cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Colony defence against conspecifics: caste-specific differences in kin recognition by paper wasps, Polistes fuscatus

A field study was conducted to investigate the division of labour between queens and workers of Polistes fuscatus in colony defence against unrelated conspecific intruders. Responsibilities for colony defence resided primarily with the queen. Queens were significantly more likely than workers to encounter an intruder and to participate in the first interaction with an intruder. Queens also participated in the vast majority of interactions with intruders. However, queens did not display this same degree of differential involvement with returning nestmates. Queens also were significantly less tolerant than workers of both unrelated intruders and returning nestmates. These results and others suggest that queens have a more restrictive acceptance threshold than workers. The caste differences in acceptance thresholds appear to be consonant with the inclusive fitness interests of members of each caste. The field behaviour and ecology of P. fuscatus, together with theoretical considerations, lead to the prediction that queens should be more extensively involved than workers in colony defence against conspecific intruders.
An Intersectoral Examination of Tax Equity: Farm and Nonfarm Burdens

The American federal tax system is different from most national tax plans in that it, unlike many tax systems, generally treats farmers as it does other citizens. Still, there are some distinctions in the tax treatment of farm income. All taxable income is taxed uniformly regardless of its source, but farm income is allowed certain tax preferences which reduce the amount of farm income that is considered taxable. Advocates of tax uniformity have long argued that these preferences give farmers an undue tax advantage; farm supporters have just as steadfastly maintained that they are necessary to maintain an equitable tax system for the agricultural sector. This article presents an exhaustive study of this controversy and examines both federal and state and local tax burdens for evidence of tax differentials between the farm and nonfarm sectors.
The effects of ozone on the respiratory epithelium and alveolar macrophages of mice. I. Interferon production

The effects of 0.8 ppm ozone on the capacity of the tracheal epithelium and alveolar macrophages of mice to produce interferon in vitro was studied. Exposure of mice to ozone for a period of 11 days or more affected the capacity of the tracheal epithelial cells in vitro to produce interferon. The inability of the tracheal epithelium in vitro to produce interferon was not due to the inhibition in the release of intracellular interferon but to an inhibition in the production of interferon. There was a complete recovery of the ability of tracheal epithelium to respond to interferon inducers after the mice were returned to ambient air 24 days post ozone exposure. However, ozone did not seem to have any affect on the capacity of the alveolar macrophages to produce interferon in vitro.
THE KOEPPEN DRY/HUMID BOUNDARY: PRELIMINARY TEST OF THE PATTON FORMULA

(1963). THE KOEPPEN DRY/HUMID BOUNDARY: PRELIMINARY TEST OF THE PATTON FORMULA. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 15, No. 6, pp. 13-14.
On market integration and the development of institutions: The case of international commercial arbitration

Abstract This paper suggests that the institutional basis necessary to support efficient international trade is provided not only by treaties among national governments but also by international coalitions of private agents. International commercial arbitration is an important example of these private coalitions. The paper reviews the provisions and the practice of international arbitration, and presents a general equilibrium model of the relationship between the expansion of international trade and the adoption of arbitration. The model shows that arbitration alters the size and composition of markets, while at the same time responding to exogenous changes in trade.
Relativity: Particles Starting with the Velocity of Light

I WISH to point out a peculiar property of the motion of a particle in the theory of relativity when the initial speed is that of light. The result is valid for both the special and the general theory of relativity, but for simplicity I shall consider here only the former case. We start, then, with the Minkowski formula, ds2 = c2dt2 – dx2 – dy2 – dz2. This vanishes for the motion of a light-pulse. The interval ds is imaginary when the velocity is greater than that of light, and is real when the velocity is less than that of light.
Late onset lipid storage myopathy due to multiple acyl CoA dehydrogenase deficiency triggered by valproate

Abstract Late onset Multiple Acyl CoA dehydrogenase (MAD) deficiency myopathy is a rare disorder. Only five cases have been reported. We report one case with MAD deficiency in which the clinical features appeared during valproic acid therapy. A 47-yr-old man taking valproic acid for 4 months presented nocturnal calf cramps, exercise intolerance, difficulty in climbing stairs and shortness of breath. Muscle biopsy revealed ragged red fibres and neutral lipid storage. Electron microscopy showed enlarged abnormal mitochondria with abnormal internal structure. The total and free muscle carnitine was decreased. The activities of all short, medium and long chain acyl CoA dehydrogenases were 40% of the normal. In this case a partial defect of MAD is noted, possibly triggered by valproic acid, causing the clinical manifestations of the pre-existing myopathy. After discontinuation of the drug a clinical improvement was observed while therapy with riboflavin resulted in a total relief of the symptoms.
Petrology, depositional environments and structural development of the Mineta Formation, Teran Basin, Cochise County, Arizona

