cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stratigraphy and depositional setting of the Proterozoic Snowy Pass Supergroup, southeastern Wyoming: Record of an early Proterozoic Atlantic-type cratonic margin

Metasedimentary rocks in the Medicine Bow Mountains and Sierra Madre are divided into four groups. The > 3-km-thick Phantom Lake Metamorphic Suite contains strongly deformed metavolcanic and metasedimentary rocks that are crosscut by late Archean granites. The > 2.5-km-thick Deep Lake Group unconformably overlies the Phantom Lake Suite and late Archean granites and contains fluvial sediments, including radioactive quartz-pebble conglomerates, and glaciomarine deposits. Both successions are intruded by large sills of tholeiitic gabbro. The 4.5-km-thick lower Libby Creek Group is inferred to be in thrust-fault contact with older units and contains sediments recording transgressions and regressions across a macrotidal delta. This succession is intruded by the 2,000-m.y.-old Gaps Intrusion and comagmatic tholeiitic to weakly alkalic dikes. The 3-km-thick upper Libby Creek Group is bounded by a thrust fault below and by the Cheyenne Belt above and contains carbonates and marine slates. The early Proterozoic Deep Lake, lower Libby Creek, and upper Libby Creek Groups collectively are named the Snowy Pass Supergroup. Lithologies and stratification sequence in the well-preserved Medicine Bow Mountain section suggest transgressive, miogeoclinal sedimentation during the early Proterozoic. Paleocurrent data indicate that fluvial, then deltaic, sedimentation of the Deep Lake and lower Libby Creek Groups took place on a southwest-dipping paleoslope, parallel to the inferred south cratonic boundary of the Wyoming Province. This and a few west-directed paleocurrents suggest a continental or microcontinental block to the south, bounding sedimentation in a northeast-elongated basin. A rift setting for deposition of these units explains the transgressional character of the sediments, the deltaic sedimentation with paleocurrents parallel to the cratonic boundary, and the 120° bend in the Cheyenne Belt between the Medicine Bow Mountains and the Sierra Madre. The upper Libby Creek Group is interpreted to represent open marine conditions following separation of the two continental blocks. Tholeiitic sills in the Deep Lake Group and tholeiitic to weakly alkalic dikes in the Libby Creek Group are thought to be related to basaltic igneous activity associated with compound early Proterozoic rifting between 2,300 and 2,000 m.y. ago.
Addition of Oxygen to the Diiron(II/II) Cluster Is the Slowest Step in Formation of the Tyrosyl Radical in the W103Y Variant of Ribonucleotide Reductase Protein R2 from Mouse†

Activation of O2 by the diiron(II/II) cluster in protein R2 of class I ribonucleotide reductase generates the enzyme's essential tyrosyl radical. A crucial step in this reaction is the transfer of an electron from solution to a diiron(II/II)−O2 adduct during formation of the radical-generating, diiron(III/IV) intermediate X. In the reaction of R2 from Escherichia coli, this electron injection is initiated by the rapid (>400 s-1 at 5 °C), transient oxidation of the near-surface residue, tryptophan 48, to a cation radical and is blocked by substitution of W48 with F, A, G, Y, L, or Q. By contrast, a study of the cognate reaction in protein R2 from mouse suggested that electron injection might be the slowest step in generation of its tyrosyl radical, Y177• [Schmidt, P. P., Rova, U., Katterle, B., Thelander, L., and Graslund, A. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 21463−21472]. The crucial evidence was the observation that Y177• production is slowed by ∼30-fold upon substitution of W103, the cognate of the electron-sh...
DYNAMIC HABITAT AND POPULATION ANALYSIS: AN APPROACH TO RESOLVE THE BIODIVERSITY MANAGER'S DILEMMA

Biodiversity managers face a dilemma of choosing between “coarse-filter” approaches that deal with the habitats of several species and “fine-filter” approaches that address population viability of one or a few species. We present an approach for local spatial scales that integrates habitat-based and population-based methods to focus research and management on the species in a community that are most at risk of extinction and on the places in the landscape most important to these species. The steps in Dynamic Habitat and Population (DHP) Analysis are: 1) determine which species in the planning area most merit field study based on existing data; 2) use local field data to select species that most merit demographic study; 3) use demographic data to model population viability of the species deemed most at risk; 4) design and evaluate alternative management strategies for key species and landscape settings. We review each step and provide an example for land birds in a portion of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Among the 143 species of land birds likely in the study area, we selected 13 species most at risk of extinction. These were mostly neotropical migrant passerines that specialized on low-elevation deciduous habitats that may serve as population source areas. We present a management plan for the multiple ownerships of the study area that seeks to maintain/restore population source habitats for key species. DHP Analysis provides a framework for biodiversity management for those regions identified as high priority for conservation by continental-scale assessment programs such as Gap Analysis. Our approach is designed to minimize local extinctions, which should reduce the risk of range-wide extinctions.
Predictors of breast cancer development in women with atypical ductal hyperplasia and atypical lobular hyperplasia.

