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Real-time power system algorithms are necessary for grid advancement, but few practical applications have been demonstrated in a research usability context. The work in this paper consists of implementing a data correction algorithm, its deployment within realistic substation equipment, and the design of a testbed to demonstrate the overall framework and its usability. A digital simulator is used to generate Phasor Measurement Unit (PMU) data for the algorithm. The algorithm corrects data that has been perturbed by GPS spoofing attacks. Finally, the entire system is visualized on power-utility software, SEL Synchrowave Operations. Considerations and potential issues are discussed and are applicable to digital Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) systems as well as to field-deployed systems. The system is demonstrated with 11 simultaneously GPS-spoofing attacked PMUs in a 21 PMU system. The HIL testbed developed in this paper provides a valuable tool for easily testing a variety of real-time power system algorithms and the communications and control necessary for them operate successfully.

The cryoballoon catheter ablates atrial fibrillation (AF) triggers in the left atrium (LA) and pulmonary veins (PVs) via transseptal access. The typical transseptal puncture site is the fossa ovalis (FO) - the atrial septum's thinnest section. A potentially beneficial transseptal site, for the cryoballoon, is near the inferior limbus (IL). This study examines an alternative transseptal site near the IL, which may decrease the frequency of acute iatrogenic atrial septal defect (IASD). Also, the study evaluates the acute pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) success rate utilizing the IL location. 200 patients were evaluated by retrospective chart review for acute PVI success rate with an IL transseptal site. An additional 128 IL transseptal patients were compared to 45 FO transseptal patients by performing Doppler intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) post-ablation to assess transseptal flow after removal of the transseptal sheath. After sheath removal and by Doppler ICE imaging, 42 of 128 (33%) IL transseptal patients demonstrated acute transseptal flow, while 45 of 45 (100%) FO transseptal puncture patients had acute transseptal flow. The difference in acute transseptal flow detection between FO and IL sites was statistically significant (P <0.0001). Furthermore, 186 of 200 patients (with an IL transseptal puncture) did not need additional ablation(s) and had achieved an acute PVI by a "cryoballoon only" technique. An IL transseptal puncture site for cryoballoon AF ablations is an effective location to mediate PVI at all four PVs. Additionally, an IL transseptal location can lower the incidence of acute transseptal flow by Doppler ICE when compared to the FO. Potentially, the IL transseptal site may reduce later IASD complications post-cryoballoon procedures.

Schizophrenia is a chronic debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder estimated to affect 51 million people worldwide. Several symptom domains characterize schizophrenia, including negative symptoms, such as social withdrawal and anhedonia, cognitive impairments, such as disorganized thinking and impaired memory, and positive symptoms, such as hallucinations and delusions. While schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder with no single "cause," there is evidence that the oxytocin (Oxt) system may be dysregulated in some individuals. Further, treatment with intranasal Oxt reduces some of the heterogeneous symptoms associated with schizophrenia. Since Oxt is known for its modulatory effects on a variety of social and non-social behaviors, it is perhaps not surprising that it may contribute to some aspects of schizophrenia and could also be a useful therapeutic agent. In this review, we highlight what is known about Oxt's contributions to schizophrenia and schizophrenia-related behaviors and discuss its potential as a therapeutic agent.

The physical and biological responses to rapid arctic warming are proving acute, and as such, there is a need to monitor, understand, and predict ecological responses over large spatial and temporal scales. The use of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) acquired from airborne and satellite sensors addresses this need, as it is widely used as a tool for detecting and quantifying spatial and temporal dynamics of tundra vegetation cover, productivity, and phenology. Such extensive use of the NDVI to quantify vegetation characteristics suggests that it may be similarly applied to characterizing primary and secondary consumer communities. Here, we develop empirical models to predict canopy arthropod biomass with canopy-level measurements of the NDVI both across and within distinct tundra vegetation communities over four growing seasons in the Arctic Foothills region of the Brooks Range, Alaska, USA. When canopy arthropod biomass is predicted with the NDVI across all four growing seasons, our overall model that includes all four vegetation communities explains 63% of the variance in canopy arthropod biomass, whereas our models specific to each of the four vegetation communities explain 74% (moist tussock tundra), 82% (erect shrub tundra), 84% (riparian shrub tundra), and 87% (dwarf shrub tundra) of the observed variation in canopy arthropod biomass. Our field-based study suggests that measurements of the NDVI made from air- and spaceborne sensors may be able to quantify spatial and temporal variation in canopy arthropod biomass at landscape to regional scales.