Abstract The Oligocene Mineta Formation of the Teran Basin in southeastern Arizona contains approximately 1000 m of interfingering alluvial-fan, fluvial, and lacustrine strata with minor intercalated volcanics. Sedimentation began prior to the middle Oligocene and ended with the eruption of the Oligocene-Miocene Galiuro Volcanics about 28 m.y. ago. Several related depositional facies are present in a cyclic pattern within the Mineta Formation. A complete cycle contains proximal, coarse-grained alluvial-fan conglomerates that fine upward into sandstone and pebble conglomerate of a distal-fan or braided-stream environment. Medium- to fine-grained sandstones are interpreted as sandflat deposits that lie stratigraphically above the distal-fan deposits and below lacustrine sandstone and algal limestone. The cycle culminates with deeper water lacustrine mudstone with intercalated thin-bedded turbidite sandstone. Discrete cycles of bedded gypsum and mudstone are found locally within the lacustrine deposits. These deposits represent a temporary playa-lake phase of the Mineta depositional system. The Mineta Formation filled a half-graben that developed in response to extensional stresses associated with the development of the Rincon/Catalina metamorphic core complex. Paleocurrents flowed southwestward from a source area of predominantly sedimentary and volcanic rocks. Sedimentation was contemporaneous with extensional deformation that produced low-angle normal faults and tilted the section toward the northeast. Maximum extension was directed about N55°E-S55°W, roughly parallel to the direction of paleocurrent flow, parallel to the mean slip direction for low-angle normal faults and perpendicular to the strike of the Mineta section.
Bone tissue-specific transcription of the osteocalcin gene: Role of an activator osteoblast-specific complex and suppressor Hox proteins that bind the OC box

Bone-specific expression of the osteocalcin gene is transcriptionally controlled. Deletion analysis of osteocalcin promoter sequences by transient transfection of osseous (ROS 17/2.8) and nonosseous (R2 fibroblast) cells revealed that the most proximal 108 nucleotides are sufficient to confer tissue-specific expression. By gel mobility shift assays with wild-type and mutated oligonucleotides and nuclear extracts from several different cell lines we identified a novel transcription factor complex which exhibits sequence-specific interactions with the primary transcriptional element, the OC box (nt -99 to -76). This OC box binding protein (OCBP) is present only in osteoblast-like cells. Methylation interference demonstrated association of the factor with OC box sequences overlapping the Msx homeodomain consensus binding site. By assaying several mutations of the OC box, both in gel shift and transient transfection studies using ROS 17/2.8, we show the following. First, binding of OCBP correlates with osteocalcin promoter activity in ROS 17/2.8 cells. Increased binding leads to a 2-3-fold increase in transcription, while decreased binding results in transcription 30-40% of control. Second, homeodomain protein binding suppresses transcription. However, Msx expression is critical for full development of the bone phenotype as determined by antisense studies. Last, we show that one of the mutations of the OC box permits expression of osteocalcin in non-osseous cell lines. In summary, we demonstrate association of at least two classes of tissue-restricted transcription factors with the OC box element, the OCBP and Msx proteins, supporting the concept that these sequences contribute to defining tissue specificity.
XL. The contact difference of potential of distilled metals

An investigation has been made on the contact difference of potential between zinc and bismuth, both distilled in vacuo, and platinum. Initially, there is but little contact difference of potential...
Purification of cell wall fragments by sucrose gradient centrifugation

A procedure for purification of cell wall fragments was developed. The method utilizes sucrose density gradients to efficiently remove soluble enzyme and membrane contaminants from the cell wall. Purification at each stage was monitored biochemically by the removal of cytoplasmic associated markers and ultrastructurally by thorough electron microscopic examination of the isolated cell wall fractions. Cell walls purified by the procedure were compared to those purified by the more conventional multiple washing procedure.
Isolation of recombinant plasmids containing structural gene sequences for rat seminal vesicle secretory proteins IV and V.

Abstract Double stranded cDNA was made to partially purified mRNA for the small seminal vesicle secretory proteins IV and V. This ds cDNA was then inserted into the Pst 1 site of pBR322 by the (G-C) homopolymer tailing technique. Bacterial transformants harboring plasmids with specific inserts were identified by translation of mRNA that was hybridized to plasmid DNA immobilized on nitrocellulose. Separate plasmids were obtained with cDNA inserts for both SVS IV and V. Neither hybridization results nor preliminary restriction analysis gave any indication for homology between them.
Gas chromatography-mass spectrometric characteristics and assay of tele-methylhistamine☆

To date, te/e-methylhistamine, the product of enzymatic histamine methylation, has not been measured by a suitable method. Tefe- andpros-methylhistamine both react quantitatively with trifluoroacetic and heptafluorobutyric anhydrides at room temperature under anhydrous conditions to yield either mono- or bis-derivatives in the absence or presence of pyridine, respectively. The extraction of tissue homogenates, de~vati~tion, and analysis by gas chromatography-mass fragmentography permits the detection of I rig/ml tele-methylhistamine, using pros-methylhistamine as the internal standard. Rat brain contains te/emethylhistamine in a concentration similar to that of histamine (42 rig/g). The content of this amine in tissue has been compared with that obtained by other methods.
Ascaris suum: specific antibodies in isolated intestinal loop washings from immunized swine.

