cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relearning the Lesson: IRS Judicial Doctrine Attacks on the Captive Insurance Company Pre-Planned Tax Deductible Life Insurance Tax Shelter

There are certain members of the life insurance industry that are in perpetual pursuit of the ultimate potential driver of life insurance sales-tax-deductible life insurance premiums. Some in this industry have previously used aggressive retirement plan funding, and numerous other tax vehicles for these purposes, but in the end the IRS has always succeeded in defeating such strategies through administrative enforcement and litigation. The latest attempt to achieve tax-deductible premiums is the formation of a small business captive insurance company (“CIC”) for the pre-planned purpose of using the CIC funds to invest in life insurance. The owner of a small business forms an IRC § 831(b) CIC, and pays a presumably tax- deductible premium to the CIC for business risk insurance issued by the CIC. Subsequently, the CIC uses a significant part of the tax-free premium immediately to purchase life insurance on the common owner of the small business and CIC. In general, life insurance premiums are not deductible as ordinary and necessary business expenses, and tax-deducted funds should not be used to purchase life insurance. The IRS is likely to view the CIC created and funded for the primary purpose of purchasing personal life insurance for its owner, as an abusive tax shelter. The IRS would see this transaction as the CIC serving as a conduit for the life insurance premiums to follow a circuitous route to achieve the tax deduction. The IRS often argues that judicial tax doctrines should be applied to disallow claimed deductions on what the IRS perceives to be Congressionally unintended life insurance oriented abusive tax shelters. In attacking the CIC pre-planned life insurance transaction, the IRS would likely utilize the following judicial doctrines: (1) the sham transaction doctrine (specifically, as a sham in substance); (2) the economic substance doctrine; (3) the doctrine of substance over form; and (4) the step transaction doctrine. This article discusses (a) the history of these judicial doctrines in general and specifically in life insurance cases; (b) a distillation of the rules derived from these cases that may apply to prospective life insurance tax shelters; and (c) the likelihood of IRS being successful in applying these judicial doctrines to defeat this latest attempt by some in the life insurance industry at creating tax-deductible insider personal life insurance premiums.
Variability in flow-habitat relationships as a function of transect number for PHABSIM modelling

A bootstrap analysis was used to assess the variability in flow–habitat relationships for juvenile and adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Cache La Poudre River as a function of the number of Physical Habitat Simulation System (PHABSIM) transects. The bootstrap analysis was conducted by selecting without replacement different numbers of transects, ranging from six to 40, from a pool of 107 transects. The variability in flow–habitat relationships, as quantified by the 95% confidence interval for the flow with the peak habitat, decreased with increasing numbers of transects, and was greater for juveniles than for adults. The 95% confidence limits ranged from 9% for adult trout with 40 transects to 73% for juvenile trout with six transects. The results of this study can be used in negotiations for the number of transects selected during scoping of instream flow studies, as well as in assessing the relative confidence that should be placed in flow–habitat relationships for different species and life stages. Published in 2005 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermal degradation of platinum(IV) precursors to antitumor drugs

Organoplatinum antitumor agents are very effective, broad-spectrum drugs used for the treatment of a variety of cancerous conditions. The two most prominent of these, Cisplatin [cis-diamminodichloroplatinum(II)] and Carboplatin [diammino(1,1-cyclobutanedicarboxylato)platinum(II)], are large scale commercial successes. The third, Oxaliplatin [((trans-1,2-diamminocyclohexane)oxalato)platinum(II)], is now commercially available. The administration of all these drugs is accompanied by severe side effects. For Cisplatin, the most debilitating of these is kidney damage and extreme nausea. Several approaches to generate drug-release formulations that might mitigate toxic side effects have been explored. Now, platinum(IV) compounds which are more inert than platinum(II) compounds, and consequently less toxic, but which may be reduced to platinum(II) species within the cell are being evaluated for effectiveness in the treatment of cancer. The thermal stability of several precursors to compounds of this kind has been examined by thermogravimetry. In general, these materials lose ligands sequentially to generate a residue of platinum. This behavior may be generally useful for the characterization of such materials.
Fos expression and 2-deoxyglucose uptake following seizures in developing genetically epilepsy-prone rats

