EXC 008 Aaron Colvin 4-28-2022

Acc #: 756; EXC 008 In this recording, Aaron Colvin is interviewed by Ryan Morini, Michael Campbell, and Willie Dinish in the McCall Library at the University of South Alabama about his experiences in the Excelsior Band. Mr. Colvin discusses being the youngest member of the Excelsior Band. He also reflects on his development as a musician, and the role that music education played in the process—including previously learning under current members of the band. He also offers reflections on the musicianship of the band, and on Excelsior’s legacy

RuleMonkey: software for stochastic simulation of rule-based models

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The system-level dynamics of many molecular interactions, particularly protein-protein interactions, can be conveniently represented using reaction rules, which can be specified using model-specification languages, such as the BioNetGen language (BNGL). A set of rules implicitly defines a (bio)chemical reaction network. The reaction network implied by a set of rules is often very large, and as a result, generation of the network implied by rules tends to be computationally expensive. Moreover, the cost of many commonly used methods for simulating network dynamics is a function of network size. Together these factors have limited application of the rule-based modeling approach. Recently, several methods for simulating rule-based models have been developed that avoid the expensive step of network generation. The cost of these "network-free" simulation methods is independent of the number of reactions implied by rules. Software implementing such methods is now needed for the simulation and analysis of rule-based models of biochemical systems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here, we present a software tool called RuleMonkey, which implements a network-free method for simulation of rule-based models that is similar to Gillespie's method. The method is suitable for rule-based models that can be encoded in BNGL, including models with rules that have global application conditions, such as rules for intramolecular association reactions. In addition, the method is rejection free, unlike other network-free methods that introduce null events, i.e., steps in the simulation procedure that do not change the state of the reaction system being simulated. We verify that RuleMonkey produces correct simulation results, and we compare its performance against DYNSTOC, another BNGL-compliant tool for network-free simulation of rule-based models. We also compare RuleMonkey against problem-specific codes implementing network-free simulation methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>RuleMonkey enables the simulation of rule-based models for which the underlying reaction networks are large. It is typically faster than DYNSTOC for benchmark problems that we have examined. RuleMonkey is freely available as a stand-alone application <url>http://public.tgen.org/rulemonkey</url>. It is also available as a simulation engine within GetBonNie, a web-based environment for building, analyzing and sharing rule-based models.</p

Physiological Stress Responses to a Live-Fire Training Evolution in Career Firefighters

Firefighters have a physically demanding job that exposes them to many specific and unique stressors, which contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk (i.e., cardiovascular strain, inflammation, and oxidative stress) or even mortality. At present, the literature lacks data evaluating these physiological stress responses amongst firefighters in any realistic or simulated scenarios, such as a live-fire training evolution (LFTE). Given the elevated risk of premature mortality, there is a critical need to better understand the physiological stress responses to an LFTE. This information could aid in developing nutritional, training, and other various interventions to mitigate stress load and reduce the incidence of CVD among this population. PURPOSE: To assess the physiological stress response to an LFTE among firefighters. METHODS: Seventy-six (n = 76) career firefighters completed an LFTE. Salivary samples were collected pre, immediately post, and 30-min post the LFTE, and analyzed the following stress markers: α-amylase (AA), secretory immunoglobulin-A (SIgA), and cortisol. One-way repeated measures analysis of variance was used to assess changes over time. Fisher’s LSD and Cohen’s d effect size calculations were used for Post hoc analysis. RESULTS: Significant main effects for time were found for AA, SIgA, and cortisol (p\u3c0.001). Fisher’s LSD post hoc analysis found AA, SIgA, and cortisol concentrations were all significantly elevated immediately post LFTE compared to pre (p\u3c0.0001) and 30-min post (p\u3c0.0001). Medium to large effect sizes were noted for AA, SIgA, and cortisol with respect to changes pre to immediately post-LFTE (d = 0.84, 0.61, and 0.78, respectively). CONCLUSION: While many studies have shown increased inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as adverse cardiovascular and metabolic responses to firefighting activities, these data provide insight into the physiological stress placed upon a firefighter engaging in fire-suppressive evolutions

