cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dual targeting of the human cytomegalovirus UL37 exon 1 protein during permissive infection.

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL37 immediate-early (IE) gene minimally encodes three protein isoforms that share NH2-terminal sequences. The predominant UL37 isoform detected during HCMV infection was the UL37 exon 1 protein (pUL37x1), which was produced from IE and, more abundantly, through late times of infection. pUL37x1 was localized in both the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria in infected cells. To determine which UL37x1 NH2-terminal residues serve as ER and mitochondrial targeting signals, we examined the subcellular localization of two deletion mutants. pUL37x1Δ2–23, which lacks the hydrophobic leader, is neither translocated into the ER nor imported mitochondrially; conversely, pUL37x1Δ23–34, lacking the juxtaposed basic residues, was translocated into the ER but only imported weakly into mitochondria. These studies show for the first time the temporal production and localization of pUL37x1 during HCMV infection. The trafficking patterns of mutants suggest that the pUL37x1 targeting signal to ER and mitochondria is bipartite.
Psychological evaluation and management of pediatric oncology patients in protected environments

Specific aspects of psychological investigation and management of pediatric patients with widely disseminated solid tumors treated in semiportable, laminar airflow patient isolators are discussed. Information was obtained prospectively from a psychosocial study coordinated with a medical investigation of the use of protected environments (PE) employing barrier isolation as an adjunct to intensive anticancer therapy. Included are descriptions of the development of psychological criteria for patient eligibility, psychometric evaluation, longitudinal behavioral observation, pre-entry and predischarge orientation techniques, as well as approaches to the ongoing management of patients and families. No debilitating psychological disturbance has been observed in these patients, and no patients have had to be removed for psychological reasons. Specific transitory psychological changes are noted as are the problems encountered by staff members functioning in such a setting. The adoption of a well-coordinated psychosocial program of investigation and clinical intervention has proved useful in maximizing patient adjustment to prolonged treatment in protected environments.
Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 and Serum Testosterone Status of Elderly Men in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit

ABSTRACT This study was designed to estimate the prevalence of hyposomatomedinemia and hypogonadism in an inpatient rehabilitation unit. The authors studied healthy young men (HYM) ages 20–29 years (n = 33); healthy old men (HOM) ages 59–98 years (n = 27), and elderly men in an inpatient rehabilitation unit (ERM) ages 58–95 years (n = 42). Serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor (IGFI), total testosterone (TT), and free testosterone (FT) were measured. A low IGF-I level (below the lower 2.5 percentile of the HYM) occurred in 85% of the HOM and in 62.5% of the ERM. When a low IGF-I was defined as a value below the 2.5 percentile of the HOM, the prevalence in the ERM was 6.2%. A low TT level (below the lower 2.5 percentile of the HYM) occurred in 78% of the HOM and in 90% of the ERM. Low TT, defined as a value below the lower 2.5 percentile of the HOM, occurred in 22% of the ERM. The results with FT were similar. In neither HOM nor ERM was IGF-I significantly correlated to TT or FT. A large percentage of HOM and ERM have severe hypogonadism (TT
Neonatal nosocomial infections

Nosocomial acquisition of infection is now the most common mode of transmission of infection in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Surveillance studies have shown rates of infection in the NICU of 15% to 20%, which are as high as those in adult medical or surgical ICUs and higher than those in most pediatric ICUs. Studies of NICU nosocomial infections have pinpointed the use of indwelling vascular catheters, high-calorie hyperalimentation infusions, assisted ventilation, and prior use of antibiotics as significant risk factors for infection. Strategies to reduce nosocomial infections with the use of prophylactic antibiotics, immunoglobulins, and physical barriers have been unsuccessful. New methods of reducing risk factors and enhancing the neonate's resistance to infection are badly needed.
Promising Control Alternatives for Solar Water Heating Systems

Although the performance of solar domestic hot water (SDHW) systems has been well studied, there are several promising control alternatives that have not been thoroughly investigated. Reduced constant collector fluid flow rates, variable collector flow rates, and variable volume storage are several alternative strategies. This paper presents the results of an analytical study using the TRNSYS simulation program in which the thermal performance of SDHW systems utilizing alternative control strategies are compared while operating under realistic conditions in several different climates of the United States. The effects on system performance of time of year, collector area and quality, preheat storage tank volume and energy losses, occurrence of mixing the preheat storage tank, controller temperature deadbands, auxiliary set temperature, total daily usage, and load distribution are investigated.
γ-Hydroxybutyric acid binding sites: Interaction with the GABA-benzodiazepine-picrotoxin receptor complex

