cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soil microbial community responses to altered lignin biosynthesis in Populus tremuloides vary among three distinct soils

The development and use of transgenic plants has steadily increased, but there are still little data about the responses of soil microorganisms to these genetic modifications. We utilized a greenhouse trial approach to evaluate the effects of altered stem lignin in trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) on soil microbial communities in three soils which differed in their chemical and physical properties; they included a sandy loam (CO-Colorado), a silt loam (KS-Kansas), and a clay loam (TX-Texas). Three transgenic aspen lines were developed from a natural clone common to the Great Lakes region of North America. The concentrations of stem lignin concentrations were reduced by 35% (Line 23), 40% (Line 141) and 50% (Line 72). Line 72 and Line 141 also had a 40 and 20% increase in syringyl-type stem lignin, respectively. Indirectly, these modifications resulted in increased (5–13%) and decreased (−5 to −57%) levels of root production across the lines and soil types. Responses of the soil microbial communities were investigated using: phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA), neutral lipid fatty acids (NLFA), and 3) extracellular enzyme assays. PLFA analyses indicated that there were large differences in microbial community composition between the three soils. Similarly, there were large differences in total NLFA between soils, with the KS soils having the highest amount and CO the lowest. Enzyme activities did not differ between soils, except for cellubiohydrolase, which was highest in CO soil. Across all three soils, responses to the four genetic lines were not consistent. Interactions between soil type and genetic line make it difficult to assess the potential ecological impacts of transgenic aspen on soil microbial communities and their associated functions. Given these interactions, field trials with transgenic aspen should encompass the wide range of soils targeted for commercial planting in order to determine their effect(s) on the resident soil microbial community.
A comparative assessment between linear and switching power supplies in portable electronic devices

The choice between linear and switching power supplies at the board level is sometimes clear cut. However, as the current demands rises and operating voltages sink, considerations must be paid to such factors as power wastage, filtering needs, available board space, and economics. A comparative assessment is made between linear and switching power supplies which should guide the power supply engineer in making intelligent choices as to which option to follow. Design techniques which account for the usage of both linear and switching element in a single board design are also addressed and which may be of future interest to power supply designers.
Phenotypic plasticity and selection in Drosophila life-history evolution. I. Nutrition and the cost of reproduction

Earlier experiments have shown that the evolution of postponed senescent populations can be achieved by selection on either demographic or stress resistance characters. Both types of selection have produced results in which survival characters (stress resistance and longevity) have apparently traded-off against early-life fecundity. Here we present the results of a series of experiments in which an environmental variable — the level of live yeast inoculate applied to the substrate — produces a qualitatively similar phenotypic response: longevity and starvation resistance are enhanced by lower yeast levels, at the expense of fecundity. For the starvation resistance versus fecundity experiments we show a negative and linear relationship between the norms of reaction for each character across a gradient of yeast levels. This phenotypic trade-off is stable across the 20 populations and 4 selection treatments reported on here, and its general agreement with earlier selection results suggests that the evolutionary response and the phenotypically plastic response may share a common physiological basis. However, an important discrepancy in the lifetime fecundity data between the selection response and the dietary manipulations preclude strict analogy. The results broadly conform to a simple “Y-model” of allocation, in which a limited resource is divided between survival and reproduction; here the characters are starvation resistance and longevity versus fecundity.
A mobile computer interface for heterogeneous databases

Computer-based personal information services are evolving beyond simple applications such as retrieval of phone numbers to include interaction with collections of large, heterogeneous, geographically distributed information bases. Concurrently, small, pen-based, mobile computers are becoming the machine of choice for personal computing. This latter trend suggests simple interfaces that are easy-to-use, avoid keyboard use, and are suited for the small screens and small memory sizes of mobile machines. The former trend, however, suggests an increased sophistication in database interfaces, so as to provide access to the more complex heterogeneous collection of databases that are now part of a personal information service. At the Matsushita Information Technology Laboratory (MITL) they are working on a pen-based graphical database language that begins to combine these conflicting demands for simplicity and sophistication. The authors sketch the highlights of the research approach, and present a brief description of the current prototype. >
Dogmatism, Dogmatism Factors, and Liberalism-Conservatism

Dogmatism scores, dogmatism factor scores, and two indices of liberalism-conservatism were interrelated for 78 male students, 89 female students, 108 of their fathers, and 138 of their mothers. The...
Optimization of a Magnetosphere Model for Real-Time Space Weather Prediction Using a Modified Genetic Algorithm