LIN28 has emerged as an oncogenic driver in a number of cancers, including neuroblastoma (NB). Overexpression of LIN28 correlates with poor outcome in NB, therefore drugs that impact the LIN28/Let-7 pathway could be beneficial in treating NB patients. The LIN28/Let-7 pathway affects many cellular processes including the regulation of cancer stem cells and glycolytic metabolism. Polyamines, regulated by ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) modulate eIF-5A which is a direct regulator of the LIN28/Let-7 axis. We propose that therapy inhibiting ODC will restore balance to the LIN28/Let-7 axis, suppress glycolytic metabolism, and decrease MYCN protein expression in NB. Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) is an inhibitor of ODC in clinical trials for children with NB. In vitro experiments using NB cell lines, BE(2)-C, SMS-KCNR, and CHLA90 show that DFMO treatment reduced LIN28B and MYCN protein levels and increased Let-7 miRNA and decreased neurosphere formation. Glycolytic metabolic activity decreased with DFMO treatment in vivo. Additionally, sensitivity to DFMO treatment correlated with LIN28B overexpression (BE(2)-C>SMS-KCNR>CHLA90). This is the first study to demonstrate that DFMO treatment restores balance to the LIN28/Let-7 axis and inhibits glycolytic metabolism and neurosphere formation in NB and that PET scans may be a meaningful imaging tool to evaluate the therapeutic effects of DFMO treatment.

Oxytocin (Oxt) acting through its single receptor subtype, the Oxtr, is important for the coordination of physiology and behavior associated with parturition and maternal care. Knockout mouse models have been helpful in exploring the contributions of Oxt to maternal behavior, including total body Oxt knockout (Oxt -/-) mice, forebrain conditional Oxtr knockout (Oxtr FB/FB) mice, and total body Oxtr knockout (Oxtr -/-) mice. Since Oxtr -/- mice are unable to lactate, maternal behavior has only been examined in virgin females, or in dams within a few hours of parturition, and there have been no studies that have examined their anxiety-like and depression-like behavior following parturition. To improve our understanding of how the absence of Oxt signaling affects maternal behavior, mood and anxiety, we designed a study using Oxtr -/- mice that separated nursing behavior from other aspects of maternal care, such as licking and grooming by thelectomizing (i.e. removing the nipples) of Oxtr +/+ mice and sham-thelectomizing Oxtr -/- mice, and pairing both genotypes with a wet nurse. We then measured pup abandonment, maternal behavior, and postpartum anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors. We hypothesized that genetic disruption of the Oxtr would impact maternal care, mood and anxiety. Specifically, we predicted that Oxtr -/- dams would have impaired maternal care and increased anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors in the postpartum period. We found that Oxtr -/- dams had significantly higher levels of pup abandonment compared to controls, which is consistent with previous work in Oxtr FB/FB mice. Interestingly, Oxtr -/- dams that initiated maternal care did not differ from wildtype controls in measures of maternal behavior. We also did not find any evidence of altered anxiety-like or depressive-like behavior in the postpartum period of Oxtr -/- dams. Thus, our data suggest that Oxt lowers the threshold for the initiation of maternal behavior.

