Night Day Research Articles

Plant volatiles and priority effects interactively determined initial community assembly of arthropods on multiple willow species.

Plant traits, which are often species specific, can serve as environmental filtering for community assembly on plants. At the same time, the species identity of the initially colonizing arthropods would vary between plant individuals, which would subsequently influence colonizing arthropods and community development in the later stages. However, it remains unclear whether interindividual divergence due to priority effects is equally important as plant trait-specific environmental filtering in the initial stages. In this study, we propose that plant volatile organic compounds (PVOCs) may play a crucial role as an environmental filter in the initial stages of community assembly, which can prevent the community assembly process from being purely stochastic. To test this hypothesis, we conducted short term but highly frequent monitoring (19 observations over 9 days) of arthropod community assembly on intact individuals of six willow species in a common garden. PVOC compositions were analyzed before starting the experiment and compared with arthropod compositions occurring on Days 1-2 of the experiment (earliest colonizer community) and those occurring on Days 8-9 of the experiment (subsequent colonizer community). Unintentionally, deer herbivory also occurred at night of Day 2. Distance-based statistics demonstrated that PVOC compositions were plant species specific, but neither the earliest colonizer nor the subsequent colonizer community composition could be explained by plant species identity. Rather, Procrustes analysis showed that both the PVOC composition and that of the earliest colonizer community can be used to explain the subsequent colonizer community. In addition, the linkage between PVOCs and the subsequent colonizer community was stronger on individuals with deer herbivory. These findings indicate that PVOCs have widespread effects on initial community assembly, as well as priority effects brought on by stochastic immigration, and that plant species identity only has weak and indirect effects on the actual composition of the community.

CT-296 Isolated Bone Marrow Infiltration by Streptococcus Pneumoniae: An Unusual Etiology of Fever of Unknown Origin

Fever of unknown origin (FUO) in adults is defined as a temperature >38.3°C lasting for more than 3 weeks with no obvious source despite appropriate investigation. The differential diagnoses are infections, malignancies, autoimmune conditions, and miscellaneous. To our knowledge, isolated bone marrow infiltration by Streptococcus pneumoniae without bacteremia has not been reported yet in the literature. We report the case of a 48-year-old female patient, previously healthy, who presented for persistent fever of one-week duration. Initially, she complained of a 39°C fever without other associated symptoms except for daily night sweats. A complete infectious workup, including a full-body CT scan and screening for fungal or bacterial etiologies, was negative. Additionally, both transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiograms eliminated any signs of endocarditis. Subsequently, over the next two weeks, a complete autoimmune workup to test for a possible underlying rheumatologic disease was done but was all negative. To complete the endless FUO workup and in view of high suspicion of a malignancy, the patient performed an (FDG) PET CT scan along with a bone marrow biopsy that were both negative for any signs of malignancy, thus excluding any lymphoproliferative disease. One month after persistent fever, pan-cultures were serially repeated and remained negative. After developing a grade I thrombocytopenia, bone marrow aspirate with bone marrow culture were performed: no signs of malignancy or infiltration were found on the medullogram, but surprisingly, and after 48 hours of incubation, the bone marrow cultures turned positive for multi-sensitive Streptococcus pneumonia. We treated the patient with intramuscular ceftriaxone for an empirical period of 2 weeks. After only 3 doses of ceftriaxone, the fever subsided and the night sweats started to decrease gradually. After receiving a total of 14 days of antibiotics, we only monitored the patient clinically, without repeating the bone marrow cultures. Clinicians must be aware of this rare and unusual etiology of FUO. Bone marrow studies are routinely performed to exclude any lymphoproliferative disorder. In this perspective, we could draw a bone marrow culture while performing the regular aspiration studies to exclude possible isolated bone marrow infiltration by bacterial microorganisms.

