cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scheduling jobs with varying parallelizability to reduce variance

We give a (2+e)-speed O(1)-competitive algorithm for scheduling jobs with arbitrary speed-up curves for the l2 norm of flow. We give a similar result for the broadcast setting with varying page sizes.
Pharmacokinetics, Absolute Bioavailability, and Absorption Characteristics of Lamivudine

Lamivudine is a novel cytosine nucleoside analog, reverse transcriptase inhibitor that has shown activity against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) types 1 and 2 and hepatitis B virus in vitro. This study was conducted to compare the absolute bioavailability, pharmacokinetics, and absorption characteristics of oral solution, 100-mg capsule, and 100-mg tablet formulations of lamivudine with those of intravenous lamivudine. Twelve patients with HIV were enrolled in a single-center, randomized, open-label, four-way cross-over study. Treatment arms consisted of 100 mg intravenous lamivudine (administered over 1 hour), 100 mg oral lamivudine (1 mg/mL), a 100-mg capsule, and a 100-mg tablet, each followed by a 3- to 14-day washout period. Serial blood samples over 24 hours were obtained after each dose administration. Serum concentration data were analyzed to determine pharmacokinetic parameter estimates including area under the curve (AUC), terminal half-life (t1/2), mean residence time (MRT) for each formulation, systemic clearance, oral clearance, and apparent volume of distribution (Vd). Absolute bioavailability and in vivo mean absorption time (MAT) and mean dissolution time (MDT) were calculated for the oral formulations. Deconvolution techniques were used to calculate the input rate for the oral solution, capsule, and tablet. The two one-sided t test was used to determine bioequivalency among oral formulations with respect to logarithmic transformed estimates of AUC and maximum peak concentration (Cmax). Mean (CV) systemic clearance and Vdss after intravenous administration of lamivudine were 22.6 L/h (15%) and 99 L (28%), respectively; mean t1/2 ranged from 8.41 to 9.11 hours for all formulations; and MRT ranged from 4.42 to 5.77 hours for all formulations. Mean absolute bioavailability ranged from 86% to 88% for the oral solution, capsule, and tablet. All oral formulations were considered bioequivalent for AUC and Cmax. The MAT was 1.32 hour for the oral solution, and MDT was 0.03 and -0.11 hours for the capsule and the oral solution, respectively. The oral formulations of lamivudine examined in this study demonstrated acceptable bioavailability for oral administration. The solid oral formulations (capsule and tablet) show rapid dissolution properties with an absorption rate similar to or exceeding those observed with the oral solution. This suggests that dissolution is not an important factor for the rate of absorption of lamivudine. The use of deconvolution techniques using PCDCON provides valuable insight into the absorption characteristics of lamivudine.
Determination of Adsorption in Double Layers involving Solid Metals

INVESTIGATIONS of effects of adsorption on the mechanism of electrode processes, as encountered in corrosion inhibition, electrodeposition, etc., require determinations of the amounts adsorbed on an electrode in situ simultaneously with electrochemical measurements on the system. Previous work in this field has been ineffective because: (1) the adsorption has been determined on specimens different from those used in the electrochemical measurements; and (2) the amounts adsorbed have been determined subsequent to the removal of the specimen from the solution and washing of the surface, thus restricting the adsorbed amounts to those remaining under conditions undefined with respect to potential and the effect of washing.
Distribution of Vibrio cholerae in two Florida estuaries

The distribution ofVibrio cholerae was examined in 2 Florida estuaries, Apalachicola and Tampa Bay.Vibrio cholerae serotype non-01 was the most abundant serotype, being isolated from 45% of the oyster samples, 30% of the sediments, 50% of the waters, and 75% of the blue crabs.Vibrio cholerae serotype 01 was isolated from only one oyster sample. Strong linear correlations betweenV. cholerae and temperature, salinity, or the other physical/chemical parameters measured,Escherichia coli, or fecal coliforms were not observed, but a range of temperatures and salinities appeared relevant to the distribution of the organism. The organism was present in the highest concentrations when salinities were 10‰–25‰ and temperatures were 20‡C–35‡C.In vitro growth curves of 95V. cholerae environmental isolates further supported that 10‰–25‰ was an ideal salinity range for the organisms. The results suggest thatV. cholerae is a widely distributed organism in the nutrient-rich warm waters of the Gulf Coast estuaries.
Hormones, Cholesterol, and Coronary Atherosclerosis

Various hormones have been shown to play an important role in lipid metabolism. Clinical and experimental observations implicate the thyroid, adrenal, gonadal, and pituitary glands in atherogenesis. The evidence is strongest that estrogens play a role in human atherosclerosis. The influence of hypothyroidism requires further study and clarification. Hormones and lipids are obviously not the only factors important in atherogenesis; hypertension, local tissue factors, and altered intravascular coagulation in all probability significantly influence the natural history of the disease.
Clinical relevance of ischemia induced by mental stress.