The effect of three compounds known to allosterically modulate binding to the GABA/benzodiazepine/picrotoxin receptor complex on 4-hydroxy-2,3 [3H]butyric acid (GHB) binding was investigated. Pentobarbital, pentylenetetrazole, and picrotoxin enhanced [3H]GHB binding in a dose dependent fashion. Pentobarbital enhanced 4-hydroxy-2,3 [3H]butyric acid binding was associated with an increase in Bmax while pentylenetetrazole and picrotoxin altered the affinity of GHB for its binding site producing a decrease in Kd. These findings suggest that the GHB and GABA receptor complex may share certain moieties in common.
Do honey bees encode distance information into the wing vibrations of the waggle dance

An optical technique detected the wing vibration frequency of worker honey bees in an observation hive during the straight run of the waggle dance. Wing oscillation frequencies were recorded from dancing bees after they had visited a feeding station located from 50 to 1600 m from the hive. The bees vibrated their wings more rapidly after they visited nearby stations than when they foraged at more distant feeding stations. For example, the mean frequency of 315 Hz at 50 m dropped to only 207 Hz at 1600 m. Wing vibration frequency appears to be another factor to be added to the elements in the dance known to indicate the distance bees must fly to food sources. These known elements include the duration of the straight run and the number of wagtail movements in the run.
Alteration of plasma electrophoretic patterns and anaphylactic reactions in protein depleted dogs.

Summary1) Dogs were depleted of body proteins by forced hemoglobin production superimposed on a low protein diet. Electrophoretic patterns indicated markedly decreased albumin values and A/G ratios in spite of relatively little change in total plasma proteins. In all instances there were marked increases in total α, β and γ globulins. 2) Anaphylactic reactions following immunization to horse serum were diminished or absent in the depleted animals as contrasted to controls.
Raman spectroscopic study of the formation of t‐MoSi2 from Mo/Si multilayers

We have used Raman spectroscopy, large‐ and small‐angle x‐ray diffraction spectroscopy of sputter‐deposited, vacuum‐annealed, soft x‐ray Mo/Si thin‐film multilayers to study the physics of silicide formation. Two sets of multilayer samples with d‐spacing 8.4 and 2.0 nm have been studied. Annealing at temperatures above 800 °C causes a gradual formation of amorphous MoSi2 interfaces between the Si and Mo layers. The transition from amorphous to crystalline MoSi2 is abrupt. The experimental results indicate that nucleation is the dominant process for the early stage and crystallization is the dominant process after nucleation is well advanced. In the thicker multilayer, a portion of the silicon crystallizes during annealing and a strong Raman signal is observed. An advantage of Raman spectroscopy is that the Raman signal of the silicide is observed even before the presence of MoSi2 can be seen using x‐ray diffraction. This study indicates that Raman spectroscopy is an effective technique for characterizing ...
An efficient graph technique based dual-type algorithm for NMNF problems with large capacity constraints

In this paper, we propose a Graph Method Decomposition Technique based dual-type (GbDt) algorithm to solve the Nonlinear Multi-commodity Network Flow (NMNF) problems with large number of capacity constraints. The GbDt algorithm is imbedded with two techniques, the first is the Graph Method Decomposition (GmD) technique which can decouple the large dimension projection problem induced by the large number of capacity constraints into several independent small dimension projection problems, the second is the Modified Successive Projection and Truncated (MSPT) technique can solve the disjoint projection problems efficiently. We have combined these two techniques with a Successive Quadratic Programming (SQP) method and a Dual Projected Pseudo-Quasi-Newton (DPPQN) method possessing decomposition effects. With the decomposition, our algorithm is computationally efficient. We have tested our method in solving numerous examples of NMNF problems. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is efficient in solving the NMNF problems and successfully handle the large number of coupling capacity constraints. Furthermore, the computational efficiency of the proposed algorithm is more significant while the numbers of commodity are increased.
A Fuzzy Kinetostatic Analysis of Imprecisely-Defined Mechanisms

Many engineering systems are ill-defined and imprecisely known, due to fuzziness, especially in the conceptual/preliminary design phase. In this work, a fuzzy kinetostatic methodology is proposed for the dynamic analysis of mechanisms involving imprecision. The fuzzy dynamic bearing reactions as well as driving torque are computed using the proposed method. The analysis of a high-speed planar mechanism for path generation is considered to illustrate the computational aspects of the approach. The fuzzy analysis provides the variation of system performance over the entire range of design parameter space compared to the traditional sensitivity analysis approaches which give variations in system performance only at one design point.
Comprehensive Kinetic of Defects in a-SI:H

The introduction of several new principles into the analysis of transition kinetics of metastable defects in a-Si:H has produced a substantially improved rate equation for the density of defects as functions of time, light intensity, and temperature. The solution of this equation is a stretched exponential (SE) having properties that explain in a unifying way many observations of defect properties, including generation and anneal of the defect density in homogeneous films and degradation and anneal of solar cells. Major consequences are found for both the steady-state and transient properties of the defect density and for interpretations of microscopic models of the defects. These properties are also shown to be analogous to those of metastable centers in other materials, particularly the metastable DX center in AlGaAs which offers a rare insight into the microscopic origins of stretched exponentials that can be applied to a-Si:H in ways that provide new perspectives on effects of alloying and hydrogen on stability.
Frequency Topology Optimization and Lightweight Design of High-Speed Turning Center's Slide Board

