectors of neural structure and function via peripheral and central synthesis. In the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata), neural E2 synthesis is among the highest reported in homeotherms due to the abundant constitutive expression of aromatase (E-synthase) in discrete neuronal pools across the forebrain. Following penetrating or concussive trauma, E2 synthesis increases even further via the induced expression of aromatase in reactive astrocytes around the site of damage. Injury-associated astrocytic aromatization occurs in the brains of both sexes regardless of the site of injury and can remain elevated for weeks following trauma. Interestingly, penetrating injury induces astrocytic aromatase more rapidly in females compared to males, but this sex difference is not detectable 24 h posttrauma. Indeed, unilateral penetrating injury can increase E2 content 4-fold relative to the contralateral uninjured hemisphere, suggesting that glial aromatization may be a powerful source of neural E2 available to circuits. Glial aromatization is neuroprotective as inhibition of injury-induced aromatase increases neuroinflammation, gliosis, necrosis, apoptosis, and infarct size. These effects are ameliorated upon replacement with E2, suggesting that the songbird may have evolved a rapidly responsive neurosteroidogenic system to protect vulnerable brain circuits. The precise signals that induce aromatase expression in astrocytes include elements of the inflammatory cascade and underscore the sentinel role of the innate immune system as a crucial effector of trauma-associated E2 provision in the vertebrate brain. This review will describe the inductive signals of astroglial aromatase and the neuroprotective role for glial E2 synthesis in the adult songbird brains of both sexes. © Copyright © 2020 Saldanha
Are there shared neural correlates between dyslexia and ADHD?: a meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry studies
No full textJournal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Volume 11, Issue 1, 21 November 2019, Article number 31.Background: Dyslexia and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are highly comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders (estimates of 25-40% bidirectional comorbidity). Previous work has identified strong genetic and cognitive overlap between the disorders, but neural overlap is relatively unexplored. This study is a systematic meta-analysis of existing voxel-based morphometry studies to determine whether there is any overlap in the gray matter correlates of both disorders. Methods: We conducted anatomic likelihood estimate (ALE) meta-analyses of voxel-based morphometry studies in which individuals with dyslexia (15 studies; 417 cases, 416 controls) or ADHD (22 studies; 898 cases, 763 controls) were compared to typically developing controls. We generated ALE maps for dyslexia vs. controls and ADHD vs. controls using more conservative (p <.001, k = 50) and more lenient (p <.005, k = 50) thresholds. To determine the overlap of gray matter correlates of dyslexia and ADHD, we examined the statistical conjunction between the ALE maps for dyslexia vs. controls and ADHD vs. controls (false discovery rate [FDR] p <.05, k = 50, 5000 permutations). Results: Results showed largely distinct gray matter differences associated with dyslexia and ADHD. There was no evidence of statistically significant gray matter overlap at our conservative threshold, and only one region of overlap in the right caudate at our more lenient threshold. Reduced gray matter in the right caudate may be relevant to shared cognitive correlates in executive functioning and/or procedural learning. The more general finding of largely distinct regional differences in gray matter between dyslexia and ADHD suggests that other neuroimaging modalities may be more sensitive to overlapping neural correlates, and that current neuroimaging recruitment approaches may be hindering progress toward uncovering neural systems associated with comorbidity. Conclusions: The current study is the first to meta-analyze overlap between gray matter differences in dyslexia and ADHD, which is a critical step toward constructing a multi-level understanding of this comorbidity that spans the genetic, neural, and cognitive levels of analysis
Cover of the program for the Capitol Hill Community Foundation Community Achievement Awards Gala
No full textThe cover of the program for the Capitol Hill Community Foundation Community Achievement Awards Gala that reads, 'First ever Capitol Hill Community Stay-at-Home Event' held on April 22, 2020. Includes an illustration of the Statue of Freedom wearing a protective face mask
Hypoplasia of cerebellar afferent networks in Down syndrome revealed by DTI-driven tensor based morphometry
No full textScientific Reports, Volume 10, Issue 1, 1 December 2020, Article number 5447.Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigations of brain anatomy in children and young adults with Down syndrome (DS) are limited, with no diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies covering that age range. We used DTI-driven tensor based morphometry (DTBM), a novel technique that extracts morphometric information from diffusion data, to investigate brain anatomy in 15 participants with DS and 15 age- and sex-matched typically developing (TD) controls, ages 6–24 years (mean age ~17 years). DTBM revealed marked hypoplasia of cerebellar afferent systems in DS, including fronto-pontine (middle cerebellar peduncle) and olivo-cerebellar (inferior cerebellar peduncle) connections. Prominent gray matter hypoplasia was observed in medial frontal regions, the inferior olives, and the cerebellum. Very few abnormalities were detected by classical diffusion MRI metrics, such as fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity. Our results highlight the potential importance of cerebro-cerebellar networks in the clinical manifestations of DS and suggest a role for DTBM in the investigation of other brain disorders involving white matter hypoplasia or atrophy