Abstract Six pigs had been immunized with multiple dose of embryonated eggs and an isolated intestinal loop was prepared in each animal. Specific antibodies to Ascaris suum were detected in the soluble protein fraction of washings from the intestinal loops using an indirect fluorescent antibody test. The specific antibodies belonged to the IgA, IgG and IgE classes of immunoglobulins. In contrast, specific antibodies were not detected in the soluble protein fraction from the accumulated fluid from the intestinal loop of one pig. Soluble proteins from the washings of intestinal loops consisted of serum albumin, a large molecular size glycoprotein, and variable amounts of several α-globulins, transferrin, and immunoglobulins. The individual soluble protein solutions were efficiently fractionated using DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex G-200, and Sepharose 6B Chromatographic columns.
Physiologic Specialization of Puccinia triticina on Wheat in the United States in 2008

ABSTRACT Collections of Puccinia triticina were obtained from rust-infected wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaves provided by cooperators throughout the United States and from surveys of wheat fields and wheat breeding plots by USDA-ARS personnel in the Great Plains, Ohio River Valley, Southeast, and Washington State in order to determine the virulence of the wheat leaf rust population in 2008. Single uredinial isolates (730 in total) were derived from the collections and tested for virulence phenotype on lines of Thatcher wheat that are near-isogenic for leaf rust resistance genes Lr1, Lr2a, Lr2c, Lr3, Lr9, Lr16, Lr24, Lr26, Lr3ka, Lr11, Lr17, Lr30, LrB, Lr10, Lr14a, Lr18, Lr21, Lr28, and a winter wheat line with Lr41. Forty-eight virulence phenotypes were described. Virulence phenotypes TDBGG, TCRKG, and MLDSD were the three most common phenotypes. TDBGG is virulent to Lr24 and was found in both the soft red winter wheat and hard red winter wheat regions. Phenotype TCRKG is virulent to Lr11, Lr18, and Lr26 a...
LPS transiently activates integrin function

Abstract Introduction. LPS stimulation of human monocytes induces morphological changes that are associated with reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton. We hypothesized that LPS would also produce increased adhesion in these cells and sought to determine the signaling pathways associated with this response. Methods. THP-1 cells in complete media were treated with LPS. Adherent cells were fixed, stained, and then quantified by counting random high power fields (HPF). Alternately, cells were allowed to attach for 1 h in the presence or absence of LPS, followed by treatment with phenylarsine oxide (PAO) or okadaic acid, to inhibit tyrosine and serine phosphatase activity, respectively. Cells were then incubated for an additional 3 h and adherent cells were quantified as above. Experiments were repeated in triplicate. Results. LPS causes a significant increase in cell adhesion at 1 h following treatment (Fig. 1; ∗P = 0.0004 versus untreated; Student’s unpaired t-test) demonstrating that LPS stimulation activates integrin function. By 4 h, however, the number of adherent LPS-treated cells had returned to control levels, indicating that these cells had detached. Importantly, detached cells were collected and determined to be viable by propidium iodide staining. The pattern of adhesion was similar on fibrinogen, but not fibronectin-coated wells, suggesting that it is the β integrins that undergo “de-activation”. Cell adhesion was maintained at 4 h by PAO treatment (#P = 0.20 versus LPS alone at 1 h; ∗∗P = 0.001 versus LPS alone at 4 h), but not by okadaic acid. Conclusion. LPS stimulation leads to transient integrin activation in the human monocytic cell line, THP-1. Inhibition of tyrosine phosphatases with PAO maintains cell attachment, suggesting that integrin “de-activation” is regulated by tyrosine phosphatase activity. Regulation of tyrosine phosphatase activity by inflammatory stimuli may have an important role in the regulation of monocyte function. Download : Download full-size image
Leadership Flexibility Space

A model is proposed for evaluating leadership capability, which is observed on a grid called the leadership flexibility space. Questionnaires were prepared and responses were received from engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD) for an applied study of their organization. The model evaluates two basic parameters: (1) decision making capability and (2) information input by group during decision making. Five types of leaders are evaluated: consultative autocrats, complete autocrats, consensus managers, impoverished managers, and active managers. Results showed that 70% of resident engineers/area engineers and over 46% of project engineers could be categorized as falling in the impoverished manager’s zone. These percentages might be slightly reduced if certain gray areas are granted to the zones; however, any such impact is not significant. Demographic evaluations are made for age group, number of projects handled in one’s career, number of projects handled at PWD, years of experience, years with PWD,...
Transhiatal esophagectomy: clinical experience and refinements.