This paper focuses on a general weight lightening method of machine tool's key moving parts based on frequency topology optimization and dimension optimization using Ansys workbench and Ansys classic interface. First, preparations of frequency topology optimization, including setting material, applying constraints and loads, meshing of the high-speed turning center HTC2550hs slide board were done in Ansys Workbench; Second, frequency topology optimization was performed in Ansys classic interface, and the preliminary light weighted model of the slide board was obtained; then, for important parameters of the removal parts that affect slide board's dynamic performance much, dimension optimization was performed. Finally, we achieve that the slide board's weight is reduced by 11.03%, while its first and second natural frequencies are increased.
Hydrologic Modification and the Loss of Self-organized Patterning in the Ridge–Slough Mosaic of the Everglades

The ridge–slough landscape of the Everglades (Florida, USA), is characterized by elevated ridges dominated by sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) interspersed among deeper sloughs dominated by floating, submerged and emergent macrophytes and calcareous periphyton. Interactions among hydrologic conditions (water depth, hydroperiod), plant composition and production, and respiration are hypothesized to create alternative peat accretion equilibria at the point scale, while spatial interactions among patches create regular pattern at the landscape scale. Despite significant research on these interactions, few studies have examined the hypothesis that the ridge–slough landscape consists of spatially coupled alternative stable patch states, and none has used diagnostic indicators thereof to assess landscape resilience to hydrologic change. Dense random sampling of water depths (a proxy for soil elevation) along a gradient of hydrologic impairment of drained to relatively natural to impounded conditions was used to evaluate four predictions related to this hypothesis: (1) bimodal soil elevation distributions show strong fidelity to community type; (2) positive autocorrelation at short distances with negative values at longer distances; (3) strong anisotropy (diagnostic of flow orientation), and spatial structure (diagnostic of the strength of landscape self-organization); and (4) loss of these features with hydrologic modification. Our results support the hypothesis that soil elevations are strongly bimodal and anisotropic in areas with minimal hydrologic impact, and spatial autocorrelation patterns indicate the operation of scale-dependent feedbacks. These metrics change markedly with hydrologic modification, although with differences between drainage and impoundment. Moreover, changes in landform precede associated changes in vegetation, suggesting their utility as diagnostic indicators of landscape degradation and recovery.
EFFECT OF VITAMIN CONCENTRATIONS ON GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF VITAMIN-REQUIRING ALGAE(1).

Vitamin-requiring marine algae, Cyclotella nana, Monochrysis lutheri, and Amphidinium carterae, were grown in batch culture with limiting concentrations of vitamin B12 , thiamine, and biotin, respectively. Cell numbers, average cell volumes, biomasses, (11) CO2 uptake rates, and chlorophyll a contents were determined daily. Maximum (14) CO2 uptake rates in most vitamin concentrations were obtained at 2 days with C. nana and M. lutheri and at 4 days with A. carterae after starved cultures were exposed to the vitamin. Radiocarbon uptake rates approximately reflect biomass increases. Cell numbers were proportional to vitamin concentrations when cells were incubated for 2 to 3 more days. Cell sizes varied depending on time of incubation. Chlorophyll a content did not always reflect vitamin concentrations. Maximum carbon assimilation rates (Km ) and saturation constants (Ks ) determined from (14) CO2 , uptake rates in different vitamin concentrations during early incubation were higher than when determined from cell number in log phase growth. Dissolved vitamin B12 , thiamine, and biotin in many samples of seawaters were in the ranges which influence the growth rate, cell size, and chlorophyll a content of C. nana, M. lutheri, and A. carterae, respectively, in laboratory studies. The effects of vitamins on these algae in situ may be similar.
Ionic determinants of exhaled breath condensate pH before and after exercise in adolescent athletes.

Background The pH of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of adolescent athletes engaged in vigorous physical activity is low compared to healthy controls; however, the ionic determinants of EBC pH and the acute effects of exercise on those determinants have not been definitively established. Objectives This study had two purposes: (1) to identify the ionic composition of EBC before and after exercise, and (2) to examine the effects of sample deaeration on EBC pH and composition. Methods EBC ionic composition was determined by ion chromatography and correlated with pH measured before and after deaeration. Bicarbonate concentration was calculated from the ion balance of other measured species and pH. Results EBC pH displayed a bimodal distribution, included values lower than expected for healthy individuals, and was correlated exclusively with volatile species, namely ammonia (mean concentration = 215 µM) and acetic (31.7 µM) and propionic acids (10.0 µM). Following exercise, raw EBC pH and ammonia concentration increased while propionic acid concentration fell. Following deaeration, EBC pH increased by one unit on average; however, the pH of samples with unusually low pH did not change significantly, and the concentrations of several ionic species were altered in a manner that cannot be explained in terms of volatility. Conclusions We conclude that in healthy adolescents, exercise results in an acute increase in raw EBC pH in association with an increase in ammonium and a decrease in propionate concentration. Since exercise increases systemic ammonia and urea (which is hydrolyzed by oral bacteria to form ammonia), we propose that the likely source of these changes is gas-phase diffusion from epithelial and oral surface liquids and to a lesser extent, from pulmonary circulation. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2009; 44:768–777. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Integrated ARROW Waveguides for Molecule Specific Surface-enhanced Raman Sensing

