Disturbance andSuccessional Dynamicsin an Old-Growth WhitePine-Mixed HardwoodForest in the Great LakesRegion of Minnesota

Concern exists regarding the decline of Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) in the pine-mixed hardwood forests of the Great Lakes region. Using dendroecological techniques, we reconstructed the disturbance history and successional dynamics of an isolated old-growth white pine-mixed hardwood forest in northeastern Minnesota. The oldest trees in the stand were white pine, but a transition to late-successional species began in the mid-1800s prior to extensive anthropogenic influences in the region. This was facilitated by a change in the dominant disturbance type from fire to a combination of wind throw and white-tailed deer browsing. This transition appears to have occurred under natural conditions and will continue to favor both the establishment and continued dominance of late-successional species. This study highlights the importance of studying the natural range of variability of white pine forests in the Great Lakes region of Minnesota

Trails, Tribelets, and Territories: The Ethnographic, Prehistoric, Archaeological, and Management Contexts of the Indian Valley / Walker Ridge Recreation Area

Purpose: This thesis synthesizes extant information relating to the prehistory of the upper Cache Creek watershed that helps to contextualize prehistoric cultural resources in the Bureau of Land Management Indian Valley/ Walker Ridge Recreation Area (IV/WRRA), Lake and Colusa Counties, California. The purpose is to create an inventory document that provides cultural resource management practitioners and land managers with an informed basis for understanding the study area in terms of the cultural resources, their environment, land use in the past, and the need for further work. Methods: Archival, literature, and geographical information systems research was conducted to: (1) integrate ethnographies of the Hill Patwin to provide context for interpretation of prehistoric cultural resources; (2) synthesize the regional prehistories of the southern North Coast Ranges and the Sacramento Valley; (3) determine the location and the scope of previous archaeological surveys and archaeological sites within the IV/WRRA and vicinity; and (4) investigate management obligations and create recommendations for the management of cultural resources within the IV/WRRA. Findings: The IV/WRRA and surrounding area was not simply a backwater located between two more populated and culturally elaborate regions. It had a large native population with multiple sociopolitical groups and contained a portion of the extensive exchange network that connected the Pacific coast, the Clear Lake basin, the Central Valley, and the Sierra Nevada. This makes it an excellent locale for the study of cultural transmission between these regions. Conclusions: The upper Cache Creek watershed was a locus for cultural exchange between the Clear Lake basin and the Central Valley, and between the Pomo peoples and the River Patwin. The prehistoric inhabitants, the Hill Patwin, were tied culturally and socially to both groups and culture regions. Greater inclusion of the Hill Patwin into the North Coast Ranges cultural region and viewing them as the locus for the movement and transmission of cultural practices and elements between these two regions provides a better basis of analysis of the late prehistoric era of the area. Social boundary studies and material culture studies are two avenues of research that can greatly contribute to the understanding of the social dynamics of the region. Many aspects of material culture can be examined to look at the similarities and differences between these different groups and the ways that these characteristics may have been passed through this region.Elliott, Evan B. 2011. Trails, Tribelets, and Territories: The Ethnographic, Prehistoric, Archaeological, and Management Contexts of the Indian Valley / Walker Ridge Recreation Area. Cultural Resources Management Program, Sonoma State University

Characterizing K2 Candidate Planetary Systems Orbiting Low-Mass Stars II: Planetary Systems Observed During Campaigns 1-7

We recently used near-infrared spectroscopy to improve the characterization of 76 low-mass stars around which K2 had detected 79 candidate transiting planets. 29 of these worlds were new discoveries that had not previously been published. We calculate the false positive probabilities that the transit-like signals are actually caused by non-planetary astrophysical phenomena and reject five new transit-like events and three previously reported events as false positives. We also statistically validate 17 planets (7 of which were previously unpublished), confirm the earlier validation of 22 planets, and announce 17 newly discovered planet candidates. Revising the properties of the associated planet candidates based on the updated host star characteristics and refitting the transit photometry, we find that our sample contains 21 planets or planet candidates with radii smaller than 1.25 R⊕, 18 super-Earths (1.25–2 R⊕), 21 small Neptunes (2–4 R⊕), three large Neptunes (4–6 R⊕), and eight giant planets (>6 R⊕). Most of these planets are highly irradiated, but EPIC 206209135.04 (K2-72e, 1.29^(+0.14)_(-0.13) R⊕), EPIC 211988320.01 (R_p = 2.86^(+0.16)_(-0.15) R⊕), and EPIC 212690867.01 (2.20^(+0.19)_(-0.18) R⊕) orbit within optimistic habitable zone boundaries set by the "recent Venus" inner limit and the "early Mars" outer limit. In total, our planet sample includes eight moderately irradiated 1.5–3 R⊕ planet candidates (F_p ≾ 20 F⊕) orbiting brighter stars (Ks < 11) that are well-suited for atmospheric investigations with the Hubble, Spitzer, and/or James Webb Space Telescopes. Five validated planets orbit relatively bright stars (Kp < 12.5) and are expected to yield radial velocity semi-amplitudes of at least 2 m s^(−1). Accordingly, they are possible targets for radial velocity mass measurement with current facilities or the upcoming generation of red optical and near-infrared high-precision RV spectrographs

Efficacy and tolerability of evolocumab vs. ezetimibe in patients with muscle-related statin intolerance: the GAUSS-3 randomized clinical trial

