Whittier College

The Chemistry in the Arctic: Clouds, Halogens, and Aerosols (CHACHA) field project featured a wide collaboration from six universities to enhance the scientific understanding of multiphase halogen chemistry in the Arctic that took place in Utqiaġvik, Alaska during February-April 2022. This project was spurred by the pursuit of strengthening our understanding of how Arctic Sea ice loss and fossil fuel extraction affects atmospheric halogen chemistry.In this study, cloud flights from the University of Wyoming King Air are evaluated closely to assess the ambient conditions relevant to the Arctic boundary layer during flights targeting clouds emanating from open leads in the Arctic sea ice. During these flights, the Particle into Liquid Sampler (PILS) was utilized using a Roger’s inlet and Counterflow Virtual Impactor (CVI) with low volume (1.5 mL) samples being collected. This study aims to introduce a methodological basis for prioritizing samples and identifying samples that can be safely grouped together to maximize the chemical analysis possible. Instruments are used for this method include Aerosol microphysics data from instruments including Condensation Particle Counters (CPC), Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS), and Passive Cavity Aerosol Spectrometer Probe (PCASP) and cloud microphysics data from a Cloud Droplet Probe (CDP) and Two-Dimensional Stereo (2D-S). Ultimately, this work is a key step in chemical analysis of cloud flights that will be used to better understand multiphase Arctic halogen chemistry by constraining a Lagrangian chemical box model and cloud parcel modeling.

The temperature-dependent molar volumes of 14 neat alcohols, including the homologous set of straight-chain primary alcohols, selected secondary alcohols, ethylene glycol, and selected alcohols with deuterated hydroxyl groups were measured in anticipation of uncovering systematic properties applicable to other neat liquids. For example, the addition of a single methylene group sequentially from ethanol to n-heptanol increases the molar volume by the nearly constant value of 16.385 ± 0.019 cm3·mol−1 at 0 °C. This linear behavior is exhibited at all temperatures studied. This constitutive property of molar volumes was reported previously for the partial molar volumes of aqueous alcohols, poly[vinyl alcohol], and organo-metallic complexes. Moreover, a method is proposed to partition the molar volumes into portions dependent upon intermolecular interactions, both attractive and repulsive (herein referred to as Vint, the apparent intrinsic volume), as well as a portion reflecting the tendency for molecules to separate due to thermal kinetic energy (herein referred to as Vexp, the expansive volume).

Workplaces worldwide are changing rapidly, which poses challenges in achieving the desired outcomes. Thus, it is essential for employees to have a higher sense of thriving to cope with work responsibilities and stay positive. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, we examine the effect of team member dissimilarity on the psychological resource of empowerment and the effect of psychological empowerment on thriving. We also investigate the personal resource of motivational cultural intelligence on the relationships between dissimilarity-psychological empowerment and psychological empowerment-thriving at work. Based on a sample of 139 student teams with 481 members that responded to surveys at three time points, our findings suggest that dissimilarity is related to low psychological empowerment when motivational cultural intelligence is low. On the other hand, when dissimilar members are culturally intelligent, they feel more psychologically empowered. Further, psychological empowerment positively affects thriving, and this effect is amplified when individuals possess high levels of motivational cultural intelligence. Limitations and future research avenues are suggested.

Subconcussive blast exposure has been shown to alter neurological functioning. However, the extent to which neurological dysfunction persists after blast exposure is unknown. This longitudinal study examined the potential short- and long-term effects of repeated subconcussive blast exposure on neuromotor performance from heavy weapons training in military personnel. A total of 214 participants were assessed; 137 were exposed to repeated subconcussive blasts and 77 were not exposed to blasts (controls). Participants completed a short stepping-in-place task while an Android smartphone app placed on their thigh recorded movement kinematics. We showed acute suppression of neuromotor variability 6 h after subconcussive blast exposure, followed by a rebound to levels not different from baseline at the 72 h, 2-week, and 3-month post-tests. It is postulated that this suppression of neuromotor variability results from a reduction in the functional degrees of freedom from the subconcussive neurological insult. It is important to note that this change in behavior is short-lived, with a return to pre-blast exposure movement kinematics within 72 h.

Statin drugs lower blood cholesterol levels for cardiovascular disease prevention. Women are more likely than men to experience adverse statin effects, particularly new-onset diabetes (NOD) and muscle weakness. Here we find that impaired glucose homeostasis and muscle weakness in statin-treated female mice are associated with reduced levels of the omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), impaired redox tone, and reduced mitochondrial respiration. Statin adverse effects are prevented in females by administering fish oil as a source of DHA, by reducing dosage of the X chromosome or the Kdm5c gene, which escapes X chromosome inactivation and is normally expressed at higher levels in females than males. As seen in female mice, we find that women experience more severe reductions than men in DHA levels after statin administration, and that DHA levels are inversely correlated with glucose levels. Furthermore, induced pluripotent stem cells from women who developed NOD exhibit impaired mitochondrial function when treated with statin, whereas cells from men do not. These studies identify X chromosome dosage as a genetic risk factor for statin adverse effects and suggest DHA supplementation as a preventive co-therapy.

When one directs their attention to an intended effect (external focus of attention, EFOA), motor performance is generally better than when one directs their attention to their own body movements (internal focus of attention, IFOA). However, the effect of attentional focus is unclear when a skill is practiced through motor imagery (MI) in the absence of physical trials. Participants (N = 30, M = 22.33 yrs, SD = 2.69) in the present study completed three physical trials of a reciprocal aiming task before and (24-h) after MI practice. During MI practice, the EFOA (n = 15) and IFOA (n = 15) groups mentally practiced the task with no physical practice with EFOA-MI or IFOA-MI, respectively, for three consecutive days. Our results showed that both groups significantly improved in accuracy (F1,28 = 6.49, p = .017), supporting the benefit of MI in motor skill acquisition. However, a significant effect of attentional focus was not observed (F1.,28 = 0.445, p = 0.51). We discussed two potential explanations: EFOA/IFOA requires physical trials to affect performance, or individuals must use both EFOA and IFOA in the process of creating imagery of the environment and movements, which may obscure the effect of EFOA and IFOA.

No one questions the existence of gravity in everyday life. When we put something on a table (astronauts excepted), typically we expect it to stay there. Gravity is mathematically a little subtle, though, and in this chapter, we look at the gravity field around the Earth and Moon, as well as that inside the trinary system that we see as the star Algol.