Planar integrated liquid-core ARROW waveguides for molecule specific surface-enhanced Raman (SERS) sensing are discussed. We demonstrate SERS detection from rhodamine 6G molecules bound to silver nanoparticles in picoliter volume ARROW waveguides and present waveguide designs for integrated Rayleigh-peak filtering.
VLA observations of the Galilean satellites

Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto have been observed at 2 and 6 cm with the VLA, when the Jovian system was about 4.46 AU from the earth. Flux densities and corresponding disk brightness temperatures are determined for the two wavelengths. The radio brightness temperatures are lower than in the IR, with the latter generally being consistent with the temperature derived from equilibrium with absorbed insolation. The radio temperatures are qualitatively consistent with the equilibrium temperature for fast rotating bodies, in view of the high radio reflectivity (low emissivity) determined by Ostro's (1982) radar measurements.
Indigenous Ecotourism in Central British Columbia: The Potential for Building Capacity in the Tl'azt'en Nations Territories

This article explores the potential for building capacity to plan and develop ecotourism in a traditionally forest-dependent indigenous community in central British Columbia (BC), Canada. It is based on fieldwork conducted in 2001 and 2002, consisting mainly of two community workshops, and a survey of 128 Tl'azt'en Nation households. Results show that there is significant potential for ecotourism development in the Tl'azt'en territory. The Tl'azt'en have a strong desire to be involved in ecotourism; however, they are incognisant of the challenges and opportunities that come with its development. There is a general lack of commitment to a shared responsibility in the planning and management of ecotourism. Four potential obstacles to fully realise the development of ecotourism include the speculation that most commercial ‘niches’ are already filled; lack of clearly identified target visitor markets; competing interests from other northern BC communities that have similar resources; and stereotypical images ...
Effect of two forms of maleic hydrazide on the cell structure at the midsection, stem and bud ends of the cortical and perimedullary regions of Russet Burbank tubers

The cortical and perimedullary cells of the potato tuber increased in size when treated with the diethanolamine and the potassium salt of maleic hydrazide. The best time for maleic hydrazide application appeared to be from mid to late July. There was a greater increase in cell size in the cortex than the perimedullary region and treatment with the amine salt was more effective than the potassium salt. The cells were smallest at the bud end; however, with maleic hydrazide treatment, increase in cell size was greater in this region compared to the midsection and stem end. From late August to late September the cell size of untreated tubers remained relatively unchanged, whereas, tubers treated with the amine salt showed a 16 to 46% increase with a lesser increase with the potassium salt. The rounder form of the treated tubers can be explained by the shape and increase in cell size in the cortical and perimedullary region. Increase in cell size also may help prevent the formation of misshapen tubers.
Genome-wide expression analysis of soybean NF-Y genes reveals potential function in development and drought response

Nuclear factor-Y (NF-Y), a heterotrimeric transcription factor, is composed of NF-YA, NF-YB and NF-YC proteins. In plants, there are usually more than 10 genes for each family and their members have been identified to be key regulators in many developmental and physiological processes controlling gametogenesis, embryogenesis, nodule development, seed development, abscisic acid (ABA) signaling, flowering time, primary root elongation, blue light responses, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response and drought tolerance. Taking the advantages of the recent soybean genome draft and information on functional characterizations of nuclear factor Y (NF-Y) transcription factor family in plants, we identified 21 GmNF-YA, 32 GmNF-YB, and 15 GmNF-YC genes in the soybean (Glycine max) genome. Phylogenetic analyses show that soybean’s proteins share strong homology to Arabidopsis and many of them are closely related to functionally characterized NF-Y in plants. Expression analysis in various tissues of flower, leaf, root, seeds of different developmental stages, root hairs under rhizobium inoculation, and drought-treated roots and leaves revealed that certain groups of soybean NF-Y are likely involved in specific developmental and stress responses. This study provides extensive evaluation of the soybean NF-Y family and is particularly useful for further functional characterization of GmNF-Y proteins in seed development, nodulation and drought adaptation of soybean.
Galerkin's solution to a severely non-linear problem of finite elastodynamics