Objective To review the authors' clinical experience with transhiatal esophagectomy (THE) and the refinements in this procedure that have evolved. Background Increased use of THE during the past two decades has generated controversy about the merits and safety of this approach compared with transthoracic esophageal resection. The authors' large THE experience provides a valuable basis for benchmarking data regarding the procedure. Methods The results of THE were analyzed retrospectively using the authors' prospectively established esophageal resection database and follow-up information on these patients. Results From 1976 to 1998, THE was performed in 1085 patients, 26% with benign disease and 74% with cancer. The procedure was possible in 98.6% of cases. Stomach was the esophageal substitute in 96%. The hospital mortality rate was 4%. Blood loss averaged 689 cc. Major complications were anastomotic leak (13%), atelectasis/pneumonia (2%), intrathoracic hemorrhage, recurrent laryngeal nerve paralysis, chylothorax, and tracheal laceration (<1% each). Actuarial survival of patients with carcinoma equaled or exceeded that reported after transthoracic esophagectomy. Late functional results were good or excellent in 70%. With preoperative pulmonary and physical conditioning, a side-to-side stapled cervical esophagogastric anastomosis (<3% incidence of leak), and postoperative epidural anesthesia, the need for an intensive care unit stay has been eliminated and the length of stay reduced to 7 days. Conclusion THE is possible in most patients requiring esophageal resection and can be performed with greater safety and fewer complications than the traditional transthoracic approaches.
Why (1S)-Camphanates Are Excellent Resolving Agents for Helicen-1-ols and Why They Can Be Used to Analyze Absolute Configurations.

The questions considered in this paper are why, as agents for resolving helicenols, camphanate esters are particularly effective, and why, in all 19 examples studied, when the (1S)-camphanates of (P)- and (M)-helicen-1-ols are chromatographed on silica gel, the former has the lower Rf. Models are proposed for the favored conformations of the esters, and to support the models, evidence is provided from five X-ray diffraction analyses and four ROESY analyses supplemented by molecular mechanics calculations. The essential discovery is that, presumably to avoid a steric interaction between a methyl on the camphanate's bridge and the helicene skeleton, the OCCO conformation is anti-periplanar in (M)-helicenol camphanates and syn-periplanar in (P)-helicenol camphanates. In the former, the lactone carbonyl points toward the helicene ring system, and in the latter, it points away.
The Effect of Forecasting Accuracy on the Sizing of Energy Storage

The purpose of this research is to the problem of optimal sizing of energy storage required for compensation of wind farm generation variability. Using wind farm production data from the BPA, we assess the effect of forecast quality and economic dispatch timing on the size of storage and critical power rating required to nearly perfectly match the committed energy. We develop a Model-Predictive-Control (MPC) based operational model following NERC standard recommendations. Different forecasts are considered and compared from the storage sizing perspective. The results of our simulations can be fit by two simple relations, connecting the storage sizing with forecast error, wind variability, and the timescales of scheduling. A more accurate forecast reduces the storage sizing. However, diminishing returns are observed when the forecast error becomes comparable to natural wind variability within the commitment time interval. The proposed methodology can be extended to other systems with intermittent generation and controllable real or virtual storage.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Nearest-Neighbor Analysis of Trilobite Morphospace

-Previous observations indicate that morphologic distinctness of suprageneric taxa (superfamilies, suborders, and orders) of trilobites increased during their Cambro-Ordovician diversification. Analysis of nearest-neighbor distances (NNDs) among trilobites in morphospace is used to test the robustness of this pattern while avoiding the overprint of higher-level taxonomy. The properties of the uniform distribution are used to determine the bounds of the morphospace, and computer simulation of random points is used to circumvent edge effects in the analysis of NNDs. Observed NNDs became significantly smaller relative to expected distances, supporting the hypothesis that morphospace became more discontinuously occupied from the Cambrian to the Ordovician. However, absolute NNDs (not considered relative to expected NNDs) actually increased. Therefore, the increase in clustering intensity reflects the expansion of morphospace that accompanied the diversification, because the expected NND is proportional to the morphologic range. The increases in clustering and in absolute NND hold even if Cambrian genera are treated as equivalent to Ordovician species. [Morphometrics; spatial analysis; trilobites; diversification; computer simulation; taxon-free analysis; early Paleozoic.] Morphology provides the fundamental information upon which evolutionary analysis of the fossil record is based, but macroevolutionary questions are often discussed primarily in taxonomic terms (e.g., Valentine, 1969; Yochelson, 1979; Runnegar, 1987). Taxonomy imposes structure on macroevolutionary analysis not only in cases where conclusions are based on "taxon counting." For example, it has been observed that suprageneric taxa of trilobites are morphologically more distinct from each other in the Ordovician than in the Cambrian (Whittington, 1966; Foote, 1989b, in press). The validity of this conclusion rests implicitly on the assumptions that forms are accurately assigned to higher taxa and that these higher taxa are comparable entities. If such assumptions are not met, the reliability of macroevolutionary studies based on higher taxa is limited. (In discussing higher taxa in macroevolutionary analysis of the fossil record, one commonly implies a level between that of the phylum and that of the family. By higher taxa of trilobites I mean superfamilies, suborders, and orders. Discussion of the rationale behind the use of these categories can be found elsewhere [Foote, in press], but is not immediately relevant to the present discussion.) One obvious approach to circumventing problems with the use of higher taxa is to improve the taxonomic structure so that higher taxa are increasingly accurately and consistently defined, by whatever criteria one deems relevant. It is clearly desirable to work within an improved taxonomic framework, but inaccuracies and inconsistencies will always remain. More importantly, even an improved taxonomy still imposes structure on macroevolutionary
The development of procedures for the measurement of vocal loudness behaviors.

