A case report and genetic characterization of a massive acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid with delayed distant metastases.

We describe the presentation, management, and clinical outcome of a massive acinic cell carcinoma of the parotid gland. The primary tumor and blood underwent exome sequencing which revealed deletions in CDKN2A as well as PPP1R13B, which induces p53. A damaging nonsynonymous mutation was noted in EP300, a histone acetylase which plays a role in cellular proliferation. This study provides the first insights into the genetic underpinnings of this cancer. Future large-scale efforts will be necessary to define the mutational landscape of salivary gland malignancies to identify therapeutic targets and biomarkers of treatment failure

Mapping the Galactic Halo. V. Sgr dSph Tidal Debris 60 degrees from the Main Body

As part of the Spaghetti Project Survey (SPS) we have detected a concentration of giant stars well above expectations for a smooth halo model. The position (l~350, b~50) and distance (~50 kpc) of this concentration match those of the Northern over-density detected by SDSS (Yanny et al. 2000, Ivezic et al. 2000). We find additional evidence for structure at ~80 kpc in the same direction. We present radial velocities for many of these stars, including the first published results from the 6.5m Magellan telescope. The radial velocities for stars in these structures are in excellent agreement with models of the dynamical evolution of the Sgr dwarf tidal debris, whose center is 60 degrees away. The metallicity of stars in these streams is lower than that of the main body of the Sgr dwarf, which may indicate a radial metallicity gradient prior to disruption.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures accepted in Astrophysical Journal Letter

Deweyan tools for inquiry and the epistemological context of critical pedagogy

This article develops the notion of resistance as articulated in the literature of critical pedagogy as being both culturally sponsored and cognitively manifested. To do so, the authors draw upon John Dewey\u27s conception of tools for inquiry. Dewey provides a way to conceptualize student resistance not as a form of willful disputation, but instead as a function of socialization into cultural models of thought that actively truncate inquiry. In other words, resistance can be construed as the cognitive and emotive dimensions of the ongoing failure of institutions to provide ideas that help individuals both recognize social problems and imagine possible solutions. Focusing on Dewey\u27s epistemological framework, specifically tools for inquiry, provides a way to grasp this problem. It also affords some innovative solutions; for instance, it helps conceive of possible links between the regular curriculum and the study of specific social justice issues, a relationship that is often under-examined. The aims of critical pedagogy depend upon students developing dexterity with the conceptual tools they use to make meaning of the evidence they confront; these are background skills that the regular curriculum can be made to serve even outside social justice-focused curricula. Furthermore, the article concludes that because such inquiry involves the exploration and potential revision of students\u27 world-ordering beliefs, developing flexibility in how one thinks may be better achieved within academic subjects and topics that are not so intimately connected to students\u27 current social lives, especially where students may be directly implicated

Anthropometric indices of Gambian children after one or three annual rounds of mass drug administration with azithromycin for trachoma control.

BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin, carried out for the control of blinding trachoma, has been linked to reduced mortality in children. While the mechanism behind this reduction is unclear, it may be due, in part, to improved nutritional status via a potential reduction in the community burden of infectious disease. To determine whether MDA with azithromycin improves anthropometric indices at the community level, we measured the heights and weights of children aged 1 to 4 years in communities where one (single MDA arm) or three annual rounds (annual MDA arm) of azithromycin had been distributed. METHODS: Data collection took place three years after treatment in the single MDA arm and one year after the final round of treatment in the annual MDA arm. Mean height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-for-height z scores were compared between treatment arms. RESULTS: No significant differences in mean height-for-age, weight-for-age or weight-for-height z scores were found between the annual MDA and single MDA arms, nor was there a significant reduction in prevalence of stunting, wasting or underweight between arms. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not provide evidence that community MDA with azithromycin improved anthropometric outcomes of children in The Gambia. This may suggest reductions in mortality associated with azithromycin MDA are due to a mechanism other than improved nutritional status

Halo Star Streams in the Solar Neighborhood

We have assembled a sample of halo stars in the solar neighborhood to look for halo substructure in velocity and angular momentum space. Our sample includes red giants, RR Lyrae, and red horizontal branch stars within 2.5 kpc of the Sun with [Fe/H] less than -1.0. It was chosen to include stars with accurate distances, space velocities, and metallicities as well as well-quantified errors. We confirm the existence of the streams found by Helmi and coworkers, which we refer to as the H99 streams. These streams have a double-peaked velocity distribution in the z direction. We use the results of modeling of the H99 streams by Helmi and collaborators to test how one might use v_z velocity information and radial velocity information to detect kinematic substructure in the halo. We find that detecting the H99 streams with radial velocities alone would require a large sample. We use the velocity distribution of the H99 streams to estimate their age. From our model of the progenitor of the H99 streams, we determine that it was accreted between 6 and 9 Gyr ago. The H99 streams have [alpha/Fe] abundances similar to other halo stars in the solar neighborhood, suggesting that the gas that formed these stars were enriched mostly by Type II SNe. We have also discovered in angular momentum space two other possible substructures, which we refer to as the retrograde and prograde outliers. The retrograde outliers are likely to be halo substructure, but the prograde outliers are most likely part of the smooth halo. The retrograde outliers have significant structure in the v_phi direction and show a range of [alpha/Fe]. The methods presented in this paper can be used to exploit the kinematic information present in future large databases like RAVE, SDSSII/SEGUE, and Gaia.Comment: 46 pages, 13 figures, and 9 tables. Minor changes to text to match proofed version of the paper. Low resolution figures. High resolution version at http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~kepley/solar_streams.p

