cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Different categories of living and non-living sound-sources activate distinct cortical networks

With regard to hearing perception, it remains unclear as to whether, or the extent to which, different conceptual categories of real-world sounds and related categorical knowledge are differentially represented in the brain. Semantic knowledge representations are reported to include the major divisions of living versus non-living things, plus more specific categories including animals, tools, biological motion, faces, and places-categories typically defined by their characteristic visual features. Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to identify brain regions showing preferential activity to four categories of action sounds, which included non-vocal human and animal actions (living), plus mechanical and environmental sound-producing actions (non-living). The results showed a striking antero-posterior division in cortical representations for sounds produced by living versus non-living sources. Additionally, there were several significant differences by category, depending on whether the task was category-specific (e.g. human or not) versus non-specific (detect end-of-sound). In general, (1) human-produced sounds yielded robust activation in the bilateral posterior superior temporal sulci independent of task. Task demands modulated activation of left lateralized fronto-parietal regions, bilateral insular cortices, and sub-cortical regions previously implicated in observation-execution matching, consistent with "embodied" and mirror-neuron network representations subserving recognition. (2) Animal action sounds preferentially activated the bilateral posterior insulae. (3) Mechanical sounds activated the anterior superior temporal gyri and parahippocampal cortices. (4) Environmental sounds preferentially activated dorsal occipital and medial parietal cortices. Overall, this multi-level dissociation of networks for preferentially representing distinct sound-source categories provides novel support for grounded cognition models that may underlie organizational principles for hearing perception.
Inhibition of Phosphorylated-STAT1 Nuclear Translocation and Antiviral Protein Expression in Human Brain Vascular Adventitial Fibroblasts Infected with Varicella-Zoster Virus

In varicella-zoster virus (VZV)-infected primary human brain vascular adventitial fibroblasts (BRAFs), levels of beta interferon (IFN-β,) STAT1, and STAT2 transcripts as well as STAT1 and STAT2 protein were decreased. IFN-α transcript levels were increased but not secreted IFN-α protein levels. Compared to IFN-α-treated control results, in VZV-infected BRAFs, phosphorylated STAT1 did not translocate to the nucleus, resulting in impaired downstream expression of interferon-inducible antiviral Mx1. Overall, VZV interference with the type I interferon pathway may promote virus persistence in cerebral arteries.
Optical steganography for data hiding in optical networks

Optical steganography for data-hiding is experimentally demonstrated using group velocity dispersion in an optical network. A stealth channel is temporally and spectrally hidden underneath a public channel. Our technique applies to several different types of optical systems including optical code division and wavelength division multiplexing. The hidden signal is retrieved at the receiver through dispersion management. The effect of the stealth channel on the performance of the public channel is shown to be small; this is demonstrated through eye diagrams and bit-error rate measurements. To miniaturize the proposed scheme, compact chirped fiber Bragg gratings are used, reducing the length of the fiber providing group velocity dispersion is by a factor of 2000 compared to previous demonstrations.
Determinants of family life satisfaction in reforming urban China

Since the late 1970s, mainland China has embarked on an unprecedented economic reform. This reform not only helped China move away more successfully from a centrally planned economy than the former Soviet Union and its East European satellites, it also improved the quality of life for China’s massive population, especially its urban population. While the impact of this reform on family life such as household composition, marriage patterns, childbearing decisions, and inter-generational relationships has been well documented, research on family life satisfaction during this political and economic transformation is nearly nonexistent. To fill this research void, we use the 1993 China Housing Survey conducted in Shanghai and Tianjin to explore the determinants of family life satisfaction among married urban Chinese. Our Confirmatory Factor Analysis conceptualizes family life satisfaction as a multi-dimensional concept, encompassing satisfaction with marriage, family economy, family relations, and family life...
Characterization of stainless steel inertia welds using HTS SQUID NDE

Inertia welding has become one of the key joining technologies in the aerospace industry with, at present, no reliable and reproducible nondestructive technique to evaluate weld quality. We previously reported on the preliminary studies of solid-state inertia welds in stainless steel using HTS SQUID magnetometers. A comparison of the SQUID data with that obtained from destructive metallurgical analyses of the welds was not conclusive, due mainly to the limited range in perceived weld quality of the sample set investigated. In this paper we report on eddy current-based measurements carried out on a set of stainless steel samples fabricated using parameters designed to create a wider range of weld qualities.
Detailed In Vivo Analysis of the Role of Helicobacter pylori Fur in Colonization and Disease