Previous work implicating the neuropeptide oxytocin (Oxt) in the neural regulation of aggression in males has been limited. However, there are reports of heightened aggression in Oxt knockout and Oxt receptor (Oxtr) knockout male mice when they are born to null mutant mothers; suggesting that intrauterine exposure to Oxt may be important to normal aggression in adulthood. To explore this, we examined aggression in two lines of Oxtr mice, a total knockout (Oxtr-/-), in which the Oxtr gene is absent from the time of conception, and a predominantly forebrain specific knockout (Oxtr FB/FB), in which the Oxtr gene is not excised until approximately 21-28days postnatally. Aggression was measured in males from both lines, as well as control littermates, using a resident-intruder behavioral test. Consistent with previous reports, male Oxtr-/- mice had elevated levels of aggression relative to controls. Oxtr FB/FB mice on the other hand displayed levels of aggression similar to control animals. In addition, following a resident-intruder test, Oxtr+/+ mice that displayed aggression had less c-fos immunoreactivity in the ventral portion of the lateral septum than those that did not. Further, Oxtr-/- mice had increased c-fos immunoreactivity in the medial amygdala relative to controls. These data suggest that Oxt may play an important role during development in the organization of the neural circuits that underlie aggressive behavior in adulthood, with its absence resulting in heightened aggression., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The masseter muscle is the primary bite force generator for chewing and swallowing. Masseter muscle strength was recorded on 89 subjects using electromyography. Subject groups were separated into 4-bicuspid extraction cases, collapsed occlusions, and controls. Data was averaged and analyzed. The control group displayed the greatest strength.

Background: The cardiac CT Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) were updated in 2010 to reflect technical advances, evolving expert consensus, and rapidly expanding clinical evidence., Objective: We evaluated the effect of the AUC update on their clinical performance, including the completeness and distribution of appropriateness ratings and test outcomes among a consecutive series of patients referred for CT angiography (CTA)., Methods: The 2006 and 2010 criteria were prospectively applied at the point of service to a consecutive series of patients referred for CTA at a single center (n = 1216). Patient interview and review of available health records were used to determine the CTA indication. The proportions of patients within categories of appropriate (A), uncertain (U), inappropriate (I), and not covered were described and compared between the 2006 and 2010 criteria., Results: The 2010 criteria significantly reduced the proportion of uncertain (30.5%-11.4%), inappropriate (16.0%-12.9%), and no covered (12.1%-4.7%; P < 0.001) indications, while increasing the proportion of appropriate tests from 41.4% to 71%. By the 2010 criteria, appropriate indications were more likely to lead to the detection of coronary artery stenosis (11.5% vs 6.7%; P = 0.03) and complete examinations (95.0% vs 90.8%; P = 0.03)., Conclusion: The 2010 cardiac CT AUC update lead to more complete classification and to large shifts in the appropriateness ratings, underscoring the importance of ensuring the periodic revision of AUCs for evolving imaging technologies such that they perform optimally as quality measurement and reimbursement tools., (Copyright © 2012 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Identifying genes for bipolar mood disorders through classic genetics has proven difficult. Here, we present a comprehensive convergent approach that translationally integrates brain gene expression data from a relevant pharmacogenomic mouse model (involving treatments with a stimulant--methamphetamine, and a mood stabilizer--valproate), with human data (linkage loci from human genetic studies, changes in postmortem brains from patients), as a bayesian strategy of crossvalidating findings. Topping the list of candidate genes, we have DARPP-32 (dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein of 32 kDa) located at 17q12, PENK (preproenkephalin) located at 8q12.1, and TAC1 (tachykinin 1, substance P) located at 7q21.3. These data suggest that more primitive molecular mechanisms involved in pleasure and pain may have been recruited by evolution to play a role in higher mental functions such as mood. The analysis also revealed other high-probability candidates genes (neurogenesis, neurotrophic, neurotransmitter, signal transduction, circadian, synaptic, and myelin related), pathways and mechanisms of likely importance in pathophysiology.