Atypical ductal hyperplasia and atypical lobular neoplasia are common benign breast diseases that increase breast cancer risk. We performed a cohort analysis that compared atypia patients for additional risk factors to asses the effect on breast cancer risk by atypia status. This longitudinal cohort study used data from the Women At Risk High-Risk Registry at Columbia University Medical Center, New York. Women with atypia were compared to women without atypia across known risk factors to determine the combined effect on breast cancer development. Odds ratios (ORs) stratified by atypia status were calculated for each risk factor of interest with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). P values were calculated to determine statistical significance. The study population included 1598 high-risk women, 921 (57.6%) of whom had a history of biopsy-proven atypia. The remaining 677 high-risk women (42.4%) did not have atypia. Fifty women (3.1%) developed breast cancer. Alcohol was significantly associated with the development of breast cancer (P = 0.02) and increased breast cancer risk among women with atypia (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 0.95–4.81) compared to women without atypia (OR, 1.71). The odds of breast cancer were higher for atypia patients with first-degree relatives (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 0.64–3.35) compared to women with a relative and no atypia diagnosis (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.41–2.63). The other risk factors of interest did not differ significantly by atypia status. Atypia patients who drank alcohol and had a first-degree relative with breast cancer have an increased risk of breast cancer compared to those without atypia. Continued understanding of the high-risk population will lead to more individualized protocols for risk reduction and prevention.
Leishmania differentiation in natural and unnatural sand fly hosts

Leishmania differentiation in the gut of phlebotomine sand flies was evaluated based on five light and electron microscopic studies of natural (Leishmania panamensis/Lutzomyia gomezi, Leishmania chagasi/Lutzomyia longipalpis) and unnatural (Leishmania mexicana/Lutzomyia abonnenci, Leishmania panamensis/Phlebotomus papatasi, Leishmania major/Lutzomyia longipalpis) life cycles. In the bloodmeal, transformation of amastigotes into stumpy promastigotes occurred before or during division. Further division in pairs or rosettes resulted in the development of spatulate and/or elongate nectomonad (free-swimming) promastigotes. Elongate, short, and metacyclic nectomonad promastigotes, and nectomonad paramastigotes were present in the midgut lumen. Dividing short promastigotes predominated in the cardia, and appeared to generate metacyclic forms which were observed in three life cycles. Haptomonad (attached) forms of Leishmania panamensis in the hindgut were primarily spatulate promastigotes (natural host) or pear-shaped promastigotes (unnatural host); paramastigotes and dividing forms were rare. At the stomodeal valve, short haptomonad promastigotes predominated in unnatural hosts, while both short and pear-shaped haptomonads were abundant, along with paramastigotes in natural hosts. Haptomonad paramastigotes and pear-shaped promastigotes colonized the esophagus, while paramastigotes predominated in the pharynx. Metacyclics were free-swimming in the lumen of the foregut.
Comparative analysis of Bayesian and classical approaches for software reliability measurement

Software failure remains an important cause of reported system outage. Yet, developing reliable software is still not well understood by the programmer, the Software Engineer and the Program manager. Software reliability growth models (SRGMs) provide a framework to analyze software failures by using past failure data to predict the reliability of the software. Most models that have been used have limitations in predicting accurately. There is a need to conduct research aimed at improving the performance of these models. To accurately predict reliability, the model's parameters should be estimated in such a way that the mathematical function of the model fits with the failure data. While the majority of previous software reliability studies have used classical methods to estimate model's parameters, a few other studies have used a Bayesian approach. Bayesian approaches allow the incorporation of prior information into models and they have been claimed to be more successful than classical approaches in certain situations. Our research goal is to investigate if the use of Bayesian methods improves the predictability of SRGMs by conducting a direct comparative analysis of Bayesian and classical approaches for software reliability assessment.
Coherent excitation of S and P states of the n = 2 term of atomic hydrogen

An expression-is given for the Stark-induced beat signal in the Lyman- alpha radiation from hydrogen atoms in a beam-foil experiment. This expression includes possible contributions to the beat signal from coherent excitation of S and P staffs in the beam-foil process. For the case where the electric field is applied parallel to the beam, the coherent-excitation contributions can be separated experimentslly from those resulting purely from ooherence produced by the clectric field, by simply reversing the direction of the electric field. (auth)
Toward structure determination using membrane-protein nanocrystals and microcrystals