Juvenile genetically epilepsy-prone rats (GEPR)-3s display one of three types of seizures in response to sound: a typical class 3 seizure consisting of an explosive running/bouncing episode followed by a clonic seizure (audiogenic response score, ARS-3); an ARS-3 seizure followed by a forebrain seizure that includes facial and forelimb (FF or, a running/bouncing episode followed by a severe tonic seizure with complete hindlimb extension (ARS-9) not accompanied with subsequent FF however, there were notable exceptions. For example, increased 2-DG uptake in the cochlear nuclei, central region of the inferior colliculi, and the substantia nigra were not accompanied by increased Fos expression in these areas regardless of the seizure phenotypes. Reciprocally, other regions, particularly in the amygdala, ventromedial hypothalamus and parabrachial areas, displayed intense seizure related Fos labeling without detectable increases in 2-DG uptake. Fos and 2-DG uptake patterns in response to acoustic stimulation varied according to brain region, seizure phenotype and severity. In general, the degree of 2-DG uptake correlated with seizure severity. For example, the ARS-9 seizures, being the most intense, resulted in significant increases in 2-DG uptake in almost all brain regions examined. 2-DG uptake following the ARS-3f and ARS-3 seizures, although increased, did not reach statistical significance in most brain areas. In contrast to the 2-DG findings, a seizure-severity dependent effect was not seen with Fos. Rather, the induction of Fos associated with acoustic stimulation and seizure was more associated with age and seizure-phenotype. Thus, the developmental profiles of Fos expression and 2-DG uptake in response to seizures are distinctly different and concurrent examination of both markers is useful in the identification of brain circuitry involved in seizure development.
Efficient architectures for elliptic curve cryptography processors for RFID

RFID tags will supplant barcodes for product identification in the supply chain. The capability of a tag to be read without a line of sight is its principal benefit, but compromises the privacy of the tag owner. Public key cryptography can restore this privacy. Because of the extreme economic constraints of the application, die area and power consumption for cryptographic functions must be minimized. Elliptic curve processors efficiently provide the cryptographic capability needed for RFID. This paper proposes efficient architectures for elliptic curve processors in GF(2m). One design requires six m-bit registers and six Galois field multiply operations per key bit. The other design requires five m-bit registers and seven Galois field multiply operations per key bit. These processors require a small number of circuit elements and clock cycles while providing protection from simple side-channel attacks. Synthesis results are presented for power, area, and delay in 250, 130 and 90 nm technologies. Compared with prior designs from the literature, the proposed processors require less area and energy. For the B-163 curve, with bit-serial multiplier, the first proposed design synthesized in an IBM low-power 130 nm technology requires an area of 9613 gate equivalents, 163,355 cycles and 4.14 µJ for an elliptic curve point multiplication. The other proposed design requires 8756 gate equivalents, 190,570 cycles and 4.19 µJ.
Oxygen deficit and H2S in hemorrhagic shock in rats

Introduction Hemorrhagic shock induced O2 deficit triggers inflammation and multiple organ failure (MOF). Endogenous H2S has been proposed to be involved in MOF since plasma H2S concentration appears to increase in various types of shocks and to predict mortality. We tested the hypothesis that H2S increases during hemorrhagic shock associated with O2 deficit, and that enhancing H2S oxidation by hydroxocobalamin could reduce inflammation, O2 deficit or mortality.
The Significance of Congruent Communication in Effective Classroom Management

To a surprising degree, how you communicate determines your effectiveness as a teacher. Relationships are built on communication and easily destroyed by it. (Charles 2000, 48–49)
A review of power harvesting using piezoelectric materials (2003–2006)

The field of power harvesting has experienced significant growth over the past few years due to the ever-increasing desire to produce portable and wireless electronics with extended lifespans. Current portable and wireless devices must be designed to include electrochemical batteries as the power source. The use of batteries can be troublesome due to their limited lifespan, thus necessitating their periodic replacement. In the case of wireless sensors that are to be placed in remote locations, the sensor must be easily accessible or of a disposable nature to allow the device to function over extended periods of time. Energy scavenging devices are designed to capture the ambient energy surrounding the electronics and convert it into usable electrical energy. The concept of power harvesting works towards developing self-powered devices that do not require replaceable power supplies. A number of sources of harvestable ambient energy exist, including waste heat, vibration, electromagnetic waves, wind, flowing water, and solar energy. While each of these sources of energy can be effectively used to power remote sensors, the structural and biological communities have placed an emphasis on scavenging vibrational energy with piezoelectric materials. This article will review recent literature in the field of power harvesting and present the current state of power harvesting in its drive to create completely self-powered devices.
Thelytokous Parthenogenesis in Eusocial Hymenoptera

Female parthenogenesis, or thelytoky, is particularly common in solitary Hymenoptera. Only more recently has it become clear that many eusocial species also regularly reproduce thelytokously, and here we provide a comprehensive overview. Especially in ants, thelytoky underlies a variety of idiosyncratic life histories with unique evolutionary and ecological consequences. In all eusocial species studied, thelytoky probably has a nuclear genetic basis and the underlying cytological mechanism retains high levels of heterozygosity. This is in striking contrast to many solitary wasps, in which thelytoky is often induced by cytoplasmic bacteria and results in an immediate loss of heterozygosity. These differences are likely related to differences in haplodiploid sex determination mechanisms, which in eusocial species usually require heterozygosity for female development. At the same time, haplodiploidy might account for important preadaptations that can help explain the apparent ease with which Hymenoptera transition between sexual and asexual reproduction.
IMPACT OF LEGAL LIABILITY, FAMILY WISHES, AND OTHER EXTERNAL FACTORS ON PHYSICIANS' LIFE-SUPPORT DECISIONS

