Identification of Outer Continental Shelf Renewable Energy Space-Use Conflicts and Analysis of Potential Mitigation Measures

The ocean accommodates a wide variety of uses that are separated by time of day, season, location, and zones. Conflict can and does occur, however, when two or more groups wish to use the same space at the same time in an exclusive manner. The potential for conflict is well known and the management of ocean space and resources has been, and is being, addressed by a number of State, regional, and Federal organizations, including, among others, coastal zone management agencies, state task forces, and regional fisheries management councils. However, with new and emerging uses of the ocean, such as aquaculture and offshore renewable energy, comes the potential for new types of space-use conflicts in ocean waters. In recent years, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) (formerly the Minerals Management Service [MMS]) has examined ocean space-use conflicts and mitigation strategies in the context of offshore oil and gas exploration and production and sand and gravel dredging, activities that are both subject to BOEM regulation and oversight. BOEM now has authority to issue leases on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for renewable energy projects, but seeks additional information on potential conflicts between existing uses of the ocean environment and this new form of activity. The broad purpose of this study was to begin to fill this gap by (1) identifying potential spaceuse conflicts between OCS renewable energy development and other uses of the ocean environment, and (2) recommending measures that BOEM can implement in order to promote avoidance or mitigation of such conflicts, thereby facilitating responsible and efficient development of OCS renewable energy resources. The result is a document intended to serve as a desktop resource that BOEM can use to inform its decision making as the agency carries out its statutory and regulatory responsibilities

Risk

The epidemiologist primarily studies transitions between states of health and disease. The purpose of the present article is to define a foundational parameter for such studies, namely risk. We begin simply and build to the setting in which there is more than 1 event type (i.e., competing risks or competing events), as well as more than 1 treatment or exposure level of interest. In the presence of competing events, the risks are a set of counterfactual cumulative incidence functions for each treatment. These risks can be depicted visually and summarized numerically. We use an example from the study of human immunodeficiency virus to illustrate concepts

Innate Immune Factors in Mothers' Breast Milk and Their Lack of Association With Rotavirus Vaccine Immunogenicity in Nicaraguan Infants

To better understand underlying causes of lower rotavirus vaccine effectiveness in low-middle income countries (LMICs), we measured innate antiviral factors in Nicaraguan mothers' milk and immune response to the first dose of the pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in corresponding infants. No relationship was found between concentrations of innate factors and rotavirus vaccine response

Cancer testis antigen and interleukin expression correlates with survival in small bowel neuroendocrine tumors

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How complex do models need to be to predict dispersal of threatened species through matrix habitats?

Persistence of species in fragmented landscapes depends on dispersal among suitable breeding sites, and dispersal is often influenced by the "matrix" habitats that lie between breeding sites. However, measuring effects of different matrix habitats on movement and incorporating those differences into spatially explicit models to predict dispersal is costly in terms of time and financial resources. Hence a key question for conservation managers is: Do more costly, complex movement models yield more accurate dispersal predictions? We compared the abilities of a range of movement models, from simple to complex, to predict the dispersal of an endangered butterfly, the Saint Francis' satyr (Neonympha mitchellii francisci). The value of more complex models differed depending on how value was assessed. Although the most complex model, based on detailed movement behaviors, best predicted observed dispersal rates, it was only slightly better than the simplest model, which was based solely on distance between sites. Consequently, a parsimony approach using information criteria favors the simplest model we examined. However, when we applied the models to a larger landscape that included proposed habitat restoration sites, in which the composition of the matrix was different than the matrix surrounding extant breeding sites, the simplest model failed to identify a potentially important dispersal barrier, open habitat that butterflies rarely enter, which may completely isolate some of the proposed restoration sites from other breeding sites. Finally, we found that, although the gain in predicting dispersal with increasing model complexity was small, so was the increase in financial cost. Furthermore, a greater fit continued to accrue with greater financial cost, and more complex models made substantially different predictions than simple models when applied to a novel landscape in which butterflies are to be reintroduced to bolster their populations. This suggests that more complex models might be justifiable on financial grounds. Our results caution against a pure parsimony approach to deciding how complex movement models need to be to accurately predict dispersal through the matrix, especially if the models are to be applied to novel or modified landscapes