Core Temperature Within First Seven Days After Birth, of Hemodynamically Stable Preterm Neonates Born Before 34 Weeks of Gestation: A Prospective Study

Background Prematurity contributes to neonatal mortality and morbidity. There are many complications that can contribute to preterm morbidity and mortality. One of the complications is an alteration in temperature. Objective To assess the core temperature within the first seven days after birth, of hemodynamically stable preterm neonates born before 34 weeks of gestation. Methodology A total of 120 neonates were enrolled by using the total enumeration technique from the various neonatal units of PGIMER, Chandigarh. Permission from Institutes Ethic Committee was obtained, and consent was taken from parents of preterm neonates. The tools used for data collection were: (a) Interview schedule—it comprised of sociodemographic profile. (b) Temperature monitoring sheet. Protocol for recording core temperature was developed and validated by experts in nursing and pediatrics. Demographic profile of neonates was collected. Core temperature was recorded as per protocol in three shifts, i.e., morning, evening, and night time, by using a digital thermometer for the first seven days after birth. Temperature recording sheet was used to record the core temperature. Results Out of the total 120 hospitalized preterm neonates, 55.8% of the study participants were females, and the mean gestational age of the study participants was 31.5 ± 1.79 weeks. The mean values of core temperature of hemodynamically stable preterm neonates recorded in the morning, evening, and night of day 1 and day 2 were less than 36.5°C. From day 3 to day 7, the mean value of core temperature in morning, evening, and night was more than 36.5°C. Conclusion The study findings suggest that the core temperature, when monitored for first seven days after birth in hemodynamically stable preterm neonates, was low for the first two days, but normal for the next five days.

Patterns of Lifestyle Behaviors and Relevant Metabolic Profiles in Chinese Adults: Latent Class Analysis from Two Independent Surveys in Urban and Rural Populations.

This study was determined to describe the patterns of lifestyle behaviors and their associations with metabolic profiles among Chinese urban and rural adults. This was a cross-sectional study set in the Nanjing (5,824) and Hefei (20,269) Community Cardiovascular Risk Surveys from 2011-2013, using random cluster sampling. Questionnaires were completed via face-to-face interview, and data on lifestyle behaviors including daily night sleep duration, nap duration (if any) and sitting time, and weekly physical activity (measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire, in metabolic equivalents of task × minutes, and separated into walking and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MOVPA) according to intensity) was collected. The patterns of physical activity in Chinese urban and rural populations and the metabolic profile in each pattern were identified by the latent class analysis. Six distinct clusters were determined, with the sizes ranging from 45% to 5% of the total population. For example, the most common cluster was associated with a sufficient night and nap sleep duration, a long sitting time, and above WHO recommended physical activities for both walking and MOVPA, and the smallest cluster was featured by its huge amount of MOVPA and limited amount of walking activity. Difference in proportion of each cluster was observed between the two survey sites. No obvious abnormal blood measures were seen in any cluster. Common lifestyle behavior clusters were described, leading to a better understanding of people's routine activities.