Helicobacter pylori persistently colonizes the harsh and dynamic environment of the stomach in over one-half of the world's population and has been identified as a causal agent in a spectrum of pathologies that range from gastritis to invasive adenocarcinoma. The ferric uptake regulator (Fur) is one of the few regulatory proteins that has been identified in H. pylori. Fur regulates genes important for acid acclimation and oxidative stress and has been shown to be important for colonization of H. pylori in both murine and Mongolian gerbil models of infection. To more thoroughly define the role of Fur in vivo, we conducted an extensive temporal analysis of the location of, competitive ability of, and resultant pathology induced by a Δfur strain in the Mongolian gerbil model of infection and compared the results to results for its wild-type parent. We found that at the earliest time points postinfection, significantly more Δfur bacteria than wild-type bacteria were recovered. However, this trend was reversed by day 3, when there was significantly increased recovery of the wild-type strain. The increased recovery of the Δfur strain at 1 day postinfection reflected increased recovery from both the corpus and the antrum of the stomach. When the wild-type strain was allowed to colonize first, the Δfur strain was unable to compete for colonization at any time postinfection. However, when the Δfur strain was allowed to colonize first, the wild type efficiently outcompeted the Δfur strain only at early times postinfection. Finally, we demonstrated that there was a delay in the development and severity of inflammation and pathology of the Δfur strain in the gastric mucosa even after comparable levels of colonization occurred. Together, these data indicate that H. pylori Fur is most important at early stages of infection and illustrate the importance of the ability of H. pylori to adapt to its constantly fluctuating environment when it is establishing infection, inflammation, and disease.
New surgical techniques: Implications for the cardiac anesthesiologist: Mini-thoracotomy for coronary revascularization without cardiopulmonary bypass

Minimally invasive coronary artery revascularization is a new technique in cardiac surgery of interest to both the medical profession and the general public. Although surgical methods are still evolving, two general approaches are used. The most prevalent technique is bypass of the left anterior descending coronary artery with the left internal mammary artery through a short left parasternal incision. Operation is performed on the beating heart under direct vision without the aid of cardiopulmonary bypass. The procedure is termed “minimally invasive direct vision coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB)”. The second general approach is videoscopic, with multiple ports for exposure and manipulation. This method employs cardiopulmonary bypass and is more timeconsuming than MIDCAB. These novel techniques raise new challenges for cardiac surgeons and anesthesiologists. An important goal of minimally invasive revascularization is to reduce pain and length of hospitalization and hence provide an attractive alternative to catheter techniques, in terms of both cost and patient acceptance. This report describes current protocols for patient selection and perioperative anesthetic management, along with early results in the use of this technique.
AVIAN POX IN EASTERN SCREECH OWLS AND BARRED OWLS FROM FLORIDA

Avian pox was diagnosed in two eastern screech owls (Otus asio) and two barred owls (Strix varia) living in different regions of Florida (USA) between November 1994 and October 1995. Avian poxvirus infection was confirmed by the presence of eosinophilic intracytoplasmic epidermal inclusions (Bollinger bodies) on light microscopy of tissue from all four owls. Additionally, typical poxvirus particles were demonstrated by electron microscopy of a lesion from one of the eastern screech owls. These are the first published case reports of avian pox in eastern screech owls and barred owls.
Impaired myogenic constriction of the renal afferent arteriole in a mouse model of reduced βENaC expression

Previous studies demonstrate a role for β epithelial Na+ channel (βENaC) protein as a mediator of myogenic constriction in renal interlobar arteries. However, the importance of βENaC as a mediator ...
Development of laser based spectroscopic trace-gas sensors for environmental sensor networks and medical exposure monitors

We report wavelength modulated TDLAS/QEPAS trace gas sensors with reduced size, efficiency, and cost for use in environmental sensor networks and medical exposure monitors. CO2 measurements with a 2 mum diode laser dissipate <1 W.
Brief deviations from set point temperatures during normal airport handling operations negatively affect the quality of papaya (Carica papaya) fruit

The consequences of poor temperature management during air transport were investigated by storing intact, abraded, or abraded + inoculated (Colletotrichum gloeosporioides) papaya fruit (cv. Red Lady) for 76 h in three temperature regimes simulating different commercial air handling scenarios followed by storage for 7 days at 20 ◦ C to simulate shelf life. The papayas in two fluctuating temperature regimes deviated from a semi-constant regime by being held for 1 h at 15 ◦ C plus 1 h at 23.5 ◦ C versus 2 h at 12 ◦ C to simulate the period on the tarmac prior to loading onto an airplane, 7 h at 23.5 ◦ C versus 7 h at 12 ◦ C to simulate the flight period, and then for either 2 h at 1 ◦ C or 2 h at 23.5 ◦ C versus 2 h at 12 ◦ C to simulate waiting on the tarmac after unloading the airplane. The fluctuating temperature regimes simulated actual conditions previously documented by us as encountered during ground and in-flight perishable handling operations. Overall, papayas handled in the fluctuating cold or warm temperature regimes lost more weight, developed objectionable color, were softer and more shriveled, had more decay, and had lower soluble solids, acidity and ascorbic acid contents than papayas handled in the semi-constant temperature regime. In addition, papaya handled in the fluctuating cold temperature regime that included exposure to 1 ◦ C for 2 h developed chilling injury symptoms after being transferred to 20 ◦ C for 7 days. Abraded and abraded + inoculated papaya fruit handled in semi-constant temperature developed less decay during shelf life than those stored in fluctuating temperatures. Loss of firmness and development of chilling injury symptoms were the primary quality factors that limited the shelf life of papaya fruit. Papaya from the first harvest and handled in a semi-constant temperature regime never became unacceptable for sale even after 7 days of shelf life. For papayas transported in fluctuating cold or warm temperature regimes, the greatest quality loss was noticeable during simulated air flight, during truck transportation from the airport to the warehouse and then to the supermarket, and during shelf life compared with warehouse storage at the grower, truck transportation to the airport, waiting on the tarmac, or backroom storage at the supermarket. The results indicate that fluctuating and/or high or low temperatures that are often encountered for as little as a few hours during handling operations, may result in a considerable amount of papaya rejected.
Loblolly pine needle decomposition and nutrient dynamics as affected by irrigation, fertilization, and substrate quality

