Estimating Acceptance for Multilepton Events as a Function of Invariant Mass

This talk will discuss a major overhaul of our data analysis architecture which permits the use of multiple file types. The code we use to work with particle physics datasets previously only worked when those datasets were written in MiniAOD format. After the overhaul, the code can be easily made to run on any file format, including DELPHES which was used in our most recent analysis. This new framework permits the automated generation of stack histograms which show the total expected background in comparison to the expected signal for a given channel. These plots are crucial for every analysis, and the current effort to automate their generation grew out of the code written to produce these plots for our doubly charged Higgs and lepton jet studies

The Effect of Ocean Plastic on Plankton and Marine Ecosystems

Title: The Effect of Ocean Plastic on Plankton and Marine Ecosystems Abstract: This presentation aims to raise awareness for the harm plastics in our oceans are causing analysis and visualization of scientific data. It is largely inspired by the fourteenth United Nations Sustainable Development Goal: Life Below Water. The datasets used primary fall into two categories: ocean plastic content statistics and plankton population demographics. The presentation will also explore plankton’s role as the base of many aquatic ecosystems and model the impact a population decline could have on these ecosystems. The effects ocean plastics can have on our modern society will be explored, as well as some actions all of us can take to help curb these effects

Paris, Panels, and Protectionism: Matching US Rhetoric with Reality to Save the Planet

US rhetoric has not matched reality in the free trade or sustainability contexts, as may be seen by the ongoing debates surrounding a range of behaviors that violate international trade rules. The US government\u27s failure to adhere to the rules that it was instrumental in crafting sets a particularly troubling precedent. These trade distortions reduce trust and respect among countries and undermine efforts to combat climate change. Simultaneously, we are witnessing a growing preference for minilateral agreements, as may be seen in the Obama Administration\u27s push for the Trans-Pacific Partnership and US-EU Trade Pact. This trend is likely to continue as Donald Trump has signaled his intention to move away from multilateral trade deals and favor bilateral accords. The Chinese government has pursued a similar approach in the context of financial governance and, with its recent creation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, has also exhibited a willingness to circumvent existing global institutions. Concurrently, the international community has been engaged in negotiations under the umbrella of the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change to mitigate the threat of global climate change and similarly promote sustainability, most recently via the Paris Agreement. This Article identifies a series of inconsistencies in US trade policies and completes a comparative case study of the ongoing disputes between China and the United States surrounding solar energy subsidies in hopes of finding opportunities for collective action that promotes both free trade and sustainability. It also pinpoints roadblocks to promoting both the free trade and sustainability movements, and through the lens of the literature on polycentric governance, discusses the trend towards--as well as the benefits and drawbacks of--minilateral and multilateral approaches to furthering sustainable development

Hydrogen Sulfide-Synthesizing Enzymes Are Altered in a Case of Oral Cavity Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is the most common malignant epithelial neoplasm of the salivary glands. MECs of the mouth floor are rare, with only a few cases reported. Here we report a MEC of the mouth floor in a 55-year-old woman. Since several studies have shown that hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-synthesizing enzymes are often increased in malignant tumors compared to benign counterpart tissues, we used western blotting to compare the protein levels of cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS), cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST) in a mouth floor MEC to adjacent benign oral mucosae. We also used high-performance liquid chromatography to quantify possible differences in tissue sulfur fraction concentrations between the two biopsy types. Last, we used western blotting to examine nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (Nampt), mitoNEET, and phospho-ser727-Stat3 levels in the biopsies. We found that all the proteins and phospho-ser727-Stat3 are increased in the MEC compared to benign mucosae. Interestingly, free H2S levels, acid-labile, and the sulfane sulfur factions were essentially the same between the MEC and benign tissue. Although limited to a single and unusual tumor type, to our knowledge this is only the third time H2S concentrations were directly quantified inside a human tumor. Last, our results replicate those of two previous studies where the H2S-synthesizing enzymes are increased in a malignant tumor, while free H2S is either not increased or only slightly increased, suggesting that malignant tumors rapidly metabolize H2S as part of tumor maintenance and growth