Membrane proteins are very important for all living cells, being involved in respiration, photosynthesis, cellular uptake and signal transduction, amongst other vital functions. However, less than 300 unique membrane protein structures have been determined to date, often due to difficulties associated with the growth of sufficiently large and well-ordered crystals. This work has been focused on showing the first proof of concept for using membrane protein nanocrystals and microcrystals for high-resolution structure determination. Upon determining that crystals of the membrane protein Photosystem I, which is the largest and most complex membrane protein crystallized to date, exist with only 100 unit cells with sizes of less than 200 nm on an edge, work was done to develop a technique that could exploit the growth of the Photosystem I nanocrystals and microcrystals. Femtosecond X-ray protein nanocrystallography was developed for use at the first high-energy X-ray free electron laser, the LCLS at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, in which a liquid jet brought fully-hydrated Photosystem I nanocrystals into the interaction region of the pulsed X-ray source. Diffraction patterns were recorded from millions of individual PSI nanocrystals and data from thousands of different, randomly oriented crystallites were integrated using Monte Carlo integration of the peak intensities. The short pulses (∼70fs) provided by the LCLS allowed the possibility to collect the diffraction data before the onset of radiation damage, exploiting the diffract-before-destroy principle. During the initial experiments at the AMO beamline using 6.9-A wavelength, Bragg peaks were recorded to 8.5-A resolution, and an electron-density map was determined that did not show any effects of X-ray-induced radiation damage [94]. Many additional techniques still need to be developed to explore the femtosecond nanocrystallography technique for experimental phasing and time-resolved X-ray crystallography experiments. The first proof-of-principle results for the femtosecond nanocrystallography technique indicate the incredible potential of the technique to offer a new route to the structure determination of membrane proteins.
Attitudes Toward Mathematics and Predictors of College Mathematics Grades: Gender Differences in a 4-Year Business College

Abstract Differences between genders in previous math experience, perceived ability, and attitudes toward math have all been suggested as explanations for male superiority on standardized tests of mathematics. This study explored gender differences in attitudes in the context of a 4-year business college, a setting in which math backgrounds and perceived ability are virtually identical for males and females. Significant gender differences were found in several areas, and attitude variables were found to be useful in predicting grades. Results support the hypothesis that females prefer rote versus autonomous learning and that they choose familiar over novel situations. They are also less confident than males about their ability to do word problems.
Selective hydrogenation of soybean oil: V. A Novel copper catalyst with excellent re-use properties

A procedure for the preparation of highly active copper catalyst by chemisorption of copper-ammonia complex on silica gel is described. This catalyst was highly selective towards the reduction of linolenate in soybean oil. The catalyst was re-used four times with no loss in activity.
A new model of concussive brain injury in the cat produced by extradural fluid volume loading: II. Physiological and neuropathological observations

This study examined physiological and histopathological changes in the cat produced by a new experimental fluid injury device. Spontaneously breathing (N = 14) and artificially ventilated (N = 45) cats were subjected to systemically varied magnitudes of fluid percussion brain injury. Within certain injury ranges, increasing magnitudes of fluid percussion injury produced increasing durations of apnea, as well as greater transient increases in mean arterial blood pressure, intracranial pressure and cerebral perfusion pressure. Acute increases in intracranial pressure may have been related to cerebral vasodilatation produced by the systemic hypertension following brain injury. Injuries associated with pressure transients greater than 10 atm ms produced concussive responses, including irreversible apnea in spontaneously breathing cats and temporary pupillary dilatation, increases in heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure in artificially ventilated cats. Injuries greater than 39 atm ms frequently produced histopathological and physiological indices of significant irreversible brain damage, including fixed and dilated pupils, systemic cardiovascular hypotension and deteriorating blood gases. Injury magnitudes less than 20 atm ms did not produce macroscopic evidence of histopathology, intermediate injury ranges produced increasing evidence of subarachnoid and petechial hemorrhage while injury levels greater than 40 atm ms frequently produced significant histopathology including massive hematomas. Injury greater than 10 atm ms resulted in opening of the blood-brain barrier, as assessed by extravasation of horseradish peroxidase. Injury greater than 19 atm ms produced suppression of EEG amplitudes which did not recover for up to 40 minutes after injury. These data provide detailed information on the physiological and histopathological consequences of fluid percussion injury in the cat and indicate that this modified fluid percussion apparatus can produce graded levels of brain injury similar to those previously reported for fluid percussion injury.
Down-regulation of placental neuropilin-1 in fetal growth restriction