Abstract This study examined the effects of initial litter quality and irrigation and fertilization treatments on litter decomposition rates and nutrient dynamics (N, Ca, K, Mg, and P) of loblolly ( Pinus taeda L.) pine needles in the North Carolina Sand Hills over 3 years. Litter quality was based on the initial C/N ratios, with the high-quality litter having a significantly ( P k =0.36±0.01 year −1 for the fertilized and irrigated+fertilized plots) than on unfertilized plots ( k =0.26±0.01 and 0.28±0.01 year −1 for the control and irrigated plots, respectively). The decomposing litter was a net sink for P and N and a net source of Mg, Ca, and especially K. Whereas initial substrate quality did not affect decomposition rates, it did affect the rate of release. Compared to the low quality litter, the high quality litter released K at a higher rate, released Mg at a lower rate, and accumulated N at a higher rate. Fertilization decreased the rate of release of Mg and K in high-quality litter and Mg and Ca in low quality litter. In addition, fertilization increased the rate of accumulation of P in both.
Liquid chromatographic-electrospray tandem mass spectrometric determination of clarithromycin in human plasma.

A rapid, sensitive and specific LC-MS-MS method has been developed for the determination of clarithromycin (CLA) in human plasma using roxithromycin (ROX) as the internal standard. Samples were prepared via liquid–liquid extraction with methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) and chromatographed on a Supelco RP18 (4.6 × 50 mm, 3 µm particle size) column with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile:methanol:60 mM (pH 3.5) ammonium acetate buffer (32.5:32.5:35) at a constant flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The run time was 3 min with retention times of approximately 1.65 and 1.70 min for CLA and ROX, respectively. Detection was performed on a PE Sciex API 365 mass spectrometer equipped with a turboionspray ionization source in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The MRM pairs were m/z 748.5 → m/z 158.2 for CLA and m/z 837.7 → m/z 679.3 for ROX, respectively, with dwell times of 200 ms for each transition. The validated calibration curve range was 5.00–5000 ng/mL, based on 0.100 mL plasma sample volume with signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) greater than 60 for CLA at the lower limit of quantification level (5.00 ng/mL). The correlation coefficients (r2) of the calibration curves were better than or equal to 0.996. The inter-day (n = 18) precision and accuracy of the quality control (QC) samples were less than 3.58% RSD (relative standard deviation) and -10.8% bias, respectively. The intra-day (n = 6) precision and accuracy of the quality control samples were less than 5.0 and 12.6%, respectively. There was no significant deviation from the nominal values after a 10-fold dilution of high concentration QC samples using blank matrix. The QC samples were stable when left on the bench for 24 h or after three freeze–thaw cycles. The processed samples were also stable in HPLC autosampler at 10C for over 72 h. No matrix ionization suppression was observed when extracted blank matrix or reconstitution solvent was injected onto the system with post-column infusion of clarithromycin and roxithromycin. No carryover was observed when an extracted blank plasma sample was injected immediately after a 5000 ng/mL ULOQ (the upper limit of quantification) standard. The mean recovery was 81.5 and 78.3%, respectively, for clarithromycin and internal standard. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Clinical and cytogenetic manifestations of subtelomeric aberrations: Report of six cases.