Importance: Muscle-related statin intolerance is reported by 5% to 20% of patients. Objective: To identify patients with muscle symptoms confirmed by statin rechallenge and compare lipid-lowering efficacy for 2 nonstatin therapies, ezetimibe and evolocumab. Design, Setting, and Participants: Two-stage randomized clinical trial including 511 adult patients with uncontrolled low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and history of intolerance to 2 or more statins enrolled in 2013 and 2014 globally. Phase A used a 24-week crossover procedure with atorvastatin or placebo to identify patients having symptoms only with atorvastatin but not placebo. In phase B, after a 2-week washout, patients were randomized to ezetimibe or evolocumab for 24 weeks. Interventions: Phase A: atorvastatin (20 mg) vs placebo. Phase B: randomization 2:1 to subcutaneous evolocumab (420 mg monthly) or oral ezetimibe (10 mg daily). Main Outcome and Measures: Coprimary end points were the mean percent change in LDL-C level from baseline to the mean of weeks 22 and 24 levels and from baseline to week 24 levels. Results: Of the 491 patients who entered phase A (mean age, 60.7 [SD, 10.2] years; 246 women [50.1%]; 170 with coronary heart disease [34.6%]; entry mean LDL-C level, 212.3 [SD, 67.9] mg/dL), muscle symptoms occurred in 209 of 491 (42.6%) while taking atorvastatin but not while taking placebo. Of these, 199 entered phase B, along with 19 who proceeded directly to phase B for elevated creatine kinase (N = 218, with 73 randomized to ezetimibe and 145 to evolocumab; entry mean LDL-C level, 219.9 [SD, 72] mg/dL). For the mean of weeks 22 and 24, LDL-C level with ezetimibe was 183.0 mg/dL; mean percent LDL-C change, −16.7% (95% CI, −20.5% to −12.9%), absolute change, −31.0 mg/dL and with evolocumab was 103.6 mg/dL; mean percent change, −54.5% (95% CI, −57.2% to −51.8%); absolute change, −106.8 mg/dL (P &lt; .001). LDL-C level at week 24 with ezetimibe was 181.5 mg/dL; mean percent change, −16.7% (95% CI, −20.8% to −12.5%); absolute change, −31.2 mg/dL and with evolocumab was 104.1 mg/dL; mean percent change, −52.8% (95% CI, −55.8% to −49.8%); absolute change, −102.9 mg/dL (P &lt; .001). For the mean of weeks 22 and 24, between-group difference in LDL-C was −37.8%; absolute difference, −75.8 mg/dL. For week 24, between-group difference in LDL-C was −36.1%; absolute difference, –71.7 mg/dL. Muscle symptoms were reported in 28.8% of ezetimibe-treated patients and 20.7% of evolocumab-treated patients (log-rank P = .17). Active study drug was stopped for muscle symptoms in 5 of 73 ezetimibe-treated patients (6.8%) and 1 of 145 evolocumab-treated patients (0.7%). Conclusions and Relevance: Among patients with statin intolerance related to muscle-related adverse effects, the use of evolocumab compared with ezetimibe resulted in a significantly greater reduction in LDL-C levels after 24 weeks. Further studies are needed to assess long-term efficacy and safety

A high-resolution map of human evolutionary constraint using 29 mammals.

The comparison of related genomes has emerged as a powerful lens for genome interpretation. Here we report the sequencing and comparative analysis of 29 eutherian genomes. We confirm that at least 5.5% of the human genome has undergone purifying selection, and locate constrained elements covering ∼4.2% of the genome. We use evolutionary signatures and comparisons with experimental data sets to suggest candidate functions for ∼60% of constrained bases. These elements reveal a small number of new coding exons, candidate stop codon readthrough events and over 10,000 regions of overlapping synonymous constraint within protein-coding exons. We find 220 candidate RNA structural families, and nearly a million elements overlapping potential promoter, enhancer and insulator regions. We report specific amino acid residues that have undergone positive selection, 280,000 non-coding elements exapted from mobile elements and more than 1,000 primate- and human-accelerated elements. Overlap with disease-associated variants indicates that our findings will be relevant for studies of human biology, health and disease

The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment: Exploring Fundamental Symmetries of the Universe

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early Universe, the dynamics of the supernova bursts that produced the heavy elements necessary for life and whether protons eventually decay --- these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our Universe, its current state and its eventual fate. The Long-Baseline Neutrino Experiment (LBNE) represents an extensively developed plan for a world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions. LBNE is conceived around three central components: (1) a new, high-intensity neutrino source generated from a megawatt-class proton accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, (2) a near neutrino detector just downstream of the source, and (3) a massive liquid argon time-projection chamber deployed as a far detector deep underground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. This facility, located at the site of the former Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, is approximately 1,300 km from the neutrino source at Fermilab -- a distance (baseline) that delivers optimal sensitivity to neutrino charge-parity symmetry violation and mass ordering effects. This ambitious yet cost-effective design incorporates scalability and flexibility and can accommodate a variety of upgrades and contributions. With its exceptional combination of experimental configuration, technical capabilities, and potential for transformative discoveries, LBNE promises to be a vital facility for the field of particle physics worldwide, providing physicists from around the globe with opportunities to collaborate in a twenty to thirty year program of exciting science. In this document we provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess.Comment: Major update of previous version. This is the reference document for LBNE science program and current status. Chapters 1, 3, and 9 provide a comprehensive overview of LBNE's scientific objectives, its place in the landscape of neutrino physics worldwide, the technologies it will incorporate and the capabilities it will possess. 288 pages, 116 figure