An Analytical Method For Quantifying The Electrical Space Heating Component Of A Cold Load Pick Up

After an extended cold weather outage on a distribution circuit supplying a high saturation of electrical space heating, large transient overcurrent\u27s persist for several hours because of the undiversified heating load. In this paper, the electrical space heating component of enduring demand is characterized by a smooth curve. Expressions are derived for the parameters of the curve in terms of the outage conditions and a statistical description of the residences. A method is suggested for using this characterization to determine the effects of a cold load pick up on the distribution circuit components. Copyright © 1982 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc

The epigenetic regulator ATF7ip inhibits Il2 expression, regulating Th17 responses.

T helper 17 cells (Th17) are critical for fighting infections at mucosal surfaces; however, they have also been found to contribute to the pathogenesis of multiple autoimmune diseases and have been targeted therapeutically. Due to the role of Th17 cells in autoimmune pathogenesis, it is important to understand the factors that control Th17 development. Here we identify the activating transcription factor 7 interacting protein (ATF7ip) as a critical regulator of Th17 differentiation. Mice with T cell-specific deletion of Atf7ip have impaired Th17 differentiation secondary to the aberrant overproduction of IL-2 with T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation and are resistant to colitis in vivo. ChIP-seq studies identified ATF7ip as an inhibitor of Il2 gene expression through the deposition of the repressive histone mark H3K9me3 in the Il2-Il21 intergenic region. These results demonstrate a new epigenetic pathway by which IL-2 production is constrained, and this may open up new avenues for modulating its production

Control of Stress-Induced Persistent Anxiety by an Extra-Amygdala Septohypothalamic Circuit

The extended amygdala has dominated research on the neural circuitry of fear and anxiety, but the septohippocampal axis also plays an important role. The lateral septum (LS) is thought to suppress fear and anxiety through its outputs to the hypothalamus. However, this structure has not yet been dissected using modern tools. The type 2 CRF receptor (Crfr2) marks a subset of LS neurons whose functional connectivity we have investigated using optogenetics. Crfr2^+ cells include GABAergic projection neurons that connect with the anterior hypothalamus. Surprisingly, we find that these LS outputs enhance stress-induced behavioral measures of anxiety. Furthermore, transient activation of Crfr2^+ neurons promotes, while inhibition suppresses, persistent anxious behaviors. LS Crfr2^+ outputs also positively regulate circulating corticosteroid levels. These data identify a subset of LS projection neurons that promote, rather than suppress, stress-induced behavioral and endocrinological dimensions of persistent anxiety states and provide a cellular point of entry to LS circuitry

Efferent projections of C3 adrenergic neurons in the rat central nervous system

C3 neurons constitute one of three known adrenergic nuclei in the rat central nervous system (CNS). While the adrenergic C1 cell group has been extensively characterized both physiologically and anatomically, the C3 nucleus has remained relatively obscure. This study employed a lentiviral tracing technique that expresses green fluorescent protein behind a promoter selective to noradrenergic and adrenergic neurons. Microinjection of this virus into the C3 nucleus enabled the selective tracing of C3 efferents throughout the rat CNS, thus revealing the anatomical framework of C3 projections. C3 terminal fields were observed in over 40 different CNS nuclei, spanning all levels of the spinal cord, as well as various medullary, mesencephalic, hypothalamic, thalamic, and telencephalic nuclei. The highest densities of C3 axon varicosities were observed in Lamina X and the intermediolateral cell column of the thoracic spinal cord, as well as the dorsomedial medulla (both commissural and medial nuclei of the solitary tract, area postrema, and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus), ventrolateral periaqueductal gray, dorsal parabrachial nucleus, periventricular and rhomboid nuclei of the thalamus, and paraventricular and periventricular nuclei of the hypothalamus. In addition, moderate and sparse projections were observed in many catecholaminergic and serotonergic nuclei, as well as the area anterior and ventral to the third ventricle, Lamina X of the cervical, lumbar, and sacral spinal cord, and various hypothalamic and telencephalic nuclei. The anatomical map of C3 projections detailed in this survey hopes to lay the first steps toward developing a functional framework for this nucleus

Reversible Silencing of Neuronal Excitability in Behaving Mice by a Genetically Targeted, Ivermectin-Gated Cl^− Channel

Several genetic strategies for inhibiting neuronal function in mice have been described, but no system that directly suppresses membrane excitability and is triggered by a systemically administered drug, has been validated in awake behaving animals. We expressed unilaterally in mouse striatum a modified heteromeric ivermectin (IVM)-gated chloride channel from C. elegans (GluClαβ), systemically administered IVM, and then assessed amphetamine-induced rotational behavior. Rotation was observed as early as 4 hr after a single intraperitoneal IVM injection (10 mg/kg), reached maximal levels by 12 hr, and was almost fully reversed by 4 days. Multiple cycles of silencing and recovery could be performed in a single animal. In striatal slice preparations from GluClαβ-expressing animals, IVM rapidly suppressed spiking. The two-subunit GluCl/IVM system permits “intersectional” strategies designed to increase the cellular specificity of silencing in transgenic animals

Evaluating a Strategy to Deliver Vaccine to White-tailed Deer at a Landscape Level

Effective delivery of vaccines and other pharmaceuticals to wildlife populations is needed when zoonotic diseases pose a risk to public health and natural resources or have considerable economic consequences. The objective of our study was to develop a bait-distribution strategy for potential delivery of oral bovine tuberculosis (bTB) vaccine to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) where deer are reservoirs for the disease. During 17 February and 2 March 2011, we created a grid of experimental bait stations (n=64) on Sandhill Wildlife Management Area, Wisconsin, USA, to assess station densities needed to attract and deliver placebo baits to free-ranging white-tailed deer and look for associations among deer density, number of bait stations per deer, and bait consumption. We placed 1 L of commercially available alfalfa cubes at bait stations 652m apart, and monitored stations with motion-activated cameras for 5 days to document visitation and consumption by deer and nontarget species. Deer discovered 38% of all bait stations within 37 hr, on average (SE=3.91 hr), and consumed variable amounts of bait at each station. Deer were documented in 94% of all photographs of wildlife at bait stations. We found no correlation between bait consumption and deer density or the number of bait stations per deer. We provide the first information on use of baits by free-ranging deer and nontarget wildlife to eventually vaccinate deer against bTB at a landscape level. The results of this study can further the development of strategies in delivery of pharmaceuticals to free-ranging white-tailed deer