Abstract Large amplitude free radial oscillations of a thick-walled circular shell are analysed on the basis of a rigorous finite-deformation theory of elasticity. The governing equation derived in two papers by Knowles is solved using the Galerkin procedure and the principle of conservation of energy. The material of the tube is considered incompressible and eventually specialized to the Mooney-Rivlin type. It is shown that the approximate solution, in the interval of interest, differs negligibly from that furnished by the rigorous theory and displays the same hard-spring behavior of oscillations. In the case of non-linear oscillations of a thin shell and of small oscillations of a thick-walled shell both solutions coincide.
Gestural Communication and Its Cognitive Implications in Pigtail Macaques (Macaca Nemestrina)

The aims of this study were to identify the context of occurrence of some of the most prominent gestural signals in pigtail macaques and discuss the cognitive implications of some communicative interactions observed in this species. The occurrence of 15 selected visual and tactile behavior patterns in a multi-male multi-female captive group of pigtail macaques was recorded with the behavior sampling method in 100 h of observation. Bared-teeth, presentation, and lip-smack were primarily submissive signals displayed by both males and females, whereas nonthrusting mounts appeared to reflect dominance. Ventro-ventral embracing and eyebrow displays were used as affiliative and bonding patterns between females and between males, respectively. The pucker was the most frequent signal observed in the group. Although the pucker occurred in several different contexts, in most cases this signal served a distance-reducing or summoning function. Gestural signals appeared to be used by pigtail macaques to communicate emotional states and intentions to other individuals as well as to request the participation of other individuals in specific social interactions.
Fast optoelectronic multiplication using VLSI spatial light modulator and CCD detector

Optical matrix multiplication is generally carried out in the analog domain. In this work, we present a digital domain technique for multiplication using VLSI SLMs and CCD detectors.
The Magic Spot: A ppGpp Binding Site on E. coli RNA Polymerase Responsible for Regulation of Transcription Initiation

The global regulatory nucleotide ppGpp ("magic spot") regulates transcription from a large subset of Escherichia coli promoters, illustrating how small molecules can control gene expression promoter-specifically by interacting with RNA polymerase (RNAP) without binding to DNA. However, ppGpp's target site on RNAP, and therefore its mechanism of action, has remained unclear. We report here a binding site for ppGpp on E. coli RNAP, identified by crosslinking, protease mapping, and analysis of mutant RNAPs that fail to respond to ppGpp. A strain with a mutant ppGpp binding site displays properties characteristic of cells defective for ppGpp synthesis. The binding site is at an interface of two RNAP subunits, ω and β', and its position suggests an allosteric mechanism of action involving restriction of motion between two mobile RNAP modules. Identification of the binding site allows prediction of bacterial species in which ppGpp exerts its effects by targeting RNAP.
Cognition and mood-related behaviors in L3mbtl1 null mutant mice.

Alterations in histone lysine methylation and epigenetic regulators of gene expression could play a role in the neurobiology and treatment of patients diagnosed with mood spectrum disorder, including depression and anxiety. Mutations and altered expression of various lysine methyltransferases (KMTs) and demethylases (KDMs) have been linked to changes in motivational and emotional behaviors in preclinical model systems. However, it is not known whether regulators operating downstream of histone lysine methylation could affect mood-related behavior. Malignant Brain Tumor (MBT) domain ‘chromatin reader’ proteins bind to methylated histone lysine residues and associate with chromatin remodeling complexes to facilitate or repress gene expression. MBT proteins, including the founding member, L3mbtl1, maintain high levels of expression in neurons of the mature brain. Here, we exposed L3mbtl1 null mutant mice to a wide range of tests exploring cognition and mood-relevant behaviors at baseline and in the context of social isolation, as a stressor to elicit depression-related behavior in susceptible mice. L3mbtl1 loss-of-function was associated with significant decreases in depression and and anxiety in some of the behavioral paradigms. This was not associated with a more generalized neurological dysfunction because cognition and memory remained unaltered in comparison to controls. These findings warrant further investigations on the role of MBT chromatin reader proteins in the context of emotional and affective behaviors.
Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction produced by a myocardial abscess in a patient with tuberculosis

Abstract A myocardial abscess that partially obstructed the right ventricular outflow tract developed in a 36 year old woman with tuberculous lymphadenopathy. The clinically suspected hemodynamic alterations were confirmed by cardiac catheterization and right ventricular angiocardiography. The patient had an excellent response to isoniazid and aminosalicyclic acid and to surgical drainage of the abscess. Although a causative organism was not isolated from the myocardial abscess, we believe that it most likely was tuberculous in origin.
Sensitivity to inflectional morphology in agrammatism: Investigation of a highly inflected language☆

We present the results of a study with six Serbo-Croatian-speaking agrammatic patients on a test of inflectional morphology in which subjects judged whether spoken sentences were grammatical or ungrammatical. Sensitivity to two kinds of syntactic features was investigated in these aphasic patients: (1) subcategorization rules for transitive verbs (which must be followed by a noun in the accusative case; intransitive verbs can be followed by nouns in other noun cases); (2) sensitivity to the inflectional morphology marking noun case. The test items consisted of three-word sentences (noun-verb-noun) in which verb transitivity and appropriateness of the case inflection of the following noun were manipulated. Results of the grammaticality judgment task show that both syntactic properties are preserved in these patients.
Atheism and the Apotheosis of Agency

