bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loss of Fas Expression and Function Is Coupled with Colon Cancer Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy
Authors: Xiao Wei , Ibrahim Mohammed L. , Redd Priscilla S. , Klement John D. , Lu Chunwan , Yang Dafeng , Savage Natasha M. , Liu Kebin
Published: November 2018

Despite the remarkable efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapy in various types of human cancers, colon cancer, except for the approximately 4% microsatellite-instable (MSI) colon cancer, does not respond to ICI immunotherapy. ICI acts through activating CTLs that use the Fas–FasL pathway as one of the two effector mechanisms to suppress tumor. Cancer stem cells are often associated with resistance to therapy including immunotherapy, but the functions of Fas in colon cancer apoptosis and colon cancer stem cells are currently conflicting and highly debated. We report here that decreased Fas expression is coupled with a subset of CD133+CD24lo colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Consistent of the lower Fas expression level, this subset of CD133+CD24loFaslo colon cancer cells exhibits decreased sensitivity to FasL-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, FasL selectively enriches CD133+CD24loFaslo colon cancer cells. CD133+CD24loFaslo colon cancer cells exhibit increased lung colonization potential in experimental metastatic mouse models and decreased sensitivity to tumor-specific CTL adoptive transfer and ICI immunotherapies. Interestingly, FasL challenge selectively enriched this subset of colon cancer cells in microsatellite-stable (MSS) but not in the MSI human colon cancer cell lines. Consistent with the downregulation of Fas expression in CD133+CD24lo cells, lower Fas expression level is significantly correlated with decreased survival in patients with human colon cancer.

Implications:

Our data determine that CD133+CD24loFaslo colon cancer cells are capable to evade Fas-FasL cytotoxicity of tumor-reactive CTLs and targeting this subset of colon cancer cells is potentially an effective approach to suppress colon cancer immune evasion.
Mismatch Repair Deficiency Drives Durable Complete Remission by Targeting Programmed Death Receptor 1 in a Metastatic Luminal Breast Cancer Patient
Authors: Fremd Carlo , Hlevnjak Mario , Zapatka Marc , Zoernig Inka , Halama Niels , Fejzibegovic Nino , Thewes Verena , Lichter Peter , Schirmacher Peter , Kloor Matthias , Marmé Frederik , Schütz Florian , Kosaloglu Zeynep , Sinn Hans Peter , Jäger Dirk , Schneeweiss Andreas
Published: November 2018

Background: In the field of breast cancer tumor biology, triple-negative breast cancer patients are the main focus of current clinical trials exploring the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors due to higher frequencies of somatic mutations, neoantigens, and resulting tumor-specific T-cell reactivity. Case Report: Here, we present the case of a 66-year-old woman with metastatic luminal breast cancer that rapidly responded to monotherapy with pembrolizumab, a monoclonal anti-PD-1 antibody. This patient obtained a partial clinical response within the first cycle of treatment and an ongoing durable complete remission after 12 weeks. Except for a transient immune-related thyreoiditis, there were no side effects observed offering remarkable quality of life to the patient. To evaluate the underlying mechanisms, we performed immunohistochemistry, explored the mutational landscape by whole-exome sequencing, and identified potential T-cell epitopes by prediction of neoantigens with high affinity binding to one of the patient's HLA. Briefly, we found a strong infiltration of CD8+ T cells without staining for PD-L1 in the tumor stroma. Exome sequencing revealed an enormous frequency of somatic and tumor-specific alterations, mainly C>T/G>A transitions. The mutational pattern was further linked to genome instability and deficient mismatch repair supported by the loss of MSH6 protein expression and therefore leading to susceptibility to immune checkpoint blockade. Conclusion: Within the overall goal to establish operating procedures for breast cancer immunotherapy, we propose to re-evaluate testing for deficient mismatch repair and to further intensify the search for biomarkers predictive for the success of immune checkpoint modulation including all tumor biologic subtypes of breast cancer.
Prediction of Self-Limited Acute Pancreatitis Cases at Admission to Emergency Unit
Authors: Kayar Yusuf , Senturk Hakan , Tozlu Mukaddes , Baysal Birol , Atay Musa , Ince Ali Tuzun
Published: November 2018