A low-dimensional plasma physics based on the nonlinear dynamical model of the magnetosphere-ionosphere system called WINDMI is used as the basis for a real-time space weather prediction system. The input into the model is a driving voltage derived from solar wind parameters and the interplanetary magnetic field measured by the Advanced Composition Explorer satellite. The output is a field-aligned current proportional to the westward auroral electrojet AL index and the energy stored in the Earth's ring current which is proportional to the Dst index. In order to use the model for the real-time prediction of geomagnetic activity, the model parameters are required to update periodically. We developed a modified genetic algorithm (GA) with micromovement (MGAM) to train the parameters of the model in order to achieve the lowest mse against the measured AL and Dst indexes. The MGAM implements a particle-swarm-optimization-inspired movement phase that helps to improve the convergence rate while employing the efficient GA mechanism for maintaining the population diversity. The performance of the MGAM is compared to a basic real-valued GA (RGA) on five standard test functions and historical geomagnetic storm data sets. While the MGAM performs substantially better than the RGA when evaluating the standard test functions, the improvement is about 6%-12% when used on the 20-D nonlinear dynamical WINDMI model.
Generation of two-qubit polarization maximally entangled mixed states

Using type-I down-conversion, we extend the boundaries of experimentally accessible two-qubit polarization states. Specifically, we create and characterize maximally entangled mixed states that lie above the Werner state boundary in the tangle-entropy plane.
Grain Boundary Segregation and Precipitation Processes in Iron and Nickel Base Alloys

In many commercial iron and nickel base alloys used in structural applications, complicated grain boundary chemistry changes can occur during the heat treatments that these materials experience during fabrication or service. These chemistry changes can be associated with the segregation of solute or impurity elements to the boundaries, or with solid state precipitation processes occurring at the boundaries. Auger electron spectroscopy and analytical electron microscopy are useful tools for the quantitative examination of these phenomena. In this paper, experimental studies of the thermodynamics and kinetics of segregation and precipitation processes at grain boundaries in Fe and Ni base alloys are reviewed. Site competition between segregants, and changes in the type of grain boundary precipitation, as a function of time and temperature of annealing are described. The interaction between segregants and precipitates at grain boundaries is considered. These results are related to changes in the macroscopic properties of the material, including corrosion resistance, ductility, and strength.
The effects of child maltreatment and polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter and dopamine D4 receptor genes on infant attachment and intervention efficacy.

This investigation examined the extent to which polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) and the dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) genes differentially influenced the development of attachment security and disorganization in maltreated and nonmaltreated infants at age 13 months, and the extent to which the efficacy of preventive interventions to promote attachment security were influenced by genetic variation. The sample consisted of 106 infants from maltreating families, participating in a randomized control trial evaluating the efficacy of two interventions, child-parent psychotherapy and psychoeducational parenting intervention, and 47 infants from nonmaltreating families. DNA samples were genotyped for polymorphisms of 5-HTTLPR, DRD4 exon III variable number tandem repeat, and DRD4-521. Attachment organization at age 1 and at age 2 was assessed with the Strange Situation for all participants, prior to and following the completion of the interventions. High rates of disorganized attachment were observed in the maltreatment compared to the nonmaltreatment group, and both interventions resulted in increased rates of attachment security at age 2. Genetic variation did not influence improvement in attachment organization among maltreated infants. Among maltreated infants, genetic variation had minimal effect on attachment organization. In contrast, among nonmaltreated infants, 5-HTTLPR and DRD4 polymorphisms influenced attachment security and disorganization at age 2 and the stability of attachment disorganization over time. Language: en
Investigation of the mechanism of propylene oxidation on zinc oxide

Abstract Infrared studies of the products of propylene oxidation on zinc oxide as a function of time show the buildup and decay of an intermediate. Comparison of the infrared spectra of partially oxidized propylene with the spectra of adsorbed three-carbon compounds, partially oxidized perdeuterio propylene, and propylene partially oxidized by 18O2 permits the intermediate to be identified as glycidaldehyde and/or glycidol. A possible mechanism is proposed consistent with the infrared spectra and with the observation that under oxygen-poor conditions, propylene is converted to acrolein with a stoichiometry of two propylenes to one oxygen. Individual steps of the mechanism are verified by direct observation; and hydrogen and glycidaldehyde, predicted by the mechanism, are indicated in the reaction products by mass peaks at 2 and 72.
Temporal and social factors influencing behavioral and hormonal responses to separation in mother and infant squirrel monkeys

The behavioral and hormonal responses of mother and infant squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) were examined to assess temporal and environmental factors that influence the response to separation. In two experiments evaluating the effects of 1-, 3-, 6-, and 24-hr separations, it was found that signs of infant behavioral agitation decreased over time, whereas adrenocortical activation persisted or even increased. Moreover, two separation environments were shown to differentially affect behavioral and hormonal responses. Separated infants vocalized significantly more when their mothers were proximal than when isolated, but showed lower cortisol levels in the adjacent separation than in the total-isolation condition. These data indicate that the intensity of the infant's calling response cannot be used to predict internal state (as reflected by cortisol levels). Furthermore, vocalization rate is highly dependent upon contingent stimuli, such as the presence of maternal cues. Following separation, the mothers also showed elevated cortisol levels. However, both the magnitude and pattern of the response differed considerably from that of the infant.
RELATION OF CHROMOSOME 4 (LINKAGE GROUP VIII) TO MURINE LEUKEMIA VIRUS-ASSOCIATED ANTIGENS OF AKR MICE