Vocal loudness productions of five similar groups of speakers were analyzed. The groups differed significantly in “comfortable” loudness, in multiples (2x, 4x, and 0.5x) of comfortable loudness, and in ranges (4x-0.5x) of comfortable loudness. Interclass reliabilities for sets of measures were high and highly significant. Implications for the specification of vocal loudness behaviors are discussed.
Luminescent Processes and Decay Laws in Crystalline Materials

The fundamental and idealized kinetics of luminescence phenomena in crystalline materials are reviewed. Luminescent decay modes are distinguished on the basis of their time histories into three general categories: the exponential, bimolecular, and electron trap laws. Expressions for the decay of emission intensity are derived for each mode and distinguishing characteristics are presented.
Occupational exposures and brain cancer mortality: a preliminary study of east Texas residents.

The relationship between various occupational exposures and brain cancer was investigated in a case-control study using mortality data from 202 males who died in East Texas from gliomas in 1969-1978 and 238 male controls randomly selected from all deaths in East Texas in 1969-1978. Using the occupational classification scheme of the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the risk for brain cancer was significantly increased for male workers employed in the transportation, communication, and utilities industries [odds ratio (OR) = 2.26, confidence intervals (CI) = 1.18-4.32]. Further examination of this finding showed that male workers employed in occupations associated with electricity or electromagnetic (EM) fields had an elevated risk for brain cancer (OR = 3.94, CI = 1.52-10.20). In addition, there was a linear relationship between the probability of exposure to EM fields and brain cancer. Significantly elevated risk for brain cancer was also found among male workers in the trucking industry.
Diffusion aluminizing coatings to produce Ni3Al alloy welding rods

A pack chemistry of 40 wt% Ni-Al powder (30 at% Ni-70 Al), 1.75 wt% AlF{sub 3}, and balance Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} was used to produce Ni{sub 2}Al{sub 3} coatings that contained the required amount of Al for the average composition of a Ni{sub 3}Al alloy welding rod. The coating time was 7.8 hr. at a temperature of 1,000 C. Coatings produced at shorter time showed slower kinetics and a lower Al surface composition due to an adherent layer of sintered pack powder that was not present for longer coating times.
Origin of the structural diversity of M2O3 (M = Al, Ga, In)

Abstract Oxide materials have many unique physical properties, including structural diversity. For example, isovalent Al2O3, Ga2O3, and In2O3 are all important materials for technological applications. Although they have the same chemical composition, their crystal structures are all different. Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the structural stability of these oxides. We show that the structural diversity in oxides is due to a subtle balance between the Coulomb energy and the covalent binding energy in these materials. We find that the observed structural stability trends can be explained by the size of the cation atom and the energies of the cation valence electrons.
The thermal conductivity of cryogenic insulation materials and its temperature dependence

Abstract For the presentation of the thermal conductivity of cryogenic insulation materials and their integral mean values an empirical function is suggested, with which experimentally found values can be extrapolated to other temperature levels. The selection of materials includes granulated and fibrous insulations under atmospheric pressure as well as under vacuum and a multilayer insulation for most high performances. It is shown theoretically, how the constants in the empirical function can be determined. Their calculation is demonstrated practically by using real measurements. For a multilayer insulation a theory is developed, with which a measured value can be extrapolated to other temperatures, gas pressures and numbers of layers. Its application to a real insulation system is demonstrated too. The results are listed in a tabular summary.
Loss of active avoidance responding after lateral hypothalamic injections of 6-hydroxydopamine

Summary After injections of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) along the medial forebrain bundle in the lateral hypothalamus, rats failed to acquire a one-way active avoidance response or failed to perform a previously acquired active avoidance response. Such rats, however, acquired a passive avoidance response and a conditioned taste aversion normally. Thus the effect of lateral hypothalamic injections of 6-OHDA was not a total loss of the capacity to acquire or perform conditioned responses, but was a failure to initiate forward movement in the presence of a conditional stimulus. Most of these rats could initiate a similar forward movement to escape from the unconditioned stimulus (foot shock). Failure to acquire or perform the active avoidance responses was correlated with the loss of hypothalamic, striatal and forebrain catecholamines produced by lateral hypothalamic 6-OHDA injections. Identical injections of 6-OHDA placed along the medial hypothalamus produced a similar loss of regional catecholamines, but medial 6-OHDA injections did not affect active avoidance responding. We interpret this dissociation between loss of catecholamines and the capacity for active avoidance responding to mean that medial 6-OHDA injections did not damage the same catecholaminergic terminal fields as lateral 6-OHDA injections and that the integrity of the terminal fields damaged by lateral 6-OHDA injections is necessary for active avoidance responding.
Neuropathy, Encephalopathy, Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome and Myasthenia Gravis in a Non-Small Cell Neuroendocrine Tumor of the Lung – An Interesting Paraneoplastic Syndrome: Case Report and Review of Literature. (NELM Syndrome) (P04.094)