Background: While acute pancreatitis (AP) resolves spontaneously with supportive treatment in most patients, it may be life-threatening. Predicting the disease severity at onset dictates the management strategy. We aimed to define the patients with mild pancreatitis who may be considered for outpatient management with significant cost-savings. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study included 180 patients with mild AP according to the harmless acute pancreatitis score (HAPS) and Imrie score. The relationships of biochemical parameters with the changes in the Balthazar score and clinical course were examined. Results: The study included 180 patients (111 females, 69 males; mean age: 53.9 ± 17.2 years; range: 17–92 years). The etiology was biliary in 118 (65%) patients and remained undetermined in 38 (21.1%) patients. Computed tomography (CT) performed within the first 12 h revealed mild and moderate AP in 159 (88.3%) and 21 (11.7%) patients, respectively. CT repeated at 72 h revealed mild, moderate, and severe AP in 155 (86.1%), 24 (13.3%), and 1 (0.6%) patients, respectively. Comparisons between stages A + B + C and D + E showed significant differences in the amylase levels on day 1 and 3, and in C-reactive protein on day 3. Also, in stage D and E disease, narcotic analgesic intake, oral intake onset time, and pain were significantly higher. Conclusion: There were no significant changes in the CT findings of patients with mild AP at 12 and 72 h. Most patients (n = 179; 99.4%) recovered uneventfully. Patients with mild pancreatitis according to the HAPS and Imrie scores can be considered for outpatient management. The recovery is longer in stage D and E disease.
Intrauterine Growth Restriction and Hyperoxia as a Cause of White Matter Injury
Authors: Chang Jill L. , Bashir Mirrah , Santiago Christiana , Farrow Kathryn , Fung Camille , Brown Ashley S. , Dettman Robert W. , Dizon Maria L.V.
Published: November 2018

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is estimated to occur in 5% of pregnancies, with placental insufficiency being the most common cause in developed countries. While it is known that white matter injury occurs in premature infants, the extent of IUGR on white matter injury is less defined in term infants. We used a novel murine model that utilizes a thromboxane A2 (TXA2) analog (U46619), a potent vasoconstrictor, to induce maternal hypertension and mimic human placental insufficiency-induced IUGR to study the white matter. We also investigated the role of hyperoxia as an additional risk factor for white matter injury, as IUGR infants are at increased risk of respiratory comorbidities leading to increased oxygen exposure. We found that TXA2 analog-induced IUGR results in white matter injury as demonstrated by altered myelin structure and changes in the oligodendroglial cell/oligodendrocyte population. In addition, our study demonstrates that hyperoxia exposure independently results in white matter perturbation. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report single and combined effects of IUGR with hyperoxia impacting the white matter and motor function. These results draw attention to the need for close monitoring of motor development in IUGR babies following hospital discharge as well as highlighting the importance of limiting, as clinically feasible, the degree of oxygen overexposure to potentially improve motor outcomes in this population of infants.
Funções básicas da HP 50G para engenharia
Authors: Suzuki Bruna Sayuri de Souza , Porcacchia Éber Saj
Published: November 2018

Esse material foi preparado e distribuído para os participantes do Minicurso de HP 50G realizado pelo PET Mecatrônica nos dias 28 de setembro de 2017 e 05 de outubro de 2017. Para a publicação na revista, foram acrescentados mais alguns tópicos. O Minicurso de HP 50G focou principalmente nos alunos do quarto semestre do curso de Engenharia Mecatrônica da Escola Politécnica da USP. Nesse semestre, em especial para as disciplinas de Mecânica dos Fluidos, Eletricidade Geral e Estatística, a utilização de uma calculadora gráfica é altamente recomendável para a resolução de exercícios. Devido ao fato de a HP 50G ser uma calculadora bastante completa, que atende a todas as necessidades e já bastante utilizada no meio politécnico, realizamos esse minicurso para que os alunos conhecessem as principais funções utilizadas na HP nessas disciplinas.
The genus Tapiena Bolívar (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae; Holochlorini), with description of three new species from China
Authors: LIU CHUN-XIANG , KANG LE
Published: November 2018

Tapiena Bolívar, 1906 (type species Tapeina acutangula Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878) (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) is reviewed from China. A list and an identification key to ten species of Tapiena from China are given. Three new species are described: T. parapentagona sp. n., T. bilobata sp. n., and T. stridulous sp. n.. The previously unknown female of T. spinicaudata Liu & Xia, 1996 are described for the first time. Based on the examination of male stridulatory area, some known species are redescribed. Important and necessary illustrations, a distribution map, and discussion on distribution of Tapiena are provided.
The deep-sea scavenging genus Hirondellea (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Lysianassoidea: Hirondelleidae fam. nov.) in Australian waters
Authors: LOWRY J. K. , STODDART H. E.
Published: November 2018

The new lysianassoid amphipod family Hirondelleidae is established and the deep-sea scavenging genus Hirondellea is reported from Australian waters for the first time. Five new species are described: H. diamantina sp. nov.; H. endeavour sp. nov.; H. franklin sp. nov.; H. kapala sp. nov.; and H. naturaliste sp. nov. Anonyx wolfendeni Tattersall is transferred into Hirondellea.
The first sexually dimorphic species of Oribatella (Acari, Oribatida, Oribatellidae) and a review of sexual dimorphism in the Brachypylina
Authors: BEHAN-PELLETIER VALERIE M. , EAMER BARBARA
Published: November 2018

The oribatid mite genus Oribatella includes over 100 named species, none of which shows distinct sexual dimorphism in the octotaxic system of dermal glands. We propose a new species of this genus, Oribatella canadensis sp, nov., collected from dry soil habitats in western Canada, that shows distinct dimorphism in these dermal glands, the first record of this dimorphism in the Oribatelloidea. The posterior pair of glands in males, but not females, is enlarged and associated with a shallow, medial pit-tubercle complex, and is generally similar to convergent dimorphisms in some genera of Mochlozetidae (Oripodoidea), Mycobatidae (Ceratozetoidea) and Galumnidae (Galumnoidea). We describe this species based on adult and nymphal stages, and expand the diagnosis of the genus to accommodate the newly described immatures. We review the expression of sexual dimorphism in brachypyline oribatid mites and discuss its association with periodically dry habitats.
Nothobranchius kadleci (Cyprinodontiformes: Nothobranchiidae), a new species of annual killifish from central Mozambique
Authors: REICHARD MARTIN
Published: November 2018