The Grizzly, April 21, 1998

Dr. Fagles Visits Ursinus • Student Art Exposition Coming Soon • Leadership Scholarship Reconstructed • Opinion: Intellectual Prejudice Leads to Social Darwinism • Final Exam Schedule • Beatlemania • Ursinus Gets the Blues • UC Women\u27s Lacrosse Team Defeats Two Big Conference Competitors • Unprecedented Day for Ursinus Tennis • Brindise to be Made Newest Coach of Quarterbacks • Ursinus Softball: Hopes for a Fourth Straight Title Fading Fast • Ursinus Track Fares Well Against Tough Competition • UC Baseball Round-up • Baseball Drops Key Series to Hopkins, Remains in 2nd Place in Conferencehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1420/thumbnail.jp

The Grizzly, February 16, 1998

Clark Speaks at Unity House • History Candidate Gives Lecture • African Cultural Exhibit Displayed • Thompson Lectures at Unity House • Pilgrim Resigns After Over Two Decades • Opinion: Sex Scandal Continues; Ursinus Greek Life Equals Ursinus Social Life • Is the Bookstore a Rip Off? • Pearl Jam Yields • Bears Fall Short of Third Title • Ursinus Swimmers Gear Up for Championships • Mullan Hopeful for National Bid • Ursinus Women Moving Their Way to the Centennial Conference Playoffs • Cornish Honored • The Women\u27s Gymnastics Team Peaks Despite a Competitive Losshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1414/thumbnail.jp

Spot the difference: Comparing results of analyses from real patient data and synthetic derivatives

BACKGROUND: Synthetic data may provide a solution to researchers who wish to generate and share data in support of precision healthcare. Recent advances in data synthesis enable the creation and analysis of synthetic derivatives as if they were the original data; this process has significant advantages over data deidentification. OBJECTIVES: To assess a big-data platform with data-synthesizing capabilities (MDClone Ltd., Beer Sheva, Israel) for its ability to produce data that can be used for research purposes while obviating privacy and confidentiality concerns. METHODS: We explored three use cases and tested the robustness of synthetic data by comparing the results of analyses using synthetic derivatives to analyses using the original data using traditional statistics, machine learning approaches, and spatial representations of the data. We designed these use cases with the purpose of conducting analyses at the observation level (Use Case 1), patient cohorts (Use Case 2), and population-level data (Use Case 3). RESULTS: For each use case, the results of the analyses were sufficiently statistically similar ( DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This article presents the results of each use case and outlines key considerations for the use of synthetic data, examining their role in clinical research for faster insights and improved data sharing in support of precision healthcare

Boundary spanning at the science–policy interface: the practitioners’ perspectives

Cultivating a more dynamic relationship between science and policy is essential for responding to complex social challenges such as sustainability. One approach to doing so is to “span the boundaries” between science and decision making and create a more comprehensive and inclusive knowledge exchange process. The exact definition and role of boundary spanning, however, can be nebulous. Indeed, boundary spanning often gets conflated and confused with other approaches to connecting science and policy, such as science communication, applied science, and advocacy, which can hinder progress in the field of boundary spanning. To help overcome this, in this perspective, we present the outcomes from a recent workshop of boundary-spanning practitioners gathered to (1) articulate a definition of what it means to work at this interface (“boundary spanning”) and the types of activities it encompasses; (2) present a value proposition of these efforts to build better relationships between science and policy; and (3) identify opportunities to more effectively mainstream boundary-spanning activities. Drawing on our collective experiences, we suggest that boundary spanning has the potential to increase the efficiency by which useful research is produced, foster the capacity to absorb new evidence and perspectives into sustainability decision-making, enhance research relevance for societal challenges, and open new policy windows. We provide examples from our work that illustrate this potential. By offering these propositions for the value of boundary spanning, we hope to encourage a more robust discussion of how to achieve evidence-informed decision-making for sustainability

The Grizzly, April 14, 1998

The Poetry of an Outlaw • Ursinus Grad Makes it Big • Opinion: Change Ursinus, Change Yourself • Letter to the Editor • Coontz Lectures at Ursinus • Ursinus Gets Involved with Habitat for Humanity • Not Too Late to Sign-Up for Spring Service Day • The Class of \u2799 Hosts Third Annual Wingbowl • And the Winner of Mr. Ursinus 1998 Is... • The End of Lollapalooza? • Diversity Week at Ursinus • UC Women\u27s Lacrosse Team Battles for Second Place in Conference • UC Softball Sweeps Washington • Ursinus Golf Suffers 1st Defeat in Three Years • Women\u27s Tennis Team Heads in Positive Direction • UC Baseball Remains Tied for Second • Track Runs Strong Against Tough Competitionhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1419/thumbnail.jp