Genes specifying or controlling the expression of GIX (cell surface), GCSA (cell surface), and gs (internal viral) antigens are located in chromosome 4 (linkage group [LG] VIII) of the AKR mouse. All three antigens may exhibit mendelian inheritance, mice being antigen positive or antigen negative, but each may also appear in leukemic cells of mice whose inherited genotype was antigen negative. The GIX-determining gene in LG VIII of AKR mice apparently is equivalent to Gv-1 , which determines expression of the same antigen in 129 strain mice, but which in the latter strain is located in LG IX. As the estimated distance of Gv-1 from H-2 in 129 mice is considerable (37 units) further tests are now indicated to assess the possibility of pseudolinkage in this case. The Fv-1 locus, also located in LG VIII, influences the mouse's titer of MuLV, and might thereby be thought to regulate the GIX and gs phenotypes of AKR backcross segregants. But the data indicate a discrete LG VIII locus for GIX, since expression of this antigen is mendelian and independent of infectious virus titer. Since the GIX and GCSA phenotypes of AKR backcross segregants were invariably concordant, these two antigens must be specified or controlled by closely linked genes, and the latter also is presumably independent of virus titer. The question as to what extent expression of gs antigen in the segregants is secondary to virus production is undecided.
Identifying patterns of atherosclerotic disease manifestation with coronary computed tomography. Impact on clinical management and outcome

Since its introduction as a tool for non-invasive coronary imaging, computed tomographic angiography (CTA) has undergone significant clinical validation. Its feasibility and diagnostic performance for the assessment of luminal stenosis have been evaluated against conventional angiography.1,2 In multiple comparative studies, it has been demonstrated that significant luminal stenosis can be excluded with high negative predictive value. The positive predictive value for the detection of stenotic lesions is reduced by stenosis overestimation due to artefact associated with advanced, calcified atherosclerotic lesions. At the same time, CTA has been validated for assessment of plaque burden and plaque characteristics. Several studies have demonstrated reliable identification and differentiation of calcified and non-calcified plaque in comparison with intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), but further characterization of non-calcified components based on the CT Hounsfield unit value is limited.3 The ultimate goal of atherosclerosis imaging is the identification of ‘the vulnerable plaque’, prior to their causing acute cardiovascular events. In post-mortem studies, these high-risk lesions, the so-called thin cap fibroatheromata (TCFA), are characterized by a necrotic core, separated from the lumen by a thin fibrous cap (<65 µm), which consists of smooth muscle cells and inflammatory cells in a proteoglycan-rich collagen matrix.4 While reliable in vivo identification is still not possible, invasive imaging modalities including IVUS and optical coherence tomography … *Corresponding author. Tel: +1 216 445-7579, Fax: +1 216 445-6855, Email: schoenp1{at}ccf.org
The experience of micro- and macroevents. A life span analysis.

This study investigated how individuals retrospectively construe their lives in terms of major life events. Ninety-nine participants sorted a set of personal and historical events in terms of perceived importance for their lives. Analyses of variance with repeated measures and rank comparisons were computed. Overall findings revealed no cohort differences with regard to the perception of life events. However, within cohort differences were found, indicating that more life events were recalled from the young adult years. Those experiences were also perceived as having been more important in the participants' lives than events from other age segments. With regard to historical events, war-related experiences were among the highest ranked. Analyses of variance revealed intracohort differences but not intercohort differences, indicating higher scores for the time between 1930 and 1948 relative to other historical periods.
Number of accessory or nutrient canals in the human mandible

The aim of the study was to assess the presence, location and the number of accessory or nutrient canals in the body of the mandible by means of cone beam CT images, obtained with the Planmeca ProMax® 3D Max device. Seventy-four cone beam images of the mandible from adult patients (37 males and 37 females) who were imaged for dental implantology planning or third molar extraction were used to assess the number and location of accessory or nutrient canals. All images were taken with the same machine (Planmeca® ProMax 3D Max) at 200-, 400- or 600-μm resolution. Distinction was made between canals entering or exiting the mandible superior or inferior of the inferior alveolar canal and between similar canals superior or inferior of the genial tubercula. The number of accessory canals varied between nil to 11. No statistical significant difference between males and females was found with regard to the number or location of accessory canals in the mandible. Only 5.4 % of patients had no accessory canals. One to five accessory canals were found in 71.6 %, and 23 % of patients had more than five accessory canals. The majority (81 %) of patients had between two and six accessory canals. It seems that subjects showing no accessory canals whatsoever should be considered exceptional as more subjects with than without accessory canals in the body of the mandible were found. These results are clinically relevant for mandibular surgery and mandibular local anaesthesia.
Proposed Method of Assay for Diaphene

