US voter registration data is poor. But election officials are working to address the weak spots.

Amid allegations of widespread voter fraud from the Trump campaign, the American public has turned its gaze to the maintenance of voter registration lists. John Lindback and Mary Stegmaier provide an overview of the challenges posed by America’s decentralized voter registration system, and discuss reforms that are already underway to improve the accuracy of voter rolls

CodY, a pleiotropic regulator, influences multicellular behaviour and efficient production of virulence factors in Bacillus cereus

In response to nutrient limitation in the environment, the global transcriptional regulator CodY modulates various pathways in low G+C Gram-positive bacteria. In Bacillus subtilis CodY triggers adaptation to starvation by secretion of proteases coupled to the expression of amino acid transporters. Furthermore, it is involved in modulating survival strategies like sporulation, motility, biofilm formation, and CodY is also known to affect virulence factor production in pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the role of CodY in Bacillus cereus ATCC 14579, the enterotoxin-producing type strain, is investigated. A marker-less deletion mutant of codY (?codY) was generated in B. cereus and the transcriptome changes were surveyed using DNA microarrays. Numerous genes involved in biofilm formation and amino acid transport and metabolism were upregulated and genes associated with motility and virulence were repressed upon deletion of codY. Moreover, we found that CodY is important for efficient production of toxins and for adapting from nutrient-rich to nutrient-limited growth conditions of B. cereus. In contrast, biofilm formation is highly induced in the ?codY mutant, suggesting that CodY represses biofilm formation. Together, these results indicate that CodY plays a crucial role in the growth and persistence of B. cereus in different environments such as soil, food, insect guts and the human body

Repeated Measurements of Cardiac Biomarkers in Atrial Fibrillation and Validation of the ABC Stroke Score Over Time

Background--Cardiac biomarkers are independent risk markers in atrial fibrillation, and the novel biomarker-based ABC stroke score (age, biomarkers, and clinical history of prior stroke) was recently shown to improve the prediction of stroke risk in patients with atrial fibrillation. Our aim was to investigate the short-term variability of the cardiac biomarkers and evaluate whether the ABC stroke risk score provides a stable short- term risk estimate. Methods and Results--According to the study protocol, samples were obtained at entry and also at 2 months in 4796 patients with atrial fibrillation followed for a median of 1.8 years in the ARISTOTLE (Apixaban for Reduction in Stroke and Other Thromboembolic Events in Atrial Fibrillation) trial. Cardiac troponin I, cardiac troponin T, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide were measured with high-sensitivity immunoassays. Associations with outcomes were evaluated by Cox regression. C indices and calibration plots were used to evaluate the ABC stroke score at 2 months. The average changes in biomarker levels during 2 months were small ( median change cardiac troponin T +2.8%, troponin I +2.0%, and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide +13.5%) and within-subject correlation was high ( all >= 0.82). Repeated measurement of cardiac biomarkers provided some incremental prognostic value for mortality but not for stroke when combined with clinical risk factors and baseline levels of the biomarkers. Based on 8702 person-years of follow-up and 96 stroke/systemic embolic events, the ABC stroke score at 2 months achieved a similar C index of 0.70 (95% CI, 0.65-0.76) as compared with 0.70 (95% CI, 0.65-0.75) at baseline. The ABC stroke score remained well calibrated using predefined risk classes. Conclusions--In patients with stable atrial fibrillation, the variability of the cardiac biomarkers and the biomarker- based ABC stroke score during 2 months are small. The prognostic information by the ABC stroke score remains consistent and well calibrated with similar good predictive performance if patients are retested after 2 months. Clinical Trial Registration --URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00412984.Peer reviewe