Background Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with adverse outcomes extending from fetal to adult life, and thus, constitutes a major health care challenge. Fetuses with progressive growth restriction show increasing impedance in the umbilical artery flow, which may become absent during end-diastole. Absent end-diastolic flow (AEDF) is associated with adverse perinatal outcomes including stillbirths and perinatal asphyxia. Placentas from such pregnancies demonstrate deficient fetoplacental vascular branching. Current evidence, moreover, indicates an antiangiogenic state in maternal circulation in several pregnancy complications including preeclampsia, small-for-gestational-age births, fetal death, and preterm labor. The angiogenic mediators in maternal circulation are predominantly of placental origin. Information, however, on the role of specific proangiogenic and antiangiogenic mechanisms operating at the placental level remains limited. Elucidation of these placenta-specific angiogenic mechanisms will not only extend our understanding of the causal pathway for restricted fetal growth but may also lead to the development of biomarkers that may allow early recognition of FGR. Objective We sought to test the hypothesis that fetoplacental angiogenic gene expression is altered in pregnancies complicated with FGR and umbilical artery Doppler AEDF. Study Design Placental samples were collected from FGR pregnancies complicated with umbilical artery Doppler AEDF (study group, n = 7), and from uncomplicated pregnancies (control group, n = 7), all delivered by cesarean during the last trimester of pregnancy. Angiogenic oligonucleotide microarray analysis was performed and was corroborated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry. The Student t test with Bonferroni correction was used with P t test was used to analyze the immunostain intensity scores with a P Results Our microarray results showed that among several differentially expressed angiogenic genes in the growth-restricted group, only the down-regulation of neuropilin (NRP)-1 was most significant ( P ˆ cycle threshold: 0.624 ± 0.55 and 1.325 ± 0.84, respectively, P = .04). Western blot validated significantly lower NRP-1 protein expression in the FGR group than in the control group (mean ± SD NRP-1/β-actin ratio: 0.13 ± 0.04 and 0.34 ± 0.05, respectively, P P = .006). Conclusion The study demonstrated significant down-regulation of placental NRP-1 expression in FGR pregnancies complicated with AEDF in umbilical artery. As NRP-1 is known to promote sprouting angiogenesis, its down-regulation may be involved in the deficient vascular branching observed in FGR placentas suggesting the presence of an antiangiogenic state. Further studies may elucidate such a causal role and may lead to the development of novel diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
Changes in Cerebral Cortex of Children Treated for Medulloblastoma

Purpose: Children with medulloblastoma undergo surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. After treatment, these children have numerous structural abnormalities. Using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging, we measured the thickness of the cerebral cortex in a group of medulloblastoma patients and a group of normally developing children. Methods and Materials: We obtained magnetic resonance imaging scans and measured the cortical thickness in 9 children after treatment of medulloblastoma. The measurements from these children were compared with the measurements from age- and gender-matched normally developing children previously scanned. For additional comparison, the pattern of thickness change was compared with the cortical thickness maps from a larger group of 65 normally developing children. Results: In the left hemisphere, relatively thinner cortex was found in the perirolandic region and the parietooccipital lobe. In the right hemisphere, relatively thinner cortex was found in the parietal lobe, posterior superior temporal gyrus, and lateral temporal lobe. These regions of cortical thinning overlapped with the regions of cortex that undergo normal age-related thinning. Conclusion: The spatial distribution of cortical thinning suggested that the areas of cortex that are undergoing development are more sensitive to the effects of treatment of medulloblastoma. Such quantitative methods may improve our understanding of the biologic effects that treatment has on the cerebral development and their neuropsychological implications. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. Medulloblastoma, Cortical thickness, Magnetic resonance imaging.
Lupus eritematoso sistémico pediátrico

Pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (pSLE) is a chronic mutisystemic autoimmune disease with complex clinical manifestations. Although the presentation, clinical manifestations, immunological findings and treatment issues of pSLE are similar to those of adult SLE patients, there are special issues which need to be considered when dealing with SLE in children. During the last decade survival has improved remarkably as a result of earlier diagnosis, recognition of milder disease and better approaches to therapy. However, pSLE remains a potentially serious condition. Although the pathogenesis of SLE remains poorly understood, susceptibility involves a combination of environmental, hormonal and genetic factors.Better understanding of SLE pathogenesis will hopefully lead to more specific and less toxic therapies for this disease.
Microarchitectural Floorplanning Under Performance and Thermal Tradeoff

In this paper, we present the first multi-objective microarchitectural floorplanning algorithm for designing high-performance, high-reliability processors in the early design phase. Our floorplanner takes a microarchitectural netlist and determines the placement of the functional modules while simultaneously optimizing for performance and thermal reliability. The traditional design objectives such as area and wirelength are also considered. Our multi-objective hybrid floorplanning approach combining linear programming and simulated annealing is shown to be fast and effective in obtaining high-quality solutions. We evaluate the trade-off of performance, temperature, area, and wirelength and provide comprehensive experimental results
What Should You Do When Your Competitors Send in the Clones

This paper develops a model to address an important problem facing a manufacturer of a durable product. That is, how can it plan its new product introductions to minimize the obsolescence of the old product, preserve its market for the new product, and keep copycat products at bay? We analyze these issues by developing a two-period model in which a firm sells an "old" product in period 1 and a "new" product in period 2. We consider various new product introduction strategies such as product replacement, line extension, and upgrading. We find that the optimal response to a threat of competitive clones is to increase the level of product innovation. This increase in innovation coupled with the entry of a competitive product implies that the incumbent firm has less of an incentive to leapfrog the old product or shelve the new product.
Simple and effective routing and wavelength assignment in transparent optical networks