A rapid and convenient differential spectro-photometric assay is proposed for the assay of Diaphene in liquid soaps and hand creams.
Arithmetic and local circuitry underlying dopamine prediction errors

Dopamine neurons are thought to facilitate learning by comparing actual and expected reward. Despite two decades of investigation, little is known about how this comparison is made. To determine how dopamine neurons calculate prediction error, we combined optogenetic manipulations with extracellular recordings in the ventral tegmental area while mice engaged in classical conditioning. Here we demonstrate, by manipulating the temporal expectation of reward, that dopamine neurons perform subtraction, a computation that is ideal for reinforcement learning but rarely observed in the brain. Furthermore, selectively exciting and inhibiting neighbouring GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid) neurons in the ventral tegmental area reveals that these neurons are a source of subtraction: they inhibit dopamine neurons when reward is expected, causally contributing to prediction-error calculations. Finally, bilaterally stimulating ventral tegmental area GABA neurons dramatically reduces anticipatory licking to conditioned odours, consistent with an important role for these neurons in reinforcement learning. Together, our results uncover the arithmetic and local circuitry underlying dopamine prediction errors.
An Assessment of the Compatibility of DSM-IV and Proposed DSM-5 Criteria in the Diagnosis of Cannabis Use Disorders

The current study used an automated version of the substance use disorder diagnostic schedule-IV (SUDDS-IV) to assess DSM-IV (fourth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders) and two sets of proposed DSM-5 (fifth edition of the Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders) cannabis use disorder criteria among adult prison inmates in the Minnesota Department of Corrections state prison system from 2000 to 2003. Initially proposed DSM-5 criteria had only two diagnostic designations (moderate and severe). A subsequent revision added a mild designation and required a greater number of positive findings for the severe diagnosis. The sample was composed of 7,672 (89.6% male) inmates. Inmates with no DSM-IV diagnoses and most who currently received a cannabis dependence diagnosis according to the DSM-IV guidelines will fit into corresponding DSM-5 categories (i.e., no diagnosis and severe cannabis use disorder, respectively). Some diagnostic criteria, in addition to those proposed for the DSM-5, emerged as cardinal indicators of moderate cannabis use disorder. The study's limitations are noted.
Built Environment, Individual Attributes, and Variability of Body Mass Index of Drivers in the Chicago, Illinois, Metropolitan Area: Empirical Analysis

The body mass index (BMI) and the propensity of being overweight or obese among drivers in the Chicago, Illinois, metropolitan area are affected by factors related to the built environment. A multilevel analysis distinguished the contributions of individual attributes and areal environmental factors. The empirical analysis provided evidence that BMI variability and the propensity of being overweight or obese could mostly be attributed to the educational and ethnicity profiles of residential areas. Drivers living closer to the city were also likely to have slightly lower BMI values than their counterparts who lived in areas far from the city. Finally, the effects of drivers' gender and age are significant and provide additional insights.
INTERPERSONAL CONTINGENCIES: PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCES AND COST‐EFFECTIVENESS

Three reinforcement contingencies were compared with regard to performance differences and cost-effectiveness (i.e., responses per unit reinforcer). Pairs of college students were studied under individual, cooperative, or competitive contingencies using a concurrent setting that included one of these three contingencies as one alternative and a lower paying individual contingency as the other alternative. With the individual and the cooperative contingencies, overall response rates were typically high; under competitive contingencies the overall response rates were substantially lower. Subjects responded at very high rates when competing, but chose not to compete most of the time. Competition and cooperation produced the most cost-effective responding, assessed as the number of responses made per $.01 of reinforcer. High overall rates of competitive responding were obtained when the contests were longer and the lower paying alternative contingency was not available.
Identification of a 130-kilodalton human biliary concanavalin a binding protein as aminopeptidase N

Abstract Background/Aims: Human gallbladder bile contains a group of nonmucin glycoproteins that binds to the lectin concanavalin A (con A) and has been reported to promote cholesterol monohydrate crystal nucleation, an event preceding the formation of gallstones. Several of these proteins, including a 130-kilodalton protein, have been isolated and shown to promote nucleation in vitro. The aim of this study was to identify this and other major biliary con A binding glycoproteins. Methods: Gallbladder bile was chromatographed on con A agarose, and the eluted proteins were electrophoresed, blotted, and subjected to amino-terminal sequence analysis. Results: The major con A binding proteins were identified as aminopeptidase N (a 130-kilodalton protein), α2 macroglobulin, hemopexin, immunoglobulin heavy chains, and the β chain of haptoglobin. After further purification, aminopeptidase N was found to be enzymatically active and to promote cholesterol crystallization at its approximate physiological concentration in bile. Conclusions: It is likely that aminopeptidase N is the previously characterized 130-kilodalton biliary crystallization promoting protein. Aminopeptidase N is probably released from the biliary canalicular membrane by the detergent activity of bile salts and may be one factor that promotes cholesterol crystallization in the gallbladder.
Debt Modifications: Tax Planning Options Including New 10-Year Potential Deferral

