Establishing an Extendable Benchmarking Framework for E-Fulfillment

The growth in attended home deliveries motivates research in prescriptive analytics for e-fulfillment. Introducing new analytics solutions, for instance, for vehicle routing or revenue management, requires simulation-based benchmarking and analyses on relevant problem scenarios. Unfortunately, creating the required systems induces high overhead for analytics researchers. This paper introduces the simulation-based benchmarking framework SiLFul, which aims to support scientific rigor and practical relevance of research by reducing this overhead. It provides a toolbox of approaches, a modular and extendable architecture, and a comprehensive, application-related data model. Thereby, it facilitates controllable analyses and transparent and replicable research. Moreover, we propose a research process that leverages the framework for evaluating analytics and allows continuous development of the framework as a community effort

The Case for a New College Governance Structure in Nevada: Integrating Higher Education with Economic Development

As Katz and Bradley (2013) document, the confluence of partisan politics and budget cuts have left the federal government and to a lesser extent, state governments impotent to address the countless economic and education challenges facing the United States. Out of necessity, metros and regions are taking the lead in collaborating, innovating, and governing in Post-Recession America. Instead of waiting for federal or state governments to impose prescriptive, one-size fits all “solutions,” localities are seizing opportunities to strengthen their economies by working with stakeholders to develop policies tailored to their unique and complicated needs

Carbon in the Deep Biosphere: Forms, Fates, and Biogeochemical Cycling

Building on the synthesis of carbon reservoirs in Earth\u27s subsurface, this chapter focuses on the forms, cycling, and fate of the carbon supporting microbial life in the terrestrial and marine subsurface. As the subsurface is estimated to host a vast reservoir of life on Earth, identifying the carbon compounds that life uses for energy and growth is key to understanding ecosystem functioning in the past and at present, and also for extrapolating these findings to the search for life in the universe. This chapter highlights advances in quantifying small carbon compounds, measuring rates of carbon turnover, and the fate of carbon in the deep biosphere

Carbon in the Deep Biosphere: Forms, Fates, and Biogeochemical Cycling

Building on the synthesis of carbon reservoirs in Earth\u27s subsurface, this chapter focuses on the forms, cycling, and fate of the carbon supporting microbial life in the terrestrial and marine subsurface. As the subsurface is estimated to host a vast reservoir of life on Earth, identifying the carbon compounds that life uses for energy and growth is key to understanding ecosystem functioning in the past and at present, and also for extrapolating these findings to the search for life in the universe. This chapter highlights advances in quantifying small carbon compounds, measuring rates of carbon turnover, and the fate of carbon in the deep biosphere

Non-invasive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) of the Motor Cortex for Neuropathic Pain—At the Tipping Point?

The term “neuropathic pain” (NP) refers to chronic pain caused by illnesses or injuries that damage peripheral or central pain-sensing neural pathways to cause them to fire inappropriately and signal pain without cause. Neuropathic pain is common, complicating diabetes, shingles, HIV, and cancer. Medications are often ineffective or cause various adverse effects, so better approaches are needed. Half a century ago, electrical stimulation of specific brain regions (neuromodulation) was demonstrated to relieve refractory NP without distant effects, but the need for surgical electrode implantation limited use of deep brain stimulation. Next, electrodes applied to the dura outside the brain’s surface to stimulate the motor cortex were shown to relieve NP less invasively. Now, electromagnetic induction permits cortical neurons to be stimulated entirely non-invasively using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Repeated sessions of many TMS pulses (rTMS) can trigger neuronal plasticity to produce long-lasting therapeutic benefit. Repeated TMS already has US and European regulatory approval for treating refractory depression, and multiple small studies report efficacy for neuropathic pain. Recent improvements include “frameless stereotactic” neuronavigation systems, in which patients’ head MRIs allow TMS to be applied to precise underlying cortical targets, minimizing variability between sessions and patients, which may enhance efficacy. Transcranial magnetic stimulation appears poised for the larger trials necessary for regulatory approval of a NP indication. Since few clinicians are familiar with TMS, we review its theoretical basis and historical development, summarize the neuropathic pain trial results, and identify issues to resolve before large-scale clinical trials

Change in Nephrometry Scoring in Small Renal Masses (<4cm) on Active Surveillance: Preliminary Observations from Tayside Active Surveillance Cohort (TASC) Study

Rationale and Objectives: - Prediction of growth, in particular knowing the possibility of aggressive cancer in small renal masses on active surveillance, remains poorly understood. The study was designed to determine whether serial nephrometry score measurements could predict possibility of aggressive malignancy (grade of cancer) in patients with small renal masses opting for active surveillance initially. Materials and Methods: - One hundred sixteen patients between January 2000 and December 2016 undergoing partial nephrectomy were recruited. Out of these, 97 were analyzed using different nephrometry scoring systems. Measurement of nephrometry scores (Radius of tumors, Exo/Endophytic; Nearness of tumors to the collecting system or sinus; Anterior/posterior; Location in relation to polar lines, Preoperative Aspects and Dimensions Used for Anatomical, Centrality Index) was performed by two researchers. Among the patients opting for partial nephrectomy, 40 were on active surveillance for at least 12 months (mean 32; 12-60 months) before partial nephrectomy. Computed tomography scan images of these patients were retrieved and analyzed including comparison to histopathology. Results: - Nephrometry scores measured on serial computed tomography scan images showed a significant correlation between change in score and grade of cancer on multivariate analysis (P value .001). Addition of multivariate analysis to nomogram based on change in size alone did not improve predictive value of area under the curve significantly. Conclusions: - Change in nephrometry scoring measurements correlates with grade of cancer in small renal masses but falls short of significantly predicting presence of malignancy or grade of cancer on nomogram in patients opting for active surveillance for small renal masses. At present, this approach may be inadequate for decision-making

The Evolution of the Satratoxin and Atranone Gene Clusters of Stachybotrys chartarum

Stachybotrys chartarum is frequently isolated from damp building materials or improperly stored animal forage. Human and animal exposure to the secondary metabolites of this mold is linked to severe health effects. The mutually exclusive production of either satratoxins or atranones defines the chemotypes A and S. Based upon the genes (satratoxin cluster, SC1-3, sat or atranone cluster, AC1, atr) that are supposed to be essential for satratoxin and atranone production, S. chartarum can furthermore be divided into three genotypes: the S-type possessing all sat- but no atr-genes, the A-type lacking the sat- but harboring all atr-genes, and the H-type having only certain sat- and all atr-genes. We analyzed the above-mentioned gene clusters and their flanking regions to shed light on the evolutionary relationship. Furthermore, we performed a deep re-sequencing and LC-MS/MS (Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry) analysis. We propose a first model for the evolution of the S. chartarum genotypes. We assume that genotype H represents the most ancient form. A loss of the AC1 and the concomitant acquisition of the SC2 led to the emergence of the genotype S. According to our model, the genotype H also developed towards genotype A, a process that was accompanied by a loss of SC1 and SC3

The phosphoproteome of toll-like receptor-activated macrophages

First global and quantitative analysis of phosphorylation cascades induced by toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation in macrophages identifies nearly 7000 phosphorylation sites and shows extensive and dynamic up-regulation and down-regulation after lipopolysaccharide (LPS).In addition to the canonical TLR-associated pathways, mining of the phosphorylation data suggests an involvement of ATM/ATR kinases in signalling and shows that the cytoskeleton is a hotspot of TLR-induced phosphorylation.Intersecting transcription factor phosphorylation with bioinformatic promoter analysis of genes induced by LPS identified several candidate transcriptional regulators that were previously not implicated in TLR-induced transcriptional control