California State University, Bakersfield

In 2023, the California Department of Public Health recorded 9210 cases of coccidioidomycosis, or valley fever, which is the highest of any year on record. During the winter of 2022-2023, California experienced a prolonged sequence of very wet storms (or atmospheric rivers) that brought more than 1 year’s worth of precipitation in less than a month and record-breaking seasonal accumulation across central portions of the state. These storms caused major flooding and largely ended a severe drought that began in 2020.1 California’s record-high numbers of coccidioidomycosis in 2023 thus followed an established pattern of higher rates of infections when wet conditions follow multiyear droughts. Coccidioidomycosis is a fungal infection secondary to Coccidioides species that is endemic to semiarid portions of the Western hemisphere. In the US, this includes southern/interior portions of California, Arizona, and Utah, as well as New Mexico and west Texas. A noncontiguous region of endemicity has been described in Washington. Outside the US, Coccidioides species have been identified in western and central Mexico as well as Central America and South America. Coccidioides species reside in soil and infect humans via inhalation of airborne arthroconidia (fungal spores). In the environment, Coccidioides have high tolerance for extremes of temperature and soil pH, which may facilitate fungal survival because there are few competing microorganisms. Coccidioides growth in soil is understood to increase with heavy precipitation, while dispersion of arthroconidia is facilitated when soil dries. This “grow and blow” pattern that occurs during rapid changes from dry and wet conditions promotes ideal conditions for fungal growth and infection transmission. Climate change may expand the geographic regions at risk for coccidioidomycosis. Climate change has already increased temperatures and evaporative demand (ie, the propensity of air to drive evaporation from the land surface and bodies of water) in the US. These changes have increased drought severity and soil dryness in the American West, with further increases anticipated depending on future global warming trajectory. Decreases in soil moisture and/or increasingly wide or frequent swings between dry and wet conditions may promote environmental settings increasingly favorable to Coccidioides growth and dispersion. Modeling a rapidly warming climate change scenario estimates that by 2100, Coccidioides endemicity in the US will spread to Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Coccidioidomycosis is currently underdiagnosed. Approximately 10 000 to 20 000 coccidioidomycosis cases are reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) annually. However, CDC modeling accounting for underdiagnosis, underreporting, and endemicity suggests that the number of actual coccidioidomycosis cases is 10 to 18 times higher than reported cases. Even in highly endemic areas, coccidioidomycosis diagnosis is frequently missed or delayed. There is a clear need to improve clinician education regarding coccidioidomycosis. Increased coccidioidomycosis reporting and public health messaging are also required.

This piece troubleshoots an array of epistemological, political, and practical difficulties involved in public studies of colonial atrocities. It explores the deficiencies of the Commission on Colonialism backed by the Belgian parliament between 2020–22, and suggests pathways for facilitating a fuller accounting of colonial wrongs. The argument leverages the author’s experiences in investigating and publicizing the colonial massacre of Mozambican civilians in Wiriyamu in 1972, which culminated in a public apology from Portugal’s prime minister in 2022.

Glass-ceramics are widely utilized in diverse industrial applications, such as display panels and automotive components, owing to their exceptional mechanical strength. The properties of such materials can be precisely tailored by adjusting critical parameters, including chemical composition and crystal additives. Despite their significance, the underlying mechanisms by which these parameters affect the fracture and thermal behaviors of glass-ceramics remain insufficiently understood. To address this, we utilized reactive molecular dynamics (RMD) simulations to fundamentally investigate the behaviors of various glass-ceramic materials at the atomic scale. The RMD results provide valuable insights into the mechanical and thermal properties of glass-ceramics, demonstrating that substituting Li/Al in the base glass significantly enhances these properties, while the incorporation of crystal grains further improves the mechanical performance of the amorphous glass-ceramics. These findings advance the fundamental understanding of glass-ceramics and support the development of innovative materials for technological and manufacturing applications.

Pantoea agglomerans is one of four Pantoea species reported in the USA to cause bacterial rot of onion bulbs. However, not all P. agglomerans strains are pathogenic to onion. We characterized onion-associated strains of P. agglomerans to elucidate the genetic and genomic signatures of onion-pathogenic P. agglomerans. We collected >300 P. agglomerans strains associated with symptomatic onion plants and bulbs from public culture collections, research laboratories, and a multi-year survey in 11 states in the USA. Combining the 87 genome assemblies with 100 high-quality, public P. agglomerans genome assemblies we identified two well-supported P. agglomerans phylogroups. Strains causing severe symptoms on onion were only identified in Phylogroup II and encoded the HiVir pantaphos biosynthetic cluster, supporting the role of HiVir as a pathogenicity factor. The P. agglomerans HiVir cluster was encoded in two distinct plasmid contexts: 1) as an accessory gene cluster on a conserved P. agglomerans plasmid (pAggl), or 2) on a mosaic cluster of plasmids common among onion strains (pOnion). Analysis of closed genomes revealed that the pOnion plasmids harbored alt genes conferring tolerance to Allium thiosulfinate defensive chemistry and many harbored cop genes conferring resistance to copper. We demonstrated that the pOnion plasmid pCB1C can act as a natively mobilizable pathogenicity plasmid that transforms P. agglomerans Phylogroup I strains, including environmental strains, into virulent pathogens of onion. This work indicates a central role for plasmids and plasmid ecology in mediating P. agglomerans interactions with onion plants, with potential implications for onion bacterial disease management.

To reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality, local coalitions on substance use prevention in Kern County, California, have sought to increase equitable engagement and reengagement with harm reduction supplies, including naloxone. Through a community–academic partnership and funding from the local managed health care plan in Kern County, we ordered, stocked, and monitored a temperature-controlled outdoor harm reduction vending machine (HRVM) in Bakersfield, California. We outlined the necessary steps for successful procurement and implementation of community-based HRVMs. To increase acceptability, we engaged in open dialogue with our partners, interested parties, and people with lived experience of substance use to inform the contents of the harm reduction supply kits. In addition, we consulted the literature, physicians, and epidemiologists to inform best practices for the quantity of supplies per kit and the frequency limits for dispensation. To ensure long-term sustainability, we secured grant funding from the California Harm Reduction Supply Clearinghouse to maintain a backstock of harm reduction supplies for the kits, successfully applied for the Naloxone Distribution Project through the California Department of Health Care Services for a continuous supply of free naloxone, and developed student internship and research assistant positions through our academic partner to support participant recruitment and data collection and management efforts. Our efforts culminated in the launch of the county’s first HRVM and orders for 2 additional HRVMs. Through our experiences, we gained insight on how to improve the feasibility, acceptability, and sustainability of community-based HRVMs, which can enhance health equity.

Contemporary research considers leadership as a dynamic relationship between three components: leaders, followers, and the context, where the context encompasses complex interactions between organizational stakeholders and the outside environment (cultural, social, and political). Proficiency in social influence, power, and politics to navigate the context is essential, as it allows leaders and followers to effectively manage this symbiotic relationship, particularly during the organizational healing process. This chapter reflects on the new leadership of empowering employees and showing empathy, seemingly causing a reversal of who is leading whom. The remainder of the chapter offers a comprehensive overview of the book and its major themes that emphasize the importance of relational dynamics of leadership and followership: engaging stakeholders, fostering consensus, and driving change. It is time for business schools and leadership professionals to recognize interhuman respect, empowerment (coaching and mentoring), trust, fairness, openness, and empathy as fundamental qualities of leadership. This paradigm shift is vital, moving beyond the confines of the traditional “Type A” personality to a more evolved understanding of effective leadership and followership. It marks a departure from the antiquated “carrot-and-stick,” or Type X, approaches to managing subordinates through rewards or punishments. For instance, Donald Trump’s election victory in US Presidential 2024 hinges on a sophisticated understanding of the complex interplay between power, political strategies, and influential forces, (economic concerns, strategic political maneuvers, media influence, and cultural dynamics), all of which will shape the unfolding narrative leading up to the election.

Single-channel pump is a type of centrifugal pump that is frequently utilized for wastewater treatment around the world, but they often operate at low flow rates with low efficiency and loud noise because the wastewater contains many impurities. In this study, an adjustable tongue vane was developed that controls the internal flow direction in the volute to increase the energy performance of a single-channel pump. Numerical simulations were conducted by using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations and shear stress transport turbulence model to evaluate the energy loss inside the volute. In the experiment, the single-channel pump demonstrated stable operation in the waste environment. In the numerical simulation, the −10° model increased the efficiency and total head by 1.007 % and 1.242 %, respectively compared to the reference model at the best efficiency point. At low flow rates, however, the −20° model increased the efficiency and total head by up to 25.126 % and 5.604 %, respectively, while decreasing the power consumption by up to 15.533 % compared to the reference model. This improvement is attributed to the adjustable tongue vane suppressing separation flow, which reduces hydraulic losses and energy dissipation. The proposed tongue vane can be used to improve the energy performance of not only single-channel pumps but also other centrifugal turbomachinery.

Background: Asian American (AA) young adults, including AA college students, may experience more suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) compared to other racial and ethnic groups of the same age. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of the risk and protective factors for STBs with a focus on AA young adults. Methods: Informed by the social-ecological perspective and the cultural model and theory of suicide, this study systematically reviews the risk and protective factors for STBs among AA young adults. Based on 22 research articles published between 1998 and 2023, we analyzed and discussed the effects of 37 risk and 15 protective factors at the individual, relationship, community, societal, and cultural levels. Results: Most risk factors are at the individual level (e.g., depressive symptoms and hopelessness), followed by factors at the cultural level (e.g., acculturation and acculturative stress), the relationship level (e.g., family problems and romantic relationship problems), the community level (e.g., verbal threats on campus), and the societal level (e.g., public stigma about mental health). Also, most protective factors are at the individual level (e.g., self-reliance and fear of suicide), followed by the relationship level (e.g., social support and family responsibilities), the community level (e.g., religious affiliations), and the cultural level (desire not to burden others). Conclusions: This systematic review emphasizes the need for future research to explore cultural factors, subgroup differences, and longitudinal designs, while advocating for culturally specific prevention and intervention strategies to improve mental health outcomes for AAYAs.