With the recent decline in the real estate market, many taxpayers, both individually and/or in partnerships, are seeking to renegotiate the terms of their existing debt instruments. There is some concern though that these debt modifications could lead to possible cancellation of debt (COD) income with potential tax consequences at a time when affected taxpayers can least afford to pay them. To help alleviate this issue, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 added subsection(i) to Internal Revenue Code Section 108 which gives taxpayers the option to elect to delay recognition of their 2009 or 2010 COD income until 2014 and then include it in income ratably in their 2014 through 2018 calendar tax years. Section 108(a)(1)(B) may still be used by insolvent taxpayers to exclude gross income up to their amount of indebtedness. This paper reviews the options available to taxpayers and gives specific examples under IRC Section 108 to either exclude or defer their cancellation of debt income. It also discusses the potential tax cost for these options and advantages as well as some specific issues pertaining to partnerships. Compliance issues under Rev. Proc. 2009-37 for affected taxpayers is also discussed with the additional potential for taxpayers to elect to defer only part of their COD income.
Dynamic properties of lung parenchyma: mechanical contributions of fiber network and interstitial cells

Yuan, Huichin, Edward P. Ingenito, and Bela Suki.Dynamic properties of lung parenchyma: mechanical contributions of fiber network and interstitial cells. J. Appl. Physiol. 83(5): 1420–1431, 1997.—W...
A SKEIN THEORETIC PROOF OF THE $U_q(\mathfrak{g}_2)$ 3-MANIFOLD INVARIANT

We develop a skein recoupling theory for quantum G2 involving skeins of 1 or 2 strands. The recoupling theory is used to define a combinatorial method for computing quantum G2 3-manifold invariants at 15th and 18th roots of unity.
Homeotic genes controlling flower development in Antirrhinum

The chronic blockade of neuromuscular activity is known to promote the survival of developing motoneurons in vivo in the chick, mouse and rat embryo. Increased survival in this situation may reflect an activity-dependent mechanism for the regulation of trophic factor production by target cells. To test this notion, we have examined motoneuron survival in vivo and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) development in vitro following treatment of chick embryos and rat spinal cord cultures with partially purified skeletal muscle extracts derived from normally active, chronically paralyzed and aneural embryos, and from denervated postnatal chickens. Extracts from active and paralyzed chick embryos were equally effective in promoting motoneuron survival and ChAT activity. Aneural embryonic muscle extracts were slightly less effective in promoting motoneuron survival in vivo , but were not significantly different from control extracts in the in vitro ChAT assay. Denervated postnatal muscle extracts, however, were more effective in enhancing both motoneuron survival and ChAT activity. These data indicate that: (1) the promotion of motoneuron survival in vivo by activity blockade may not be mediated by an up-regulation of trophic factor synthesis in target cells; (2) postnatal innervation may regulate the production of putative muscle-derived neurotrophic factors; and (3) the synthesis or availability of trophic agents may be regulated differently in embryonic and postnatal muscle.
Fungal Traits That Drive Ecosystem Dynamics on Land

Fungi contribute extensively to a wide range of ecosystem processes, including decomposition of organic carbon, deposition of recalcitrant carbon, and transformations of nitrogen and phosphorus. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge about physiological and morphological traits of fungi that directly influence these processes, and we describe the functional genes that encode these traits. In addition, we synthesize information from 157 whole fungal genomes in order to determine relationships among selected functional genes within fungal taxa. Ecosystem-related traits varied most at relatively coarse taxonomic levels. For example, we found that the maximum amount of variance for traits associated with carbon mineralization, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, and stress tolerance could be explained at the levels of order to phylum. Moreover, suites of traits tended to co-occur within taxa. Specifically, the genetic capacities for traits that improve stress tolerance-β-glucan synthesis, trehalose production, and cold-induced RNA helicases-were positively related to one another, and they were more evident in yeasts. Traits that regulate the decomposition of complex organic matter-lignin peroxidases, cellobiohydrolases, and crystalline cellulases-were also positively related, but they were more strongly associated with free-living filamentous fungi. Altogether, these relationships provide evidence for two functional groups: stress tolerators, which may contribute to soil carbon accumulation via the production of recalcitrant compounds; and decomposers, which may reduce soil carbon stocks. It is possible that ecosystem functions, such as soil carbon storage, may be mediated by shifts in the fungal community between stress tolerators and decomposers in response to environmental changes, such as drought and warming.
2010's Popular Reading for Estate and Gift Tax Professionals