BACKGROUND Fluorescent subtelomeric probes for the 41 different subtelomeric regions (the p arms of the acrocentric chromosomes were excluded) have been developed over the last 10 years. These probes can detect deletions, duplications, and translocations in the gene-rich subtelomeric regions of human chromosomes, regions where crossing over frequently occurs and where a high number of abnormalities have been found. Recently, commercially produced probes have become available, which has led to the detection of subtelomeric abnormalities in 7.4% of patients with moderate to severe mental retardation (Knight et al., 1999). CASES We evaluated 43 dysmorphic children with developmental delay and/or mental retardation of unknown etiology and/or autism who were previously assessed for chromosome abnormalities, metabolic disorders, or recognizable dysmorphic syndromes, all of which were ruled out. Of the 43 children tested, 6 (14%) were found to have subtelomeric aberrations. CONCLUSIONS We recommend that patients with dysmorphic features and mental retardation of unknown etiology who also have a normal standard chromosome analysis should have subtelomeric FISH testing performed earlier in their clinical workup. Birth Defects Research (Part A), 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Phanerochaete chrysosporium β-Glucosidases: Induction, Cellular Localization, and Physical Characterization

Phanerochaete chrysosporium produces intracellular soluble and particulate β-glucosidases and an extracellular β-glucosidase. The extracellular enzyme is induced by cellulose but repressed in the presence of glucose. The molecular weight of this enzyme is 90,000. The Km for p-nitrophenyl-β-glucoside is 1.6 × 10−4 M; the Ki for glucose, a competitive inhibitor, is 5.0 × 10−4 M. The Km for cellobiose is 5.3 × 10−4 M. The intracellular soluble enzyme is induced by cellobiose; this induction is prevented by cycloheximide. The presence of 300 mM glucose in the medium, however, had no effect on induction. The Km for p-nitrophenyl-β-glucoside is 1.1 × 10−4 M. The molecular weight of this enzyme is ∼410,000. Both enzymes have an optimal temperature of 45°C and an Eact of 9.15 kcal (ca. 3.83 × 104 J). The pH optima, however, were ∼7.0 and 5.5 for the intracellular and extracellular enzymes, respectively.
Use and interpretation of genetic tests in cardiovascular genetics

Our understanding of the genetic basis of many Mendelian forms of cardiovascular disease has advanced significantly in the last 5–10 years. There are now many professional society guidelines that recommend genetic testing for a variety of hereditary cardiovascular diseases including long QT syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).1–3 The number of genes associated with cardiac conditions continues to increase, and the number of clinically available genetic tests for cardiac conditions has expanded rapidly in recent years (table 1). View this table: Table 1 Genetic tests for hereditary cardiac conditions. Genetic tests for hereditary cardiac conditions typically involve sequencing some or all of the various genes associated with a given condition. The number of genes included and the sequencing methodology used may vary by laboratory. Some laboratories also offer analyses to look for duplications or deletions in the associated genes Clinical genetic testing can be highly valuable in the management of families with hereditary disease. Determining which family members inherited the genetic predisposition to cardiac disease allows us to separate those in need of lifelong clinical evaluations from those who need no further evaluations beyond those recommended for the general population. This strategy is particularly valuable in inherited cardiovascular diseases where definitive clinical diagnosis of at-risk relatives is limited by incomplete penetrance, variable age of onset and, in some cases, insensitivity of clinical testing.4–7 Recent guidelines and expert opinions have gone beyond simply recommending genetic testing; they emphasise important points for the judicious use of genetic testing such as performing genetic testing on the most clearly affected person in the family, careful genetic counselling regarding the implications of positive, negative or uncertain results, and consideration of referral to a specialised centre due to the complexity of such genetic evaluations.1 8 9 To further elucidate principles and approaches critical to the …
Can Tissue Engineering Mend Broken Hearts

Cardiac tissue engineering is an emerging field that may hold great promise for advancing the treatment of heart diseases. Cardiac tissue engineering is in its infancy, and the overall field of tissue engineering, which was formalized in the late 1980s at conferences and workshops sponsored by the National Science Foundation, is still new enough to warrant some description. By broad definition, tissue engineering involves the construction of tissue equivalents through the manipulation and combination of living cells and biomaterials. It is a multidisciplinary field combining diverse aspects of the life sciences, engineering, and clinical medicine. The overall goal of tissue engineering is to develop tissue equivalents for use in the repair, replacement, maintenance, or augmentation of tissues or organs. Although some aspects of cardiac tissue engineering research have been ongoing for generations, albeit without being known as such, directed efforts in the field are only beginning. The main justification for cardiac tissue engineering initiatives is straightforward: congenital and acquired heart diseases are substantial health problems, and there is a limited amount of donor tissue for use in surgical repairs. Heart defects are the most common congenital defect and are the leading cause of death in the first year of life.1,2⇓ Congenital heart defects may occur in as many as 14 of every 1000 live births,3 and approximately 25 000 surgical procedures are performed each year to correct them. Acquired heart diseases also have a profound effect on the population, and despite tremendous advances in medical and surgical treatments, it is estimated that each year 20 000 to 40 000 Americans could benefit from a heart transplant.4 Unfortunately, fewer than 2500 heart transplants are performed each year.4,5⇓ One of the principal reasons for the disparity between patient need and procedures performed is the lack of …
Carbon resistor gauges for measuring shock and detonation pressures. III. Revised calibration data and relationships