Internal Corporate Venturing - A Means to Survive

I en verden i rask endring må selskaper være innovative for å unngå å bli irrelevante, og dermed overleve. En innovasjonsstrategi som selskaper kan bruke for å håndtere fremtidens utfordringer er “internal corporate venturing” (ICV). Bedrifter som tar i bruk denne innovasjonsstrategien, etablerer vanligvis en egen ICV-enhet (avdeling) i det eksisterende selskapet (morselskapet) med formål om å identifisere og utvikle nye virksomheter for firmaet i et start-up-lignende miljø. ICV blir i økende grad brukt av etablerte selskaper, og spørsmål om hvordan man skal organisere og administrere denne innovasjonsstrategien er derfor av økt interesse. Mens viktigheten av ICV-enheter for innovasjon og overlevelse lenge har vært anerkjent, er de organisatoriske faktorene knyttet til ICV-suksess mindre forstått. Dette indikerer et behov for å øke forståelsen for hvordan man lykkes med å administrere og organisere ICV-initiativer. Denne oppgaven forsøker derfor å ytterligere identifisere hvilke organisatoriske faktorer relatert til morselskapet og ICV-enheten som bidrar til å gjøre ICV-enheten vellykket, gjennom en flercasestudie av fire norske bedrifter. Avhandlingen vil gi en forståelse av hva etablerte selskaper trenger å vurdere for å lykkes med å organisere og administrere ICV-enheter, og gi ICV-litteraturen kvalitativ empirisk data for videre analyse og forskning. Tre sentrale funn ble tydelige ved å undersøke de organisatoriske faktorene som påvirker suksessen til ICV-enhetene: (1) ICV-enheten burde arbeide med radikal innovasjon og være adskilt fra kjernevirksomheten, men involvere mennesker fra kjernevirksomheten hvis ideen skal bli integrert i morselskapet, (2) ICV-enheten trenger autonomi: frihet til å teste, eksperimentere og bestemme ut fra hvordan den nye virksomheten utvikler seg, og (3) støtte fra toppledelsen er essensielt for enhetens suksess. Videre forskning foreslås å undersøke (1) om norske selskaper burde ha et annet kompensasjonssystem for ICV-aktivitetene enn for kjernevirksomheten, (2) om hvilken type innovasjon enheten utfører påvirker hvordan ICV-aktivitetene skal organiseres og ledes, (3) om enheten skal ha en strukturert eller ustrukturert tilnærming til innovasjon, og hvordan dette påvirker graden av autonomi og ytelse, og (4) hvordan morselskapet kan legge til rette for et effektivt evalueringssystem av ICV-enhetens ideer som ikke fratar enheten autonomiIn a rapidly changing environment, it is essential for companies to be innovative to survive. One entrepreneurial strategy companies can use to cope with future demands is internal corporate venturing (ICV). Companies that engage in this entrepreneurial strategy typically create a separate ICV unit within the existing company (parent company) with the purpose of identifying and developing new businesses for the firm in a start-up-like environment. ICV is increasingly used by established companies, and the question of how to organize and manage it successfully is hence of increased interest. While the criticality of ICV units for innovation and survival has long been acknowledged, the organizational factors associated with ICV success are less understood. This indicates a need for granting a better understanding of how to manage and organize ICV initiatives successfully. Therefore, the thesis seeks to further identify which organizational factors of the parent firm and the ICV unit that contribute to making the ICV unit successful, through a multiple case study of four Norwegian firms. The thesis provides an understanding of what established companies need to consider to organize and manage ICV units successfully and provides the ICV field with qualitative empirical data for further analysis and research. By examining the organizational factors that influence the success of the ICV units investigated, three key findings became apparent: (1) The ICV unit should work with radical innovation and be separated from the core business, but involve people from the core business if the idea will be integrated into the parent, (2) the ICV unit needs autonomy: freedom to test, experiment and decide based on how the new business evolves, and (3) top management support is essential for the success of the unit. Further research is suggested to investigate (1) whether Norwegian companies should have a different compensation system for the ICV activities than for the core business, (2) whether what type of innovation the unit seeks to pursue affects how the ICV activities should be organized and managed, (3) whether the unit should have a structured or unstructured approach to innovation, and how this affects the degree of autonomy and performance, and lastly (4) how the parent company can facilitate an effective evaluation system of the ICV unit’s ideas that does not limit the unit’s autonomy

Bale Collection Path Planning Using an Autonomous Vehicle with Neighborhood Collection Capabilities

This research was mainly focused on the evaluation of path planning approaches as a prerequisite for the automation of bale collection operations. A comparison between a traditional bale collection path planning approach using traditional vehicles such as tractors, and loaders with an optimized path planning approach using a new autonomous articulated concept vehicle with neighborhood reach capabilities (AVN) was carried out. Furthermore, the effects of carrying capacity on reduction in the working distance of the bale collection operation was also studied. It was concluded that the optimized path planning approach using AVN with increased carrying capacity significantly reduced the working distance for the bale collection operation and can thus improve agricultural sustainability, particularly within forage handling

Predictors of Virological Outcome and Safety in Primary HIV Type 1-Infected Patients Initiating Quadruple Antiretroviral Therapy: QUEST GW PROB3005

Background. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy during primary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infection may confer long-term benefit. Methods. After initiation of zidovudine, lamivudine, abacavir, and amprenavir therapy in patients in the QUEST cohort, predictors of virological outcome, virological and immunological changes, and adverse events were evaluated over 48 weeks. Results. One hundred forty-eight patients started antiretroviral therapy during primary HIV-1 infection with ⩽3 bands on Western Blot (median plasma HIV-1 RNA load, 5.4 log copies/mL; median CD4 cell count, 517 cells/mm3). By week 48, 36% of patients had stopped treatment or were lost to follow-up. Among the 115 patients receiving follow-up care at week 48 (102 of whom were receiving antiretroviral therapy), the median viral load decrease was -5.4 log copies/mL (interquartile range [IQR], -6.4 to -3.9 log copies/mL), and the median increase in CD4 cell count was 147 cells/mm3 (IQR, -1 to 283 cells/mm3); 84.2% of patients had a viral load ⩽50 copies/mL, and 44.7% of patients had a viral load ⩽3 copies/mL. The median cell-associated RNA level decreased from 3.4 log copies/million PBMCs (IQR, 2.9-4.1 log copies/million PBMCs) to 0.8 log copies/million PBMCs (IQR, 0.5-1.4 log copies/million PBMCs), and the median cell-associated DNA level decreased from 2.8 log copies/million PBMCs (IQR, 2.4-3.0 log copies/million PBMCs) to 1.6 log copies/million PBMCs (IQR, 1.2-1.9 log copies/million PBMCs); 33.3% of patients had an undetectable RNA level, and 9.5% of patients had an undetectable cell-associated DNA level. The median CD8+/CD38++ T cell count decreased from 459 cells/mm3 (IQR, 208-974 cells/mm3) to 33 cells/mm3 (IQR, 19-75 cells/mm3). Baseline CD8+/CD38++ T cell count and cell-associated DNA level were independent inverse predictors for reaching a viral load ⩽3 copies/mL. Eighty-three patients experienced a serious adverse event (median duration of an adverse event, 15 days). Conclusions. Initiation of antiretroviral therapy during primary HIV-1 infection was associated with very significant antiretroviral activity and a decrease in immune activation. Lower baseline CD8+/CD38++ T cell count and cell-associated DNA level were predictive of achieving a viral load ⩽3 copies/m