This article briefly reviews the 10 articles related to estate and gift taxation that were most-frequently downloaded from the Social Science Research Network in 2010. They are: (1) Paul L. Caron, Jennifer M. Kowal and Katherine Pratt, "Pursuing a Tax LLM Degree: Why and When?" (2) Paul L. Caron, Jennifer M. Kowal, Katherine Pratt and Theodore P. Seto, "Pursuing a Tax LLM Degree: Where?" (3) Francine J. Lipman and James E. Williamson, "Social Security Benefits Formula 101: A Practical Primer"; (4) Andrew B. Delaney, "Taking a Sack: The NFL and its Undeserved Tax-Exempt Status"; (5) David Joulfaian, "The Federal Estate Tax: History, Law, and Economics"; (6) Ellen P. Aprill, "An Overview of Tax Issues for Synagogues (and Other Religious Congregations)"; (7) Samuel A. Donaldson, "2010 Federal Tax Update"; (8) Michael Hatfield, "The Ethics of Tax Lawyering: An Introduction"; (9) Paul L. Caron, "The Costs of Estate Tax Dithering"; (10) Laura Cunningham, "The FLP, the Transfer Taxes, and the Income Tax".
The Development of the Solids Probe for EI-MS

Many compounds had molecular weights within the range of the mass spectrometer but were not volatile enough for introduction via the heated inlet system used for gas and liquid samples. The development of the solids probe to introduce such samples took place over several decades. In addition to the solids probe, a vacuum lock was also developed for the introduction of the tip of the solids probe to the ion source without having to `break' the source vacuum. Samples placed in the solids probe tip were heated, thus vaporizing sufficient sample to obtain a mass spectrum. Variations on controlling the probe tip temperature were developed for special situations.
Self-actualization, neuroticism, and extraversion revisited.

Shostrom's measure of self-actualization was more highly though modestly related to the Eysencks' measure of neuroticism and extraversion in a negative and positive fashion respectively than in previous research. This result may be related to the present sample's older age. Consideration is given the relation between extraversion and self-actualization.
Clinical management of a male pseudohermaphrodite.

The authors describe a male pseudohermaphrodite who wanted to be more feminine in appearance and who was treated accordingly, both endocrinologically and surgically. The ramifications of such a regimen are discussed.
Estimating the prevalence of atrial fibrillation from a three-class mixture model for repeated diagnoses

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is an abnormal heart rhythm characterized by rapid and irregular heartbeat, with or without perceivable symptoms. In clinical practice, the electrocardiogram (ECG) is often used for diagnosis of AF. Since the AF often arrives as recurrent episodes of varying frequency and duration and only the episodes that occur at the time of ECG can be detected, the AF is often underdiagnosed when a limited number of repeated ECGs are used. In studies evaluating the efficacy of AF ablation surgery, each patient undergoes multiple ECGs and the AF status at the time of ECG is recorded. The objective of this paper is to estimate the marginal proportions of patients with or without AF in a population, which are important measures of the efficacy of the treatment. The underdiagnosis problem is addressed by a three-class mixture regression model in which a patient's probability of having no AF, paroxysmal AF, and permanent AF is modeled by auxiliary baseline covariates in a nested logistic regression. A binomial regression model is specified conditional on a subject being in the paroxysmal AF group. The model parameters are estimated by the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm. These parameters are themselves nuisance parameters for the purpose of this research, but the estimators of the marginal proportions of interest can be expressed as functions of the data and these nuisance parameters and their variances can be estimated by the sandwich method. We examine the performance of the proposed methodology in simulations and two real data applications.
A tutorial on the operational validation of simulation models

This tutorial discusses in depth the operational validation of simulation models after a brief overview of verification and validation of simulation models. The discussion of operational validation first covers the different approaches used for observable and non-observable systems. Next, various types of graphical displays of model output behavior are presented; this is followed by how these displays can be used in determining model validity by the model developers, subject matter experts, and others when no system data are available; and how these displays can be used as reference distributions for operational validation when system data are available. Lastly, the use of the "interval hypothesis test" is covered for operational validation when sufficient system data are available. Various examples are presented.
Magnetic Resonance Compatible Knee Extension Ergometer