This paper suggests that biological factors ought to be considered in attempting to explain distributions of theism and atheism across populations. In advancing our argument, we consider two recent efforts to explain atheism. The first, entered by William S. Bainbridge, is in the tradition of sociological theorizing. The second, proffered by Justin L. Barrett, is an example of theorizing within the framework of the recently developed cognitive science of religion. While these two approaches are different in important respects, they both opt for environmental explanations of atheism. We give reasons for regarding purely environmental explanations as unsatisfactory both with regard to atheism and with regard to some (but not all) expressions of religiosity. We offer, moreover, a suggested modification of Barrett's approach that introduces a hypothesized heritable biological argument so that it accounts for more of what we know about atheism.
Evaluation of T cell receptor gene rearrangement excision circles after antiretroviral therapy in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

Immune reconstitution after antiretroviral therapy in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐infected patients may result from the recovery of thymus function, peripheral redistribution, or decreased T cell destruction. This study investigated levels of T cell receptor gene rearrangement excision circles (TRECs) as a measure of recent thymic emigrant cells in peripheral blood lymphocytes of 50 HIV-infected infants and children who were followed-up for 40 months after the start or change of antiretroviral therapy. At baseline, patients exhibited fewer TRECs than did uninfected control subjects. The increase in TRECs after antiretroviral therapy was greater in infants than in older HIV-infected children. Of interest, patients who demonstrated discordant responses (i.e., increased CD4 T cell counts without significant virologic suppression) also had substantial gains in TRECs. Furthermore, TRECs correlated positively with the number of CD4 and naive T cells and negatively with age and virus load. Measurement of TRECs may serve as a useful tool for evaluating immune reconstitution in HIV-infected children receiving antiretroviral therapy. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is associated with progressive immune deficiency characterized by a persistent decline in CD4 T cells accompanied by impaired CD4 T
Environmental controls on the boron and strontium isotopic composition of aragonite shell material of cultured Arctica islandica

Abstract. Ocean acidification, the decrease in ocean pH associated with increasing atmospheric CO2, is likely to impact marine organisms, particularly those that produce carbonate skeletons or shells. Therefore, it is important to investigate how environmental factors (seawater pH, temperature and salinity) influence the chemical compositions in biogenic carbonates. In this study we report the first high-resolution strontium (87Sr / 86Sr and δ88 / 86Sr) and boron (δ11B) isotopic values in the aragonite shell of cultured Arctica islandica (A. islandica). The 87Sr / 86Sr ratios from both tank water and shell samples show ratios nearly identical to the open ocean, which suggests that the shell material reflects ambient ocean chemistry without terrestrial influence. The 84Sr–87Sr double-spike-resolved shell δ88 / 86Sr and Sr concentration data show no resolvable change throughout the culture period and reflect no theoretical kinetic mass fractionation throughout the experiment despite a temperature change of more than 15 °C. The δ11B records from the experiment show at least a 5‰ increase through the 29-week culture season (January 2010–August 2010), with low values from the beginning to week 19 and higher values thereafter. The larger range in δ11B in this experiment compared to predictions based on other carbonate organisms (2–3‰) suggests that a species-specific fractionation factor may be required. A significant correlation between the ΔpH (pHshell − pHsw) and seawater pH (pHsw) was observed (R2 = 0.35), where the pHshell is the calcification pH of the shell calculated from boron isotopic composition. This negative correlation suggests that A. islandica partly regulates the pH of the extrapallial fluid. However, this proposed mechanism only explains approximately 35% of the variance in the δ11B data. Instead, a rapid rise in δ11B of the shell material after week 19, during the summer, suggests that the boron uptake changes when a thermal threshold of > 13 °C is reached.
Beware of Back‐Door Protectionism

As the global financial crisis emanating from the United States shuts down world markets, can globalization survive? Will the resurgent intrusion of the state—and thus politics—into the market lead to protectionism and collapse, as was the case in the early 20th century? Or will the new interconnectivity of climate change and mutual economic dependence—especially between China and the US—deepen global links? The former mayor of Shanghai, legendary Nobel economist Paul Samuelson and Third Way guru Anthony Giddens ponder those questions in this section.
Response to Comment on Edelman et al. AUTONOMY: The First Randomized Trial Comparing Two Patient-Driven Approaches to Initiate and Titrate Prandial Insulin Lispro in Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2014;37:2132–2140