Transparent optical networks must support dynamic traffic demands and end-to-end optical transmission. We present a new physically-aware algorithm based on dynamic programming for routing and wavelength assignment in such networks that considers both linear and nonlinear impairments that accumulated along the transmission path. We show that our algorithm scales well to large networks and typically yields the lowest blocking probability when compared to several existing methods. In addition, it is flexible and can adapt to situations where either linear or nonlinear impairments dominate.
Therapist complementarity as a function of experience and client stimuli

Degree of therapist complementarity is examined in responses made to client statements which varied on the three dimensions of directness, power, and type of affect as it varied over therapist experience level. Professional therapists demonstrated significantly lower complementarity and different complementary patterns over the three stimuli dimensions than did student therapists when client statements were indirect. Professionals showed the lowest levels of complementarity only for the hostile-dominant stimuli. These results are described with respect to therapist training and assessment of complementarity.
The mimetic finite difference discretization of diffusion problem on unstructured polyhedral meshes

We study the mimetic finite difference discretization of diffusion-type problems on unstructured polyhedral meshes. We demonstrate high accuracy of the approximate solutions for general diffusion tensors, the second-order convergence rate for the scalar unknown and the first order convergence rate for the vector unknown on smooth or slightly distorted meshes, on non-matching meshes, and even on meshes with irregular-shaped polyhedra with flat faces. We show that in general the meshes with non-flat faces require more than one flux unknown per mesh face to get optimal convergence rates.
Role of p47phox in antigen-presenting cell-mediated regulation of humoral immunity in mice.

Microbial-induced inflammation is important for eliciting humoral immunity. Genetic defects of NADPH oxidase 2–based proteins interrupt phagocyte superoxide generation and are the basis for the human immunodeficiency chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). Hyperinflammation is also a significant clinical manifestation of CGD. Herein, we evaluated humoral immunity in the phagocyte oxidase p47 phox -deficient model of CGD and found that UV-inactivated Streptococcus pneumoniae and Listeria monocytogenes ( Lm ) elicited higher specific antibody (Ab) titers in p47 phox-/- mice than wild-type (WT) mice. Both organisms elicited robust and distinct antigen-presenting cell maturation phenotypes, including IL-12 hypersecretion, and higher major histocompatibility complex II and costimulatory protein expression in Lm -stimulated p47 phox-/- dendritic cells (DCs) relative to WT DCs. Furthermore, p47 phox-/- DCs pulsed with Lm and adoptively transferred into naive WT mice elicited Ab titers, whereas Lm -pulsed WT DCs did not elicit these titers. The observed robust p47 phox-/- mouse humoral response was recapitulated with live Lm and sustained in vivo in p47 phox-/- mice. Notably, anti–serum samples from p47 phox-/- mice that survived secondary Lm infection were protective in WT and p47 phox-/- mice that were rechallenged with secondary lethal Lm infection. These findings demonstrate a novel benefit of NADPH oxidase 2 deficiency (ie, dependent inflammation in antigen-presenting cell–mediated humoral immunity) and that anti- Lm Ab can be protective in an immunodeficient CGD host.
IQGAP1 Is Important for Activation of Caspase-1 in Macrophages and Is Targeted by Yersinia pestis Type III Effector YopM

YopM is a leucine-rich repeat (LRR)-containing effector in several Yersinia species, including Yersinia pestis and Y. pseudotuberculosis. Different Yersinia strains encode distinct YopM isoforms with variable numbers of LRRs but conserved C-terminal tails. A 15-LRR isoform in Y. pseudotuberculosis YPIII was recently shown to bind and inhibit caspase-1 via a YLTD motif in LRR 10, and attenuation of YopM(-) YPIII was reversed in mice lacking caspase-1, indicating that caspase-1 inhibition is a major virulence function of YopM(YPIII). To determine if other YopM proteins inhibit caspase-1, we utilized Y. pseudotuberculosis strains natively expressing a 21-LRR isoform lacking the YLTD motif (YopM(32777)) or ectopically expressing a Y. pestis 15-LRR version with a functional (YopM(KIM)) or inactivated (YopM(KIM) D271A) YLTD motif. Results of mouse and macrophage infections with these strains showed that YopM(32777), YopM(KIM), and YopM(KIM) D271A inhibit caspase-1 activation, indicating that the YLTD motif is dispensable for this activity. Analysis of YopM(KIM) deletion variants revealed that LRRs 6 to 15 and the C-terminal tail are required to inhibit caspase-1 activation. YopM(32777), YopM(KIM), and YopM(KIM) deletion variants were purified, and binding partners in macrophage lysates were identified. Caspase-1 bound to YopM(KIM) but not YopM(32777). Additionally, YopM(KIM) bound IQGAP1 and the use of Iqgap1(-/-) macrophages revealed that this scaffolding protein is important for caspase-1 activation upon infection with YopM(-) Y. pseudotuberculosis. Thus, while multiple YopM isoforms inhibit caspase-1 activation, their variable LRR domains bind different host proteins to perform this function and the LRRs of YopM(KIM) target IQGAP1, a novel regulator of caspase-1, in macrophages. Importance: Activation of caspase-1, mediated by macromolecular complexes termed inflammasomes, is important for innate immune defense against pathogens. Pathogens can, in turn, subvert caspase-1-dependent responses through the action of effector proteins. For example, the Yersinia effector YopM inhibits caspase-1 activation by arresting inflammasome formation. This caspase-1 inhibitory activity has been studied in a specific YopM isoform, and in this case, the protein was shown to act as a pseudosubstrate to bind and inhibit caspase-1. Different Yersinia strains encode distinct YopM isoforms, many of which lack the pseudosubstrate motif. We studied additional isoforms and found that these YopM proteins inhibit caspase-1 activation independently of a pseudosubstrate motif. We also identified IQGAP1 as a novel binding partner of the Yersinia pestis YopM(KIM) isoform and demonstrated that IQGAP1 is important for caspase-1 activation in macrophages infected with Yersinia. Thus, this study reveals new insights into inflammasome regulation during Yersinia infection.
Reply to: Subanesthetic dose ketamine does not induce an affective switch in three independent samples of treatment-resistant major depression.

