Optimally Distributed Receiver Placements Versus an Environmentally Aware Source: New England Shelf Break Acoustics Signals and Noise Experiment

This article describes the results of the Spring of 2021 New England Shelf Break Acoustics (NESBA) Signals and Noise experiment as they pertain to the optimization of a field of passive receivers versus an environmentally aware source with end-state goals. A discrete optimization has been designed and used to demonstrate providing an acoustic system operator with actionable guidance relating to optimally distributed receiver locations and depths and likely mean source detection times and associated uncertainties as a function of source and receiver levels of environmental awareness. The uncertainties considered here are those due to the imperfect spatial and temporal sensing of the water column, ambient noise (AN), and the seabed, and the impact this has on ocean forecasting and acoustic performance prediction accuracy. As a part of the NESBA experiment, high-resolution (1 km spatial) regional Navy Coastal Ocean Model ensemble forecasts were generated to capture oceanographic variability and uncertainty. Passive AN-based seabed measurements were conducted to estimate seabed properties including variability and uncertainty. Extensive AN and conductivity, temperature, and depth measurements were also conducted. In this article, operationally relevant metrics are employed to estimate the potential value-added of optimal receiver location and depth placements as a function of source end-state goals and assumed level of environmental awareness. A concept for generating stochastic acoustic prediction metrics and associated optimally distributed receiver locations and depths in an operational environment is proposed

Examining the Potential Impact of SWOT Observations In an Ocean Analysis-Forecasting System

NASA\u27s Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite, scheduled for launch in 2020, will provide observations of sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) at a significantly higher spatial resolution than current satellite altimeters. This new observation type is expected to improve the ocean model mesoscale circulation. The potential improvement that SWOT will provide is investigated in this work by way of twin-data assimilation experiments using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model four-dimensional variational data assimilation (NCOM-4DVAR) system in its weak constraint formulation. Simulated SWOT observations are sampled from an ocean model run (referred to as the nature run) using an observation-simulator program provided by the SWOT science team. The SWOT simulator provides realistic spatial coverage, resolution, and noise characteristics based on the expected performance of the actual satellite. Twin-data assimilation experiments are run for a two-month period during which simulated observations are assimilated into a separate model (known as the background model) in a series of 96-h windows. The final condition of each analysis window is used to initialize a new 96-h forecast, and each forecast is compared to the nature run to determine the impact of the assimilated data. It is demonstrated here that the simulated SWOT observations help to constrain the model mesoscale to be more consistent with the nature run than the assimilation of traditional altimeter observations alone. The findings of this study suggest that data from SWOT may have a substantial impact on improving the ocean model forecast of mesoscale features and surface ocean velocity

Bonding vs. Bridging Social Capital: A Case Study in Twitter

Abstract—Online communities are connecting large numbers of individuals and generating rich social network data, opening the way for empirical studies of social behavior. In this paper, we consider the widely-held view of social scientists that bonding interactions are more likely than bridging interactions in social networks, and test it within the context of the large online Twitter community. We find that indeed users who request to follow others having similar profile descriptions (i.e., attempting to bond) increase the number of Twitter users who reciprocate their follow requests. From a practical standpoint, this result also informs how a new user might interact on Twitter to maintain a high follow-back ratio. I

Heterologous Expression of a Membrane-Spanning Auxin Importer: Implications for Functional Analyses of Auxin Transporters

Biochemical studies of plant auxin transporters in vivo are made difficult by the presence of multiple auxin transporters and auxin-interacting proteins. Furthermore, the expression level of most such transporters in plants is likely to be too low for purification and downstream functional analysis. Heterologous expression systems should address both of these issues. We have examined a number of such systems for their efficiency in expressing AUX1 from Arabidopsis thaliana. We find that a eukaryotic system based upon infection of insect cells with recombinant baculovirus provides a high level, easily scalable expression system capable of delivering a functional assay for AUX1. Furthermore, a transient transfection system in mammalian cells enables localization of AUX1 and AUX1-mediated transport of auxin to be investigated. In contrast, we were unable to utilise P. pastoris or L. lactis expression systems to reliably express AUX1

Collections and Space: an update on Syracuse University Libraries\u27 Journals Migration Project

To date, the Libraries have transferred to The Facility more than 100,000 volumes, including 7,000 journal titles, across all disciplines. By migrating these journals from Bird Library to The Facility, the Libraries will save the University more than $1.9 million within five years. Continued strategic use of The Facility helps the Libraries manage principal collections whose aggregate value exceeds$200 million. This paper reports on the progress of the Libraries’ journals migration project, provides additional context and data that led to the spring 2014 approval for the project from the provost

Autonomous Surface Site Establishment to Ensure Safe Crew Arrival and Operations

Traditional human Mars missions have relied on crew to support the surface systems. However, for safety, the surface systems will likely need to be setup and capable of operating prior to the arrival of crew. To mitigate risks to the crew, a novel surface architecture has been developed that addresses risks associated with other Mars missions. This architecture relies on a reusable descent and ascent vehicle, extensive in-situ resource utilization, redundant habitation systems, and emerging autonomous capabilities. The resulting surface architecture increases safety for the crew while also providing potential to expand to support longer missions with larger populations in the future