Risk factors of simple obesity in preschool children in nine cities of China

Objective: To examine risk factors of simple obesity and their interaction in preschool children in China. Methods: A total of 63 292 preschool children aged 3-7 years selected by cluster random sampling in 9 cities of China, including Beijing, Harbin, Xi'an, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Fuzhou and Kunming, were investigated from June to November in 2016. Based on the BMI-for-age cut off points of overweight and obesity for Chinese children aged 2-18 years, a total of 1 522 obese children (1 006 boys and 516 girls) were screened. By population-based matched case-control design, a normal weight child was randomly selected to match with an obese child by sex, age (difference ≤6 months) and body height (difference ≤5 cm) from the survey area. Conditional logistic regression model was used to analyze association of risk factors with obesity and the interaction of risk factors. Results: ① Univariate conditional logistic regression model showed that 17 risk factors of simple obesity had statistical significance (P<0.001), including high birth weight, cesarean section, gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, formula feeding in the first 6 months after birth, strong appetite, fast or slow eating speed, low intensity of outdoor activities, daily outdoor activity time <1 hour, daily screen viewing time < 1 hour or ≥2 hours, daily night sleep time <9 hours, mother overweight, father overweight, mother's low educational level, father's low educational level, non-nuclear family structure, and parents not being the primary caregivers of children. ②Multivariate conditional logistic regression model showed that 12 risk factors had statistical significance, including high birth weight (OR=1.83, 95%CI:1.29-2.61, P<0.001), cesarean section (OR=1.22, 95%CI:1.07-1.39, P=0.003), gestational diabetes (OR=4.57, 95%CI:2.13-9.79, P<0.001), mother's low educational level (OR=1.52, 95%CI:1.11-2.07, P=0.008), single parent family (OR=4.79, 95%CI:1.44-15.88, P=0.010), mother overweight (OR=2.58, 95%CI:1.93-3.46, P<0.001), father overweight (OR=2.40, 95%CI:1.86-3.10, P<0.001), strong appetite (OR=7.78, 95%CI:5.38-11.27, P<0.001), fast eating speed (OR=6.59, 95%CI:4.86-8.94, P<0.001), daily outdoor activity time <1 hour (OR=1.42, 95%CI: 1.09-1.85, P=0.009), daily night sleep time <9 hours (OR=1.59, 95%CI: 1.13-2.23, P=0.007), daily screen viewing time ≥2 hours (OR=1.69, 95%CI:1.27-2.24, P<0.001). ③ Interaction of the four groups of risk factors had statistical significance, including interaction between mother overweight and father overweight (OR=5.53, 95%CI: 3.76-8.13, P<0.001), interaction between strong appetite and fast eating speed (OR=54.48, 95%CI: 32.95-90.06, P<0.001), interaction between low intensity of outdoor activity and daily outdoor activity time <1 hour (OR=2.12, 95%CI: 1.29-3.48, P=0.002), interaction between daily night sleep time <9 hours and daily screen viewing time ≥2 hours (OR=2.83, 95%CI: 1.71-4.68, P<0.001). Conclusions: This study identified 12 risk factors of childhood obesity, including high birth weight, cesarean section, gestational diabetes, mother's low educational level, single parent family, mother overweight, father overweight, strong appetite, fast eating speed, daily short outdoor activity time, daily short night sleep time, daily long screen viewing time, and interaction of the four groups of risk factors had statistical significance, including strong interaction between mother overweight and father overweight, interaction between strong appetite and fast eating speed, interaction between low intensity of outdoor activity and daily short outdoor activity time, interaction between daily short night sleep time and daily long screen viewing time.

EARLY FLOWERING 3 and Photoperiod Sensing in Brachypodium distachyon.

The proper timing of flowering, which is key to maximize reproductive success and yield, relies in many plant species on the coordination between environmental cues and endogenous developmental programs. The perception of changes in day length is one of the most reliable cues of seasonal change, and this involves the interplay between the sensing of light signals and the circadian clock. Here, we describe a Brachypodium distachyon mutant allele of the evening complex protein EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3). We show that the elf3 mutant flowers more rapidly than wild type plants in short days as well as under longer photoperiods but, in very long (20 h) days, flowering is equally rapid in elf3 and wild type. Furthermore, flowering in the elf3 mutant is still sensitive to vernalization, but not to ambient temperature changes. Molecular analyses revealed that the expression of a short-day marker gene is suppressed in elf3 grown in short days, and the expression patterns of clock genes and flowering time regulators are altered. We also explored the mechanisms of photoperiodic perception in temperate grasses by exposing B. distachyon plants grown under a 12 h photoperiod to a daily night break consisting of a mixture of red and far-red light. We showed that 2 h breaks are sufficient to accelerate flowering in B. distachyon under non-inductive photoperiods and that this acceleration of flowering is mediated by red light. Finally, we discuss advances and perspectives for research on the perception of photoperiod in temperate grasses.

The Efficacy of Plerixafor Plus Recombinant Human Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor for Autologous Stem-Cell Mobilization and Transplantation for Patients with Lymphoma and Plasma Cell Diseases