Thermospheric poleward wind surge at midlatitudes during great storm intervals

We report a significant poleward surge in thermospheric winds at subauroral and midlatitudes following the 17–18 March 2015 great geomagnetic storm. This premidnight surge is preceded by strong westward winds. These disturbances were observed over three sites with geodetic latitudes 35–42°N in the American sector by Fabry-Perot interferometers at 630 nm wavelength. Prior to the wind disturbances, subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) were measured by the Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar between 20 and 02 UT. We identify the observed neutral wind variations as driven by SAPS, through a scenario where strong ion flows cause a westward neutral wind, subsequently establishing a poleward wind surge due to the poleward Coriolis force on that westward wind. These regional disturbances appear to have prevented the well-known storm time equatorward wind surge from propagating into low latitudes, with the consequence that the classic disturbance dynamo mechanism failed to occur.United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Living with a Star NNX15AB83G

The Hubble Space Telescope Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project. X. The Cepheid Distance to NGC 7331

The distance to NGC 7331 has been derived from Cepheid variables observed with HST/WFPC2, as part of the Extragalactic Distance Scale Key Project. Multi-epoch exposures in F555W (V) and F814W (I), with photometry derived independently from DoPHOT and DAOPHOT/ALLFRAME programs, were used to detect a total of 13 reliable Cepheids, with periods between 11 and 42 days. The relative distance moduli between NGC 7331 and the LMC, imply an extinction to NGC 7331 of A_V = 0.47+-0.15 mag, and an extinction-corrected distance modulus to NGC 7331 of 30.89+-0.14(random) mag, equivalent to a distance of 15.1 Mpc. There are additional systematic uncertainties in the distance modulus of +-0.12 mag due to the calibration of the Cepheid Period-Luminosity relation, and a systematic offset of +0.05+-0.04 mag if we applied the metallicity correction inferred from the M101 results of Kennicutt et al 1998.Comment: To be published in The Astrophysical Journal, 1998 July 1, v501 note: Figs 1 and 2 (JPEG files) and Fig 7 (multipage .eps file) need to be viewed/printed separatel

Early respiratory viral infections in infants with cystic fibrosis

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or by any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Background Viral infections contribute to morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF), but the impact of respiratory viruses on the development of airway disease is poorly understood. Methods Infants with CF identified by newborn screening were enrolled prior to 4 months of age to participate in a prospective observational study at 4 centers. Clinical data were collected at clinic visits and weekly phone calls. Multiplex PCR assays were performed on nasopharyngeal swabs to detect respiratory viruses during routine visits and when symptomatic. Participants underwent bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and a subset underwent pulmonary function testing. We present findings through 8.5 months of life. Results Seventy infants were enrolled, mean age 3.1 ± 0.8 months. Rhinovirus was the most prevalent virus (66%), followed by parainfluenza (19%), and coronavirus (16%). Participants had a median of 1.5 viral positive swabs (range 0–10). Past viral infection was associated with elevated neutrophil concentrations and bacterial isolates in BAL fluid, including recovery of classic CF bacterial pathogens. When antibiotics were prescribed for respiratory-related indications, viruses were identified in 52% of those instances. Conclusions Early viral infections were associated with greater neutrophilic inflammation and bacterial pathogens. Early viral infections appear to contribute to initiation of lower airway inflammation in infants with CF. Antibiotics were commonly prescribed in the setting of a viral infection. Future investigations examining longitudinal relationships between viral infections, airway microbiome, and antibiotic use will allow us to elucidate the interplay between these factors in young children with CF

Mapping the Galactic Halo I. The `Spaghetti' Survey

We describe a major survey of the Milky Way halo designed to test for kinematic substructure caused by destruction of accreted satellites. We use the Washington photometric system to identify halo stars efficiently for spectroscopic followup. Tracers include halo giants (detectable out to more than 100 kpc), blue horizontal branch stars, halo stars near the main sequence turnoff, and the ``blue metal-poor stars'' of Preston et al (1994). We demonstrate the success of our survey by showing spectra of stars we have identified in all these categories, including giants as distant as 75 kpc. We discuss the problem of identifying the most distant halo giants. In particular, extremely metal-poor halo K dwarfs are present in approximately equal numbers to the distant giants for V fainter than 18, and we show that our method will distinguish reliably between these two groups of metal-poor stars. We plan to survey 100 square degrees at high galactic latitude, and expect to increase the numbers of known halo giants, BHB stars and turnoff stars by more than an order of magnitude. In addition to the strong test that this large sample will provide for the question `was the Milky Way halo accreted from satellite galaxies?', we will improve the accuracy of mass measurements of the Milky Way beyond 50 kpc via the kinematics of the many distant giants and BHB stars we will find. We show that one of our first datasets constrains the halo density law over galactocentric radii of 5-20 kpc and z heights of 2-15 kpc. The data support a flattened power-law halo with b/a of 0.6 and exponent -3.0. More complex models with a varying axial ratio may be needed with a larger dataset.Comment: 55 pages, 22 figures, to appear in the Astronomical Journa