Use of observing system simulation experiments in the United States

Author Posting. © American Meteorological Society, 2020. This article is posted here by permission of American Meteorological Society for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 101(8), (2020): E1427-E1438, https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-19-0155.1.The NOAA Science Advisory Board appointed a task force to prepare a white paper on the use of observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs). Considering the importance and timeliness of this topic and based on this white paper, here we briefly review the use of OSSEs in the United States, discuss their values and limitations, and develop five recommendations for moving forward: national coordination of relevant research efforts, acceleration of OSSE development for Earth system models, consideration of the potential impact on OSSEs of deficiencies in the current data assimilation and prediction system, innovative and new applications of OSSEs, and extension of OSSEs to societal impacts. OSSEs can be complemented by calculations of forecast sensitivity to observations, which simultaneously evaluate the impact of different observation types in a forecast model system

Biochemical Recurrence Surrogacy for Clinical Outcomes After Radiotherapy for Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

PURPOSE: The surrogacy of biochemical recurrence (BCR) for overall survival (OS) in localized prostate cancer remains controversial. Herein, we evaluate the surrogacy of BCR using different surrogacy analytic methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Individual patient data from 11 trials evaluating radiotherapy dose escalation, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) use, and ADT prolongation were obtained. Surrogate candidacy was assessed using the Prentice criteria (including landmark analyses) and the two-stage meta-analytic approach (estimating Kendall's tau and the R2). Biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS, time from random assignment to BCR or any death) and time to BCR (TTBCR, time from random assignment to BCR or cancer-specific deaths censoring for noncancer-related deaths) were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 10,741 patients were included. Dose escalation, addition of short-term ADT, and prolongation of ADT duration significantly improved BCR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.63 to 0.79]; HR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.48 to 0.59]; and HR, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.48 to 0.61], respectively). Adding short-term ADT (HR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.84 to 0.99]) and prolonging ADT (HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.78 to 0.94]) significantly improved OS, whereas dose escalation did not (HR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.87 to 1.11]). BCR at 48 months was associated with inferior OS in all three groups (HR, 2.46 [95% CI, 2.08 to 2.92]; HR, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.35 to 1.70]; and HR, 2.31 [95% CI, 2.04 to 2.61], respectively). However, after adjusting for BCR at 48 months, there was no significant treatment effect on OS (HR, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.96 to 1.27]; HR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.87 to 1.06] and 1.00 [95% CI, 0.90 to 1.12], respectively). The patient-level correlation (Kendall's tau) for BCRFS and OS ranged between 0.59 and 0.69, and that for TTBCR and OS ranged between 0.23 and 0.41. The R2 values for trial-level correlation of the treatment effect on BCRFS and TTBCR with that on OS were 0.563 and 0.160, respectively. CONCLUSION: BCRFS and TTBCR are prognostic but failed to satisfy all surrogacy criteria. Strength of correlation was greater when noncancer-related deaths were considered events.</p

Biochemical Recurrence Surrogacy for Clinical Outcomes After Radiotherapy for Adenocarcinoma of the Prostate

PURPOSE: The surrogacy of biochemical recurrence (BCR) for overall survival (OS) in localized prostate cancer remains controversial. Herein, we evaluate the surrogacy of BCR using different surrogacy analytic methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Individual patient data from 11 trials evaluating radiotherapy dose escalation, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) use, and ADT prolongation were obtained. Surrogate candidacy was assessed using the Prentice criteria (including landmark analyses) and the two-stage meta-analytic approach (estimating Kendall's tau and the R2). Biochemical recurrence-free survival (BCRFS, time from random assignment to BCR or any death) and time to BCR (TTBCR, time from random assignment to BCR or cancer-specific deaths censoring for noncancer-related deaths) were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, 10,741 patients were included. Dose escalation, addition of short-term ADT, and prolongation of ADT duration significantly improved BCR (hazard ratio [HR], 0.71 [95% CI, 0.63 to 0.79]; HR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.48 to 0.59]; and HR, 0.54 [95% CI, 0.48 to 0.61], respectively). Adding short-term ADT (HR, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.84 to 0.99]) and prolonging ADT (HR, 0.86 [95% CI, 0.78 to 0.94]) significantly improved OS, whereas dose escalation did not (HR, 0.98 [95% CI, 0.87 to 1.11]). BCR at 48 months was associated with inferior OS in all three groups (HR, 2.46 [95% CI, 2.08 to 2.92]; HR, 1.51 [95% CI, 1.35 to 1.70]; and HR, 2.31 [95% CI, 2.04 to 2.61], respectively). However, after adjusting for BCR at 48 months, there was no significant treatment effect on OS (HR, 1.10 [95% CI, 0.96 to 1.27]; HR, 0.96 [95% CI, 0.87 to 1.06] and 1.00 [95% CI, 0.90 to 1.12], respectively). The patient-level correlation (Kendall's tau) for BCRFS and OS ranged between 0.59 and 0.69, and that for TTBCR and OS ranged between 0.23 and 0.41. The R2 values for trial-level correlation of the treatment effect on BCRFS and TTBCR with that on OS were 0.563 and 0.160, respectively. CONCLUSION: BCRFS and TTBCR are prognostic but failed to satisfy all surrogacy criteria. Strength of correlation was greater when noncancer-related deaths were considered events