Nothobranchius kadleci, a new African annual killifish species, is described from the drainages of the Save, Gorongose, Pungwe and Zangue Rivers in the Sofala Province of central Mozambique. Nothobranchius kadleci is similar to Nothobranchius furzeri from which it is distinguished by colouration (red pelvic fins, red lips, more extensive red colouration on body) and morphology (larger distance between pectoral and pelvic fins, shorter anal and dorsal fins, and shorter base of the anal fin). The currently known distribution of these two species is allopatric, with the N. kadleci range north of the N. furzeri range. Nothobranchius kadleci occurs sympatrically with Nothobranchius orthonotus and Nothobranchius rachovii, from which it can clearly be distinguished by different colour patterns of the fins and body, head shape and morphometric characteristics. A total of 12 populations were recorded between the northern bank of the Save River and southern bank of the Zambezi during collection trips in February 2008 and February 2009.
Lithodes formosae, a new species of king crab from Taiwan (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae)
Authors: AHYONG SHANE T. , CHAN TIN-YAM
Published: November 2018

A new species of king crab is described from Taiwan, Lithodes formosae sp. nov. The new species resembles L. longispina Sakai, 1971, from Japan, L. megacantha Macpherson, 1991, from French Polynesia, and L. paulayi Macpherson & Chan, 2008, from Guam, in having long dorsal spines in adults, though it is most similar to L. paulayi. Lithodes formosae is distinguished from the aforementioned species primarily by differing branchial spine arrangement and proportional spine length. Comparison of partial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences from L. formosae sp. nov., L. paulayi and L. longispina supports the specific status of the new species. Six species of Lithodidae are known from Taiwan, of which L. formosae sp. nov. is the first to be described as new from Taiwan.
Two new species of spiders of the genus Selenops Latreille, 1819 (Araneae: Selenopidae) and redescription of Selenops scitus Muma, 1953 from Mexico
Authors: VALDEZ-MONDRAGÓN ALEJANDRO
Published: November 2018

Two new species of Selenops Latreille, 1819 from Mexico are described: Selenops aztecus sp. nov. from the state of Veracruz, known only from a single male, and Selenops santibanezi sp. nov. from the state of Oaxaca, known from both sexes. Selenops scitus Muma, 1953, originally described only from the female holotype from Guerrero, México is redescribed and the male of this species is described for the first time; new records of its distribution are given.
A new genus of oak gallwasps, Kinseyella Pujade-Villar & Melika, with a description of a new species from Mexico (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini)
Authors: PUJADE-VILLAR J. , ROMERO-RANGEL S. , CHAGOYÁN-GARCÍA C. , EQUIHUA-MARTÍNEZ A. , ESTRADA-VENEGAS E. G. , MELIKA G.
Published: November 2018

A new genus of a cynipid oak gallwasp, Kinseyella (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini) is described from Mexico. Diagnostic characters and generic limits of the new genus are discussed in details. A new species, Kinseyella quercusobtusata is described, which induces galls on leaves of Quercus obtusata, an endemic Mexican oak. One earlier known species from Mexico was transferred to the newly established genus, Kinseyella lapiei (Kieffer), comb. nova. Diagnostic characters for separation of two species are also given.
A new species of Lachesilla Westwood (Psocoptera: Lachesillidae) in the andra group with a proposed classification of the andra group
Authors: MOCKFORD EDWARD L. , ALDRETE ALFONSO N. GARCÍA
Published: November 2018

We describe Lachesilla texana Mockford and García Aldrete, n. sp., with populations in northeastern Mexico, central and southern Texas, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee. Several minor differences are noted between the Smoky Mountains and the Texas-Mexican populations. We assign the new species to the andra group (García Aldrete 1974) and in order to place it within this large and complex species group, we propose a classification of the group with designation of four subgroups based primarily on male external genitalic and paragenitalic structures. Probable apomorphies are noted for each of the subgroups.
Notes on a small collection of thecate hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa)from Tristan da Cunha, south Atlantic
Authors: GALEA HORIA R.
Published: November 2018

A pilot survey of the shallow-water, thecate hydroid fauna of Tristan da Cunha archipelago, was undertaken for the first time. The examination of the collected material revealed the presence of at least sixteen hydroids, of which three could not be identified to species level in the absence of fertile specimens. Two sympatric morphotypes, provisionally assigned to Halecium delicatulum Coughtrey, 1876, are described, along with a discussion on the astonishingly wide morphological variation attributed to this taxon. All the present species are illustrated, and some of them are either described or accompanied by brief remarks. Only twelve hydroids were previously reported from the study area and the present report adds eleven new records to the list of known species, bringing their number to twenty-three.
A new species of Calomys (Rodentia: Sigmodontinae) from Eastern Brazil
Authors: BONVICINO CIBELE R. , DE OLIVEIRA JOÃO A. , GENTILE ROSANA
Published: November 2018