Objective: Plerixafor is a small-molecule inhibitor of CXCR4. This study evaluates the efficacy of plerixafor combined with recombinant human granulocytic colony stimulating factor(G-CSF), in mobilizing hematopoietic stem cells for autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) in patients with lymphoma and plasma cell diseases.Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 41 patients with Plerixafor combined with G-CSF admitted to the Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University,China from July 2019 to February 2021. Mobilization protocol: all patients were given G-CSF 10μg/kg d1-4 and Plerixafor 20mg (all patients weighed less than 83kg) 11 hours before collection on day 5 (night of day 4).Results: The median age of 41 patients was 52 years (25-66 years), the median body weight was 57kg (41-80kg), and the male to female ratio was 1.16:1(22/19). The patients of plerixafor used in combination with G-CSF include Multiple Myeloma 75.6%(31/41), Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma was 9.8%(4/41), Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma (4.9%, 2/41), Angioimmunoblastic T Cell Lymphoma (2.4% ,1/41), Systemic light chain (AL) amyloidosis (2.4% ,1/41), POEMS syndrome (2.4%,1/41), and plasma cell leukemia (2.4%, 1/41). Above the patients got partial remission（PR） before mobilization. 17 patients got complete remission（CR）, 4 patients got very good PR(VGPR) and ten got PR. There were 5 lymphoma patients with CR and 2 with PR. The majority of patients, 25, received first-line chemotherapy. 11 patients received second-line chemotherapy, and five received third-line myeloma therapy or above. The median cycle of chemotherapy was 4 (range 4-41). Twenty-two patients with multiple myeloma received treatment with lenalidomide regimens. 26 of all (63.4%) had optimum mobilization (CD34 positive cell count ≥5 × 10 6 cells/kg), and 36 (87.8%) had minimum mobilization (CD34 positive cell count ≥2 × 10 6 cells/kg). The minimum and optimum mobilization rate of first-line chemotherapy regimen was 92% and 72% respectively. The rate of the minimum mobilization of the second line chemotherapy was 100%, the optimum mobilization rate was 63.6%. The minimum and the optimum mobilization rate were 60% and 20% for the third line chemotherapy and above. The minimum mobilization rate was 94.7% and the optimum mobilization rate was 57.9% in patients receiving lenalidomide containing chemotherapy less than the 4 cycles. The minimum and optimum mobilization rate were 66.7% and 66.7% for patients with more than 4 cycles of lenalidomide chemotherapy. Thirty-four patients received autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Conditioning regimens was TBI (total-body irradiation) + CY (CTX)+ VP-16 or BUCY+ Me-CCNU protocol in lymphoma patients, and Melphala 200mg/m 2 in Multiple myeloma patients. A reduction of melphalan dose(140mg/m 2) in patients with severe renal failure, here defined as iohexol clerarance <30 ml/min, is suggested. Neutrophil engraftment was defined as neutrophil count ≥ 0.5 × 10 9/L for 3 days or ≥ 1.0 × 10 9/L for 1 day. Platelet engraftment was defined as platelet count ≥ 20 × 10 9/L without a transfusion from the preceding 7 days. All patients who received transplantation had successful neutrophil engraftment and 94.1% had successful platelet engraftment. The median time to engraftment was 10 days(9-13 days) for neutrophil and 11 days (9-48 days) for platelet. Using all available laboratory measurements and clinical information to determine graft failures, there were two platelet graft failures in at 1 month follow-up visit. However they had successful platelet engraftment after treatment with Eltrombopag or Avatrombopag(43 days, 48 days).Conclusions: The mobilized cells after G-CSF plus Plerixafor contained high numbers of hematopoietic stem cells, and engrafted very efficiently. G-CSF plus Plerixafor may be preferred for ASCT in patients with lymphoma and plasma cell diseases. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Night Sweats as the Presenting Symptom of Primary Hyperparathyroidism