To the Editor: We agree with several excellent points raised by Niciu and colleagues: 1) the case report that we presented was a description of possible induction of mania in a patient receiving ketamine therapy. Because it was a case report, several issues could not be controlled for, including toxic or withdrawal effects of medications that the patient was receiving/using; 2) the data presented from controlled studies of effects of ketamine in depression is likely to be much more reliable; 3) an increase in manic symptoms is likely in bipolar (particularly bipolar I) patients, if antidepressants are not given under the cover of mood stabilizer medication. However, despite there being insufficient evidence from 98 patients studied with ketamine by the National Institutes of Health group, there are several indications that ketamine, like other antidepressants, could potentially induce mania. At least one bipolar II patient in the ketamine study developed mania despite being on lithium, and two patients in the ketamineriluzole study developed transitory mania-like symptoms. If ketamine is classified as an antidepressant, then there is no reason to think that it would be less likely than a traditional
Fred: an architecture for a self-timed decoupled computer

Decoupled computer architectures provide an effective means of exploiting instruction level parallelism. Self-timed micropipeline systems are inherently decoupled due to the elastic nature of the basic FIFO structure, and may be ideally suited for constructing decoupled computer architectures. Fred is a self-timed decoupled, pipelined computer architecture based on micropipelines. We present the architecture of Fred, with specific details on a micropipelined implementation that includes support for multiple functional units and out-of-order instruction completion due to the self-timed decoupling.
Some results on coherent rings II

According to Bourbaki [1, pp. 62–63, Exercise 11], a left (resp. right) A-module M is said to be pseudo-coherent if every finitely generated submodule of M is finitely presented, and is said to be coherent if it is both pseudo-coherent and finitely generated. This Bourbaki reference contains various results on pseudo-coherent and coherent modules. Then, in [1, p. 63, Exercise 12], a ring which as a left (resp. right) module over itself is coherent is said to be a left (resp. right) coherent ring, and various results on and examples of coherent rings are presented. The result stated in [1, p. 63, Exercise 12a] is a basic theorem of [2] and first appeared there. A variety of results on and examples of coherent rings and modules are presented in [3].
Rolling friction on single crystals of copper in the plastic range

Abstract Both rolling friction and track width were found to vary with crystallographic direction when a sapphire ball was rolled in various directions on the cube face of a copper crystal. For a 1 4 -in. ball under a 200 g load, the rolling resistance was found to increase 32 per cent in changing from the 〈100〉 direction to the 〈110〉 direction while the track width decreased 31 per cent. The topography of the deformed areas was studied by optical and interference microscopy and microhardness measurements were made in and around the ends of the tracks. These studies aided in developing an explanation for the observed anisotropies. The rolling friction and track width variations may be explained by the topography around the static indentation and by the way that the rolling motion affects this topography to give anisotropic build-up of surface ahead of the ball and anisotropic work-hardening of the contact area. The topography around these indentations is explained on the basis of the plastic flow that results from the arrangement of the slip planes in the applied stress field. A dislocation model is presented of the plastic flow and the work-hardening in static and rolling ball-indentations on the cube face of copper.
The perfect state of Trichophyton mentagrophytes

Growth of 21 granular isolates of Trichophyton mentagrophytes, singly and in various combinations on plates of sterilized soil, baited with horse hair, led to the development of fertile cleistothecia. Mating of monoascospore cultures showed that this organism is heterothallic. The ascocarps are characteristic of the genus Arthroderma, and the perfect state has been named A. benhamniae sp. nov.
Concentrations of selenium, barium, and radium in Brazil nuts

