Sensitivity to temporal structure facilitates perceptual analysis of complex auditory scenes

The notion that sensitivity to the statistical structure of the environment is pivotal to perception has recently garnered considerable attention. Here we investigated this issue in the context of hearing. Building on previous work (Sohoglu and Chait, 2016a; elife), stimuli were artificial 'soundscapes' populated by multiple (up to 14) simultaneous streams ('auditory objects') comprised of tone-pip sequences, each with a distinct frequency and pattern of amplitude modulation. Sequences were either temporally regular or random. We show that listeners' ability to detect abrupt appearance or disappearance of a stream is facilitated when scene streams were characterized by a temporally regular fluctuation pattern. The regularity of the changing stream as well as that of the background (non-changing) streams contribute independently to this effect. Remarkably, listeners benefit from regularity even when they are not consciously aware of it. These findings establish that perception of complex acoustic scenes relies on the availability of detailed representations of the regularities automatically extracted from multiple concurrent streams

Synthetic routes to treprostinil N-acyl methylsulfonamide

The synthesis of the prodrug candidate, treprostinil N-acyl methylsulfonamide 5 was accomplished from treprostinil 2 utilising protecting group strategies. A more direct synthesis for the prodrug was also achieved using a treprostinil triol precursor 12 and bromoacetyl acylmethylsulfonamide 14. The overall yield of treprostinil N-acyl sulfonamide 5 directly from the triol precursor 12 is similar to the protecting group strategies because deprotonation of the acidic proton in the bromoacetyl acylmethylsulfonamide 14 reduces electrophilicity. However, the more direct route using the treprostinil triol precursor holds greater promise as a strategy to prepare a wide range of treprostinil prodrug candidates. Treprostinil N-acyl methylsulfonamide prodrug 5 exhibited a 30-fold decrease in the potency at the human prostacyclin (IP) receptor compared to treprostinil 2 in an in vitro cyclic AMP assay

Non-abelian gauge antisymmetric tensor fields

We construct the theory of non-abelian gauge antisymmetric tensor fields, which generalize the standard Yang-MIlls fields and abelian gauge p-forms. The corresponding gauge group acts on the space of inhomogeneous differential forms and it is shown to be a supergroup. The wide class of generalized Chern-Simons actions is constructed.Comment: 20 pages, Late

Quantum geometry from 2+1 AdS quantum gravity on the torus

Wilson observables for 2+1 quantum gravity with negative cosmological constant, when the spatial manifold is a torus, exhibit several novel features: signed area phases relate the observables assigned to homotopic loops, and their commutators describe loop intersections, with properties that are not yet fully understood. We describe progress in our study of this bracket, which can be interpreted as a q-deformed Goldman bracket, and provide a geometrical interpretation in terms of a quantum version of Pick's formula for the area of a polygon with integer vertices.Comment: 19 pages, 11 figures, revised with more explanations, improved figures and extra figures. To appear GER

Local Ugandan Production of Stable 0.2% Chlorhexidine Eye Drops

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a protocol to prepare buffered chlorhexidine (CHX) eye drops (0.2% w/v) in the United Kingdom that can be reproduced at a production facility in Uganda. Buffered CHX eye drops can prevent CHX degradation and improve ocular tolerability during the treatment of fungal keratitis. Methods: Buffered CHX eye drops in amber glass containers were prepared using sodium acetate buffer at pH 5.90 to 6.75. Two commercial CHX solutions and CHX in water were used as controls. Eye drops were stored at 40°C (70% humidity, 21 months) in the United Kingdom and at ambient temperature in Uganda (30 months). High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine CHX stability over time, and pH was monitored. Sterility was achieved using an autoclave (121°C, 15 minutes) and water bath (100°C, 30 minutes). Results: The pH of acetate-buffered CHX eye drops did not change over 21 months a40°C or at ambient temperature (30 months), whereas the pH of the unbuffered aqueouCHX displayed significant fluctuations, with an increase in acidity. The CHX concentration remained the same in both buffered and unbuffered eye-drop solutions. Eye dropsterilization was successful using an autoclave and a water bath. Conclusions: Stable, sterile, buffered CHX eye drops (pH 6.75) were successfully prepared first in the United Kingdom and then reproducibly in Uganda. This eye drops can be prepared in a hospital or pharmacy setting with limited resources, thus providing a cost-effective treatment for fungal keratitis. Translational Relevance: A protocol has been developed to prepare buffered CHX eydrops in low-and middle-income countries to treat fungal keratitis