Bale Collection Path Planning Using an Autonomous Vehicle with Neighborhood Collection Capabilities

This research was mainly focused on the evaluation of path planning approaches as a prerequisite for the automation of bale collection operations. A comparison between a traditional bale collection path planning approach using traditional vehicles such as tractors, and loaders with an optimized path planning approach using a new autonomous articulated concept vehicle with neighborhood reach capabilities (AVN) was carried out. Furthermore, the effects of carrying capacity on reduction in the working distance of the bale collection operation was also studied. It was concluded that the optimized path planning approach using AVN with increased carrying capacity significantly reduced the working distance for the bale collection operation and can thus improve agricultural sustainability, particularly within forage handling

Versatile Photophysiology of Compositionally Similar Cyanobacterial Mat Communities Inhabiting Submerged Sinkholes of Lake Huron

Recently discovered submerged sinkholes in Lake Huron are high-sulfur, lowoxygen extreme environments for microbial life. In order to understand the relationship between the physical environment, photophysiology and community composition, we measured the physical conditions, photophysiological indices, and genetic diversity at 3 microbial mat sites bathed in high conductivity groundwater under a natural light gradient during 2012 and 2013. A strong seasonal trend prevailed at all sites, characterized by decreased photosynthetic yield (Fv’/Fm’; 0.25 to 0.40) during the summer (April to August) and increased yield (0.70 to 0.75) during the winter (November to March). Chlorophyll a content varied seasonally in a similar manner to photo - synthetic yield. All sites were dominated by \u3e80% abundance of one cyanobacterial group, most closely related to Phormidium sp. Phycobilins (phycocyanin and phycoerythrin) were consistently higher in concentration than chlorophyll. Photosynthetic yield was statistically indistinguishable between sites, suggesting that these mat communities are able to acclimate across a wide range of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Interestingly, these cyanobacteria carried out oxygenic photosynthesis in the presence of in vitro H2S, further suggestive of their versatile photophysiologies under variable redox conditions. Collectively, our study provides insight into the adaptive capabilities of cyanobacteria by revealing how they photophysiologically respond to changes in light climate and redox conditions, and are thereby able to inhabit a wide range of physico-chemical environments. Such versatile physiologies may have enabled their ancestors to thrive across a range of habitats on early Earth

Year-Round Measures of Planktonic Metabolism Reveal Net Autotrophy in Surface Waters of a Great Lakes Estuary

During 2009 and 2010, we quantified monthly changes in plankton metabolism and environmental variables in the surface waters of Muskegon Lake, a Great Lakes estuary connected to Lake Michigan. Muskegon Lake’s mean (±SE) annual gross plankton primary production (GPP) and respiration (R) rates were 46 ± 9 and 23 ± 4 mg C l−1 yr−1, respectively. GPP:R ratios of 0.6 to +4.8 with a yearly mean of 2.0 ± 0.3 indicated that the surface water of Muskegon Lake was net autotrophic during all but the winter months under ice cover, when it was in a near carbon balance to slightly heterotrophic state. Approximately 5% of GPP and 12% of R occurred during the winter months, highlighting winter’s potential role in nutrient regeneration. An overall positive annual net community production (NCP) rate of 28 ± 6 mg C l−1 yr−1 makes Muskegon Lake’s surface waters a net sink for carbon on an annual basis. Annual heterotrophic bacterial production (BP) rates were 5 ± 3 mg C l−1 yr−1, suggesting a substantial fraction of GPP was likely processed through the microbial food web (2 to 76%). A stepwise multiple linear regression model revealed the plausible drivers of GPP (temperature [T], photosynthetically active radiation [PAR], total phosphorus [TP], dissolved oxygen [DO], chlorophyll a [chl a]), NCP (T, PAR, TP), R (T, DO, ammonium [NH3], soluble reactive phosphorous [SRP], dissolved organic carbon [DOC]) and GPP:R (T, PAR, SRP, DOC). Year-round measurements inform us of the strong seasonality in the carbon cycle of temperate lakes