Abstract The concentrations of selenium, barium, and radium were determined in Brazil nuts grown in four regions: Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, and an unknown locality assigned to northern South America. Results indicated that, regardless of geographic origin, all nuts contained measurable amounts of selenium, barium, and radium. The concentration range of Se (2–20 μg/g) and that of Ba (96–1990 μg/g) each varied by more than an order of magnitude in the nuts, while 226Ra (17–27 mBq/g) and 228Ra (18–31 mBq/g) activities were comparable and within a factor of two of one another. The greatest concentrations of the elements were measured in nuts from Bolivia, for Ba; Brazil, for Ra; and northern South America, for Se. Only the northern South American nuts contained 137Cs.
The Green's function of a four-parallel-wire antenna system using Fourier transform method

The Green's function associated with a four-parallel-wire antenna system is calculated using the spatial Fourier transform method. The specification of the Green's function is an important intermediate step toward determining the amount of coupling that occurs between an actual object located in the target zone of the antenna system and the four wires of the antenna system. The currents induced on the four wires and the scattered electromagnetic (EM) fields associated with a dipole source are calculated. Comparison of Fourier transform method (FTM) solution with method-of-moments (MOM) solution is made for infinite four-parallel-wire antenna system. >
Heparin-binding fibroblast growth factors and prostate cancer.

Studies of model rat prostate tissue and derived cells indicate the insulin-like (IGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) and heparin-binding fibroblast growth factor (HBGF) families and their receptors may play important roles in regulation of normal prostate cell growth. Tumor cells at different levels in the progression from slow-growing, hormone-dependence to fast-growing, hormone-independence exhibit distinct alterations in expression of specific growth factors and their receptor phenotype. Distinct IGF-I and HBGF mRNAs are constitutively expressed in the mesenchymal cells of slow-tumors, but alteration in HBGF receptor phenotype occurs in the epithelial cells. Fast-tumors exhibit even higher constitutive expression of multiple HBGFs. Splice variants in cDNA for the HBGF receptor in fast-tumors suggest constitutive expression of an intracellular receptor, that together with intracellular HBGFs, may constitute an intracellular autocrine system that is independent of exogenous hormones and growth factors.
Carrier separation and transport in perovskite solar cells studied by nanometre-scale profiling of electrical potential

Organometal-halide perovskite solar cells have greatly improved in just a few years to a power conversion efficiency exceeding 20%. This technology shows unprecedented promise for terawatt-scale deployment of solar energy because of its low-cost, solution-based processing and earth-abundant materials. We have studied charge separation and transport in perovskite solar cells-which are the fundamental mechanisms of device operation and critical factors for power output-by determining the junction structure across the device using the nanoelectrical characterization technique of Kelvin probe force microscopy. The distribution of electrical potential across both planar and porous devices demonstrates p-n junction structure at the TiO2/perovskite interfaces and minority-carrier diffusion/drift operation of the devices, rather than the operation mechanism of either an excitonic cell or a p-i-n structure. Combining the potential profiling results with solar cell performance parameters measured on optimized and thickened devices, we find that carrier mobility is a main factor that needs to be improved for further gains in efficiency of the perovskite solar cells.
The effect of nicotine on regional blood flow in the the canine heart.

SummaryThe effect of nicotine administration on regional myocardial blood flow was examined in normal hearts and after partial coronary artery occlusion. Under normal circumstances as well as after infusion of nicotine in normal hearts the subendocardial portion of the myocardium had a higher capillary flow than the subepicardial fraction. Partial coronary artery constriction alone did not alter this relationship; however, when it was followed by infusion of nicotine, a significant reduction in capillary flow in the inner portion of the myocardium compared to the outer part was observed.
The Breeding Season of a Parasitic Bird, the Brown-Headed Cowbird, in Central California

The breeding seasons of birds are usually timed so that the young are reared during a period of abundant food. At high latitudes nearly all small birds may nest within a week or two of each other. In warmer temperate climates where plants grow and insects are active for several months, the breeding seasons are longer, and different species may have different breeding seasons. Birds that feed insects to their young often breed earlier in the year than those reared mainly on seeds. Even the insectivorous species may stagger their breeding seasons when their prey appear during different weeks or months (Davis 1933; Lack 1950). Birds that do not feed their young but instead lay their eggs in nests of other species must generally lay when their foster species do. Synchronizing the breeding season with that of the hosts is no great problem for parasitic birds at high latitudes where all the hosts breed in the same few weeks. Like the brood parasites which lay their eggs in the nests of only one species of fosterer, they simply use the same environmental cues in the same manner to time their breeding as their foster species do. Parasitic species are faced with a more difficult problem when they use many foster species which breed at different times. To remain in breeding condition for a prolonged period may place considerable demands on the resources and on the chances of survival in parasitic birds. Even brood parasites that lay in the nests of several species may reap higher reproductive returns for their laying efforts in the nests of some foster species than in others.
The Effect of Various Storage Environments on Reagent Strips

Portable glucose meters are commonly used in the hospital as well as in the homes of patients with diabetes to measure glucose concentrations. Many factors affect the quality of results using these meters. Of these, the effect of inappropriate storage and exposure to light and moisture of reagent strips has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, we exposed strips in capped and uncapped vials to five inappropriate storage conditions. We found that uncapped vials and exposure to cold resulted in the rapid deterioration of reagent strips
Microstructure and Chemistry of an Aluminophosphate Glass Waste Form under Electron Beam Irradiation

