An Independent Review of USGS Circular 1370: An Evaluation of the Science Needs to Inform Decisions on Outer Continental Shelf Energy Development in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, Alaska

Reviews the U.S. Geological Survey's findings and recommendations on Alaska's Arctic Ocean, including geology, ecology and subsistence, effect of climate change on, and impact of oil spills. Makes recommendations for data management and other issues

Introductory Notes to Algebraic Statistics

These are the notes of a short course on algebraic statistics, a new discipline across the fields of statistical modeling and computational commutativa algebra. The basics of the theory are provided together with brief reference to applications to design of experiments, to exponential and graphical models, and to computational biology

Refined system parameters and TTV study of transiting exoplanetary system HAT-P-20

This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China through grants No. U1531121, No. 10873031 and No. 11473066.We report new photometric observations of the transiting exoplanetary system HAT-P-20, obtained using CCD cameras at Yunnan Observatories and Ho Koon Nature Education cum Astronomical Centre, China, from 2010 to 2013, and Observatori Ca l'Ou, Sant Marti Sesgueioles, Spain, from 2013 to 2015. The observed data are corrected for systematic errors according to the coarse de-correlation and SYSREM algorithms, so as to enhance the signal of the transit events. In order to consistently model the star spots and transits of this exoplanetary system, we develop a highly efficient tool STMT based on the analytic models of Mandel & Agol and Montalto et al. The physical parameters of HAT-P-20 are refined by homogeneously analyzing our new data, the radial velocity data, and the earlier photometric data in the literature with the Markov chain Monte Carlo technique. New radii and masses of both host star and planet are larger than those in the discovery paper due to the discrepancy of the radius among K-dwarfs between predicted values by standard stellar models and empirical calibration from observations. Through the analysis of all available mid-transit times calculated with the normal model and spotted model, we conclude that the periodic transit timing variations in these transit events revealed by employing the normal model are probably induced by spot crossing events. From the analysis of the distribution of occulted spots by HAT-P-20b, we constrain the misaligned architecture between the planetary orbit and the spin of the host star.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Phosphatidylserine is a critical modulator for Akt activation

Association of Akt with phosphatidylserine enhances binding to PIP3, inducing conformational changes in Akt that promote its phosphorylation-mediated activation

Human aquaporins: regulators of transcellular water flow

Background: Emerging evidence supports the view that (AQP) aquaporin water channels are regulators of transcellular water flow. Consistentwith their expression in most tissues, AQPs are associatedwith diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes. Scope of review: AQP knockout studies suggest that the regulatory role of AQPs, rather than their action as passive channels, is their critical function. Transport through all AQPs occurs by a common passive mechanism, but their regulation and cellular distribution varies significantly depending on cell and tissue type; the role of AQPs in cell volumeregulation (CVR) is particularly notable. This reviewexamines the regulatory role of AQPs in transcellular water flow, especially in CVR.We focus on key systems of the human body, encompassing processes as diverse as urine concentration in the kidney to clearance of brain oedema. Major conclusions: AQPs are crucial for the regulation of water homeostasis, providing selective pores for the rapidmovement ofwater across diverse cellmembranes and playing regulatory roles in CVR. Gatingmechanisms have been proposed for human AQPs, but have only been reported for plant andmicrobial AQPs. Consequently, it is likely that the distribution and abundance of AQPs in a particular membrane is the determinant of membrane water permeability and a regulator of transcellular water flow. General significance: Elucidating the mechanisms that regulate transcellular water flow will improve our understanding of the human body in health and disease. The central role of specific AQPs in regulating water homeostasis will provide routes to a range of novel therapies. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Aquaporins

Corporate governance and managerial risk taking: theory and evidence

Abstract We study how the investor protection environment affects corporate managers' incentives to take value-enhancing risks. In our model, the manager chooses higher perk consumption when investor protection is low. Since perks represent a priority claim held by the manager, lower investor protection leads the manager to implement a sub-optimally conservative investment policy, effectively aligning her risk-taking incentives with those of the debt holders. By the same token, higher investor protection is associated with riskier investment policy and faster firm growth. We test these predictions in a large Global Vantage panel. We find strong empirical confirmation that corporate risk-taking and firm growth rates are positively related to the quality of investor protection. JEL Classification: G15, G31, G34

Mechanical Bonds and Topological Effects in Radical Dimer Stabilization

While mechanical bonding stabilizes tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) radical dimers, the question arises: what role does topology play in catenanes containing TTF units? Here, we report how topology, together with mechanical bonding, in isomeric [3]- and doubly interlocked [2]catenanes controls the formation of TTF radical dimers within their structural frameworks, including a ring-in-ring complex (formed between an organoplatinum square and a {2+2} macrocyclic polyether containing two 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) and two TTF units) that is topologically isomeric with the doubly interlocked [2]catenane. The separate TTF units in the two {1+1} macrocycles (each containing also one DNP unit) of the isomeric [3]catenane exhibit slightly different redox properties compared with those in the {2+2} macrocycle present in the [2]catenane, while comparison with its topological isomer reveals substantially different redox behavior. Although the stabilities of the mixed-valence (TTF2)^(•+) dimers are similar in the two catenanes, the radical cationic (TTF^(•+))_2 dimer in the [2]catenane occurs only fleetingly compared with its prominent existence in the [3]catenane, while both dimers are absent altogether in the ring-in-ring complex. The electrochemical behavior of these three radically configurable isomers demonstrates that a fundamental relationship exists between topology and redox properties

Impact of opioid-free analgesia on pain severity and patient satisfaction after discharge from surgery: multispecialty, prospective cohort study in 25 countries

Background: Balancing opioid stewardship and the need for adequate analgesia following discharge after surgery is challenging. This study aimed to compare the outcomes for patients discharged with opioid versus opioid-free analgesia after common surgical procedures.Methods: This international, multicentre, prospective cohort study collected data from patients undergoing common acute and elective general surgical, urological, gynaecological, and orthopaedic procedures. The primary outcomes were patient-reported time in severe pain measured on a numerical analogue scale from 0 to 100% and patient-reported satisfaction with pain relief during the first week following discharge. Data were collected by in-hospital chart review and patient telephone interview 1 week after discharge.Results: The study recruited 4273 patients from 144 centres in 25 countries; 1311 patients (30.7%) were prescribed opioid analgesia at discharge. Patients reported being in severe pain for 10 (i.q.r. 1-30)% of the first week after discharge and rated satisfaction with analgesia as 90 (i.q.r. 80-100) of 100. After adjustment for confounders, opioid analgesia on discharge was independently associated with increased pain severity (risk ratio 1.52, 95% c.i. 1.31 to 1.76; P < 0.001) and re-presentation to healthcare providers owing to side-effects of medication (OR 2.38, 95% c.i. 1.36 to 4.17; P = 0.004), but not with satisfaction with analgesia (beta coefficient 0.92, 95% c.i. -1.52 to 3.36; P = 0.468) compared with opioid-free analgesia. Although opioid prescribing varied greatly between high-income and low- and middle-income countries, patient-reported outcomes did not.Conclusion: Opioid analgesia prescription on surgical discharge is associated with a higher risk of re-presentation owing to side-effects of medication and increased patient-reported pain, but not with changes in patient-reported satisfaction. Opioid-free discharge analgesia should be adopted routinely