Objective: To report a case of Neuropathy, Encephalopathy, Myasthenia Gravis and Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome in a patient with neuroendocrine lung cancer. Background Case reports of combined Myasthenia Gravis(MG) and Lambert-Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome(LEMS) have been reported with small cell lung cancer but never been reported in Large Cell NeuroEndocrine Cancer(LCNEC) in English literature. We describe the first case of MG, LEMS and demyelinating neuropathy in a patient with LCNEC of lung and response to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment. Design/Methods: case report and review of literature. Results: A 64-year-female with LCNEC(stage-1A) status post wedge resection presented with one week history of encephalopathy, diplopia, generalized weakness and paresthesia. She had autonomic instability reflected by wide fluctuation in her blood pressure. Examination showed external ophthalmoplegia, facial diplegia and proximal 2/5, distal 4/5 strength with areflexia. She was intubated secondary to neuromuscular weakness. EEG showed moderate encephalopathy. MRI of brain and cerebrospinal fluid analysis were unremarkable. Electrophysiological studies revealed severe sensorimotor demyelinating polyneuropathy. Repetitive nerve stimulation showed decremental response of > 20%. She also had positive acetylcholine receptor binding antibody and voltage gated calcium channel antibody. An extensive paraneoplastic panel was negative. Anti-Gq1b antibody was negative. Immunoperoxidase staining of lung biopsy was positive for CD-15, TTF-1, CK-7 and CAM 6.2. Patient received 2 courses of IVIG 2 gm/ kg with rapid recovery. Follow- up showed mild right upper extremity weakness and ataxia. She did not have any recurrence of symptoms in a 2 year follow- up. Conclusions: This is an unusual paraneoplastic manifestation of LCNEC lung cancer where patient presented with features of MG, LEMS and demyelinating neuropathy at the same time with very good response to IVIG. A combination of encephalopathy, ophthalmoplegia, areflexia and demyelinating neuropathy also suggests Bickerstaff Encephalitis(BE) despite negative anti-Gq1b antibody(32% negative anti-Gq1b antibody in BE). Multiple antibodies targeting different receptors may underlie pathology. Disclosure: Dr. Neelam has nothing to disclose. Dr. Lim has nothing to disclose. Dr. Singh has nothing to disclose.
The Sensitivity of Value‐Added Teacher Effect Estimates to Different Mathematics Achievement Measures

Using longitudinal data from a cohort of middle school students from a large school district, we estimate separate “value-added” teacher effects for two subscales of a mathematics assessment under a variety of statistical models varying in form and degree of control for student background characteristics. We find that the variation in estimated effects resulting from the different mathematics achievement measures is large relative to variation resulting from choices about model specification, and that the variation within teachers across achievement measures is larger than the variation across teachers. These results suggest that conclusions about individual teachers' performance based on value-added models can be sensitive to the ways in which student achievement is measured.
Air Embolism in Single-Lung Transplant Patients After Central Venous Catheter Removal

A 53-year-old woman had a serious air embolism from the central venous catheter tract after lung transplantation. Lung transplant patients appear to be at increased risk for this complication, and four other known cases are reported.
Distinguishing among irrational suicide and other forms of hastened death: implications for clinical practice.

Background The increasing recognition that not all hastened death is irrational challenges clinical practice. Objective The author distinguishes among the various forms of hastened death. Psychiatrists may be consulted when patients ask to hasten their death in any of the ways described, contrasted, and illustrated in this article. Conclusion The rational desire to hasten death may call for unconventional psychiatric responses. The author discusses the error of failing to provide life-saving medical treatment over the objection of someone who has attempted suicide and the error of trying to prevent rational persons suffering from incurable illness from hastening their death.
Monoclonal and Single Domain Antibodies Targeting β-Integrin Subunits Block Sexual Transmission of HIV-1 in In Vitro and In Vivo Model Systems.

