Seismic Retrofit of Crane Valley Dam

Crane Valley Dam is located on the North Fork of Willow Creek in Madera County, California, and is owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E). The results of seismic stability analyses performed in 2005 and 2006 showed that the dam’s hydraulic fill embankments would experience large deformations during and after the earthquake shaking postulated for the site. To improve the seismic stability and performance of the dam, PG&E initiated the Crane Valley Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (Project), which includes placing new rockfill buttresses on the upstream and downstream slopes of the dam, constructing internal drainage improvements, reinforcing portions of the dam’s concrete core wall, and raising the dam crest. Project components were designed to meet seepage control and seismic stability criteria and to accommodate existing facilities, limited site access, seasonal reservoir operations, and environmentally sensitive areas within and adjacent to the Project site. Engineering analyses included static, seepage, and dynamic finite element analyses to evaluate the potential for liquefaction of hydraulic fill materials and post-earthquake stability of the retrofitted dam embankment. Construction of the Project began in Octobe

Overstory influences on light attenuation patterns and understory plant community diversity and composition in southern boreal forests of Quebec

We have characterized overstory light transmission, understory light levels, and plant communities in mixedwood boreal forests of northwestern Quebec with the objective of understanding how overstory light transmission interacts with composition and time since disturbance to influence the diversity and composition of understory vegetation, and, in turn, the further attenuation of light to the forest floor by the understory. Overstory light transmission differed among three forest types (aspen, mixed deciduous-conifer, and old cedar-dominated), with old forests having higher proportions of high light levels than aspen and mixed forests, which were characterized by intermediate light levels. The composition of the understory plant communities in old forests showed the weakest correlation to overstory light transmission, although those forests had the largest range of light transmission. The strongest correlation between characteristics of overstory light transmission and understory communities was found in aspen forests. Species diversity indices were consistently higher in aspen forests but showed weak relationships with overstory light transmission. Light attenuation by the understory vegetation and total height of the understory vegetation were strongly and positively related to overstory light transmission but not forest type. Therefore, light transmission through the overstory influenced the structure and function of understory plants more than their diversity and composition. This is likely due to the strong effect of the upper understory layers, which tend to homogenize light levels at the forest floor regardless of forest type. The understory plant community acts as a filter, thereby reducing light levels at the forest floor to uniformly low levels

Alteration of gene expression by alcohol exposure at early neurulation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We have previously demonstrated that alcohol exposure at early neurulation induces growth retardation, neural tube abnormalities, and alteration of DNA methylation. To explore the global gene expression changes which may underline these developmental defects, microarray analyses were performed in a whole embryo mouse culture model that allows control over alcohol and embryonic variables.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>Alcohol caused teratogenesis in brain, heart, forelimb, and optic vesicle; a subset of the embryos also showed cranial neural tube defects. In microarray analysis (accession number GSM9545), adopting hypothesis-driven Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) informatics and intersection analysis of two independent experiments, we found that there was a collective reduction in expression of neural specification genes (neurogenin, <it>Sox5, Bhlhe22</it>), neural growth factor genes [<it>Igf1, Efemp1</it>, <it>Klf10 </it>(<it>Tieg), and Edil3</it>], and alteration of genes involved in cell growth, apoptosis, histone variants, eye and heart development. There was also a reduction of retinol binding protein 1 (<it>Rbp1</it>), and <it>de novo </it>expression of aldehyde dehydrogenase 1B1 (<it>Aldh1B1</it>). Remarkably, four key hematopoiesis genes (glycophorin A, adducin 2, beta-2 microglobulin, and ceruloplasmin) were absent after alcohol treatment, and histone variant genes were reduced. The down-regulation of the neurospecification and the neurotrophic genes were further confirmed by quantitative RT-PCR. Furthermore, the gene expression profile demonstrated distinct subgroups which corresponded with two distinct alcohol-related neural tube phenotypes: an open (ALC-NTO) and a closed neural tube (ALC-NTC). Further, the epidermal growth factor signaling pathway and histone variants were specifically altered in ALC-NTO, and a greater number of neurotrophic/growth factor genes were down-regulated in the ALC-NTO than in the ALC-NTC embryos.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study revealed a set of genes vulnerable to alcohol exposure and genes that were associated with neural tube defects during early neurulation.</p

Duplex Sequencing Uncovers Recurrent Low-frequency Cancer-associated Mutations in Infant and Childhood KMT2A-rearranged Acute Leukemia

Infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with KMT2A-gene rearrangements (KMT2A-r) have few mutations and a poor prognosis. To uncover mutations that are below the detection of standard next-generation sequencing (NGS), a combination of targeted duplex sequencing and NGS was applied on 20 infants and 7 children with KMT2A-r ALL, 5 longitudinal and 6 paired relapse samples. Of identified nonsynonymous mutations, 87 had been previously implicated in cancer and targeted genes recurrently altered in KMT2A-r leukemia and included mutations in KRAS, NRAS, FLT3, TP53, PIK3CA, PAX5, PIK3R1, and PTPN11, with infants having fewer such mutations. Of identified cancer-associated mutations, 62% were below the resolution of standard NGS. Only 33 of 87 mutations exceeded 2% of cellular prevalence and most-targeted PI3K/RAS genes (31/33) and typically KRAS/NRAS. Five patients only had low-frequency PI3K/RAS mutations without a higher-frequency signaling mutation. Further, drug-resistant clones with FLT3 D835H or NRAS G13D/G12S mutations that comprised only 0.06% to 0.34% of diagnostic cells, expanded at relapse. Finally, in longitudinal samples, the relapse clone persisted as a minor subclone from diagnosis and through treatment before expanding during the last month of disease. Together, we demonstrate that infant and childhood KMT2A-r ALL harbor low-frequency cancer-associated mutations, implying a vast subclonal genetic landscape.publishedVersionPeer reviewe

The psychological science accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges