Low-frequency hearing and masking parameters in representative seals and sea lionsa).

Despite the prevalence of low-frequency natural and human-generated noise, there are relatively few biological data describing hearing and masking in non-human mammals at frequencies below 100 Hz. Information about the auditory capabilities of mammals with high sensitivity to low-frequency sounds is needed to understand and quantify masking effects. In this study, behavioral methods were used to investigate low-frequency underwater hearing in two trained bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) and a California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) in quiet conditions and in the presence of controlled background noise.

Auditory masking in odobenid and otariid carnivoresa).

As the only living species within the odobenid lineage of carnivores, walruses (Odobenus rosmarus) have no close relatives from which auditory information can be extrapolated. Sea lions and fur seals in the otariid lineage are the nearest evolutionary outgroup. To advance understanding of odobenid and otariid hearing, we conducted behavioral testing with two walruses and one California sea lion (Zalophus californianus).

Minimizing habitat conflicts in meeting net-zero energy targets in the western United States.

The scale and pace of energy infrastructure development required to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are unprecedented, yet our understanding of how to minimize its potential impacts on land and ocean use and natural resources is inadequate. Using high-resolution energy and land-use modeling, we developed spatially explicit scenarios for reaching an economy-wide net-zero GHG target in the western United States by 2050. We found that among net-zero policy cases that vary the rate of transportation and building electrification and use of fossil fuels, nuclear generation, and biomass, the "High Electrification" case, which utilizes electricity generation the most efficiently, had the lowest total land and ocean area requirements (84,000 to 105,000 km vs.

Cephalohematoma in a patient with ehlers-danlos syndrome.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a rarely encountered connective tissue disorder characterized by skin hyper-elasticity, joint hyper-flexibility, and vasculature fragility. We report a 41-year-old female presenting with scalp swelling following minor head trauma. The patient presented with a large cephalohematoma that despite compressive measures and Factor IX administration continued to progress, necessitating transfer for definitive surgical intervention.

Biomimetic chemical sensors using nanoelectronic readout of olfactory receptor proteins.

We have designed and implemented a practical nanoelectronic interface to G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), a large family of membrane proteins whose roles in the detection of molecules outside eukaryotic cells make them important pharmaceutical targets. Specifically, we have coupled olfactory receptor proteins (ORs) with carbon nanotube transistors. The resulting devices transduce signals associated with odorant binding to ORs in the gas phase under ambient conditions and show responses that are in excellent agreement with results from established assays for OR-ligand binding.