We thank Drs. Rodbard and Karolicki for their commentary (1) to clarify key points related to the FullSTEP study discussed in our article (2), in particular, the use of self-titration algorithms to adjust prandial insulin dose. The FullSTEP (3) study and AUTONOMY (Study of Insulin Lispro in Participants With Inadequately Controlled Type 2 Diabetes) (2) trial highlight the importance of patient involvement in care and the effectiveness of self-titration of prandial insulin doses. In this regard, the two studies complement each other, supporting patient-centric approaches to insulin therapy intensification. We appreciate that the authors of FullSTEP have taken this opportunity to reinforce how a patient-centric approach to insulin therapy …
Study of the influence of reaction conditions on the degree of substitution, intrinsic viscosity, and yield of oxidized cellulose acetate by factorial experimental design

A half-fraction, two-level, four-factor factorial experimental design was used to study the effects of the acetic anhydride concentration, reaction temperature, reaction time, and sulfuric acid concentration on the degree of substitution, intrinsic viscosity, and yield of oxidized cellulose acetate (OCA). Oxidized cellulose containing 20% (w/w) carboxylic acid was used as the starting material. The data were fitted by multiple regression analysis with SAS software. The correlation coefficients obtained from plots of the predicted and observed values for the degree of substitution, intrinsic viscosity, and yield were 0.985, 0.993, and 0.991, respectively. Residual normal plots of the regression models showed a linear relationship. Lenth and main-factor-effect plots revealed an increase in the degree of substitution of OCA with an increasing concentration of acetic anhydride. The latter had no effect on the intrinsic viscosity and yield of OCA. An increase in the reaction temperature led to an increase in the degree of substitution and a decrease in the intrinsic viscosity and yield of OCA. The influence of the reaction time on the degree of substitution and intrinsic viscosity followed a trend similar to that observed with the reaction temperature, but the yield of OCA was unaffected. Increasing the concentration of sulfuric acid reduced the degree of substitution, intrinsic viscosity, and yield of OCA. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 96: 696–705, 2005
Trimming and winsorization: A review

This paper provides a literature review for robust statistical procedures — trimming and Winsorization — that were first proposed for estimating location, but were later extended to other estimation and testing problems. Performance of these techniques under normal and long-tailed distributions are discussed.
Directional flow sensing by passively stable larvae

Mollusk larvae have a stable, velum-up orientation that may influence how they sense and react to hydrodynamic signals applied in different directions. Directional sensing abilities and responses could affect how a larva interacts with anisotropic fluid motions, including those in feeding currents and in boundary layers encountered during settlement. Oyster larvae (Crassostrea virginica) were exposed to simple shear in a Couette device and to solid-body rotation in a single rotating cylinder. Both devices were operated in two different orientations, one with the axis of rotation parallel to the gravity vector, and one with the axis perpendicular. Larvae and flow were observed simultaneously with near-infrared particle-image velocimetry, and behavior was quantified as a response to strain rate, vorticity and centripetal acceleration. Only flows rotating about a horizontal axis elicited the diving response observed previously for oyster larvae in turbulence. The results provide strong evidence that the turbulence-sensing mechanism relies on gravity-detecting organs (statocysts) rather than mechanosensors (cilia). Flow sensing with statocysts sets oyster larvae apart from zooplankters such as copepods and protists that use external mechanosensors in sensing spatial velocity gradients generated by prey or predators. Sensing flow-induced changes in orientation, rather than flow deformation, would enable more efficient control of vertical movements. Statocysts provide larvae with a mechanism of maintaining their upward swimming when rotated by vortices and initiating dives toward the seabed in response to the strong turbulence associated with adult habitats.
Fatal Fulminant Hepatic Failure from Adenovirus in Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplant Patients

We report two cases of fatal hepatic failure in patients who received matched unrelated bone marrow transplantation. Both patients presented with high fevers, abnormal liver functions tests, and hypodense lesions in the liver by CT scan. Histologic examination of postmortem liver samples demonstrated extensive necrosis, and immunohistochemistry was positive for adenovirus.
Implementing Horn's parallel analysis for principal component analysis and factor analysis

Ip resentparan, an implementation of Horn's parallel analysis criteria for factor or component retention in common factor analysis or principal compo- nent analysis in Stata. The command permits classical parallel analysis and more recent extensions to it for the pca and factor commands. paran provides a needed extension to Stata's built-in factor- and component-retention criteria.
Hydrogen in niobium-tantalum superlattices

Abstract We present x-ray scattering experiments showing that, in addition to providing a strained superlattice, H in Nb Ta superlattices can be modeled as a lattice gas in a modulated field. In addition, we find a coherent lattice gas-liquid phase transition where critical fluctuations having wavelengths shorter than the superlattice periodicity are suppressed.
Co-activation of the amygdala, hippocampus and inferior frontal gyrus during autobiographical memory retrieval