Intestinal toxicity to CTLA-4 blockade driven by IL-6 and myeloid infiltration

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Targeted Cytotoxic Therapy Kills Persisting HIV Infected Cells During ART

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) can reduce HIV levels in plasma to undetectable levels, but rather little is known about the effects of ART outside of the peripheral blood regarding persistent virus production in tissue reservoirs. Understanding the dynamics of ART-induced reductions in viral RNA (vRNA) levels throughout the body is important for the development of strategies to eradicate infectious HIV from patients. Essential to a successful eradication therapy is a component capable of killing persisting HIV infected cells during ART. Therefore, we determined the in vivo efficacy of a targeted cytotoxic therapy to kill infected cells that persist despite long-term ART. For this purpose, we first characterized the impact of ART on HIV RNA levels in multiple organs of bone marrow-liver-thymus (BLT) humanized mice and found that antiretroviral drug penetration and activity was sufficient to reduce, but not eliminate, HIV production in each tissue tested. For targeted cytotoxic killing of these persistent vRNA+ cells, we treated BLT mice undergoing ART with an HIV-specific immunotoxin. We found that compared to ART alone, this agent profoundly depleted productively infected cells systemically. These results offer proof-of-concept that targeted cytotoxic therapies can be effective components of HIV eradication strategies

A directed study in real estate feasibility

[This report] was undertaken to explore the process of resolving some of the difficulties often encountered in real estate development. A complete feasibility analysis, as defined in the second chapter, will not be attempted--emphasis will be focused on the examination and resolution of a finite set of problems associated with a specific property as outlined by the administrator of the owning partnership, Mr. Gary Brown. The subject property is located in the southwestern portion of Williamson County, Texas, near the northeast corner of the intersection of Highway 183, running southeast to northwest, and Highway 620, running southwest to northeast. The property can be described as 10.0 acres of land out of and a part of the Rachel Saul Survey, Abstract No. 351. The location of the property and the specific boundaries are illustrated on maps labeled Exhibits A, B, and C. The neighborhood is not distinctly defined at present, being characterized by scattered subdivisions. To the north of the site lies [...] the small town of Cedar Park. To the south are the Pecan Park and Anderson Mill subdivisions along with several other subdivisions nearer Austin. The City of Round Rock lies six miles to the east, and to the west is a considerable amount of vacant land, along with the Shenandoah subdivision and Lake Travis. The objectives of this study, as they relate to the subject property, set forth by Mr. Brown are as follows: I. Examine the implications of the Austin/Cedar Park controversy for the subject property; work toward a timely resolution of the conflict. II. Identify available sources of sewer service and their related costs of acquisition. III. Examine the availability of water and natural gas utilities and outline the procedure for their acquisition. IV. Discover any and all problems associated with a subdivision of the property. V. Determine whether any public authorities have contemplated condemnation procedures that would affect the subject property, and if so, determine times, amount, and cost/benefit. In addition to these objectives the purposes of the owning partnership were considered quite relevant and thus influenced the data collection and preparation of this report. These purposes as set forth under the limited partnership agreement are as follows: (a) to acquire the real property lying and situated in Williamson Co., Tex. described in . . . ; (b) to own, hold, manage and lease such property (real, personal or mixed), and furnish services and goods to the tenants or other occupants thereof; (c) to sell, exchange, or otherwise dispose of all or any part of such property (real, personal or mixed) when the General Partners determine that such disposition is in the interest of the Partnership; and (d) in general, to make any investments or expenditures and to take any and all action which is incidental or reasonably related to any of the specific purposes recited above or the powers related . . . hereinbelowBusiness Administratio