Gender Differences in Task Switching: An Event-Related Potential Study

The current study examined the possible differences in several brainwaves and behavioral reaction times between males and females in relation to task switching. Previous research has shown gender differences in various aspects of cognition including task switching. Task switching refers to the ability to cognitively switch from processing one task to processing another, completely different task. The current study utilized a color-shape target switching paradigm and event-related potentials to analyze possible gender differences. The results of the study showed no gender differences in relation to reaction times, P2 and P3b brainwave latencies or amplitudes. However, the study found a difference in the N2 component between genders. Moreover, the study found differences in the topographic distribution of ERP components which may indicate that gender differences in cognition are not necessarily in strength of neural activation but rather in spatial patterns of activation

A report of Streptococcus pneumoniae serotype 6D in Europe

Serotype 6D of Streptococcus pneumoniae has been reported in Asia and the Fijian islands among nasopharyngeal carriage isolates. We now report a 6D isolate from a Finnish adult with invasive pneumococcal disease. Interestingly, the Finnish isolate and Asian isolate capsule gene loci are almost identical

Bayesian Subset Selection of Binomial Parameters Using Possibly Misclassified Data

Three Bayesian approaches are considered for the selection of binomial proportion parameters when data is subject to misclassification. The cases where the misclassification is non-differential and differential were considered, thus extending previous work which considered only non-differential misclassification. In this article, various selection criteria are applied to a simulated data set and a real data set

MMP-9 cleaves SP-D and abrogates its innate immune functions in vitro

Possession of a properly functioning innate immune system in the lung is vital to prevent infections due to the ongoing exposure of the lung to pathogens. While mechanisms of pulmonary innate immunity have been well studied, our knowledge of how these systems are altered in disease states, leading to increased susceptibility to infections, is limited. One innate immune protein in the lung, the pulmonary collectin SP-D, has been shown to be important in innate immune defense, as well as clearance of allergens and apoptotic cells. MMP-9 is a protease with a wide variety of substrates, and has been found to be dysregulated in a myriad of lung diseases ranging from asthma to cystic fibrosis; in many of these conditions, there are decreased levels of SP-D. Our results indicate that MMP-9 is able to cleave SP-D in vitro and this cleavage leads to loss of its innate immune functions, including its abilities to aggregate bacteria and increase phagocytosis by mouse alveolar macrophages. However, MMP-9-cleaved SP-D was still detected in a solid-phase E. coli LPS-binding assay, while NE-cleaved SP-D was not. In addition, MMP-9 seems to cleave SP-D much more efficiently than NE at physiological levels of calcium. Previous studies have shown that in several diseases, including cystic fibrosis and asthma, patients have increased expression of MMP-9 in the lungs as well as decreased levels of intact SP-D. As patients suffering from many of the diseases in which MMP-9 is over-expressed can be more susceptible to pulmonary infections, it is possible that MMP-9 cleavage of SP-D may contribute to this phenotype

Revealing the structure of the outer disks of Be stars

Context. The structure of the inner parts of Be star disks (20 stellar radii) is well explained by the viscous decretion disk (VDD) model, which is able to reproduce the observable properties of most of the objects studied so far. The outer parts, on the ther hand, are not observationally well-explored, as they are observable only at radio wavelengths. A steepening of the spectral slope somewhere between infrared and radio wavelengths was reported for several Be stars that were previously detected in the radio, but a convincing physical explanation for this trend has not yet been provided. Aims. We test the VDD model predictions for the extended parts of a sample of six Be disks that have been observed in the radio to address the question of whether the observed turndown in the spectral energy distribution (SED) can be explained in the framework of the VDD model, including recent theoretical development for truncated Be disks in binary systems. Methods. We combine new multi-wavelength radio observations from the Karl. G. Jansky Very Large Array (JVLA) and Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX) with previously published radio data and archival SED measurements at ultraviolet, visual, and infrared wavelengths. The density structure of the disks, including their outer parts, is constrained by radiative transfer modeling of the observed spectrum using VDD model predictions. In the VDD model we include the presumed effects of possible tidal influence from faint binary companions. Results. For 5 out of 6 studied stars, the observed SED shows strong signs of SED turndown between far-IR and radio wavelengths. A VDD model that extends to large distances closely reproduces the observed SEDs up to far IR wavelengths, but fails to reproduce the radio SED. ... (abstract continues but did not fit here)Comment: 20 pages, 8 figure

