Intrusion detection methods and apparatus that use a building\u27s infrastructure as part of a sensor

Intrusion detection methods and apparatus exploit the infrastructure of the building itself. The preferred embodiments use the existing power line infrastructure to provide power, data, and sensor observables to a monitoring system which is simply connected at one point, namely, the connection of the building to the city power grid. Computer network interfaces may also be used. In terms of sensors, impedance, capacitive, inductive, electric field and Radar modalities may be used.https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/patents/1026/thumbnail.jp

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection Prevalence of Predisposing Conditions Including Fibromuscular Dysplasia in a Tertiary Center Cohort

ObjectivesWe sought to evaluate the prevalence of fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and other predisposing conditions among spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) patients.BackgroundSpontaneous coronary artery dissection is considered rare. However, we observed many young women with SCAD and concomitant FMD.MethodsSpontaneous coronary artery dissection patients were identified prospectively and retrospectively at Vancouver General Hospital over the past 6 years. Coronary angiograms were meticulously reviewed by 2 senior interventional cardiologists. Identified patients were contacted for prospective evaluation at our SCAD clinic, and screening for FMD of renal, iliac, and cerebrovascular arteries was performed with computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance angiography, if not already screened during the index angiogram. Potential predisposing and precipitating conditions for SCAD were extracted from clinical history.ResultsWe identified 50 patients with nonatherosclerotic SCAD from April 2006 to March 2012. Average age was 51.0 years, and almost all were women (98.0%). All presented with myocardial infarction (MI), 30.0% had ST-segment elevation, and 70.0% had non–ST-segment elevation MI. Only 1 was postpartum, and 2 were involved in intense isometric exercises. Emotional stress was reported in 26.0% before the MI. Twelve percent had >1 dissected coronary artery. Most SCAD patients had FMD of ≥1 noncoronary territory (86.0%): 25 of 43 (58.1%) renal, 21 of 43 (48.8%) iliac, and 20 of 43 (46.5%) cerebrovascular (6 of 43, 14.0% had intracranial aneurysm). Five had incomplete FMD screening.ConclusionsNonatherosclerotic SCAD predominantly affects women, and most have concomitant FMD. We suspect these patients have underlying coronary FMD that predisposed them to SCAD, but this requires proof from histology or intracoronary imaging of the affected coronary arteries

Emergency revascularization in patients with cardiogenic shock on admission: a report from the SHOCK trial and registry

Aims To determine clinical correlates and optimal treatment strategy in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS) on admission. Methods and results In SHould we emergently revascularize Occluded Coronaries in cardiogenic shocK? (SHOCK) trial and registry patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (n=1053), CS on admission occurred in 26% of directly admitted patients (n=166/627). Time from myocardial infarction to CS was shorter, initial haemodynamic profile poorer, and aggressive treatment less frequent in CS on admission than in delayed CS patients. CS on admission patients constituted a smaller relative proportion (11%) of the transferred (n=48/426) when compared with the directly admitted cohort (P<0.001). In-hospital mortality was higher (75 vs. 56%; P<0.001) with more rapid death (24-h mortality 40 vs. 17%; P<0.001) in CS on admission than in delayed CS patients. Emergency revascularization reduced in-hospital mortality in CS on admission (60 vs. 82%; P=0.001) and in delayed CS patients similarly (46 vs. 62%; P<0.001; interaction P=0.25). After adjustment for clinical differences, CS on admission was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (P=0.008). Conclusion CS on admission patients have a worse outcome but benefit equally from emergency revascularization as delayed CS patients, emphasizing the need for rapid and direct access of CS on admission patients to facilities providing this car

Enzyme-Controlled Nitrogen-Atom Transfer Enables Regiodivergent C−H Amination

We recently demonstrated that variants of cytochrome P450_(BM3) (CYP102A1) catalyze the insertion of nitrogen species into benzylic C–H bonds to form new C–N bonds. An outstanding challenge in the field of C–H amination is catalyst-controlled regioselectivity. Here, we report two engineered variants of P450_(BM3) that provide divergent regioselectivity for C–H amination—one favoring amination of benzylic C–H bonds and the other favoring homo-benzylic C–H bonds. The two variants provide nearly identical kinetic isotope effect values (2.8–3.0), suggesting that C–H abstraction is rate-limiting. The 2.66-Å crystal structure of the most active enzyme suggests that the engineered active site can preorganize the substrate for reactivity. We hypothesize that the enzyme controls regioselectivity through localization of a single C–H bond close to the iron nitrenoid

Understanding the power of the prime minister : structure and agency in models of prime ministerial power