On the basis of combined analyses of karyotypic, molecular and morphologic data, we herein describe a new Calomys species collected in a transitional area between the Atlantic Forest and the Cerrado morphoclimatic domains of eastern Brazil. This new taxon differs from all other Brazilian Calomys species by its diploid number (2n=38), the lowest among Brazilian Calomys species, and by its yellowish snout. Phylogenetic analyses based on cytochrome b DNA suggest that this species belongs to the larger-bodied species group within Calomys, together with C. expulsus, C. callidus, C. callosus, and C. tocantinsi.
A new bomolochid copepod parasitic on bullseye puffer Sphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns) from Mexico, with reassignment of some species of Acantholochus Cressey and Hamaticolax Ho & Lin
Authors: MORALES-SERNA F. N. , GÓMEZ S.
Published: November 2018

A new bomolochid copepod species, Acantholochus zairae (Cyclopoida: Bomolochidae), was found on the bullseye puffer fish Sphoeroides annulatus (Jenyns). It is the ninth species belonging to Acatholochus Cressey around the world and the third from the Mexican Pacific. Females of A. zairae sp. n. can be distinguished from Acantholochus spp. mainly by the presence of one seta (instead of two) on the second endopodal segment of leg 2 and by the strong, large claw of the maxilla. Acantholochus zairae sp. n. is attributable either to Acantholochus or to Hamaticolax Ho & Lin since no useful character to distinguish the genus Acantholochus from the genus Hamaticolax was found in the literature. We therefore suggest that species of the genus Acantholochus can only be distinguished from those of the genus Hamaticolax by the absence of the accessory process of the maxillipedal claw. Due to the above, three species of bomolochids hitherto placed in the genus Acantholochus [H. galeichthyos (Luque & Bruno) comb. nov., H. paralabracis (Luque & Bruno) comb. nov. and H. unisagittatus (Tavares & Luque) comb. nov.] are transferred to Hamaticolax and three species hitherto placed in the genus Hamaticolax [A. albidus (Wilson) comb. nov., A. australiensis (Byrnes) comb. nov. and A. venustus (Kabata) comb. nov.] are transferred to Acantholochus. In addition, keys to the females of both genera are provided.
A new species of Cyrtodactylus (Reptilia: Squamata: Geckkonidae) from Xizang Autonomous Region, China
Authors: SHI LEI , ZHAO HUI
Published: November 2018

A new species of Cyrtodactylus described from Nyemo County, Xizang Autonomous Region, China is here referred to a new species, Cyrtodactylus zhaoermii sp. nov. It is distinguished from all other Cyrtodactylus by the following characters: dorsal surface of the body with fine granules intermixed with larger sub-conical tubercles arranged into 20 more or less regular rows; proximal subdigital lamellae transversely expanded; 19–20 subdigital lamellae on toe IV; 30–32 midbody ventral scales; most scales in femoral region small, granular, series of 12–14 enlarged femoral scales lacking pores; a series of precloacal pores (4) present in male; tail with distinct segments, large, posteriorly directed tubercles in whorls, numbering nine to ten per caudal annulus, three on each side and three to four on the dorsum, situated at the posterior edge of each annulus; subcaudals not transversely expanded. The new species is the fourth Cyrtodactylus known from Xizang Autonomous Region.
A General Description of Entrainment in Buoyant Cloudy Plumes Including the Effects of Mixing-Induced Evaporation
Authors: Savre Julien , Herzog Michael
Published: November 2018

In this work, the steady-state one-dimensional axisymmetric plume theory is revisited and generalized to include the effects of nonhomogeneous updraft velocity and buoyancy profiles across the plume, environmental shear, and, more importantly, evaporative cooling resulting from the mixing between cloudy air and the dry environment. Based on an energy consistency argument, a method is proposed to derive a relationship for the fractional lateral mixing rate (which may here be positive or negative) from the plume’s integral equations, as well as a set of equations for the equivalent plume properties, both of which maintain a high degree of generality by incorporating effects of environmental shear and inhomogeneous radial distributions. In the absence of wind shear, a simpler entrainment-rate closure is proposed, which is then further constrained by systematically varying the plume and environmental conditions and allowing evaporative cooling to occur. The fractional mixing rate is shown to be strongly correlated with the plume buoyancy and, to a lesser extent, to the critical mixing fraction (i.e., the fraction of dry air that needs to be mixed with cloudy air to make the mixture neutrally buoyant). Quantitative estimates of this dependency are given to facilitate implementations of the new model in convection parameterizations. Analyzing the proposed closure suggests that it could capture features observed in recent high-resolution simulations and that it is consistent with the buoyancy-sorting concept. The results therefore support recent findings concerning the parameterization of entrainment for moist atmospheric convection.
An Improved Double-Gaussian Closure for the Subgrid Vertical Velocity Probability Distribution Function
Authors: Fitch A. C.
Published: November 2018