Gene model for the ortholog of Ribosomal protein S6 kinase ( S6k ) in the Dyak_CAF1 Genome Assembly (GenBank Accession: GCA_000005975.1) of Drosophila yakuba . This ortholog was characterized as part of a developing dataset to study the evolution of the Insulin/insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway (IIS) across the genus Drosophila using the Genomics Education Partnership gene annotation protocol for Course-based Undergraduate Research Experiences.

In this study, we estimate the effect of prepregnancy obesity and excessive pregnancy weight gain on infant and maternal health outcomes. We rely on a large sample of maternally linked restricted data from 2004 to 2019 South Carolina birth certificates, which allow us to track the same mothers during multiple pregnancies over a period of more than 15 years. To address possible limitations of previous research, we account for genetic confounders and unobservable maternal and environmental factors by relying on a maternal fixed effects strategy. We find that gaining above recommended amounts of weight increases the likelihood of delivering a high weight infant by 2.34 percentage points, while being obese increases this likelihood by 2.58 percentage points. These large negative effects of weight gain outside recommended ranges, as well as the effects of being obese, are present in White and Black mothers. Also, our results indicate that mothers who gained too much weight, or were obese, had a higher likelihood of cesarean section and higher likelihood of being induced. Finally, among the subsample of Medicaid mothers, excessive pregnancy weight gain as well as inadequate weight gain increased the likelihood of NICU admission.

This research paper delves into Twitter data analysis through hashtag searches associated with smartwatches, offering a framework for extracting product attributes and sentiments from a time series perspective. A sample of 133,000 tweets was collected from Twitter in two distinct periods (t1 and t2) to scrutinize the prevailing sentiments and product attributes evident in online chats about smartwatches. This study aims to uncover valuable insights into brand sentiment and product attributes by comparatively analyzing brand sentiment and word clouds, as well as employing Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to identify topic evolution between time periods t1 and t2. The outcomes of this investigation highlight the significance of employing text analytics as a potent method for gauging consumers' opinions concerning emerging product attributes from a time series perspective. The study also provides procedures and actionable recommendations for businesses, elucidating how they can harness text data to gain a deeper understanding of consumer perceptions pertaining to their products and those of their competitors from a time series perspective.

Premise Ceanothus (Rhamnaceae) is a large genus of shrubs that dominate California chaparral and are resilient to fires. Persistence is ensured by resprouting and/or seedling recruitment from dormant seed banks. Some species do both and others, the obligate seeders, are entirely dependent on seedling recruitment. The distribution of these two modes within the genus is poorly documented. Methods We used all available publications that document species responses to fire and filled most gaps in the literature based on extensive field studies of more than 60 recent wildfires in California. Results The genus is divided into two subgenera, Ceanothus and Cerastes . Ceanothus is widely considered to comprise mostly resprouting species and Cerastes to consist of only obligate seeders. The subgenus Ceanothus includes resprouting species throughout their range from the eastern United States and Midwest to western United States. Within the California Floristic Province (CFP), a few species are unique in producing massive lignotubers that develop from repeated fires; however, within the CFP, the majority of species in this subgenus do not resprout and are obligate seeders. Two have disjunct subspecies that are facultative seeders or obligate seeders. Conclusions Previously, speciation in this genus was contended to have occurred in the late Miocene within the CFP. The syndrome of obligate seeding is most strongly represented in this region, and we hypothesize that evolution of this syndrome was a response to increased predictability of fire driven by the Mediterranean climate and the long interval between fires.

Background: The PediCenter and Niles Children’s Clinic provide pediatric primary and urgent care services in central California. We remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing scheduled well child-care and sick visits. Methods: Beginning in September 2020, we implemented a COVID-19 screening program. Screening was performed on all patients presenting for care and was made available to patients requiring testing for any purpose. Herein, we provide results from that program, including a description of clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in our patients. Results: Key findings: A total of 11,649 COVID-19 antigen screening tests were performed (age range 0.1 to 17.0, mean 8.7, SD 4.5). In total, 1560 pts. (13.4%) tested positive. Among these, 665 (43%) were asymptomatic, 560 (36%) had mild disease, 318 (20%) had moderate disease, and 17 (1%) had severe disease. No critical cases or transfers to the emergency room were reported. Younger patient age was associated with an increased severity of illness, as was time from the onset of the pandemic. A total of 4446 patients reported no symptoms at the time of screening, 15% of whom tested positive. In total, 7203 patients reported symptoms at the time of testing. Among these, 87.6% tested negative and 12.4% tested positive. Disease severity was similar between these two groups. COVID-19 is generally a mild respiratory tract infection in healthy children. Conclusions: Screening is effective in identifying cases, including asymptomatic cases. Statistical models further revealed associations between patient age, time from the onset of the pandemic, and disease severity.