Understanding the power of the prime minister is important because of the centrality of the prime minister within the core executive of British government, but existing models of prime ministerial power are unsatisfactory for various reasons. This article makes an original contribution by providing an overview and critique of the dominant models of prime ministerial power, highlighting their largely positivist bent and the related problem of the prevalence of overly parsimonious conceptions of the structural contexts prime ministers face. The central argument the paper makes is that much of the existing literature on prime ministerial power is premised on flawed understandings of the relationship between structure and agency, that this leads to misunderstandings of the real scope of prime ministerial agency, as well as its determinants, and that this can be rectified by adopting a strategic-relational view of structure and agency

Percutaneous coronary intervention for cardiogenic shock in the SHOCK trial

AbstractObjectivesWe examined the clinical, angiographic, and procedural characteristics determining survival after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for cardiogenic shock.BackgroundThe SHOCK (SHould we emergently revascularize Occluded coronaries for Cardiogenic shocK?) trial prospectively enrolled patients with shock complicating acute myocardial infarction (MI). Patients were randomized to a strategy of early revascularization or initial medical stabilization.MethodsPatients randomized to early revascularization underwent PCI or bypass surgery on the basis of predefined clinical criteria. Patients randomized to early revascularization who underwent PCI and had angiographic films available for analysis are the subject of this report (n = 82).ResultsThe median time from MI to PCI was 11 h. The majority of patients had occluded culprit arteries (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction [TIMI] grade 0 or 1 flow in 62%) and multivessel disease (81%). One-year mortality in PCI patients was 50%. Mortality was 39% if PCI was successful but 85% if unsuccessful (p < 0.001). Mortality was 38% if TIMI flow grade 3 was achieved, 55% with TIMI grade 2 flow, and 100% with TIMI grade 0 or 1 flow (p < 0.001). Mortality was 67% if severe mitral regurgitation was documented. Independent correlates of mortality were as follows: increasing age (p < 0.001), lower systolic blood pressure (p = 0.009), increasing time from randomization to PCI (p = 0.019), lower post-PCI TIMI flow (0/1 vs. 2/3) (p < 0.001), and multivessel PCI (p = 0.040).ConclusionsRestoration of coronary blood flow is a major predictor of survival in cardiogenic shock. Benefit appears to extend beyond the generally accepted 12-h post-infarction window. Surgery should be considered in shock patients with severe mitral insufficiency or multivessel disease not amenable to relatively complete percutaneous revascularization

Robotic milking technologies and renegotiating situated ethical relationships on UK dairy farms

Robotic or automatic milking systems (AMS) are novel technologies that take over the labor of dairy farming and reduce the need for human-animal interactions. Because robotic milking involves the replacement of 'conventional' twice-a-day milking managed by people with a system that supposedly allows cows the freedom to be milked automatically whenever they choose, some claim robotic milking has health and welfare benefits for cows, increases productivity, and has lifestyle advantages for dairy farmers. This paper examines how established ethical relations on dairy farms are unsettled by the intervention of a radically different technology such as AMS. The renegotiation of ethical relationships is thus an important dimension of how the actors involved are re-assembled around a new technology. The paper draws on in-depth research on UK dairy farms comparing those using conventional milking technologies with those using AMS. We explore the situated ethical relations that are negotiated in practice, focusing on the contingent and complex nature of human-animal-technology interactions. We show that ethical relations are situated and emergent, and that as the identities, roles, and subjectivities of humans and animals are unsettled through the intervention of a new technology, the ethical relations also shift. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Transcatheter Implantation of the MONARC Coronary Sinus Device for Mitral Regurgitation 1-Year Results From the EVOLUTION Phase I Study (Clinical Evaluation of the Edwards Lifesciences Percutaneous Mitral Annuloplasty System for The Treatment of Mitral Regurgitation)

ObjectivesThis study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of transcatheter valve annuloplasty in patients with mitral regurgitation (MR).BackgroundMitral regurgitation is associated with a worsened prognosis in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Surgical mitral annuloplasty reduces the septal-lateral dimension of the mitral annulus resulting in improved leaflet coaptation with a reduction in regurgitation. Percutaneous annuloplasty with the MONARC device (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, California) implanted within the coronary sinus is designed to reduce mitral regurgitation through a similar mechanism.MethodsA total of 72 patients with MR grade ≥2 were enrolled at 8 participating centers in 4 countries. Clinical evaluation and transthoracic echocardiography were performed at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months. Multislice cardiac computed tomography and coronary angiography were performed at baseline and 3 months.ResultsThe MONARC device was implanted in 59 of 72 patients (82%). The primary safety end point (freedom from death, tamponade, or myocardial infarction at 30 days) was met in 91% of patients at 30 days and in 82% at 1 year. Computed tomography imaging documented passage of the great cardiac vein over an obtuse marginal artery in 55% of patients and was associated with angiographic coronary artery compression in 15 patients and myocardial infarction in 2 patients (3.4%). At 12 months, a reduction in MR by ≥1 grade was observed in 50.0% of 22 implanted patients with matched echocardiograms and in 85.7% of 7 patients with baseline MR grade ≥3.ConclusionsImplantation of the MONARC device in the coronary sinus is feasible and may reduce MR. However, coronary artery compression may occur in patients in whom the great cardiac vein passes over a coronary artery, necessitating strategies in future studies to avoid this occurrence