A man’s body and his mind, with the utmost reverence to both I speak it, are exactly like a jerkin and a jerkin’s lining; -rumple the one, -you rumple the other: So vividly is the relationship between mind and body stated in this quote that it needs no further explanation. Indeed, there now exists a strong body of evidence to support the commonly held belief that disorders of the brain do afflict the body and the heart. Although the role of mental stress in cardiovascular disorders has been a subject of in-depth investigations for some time, it is only in recent years with the advent of technologic advances that we have begun to see objective assessments in this area. It is now possible to measure the effects of myocardial ischemia by a variety of techniques. This has led to a series of investigations that have evaluated the relationship between mental stress induced in the laboratory and myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD).2-8 The paper by Wong and Freedman in this issue of Clinical Cardiology focuses on clinical utility of mental stress testing in patients with CAD.9 It is now well established that myocardial ischemia during daily life is the most common manifestation of CAD.’O It has also been shown that most of these episodes are not associated with symptoms (silent myocardial ischemia) and occur during routine daily activities. Most of the silent ischemic episodes during daily life are associated with minimal or no strenuous physical activity and, therefore, it has been suggest
Electron capture from a metal surface by slow, multicharged aluminum and carbon ions

A time-of-flight technique has been used to measure residual charge in thescattering of laser-produced pulses of C/sup /ital k/+/ (/ital k/=1 to 4)and Al/sup /ital m/+/ (/ital m/=2 to 5) ions from a well-outgassedamorphous gold-iridium surface under UHV conditions(2/times/10/sup /minus/9/ Torr). Ions incident at 7/degree/ to the surfacewere specularly reflected. The analysis showed the survival of singly chargedions in the case of scattering 300-, 400-, and 500-eV/charge Al ions withneutrals representing the majority species. This is equivalent to a kineticenergy in a direction transverse to the surface of 4.5, 5.9, and 7.4 eV/charge,respectively, which ensures only minimal surface penetration. In the case of280-eV/charge carbon ions, only neutrals were detected. No residual ions weredetected in either Al or C ions scattered through an angle of deviation equalto or greater than 45/degree/ within experimental error. In a separate experiment noresidual ions were detected in the case of 400-eV/charge Al ions incident at22.5/degree/ to a gold surface and specularly reflected. The results are explainedin terms of Auger neutralization of the multicharged ions on the incoming passand resonance ionization and neutralization of low-charge-state ions thatemerge from the surface and change their charge on the outgoing pass. Undernear adiabatic conditions, no residual charge is expectedmore » for either thealuminum or carbon projectiles. The presence of Al/sup +/ undergrazing-incidence and specular reflection is analyzed and discussed in terms ofthe nonadiabatic behavior of Al/sup +/ ions emerging from the surface.« less
A new interpretation of the scanning tunneling microscope image of graphite

In this work, highly-resolved scanning tunneling microscopy images of graphite basal plane are obtained and theoretical computations are performed to explain the resolution of only half the atoms in STM images of graphite. Our experimental and computational findings indicate that the bright elliptical spots observed in trigonal STM images of graphite may not correspond to carbon positions but to π-states localized above alternate carbon–carbon bonds. This interpretation is based on STM experiments that suggest that the elliptical shape of the bright spots may not be a tip artifact and on simulated STM images of a graphite using orthorhombic unit cells that are in excellent agreement with experimentally obtained images.
Shifting Paradigms and Challenging Categories

, Vol. 53, Issue 4, pp. 448–453, ISSN 0037-7791, electronic ISSN 1533-8533. © 2006 by Society for the Study of Social Problems, Inc. All rights reserved. Please direct all requests for permission to photocopy or reproduce article content through the University of California Press’s Rights and Permissions website, at http://www. ucpress.edu/journals/rights.htm. Shifting Paradigms and Challenging Categories
Epipolythiopiperazinedione antibiotics from Penicillium turbatum.

A group of epipolythiopiperazinedione antibiotics was obtained from the fermentation broth of Penicillium turbatum. The fermentation, isolation, biological properties and structure elucidation of three metabolites of this group are discussed.
Complex Envelope PML-ADI-FDTD Method for Lossy Anisotropic Dielectrics

The complex envelope (CE) alternating-direction-implicit finite-difference time-domain (ADI-FDTD) algorithm augmented by perfectly matched layers (PML) is extended for lossy anisotropic dielectric media. The extension is based on a two-step discretization of complex envelope fields that factors out, on one hand, into modified Maxwell's curl equations including complex stretching PML parameters and, on the other hand, into constitutive equations involving frequency-dependent nondiagonal permittivity and conductivity tensors that are implemented by auxiliary differential equations in the time-domain. The proposed method is validated against conventional FDTD results and illustrated to calculate Fabry-Perot resonances in photonic crystals with degenerate band-edge, where very good accuracy is maintained with Courant numbers as large as 100.
Regional disposal of intravenously infused glucose during prolonged hyperglycemia-hyperinsulinemia

