A general procedure is provided for comparing correlation coefficients between optimal linear composites. The procedure allows computationally efficient significance tests on independent or dependent multiple correlations, partial correlations, and canonical correlations, with or without the assumption of multivariate normality. Evidence from some Monte Carlo studies on the effectiveness of the methods is also provided.

The multivariate asymptotic distribution of sequential Chi-square test statistics is investigated. It is shown that: (a) when sequential Chi-square statistics are calculated for nested models on the same data, the statistics have an asymptotic intercorrelation which may be expressed in closed form, and which is, in many cases, quite high; and (b) sequential Chi-square difference tests are asymptotically independent. Some Monte Carlo evidence on the applicability of the theory is provided.

The Brownian bridge or Lévy–Ciesielski construction of Brownian paths almost surely converges uniformly to the true Brownian path. We focus on the uniform error. In particular, we show constructively that at level N, at which there are $d=2^N$ points evaluated on the Brownian path, the uniform error and its square, and the uniform error of geometric Brownian motion, have upper bounds of order $\mathcal {O}(\sqrt {\ln d/d})$, matching the known orders. We apply the results to an option pricing example.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization stressed the importance of daily clinical assessments of infected patients, yet current approaches frequently consider cross-sectional timepoints, cumulative summary measures, or time-to-event analyses. Statistical methods are available that make use of the rich information content of longitudinal assessments. We demonstrate the use of a multistate transition model to assess the dynamic nature of COVID-19-associated critical illness using daily evaluations of COVID-19 patients from 9 academic hospitals. We describe the accessibility and utility of methods that consider the clinical trajectory of critically ill COVID-19 patients.

We present the data and initial results from the first pilot survey of the Evolutionary Map of the Universe (EMU), observed at 944 MHz with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. The survey covers $270 \,\mathrm{deg}^2$ of an area covered by the Dark Energy Survey, reaching a depth of 25–30 $\mu\mathrm{Jy\ beam}^{-1}$ rms at a spatial resolution of $\sim$ 11–18 arcsec, resulting in a catalogue of $\sim$ 220 000 sources, of which $\sim$ 180 000 are single-component sources. Here we present the catalogue of single-component sources, together with (where available) optical and infrared cross-identifications, classifications, and redshifts. This survey explores a new region of parameter space compared to previous surveys. Specifically, the EMU Pilot Survey has a high density of sources, and also a high sensitivity to low surface brightness emission. These properties result in the detection of types of sources that were rarely seen in or absent from previous surveys. We present some of these new results here.

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Racial differences in the prevalence of hypertension and endothelial (dys)function are well established, yet research investigating the mechanism(s) underlying this disparity is still lacking. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Investigate the influence of race and the effect of serum collected from hypertensive donors on Protein Phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) expression and activity in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) from Caucasian (CA) and African American (AA) donors. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: HUVECs from 3 CA & 3 AA donors were cultured in parallel. Experiments were conducted between passages 5-7. At ?90% confluency, cells were serum starved ˜12hrs prior to incubating for 24 or 48 hours in one of the following conditions: 1) Control (Fetal Bovine Serum), 2) serum from normotensives (NT; 5 CA & 5 AA donors), or 3) serum from hypertensives (HT; 5 CA & 5 AA donors). NT and HT serum was pooled from donors with the following characteristics: Male, 30-50 years, nonsmokers, no comorbidities, and non-obese (BMI < 30 kg/m2). Western blotting was used to measure protein expression of total eNOS, p-eNOSS1177, total PP2A, and p-PP2AY307. For activity p-eNOSS1177/total eNOS and p-PP2AY307/ total PP2A ratio was used. A two-way ANOVA was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Irrespective of the donors’ race, there was no influence of serum treatment or interaction effect in any of the measured proteins of interest. Moreover, compared to CA, HUVECs from AA had lower expression of eNOS irrespective of condition (race p=0.01). Compared to CA, HUVECs from AA tended to have lower expression of p-eNOSS1177 irrespective of condition (race p=0.07). However, there was no racial differences in eNOS activity (p=0.68). There was no racial difference in the expression of PP2A (p=0.35), p-PP2AY307 (p=0.30), or PP2A activity (p=0.97) in all conditions. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF FINDINGS: Our preliminary results suggest no influence serum constituents from hypertensive donors or race on PP2A or eNOS expression and activity in HUVECS. Future research should consider conducting proteomics profiling to compare NT and HT serum.

The Fontan Outcomes Network was created to improve outcomes for children and adults with single ventricle CHD living with Fontan circulation. The network mission is to optimise longevity and quality of life by improving physical health, neurodevelopmental outcomes, resilience, and emotional health for these individuals and their families. This manuscript describes the systematic design of this new learning health network, including the initial steps in development of a national, lifespan registry, and pilot testing of data collection forms at 10 congenital heart centres.

The partial skull of a lion from Natodomeri, northwest Kenya is described. The Natodomeri sites are correlated with Member I of the Kibish Formation, dated to between 195 ka and ca. 205 ka. The skull is remarkable for its very great size, equivalent to the largest cave lions (Panthera spelaea [Goldfuss, 1810]) of Pleistocene Eurasia and much larger than any previously known lion from Africa, living or fossil. We hypothesize that this individual represents a previously unknown population or subspecies of lion present in the late Middle and Late Pleistocene of eastern Africa rather than being an indication of climate-driven size increase in lions of that time. This raises questions regarding the extent of our understanding of the pattern and causes of lion evolution in the Late Pleistocene.

The Taipan galaxy survey (hereafter simply ‘Taipan’) is a multi-object spectroscopic survey starting in 2017 that will cover 2π steradians over the southern sky (δ ≲ 10°, |b| ≳ 10°), and obtain optical spectra for about two million galaxies out to z < 0.4. Taipan will use the newly refurbished 1.2-m UK Schmidt Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory with the new TAIPAN instrument, which includes an innovative ‘Starbugs’ positioning system capable of rapidly and simultaneously deploying up to 150 spectroscopic fibres (and up to 300 with a proposed upgrade) over the 6° diameter focal plane, and a purpose-built spectrograph operating in the range from 370 to 870 nm with resolving power R ≳ 2000. The main scientific goals of Taipan are (i) to measure the distance scale of the Universe (primarily governed by the local expansion rate, H0) to 1% precision, and the growth rate of structure to 5%; (ii) to make the most extensive map yet constructed of the total mass distribution and motions in the local Universe, using peculiar velocities based on improved Fundamental Plane distances, which will enable sensitive tests of gravitational physics; and (iii) to deliver a legacy sample of low-redshift galaxies as a unique laboratory for studying galaxy evolution as a function of dark matter halo and stellar mass and environment. The final survey, which will be completed within 5 yrs, will consist of a complete magnitude-limited sample (i ⩽ 17) of about 1.2 × 106 galaxies supplemented by an extension to higher redshifts and fainter magnitudes (i ⩽ 18.1) of a luminous red galaxy sample of about 0.8 × 106 galaxies. Observations and data processing will be carried out remotely and in a fully automated way, using a purpose-built automated ‘virtual observer’ software and an automated data reduction pipeline. The Taipan survey is deliberately designed to maximise its legacy value by complementing and enhancing current and planned surveys of the southern sky at wavelengths from the optical to the radio; it will become the primary redshift and optical spectroscopic reference catalogue for the local extragalactic Universe in the southern sky for the coming decade.