Next generation high-power laser facilities are expected to generate hundreds-of-MeV proton beams and operate at multi-Hz repetition rates, presenting opportunities for medical, industrial and scientific applications requiring bright pulses of energetic ions. Characterizing the spectro-spatial profile of these ions at high repetition rates in the harsh radiation environments created by laser–plasma interactions remains challenging but is paramount for further source development. To address this, we present a compact scintillating fiber imaging spectrometer based on the tomographic reconstruction of proton energy deposition in a layered fiber array. Modeling indicates that spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm and energy resolution of less than 10% at proton energies of more than 20 MeV are readily achievable with existing 100 μm diameter fibers. Measurements with a prototype beam-profile monitor using 500 μm fibers demonstrate active readouts with invulnerability to electromagnetic pulses, and less than 100 Gy sensitivity. The performance of the full instrument concept is explored with Monte Carlo simulations, accurately reconstructing a proton beam with a multiple-component spectro-spatial profile.

The clay minerals formed in a deeply weathered boulder conglomerate of Middle Old Red Sandstone (Devonian) age in north-east Scotland have been studied by a variety of physical and chemical techniques. The granite and granulite boulders in this deposit are completely weathered. With the exception of microcline, all the feldspars in these rocks—orthoclase feldspar, orthoclase-microperthite, albite, and oligoclase—weather to a Cheto-type montmorillonite, poor in iron. Electron and optical microscopy indicate that the weathering transformation is a direct one, without the intervention of any intermediate crystalline or well-defined amorphous phase. Structural control of the primary mineral over the formation of the montmorillonite seems to have been a minimal factor and the evidence suggests that the clay mineral crystallized from the soluble or colloidal products arising from the decomposed feldspars. Smaller amounts of kaolinite also formed during weathering but largely from the weathering of muscovite. The environment in which these changes occurred seems to have been alkaline in a relatively closed system. Chemical analyses of related cores and weathered shells of granite and granulite bounders show only a slight decrease of silica and an increase in magnesia. Judging from the extent of alteration to secondary clay minerals, the order of resistance towards weathering of the primary minerals in these rocks is plagioclase = orthoclase < muscovite < biotite < microcline < quartz.

We present a deep learning approach for near real-time detection of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio frequency interference (RFI) based on a large amount of aircraft data collected onboard from the Global Positioning System (GPS) and Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS). Our approach enables detection of GNSS RFI in the absence of total GPS failure, i.e. while the receiver is still able to estimate a position, which means RFI sources with low power or at larger distance can be detected. We demonstrate how deep one-class classification can be used to detect GNSS RFI. Furthermore, thanks to a unique dataset from the Swiss Air Force and Swiss Air-Rescue (Rega), preprocessed by Swiss Air Navigation Services Ltd. (Skyguide), we demonstrate application of deep learning for GNSS RFI detection on real-world large scale aircraft data containing flight recordings impacted by real jamming. The approach we present is highly general and can be used as a foundation for solving various automated decision-making problems based on different types of Communications, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) and Air Traffic Management (ATM) streaming data. The experimental results indicate that our system successfully detects GNSS RFI with 83$\,\cdot\,$5% accuracy. Extensive empirical studies demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms strong machine learning and rule-based baselines.

Success of atrioventricular septal defect repair is defined by post-operative atrioventricular valve function and presence of residual intracardiac shunting. We evaluated differences in interpretation of atrioventricular valve function and residual defects between transesophageal and transthoracic echocardiography in a contemporary cohort of infants undergoing atrioventricular septal defect repair. Among 106 patients, we identified an increase in left and right atrioventricular valve regurgitation, right atrioventricular valve inflow gradient, and increased detection rate of residual intracardiac shunting on transthoracic compared to transesophageal echocardiograms, although residual shunts identified only on transthoracic echocardiogram were not haemodynamically significant. Findings may help inform expectation of post-operative transthoracic echocardiogram findings based on intraoperative assessment.