An alkali-containing (mainly sodium) aluminophosphate glass waste form was studied by analytical electron microscopy. Bright-field imaging showed that small bubbles formed under the electron irradiation even at a low electron dose (8×1022e/m2). These bubbles grew with the increase of the electron dose and were finally released at the surface of the sample. At the same time alkali elements were also lost under irradiation. At an electron dose of about 2.2×1026e/m2 (6.6×1011Gy), all the bubbles were released and no bubbles were formed with further irradiation. The glass was finally transformed to a pure aluminophosphate glass. Further irradiation resulted in the phase separation between the Al-rich and the P-rich phases. The electron irradiation damage effects on the aluminophosphate glass are compared to those observed in iron phosphate glasses.
Surveillance Result of Rotavirus of Babyhood Acute Diarrhea in Henan

Objective To learn incidence,positive specimens detected rate and genes serotyping of Rotavirus among children under 5 years of age in Henan.Methods 585 cases fecal specimens were collected in two survillance site from October 2005 to October 2006 of two survillance site in Henan.Rotavirus were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA),and serotyping were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR).Results During the one year of survillance,rotavirus were detected out 304(51.97 %) from 585 specimens.Among 103 specimens with G,P serotyping,the serotyping rate was 65.05% and the predominant strain was serotype P(8)G3(41.75%).Conclusion Rotavirus diarrhea still is the major cause of babyhood acute diarrhea in Henan,but epidemic seroty has changed for G1 1990-1997 to G3 present.
Quality Assessment of Rhizoma Coptidis from Different Areas

Objective To evaluate the qualities of Rhizoma Coptidis from different areas.MethodsThe content of berberine hydrochloride in Rhizoma Coptidis was determined with HPLC.The HPLC was performed on a diamonsil C18(4.6 mm×250 nm,5 μm)column,the mobile phase was acetonitrile-0.1% phosphoric acid solution(50:50),and the detection wavelength was 265 nm.Results The berberine hydrochloride showed good linearity over the range of 0.25～4.0 μg(r=0.9999),the average recovery was 98.7%,RSD=0.34%,the contents of berberine hydrochloride were 5.8%～8.6% in 8 samples.Conclusion The contents of berberine hydrochloride in Rhizoma Coptidis have difference from different areas,and all meet the requirements in Chinese Pharmacopoeia.
Faith and Freedom of Religion in U.S. Public Schools: Issues and Challenges Facing Teachers

AbstractEducators today are accustomed to discussing concepts of multiculturalism, race, class, and gender, but when it comes to religion, most new teachers and many seasoned teachers are confounded. This article provides a critical look at the treatment of religion in public education in the United States, and the potential marginalization of religion-minority and secular students in the public school. The intent is to help, especially beginning teachers, deliver equitable educational experiences for students of diverse faiths and worldviews. Content, curricular, and methodological recommendations for infusing a religious diversity unit within a teacher preparation course are offered.
Crowdsourcing Open Interactive Narrative.

Interactive narrative is a form of digital interactive experience in which users influence a dramatic storyline through their actions. Artificial intelligence approaches to interactive narrative use a domain model to determine how the narrative should unfold based on user actions. However, domain models for interactive narrative require artificial intelligence and knowledge representation expertise. We present open interactive narrative, the problem of generating an interactive narrative experience about any possible topic. We present an open interactive narrative system— Scherazade IF—that learns a domain model from crowdsourced example stories so that the player can perform different actions and still receive a coherent story experience. We report on an evaluation of our system showing near-human level authoring.
Race and Rehabilitation Destination After Elective Total Hip Arthroplasty: Analysis of a Large Regional Data Set:

Background:Three-quarters of patients who undergo total hip replacement (THR) receive postsurgical rehabilitation care in an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF), a skilled nursing facility (SNF...
Null Hypothesis Statistical Testing and the t-Test

Null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) is the primary type of statistical inference taught in schools. The goal is to assess the likelihood of the null hypothesis , which is that an observed difference in means between two groups (generally a control group and an experimental group) can be explained simply by the inherent variability of sampling. Rejecting the null hypothesis implies that the two groups are likely to have different mean values and thus come from different underlying distributions. This is a vital step in deciding if a finding observed in an experiment is worth taking seriously. However, accepting the null hypothesis does not prove that the two groups are identical (since the experiment may not have adequate power). And rejecting the null hypothesis does not establish that a finding is scientifically valid, since your samples might be biased in some manner, your measures might be poor proxies, or your finding might be due to confounding variables. The t-test is by far the most popular test used in NHST. We describe when the t-test is appropriate to use and how to choose the proper parameters (paired vs. unpaired, one tailed vs. two tailed, and equal vs. unequal variance).