For many years, carbon resistors have formed the basis for measurement of shock and detonation pressures associated with condensed explosives. The gauge is fabricated by heat-sealing the resistor into a plastic material such as polystyrene. When subjected to a strong shock wave, the resistance decreases, and the resulting increase in conductance is a function of the magnitude of the pressure. The present investigation was concerned with the experimental derivation of revised calibration equations, which was necessitated by the need to incorporate a terminating resistor into the gauge circuitry. The use of this resistor decreased the effect of standing waves and eliminated oscillatory ringing in the recorded signal. Typical records over a wide range of pressures are presented. An error analysis of the recorded data showed that the uncertainty in the measured pressure was of the same order of magnitude as the uncertainty in the interpretation of the recorded voltage from which the conductance was computed. An extensive discussion of the relevancy of the experimental data is presented, and the need for additional calibration experiments is stressed.
The In vitro Antibiotic Tolerant Persister Population in Burkholderia pseudomallei is Altered by Environmental Factors.

Bacterial persistence due to antibiotic tolerance is a critical aspect of antibiotic treatment failure, disease latency, and chronic or reemergent infections. The levels of persisters is especially notable for the opportunistic Gram-negative pathogens from the Burkholderia and Pseudomonas genera. We examined the rate of drug tolerant persisters in Burkholderia pseudomallei, Burkholderia thailandensis, Burkholderia cepacia complex organisms, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at mid-log growth in LB broth culture. We found that a fraction of the antibiotic-sensitive cells from every species were tolerant to a 24 hour high-dose antibiotic challenge. All tested Burkholderia strains demonstrated a drug tolerant persister population at a rate that was at least 100 – 500 times higher than P. aeruginosa. When challenged with a 10X minimum inhibitory concentration 24 hour exposure to five different antibiotics with different modes of action we found that in B. pseudomallei Bp82 the same fraction of persisters in the bacterial population was revealed when using 4 of them. This observation suggests that our assay is detecting a single homogeneous persister population. Persistence in B. pseudomallei Bp82 was highly dependent on growth stage, with a surprisingly high persister fraction of >64% of the late stationary phase cells being antibiotic tolerant. Adaptation of B. pseudomallei to distilled water storage resulted in a population of drug tolerant cells up to 100% of the non-drug-challenged viable cell count. Cultivation of B. pseudomallei with a sub-inhibitory concentration of several antibiotics resulted in altered persister fractions within the population relative to cultures lacking the antibiotic. Our study provides insight into the sensitivity of the persister fraction within the population of B. pseudomallei due to environmental variables and suggests a lack of diversity within the persister population.
Effects of althesin and urethan-chloralose on neurohumoral cardiovascular regulation

The cardiovascular effects of althesin (ALT) and urethan-chloralose (UC) anesthesia were compared in conscious, chronically instrumented rats. Althesin had no effect on arterial pressure or base-line resistance in the renal, superior mesenteric, and hindquarters vasculatures but increased heart rate. In contrast, UC decreased arterial pressure, heart rate, and mesenteric resistance. Although UC attenuated depressor responses to nitroglycerin, neither anesthetic significantly altered regional vascular reactivity to intravenous phenylephrine and nitroglycerin. The cardiac chronotropic baroreflex was examined by comparing the slope of the curves relating maximal changes (delta) in heart rate (pulse interval) that occurred at the point coinciding in time with the maximal changes in mean arterial pressure produced by phenylephrine and nitroglycerin. Neither anesthetic significantly altered the baroreflex slope (delta pulse interval/delta mean arterial pressure) for pressor and depressor stimuli. Both anesthetics attenuated the sympathoexcitatory response to cerebroventricular angiotensin II, although ALT had less of a depressive effect (pressor response during ALT and UC = 65 and 30%, respectively, of conscious). Plasma renin activity (PRA) and the hemodynamic response to peripheral angiotensin-receptor antagonism were significantly increased (PRA by almost 6-fold) during UC, whereas ALT was without effect. Similarly, UC but not ALT induced vasopressin-dependent vascular tone. Ganglionic blockade indicated that peripheral neurogenic tone was not altered by ALT anesthesia. These data suggest that althesin produces fewer hemodynamic disturbances than urethan-chloralose and largely maintains cardiovascular regulation intact.
Heavy Ion Beam Transport through Liquid Lithium First Wall ICF Reactor Cavities

This analysis addresses the critical issue of the final transport of a heavy ion beam in an inertial confinement fusion reactor. The beam must traverse the reaction chamber from the final focusing lens to the target without being disrupted. This requirement has a strong impact on the reactor design. It is essential to the development of ICF fusion reactor technology, that the restrictions placed on the reactor engineering parameters by final beam transport considerations be understood early on.
A New State of Being: The Lived Experience of Parental Bereavement