Background: Employment and personal income loss after traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major source of post-injury stress and barrier to societal reintegration for affected patients. We sought to quantify the labor market implications for tax-filing adult TBI survivors. Methods: We performed a matched difference-in-difference analysis using a national retrospective cohort of working adult TBI survivors injured between 2007-2017. Linear and logistic mixed effects regressions were used to estimate the magnitude of personal income loss and proportion of patients displaced from the workforce in the three post-injury years (Y+1 to Y+3). Results: Among 18,050 patients identified with TBI, the adjusted average loss of personal annual income was $-7,635 dollars in Y+1 and $-5,000 in Y+3. An additional -7.8% individuals were newly unemployed compared to the pre-injury baseline. For mild, moderate, and severe TBI subgroups, income loss was $-3354, $-6750, and $-17375 respectively in Y+3; the proportion of newly unemployed individuals in Y+3 was 5.8%, 9.2%, and 20% lower than baseline. We estimated 500 million dollars of incurred labor markets losses related to TBI in Canada. Conclusions: This work represents the first national cohort data quantifying the labor market implications of TBI. These results may be used to inform post-injury care pathways and vocational rehabilitation.

Background: Meningiomas are the most common intracranial tumor with surgery, dural margin treatment, and radiotherapy as cornerstones of therapy. Response to treatment continues to be highly heterogeneous even across tumors of the same grade. Methods: Using a cohort of 2490 meningiomas in addition to 100 cases from the prospective RTOG-0539 phase II clinical trial, we define molecular biomarkers of response across multiple different, recently defined molecular classifications and use propensity score matching to mimic a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the role of extent of resection, dural marginal resection, and adjuvant radiotherapy on clinical outcome. Results: Gross tumor resection led to improved progression-free-survival (PFS) across all molecular groups (MG) and improved overall survival in proliferative meningiomas (HR 0.52, 95%CI 0.30-0.93). Dural margin treatment (Simpson grade 1/2) improved PFS versus complete tumor removal alone (Simpson 3). MG reliably predicted response to radiotherapy, including in the RTOG-0539 cohort. A molecular model developed using clinical trial cases discriminated response to radiotherapy better than standard of care grading in multiple cohorts (ΔAUC 0.12, 95%CI 0.10-0.14). Conclusions: We elucidate biological and molecular classifications of meningioma that influence response to surgery and radiotherapy in addition to introducing a novel molecular-based prediction model of response to radiation to guide treatment decisions.

Background: Meningiomas have significant heterogeneity between patients, making prognostication challenging. For this study, we prospectively validate the prognostic capabilities of a DNA methylation-based predictor and multiomic molecular groups (MG) of meningiomas. Methods: DNA methylation profiles were generated using the Illumina EPICarray. MG were assigned as previously published. Performance of our methylation-based predictor and MG were compared with WHO grade using generalized boosted regression modeling by generating time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and computing area under the ROC curves (AUCs) along with their 95% confidence interval using bootstrap resampling. Results: 295 meningiomas treated from 2018-2021 were included. Methylation-defined high-risk meningiomas had significantly poorer PFS and OS compared to low-risk cases (p<0.0001). Methylation risk increased with higher WHO grade and MG. Higher methylome risk (HR 4.89, 95%CI 2.02-11.82) and proliferative MG (HR 4.11, 95%CI 1.29-13.06) were associated with significantly worse PFS independent of WHO grade, extent of resection, and adjuvant RT. Both methylome-risk and MG classification predicted 3- and 5-year PFS and OS more accurately than WHO grade alone (ΔAUC=0.10-0.23). 42 cases were prescribed adjuvant RT prospectively although RT did not significantly improve PFS in high-risk cases (p=0.41). Conclusions: Molecular profiling outperforms conventional WHO grading for prognostication in an independent, prospectively collected cohort of meningiomas.