A magnetic resonance (MR) compatible ergometer has been developed to study contracting lower limb muscles during acquisition of magnetic resonance spectroscopy data, a technique to noninvasively measure metabolic energy in muscle tissue. Current active and passive MR-compatible ergometer designs lack torque or velocity control to allow precise mechanical measurements during isotonic and isokinetic contractions; incorporating load and velocity controllers while maintaining MR-compatibility is the main challenge. Presented in this paper is the design and evaluation of an MR-compatible ergometer designed to control knee torque or velocity up to 420 Nm and 270 deg/s and is able to operate in a 3 Tesla magnetic field. The ergometer comprises of a passive component with no electronics or ferrous materials is located inside the bore of the scanner. The active component with the electronics and actuator located outside of the magnetic field in an adjacent room. The active components connect to the passive components via a cable that passes through the waveguide, a hole in the wall of the scanner room. System evaluations were performed and human subject evaluations were performed that measured the mechanical performance and show the mean percent errors below 9% in isotonic and 2% in isokinetic conditions.
Moral Adherence: HIV Treatment, Undetectability, and Stigmatized Viral Loads among Haitians in South Florida.

In the United States, HIV is rendered a chronic condition, and viral transmission is minimized through strict adherence to pharmaceutical treatment. Treatment reduces viral loads to untraceable lev...
Directing T cell fate: How thymic antigen presenting cells coordinate thymocyte selection.

Abstract The development of a self-tolerant and effective T cell receptor repertoire is dependent on interactions coordinated by various antigen presenting cells (APC) within the thymus. T cell receptor–self-peptide–MHC interactions are essential for determining T cell fate, however different cytokine and co-stimulatory signals provided by the diverse APCs within the thymus are also critical. Here, we outline the different localization and functional capabilities of thymic APCs. We also discuss how these distinct APCs work collectively to facilitate the establishment of a diverse T cell receptor repertoire that is tolerant to an array of different self-antigens.
Perils of the Sublime: Ideology in Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Alastor

ABSTRACTPercy Bysshe Shelley’s Alastor represents a critical engagement with the sublime, an engagement that occurs under the sign of Shelley’s obvious attraction, in Alastor and elsewhere, to the sublime as an operative aesthetic and imaginative model. This essay argues that the poem critiques and warns of sublime aesthetic education and the habits of mind it compels. Yet, the most deleterious aspect of the sublime, and the source of Shelley’s unease with it in Alastor, is its close relationship with ideology; and this proximity is the target of Shelley’s critique, for what Alastor warns of, in the end, is the role of the sublime in the onset of ideology—a role this essay explores through an engagement with a range of theories of the sublime, from Edmund Burke’s to Slavoj Žižek’s.
If We Had a Crystal Ball, Would We Use It?

* Abbreviations: CPS — : child protective services PRM — : predictive risk modeling Vaithianathan et al’s1 “Injury and Mortality Among Children Identified as at High Risk of Maltreatment” showcases the promise of predictive risk modeling (PRM). As part of the emerging literature revealing the strong predictive utility of PRM relative to child maltreatment and health, Vaithianathan et al1 help answer a set of existing questions and pose an entirely new set of perhaps more difficult questions. PRM involves evaluating a large number of variables to create risk scores for a given outcome in a given population. Previous work in New Zealand revealed that PRMs developed from a full national birth cohort predicting subsequent substantiated child protective services (CPS) referrals had excellent predictive utility (yielding an “area under the curve” approaching 0.90). For example, those 10% of all children categorized as having … Address correspondence to Brett Drake, PhD, Washington University in St Louis, CB 1196, 1 Brookings Dr, St Louis, MO 63130. E-mail: brettd{at}wustl.edu
How surprising was Trump's victory?: Evaluations of the 2016 U.S. presidential election and a new poll aggregation model

Abstract The U.S. presidential election results of 2016 surprised many poll-watchers, suggesting possible biases in estimated support for the major party candidates and posing a challenge for poll aggregation as a prediction tool. Using data from earlier elections and the 2016 campaign, we evaluated poll aggregation performance for the major prediction web sites. We found that a proportional bias, partly due to non-major party preference during polling, had a large impact on state-level estimates. A novel smoothing mixed effects model that is sensitive to both national and state-specific trends showed similar or superior performance to other aggregation methods over multiple elections. The improvement of the proposed model over competing methods was especially large in 2016, which we largely attribute to the late swing in voter support for the candidates, and suggests that the average bias in polling may be smaller than assumed. Simulations of electoral college outcomes indicate that, on the eve of the election, the probability of a Trump victory was about 47%. We suggest that an increased emphasis on fundamental statistical tradeoffs of bias and variance may be the key to further improved prediction.
The Issue of Insider Trading in Law and Economics: Lessons for Emerging Financial Markets in the World

Growth of the private sector and privatization of state companies around the world have led to the emergence of various stock markets, some of which are depicted by insider trading. Law literature uses the arguments of unfairness, breach of fiduciary rights and damage to others to define and rule against insider trading. Economic literature can be used to interpret insider trading from other perspectives. This study argues that the question of insider trading in developing markets can be resolved by the extent stock markets generate externalities and are public goods. It advocates structural changes in the developing markets and examines the conditions under which the Coase Theorem would work.
Targeting 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase (PFKFB3) as an immunotherapeutic strategy.