BACKGROUND Poor adherence to prevention regimens for gel-based anti-HIV-1 microbicides has been a major obstacle to more effective pre-exposure prophylaxis. Concern persists that the antiretroviral drug containing microbicides might promote development of antiretroviral resistance. METHODS Using in vitro transwell systems and a humanized mouse model of HIV-1 sexual transmission, we examined, as candidate microbicides, antibodies targeting the heterodimeric leukocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1), a non-virally encoded protein acquired by the virus that also plays a critical role cell movement across endothelial and epithelial barriers. LFA-1-specific single domain variable regions from alpaca heavy-chain only antibodies (VHH) were identified and evaluated for their ability to inhibit HIV-1 transmission in the in vitro transwell system. RESULTS Monoclonal antibodies targeting the CD11a and CD18 components of LFA-1 significantly reduced cell-free and cell-associated HIV-1 transmission in the in vitro transwell culture system and prevented virus transmission in the humanized mouse model of vaginal transmission. The broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody b12 was unable to block transmission of cell-free virus. CD11a-specific VHH were isolated and expressed and the purified variable region protein domains reduced in vitro transepithelial transmission with an efficacy comparable with that of the CD11a monoclonal antibody. CONCLUSIONS Targeting integrins acquired by HIV-1 during budding and which are critical to interactions between epithelial cells and lymphocytes can reduce viral movement across epithelial barriers and prevent transmission in a humanized mouse model of sexual transmission. VHH capable of being produced by transformed bacteria can significantly reduce transepithelial virus transmission in in vitro model systems.
The war in Afghanistan and the Iran-Contra affair: Missing links?

Though they were crucial international events during the 1980s, the final decade of the Cold War, the Soviet war in Afghanistan and the Iran-Contra affair are usually considered in isolation from each other. The present article draws together declassified evidence to trace previously ignored connections between them, demonstrating that the secret arms dealings with Iran carried out by the Reagan administration's National Security Council staff included provisions for Tehran to transfer some of the American weapons it received to pro-Iranian mujaheddin in Afghanistan, and that covert cooperation against the Soviets in Afghanistan constituted an important dimension of the clandestine dialogue carried on by US and Iranian representatives.
Harnessing the Search for Rational Bid Schedules with Stochastic Search and Domain-Specific Heuristics

In previous work we proposed an approach for computing an agentýs preferences over different schedules of tasks, and for soliciting desirable bid combinations to cover the tasks. The proposed approach finds schedules that maximize the agentýs Expected Utility. The maximization problem is hard because the domain is piece-wise continuous, with the number of pieces and local maxima growing exponentially in the worst case scenario. For agents who are averse to taking risks, maximization algorithms tend to converge to degenerate maxima of no practical interest. In this paper we demonstrate three maximization methods based on domain-specific heuristics. We also present a new stochastic maximization approach, and benchmark it in two substantially different problem setups.
Nanoparticle Supracrystals and Layered Supracrystals as Chemical Amplifiers

Nanoparticle crystals and core–shell crystals detect and amplify the presence of chemical and enzymatic analytes. These crystals are made insoluble in water by cross-linking their surface with dithiols incorporating analyte-specific groups. Upon addition of an analyte, these groups are cut, and the “punctured” crystals liberate millions of individual, brightly colored NPs.
Floral dip: a simplified method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana

Summary The Agrobacterium vacuum infiltration method has made it possible to transform Arabidopsis thaliana without plant tissue culture or regeneration. In the present study, this method was evaluated and a substantially modified transformation method was developed. The labor-intensive vacuum infiltration process was eliminated in favor of simple dipping of developing floral tissues into a solution containing Agrobacterium tumefaciens, 5% sucrose and 500 microliters per litre of surfactant Silwet L-77. Sucrose and surfactant were critical to the success of the floral dip method. Plants inoculated when numerous immature floral buds and few siliques were present produced transformed progeny at the highest rate. Plant tissue culture media, the hormone benzylamino purine and pH adjustment were unnecessary, and Agrobacterium could be applied to plants at a range of cell densities. Repeated application of Agrobacterium improved transformation rates and overall yield of transformants approximately twofold. Covering plants for 1 day to retain humidity after inoculation also raised transformation rates twofold. Multiple ecotypes were transformable by this method. The modified method should facilitate high-throughput transformation of Arabidopsis for efforts such as T-DNA
Predicting affective responses to exercise using resting EEG frontal asymmetry: Does intensity matter?

Affective responses to exercise may be important for improving adherence to regular programs of exercise. The present study sought to determine whether resting frontal EEG asymmetry, an individual difference measure of affective style, is predictive of affective responses to exercise performed at distinct intensities standardized relative to a metabolic landmark (i.e., the ventilatory threshold, VT). Resting EEG was collected from 30 participants and used to predict affective responses following treadmill running at three exercise intensities: below-VT, at-VT, and above-VT. Affect was assessed [via Activation-Deactivation Adjective Check List, yielding measures of Energetic Arousal (EA) and Tense Arousal (TA)] before, immediately following exercise, after 5min cool down, and 10 and 20min post-cool down. Resting mid-frontal asymmetry (F4-F3) significantly predicted EA immediately following below-VT exercise; resting lateral frontal asymmetry (F8-F7) predicted EA at 20min post-cool down. Resting mid-frontal asymmetry predicted in EA immediately following and following cool down in above-VT exercise. As a whole, frontal asymmetry was predictive of affective responses following exercise, namely greater relative left frontal activity predicting lower EA. This was opposite to the predictions of the valenced motivation model, but may provide some support for the motivation direction model. This is based on the fact that low EA could be indicative of approach motivation, especially at higher exercise intensities.
Thermal mechanical modeling and assessment for a novel power system module with vertical input capacitor