Abstract purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of external factors on physicians' life-support decisions. "External factors" are those factors that promote the interests of people other than the patient. Examples of external factors include physician legal liability and family wishes about patient care. subjects and methods: A nationwide sample consisted of 300 randomly selected physician-members from the American Society of Law and Medicine (ASLM) and 300 from the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM); 179 ASLM physicians (60%) and 165 SCCM physicians (55%) responded. A mailed questionnaire presented three cases, each requiring the physician to make a life-support decision. For each case, the physician chose one of several life-support options and rated the importance to his or her decision of specific "decision factors," including some external factors. We assumed the physician would choose the management option supported by the decision factors that the physician considered most important. For this reason, we used discriminant analysis to identify the factors whose importance ratings best predicted management choices. results: In the first case, 46% of ASLM respondents and 55% of SCCM respondents chose to stop the ventilator of a chronically comatose patient with unknown preferences about life support. Thirty-one percent of ASLM and 27% of SCCM respondents chose to continue the ventilator, and 21% of ASLM and 14% of SCCM respondents chose to apply for a judicial decision. Importance ratings for the external factor, physician legal liability, best predicted management choices. In the second case, 95% of ASLM and 94% of SCCM respondents chose to resuscitate a cancer patient at the patient's request; 3% of ASLM and 4% of SCCM respondents chose no resuscitation. Importance ratings for preferences best predicted management choices. In the third case, 38% of ASLM and 35% of SCCM respondents honored a stroke patient's previous refusal of tube feedings, but 59% of ASLM and 62% of SCCM respondents authorized tube feedings in order to secure nursing home placement. Importance ratings for patient preferences best predicted management choices in this cse. External factors impacted management choices considerably in the first case and more modestly in the second and third cases. conclusion: External factors impact the life-support decisions of physicians. Physician legal liability may have an especially great impact on these decisions when patients' preferences are not known.
Heat shock factor 1 inhibits nuclear factor–κB nuclear binding activity during endotoxin tolerance and heat shock

Abstract Rationale Sepsis, endotoxin tolerance, and heat shock (HS) all display down-regulation of innate immunity. We hypothesize that HS factor 1 (HSF-1) induces competitive inhibition of nuclear factor– κ B (NF- κ B)–induced signal transduction in both endotoxin tolerance and HS. Objectives We compared endotoxin tolerance and HS in RAW 264.7 cells. We transfected cells with an HS protein 70 (HSP70) plasmid to test whether HSP70 is the mediator of HS-induced NF- κ B inhibition. We studied the effects of endotoxin stimulation and HS, both separately and together, on “wild-type” cells, cells transfected with the HSP70 plasmid, and cells transfected with vehicle. Findings Heat shock protein 70 plasmid–transfected cells had increased HSP70 expression and demonstrated decreased nitric oxide (NO) release and inducible NO synthase messenger RNA expression in response to endotoxin compared with wild-type and empty plasmid–transfected cells. Heat shock completely abolished subsequent NO and inducible NO synthase messenger RNA expression in wild-type cells. Heat shock factor 1 reached maximum expression 60 to 90 minutes after HS. Heat shock protein 70–transfected cells still displayed endotoxin-induced NF- κ B nuclear binding, whereas endotoxin tolerance, HS, and exposure to HSF-1, but not exposure to an unrelated promoter, inhibited NF- κ B nuclear binding. Conclusions Endotoxin tolerance and HS appear to share a common immune suppressive effect, possibly through HSF-1–mediated competitive inhibition of NF- κ B nuclear binding.
A functional classification of spinal instrumentation.

Abstract Background Context Spinal instrumentation systems have evolved far beyond the original Harrington design, with increasing complexity and capabilities. This review attempts to deemphasize the “product names,” as systems are often generically and inappropriately referred to as “Harrington rods,” by introducing a functional classification for current systems. Purpose The aim of this paper is to review the intended design purpose of current spinal instrumentation systems for more accurate interpretations of radiographs and complications. Study Design The principles involved in each type of instrumentation system are described, followed by the characteristic components and the normal appearance radiographically, with examples of complications, which should be recognized. Methods The historical contribution of specific systems in the developing art of internal fixation of the spine is provided as a background to understand the biomechanical forces imparted by spinal hardware. Recognizing the functional intent of spinal constructs will enhance descriptions of those images. Results Spinal instrumentation has been categorized into five functional types: Distraction and compression, segmental stabilization, coupled or derotation systems, translational or pedicle screw systems, and anterior instrumentation. Conclusions Analysis of radiographs from a functional viewpoint can enhance the descriptive interpretation and specifically allow assessment of the success or of the presence of complications, which are crucial to the analysis of instrumentation effectiveness.
Stochastic Resonance in Time-to-Contact Judgments