e14548Background: Th17 cells are elevated and immunosuppressive in a majority of human cancers and have been found to correlate with decreased patient survival. IL-17 produced by these cells promot...
A Hierarchical Design for Damping Control of Wind-Integrated Power Systems Considering Heterogeneous Wind Farm Dynamics

The majority of control designs for wind power systems rest upon the simplifying assumption that every wind turbine and generator (WTG) inside a wind farm has identical dynamics, and, hence, can be aggregated into a single WTG admitting a single controller. In reality, however, this assumption does not hold because of wake effect due to which the small-signal models of turbines in a given row may be similar, but those between different rows can be significantly dissimilar. In this paper we propose a hierarchical control design to address these types of heterogeneous models of WTGs in a wind farm. Our approach is to group all turbines in a row as a cluster, design a cluster-level aggregate controller by averaging of states, make these aggregate controllers exchange average state information through a local communication network, and thereafter project the aggregate controller back to the original WTGs for implementation. Simulations validating the effectiveness of this hierarchical controller are shown for the IEEE 68-bus benchmark power system with one wind farm.
A Multivariate Bayesian Optimization Framework for Long-Term Controller Adaptation in Artificial Pancreas

In this work, we consider the problem of longterm parameter adaptation in artificial pancreas (AP). A parameter adaptation layer that operates on a larger timescale is firstly introduced, on top of the real-time closed-loop glucose control algorithms. A multivariate Bayesian optimization (BO) assisted parameter adaptation framework is then proposed, which features a dynamic parameter selection module that adaptively selects the parameter to be optimized and a BO-based optimization module that adjusts the parameter through optimizing an unknown cost function. The proposed parameter adaptation method is evaluated on the 10-patient cohort of the US Food and Drug Administration accepted Universities of Virginia/Padova simulator through two extreme in silico scenarios. In the first scenario, we show that the proposed method can efficiently reduce average glucose from 173.1 mg/dL to 138.0 mg/dL (p < 0.001) and improve percent time in the euglycemic range [70, 180] mg/dL from 63.9% to 93.2% (p < 0.001) without adding any additional risk of hypoglycemia. In the second scenario, the proposed algorithm is able to alleviate hypoglycemia in terms of percent time below 70 mg/dL, from 12.5% to 0.2% (p < 0.001), while improving percent time in [70, 180] mg/dL from 79.4% to 91.4% (p < 0.001). The obtained results indicate feasibility and efficiency of adopting BO-based algorithms in long-term AP adaptation.
The role of agricultural economists in sustaining bad programs

Agricultural economics has a proud tradition of developing practical tools that can quantify the gains and losses from changes in policies or programs. These tools have driven home the point that the redistribution achieved by policy changes usually dominates the efficiency effect. Consequently, political forces tend to reflect the concentrated interests in prospective gross benefits or losses more effectively than the diffused interests in net gains. Land grant universities in the United States and public universities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have produced generations of applied economists working mostly in public institutions. These economists, working in the public interest, have staved off many bad policy proposals, initiated beneficial modifications of others, and, in the case of New Zealand, seized the moment to initiate wholesale agricultural policy transformation. The recent increased numbers of economists working as private sector employees or as paid consultants on agricultural policy have generated or supported new useful initiatives and reforms. However, it seems that many, wittingly or unwittingly, engage in research that places a veneer of respectability over indefensible policies. Crop and disaster programs are discouraging examples. The financial clout of private interests of insurers and the farm lobby and the public consultancies needed to regulate rampant moral hazard and adverse selection have diverted many (but not all) qualified economists from the mission to eliminate such programs in the public interest. We are learning that public programs can be much harder to control if they employ, or encourage employment of, private agents in ill-designed and often nontransparent contractual relationships, and those private agents influence economists as well as politicians.
Anytime Weighted MaxSAT with Improved Polarity Selection and Bit-Vector Optimization

This paper introduces a new anytime algorithm for Weighted MaxSAT consisting of two main algorithmic components. First, we propose a new efficient polarity selection heuristic and an enhancement to the variable decision heuristic for SAT-based anytime Weighted MaxSAT solving (and, more generally, for solving any optimization problem with a SAT-based anytime algorithm). Second, we enhance an existing Bit-vector Optimization-based algorithm for solving Unweighted MaxSAT and generalize it to Weighted MaxSAT. Our resulting Weighted MaxSAT solver outscores the state-of-the-art solvers in the settings of both the 60-second and 300-second weighted incomplete tracks of MaxSAT Evaluation 2018. In addition, we describe a new application of incremental anytime Weighted MaxSAT solving: placement at the physical design stage of Computer-aided Design (CAD).