In spite of growing bereavement literature, the meaning of the lived experience of parental bereavement is not well understood. This article presents selected findings from a Heideggerian hermeneutic phenomenological study which aimed to describe the lived experience of bereaved parents who experienced the death of a child due to cancer. Conversational interviews were conducted with six parents who experienced the death of a young child due to cancer at least one year prior to participation. The nature of parental bereavement was revealed to be a new state of being into which parents enter immediately after the death of a child and which has no end point. Findings will equip health professionals and others who work with bereaved parents with a deeper understanding of the meaning of parental bereavement.
A multi-agent control based demand response strategy for multi-zone buildings

This paper presents a multi-agent control approach for optimal demand management of multi-zone buildings. A near-optimal heuristic is proposed for a typical chilled-water air-conditioning (AC) system that can be used to formulate a demand response (DR) problem under a convex form. Then a building multi-agent control framework is utilized to synthesize a multi-agent controller where an alternating direction multiplier method (ADMM) based algorithm is adopted for intra-agent optimization and inter-agent coordination. With the proposed multi-agent DR strategy, 6% energy cost savings and 20% demand cost savings were achieved for a month period with a 3-zone case study.
The Moon’s Contribution to Nighttime Illuminance in Different Environments

The moon’s contribution to illuminance was investigated in order to determine the role it may play in providing a level of illuminance suitable to perform everyday tasks in nighttime outdoor environments. The level of illuminance provided in an area void of artificial lighting was compared to illuminance in an urban environment. Moon phase affected illuminance only in the absence of urban lighting. This effect was lost when controlling for altitude and azimuth, suggesting the moon’s location in the sky has a more significant effect on illuminance than the phase of the moon. These results are discussed in relation to our current understanding and experience of navigating and operating in nighttime environments.
Etiology and familial inheritance of pleomorphic adenomas

Background: A pleomorphic adenoma is the most common salivary gland neoplasm in both children and adults. Pleomorphic adenomas are derived from ductal and myoepithelial cells and are most commonly found in the superficial lobe of the parotid gland. The purpose of this article is to discuss the genes involved in pleomorphic adenomas and the possible autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Case Description: The first patient was a white male who was diagnosed with carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma, a highly aggressive tumor, at the age of 57. He had an undiagnosed pleomorphic adenoma for approximately 15 years prior. The tumor was excised and the patient underwent radiation in the location of his parotid gland for 4 years until he deceased. The second patient is a white female, his daughter, who was diagnosed with a benign pleomorphic adenoma at the age of 46. Her salivary gland tumor was excised and normal follow up appointments occurred. Practical Implications: Pleomorphic adenomas most commonly affect the parotid gland, the largest of the three major salivary gland tumors. Occurrence and excision of this salivary gland tumor will cause a decrease in the secretion of saliva, leading to a dry mouth and an increased risk of caries.
A Stakeholder Perspective on the Effect of Firm-Employee Relationships on Innovation Search

The stakeholder orientation of the firm towards its employees has long been argued to be beneficial for various firm outcomes. However, research has not examined its potential disparate impacts on ...
Chaotic Multiple Access System Based on Orthogonal Chaotic Vector of Lorenz System

Chaos phenomenon is capable of generating chaotic sequences with low cross-correlation, which can be useful for spreading the direct sequence code division multiple access (DS-CDMA) system. In this paper, a chaotic multiple access communication system based on Orthogonal Chaotic Vector (OCV) generated from Lorenz system has been proposed. The simulation results show that the performance of the proposed system is almost the same regardless of the number of users in Additive White Gaussian noise AWGN channel. The results also show that at bit-error-rate of 10-3, the proposed system has achieved gains of 6 dB and 11 dB in signal-to-noise ratio over traditional DS-CDMA based on Walsh-Hadamard sequence in AWGN and Rayleigh fading channels, respectively.
Atypical antibody responses to influenza

Influenza viruses undergo rapid antigenic evolution and reassortment, resulting in annual epidemics and the occasional pandemics. Exposure to influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) antigen, either through vaccination or infection, induces an antibody response able to recognize only the homologous antigenic subtype. However, atypical antibody responses recognizing non-homologous influenza subtypes have been reported during infection and vaccination. Here, we review the incidence of these phenomena in published literature and discuss the potential mechanisms underlying them.
When the stomach rules the heart: dyspnea as a neglected complication of a large hiatal hernia.