Background: Approximately 25–40% of patients report night sweats in the previous month during appointments with their primary care clinicians. The differential diagnosis for night sweats is broad, with hyperthyroidism, carcinoid syndrome, pheochromocytoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, insulinoma, and acromegaly as established endocrine causes. We present a case of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) in which the patient’s chief complaint was night sweats and resolution occurred after parathyroidectomy. Case. A 39-year-old female reported one-year of daily night sweats that required changes of clothes and bedding. She denied excessive daytime sweating, frequent palpitations, tremors, nightmares, rashes, fevers, chills, cough, headaches, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, disrupted menses, or unintentional weight loss. Vital signs and examination were unremarkable. Hypercalcemia (11.0 mg/dL, 8.6–10.3) was noted and confirmed by additional serum calcium measurements. Intact PTH ranged from 27–33 pg/mL (12–88), and 24 h urine calcium (258 mg) excluded familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia (FHH). Parathyroid scintigraphy and neck ultrasound identified a left neck mass, and the patient underwent successful resection of a left inferior parathyroid adenoma. Hypercalcemia and night sweats initially resolved after surgery, but the patient returned six weeks later with recurrence of night sweats. Reevaluation was notable for serum calcium 10.4 mg/dL, phosphorus 2.4 mg/dL (2.5–5.0), and intact PTH 104 pg/mL. A right superior parathyroid adenoma was identified on repeat parathyroidectomy, and the patient experienced durable resolution of night sweats and hypercalcemia following her second parathyroid surgery. She was screened for multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) due to multiple parathyroid tumors, though no known pathogenic menin gene variants were identified. Conclusions: A title/abstract search in PubMed linking “hyperparathyroidism” and “hypercalcemia” to “night sweats,” “sleep hyperhidrosis,” “sweating,” “hot flashes,” “hot flushes,” “diaphoresis” and “vasomotor symptoms” yielded only one relevant case of a postmenopausal woman with hot flushes unresponsive to hormone replacement that resolved after parathyroidectomy for PHPT. Hypercalcemia is known to affect central nervous system function. It is possible that in rare cases hypercalcemia alters function of the medial preoptic area, lowering the temperature threshold above which peripheral vasodilatation and perspiration occur to dissipate heat. The patient’s predisposition to only night sweats is unclear, though unlike the first patient reported with PHPT and sweating, our patient is premenopausal. This case indicates that vasomotor symptoms may occur with PHPT and resolve after successful parathyroid surgery.

Polyarteritis nodosa presenting with catastrophic involvement of the intra-abdominal arterial tree

Although the majority of the End Stage Renal Disease patients are treated with conventional thrice weekly in-center hemodialysis, there has been recent growth in the adoption of home dialysis modalities, mainly peritoneal dialysis and in these last 10 years the resurgence of home hemodialysis in its daily or daily night version [1-3]. Latest observational studies have identified that home hemodialysis (HHD) is associated with improved patient survival compared with conventional in center hemodialysis (ICHD).

Night of Day

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Can daily internet use time screen for problematic internet use among college students? A receiver operator characteristic curve-based multi-country study

Background and objectiveThe current article explored the possibility of using daily internet use time as an indicator for problematic internet use (PIU) among college/ university students based on observations from a multi-centric, multi-country study conducted across eight different countries. Additionally, the current article explored whether daily night time sleep and physical activity can serve as possible indicators of PIU. MethodsThe present article presents the findings from analysis of information collected from 2643 college/university students from eight countries. Area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated to compare the predictive performance of three different indicator variables in the study participants to determine PIU. ResultsThe AUC for daily internet use time was 0.64 (95 % CI: 0.62 to 0.656), which was higher than the AUC for weekly physical activity (0.599; 95 % CI: 0.580 to 0.618) and daily night time sleep (0.563; 95 % CI: 0.544 to 0.582). The AUC for three indicator variables was compared, which showed that the AUC for daily internet time was significantly higher than the AUC for daily night-time sleep. ConclusionsThe assessment of daily internet use time as part of a larger battery of general health-related questions could be applied periodically among young students for screening of PIU in addition to a host of other important mental and physical health related conditions and behaviors. However, further studies are needed to determine optimal cut-off depending upon the desired trade-off between sensitivity and specificity for screening among different populations.

THE OPPOSITION OF LIGHT AND DARK: TO THE ISSUE ON THE UNIVERSALITY OF LINGUISTIC CONCEPTUALIZATION

Cognitive Linguistics, which explores the forms of knowledge representation and cognitive mechanisms via their language manifestation, enables a new approach to the study of binary oppositions. Despite the large number of studies devoted to the opposition of LIGHT–DARK a lot of issues are still unexplored. Many researchers have spoken of the universal nature of contrasting light and darkness. However, the universality of this opposition is usually postulated without clear definition of what it means.The analysis is based both on the data of the etymological and comprehensive dictionaries of the Ukrainian language, as well as on the results of the associative experiment incorporating Ukrainian speakers.The etymological dictionaries provide us with evidences of the tight semantic interrelation between the oppositions DAY–NIGHT, LIGHT–DARK, and vision in the languages of the Indo-European family. In the dictionaries of the modern Ukrainian language, we also find the confirmation of the above-mentioned connections.Moreover, the results of the associative experiment also confirm the relevance of these links for present Ukrainian speakers. As for LIGHT, the obtained responses clearly show the significance of the associations between light and day and the prototype source of light, i.e. the sun. The DARK, in turn, is associated with the organs of vision and complications or impossibility for visual perception. The responses also bring out the connection between darkness and night, evening, and, less often, morning.Thus, there are two main strategies for naming colours that can be implemented in different languages. The first strategy is directly related to the ability of visual perception, and therefore is universal or almost universal. The second one is based on the universal cognitive mechanism of comparison, the establishment of similarity, but the resulting ways of nomination strategy are linguistically and culturally specific, since they depend on chosen prototypical referents and / or environment typical for a particular culture.