The vertical velocity probability distribution function (PDF) is analyzed throughout the depth of the lower atmosphere, including the subcloud and cloud layers, in four large-eddy simulation (LES) cases of shallow cumulus and stratocumulus. Double-Gaussian PDF closures are examined to test their ability to represent a wide range of turbulence statistics, from stratocumulus cloud layers characterized by Gaussian turbulence to shallow cumulus cloud layers displaying strongly non-Gaussian turbulence statistics. While the majority of the model closures are found to perform well in the former case, the latter presents a considerable challenge. A new model closure is suggested that accounts for high skewness and kurtosis seen in shallow cumulus cloud layers. The well-established parabolic relationship between skewness and kurtosis is examined, with results in agreement with previous studies for the subcloud layer. In cumulus cloud layers, however, a modified relationship is necessary to improve performance. The new closure significantly improves the estimation of the vertical velocity PDF for shallow cumulus cloud layers, in addition to performing well for stratocumulus. In particular, the long updraft tail representing the bulk of cloudy points is much better represented and higher-order moments diagnosed from the PDF are also greatly improved. However, some deficiencies remain owing to fundamental limitations of representing highly non-Gaussian turbulence statistics with a double-Gaussian PDF.
Decadal Transition of the Leading Mode of Interannual Moisture Circulation over East Asia–Western North Pacific: Bonding to Different Evolution of ENSO
Authors: Li Xiuzhen , Wen Zhiping , Chen Deliang , Chen Zesheng
Published: November 2018

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle has a great impact on the summer moisture circulation over East Asia (EA) and the western North Pacific [WNP (EA-WNP)] on an interannual time scale, and its modulation is mainly embedded in the leading mode. In contrast to the stable influence of the mature phase of ENSO, the impact of synchronous eastern Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) on summer moisture circulation is negligible during the 1970s–80s, while it intensifies after 1991. In response, the interannual variation of moisture circulation exhibits a much more widespread anticyclonic/cyclonic pattern over the subtropical WNP and a weaker counterpart to the north after 1991. Abnormal moisture moves farther northward with the enhanced moisture convergence, and thus precipitation shifts from the Yangtze River to the Huai River valley. The decadal shift in the modulation of ENSO on moisture circulation arises from a more rapid evolution of the bonding ENSO cycle and its stronger coupling with circulation over the Indian Ocean after 1991. The rapid development of cooling SSTAs over the central-eastern Pacific, and warming SSTAs to the west over the eastern Indian Ocean–Maritime Continent (EIO-MC) in summer, stimulates abnormal descending motion over the western-central Pacific and ascending motion over the EIO-MC. The former excites an anticyclone over the WNP as a Rossby wave response, sustaining and intensifying the WNP anticyclone; the latter helps anchor the anticyclone over the tropical–subtropical WNP via an abnormal southwest–northeast vertical circulation between EIO-MC and WNP.
Moored Observations of the Surface Meteorology and Air–Sea Fluxes in the Northern Bay of Bengal in 2015
Authors: Weller R. A. , Farrar J. T. , Seo Hyodae , Prend Channing , Sengupta Debasis , Lekha J. Sree , Ravichandran M. , Venkatesen R.
Published: November 2018

Time series of surface meteorology and air–sea fluxes from the northern Bay of Bengal are analyzed, quantifying annual and seasonal means, variability, and the potential for surface fluxes to contribute significantly to variability in surface temperature and salinity. Strong signals were associated with solar insolation and its modulation by cloud cover, and, in the 5- to 50-day range, with intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs). The northeast (NE) monsoon (DJF) was typically cloud free, with strong latent heat loss and several moderate wind events, and had the only seasonal mean ocean heat loss. The spring intermonsoon (MAM) was cloud free and had light winds and the strongest ocean heating. Strong ISOs and Tropical Cyclone Komen were seen in the southwest (SW) monsoon (JJA), when 65% of the 2.2-m total rain fell, and oceanic mean heating was small. The fall intermonsoon (SON) initially had moderate convective systems and mean ocean heating, with a transition to drier winds and mean ocean heat loss in the last month. Observed surface freshwater flux applied to a layer of the observed thickness produced drops in salinity with timing and magnitude similar to the initial drops in salinity in the summer monsoon, but did not reproduce the salinity variability of the fall intermonsoon. Observed surface heat flux has the potential to cause the temperature trends of the different seasons, but uncertainty in how shortwave radiation is absorbed in the upper ocean limits quantifying the role of surface forcing in the evolution of mixed layer temperature.
Baroclinic Tidal Sea Level from Exact-Repeat Mission Altimetry
Authors: Zaron Edward D.
Published: November 2018