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a counterintuitive phenomenon in which additive noise enhances performance of a nonlinear system. Previous studies demonstrated SR effect on human tactile sensitivity by adding noise of same modality and cross modality. Similarly, enhancement of human hearing through additive noise has been studied. In this study, we investigate the effect of noise in visual perception, specifically time-to-contact (TTC) judgments. This study explores four research questions: (1) Does noise help in TTC judgments? (2) How does noise affect speed and accuracy of TTC judgments? (3) Does cross modal noise help in TTC judgments? (4) How does cross modal noise affect speed and accuracy of TTC judgments? Through simulation, we show that noise in optical cue can enhance weak signals. We also demonstrate that noise can improve speed of TTC judgments at the expense of accuracy. Similarly, we demonstrate SR by adding noise of cross modality. These findings provide plausible hypotheses regarding how much noise should be added to enhance TTC judgments.
Predicting gene targets of perturbations via network-based filtering of mRNA expression compendia

Motivation: DNA microarrays are routinely applied to study diseased or drug-treated cell populations. A critical challenge is distinguishing the genes directly affected by these perturbations from the hundreds of genes that are indirectly affected. Here, we developed a sparse simultaneous equation model (SSEM) of mRNA expression data and applied Lasso regression to estimate the model parameters, thus constructing a network model of gene interaction effects. This inferred network model was then used to filter data from a given experimental condition of interest and predict the genes directly targeted by that perturbation. Results: Our proposed SSEM–Lasso method demonstrated substantial improvement in sensitivity compared with other tested methods for predicting the targets of perturbations in both simulated datasets and microarray compendia. In simulated data, for two different network types, and over a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios, our algorithm demonstrated a 167% increase in sensitivity on average for the top 100 ranked genes, compared with the next best method. Our method also performed well in identifying targets of genetic perturbations in microarray compendia, with up to a 24% improvement in sensitivity on average for the top 100 ranked genes. The overall performance of our network-filtering method shows promise for identifying the direct targets of genetic dysregulation in cancer and disease from expression profiles. Availability: Microarray data are available at the Many Microbe Microarrays Database (M3D, http://m3d.bu.edu). Algorithm scripts are available at the Gardner Lab website (http://gardnerlab.bu.edu/SSEMLasso). Contact: kolaczyk@math.bu.edu Supplementary information:Supplementary Data are available at Bioinformatics on line.
Fault detection and recovery in a data-driven real-time multiprocessor

Introduces the mechanisms required to perform fault detection and recovery in the DART (Data-driven Architecture for Real-Time) multiprocessor architecture. The DART multiprocessor uses prioritized data-driven scheduling to ensure that multiple hard and soft deadlines are met. A data-driven checkpointing scheme has been developed that ensures that these deadlines are met even in the case of processor failures. The basic approach is to monitor the behavior of each computational thread by means of hardware timers. The results of a thread are released only if the thread completes before its given timeout period expires. Otherwise the partial computation on that processor is discarded and the thread is rescheduled on a different processor. A strategy to statically predict the system performance in the event of multiple processor failures is presented and evaluated. Simulation results are provided to illustrate the fault detection and recovery response times for single processor failures on DART multiprocessor architectures with 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 processing elements. >
The on-chip 3-MB subarray-based third-level cache on an Itanium microprocessor

The 3-MB on-chip level three cache in the Itanium 2 processor, built on an 0.18-/spl mu/m, six-layer Al metal process, employs a subarray design style that efficiently utilizes available area and flexibly adapts to floor plan changes. Through a distributed decoding scheme and compact circuit design and layout, 85% array efficiency was achieved for the subarrays. In addition, various test and reliability features were included. The cache allows for a store and a load every four core cycles and has been characterized to operate above 1.2 GHz at 1.5 V and 110/spl deg/C. When running at 1.0 GHz, the cache provides a total bandwidth of 64 GB/s.
Determining the Overall Value of Implemented New Technology in Transportation: Integrated Multiple Objective-Attribute Methodology

Two existing techniques are integrated and a methodology for evaluating transportation projects, especially complex projects that involve new technologies, is created. While integrating the multiattribute value function technique with the analytic hierarchy process, a new scaling approach is introduced through use of a linear scaling proxy. Additionally, the approach identifies an overall worth for a project. This overall worth provides decision makers with a quantitative value they can use to compare different projects or to estimate and compare hypothetical results. The methodology is demonstrated in a sample problem. The methodology's application to the Anaheim field operational test is then described. Often, evaluations fail to look at all the potential areas a project may affect. This methodology simplifies the process for including institutional issues in the final results of an evaluation.
Variability and Trends in Antarctic Surface Temperatures from In Situ and Satellite Infrared Measurements