Hiatal hernia is a common condition; its exact prevalence is uncertain because of disagreement about its definition, but some sources suggest that it is present in more than 50% of individuals older than the age of 50 years ([1][1]). Cardiologists are most commonly involved in the care of patients
Cougar dispersal and natal homing in a desert environment

We present a review of cougar dispersal literature and the first evidence of natural (i.e., unmanipulated) homing behavior by a dispersing male cougar (Puma concolor) that sustained severe injuries crossing the northern Mojave Desert. Based on Global Positioning System and ground tracking data, the male traveled a total distance of 981.1 km at 5.03 km/d, including 170.31 km from the Desert National Wildlife Refuge to the northwestern Grand Canyon, where he sustained severe injuries. The interkill interval increased from 7.1 ± 2.7 d while he was in his natal range to 17.5 ± 4.9 d during dispersal. While homing, the male appeared to consume only reptiles until he died, 33.7 km from his capture site. In desert environments where prey availability is low, homing behavior may be an important strategy for dispersing cougars, providing a mechanism for persistence when the best quality habitats they encounter are already occupied by adult residents. Therefore, managing for habitat connectivity can ensure successful homing as well as dispersal on a greater scale than has been previously suggested. Elucidating the mechanisms that trigger homing during dispersal may provide critical insight into animal movements often overlooked as mundane behavior.
A General N-Moment Normalization Method for Deriving Raindrop Size Distribution Scaling Relationships

AbstractA general drop size distribution (DSD) normalization method is formulated in terms of generalized power series relating any DSD moment to any number and combination of reference moments. Th...
Abstract B11: The MuSiC2 system for discovery and visualization of coding and noncoding cancer drivers

The MuSiC system has been widely used over the last 5 years by the scientific community for analyzing genomic data across the cancer spectrum. However, the desired scope of analysis has now increased dramatically, due to advances in instrumentation and experimental methods, vastly expanding sample availability, and the general appreciation of many newfound subtleties of the cancer initiation and progression processes themselves. We have extended MuSiC in several ways to address both new requirements and several long-standing issues that have not been manageable with any current analysis system. Here, we focus on three aspects. First, to answer the growing need for noncoding analysis, MuSiC2 extends the common idea of a “significantly mutated gene” model to one of “significantly mutated regions,” including the attendant tasks of interfacing to ENCODE, calculating region-appropriate background mutation rates (BMRs) for hypothesis testing, etc. Second, to address the statistical artifacts realized with most analysis software, we have designed two new filters: one for longer-than-average genes and another for cancer types having elevated BMRs, both scenarios of which typically show appreciably inflated false-positive rates because of upwardly biased passenger mutation counts. Finally, we describe a number of new visualization capabilities designed to give the investigator new interpretive capabilities, including for complex genomic rearrangements that may stem from viral integration. Taken together with improved programmatic efficiencies, the new MuSiC2 system should be useful for discovering and visualizing coding and noncoding cancer drivers in pediatric and adult cancers. Citation Format: Matthew A. Wyczalkowski, Matthew H. Bailey, Carolyn Lou, Felix Hu, Justin Y. Chen, Prag Batra, Michael D. McLellan, Li Ding, Michael C. Wendl. The MuSiC2 system for discovery and visualization of coding and noncoding cancer drivers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Pediatric Cancer Research: From Basic Science to the Clinic; 2017 Dec 3-6; Atlanta, Georgia. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(19 Suppl):Abstract nr B11.
Where are Fuzzy Extractors Possible

Fuzzy extractors (Dodis et al., Eurocrypt 2004) convert repeated noisy readings of a high-entropy secret into the same uniformly distributed key. A minimum condition for the security of the key is the hardness of guessing a value that is similar to the secret, because the fuzzy extractor converts such a guess to the key. We dene fuzzy min-entropy to quantify this property of a noisy source of secrets. Fuzzy minentropy measures the success of the adversary when provided with only the functionality of the fuzzy extractor, that is, the ideal security possible from a noisy distribution. High fuzzy min-entropy is necessary for the existence of a fuzzy extractor. We ask: is high fuzzy min-entropy a sucient condition for key extraction from noisy sources? If only computational security is required, recent progress on program obfuscation gives evidence that fuzzy min-entropy is indeed sucient. In contrast, information-theoretic fuzzy extractors are not known for many practically relevant sources of high fuzzy min-entropy. In this paper, we show that fuzzy min-entropy is also sucient for information-theoretically secure fuzzy extraction. For every source distribution W for which security is possible we give a secure fuzzy extractor. Our construction relies on the fuzzy extractor knowing the precise distribution of the source W . A more ambitious goal is to design a single extractor that works for all possible sources. We show that this more ambitious goal is impossible: we give a family of sources with high fuzzy min-entropy for which no single fuzzy extractor is secure. This result emphasizes the importance of accurate models of high entropy sources.
A molecularly defined insular cortex --> central amygdala circuit mediates conditioned overconsumption of food.