In this paper, a novel power system module (PSM) is developed by integrating the vertical input capacitor inside the package. Comparing with the traditional PSM, the novel PSM has better electrical performance with less parasitic inductance and switching loss, due to a small loop from the input capacitor to the MOSFETs. A comprehensive modeling study is carried out to assess the assembly stress, thermal performance and reliability performance of the novel PSM. The impact of input capacitor height of the novel PSM is studied by building models with different input capacitor height designs. The modeling of the traditional PSM without the input capacitor is also conducted for comparison. The molding cure process is simulated to study the thermal stress induced by the CTE mismatch of different materials. The non-linear elastic plastic material constitutive model is applied to solder, clip and lead frame. The stress on die, solder paste and solder bump is evaluated and analyzed. Thermal characterization of all the package models is conducted to calculate the thermal resistance Rthja according to the JEDEC standards. The matrix method is used to obtain the thermal resistance of all dies, by applying power on different dies separately. The reliability performance is simulated and compared for all package models, including the autoclave (ACLV) test and preconditioning test. An equivalent CTE method is used to simulate the total stress after the ACLV and reflow process, including the hygroscopic stress, vapor pressure induced stress, and the CTE mismatch induced stress. Finally, the possible failure modes of the novel PSM are discussed.
Shepard: A fast exact match short read aligner

The mapping of many short sequences of DNA, called reads, to a long reference genome is an common task in molecular biology. The task amounts to a simple string search, allowing for a few mismatches due to mutations and inexact read quality. While existing solutions attempt to align a high percentage of the reads using small memory footprints, Shepard is concerned with only exact matches and speed. Using the human genome, Shepard is on the order of hundreds of thousands of times faster than current software implementations such as SOAP2 or Bowtie, and about 60 times faster than GPU implementations such as SOAP3. Shepard contains two components: a software program to preprocess a reference genome into a hash table, and a hardware pipeline for performing fast lookups. The hash table has one entry for each unique 100 base pair sequence that occurs in the reference genome, and contains the index of last occurrence and the number of occurrences. To reduce the hash table size, a minimal perfect hash table is used. The hardware pipeline was designed to perform hash table lookups very quickly, on the order of 600 million lookups per second, and was implemented on a Convey HC-1 high performance reconfigurable computing system. Shepard streams all of the short reads through a custom hardware pipeline and writes the alignment data (index of last occurrence and number of occurrences) to a binary results array.
Extrapolated Stanford-Binet IQs for mentally retarded and mentally gifted individuals.

Summary.-A procedure is offered for estimating the Stanford-Binet IQs of subjects whose performance places them outside che limits of che 1972 revised IQ tables. More specifically, a formula is given for converting ratio IQs into deviation IQs, along with a table of the constants required to apply the formula. The method by which these constants were determined is described, and some indication is given of the error involved in the use of the procedure.
Reflection and transmission of surface waves at a vertical interface in anisotropic elastic media

Propagation of surface waves across a vertical interface between anisotropic blocks is considered in this paper. Dyadic representation of a far field Green's function for an anisotropic half-space is constructed first. An analytical procedure is then developed to determine the reflection and transmission coefficients of surface waves at the vertical interface between two laterally homogeneous anisotropic quarter-spaces. Numerical results of Rayleigh wave reflection at vertical interfaces between dissimilar blocks are presented and the trade-off between anisotropy and inhomogeneity is discussed.
On the performance of broadcast based consensus under non-zero-mean stochastic disturbances

The broadcast-based consensus algorithm is one special type of randomized consensus algorithm, and is amenable to practical implementation in wireless networks. This paper focuses on the performance analysis of this broadcast-based consensus algorithm in the presence of non-zero-mean stochastic perturbations. It is demonstrated that as the algorithm proceeds, the deviation of the node states from their average will converge, in expectation, to a fixed value, which is determined by the Laplacian matrix of the network, the mixing parameter, and the mean of the stochastic perturbations. Asymptotic upper and lower bounds on the total mean-square deviation are derived, which describe the range of distances over which the node states deviate from consensus. These bounds can facilitate evaluation of the applicability of this algorithm in practice. In addition, performance of the broadcast-based consensus algorithm under zero-mean stochastic disturbances is also analyzed, and results regarding its convergence and mean-square deviation are given. The theoretical results presented in this work hold true regardless of the statistics of the stochastic disturbances, and are valid for arbitrary network topology as long as the topology is connected.
Diffraction and Fourier Optics

Diffraction and Fourier optics are at the foundation of the theory of holographic image formation and therefore essential in the description of holographic processes and techniques. In this chapter, we review the scalar diffraction theory, which is used to describe the propagation of the optical field from an input plane to the output plane. The propagation of light through a lens is an essential part of any imaging system, and its mathematical description is relevant to holographic image formation as well.