Uncertainties in the Production of p Nuclides in SN Ia Determined by Monte Carlo Variations

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019Several thousand tracers from a 2D model of a thermonuclear supernova were used in a Monte Carlo post-processing approach to determine p-nuclide abundance uncertainties originating from nuclear physics uncertainties in the reaction rates.Final Accepted Versio

Does Government Regulation Complement Existing Community Efforts to Support Cooperation? Evidence from Field Experiments in Colombia

In this paper we describe a field experiment conducted among mollusk harvesters in a community on the Pacific Coast of Columbia. The experiment is based on a standard linear public good and consists of two stages. In the first stage we compare the ability of monetary and nonmonetary sanctions among community members to increase contributions to the public good. In the second stage we add a government regulation with either a high or low sanction for noncompliance to community enforcement efforts. The results for the first stage are consistent with other comparisons of monetary and nonmonetary sanctions within groups; both led to higher contributions. The results from the second stage reveal that government regulations always complemented community enforcement efforts. While the subjects tended to reduce their sanctioning efforts under the government regulations, contributions and earnings were significantly higher than without government interventions. In fact, the combination of community and government enforcement efforts generated near-perfect contributions to the public good. However, more research into the combined roles of government intervention and community enforcement efforts is needed because the complementarity we find may be situation-specific.Field experiments, public goods, government regulation, community enforcement

Comparing the Effectiveness of Regulation and Pro-Social Emotions to Enhance Cooperation: Experimental Evidence from Fishing Communities in Colombia

This paper presents the results from a series of framed field experiments conducted in fishing communities off the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The goal is to investigate the relative effectiveness of exogenous regulatory pressure and pro-social emotions in promoting cooperative behavior in a public goods context. The random public revelation of an individual’s contribution and its consequences for the rest of the group leads to significantly higher public good contributions and social welfare than regulatory pressure, even under regulations that are designed to motivate fully efficient contributions.public goods, field experiments, pro-social emotions, social dilemma, regulation, enforcement.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Regulation and Pro-Social Emotions to Enhance Cooperation: Experimental Evidence from Fishing Communities in Colombia

This paper presents the results from a series of framed field experiments conducted in fishing communities off the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The goal is to investigate the relative effectiveness of exogenous regulatory pressure and pro-social emotions in promoting cooperative behavior in a public goods context. The random public revelation of an individual’s contribution and its consequences for the rest of the group leads to significantly higher public good contributions and social welfare than regulatory pressure, even under regulations that are designed to motivate fully efficient contributions.

Towards an inclusive co-design toolkit: perceptions and experiences of co-design stakeholders

Participatory design holds great potential for the creation of inclusive technology but existing toolkits and resources to support co-design are not always accessible to designers and co-designers with disabilities. In this paper we present two studies to assist in facilitating the creation of a sustainable, accessible, inclusive co-design toolkit for individuals with intellectual disabilities i) exploration of the perceptions and experiences of lecturers (n =5) and students (n= 5) involved in co-design activities via individual interviews and ii) a protocol and initial findings from focus groups with men and women with intellectual disabilities to inform on best co-design practices (n=15). Positive reflections were reported on the co-design experience by all participants. Communication was highlighted as a theme that requires further attention and specific support during co-design processes with third level designers and co-designers with intellectual disabilities

How do transfusion services manage patients taking therapies such as anti‐ CD38 and anti‐ CD47 known to interfere with red blood cell compatibility testing?

Background: Drugs such as daratumumab (Darzalex, anti‐CD38) and Hu5F9‐G4 (magrolimab, anti‐CD47) may interfere with red blood cell compatibility testing as CD38 and CD47 are expressed on red blood cells. Study Design and Methods: A survey of AABB member transfusion services was undertaken to understand their experiences of managing patients taking therapeutic monoclonal antibodies that are known to interfere with blood grouping and compatibility testing. Results: The survey was distributed to the contact person at US‐based AABB member transfusion services. The response rate was 27%. 172 of 240 (72%) indicated they had difficulties in performing compatibility testing in patients taking daratumumab and 66 of 91 (73%) reported difficulties in performing compatibility testing in patients taking magrolimab. Actions taken to provide compatible blood for these patients included referral of all samples to a reference center, blood group pheno/genotyping the patient in advance of starting the drug, treating reagent cells with 0.2 M dithiothreitol and using K‐negative red cell units for patients taking daratumumab, and Gamma‐clone (Immucor) anti‐IgG for indirect antiglobulin testing for patients taking magrolimab. Lack of communication from clinical services about drug treatment was identified as a concern. Conclusion: The results of the survey demonstrate that transfusion services are having challenges with the transfusion management of patients taking therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, and further education is needed

AccessDesign: An inclusive co-design toolkit for the creation of accessible digital tools.