КОСМОГОНІЧНА КОНЦЕПТОСИСТЕМА У ХУДОЖНІЙ МОВІ БОГДАНА-ІГОРЯ АНТОНИЧА

The article deals with the modeling of the verbalization of cosmological worldview in the poetic texts of the prominent Ukrainian poet Oleksandr Oles in the context of the conceptual worldview in the language of the other Ukrainian symbolist poets. It is shown that the most important concept SUN is related to the MUSIC that is similar to the poetry of Pavlo Tychyna. The TIME and the SPACE are involved into the same historical and cosmic rhythm represented by the verbalized concepts STARS, CONSTELLATIONS and especially ZODIAC that is one of the central concepts of the author’s worldview. The cosmos is structured in details by the series of conceptual oppositions related to the functioning of the mythological worldview (EARTH–SKY, FIRE–WIND, DAY–NIGHT, EVENING–MORNING) as well as some special created by the imagery of the author (SUN–WATER, SKY–WATER, STARS–WATER). The concept of EXTASE relevant for French symbolists is present not only for PEOPLE but also for the NATURE isomorphic to the human being, especially for SUN and NIGHT. The ARBOR MUNDI is verbalized by the pagan symbol of OAK and the Christian TREE OF LIFE. STAR and SUN are associated in the context of the unity of MACROCOSM and MICROCOSM as that was stated by Hryhoriy Skovoroda and in the conception of the psychological parallelismby Aleksandr Veselovskyi.

La relación entre las arribadas de la tortuga golfina (Lepidochelys olivacea) y el ambiente físico en La Escobilla, Oaxaca, México durante 2005

Background. Sea turtles of the genus Lepidochelys exhibit a complex and synchronous mass-nesting behavior termed “arribada.” Goals . This paper analyzes the local physical environment during the arribada events that occurred in 2005 at La Escobilla, Oaxaca, Mexico. Methods. Daily night patrols were conducted from May to November 2005, along the nesting zone. Daily records for air temperature and rainfall were obtained from the automatic weather station by the Comision Nacional del Agua. Sea surface temperature and salinity fields were obtained from the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM), and surface ocean currents were obtained from the Asia-Pacific Data Research Center. Results . The analyses showed five arribada events during the period. A common feature was the presence of eddies and strong currents at the beginning of each arribada. A correlation of statistical significance was observed between the abundance of the arribada and the current speed (R = 0.93, R2 = 0.86, p = 0.04). The correlation with salinity showed values of R = 0.55, R2 = 0.31, p = 0.32, whereas correlation with rainfall was R = 0.53, R2 = 0.28, p = 0.14. A weak correlation was observed with air temperature (R = 0.35, R2 = 0.12, p = 0.59) and with sea surface temperature (R = 0.23, R2 = 0.05, p = 0.66). Conclusions. Although sea turtles are strong swimmers, the proximity to favorable oceanic currents generated by eddies might be related to the beginning of the arribada, considering that this current might provide energy savings and accumulate chemical compounds and food in the water column.