Abstract The surface air temperatures observed from stations in Antarctica have been shown to have predominantly positive trends that are as high as 0.5°C decade−1 along the Antarctic Peninsula. To evaluate whether the trends are caused by a local or large-scale phenomenon in the Antarctic region, surface temperatures inferred from infrared satellite data from 1979 to 1998 have been analyzed in combination with data from 21 stations that have long record lengths. The surface temperatures derived from infrared data are coherent spatially and temporally and are shown to agree well with Antarctic station data with a correlation coefficient of 0.98 and a standard deviation of about 3°C. The trend analysis on station data yielded on the average 0.012 ± 0.008°C yr−1 and −0.008 ± 0.025°C yr−1 for the 45- and 20-yr record, respectively. The latter reasonably agrees with the trend of −0.042 ± 0.067°C yr−1 inferred from the satellite 20-yr record. The 20-yr record length is shown to be about the minimum length requ...
Analytic Approximations for Moist Convectively Adjusted Regions

Solutions are obtained for convective regions in a continuously stratified, linearized primitive equation model using a smoothly posed moist convective adjustment parameterization of cumulus convection. In the approximation in which the convective adjustment time is fast compared to other processes, the vertical structure of the temperature field is constrained to be close to the quasi-equilibrium structure determined by the convective scheme. This in turn constrains the vertical structure of the baroclinic pressure gradients and velocity field. Analytic solutions result for vertical structures, while the horizontal and time dependence is governed by equations akin to shallow water equations. These consist of equations linking baroclinic velocities and pressure gradients, plus a moist static energy equation governing thermodynamics. This system holds for basic states that are slowly varying in space, for regions where deep convection happens frequently enough to constrain the temperature field. An effective static stability for these convectively constrained motions, the gross moist stability M, is defined in terms of thermodynamic variables. In time-dependent solutions, M determines phase speeds in deep convective regions. In solutions forced by sea surface temperature, M determines the work that must be done by vertical motion, which must in turn be balanced by surface fluxes. Surface fluxes tend to draw boundary layer temperature and moisture toward values determined by SST, while the convection translates these into deep baroclinic temperature and pressure gradients. The balance between surface fluxes and the effect of the gross moist stability on vertical motion determines how closely boundary layer enthalpy can follow SST. This picture combines modified versions of mechanisms proposed in simple models by Lindzen and Nigam, and Neelin and Held within a thermodynamically consistent framework. It also helps interpret models with convergence feedback schemes and the Gill model, and allows free parameters in these models to be related to basic thermodynamic quantities.
Comments on “A Multiscale Numerical Study of Hurricane Andrew (1992). Part I: Explicit Simulation and Verification”

In their paper ‘‘A multiscale numerical study of Hurricane Andrew (1992). Part I: Explicit simulation and verification,’’ Liu et al. (1997, hereafter referred to as LZY) present an impressive simulation of a mature tropical cyclone initialized with environmental data and operational model analyses obtained during Hurricane Andrew. The simulated tropical cyclone makes landfall near Palm Beach, Florida, with an eye diameter about twice that observed. The minimum central sea level pressure at landfall is similar to that observed when Hurricane Andrew made landfall about 105 km farther south near Homestead, Florida. According to Fig. 2 of LZY, the simulated storm begins filling at landfall and its pressure increases to about 944 hPa in 5 h, similar to that observed in Andrew (Powell et al. 1996; Powell and Houston 1996, hereafter referred to as PHR and PH). LZY compared the surface wind field of the simulated storm to that observed in Hurricane Andrew by PH and suggested that the coastal discontinuities published in PH were the product of reducing flight-level winds to the surface with a planetary boundary layer (PBL) model, analyzing land and marine observations separately, and then merging them at the coastline ‘‘without including full dynamic and physics interactions.’’ LZY provided little information on the prelandfall wind distribution and land surface properties to substantiate the landfall wind field produced by their model. The reply to this comment (Zhang et al. 1999, hereafter referred to as ZLY) indicates that the landfall winds described in LZY correspond to a completely different framework for exposure, height, and averaging time than that used by PH. The lack of coastal discontinuities in LZY’s landfall wind field corresponds to a distinct prelandfall wind distribution that differs both from the observations and earlier hours of the simulation.
Time, money, and happiness

We highlight recent research examining how people should manage their most precious resources — time and money — to maximize their happiness. Contrary to people's intuitions, happiness may be less contingent on the sheer amount of each resource available and more on how people both think about and choose to spend them. Overall, focusing on time leads to greater happiness than focusing on money. Moreover, people enjoy greater happiness from spending money on others rather than themselves and from acquiring experiences instead of possessions. Similarly, people enjoy greater happiness from spending time on or with others and from acquiring experiences — both extraordinary and ordinary.
Measurement of Ionic Currents and Intracellular Ca2+ Using Patch Clamp and Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques

Ion movement is central to the regulation of vascular tone. While many other techniques exist, patch clamp electrophysiology and fluorescent indicators have been used extensively to measure transmembrane ion currents and ion concentrations, respectively. The content of this chapters has been intended to provide the readers with a general overview of how these techniques have evolved, their basic underlying principles, how they are applied, and how they have been used simultaneously to provide a clear picture of cell physiology.
Neurogranin regulates CaM dynamics at dendritic spines.