Hydrogen Sulfide and Hydrogen Sulfide-Synthesizing Enzymes Are Altered in a Case of Oral Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

Adenoid cystic carcinomas (ACC) constitute 1% of all head and neck malignancies and are very rare in the oral cavity. With < 60 oral ACCs described, their pathobiology is incompletely understood. Here, we report a case of oral cavity ACC in a 54-year-old woman. Since recent studies have demonstrated that several human tumors overexpress the hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-synthesizing enzymes cystathionine-β-synthase (CBS), cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE), and 3-mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (3-MST), and also show dysregulated H2S levels, we examined these biomarkers in the oral ACC and compared the results to those of adjacent benign oral epithelium. Western blotting was used to compare the protein expression of CBS, CSE, 3-MST, nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase, and mitoNEET in ACC and adjacent benign oral mucosae. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to quantify the differences in tissue H2S concentrations between the two biopsy types. We found that all the proteins examined here were increased in the ACC compared to adjacent benign oral mucosae. Interestingly, H2S concentrations were decreased approximately 30% in ACC compared to benign mucosae. Thus, in one example of this rare tumor type, the enzymes that synthesize H2S are increased, while tissue H2S levels are lower than those found in adjacent benign oral mucosae. Although limited to a single rare tumor type, to our knowledge this is the second time H2S concentrations have been directly quantified inside a human tumor. Last, our results may indicate that alterations in H2S synthesis and metabolism may be important in the pathobiology of ACC

SNP Discovery and Chromosome Anchoring Provide the First Physically-Anchored Hexaploid Oat Map and Reveal Synteny with Model Species

A physically anchored consensus map is foundational to modern genomics research; however, construction of such a map in oat (Avena sativa L., 2n = 6x = 42) has been hindered by the size and complexity of the genome, the scarcity of robust molecular markers, and the lack of aneuploid stocks. Resources developed in this study include a modified SNP discovery method for complex genomes, a diverse set of oat SNP markers, and a novel chromosome-deficient SNP anchoring strategy. These resources were applied to build the first complete, physically-anchored consensus map of hexaploid oat. Approximately 11,000 high-confidence in silico SNPs were discovered based on nine million inter-varietal sequence reads of genomic and cDNA origin. GoldenGate genotyping of 3,072 SNP assays yielded 1,311 robust markers, of which 985 were mapped in 390 recombinant-inbred lines from six bi-parental mapping populations ranging in size from 49 to 97 progeny. The consensus map included 985 SNPs and 68 previously-published markers, resolving 21 linkage groups with a total map distance of 1,838.8 cM. Consensus linkage groups were assigned to 21 chromosomes using SNP deletion analysis of chromosome-deficient monosomic hybrid stocks. Alignments with sequenced genomes of rice and Brachypodium provide evidence for extensive conservation of genomic regions, and renewed encouragement for orthology-based genomic discovery in this important hexaploid species. These results also provide a framework for high-resolution genetic analysis in oat, and a model for marker development and map construction in other species with complex genomes and limited resources

Measuring progress and projecting attainment on the basis of past trends of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries: an analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are grounded in the global ambition of “leaving no one behind”. Understanding today’s gains and gaps for the health-related SDGs is essential for decision makers as they aim to improve the health of populations. As part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016), we measured 37 of the 50 health-related SDG indicators over the period 1990–2016 for 188 countries, and then on the basis of these past trends, we projected indicators to 2030

Global, regional, and national incidence, prevalence, and years lived with disability for 328 diseases and injuries for 195 countries, 1990–2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

As mortality rates decline, life expectancy increases, and populations age, non-fatal outcomes of diseases and injuries are becoming a larger component of the global burden of disease. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2016 (GBD 2016) provides a comprehensive assessment of prevalence, incidence, and years lived with disability (YLDs) for 328 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016