Existing toolkits and resources to support co-design are not always accessible to designers and co-designers with disabilities. In this paper we present a study based on an innovative co-design programme, in collaboration with St John of God Community Services, where 3rd year computer science students work with service users with intellectual disabilities to create digital applications together. We conducted a series of co-design focus group sessions involving the service users who were previously involved in the co-design collaboration with SJOG Services and TU Dublin. The data collected during these design sessions has been integrated to form an accessible design toolkit through a series of iterative workshops. This toolkit is intended to generate a sustainable resource to be reused in the programme at TU Dublin but also in the wider community of inclusive design

Concurrent MEK targeted therapy prevents MAPK pathway reactivation during BRAFV600E targeted inhibition in a novel syngeneic murine glioma model.

Inhibitors of BRAFV600E kinase are currently under investigations in preclinical and clinical studies involving BRAFV600E glioma. Studies demonstrated clinical response to such individualized therapy in the majority of patients whereas in some patients tumors continue to grow despite treatment. To study resistance mechanisms, which include feedback activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling in melanoma, we developed a luciferase-modified cell line (2341luc) from a BrafV600E mutant and Cdkn2a- deficient murine high-grade glioma, and analyzed its molecular responses to BRAFV600E- and MAPK kinase (MEK)-targeted inhibition. Immunocompetent, syngeneic FVB/N mice with intracranial grafts of 2341luc were tested for effects of BRAFV600E and MEK inhibitor treatments, with bioluminescence imaging up to 14-days after start of treatment and survival analysis as primary indicators of inhibitor activity. Intracranial injected tumor cells consistently generated high-grade glioma-like tumors in syngeneic mice. Intraperitoneal daily delivery of BRAFV600E inhibitor dabrafenib only transiently suppressed MAPK signaling, and rather increased Akt signaling and failed to extend survival for mice with intracranial 2341luc tumor. MEK inhibitor trametinib delivered by oral gavage daily suppressed MAPK pathway more effectively and had a more durable anti-growth effect than dabrafenib as well as a significant survival benefit. Compared with either agent alone, combined BRAFV600E and MEK inhibitor treatment was more effective in reducing tumor growth and extending animal subject survival, as corresponding to sustained MAPK pathway inhibition. Results derived from the 2341luc engraftment model application have clinical implications for the management of BRAFV600E glioma

AbspectroscoPY, a Python toolbox for absorbance-based sensor data in water quality monitoring

The long-term trend of increasing natural organic matter (NOM) in boreal and north European surface waters represents an economic and environmental challenge for drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). High-frequency measurements from absorbance-based online spectrophotometers are often used in modern DWTPs to measure the chromophoric fraction of dissolved organic matter (CDOM) over time. These data contain valuable information that can be used to optimise NOM removal at various stages of treatment and/or diagnose the causes of underperformance at the DWTP. However, automated monitoring systems generate large datasets that need careful preprocessing, followed by variable selection and signal processing before interpretation. In this work we introduce AbspectroscoPY ("Absorbance spectroscopic analysis in Python"), a Python toolbox for processing time-series datasets collected by in situ spectrophotometers. The toolbox addresses some of the main challenges in data preprocessing by handling duplicates, systematic time shifts, baseline corrections and outliers. It contains automated functions to compute a range of spectral metrics for the time-series data, including absorbance ratios, exponential fits, slope ratios and spectral slope curves. To demonstrate its utility, AbspectroscoPY was applied to 15-month datasets from three online spectrophotometers in a drinking water treatment plant. Despite only small variations in surface water quality over the time period, variability in the spectrophotometric profiles of treated water could be identified, quantified and related to lake turnover or operational changes in the DWTP. This toolbox represents a step toward automated early warning systems for detecting and responding to potential threats to treatment performance caused by rapid changes in incoming water quality

A uniform estimate for an equation with Holderian condition and boundary singularity

We give a blow-up analysis and a compactness result for an equation with Holderian condition and boundary singularity.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1302.0657, arXiv:1309.158