Calmodulin (CaM) plays a key role in synaptic function and plasticity due to its ability to mediate Ca2+ signaling. Therefore, it is essential to understand the dynamics of CaM at dendritic spines. In this study we have explored CaM dynamics using live-cell confocal microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to study CaM diffusion. We find that only a small fraction of CaM in dendritic spines is immobile. Furthermore, the diffusion rate of CaM was regulated by neurogranin (Ng), a CaM-binding protein enriched at dendritic spines. Interestingly, Ng did not influence the immobile fraction of CaM at recovery plateau. We have previously shown that Ng enhances synaptic strength in a CaM-dependent manner. Taken together, these data indicate that Ng-mediated enhancement of synaptic strength is due to its ability to target, rather than sequester, CaM within dendritic spines.
The Court’s Attitude Toward the Challenge to Its Power to Determine Its Jurisdiction

The foregoing analysis of the characteristics and operation of the competence de la competence of the International Court, points beyond doubt to the fact that this is the most serious single power conferred on the Court. Attempts to deprive the Court of this power by the agreement of the parties or by a reservation in the acceptance of one of them has been referred to in previous parts of this study. Such attempts are reminiscent of reservations made, or suggested, in the course of international arbitration1 where the practice of leaving for the parties the power to determine the nature of the controversy was not considered an intolerable transgression on the judicial nature of the arbitral tribunal.2
The “Good Manager”: Masculine or Androgynous?

The application of the Bern Sex-Role Inventory in a study of 684 business students failed to support the hypothesis that a good manager would be seen as androgynous (possessing both masculine and feminine characteristics). Instead, the good manager was described in masculine terms. Graduate women also described themselves in masculine terms.
En-route flight trajectory prediction for conflict avoidance and traffic management

Great circle flight during the en-route phase is examined with the goal of trajectory prediction. Equation of the great circle is used for deriving closed form solutions of the course angle required for flying the great circle. The heading angle required for flying the course angle in the presence of winds aloft is described. Since aircraft maintain airspeed or Mach number rather than groundspeed, the location of the aircraft cannot be precisely predicted sometime into the future without adequate knowledge of the wind and temperature. A wind forecast model that provides the wind and temperature data is described. Since groundspeed depends on temperature, windspeed and track-relative wind heading, equations that describe its sensitivity with respect to these variables are presented. An algorithm is presented for predicting the nominal trajectory based on the data derived from the forecast model. Finally, an algorithm for estimating error bounds around the nominal trajectory is presented. The error bounds are determined by propagating the wind forecasting errors along the nominal trajectory.
Delaying the Onset of Resistance Formation: Effect of Manipulating Dose, Wavelength, and Rate of Energy Delivery of 405-, 464-, and 850-Nanometer Light for Staphylococcus aureus.

Objective. To determine whether manipulation of dose, wavelength, and rate of energy delivery could delay the onset of pre- viously demonstrated Staphylococcus aureus resistance to blue light. Methods. The organism was treated in vitro with 405 nm, 464 nm, and combined 464 nm and with 850 nm light emitted from a su- praluminous diode (SLD) array. Doses of 9 J/cm 2 and 30 J/cm 2 were used. Rates of energy delivery were also varied from 10 mW/cm 2 to 125 mW/cm 2 . Seven stages were employed to test for resistance for- mation. Colony counts were performed and compared to untreated controls using Student t tests and one-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc analysis. Results. A best dose, wavelength, and rate of deliv- ery combination was determined at each stage and it did produce a significant kill rate ( P ≤ 0.05) at each stage. Analysis of variance demonstrated that no loss of effectiveness (formation of resistance) occurred over the 7 stages. Conclusions. Appropriate combinations of dose, wavelength, and rate of energy delivery can delay resistance formation to light as a bactericidal agent for S. aureus.
Amino acids in surgical nutrition. Principles and practice.

The authors provide an overview of the changes in amino acid metabolism that follow surgery and infection. As our knowledge of the regulation of these alterations improves, the design of newer and more efficacious feeding formulations will follow. The use of specific amino acids, which may have to be provided in pharmacologic doses, may improve cellular nutrition and function in surgical patients. Such specialized substrate delivery may become a pivotal part of nutritional care in the future.
Blood transfusion in cardiac surgery.

