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Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibody encephalitis is caused by a reversible inhibition of ion channel actions by autoantibodies and is associated with a relatively good prognosis. Pathological findings of NMDAR encephalitis usually do not show neurophagorous nodules, but rare or mild inflammatory infiltration. We report a patient of small cell lung cancer (SCLC)-related paraneoplastic encephalitis with NMDAR antibodies, a cytotoxic T-cell-mediated pathology of the brain, and a rapid clinical course. This case highlights that the neuropathological diversity of NMDAR encephalitis may be even broader than previously thought and that NMDAR antibodies may also be found in various pathological conditions with a vigorous immune response.

Abstract Background McLeod syndrome is a rare X-linked recessive acanthocytosis associated with neurological manifestations including progressive chorea, cognitive impairment, psychiatric disturbances, seizures, and sensorimotor axonal polyneuropathy. However, no studies have investigated the functioning of central sensorimotor tracts in patients with McLeod syndrome. Case presentation A 66-year-old man had experienced slowly progressive chorea and gait disturbance due to lower limb muscle weakness since his early fifties. Blood examinations showed erythrocyte acanthocytosis and the reduction of Kell antigens in red blood cells. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed atrophy of the bilateral caudate nuclei and putamen. The diagnosis of McLeod syndrome was confirmed by the presence of a mutation of the XK gene on the X chromosome. Somatosensory-evoked potential and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies demonstrated that the central sensory and motor conduction times were abnormally prolonged for the lower extremity but normal for the upper extremity. Conclusions This is the first report of the involvement of the central sensorimotor tracts for the legs in a patient with McLeod syndrome. The clinical neurophysiological technique revealed the central sensorimotor tracts involvements clinically masked by neuropathy.

We present the initial results of a proof-of-concept ‘smart alarm’ for the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility injector beamline at Jefferson Lab. To minimize machine downtime and improve operational efficiency, an autonomous alarm system able to identify and diagnose unusual machine states is needed. Our approach leverages a trained neural network capable of alerting operators (a) when an anomalous condition exists in the beamline and (b) identifying the element setting that is the root cause. The tool is based on an inverse model that maps beamline readings (diagnostic readbacks) to settings (beamline attributes operators can modify). The model takes as input readings from the machine and computes machine settings which are compared to control setpoints. Instances where predictions differ from setpoints by a user-defined threshold are flagged as anomalous. Given data corresponding to 354 anomalous injector configurations, the model can narrow the root cause of an anomalous condition to three potential candidates with 94.6% accuracy. Furthermore, compared to the current method of identifying anomalous conditions which raises an alarm when machine parameters drift outside their normal tolerances, the data-driven model can identify 83% more anomalous conditions.

Hydropower generation is responsible for supplying most of the electricity in Brazil. Like other renewable sources, water is highly sensitive to meteorological variables, so that climate change may have a considerable impact on it. Therefore, this study aims at assessing climate change impacts on hydropower generation and their consequences for the Brazilian electricity system. Scenario data for specific average global warming levels of 2°C and 4°C from Eta_HadGEM2-ES and Eta_MIROC5 downscaled climate models are used. Outcomes indicate that the electricity system’s adaptive capacity to lower hydropower generation includes a growing share of other renewable and natural gas fired thermoelectric generation, increasing the system’s marginal cost to meet projected demand in 2030. Greenhouse gas emissions are projected to increase in a 2°C scenario, but to decrease in scenarios in which warming reaches 4°C.

The occurrence of microplastics in marine habitats is well documented and of growing concern. The presence of these small (