Tissue biopsy for the diagnosis of amyloidosis: experience from some centres

A reliable diagnosis of amyloidosis is usually based on a tissue biopsy. With increasing options for specific treatments of the different amyloid diseases, an exact and valid diagnosis including determination of the biochemical fibril nature is imperative. Biopsy sites as well as amyloid typing principles vary and this paper describes methods employed at some laboratories specialised in amyloidosis in Europe, Japan and USA

Standardized Reporting of Microscopic Renal Tumor Margins: Introduction of the Renal Tumor Capsule Invasion Scoring System

Purpose Renal tumor enucleation allows for maximal parenchymal preservation. Identifying pseudocapsule integrity is critically important in nephron sparing surgery by enucleation. Tumor invasion into and through the capsule may have clinical implications, although it is not routinely commented on in standard pathological reporting. We describe a system to standardize the varying degrees of pseudocapsule invasion and identify predictors of invasion. Materials and Methods We performed a multicenter retrospective review between 2002 and 2014 at Indiana University Hospital and Loyola University Medical Center. A total of 327 tumors were evaluated following removal via radical nephrectomy, standard margin partial nephrectomy or enucleation partial nephrectomy. Pathologists scored tumors using our i-Cap (invasion of pseudocapsule) scoring system. Multivariate analysis was done to determine predictors of higher score tumors. Results Tumor characteristics were similar among surgical resection groups. Enucleated tumors tended to have thinner pseudocapsule rims but not higher i-Cap scores. Rates of complete capsular invasion, scored as i-Cap 3, were similar among the surgical techniques, comprising 22% of the overall cohort. Papillary histology along with increasing tumor grade was predictive of an i-Cap 3 score. Conclusions A capsule invasion scoring system is useful to classify renal cell carcinoma pseudocapsule integrity. i-Cap scores appear to be independent of surgical technique. Complete capsular invasion is most common in papillary and high grade tumors. Further work is warranted regarding the relevance of capsular invasion depth as it relates to the oncologic outcome for local recurrence and disease specific survival

Comparing oncologic outcomes in patients undergoing surgery for oncocytic neoplasms, conventional oncocytoma, and chromophobe renal cell carcinoma

Introduction Oncocytic neoplasms are renal tumors similar to oncocytoma, but their morphologic variations preclude definitive diagnosis. This somewhat confusing diagnosis can create treatment and surveillance challenges for the treating urologist. We hypothesize that these subtle morphologic variations do not drastically affect the malignant potential of these tumors, and we sought to demonstrate this by comparing clinical outcomes of oncocytic neoplasms to those of classic oncocytoma and chromophobe. Methods We gathered demographic and outcomes data for patients with variant oncocytic tumors. Oncologic surveillance was conducted per institutional protocol in accordance with NCCN guidelines. Descriptive statistics were used to compare incidence of metastasis and death against those for patients with oncocytoma and chromophobe. Three hundred and fifty-one patients were analyzed: 164 patients with oncocytoma, 28 with oncocytic neoplasms, and 159 with chromophobe tumors. Results Median follow-up time for the entire cohort was 32.4 months, (interquartile range 9.2–70.0). Seventeen total patients (17/351, 4.9%) died during the course of the study. In patients with oncocytoma or oncocytic neoplasm, none were known to metastasize or die of their disease. Only chromophobe tumors >6 cm in size in our series demonstrated metastatic progression and approximately half of these metastasized tumors demonstrated sarcomatoid changes. Conclusion Variant oncocytic neoplasms appear to have a natural course similar to classic oncocytoma. These tumors appear to have no metastatic potential, and oncologic surveillance may not be indicated after surgery