Myocardial perfusion grade after late infarct artery recanalization is associated with global and regional left ventricular function at one year: analysis from the Total Occlusion Study of Canada-2.

BACKGROUND: Whether myocardial perfusion grade (MPG) following late recanalization of infarct-related arteries (IRAs) predicts left ventricular (LV) function recovery beyond the acute phase of myocardial infarction (MI) is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: The Total Occlusion Study of Canada-2 enrolled stable patients with a persistently occluded IRA beyond 24 hours and up to 28 days post-MI. We studied the relationship between the initial MPG and changes in LV function and volume as well as the change in MPG from immediate post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to 1 year in 139 PCI patients with thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade 3 epicardial flow post-PCI and with paired values grouped into impaired or good MPG groups (MPG 0/1 or MPG 2/3). MPG 0/1 patients were more likely to have received thrombolytic therapy and to have a left anterior descending IRA. They had lower blood pressure and LV ejection fraction (LVEF) and a higher heart rate and systolic sphericity index at baseline. Changes in the MPG 0/1 and MPG 2/3 groups from baseline to 1 year were LVEF, 3.3±9.0% and 4.8±8.9% (P=0.42); LV end-systolic volume index (LVESVI), -1.1±9.2 and -4.7±12.3 mL/m(2) (P=0.25); LV end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), 0.08±19.1 and -2.4±22.2 mL/m(2) (P=0.67); and SDs/chord for infarct zone wall motion index (WMI), 0.38±0.70 and 0.84±1.11 (P=0.01). By covariate-adjusted analysis, post-PCI MPG 0/1 predicted lower WMI (P<0.001), lower LVEF (P<0.001), and higher LVESVI (P<0.01) but not LVEDVI at 1 year. Of the MPG 0/1 patients, 60% were MPG 2 or 3 at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Preserved MPG is present in a high proportion of patients following late PCI of occluded IRAs post-MI. Poor MPG post-PCI frequently improves MPG over 1 year. MPG graded after IRA recanalization undertaken days to weeks post MI is associated with LV recovery, indicating that MPG determined in the subacute post-MI period remains a marker of viability

Taqman Real-Time PCR Detects Avipoxvirus DNA in Blood of Hawaìi `Amakihi (Hemignathus virens)

Margaret E. M. Farias et al...Background Avipoxvirus sp. is a significant threat to endemic bird populations on several groups of islands worldwide, including Hawaìi, the Galapagos Islands, and the Canary Islands. Accurate identification and genotyping of Avipoxvirus is critical to the study of this disease and how it interacts with other pathogens, but currently available methods rely on invasive sampling of pox-like lesions and may be especially harmful in smaller birds. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we present a nested TaqMan Real-Time PCR for the detection of the Avipoxvirus 4b core protein gene in archived blood samples from Hawaiian birds. The method was successful in amplifying Avipoxvirus DNA from packed blood cells of one of seven Hawaiian honeycreepers with confirmed Avipoxvirus infections and 13 of 28 Hawaìi `amakihi (Hemignathus virens) with suspected Avipoxvirus infections based on the presence of pox-like lesions. Mixed genotype infections have not previously been documented in Hawaìi but were observed in two individuals in this study. Conclusions/Significance We anticipate that this method will be applicable to other closely related strains of Avipoxvirus and will become an important and useful tool in global studies of the epidemiology of Avipoxvirus.Funding for this study was provided by: U.S. Geological Survey, Pacific Island Ecosystems Research Center (biology.usgs.gov/pierc/); U.S. Geological Survey Wildlife (biology.usgs.gov/wter/) and Invasive Species (biology.usgs.gov/invasive/) Programs; National Science Foundation (DEB0083944, www.nsf.gov); NIH/NCRR IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE), P20RR016467 (http://www.ncrr.nih.gov/research_infrast​ructure/institutional_development_award/​idea_networks_of_biomedical_research_exc​ellence/). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Peer reviewe