Purpose: Cardiothoracic surgeons and anesthesiologists have had a long-standing interest in the proper use of transfusion therapy for their patients. Source: We review the literature on variability and patterns of transfusion practices in cardiac surgery, on the infectious and non-infectious risks of transfusions, and on the impact of new technologies. Data from the cardiac surgery registry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are presented. Principal findings: Blood conservation strategies such as intraoperative and postoperative salvage, hemodilution and drug treatments to minimize bleeding were developed for cardiac patients. Despite this work, there is significant variation in transfusion practices among cardiac surgery centers. Improved donor selection and screening by increasingly sophisticated tests have dramatically reduced the risks of transfusion-transmitted disease. However, the increasing acuity and complexity of the condition of patients having surgery, as well as the availability of safer allogeneic blood, have resulted in an increasing number of transfusions to patients undergoing cardiac operations. The majority of patients having open heart surgery receive allogeneic blood. Blood conservation strategies continue to be important because of the non-infectious hazards of transfusion such as mistransfusion, transfusion-related acute lung injury, circulatory overload and others. Newer technologies (such as minimally invasive and off-pump surgery) promise to favourably affect blood use. Conclusion: Issues such as the cost of blood, limited availability and the potentially harmful effects of transfusion dictate continued research and the development of methods to appropriately minimize transfusion to patients having cardiac surgery.
Three-Dimensional Reflectance Traction Microscopy

Cells in three-dimensional (3D) environments exhibit very different biochemical and biophysical phenotypes compared to the behavior of cells in two-dimensional (2D) environments. As an important biomechanical measurement, 2D traction force microscopy can not be directly extended into 3D cases. In order to quantitatively characterize the contraction field, we have developed 3D reflectance traction microscopy which combines confocal reflection imaging and partial volume correlation postprocessing. We have measured the deformation field of collagen gel under controlled mechanical stress. We have also characterized the deformation field generated by invasive breast cancer cells of different morphologies in 3D collagen matrix. In contrast to employ dispersed tracing particles or fluorescently-tagged matrix proteins, our methods provide a label-free, computationally effective strategy to study the cell mechanics in native 3D extracellular matrix.
The Suitability of Loctite 326 for Thermal Emission Measurements

The self-emissions of Loctite 326, Stycast 1266, and LiF were studied to determine their suitability for spectroscopy- and pyrometry-based shock temperature measurements. Stycast 1266 is anecdotally known to be a bright emitter; we observed significant non-thermal emission persisting over 400 ns. Loctite 326 was found to have weaker emission at the same shock conditions, which depends on the degree of cure of the glue. Uncured Loctite emitted more brightly. LiF was found to assist cure of the Loctite and to provide an emission-free temporal window suitable for making temperature measurements. From this, we conclude that glues must be carefully considered, and ideally avoided, in shock experiments with T >2000 K. If glues cannot be avoided, care must be given to the wavelengths used to determine T, to avoid complications from non-thermal emission.
Assessing the benefits of a rising tide: Educational attainment and increases in neighborhood socioeconomic advantage

An emerging approach to studying associations between neighborhood contexts and educational outcomes is to estimate the outcomes of adolescents growing up in neighborhoods that are experiencing economic growth in comparison to peers that reside in economically stable or declining communities. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), I examine the association between education attainment and changes in socioeconomic advantage in urban neighborhoods between 1990 and 2000. I find that residing in a neighborhood that experiences economic improvements has a positive association with educational attainment for urban adolescents. Furthermore, race-based analyses suggest consistently positive associations for all race subgroups, lending support to protective models of neighborhood effects that argue high neighborhood SES supports positive outcomes for adolescents residing in these contexts.
Multiple imputation of cognitive performance as a repeatedly measured outcome

Longitudinal studies of cognitive performance are sensitive to dropout, as participants experiencing cognitive deficits are less likely to attend study visits, which may bias estimated associations between exposures of interest and cognitive decline. Multiple imputation is a powerful tool for handling missing data, however its use for missing cognitive outcome measures in longitudinal analyses remains limited. We use multiple imputation by chained equations (MICE) to impute cognitive performance scores of participants who did not attend the 2011–2013 exam of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. We examined the validity of imputed scores using observed and simulated data under varying assumptions. We examined differences in the estimated association between diabetes at baseline and 20-year cognitive decline with and without imputed values. Lastly, we discuss how different analytic methods (mixed models and models fit using generalized estimate equations) and choice of for whom to impute result in different estimands. Validation using observed data showed MICE produced unbiased imputations. Simulations showed a substantial reduction in the bias of the 20-year association between diabetes and cognitive decline comparing MICE (3–4 % bias) to analyses of available data only (16–23 % bias) in a construct where missingness was strongly informative but realistic. Associations between diabetes and 20-year cognitive decline were substantially stronger with MICE than in available-case analyses. Our study suggests when informative data are available for non-examined participants, MICE can be an effective tool for imputing cognitive performance and improving assessment of cognitive decline, though careful thought should be given to target imputation population and analytic model chosen, as they may yield different estimands.
Standseilbahnen Betriebsbedingungen und Rollmaterial