Abstract Feeding is a complex motivated behavior that is controlled not just by metabolic and homeostatic factors, but also by environmental factors such as emotion and the hedonic nature of the food itself. Yet, little is known about how brain regions involved in cognition and emotion might contribute to overeating, and therefore, obesity. We used a recently developed behavioral task in which learned contextual cues induce feeding even in sated mice to investigate the underlying neural mechanisms. Using viral tracing, molecular profiling and chemo/optogenetic techniques, we discovered that an insular cortex projection to the central amygdala is required for conditioned overconsumption but not homeostatic feeding. The projection neurons express nitric oxide synthase-1 and activation of this population suppresses satiety signals in the central amygdala. The data thus indicate that the insular cortex provides top down control of homeostatic circuits to promote overconsumption in response to learned cues. One Sentence Summary Nitric oxide synthase-1 neurons in the insular cortex promote overconsumption by projecting to the central amygdala to suppress a homeostatic satiety signal.
Blood pressure trajectory and category and risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in nulliparous women

Background Recently updated American College of Cardiology/ American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guidelines redefine blood pressure categories as stage 1 hypertension (systolic, 130–139 mm Hg or diastolic, 80–89 mm Hg), elevated (systolic, 120–129 mm Hg and diastolic, Objective We sought to evaluate the risk of gestational hypertension or preeclampsia based on early pregnancy blood pressure category and trajectory. Study Design We utilized data from the Nulliparous Pregnancy Outcomes Study: Monitoring Mothers-to-Be cohort, a prospective observational study of nulliparous women with singleton pregnancies conducted at 8 clinical sites between 2010 and 2014. Women included in this analysis had no known history of prepregnancy hypertension (blood pressure, ≥140/90 mm Hg) or diabetes. We compared the frequency of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, including preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, among women based on ACC/AHA blood pressure category at a first-trimester study visit and blood pressure trajectory between study visits in the first and second trimesters. Blood pressure trajectories were categorized based on blood pressure difference between visits 1 and 2 as stable ( Results A total of 8899 women were included in the analysis. Study visit 1 occurred at a mean gestational age of 11.6 ± 1.5 weeks and study visit 2 at a mean gestational age of 19.0 ± 1.6 weeks. First-trimester blood pressure category was significantly associated with both preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, with increasing blood pressure category associated with a higher risk of all hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Elevated blood pressure was associated with an adjusted relative risk of 1.54 (95% confidence interval, 1.18–2.02) and stage 1 hypertension was associated with adjusted relative risk of 2.16 (95% confidence interval, 1.31–3.57) of any hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Stage 1 hypertension was associated with the highest risk of preeclampsia with severe features, with an adjusted relative risk of 2.48 (95% confidence interval, 1.38–8.74). Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure trajectories were also significantly associated with the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy independent of blood pressure category (P Conclusion In nulliparous women, blood pressure category and trajectory in early pregnancy are independently associated with risk of preeclampsia and gestational hypertension. Our study demonstrates that blood pressure categories with lower thresholds than those traditionally used to identify individuals as hypertensive may identify more women at risk for preeclampsia and gestational hypertension.
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension is a clot you cannot swat

Abstract A 49-year-old man with progressive dyspnea on exertion and a remote history of syncope presented with hypotension and acute right ventricular failure, and was ultimately diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism. Laboratory data revealed a prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time, which confounded treatment options. He was ultimately diagnosed with anti-phospholipid syndrome and factor XII deficiency, and underwent a thromboendarterectomy procedure with resolution of right ventricular failure and symptoms. Careful attention to history, initial physical examination manifestations, and clinical data often permit a timely diagnosis of and treatment for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.
Computational Approaches to Anesthetic Drug Discovery

All currently available general anesthetics produce potentially deadly side effects. Unfortunately, few approaches have been developed to design safer ones, despite important advances in anesthetic mechanisms research. Cayla and colleagues recently showed that computational methods can be used to identify anesthetic lead compounds devoid of specific side effects.
Human Leukocyte Antigen Class I Antibodies and Response to Platelet Transfusion in Patients Undergoing Liver Transplantation.

Abstract Background Patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) frequently receive platelet transfusion (PLT) to minimize their risk of hemorrhage. Alloimmunization to platelets may lead to refractoriness to PLT. Data on the implications of platelet alloimmunization in patients undergoing LT remain limited. We examined the effect of human leukocyte antigen class I (HLA-I) antibodies on PLT refractoriness and short-term outcomes after LT. Methods Peritransplant clinical and PLT factors were reviewed for all adult liver or simultaneous liver–kidney transplantations from 2012 to 2017. Sensitized patients (SE) with pretransplant HLA-I calculated panel-reactive antibody ≥20% were compared with unsensitized patients (US) with calculated panel-reactive antibody Results Alloimmunization was observed in 39% of the study cohort. SE (n = 28) received 272 PLTs, and US (n = 44) received 246 PLTs. History of pregnancy was higher among SE than US (P Conclusions LT patients experienced high rates of HLA-I alloimmunization and PLT refractoriness. SE had higher rates of refractoriness and lower mean corrected count increment after transfusion compared with US. Our study suggests that further research to evaluate the utility of HLA-matched PLTs in HLA-I alloimmunized LT patients is warranted.