Among Líĺwat people of the Interior Plateau of British Columbia, an oral tradition relays how early ancestors used to ascend Qẃelqẃelústen, or Mount Meager. The account maintains that those climbers could see the ocean, which is not the case today, because the mountain is surrounded by many other high peaks, and the Strait of Georgia is several mountain ridges to the west. However, the mountain is an active and volatile volcano, which last erupted circa 2360 cal BP. It is also the site of the largest landslide in Canadian history, which occurred in 2010. Given that it had been a high, glacier-capped mountain throughout the Holocene, much like other volcanoes along the coastal range, we surmise that a climber may have reasonably been afforded a view of the ocean from its prior heights. We conducted viewshed analyses of the potential mountain height prior to its eruption and determined that one could indeed view the ocean if the mountain were at least 950 m higher than it is today. This aligns with the oral tradition, indicating that it may be over 2,400 years old, and plausibly in the range of 4,000 to 9,000 years old when the mountain may have been at such a height.

Sperlingite, (H2O)K(Mn2+Fe3+)(Al2Ti)(PO4)4[O(OH)][(H2O)9(OH)]⋅4H2O, is a new monoclinic member of the paulkerrite group, from the Hagendorf-Süd pegmatite, Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany. It was found in corrosion pits of altered zwieselite, in association with columbite, hopeite, leucophosphite, mitridatite, scholzite, orange–brown zincoberaunite sprays and tiny green crystals of zincolibethenite. Sperlingite forms colourless prisms with pyramidal terminations, which are predominantly only 5 to 20 μm in size, rarely to 60 μm and frequently are multiply intergrown and are overgrown with smaller crystals. The crystals are flattened on {010} and slightly elongated along [100] with forms {010}, {001} and {111}. Twinning occurs by rotation about c. The calculated density is 2.40 g⋅cm–3. Optically, sperlingite crystals are biaxial (+), α = 1.600(est), β = 1.615(5), γ = 1.635(5) (white light) and 2V (calc.) = 82.7°. The optical orientation is X = b, Y = c and Z = a. Neither dispersion nor pleochroism were observed. The empirical formula from electron microprobe analyses and structure refinement is A1[(H2O)0.96K0.04]Σ1.00 A2(K0.52□0.48)Σ1.00 M1(Mn2+0.60Mg0.33Zn0.29Fe3+0.77)Σ1.99 M2+M3(Al1.05Ti4+1.33Fe3+0.62)Σ3.00(PO4)4 X[F0.19(OH)0.94O0.87]Σ2.00[(H2O)9.23(OH)0.77]Σ10.00⋅3.96H2O. Sperlingite has monoclinic symmetry with space group P21/c and unit-cell parameters a = 10.428(2) Å, b = 20.281(4) Å, c = 12.223(2) Å, β = 90.10(3)°, V = 2585.0(8) Å3 and Z = 4. The crystal structure was refined using synchrotron single-crystal data to wRobs = 0.058 for 5608 reflections with I > 3σ(I). Sperlingite is the first paulkerrite-group mineral to have co-dominant divalent and trivalent cations at the M1 sites; All other reported members have Mn2+ or Mg dominant at M1. Local charge balance for Fe3+ at M1 is achieved by H2O → OH– at H2O coordinated to M1.

Clinical outcomes of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for treatment of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) vary widely and there is no mood rating scale that is standard for assessing rTMS outcome. It remains unclear whether TMS is as efficacious in older adults with late-life depression (LLD) compared to younger adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). This study examined the effect of age on outcomes of rTMS treatment of adults with TRD. Self-report and observer mood ratings were measured weekly in 687 subjects ages 16–100 years undergoing rTMS treatment using the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology 30-item Self-Report (IDS-SR), Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item (PHQ), Profile of Mood States 30-item, and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale 17-item (HDRS). All rating scales detected significant improvement with treatment; response and remission rates varied by scale but not by age (response/remission ≥ 60: 38%–57%/25%–33%; <60: 32%–49%/18%–25%). Proportional hazards models showed early improvement predicted later improvement across ages, though early improvements in PHQ and HDRS were more predictive of remission in those < 60 years (relative to those ≥ 60) and greater baseline IDS burden was more predictive of non-remission in those ≥ 60 years (relative to those < 60). These results indicate there is no significant effect of age on treatment outcomes in rTMS for TRD, though rating instruments may differ in assessment of symptom burden between younger and older adults during treatment.