Functional MRI was used to investigate the role of medial temporal lobe and inferior frontal lobe regions in autobiographical recall. Prior to scanning, participants generated cue words for 50 autobiographical memories and rated their phenomenological properties using our autobiographical memory questionnaire (AMQ). During scanning, the cue words were presented and participants pressed a button when they retrieved the associated memory. The autobiographical retrieval task was interleaved in an event-related design with a semantic retrieval task (category generation). Region-of-interest analyses showed greater activation of the amygdala, hippocampus, and right inferior frontal gyrus during autobiographical retrieval relative to semantic retrieval. In addition, the left inferior frontal gyrus showed a more prolonged duration of activation in the semantic retrieval condition. A targeted correlational analysis revealed pronounced functional connectivity among the amygdala, hippocampus, and right inferior frontal gyrus during autobiographical retrieval but not during semantic retrieval. These results support theories of autobiographical memory that hypothesize co-activation of frontotemporal areas during recollection of episodes from the personal past.
Generalized linear mixed models for branching probabilities of brain artery systems

Study of factors affecting the functioning of the human brain has been of considerable interest for more than a century. In this paper, we focus on the structure of brain arterial systems in humans and study how this might be related to factors such as age, gender or handedness (left or right handed). To facilitate this study we first represent brain arterial systems using tree-structured objects and construct stochastic systems whose realizations are such tree-structured objects. We show that the parameters of the stochastic system, primarily the branching probabilities, may be effectively studied using a logistic regression framework. This appears to be a fruitful approach for understanding tree-structured data. Applying this novel approach to actual data collected on 98 subjects, we are able to conclude that age and gender do seem to influence brain artery branching patterns. Most brain arteries have decreasing branching probabilities with increasing age, and brain arteries of females are slightly more likely to branch than those of males. In addition, we find an interesting phenomenon that, as age increases, branching probabilities of thick arteries decrease while those of thin arteries increase. Possible medical/biological interpretations of this finding are provided.
Designing a secure reliable file system for sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks are increasingly being used to monitor habitats, analyze traffic patterns, study troop movements, and gather data for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. Many wireless sensor networks require the protection of their data from unauthorized access and malicious tampering, motivating the need for a secure and reliable file system for sensor nodes. The file system presented in this paper encrypts data stored on sensor nodes' local storage in such a way that an intruder who compromises a sensor node cannot read it, and backs it up regularly on to its neighbor nodes. The file system utilizes algebraic signatures to detect data tampering.
Evaluating the use of remotely sensed data in matrix population modeling for eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.)

Matrix population models for a population of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.) were constructed from population data collected on the ground using traditional field methods and analogous data extracted from low elevation aerial imagery. This aerial derived data was obtained using spectral and spatial segmentation and reconciliation procedures that segmented hemlock ‘‘blobs’’ from the forest canopy image. Fertility estimates in the aerial derived matrix model were obtained using the spatially explicit nature of remotely sensed data, including functions relating fertility to both parental size and distance between prospective parent and newborn. Matrix analysis produced a number of useful population characteristics including overall population growth rate (l), stable stage distributions, reproductive values, and elasticity values. l’s calculated from the aerial and ground derived matrices were compared using randomization tests. l’s from both aerial and ground derived matrices showed significant increases in population growth rate from the 1997‐1998 to the 1998‐1999 census periods. Other data measured from the aerial imagery and on the ground seemed to support this population change, the result of a damaging February 1998 ice storm. While providing a perspective and description of a population that differs from traditional ground approaches, demographic studies using remote sensing provide some promising advantages. The spatially explicit nature of the data permits more biologically realistic modeling of the population and the investigation of potential environmental influences on population dynamics. Automated extraction of demographic or megademographic data from remotely sensed images represents an important first step toward scaling population analysis to the landscape and regional levels. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A new family of polymerases related to superfamily A DNA polymerases and T7-like DNA-dependent RNA polymerases.

Using sequence profile methods and structural comparisons we characterize a previously unknown family of nucleic acid polymerases in a group of mobile elements from genomes of diverse bacteria, an algal plastid and certain DNA viruses, including the recently reported Sputnik virus. Using contextual information from domain architectures and gene-neighborhoods we present evidence that they are likely to possess both primase and DNA polymerase activity, comparable to the previously reported prim-pol proteins. These newly identified polymerases help in defining the minimal functional core of superfamily A DNA polymerases and related RNA polymerases. Thus, they provide a framework to understand the emergence of both DNA and RNA polymerization activity in this class of enzymes. They also provide evidence that enigmatic DNA viruses, such as Sputnik, might have emerged from mobile elements coding these polymerases. This article was reviewed by Eugene Koonin and Mark Ragan.
Money, government debt, q, and investment

Abstract The aim of this study is to analyze empirically the linkages among changes in money and federal debt, Tobin's q variable, and investment expenditures in the United States. The vector autoregressive modeling technique proposed by Hsiao and extended by Caines, Keng, and Sethi is employed. The patterns of Granger-causality from the estimated vector autoregression are consistent with the transmission mechanism outlined by Tobin. Both money and debt Granger-cause q ; q in turn causes investment and money and debt's effects upon investment operate primarily through their effects on q . However, neither money nor debt are exogenous.