A near-global model for the sea surface expression of the baroclinic tide has been developed using exact-repeat mission altimetry. The methodology used differs in detail from other altimetry-based estimates of the open ocean baroclinic tide, but it leads to estimates that are broadly similar to previous results. It may be used for prediction of the baroclinic sea level anomaly at the frequencies of the main diurnal and semidiurnal tides , , , and , as well as the annual modulates of , denoted and . The tidal predictions are validated by computing variance reduction statistics using independent sea surface height data from the CryoSat-2 altimeter mission. Typical midocean baroclinic tidal signals range from a few millimeters to centimeters of elevation, corresponding to subsurface isopycnal displacements of tens of meters; however, in a few regions, larger signals are present, and it is found that the present model can explain more than 13-cm2 variance at some sites. The predicted tides are also validated by comparison with a database of hourly currents inferred from drogued surface drifters. The database is large enough to permit assessment of a simple model for scattering of the low-mode tide. Results indicate a scattering time scale of approximately 1 day, consistent with a priori estimates of time-variable refraction by the mesoscale circulation.
An Integrated Approach to Weather Radar Calibration and Monitoring Using Ground Clutter and Satellite Comparisons
Authors: Louf Valentin , Protat Alain , Warren Robert A. , Collis Scott M. , Wolff David B. , Raunyiar Surendra , Jakob Christian , Petersen Walter A.
Published: November 2018

The stability and accuracy of weather radar reflectivity calibration are imperative for quantitative applications, such as rainfall estimation, severe weather monitoring and nowcasting, and assimilation in numerical weather prediction models. Various radar calibration and monitoring techniques have been developed, but only recently have integrated approaches been proposed, that is, using different calibration techniques in combination. In this paper the following three techniques are used: 1) ground clutter monitoring, 2) comparisons with spaceborne radars, and 3) the self-consistency of polarimetric variables. These techniques are applied to a C-band polarimetric radar (CPOL) located in the Australian tropics since 1998. The ground clutter monitoring technique is applied to each radar volumetric scan and provides a means to reliably detect changes in calibration, relative to a baseline. It is remarkably stable to within a standard deviation of 0.1 dB. To obtain an absolute calibration value, CPOL observations are compared to spaceborne radars on board TRMM and GPM using a volume-matching technique. Using an iterative procedure and stable calibration periods identified by the ground echoes technique, we improve the accuracy of this technique to about 1 dB. Finally, we review the self-consistency technique and constrain its assumptions using results from the hybrid TRMM–GPM and ground echo technique. Small changes in the self-consistency parameterization can lead to 5 dB of variation in the reflectivity calibration. We find that the drop-shape model of Brandes et al. with a standard deviation of the canting angle of 12° best matches our dataset.
Adapting to financial pressure on household food budgets in Denmark: Associations with life satisfaction and dietary health
Authors: Holm Lotte , Nielsen Annemette Ljungdalh , Lund Thomas Bøker
Published: November 2018

In countries with wide income differentials, food insecurity leads to substantial changes in everyday food practices and to poor dietary and mental health. Less is known about consequences of food budget pressure in affluent populations and in social-democratic welfare societies with narrower income differentials. This paper describes relations between pressure on household food budgets and demographic factors in Denmark. It asks how budgetary constraint relates to life satisfaction and dietary health and how these relationships are affected when people adapt their food practices to manage pressure on budgets. Data from a representative 2015 survey of Danish households are employed. Levels of food budget pressure vary with income and household composition and are negatively associated with life satisfaction and dietary health. We find a sequence of food practice adaptations where changes in food quality and hospitality, and seeking external help were being made when adjustments to food provisioning and kitchen practices were proving to be insufficient. We conclude that in affluent social-democratic welfare societies pressure on food budgets also has negative impacts on life satisfaction and health. Food budget pressure should be monitored in the future and addressed in public health policy.
Uses of Panel Study of Income Dynamics Data in Research on Aging
Authors: Wolf Douglas A.
Published: November 2018

The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) has, over its 50-year history, proven to be a useful source of data for research on virtually all the major topics in the area of social gerontology. This usefulness reflects three of the leading features of the PSID: its longitudinality; its content; and its tracking rules, which permit users to develop family-based and generationally linked measures. This article summarizes key areas of survey content, including both routinely collected data and several one-time or occasional supplements to the routine items. The article also illustrates how these data elements have been used, providing examples of published papers in several areas of social gerontology. Finally, the article points out some methodological issues associated with the PSID design; these methodological issues arise, in varying degrees, in longitudinal studies other than the PSID, and should be acknowledged by both the producers and consumers of longitudinal-data research.
Migration, Mobility, and Neighborhood Attainment: Using the PSID to Understand the Processes of Racial Stratification
Authors: Leibbrand Christine , Crowder Kyle
Published: November 2018

In this article we describe the considerable influence of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) on research on residential migration, mobility, and neighborhood attainment, as well as the role of PSID-based research in housing policy debates. We review some of the central research findings and key discoveries that have come from analyses that have used the PSID. We then present new research, using PSID data that are linked to geographic data, to demonstrate how geographic moves are associated with changes in neighborhood poverty rates. The relationship differs markedly for blacks and whites, and our results add to a body of work that shows sharp racial differences in residential context, and the role that personal migration plays in shaping this stratification. Finally, we use these findings and the shortcomings of past research to prescribe ways that the PSID could be enhanced to understand more about migration dynamics and processes of residential stratification.
Contributions of Research Based on the PSID Child Development Supplement
Authors: Hofferth Sandra L. , Bickham David S. , Brooks-Gunn Jeanne , Davis-Kean Pamela E. , Yeung Wei-Jun Jean
Published: November 2018