Proximal Gastrojejunal Reconstruction after Pancreaticoduodenal Resection

Introduction. Reconstruction by proximal gastrojejunostomy, and distal biliary and pancreatic anastomoses is infrequently used after resection of the head of the pancreas because of fear of fistulas and cholangitis. Pancreaticoduodenectomy is being performed more frequently for cystic malignant and premalignant lesions. Because of this there is a need for endoscopic visualization and biopsy of the residual pancreatic duct, since multi-centricity is characteristic of some of these malignancies. Since endoscopic access of the bile duct and pancreatic duct is difficult and unsuccessful in 50–70% after B II or Roux Y reconstruction, we prospectively studied the merit and complications (early and late) of proximal gastrojejunal (PGJ) reconstruction after pancreaticoduodenal resection. Material and Methods. Thirty nine consecutive, non-radomized patients underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and PGJ reconstruction over 14 mos. There were 21 males and 18 females. Results. 7 patients with IPMN have undergone repeat CT scanning for surveillance, with 3 requiring repeat EUS and ERCP. There were no technical difficulties accessing the pancreas or the pancreatic duct, supporting the PGJ reconstruction. Conclusion. Proximal gastrojejunal reconstruction following pancreaticoduodenal resection may be safely done with similar morbidity to traditional pancreaticojejunal reconstructions. PGJ reconstruction may be of greater value when direct visual access to the bile duct or pancreatic duct is necessary, and should be considered when doing resection for mucinous cysts or IPMN of the head of the pancreas

Investigations into the Early Life History of Naturally Produced Spring Chinook Salmon and Summer Steelhead in the Grande Ronde River Subbasin, Annual Report 2008 : Project Period 1 February 2008 to 31 January 2009.

This study was designed to document and describe the status and life history strategies of spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead in the Grande Ronde River Subbasin. We determined migration timing, abundance, and life-stage survival rates for juvenile spring Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and summer steelhead O. mykiss in four streams during migratory year 2008 from 1 July 2007 through 30 June 2008. As observed in previous years of this study, spring Chinook salmon and steelhead exhibited fall and spring movements out of natal rearing areas, but did not begin their smolt migration through the Snake and lower Columbia River hydrosystem until spring. In this report we provide estimates of migrant abundance and migration timing for each study stream, and their survival and timing to Lower Granite Dam. We also document aquatic habitat conditions using water temperature and stream flow in four study streams in the subbasin

Evolution of the capsular gene locus of Streptococcus pneumoniae serogroup 6

Streptococcus pneumoniae expressing serogroup 6 capsules frequently causes pneumococcal infections and the evolutionary origins of the serogroup 6 strains have been extensively studied. However, these studies were performed when serogroup 6 had only two known members (serotypes 6A and 6B) and before the two new members (serotypes 6C and 6D) expressing wciNβ were found. We have therefore reinvestigated the evolutionary origins of serogroup 6 by examining the profiles of the capsule gene loci and the multilocus sequence types (MLSTs) of many serogroup 6 isolates from several continents. We confirmed that there are two classes of cps locus sequences for serogroup 6 isolates. In our study, class 2 cps sequences were limited to a few serotype 6B isolates. Neighbour-joining analysis of cps sequence profiles showed a distinct clade for 6C and moderately distinct clades for class 1 6A and 6B sequences. The serotype 6D cps profile was found within the class 1 6B clade, suggesting that it was created by recombination between 6C and 6B cps loci. Interestingly, all 6C isolates also had a unique wzy allele with a 6 bp deletion. This suggests that serotype switching to 6C involves the transfer of a large (>4 kb) gene segment that includes both the wciNβ allele and the ‘short’ wzy allele. The MLST studies of serotype 6C isolates suggest that the 6C cps locus is incorporated into many different pneumococcal genomic backgrounds but that, interestingly, 6C cps may have preferentially entered strains of the same genomic backgrounds as those of serotype 6A