Game-Theory based dynamic pricing strategies for demand side management in smart grids

With the increasing demand for electricity and the advent of smart grids, developed countries are establishing demand side management (DSM) techniques to influence consumption patterns. The use of dynamic pricing strategies has emerged as a powerful DSM tool to optimize the energy consumption pattern of consumers and simultaneously improve the overall efficacy of the energy market. The main objective of the dynamic pricing strategy is to encourage consumers to participate in peak load reduction and obtain respective incentives in return. In this work, a game theory based dynamic pricing strategy is evaluated for Singapore electricity market, with focus on the residential and commercial sector. The proposed pricing model is tested with five load and price datasets to spread across all possible scenarios including weekdays, weekends, public holidays and the highest/lowest demand in the year. Three pricing strategies are evaluated and compared, namely, the half-hourly Real-Time Pricing (RTP), Time-of-Use (TOU) Pricing and Day-Night (DN) Pricing. The results demonstrate that RTP maximizes peak load reduction for the residential sector and commercial sector by 10% and 5%, respectively. Moreover, the profits are increased by 15.5% and 18.7%, respectively, while total load reduction is minimized to ensure a realistic scenario.

Activity patterns in seven captive lemur species: Evidence of cathemerality in Varecia and Lemur catta?

Cathemerality, or activity throughout the 24-hr cycle, is rare in primates yet relatively common among lemurs. However, the diverse ecological conditions under which cathemerality is expressed complicates attempts to identify species-typical behavior. For example, Lemur catta and Varecia have historically been described as diurnal, yet recent studies suggest that they might exhibit cathemeral behavior under some conditions. To investigate this variation, we monitored activity patterns among lemurs that are exposed to similar captive environments. Using MotionWatch 8 ® actigraphy data loggers, we studied 88 lemurs across seven species at the Duke Lemur Center (DLC). Six species were members of the family Lemuridae (Eulemur coronatus, E. flavifrons, E. mongoz, L. catta, V. rubra, V. variegata), while a seventh was strictly diurnal and included as an out-group (Propithecus coquereli). For each 24-hr cycle (N = 503), we generated two estimates of cathemerality: mean night (MN) activity and day/night (DN) activity ratio (day and night cutoffs were based on astronomical twilights). As expected, P. coquereli engaged in the least amount of nocturnal activity according to both measures; their activity was also outside the 95% confidence intervals of all three cathemeral Eulemur species, which exhibited the greatest evidence of cathemerality. By these estimates, Varecia activity was most similar to Eulemur and exhibited substantial deviations from P. coquereli (β (MN) = 0.22 ± SE 0.12; β (DN) = -0.21 ± SE 0.12). L. catta activity patterns also deviated from P. coquereli (β (MN) = 0.12 ± SE 0.11; β (DN) = -0.15 ± SE 0.12) but to a lesser degree than either Varecia or Eulemur. Overall, L. catta displayed an intermediate activity pattern between Eulemur and P. coquereli, which is somewhat consistent with wild studies. Regarding Varecia, although additional observations in more diverse wild habitats are needed, our findings support the existence of cathemeral behavior in this genus.

Optimal epidural analgesia for patients diagnosed as having gynecologic cancer undergoing interstitial brachytherapy

Study objectiveTo determine the optimal epidural analgesia for patients receiving interstitial brachytherapy (ISBT) for gynecologic cancers. DesignRetrospective analysis. SettingOperating room and hospital ward. PatientsSeventy-three patients diagnosed as having gynecologic cancer and undergoing ISBT. InterventionsTwelve patients received ropivacaine alone, 14 patients received ropivacaine with fentanyl, and 45 patients received ropivacaine with hydromorphone by epidural infusion. MeasurementsNumeric Rating Scale pain scores, amounts of nonnarcotic and narcotic pain medications used in intravenous morphine equivalents (IVMEs), and amount of antiemetic or antipruritic medications used. Main resultsPatients receiving ropivacaine alone had higher pain scores the morning of day 2 (4.2 vs 1.71 vs 0.6, P=.001), the afternoon of day 2 (4.9 vs 2.5 vs 1.7, P=.005), and the night of day 2 (2.4 vs 2.0 vs 0.6, P<.001). Patients receiving opioids in their epidural had lower pain scores on the night of placement (P=.050), the morning of day 2 (P<.001), the afternoon of day 2 (P=.002), and the night of day 2 (P<.001). Patients receiving ropivacaine alone used more oral narcotics than did those receiving ropivacaine with fentanyl or ropivacaine with hydromorphone on day 3 (5.9 vs 3.8 vs 2.8mg IVME) and received more intravenous opioids day 1 (5.8 vs 0.0 vs 0.7mg IVME, P=.004) and day 2 (20.6 vs 4.8 vs 1.0mg IVME, P=.042). There were no differences in antiemetic or diphenhydramine usage at any time point. No epidural complications occurred. ConclusionsFor patients receiving ISBT for gynecologic cancer, epidural analgesia provides safe and effective pain control. Combined modality epidural analgesia improves pain control and lessens oral and intravenous opioid requirements without increased risk of adverse effects compared with epidural analgesia with local anesthetic alone.