Es ist einleuchtend, das neben den Streckenlangen, Steigungsverhaltnissen, Kurvenradien und klimatischen Verhaltnissen die Konzeptionen der Seilbahnwagen weitgehend von den lokalen Betriebsbedingungen beeinflust wurden. Nur so kann die Vielgestaltigkeit des in Betrieb genommenen Rollmaterials erklart werden. An Hand von Zeichnungen, Photos und andern Unterlagen soll versucht werden, die verschiedenen Wagenkonstruktionen zu erklaren. Ebenso sollen an dieser Stelle die in den Wagen eingebauten Sicherheitsvorrichtungen und Bremsen besprochen werden, welche bei dem von allen Seilbahnbauern gefurchteten Seilbruch die Reisenden vor Unfallen hatten schutzen sollen. Es ist erfreulich, festzustellen, das diesem Problem von Anfang an volle Beachtung geschenkt worden ist. Dabei ist die Technik nicht stillgestanden, und immer wieder sind neue Einrichtungen entwickelt oder bestehende Bremsen verbessert worden.
Interpersonal Goals and Political Uses of Facebook

Many have noted the immense potential of social media as a catalyst for political engagement. While we know a great deal about the people who use social media for politics, and even why they do it, we know very little about when, or under what conditions, political uses of social media actually occur. In this article I extend interpersonal goals theory to examine when political social media use happens. Results suggest that, above and beyond cognitive political engagement, interpersonal goals contribute significantly in explaining political behaviors on Facebook. I find that political posts entail greater affective and interaction-related risks than following political pages or updating one’s profile, while “liking” political posts affords users a low-cost/low-reward strategy for managing interactions. As such, this study provides evidence that political expression on Facebook takes several distinct forms.
Impact of Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation on Blood Pressure and Renal Function in Multiple Myeloma Patients.

Abstract Background Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) reverses kidney failure in one-third of multiple myeloma (MM) patients, which may lead to blood pressure (BP) improvement. We evaluate the long term impact of ASCT on BP and renal function in MM patients. Methods We studied 192 MM patients that underwent ASCT. We compared BP readings and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) at 4 weeks before ASCT, on day of ASCT and post-ASCT at 30, 100 and 180 days. Results Mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) on day of ASCT and at both 30 and 100 days post-ASCT was significantly lower as compared to pre-ASCT SBP and DBP. There was a significantly higher mean GFR at day of ASCT and 30 days post-ASCT and significantly lower mean GFR at 180 days post-ASCT as compared to pre-ASCT. White patients had similar patterns to the total group for SBP, DBP, and GFR except for SBP which was still significantly lower and GFR which was not significantly different at 180 days. African–American patients showed no significant reductions in the mean values of SBP and DBP and no significant increases for GFR in follow-up after day of ASCT. Furthermore, the mean value of GFR was significantly lower at 180 days post-ASCT. Conclusions ASCT in MM patients had a positive impact on SBP and DBP and GFR but the impact was minimal for African–American patients. We recommend that clinicians consider closer follow-up of BP and kidney function and more intense therapy in African–Americans with MM.
Performance characterization of scintillators using a method of enhanced layered wavelength shifting coatings (Conference Presentation)

Many application areas, including space-based and compact fieldable devices, use scintillator systems that require high quantum efficiency and small size, weight, and power consumption (SWAP). Advancements in semiconductor readout devices, such as silicon Avalanche Photodiodes (APD) provide a low SWAP alternative to conventional photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and provide larger quantum efficiency over a broader spectral range. Direct replacement of PMTs by APDs can degrade system performance because the optimal detection sensitivity of APDs (~700 nm) is poorly matched to the emission of most scintillators (~300-500 nm). Wavelength-shifters can mitigate this performance degradation, however there are many parameters that must be optimized. We will describe our generalized method of applying layers of wavelength shifting dyes to scintillators coupled with state-of-the-art APD readout devices. We will present recent results using single dye layers (YSO:Ce), multiple dye layers (LiCaF:Ce), neutron sensitive scintillators (LiCaF:Ce), and hygroscopic scintillators (CsI:Na) to provide a robust proof of concept of this method for other high performance scintillators (e.g. LaBr3 and CLYC). Improvements in the measured light collection efficiency and energy resolution are supported by photoluminescence, radioluminescence, and absolute quantum efficiency measurements.