This article summarizes important contributions of the Child Development Supplement to the PSID (PSID-CDS) to knowledge in child development, time use, media use, and health. The PSID-CDS began in 1997, surveying 2,394 households, including 3,563 children; three waves of data on the first cohort were collected—1997, 2002–03, and 2007–08—and a new cohort was interviewed in 2014. Hundreds of books, journal articles, and dissertations have used the PSID-CDS, and our overview of that literature points to unique methodological and measurement contributions, summarizes the motivation for research on parental investments in children, reviews findings regarding healthy child development, and examines the role of neighborhoods in children’s lives.
The Paradox of Persistence: Explaining the Black-White Gap in Bachelor’s Degree Completion
Authors: Ciocca Eller Christina , DiPrete Thomas A.
Published: November 2018

Bachelor’s degree (BA) completion is lower among black students than among white students. In this study, we use data from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, together with regression-based analytical techniques, to identify the primary sources of the BA completion gap. We find that black students’ lower academic and socioeconomic resources are the biggest drivers of the gap. However, we also find that black students are more likely to enroll in four-year colleges than are white students, given pre-college resources. We describe this dynamic as “paradoxical persistence” because it challenges Boudon’s well-known assertion that the secondary effect of educational decision-making should reinforce the primary effect of resource discrepancies. Instead, our results indicate that black students’ paradoxical persistence widens the race gap in BA completion while also narrowing the race gap in BA attainment, or the proportion of high school graduates to receive a BA. This narrowing effect on the BA attainment gap is as large or larger than the narrowing effect of black students’ “overmatch” to high-quality colleges, facilitated in part by affirmative action. Paradoxical persistence refocuses attention on black students’ individual agency as an important source of existing educational gains.
The Institutional Determinants of Health Insurance: Moving Away from Labor Market, Marriage, and Family Attachments under the ACA
Authors: Gutierrez Carmen M.
Published: November 2018

For more than a century, the American welfare state required working-age adults to obtain social welfare benefits through their linkages to employers, spouses, or children. Recent changes to U.S. healthcare policy prompted by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), however, provide adults with new pathways for accessing a key form of social welfare—health insurance— decoupled from employers, spouses, and children. Taking advantage of this fundamental shift in the country’s system of social welfare provision, I use data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) to explore patterns of health insurance coverage from before and after the ACA became active in 2014. The results show that the salience of labor market, marriage, and family attachments as pathways to coverage significantly declined in the first three years following passage of the ACA. By providing adults with a new route to coverage decoupled from their institutional attachments, the ACA helped narrow health insurance inequalities across gender, race and ethnicity, and education. Given the strong association between health insurance and health outcomes, the results from this study raise important questions about the centrality of institutional attachments for our knowledge of health inequalities.
The Social Sources of Geopolitical Power: French and British Diplomacy and the Politics of Interstate Recognition, 1689 to 1789
Authors: Stuart Brundage Jonah
Published: November 2018

Why did France influence the geopolitical system of eighteenth-century Europe more effectively than did Britain? Explanations pointing to states’ military and economic power are unable to explain this outcome. I argue that durable geopolitical influence depends on states’ symbolic capacities to secure recognition from competitor states, in addition to their coercive and economic capacities. And I show that states are liable to secure recognition to the extent that their agents embody social dispositions congruent with those of competitor agents. France converted military and economic power into durable influence in eighteenth-century Europe because French agents and most of their European counterparts shared courtly standards of competence, and they were invested in the common stakes of patrimonial sovereignty. By contrast, Britain failed to convert its greater material power into similar influence because British agents tended to lack courtly manners and they were uninterested in patrimonial stakes.
Analytical performances of PENIA and PETIA urinary cystatin C determination allow tubular injury investigation
Authors: Bargnoux Anne-Sophie , Azoury Vincent , Badiou Stéphanie , Klouche Kada , Plawecki Maëlle , Kuster Nils ,   Anne-Marie-Dupuy, Cristol Jean-Paul
Published: November 2018

Background

The study was designed to evaluate the analytical performances of two ERM-DA471/IFCC traceable cystatin C (CysC) reagents available on the market for urinary CysC (u-CysC) quantification. In addition, clinical relevance was assessed by measuring u-CysC in healthy controls and in patients with tubular dysfunction.

Methods

CysC in urine was measured by a particle-enhanced nephelometric immunoassay using Siemens reagents and by a particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay using DiaSys reagents. Imprecision, linearity, limit of detection and limit of quantification were evaluated according to CLSI recommendations. The two methods were tested on 150 urinary samples from 50 healthy subjects, 50 HIV patients with tubular dysfunction and 50 patients who developed acute kidney acute injury.