Short Sleep Duration and Screen-Based Activities

Objective. The aim of this study was to identify lifestyle habits that contribute to night sleep reduction in the Kuwaiti population. Methods. Children were 10 to 12 years old and were approximately equally distributed among 138 elementary schools representing the 6 governorates of Kuwait. In the first phase of the study, data were collected from 8317 children. The same data were collected 2 years later from 6316 of the children from the first phase of the study. Calibrated examiners conducted sleep evaluation, lifestyle habits interviews, and body weight measurements. A multilevel random intercept and slope model was conducted to determine the effect of screen-based activities on the daily night sleep hours at 3 levels: within schools, among children, and over time. The primary dependent variable was the number of daily sleep hours. Independent variables assessed were lifestyle habits including screen-based activity variables including TV and video game use. Results. Screen-based activities were significant factors that reduced daily sleep hours (P < .05). There were statistically significant variations between schools and children over time. Conclusion. Longitudinal analysis of Kuwaiti children revealed that TV and video game use were major risk behaviors contributing to decreased sleep duration with strong clustering effect of the observations within schools across time.

Effect of the timing of admission upon patient prognosis in the Intensive Care Unit: On-hours versus off-hours

ObjectiveTo assess the repercussion of the timing of admission to the ICU upon patient prognosis. DesignA prospective, observational, non-interventional cohort study was carried out. ScopeA second level hospital with 210 operational beds and a general ICU with 8 operational beds. Patients or participantsThe study comprised all patients admitted to the ICU during 3 years (January 2010 to December 2012), excluding those subjects admitted from the operating room after scheduled surgery. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to the timing of admission (on-hours or off-hours). InterventionsNon-interventional study. Variables of interestAn analysis was made of demographic variables (age, sex), origin (emergency room, hospital ward, operating room), comorbidities and SAPS 3 as severity score upon admission, length of stay in the ICU and hospital ward, and ICU and hospital mortality. ResultsA total of 504 patients were included in the on-hours group, versus 602 in the off-hours group. Multivariate analysis showed the factors independently associated to hospital mortality to be SAPS 3 (OR 1.10; 95%CI 1.08–1.12), and off-hours admission (OR 2.00; 95%CI 1.20–3.33). In a subgroup analysis of the off-hours group, the admission of patients on weekends or non-working days compared to daily night shifts was found to be independently associated to hospital mortality (OR 2.30; 95%CI 1.23–4.30). ConclusionsAdmission to the ICU in off-hours is independently associated to patient mortality, which is also higher in patients admitted on weekends and non-working days compared to the daily night shifts.

Effectiveness of a novel topical powder on the treatment of traumatic oral ulcers in orthodontic patients: A randomized controlled trial.

To determine if 2-DeNT Oral Topical Powder is an effective treatment for traumatic oral ulcers. Of the 46 patients who were randomly allocated, 20 patients from the experimental group and 17 from the placebo control group completed the study. The patients, operators, and evaluators were all blinded. Patients applied the powder twice a day and completed a diary twice a day for 10 days. The diary was used to monitor the size of the lesions and pain levels (using a 10-cm visual analog scale). By day 5, the ulcers in the experimental group had reduced in size by approximately 70%; and ulcers in the control group had reduced in size by 56%. The experimental-group ulcers were significantly (P < .05) smaller than the control-group ulcers from day 5 through day 9. Ulcers in the experimental group were completely resolved by day 8, whereas control-group ulcers were still present on day 10. Patients experienced a significant amount of stimulated pain until the night of day 2 in the experimental group and until the night of day 5 in the control group, but group differences in pain were not statistically significant. The 2DeNT Oral Topical powder was more effective than the placebo powder at accelerating the healing of oral traumatic ulcers.