Results

Within-laboratory coefficients of variations were below 4%. The lower limit of quantification of the assay was found at 0.043 and 0.046 mg/L for DiaSys and Siemens, respectively. The following Passing-Bablok regression equations were obtained: DiaSys = 0.99 Siemens + 0.00. Using Bland-Altman analysis, the mean bias was –0.004 mg/L on the analytical range between 0.02 and 1 mg/L. Median u-CysC in 50 HIV patients with tubular dysfunction and in 50 patients with AKI was higher than in control subjects.

Conclusions

Both Siemens and DiaSys reagents demonstrated reliable and reproducible performances allowing easy determination of u-CysC on automated platforms in clinical practice with potential interest for the detection of tubular dysfunction.
Navigating neoliberal school spaces: Parent and school staff perspectives on racially disproportional school exclusions in England
Authors: Joseph Andrea
Published: November 2018

This article uses phenomenology and critical race theory to explore educators’, parents’, and education social workers’ experiences with policies and discipline practices in English schools. Critical race theory was used to center the significance of race and neoliberal school reforms on disparities, while phenomenological principles were applied to understand participant lived experiences in these settings. Participant perspectives were captured using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. Findings indicate that pressurized school environments and racial bias fostered racialized neoliberalism and hindered how education social workers and pastoral carer workers advocated for students at risk of school exclusion.
Building Healthy Community Environments: A Public Health Approach
Authors: Koehler Kirsten , Latshaw Megan , Matte Thomas , Kass Daniel , Frumkin Howard , Fox Mary , Hobbs Benjamin F. , Wills-Karp Marsha , Burke Thomas A.
Published: November 2018

Environmental quality has a profound effect on health and the burden of disease. In the United States, the environment-related burden of disease is increasingly dominated by chronic diseases. At the local level, public health practitioners realize that many policy decisions affecting environmental quality and health transcend the authorities of traditional health department programs. Healthy decisions about the built environment, including housing, transportation, and energy, require broad collaborative efforts. Environmental health professionals have an opportunity to address the shift in public health burden toward chronic diseases and play an important role in the design of healthy communities by bringing data and tools to decision makers. This article provides a guide for community leaders to consider the public health effects of decisions about the built environment. We present a conceptual framework that represents a shift from compartmentalized solutions toward an inclusive systems approach that encourages partnership across disciplines and sectors. We discuss practical tools to assist with environmental decision making, such as Health Impact Assessments, environmental public health tracking, and cumulative risk assessment. We also identify priorities in research, practice, and education to advance the role of public health in decision making to improve health, such as the Health Impact Assessment, as a core competency for environmental health practitioners. We encourage cross-disciplinary communication, research, and education that bring the fields of planning, transportation, and energy in closer collaboration with public health to jointly advance the systems approach to today’s environmental challenges.
An Integrated Public Health Approach to Interpersonal Violence and Suicide Prevention and Response
Authors: Decker Michele R. , Wilcox Holly C. , Holliday Charvonne N. , Webster Daniel W.
Published: November 2018

Violence is a leading source of morbidity and mortality in the United States. In this article, we suggest a public health framework for preventing community violence, intimate partner violence and sexual violence, and suicide as key forms of interpersonal and self-directed violence. These types of violence often co-occur and share common risk and protective factors. The gender, racial/ethnic, and age-related disparities in violence risk can be understood through an intersectionality framework that considers the multiple simultaneous identities of people at risk. Important opportunities for cross-cutting interventions exist, and intervention strategies should be examined for potential effectiveness on multiple forms of violence through rigorous evaluation. Existing evidence-based approaches should be taken to scale for maximum impact. By seeking to influence the policy and normative context of violence as much as individual behavior, public health can work with the education system, criminal justice system, and other sectors to address the public health burden of interpersonal violence and suicide.
Grappling With Complex Food Systems to Reduce Obesity: A US Public Health Challenge
Authors: Barnhill Anne , Palmer Anne , Weston Christine M. , Brownell Kelly D. , Clancy Kate , Economos Christina D. , Gittelsohn Joel , Hammond Ross A. , Kumanyika Shiriki , Bennett Wendy L.
Published: November 2018

Despite 2 decades of effort by the public health community to combat obesity, obesity rates in the United States continue to rise. This lack of progress raises fundamental questions about the adequacy of our current approaches. Although the causes of population-wide obesity are multifactorial, attention to food systems as potential drivers of obesity has been prominent. However, the relationships between broader food systems and obesity are not always well understood. Our efforts to address obesity can be advanced and improved by the use of systems approaches that consider outcomes of the interconnected global food system, including undernutrition, climate change, the environmental sustainability of agriculture, and other social and economic concerns. By implementing innovative local and state programs, taking new approaches to overcome political obstacles to effect policy, and reconceptualizing research needs, we can improve obesity prevention efforts that target the food systems, maximize positive outcomes, and minimize adverse consequences. We recommend strengthening innovative local policies and programs, particularly those that involve community members in identifying problems and potential solutions and that embrace a broad set of goals beyond making eating patterns healthier. We also recommend undertaking interdisciplinary research projects that go beyond testing targeted interventions in specific populations and aim to build an understanding of the broader social, political, and economic context.