Abstract We measured splanchnic and leg glucose uptake during prolonged (i.e., 15 hours), moderate hyperglycemia–hyperinsulinemia (clamp). Plasma free fatty acid (FFA) concentration was maintained at basal concentration during the clamp via infusion of exogenous lipids and heparin in healthy volunteers to create a metabolic profile similar to glucose intolerance (i.e., hyperglycemia–hyperinsulinemia with elevated FFA concentration). During the clamp, glucose was infused at an average rate of 49 ± 4 μmol/kg/min, which resulted in a plasma glucose concentration of 8.8 ± 0.5 mmol/L compared with a concentration of 4.4 ± 0.2 mmol/L in the basal state ( P P P P
A Comparative Study of Sugars and Sugar Alcohols on Cell Regeneration and Sustained Cell Division in Plant Protoplasts

Summary Protoplasts from cell suspension cultures of soybean (Glycine max L.), Vicia hajastana Grossh., and brome grass (Bromus inermis Leyss) were isolated enzymatically, washed and cultured in liquid medium. Sorbitol, glucose, sucrose and xylose were individually tested with respect to their ability to function as osmotic stabilizers during cell wall regeneration and subsequent cell division. Sustained cell divisions were achieved in all species. Soybean and Vicia protoplasts grew more favourably in glucose than in the other compounds used as osmoticum. On the other hand, sucrose proved best for brome grass.
Addiction molecular genetics: 639,401 SNP whole genome association identifies many “cell adhesion” genes†‡

Addictions are substantially heritable complex disorders. We now report whole genome association studies that identify 89 genes likely to contain variants that contribute to addiction vulnerability, using previously- and newly-validated microarray based pooling assays. Each gene contains clustered single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that display significant allele frequency differences between abusers and controls in each of the two samples studied with 639,401 SNP arrays and confirmatory SNPs from each of two other abuser/control samples. These genes are implicated in interesting functions, including "cell adhesion" processes that help to establish and maintain neuronal connections of special relevance to addiction's memory-like features.
Introducing the new Media Reviews section...

We are pleased to introduce the media review section of Medical History. As new technologies and a growing desire to engage with global audiences have led many historians to change and adapt their scholarship in a variety of novel ways, we believe that it is of great value to look critically at, and to engage with, the wide variety of media that illuminate the history of medicine. The internet, of course, has created innumerable innovative opportunities for sharing information. Electronic archives and databases make original documents vastly more available to scholars and students. Online distribution also ensures that films and documentaries are more easily accessible. However, the sheer volume of material that the internet has brought within our reach has made it all the more difficult to identify valuable resources amidst the dross. Moreover, there are reasons for concern that even the valuable resources being brought to light are not being represented in ways that are wholly adequate to their original material context. At the same time, traditional forms of public outreach, such as displays and exhibits, too frequently serve only a local audience. Long distances and short exhibition runs prevent many who would be interested from viewing these efforts first-hand. As a result, the spotlight they bring to rare documents and artefacts as well as to innovative techniques for contextualising historical objects often shines unnoticed by the broader profession. It is our aim to provide within these pages a remedy for both of these issues, helping the journal’s readers to evaluate the virtual materials that may be most useful to their research and teaching, and to learn more of those physical presentations that may have the most potential to inspire new efforts. At the same time, we seek to provide comment from experts familiar with the resources we review that commend scholarly effort, rigour and professional sophistication while also constructively expressing the limitations presented by such works. We encourage submissions and inquiries from institutions, film and documentary directors, curators and creators of media of all types.
Broad-band uniplanar hybrid-ring and branch-line couplers

Novel uniplanar 180 degrees and 190 degrees hybrids suitable for MIC and MMIC applications are described. The uniplanar crossover hybrid-ring coupler using a coplanar waveguide (CPW) and slotline provides substantially improved amplitude and phase characteristics over a broad bandwidth compared to conventional microstrip hybrid-ring couplers. Experimental results show that the new coupler has a bandwidth of more than one octave from 2 GHz to 4 GHz with a +or-0.4-dB power dividing balance and a +or-1 degrees phase balance. A uniplanar two-branch directional coupler using a coupled rectangular slotline ring has also been developed. CPW-to-slotline transitions using uniform and nonuniform CPWs or slotlines are also discussed. These transitions are uniplanar and simple to fabricate. No via-holes are needed for ground connections, and integration with solid-state devices is easy. A pair of broadband transitions using CPW shorts and slotline radial stubs is demonstrated with a 1-dB bandwidth of more than 5.2:1. >
THE STATE OF CANCER REHABILITATION

The field of cancer rehabilitation is relatively young. With the help of pioneers such as Dietz and Lehmann, the field has grown from ambiguity as “special rehabilitation” to a field that has gained more recognition over the past 3 decades.1 However, the field still has obstacles to overcome. Unfortunately, physical medicine & rehabilitation is still unavailable in many cancer centers.2 Also, physiatry services are underutilized for cancer patients.3–6 This could be due to poor awareness regarding the availability of physiatry treatments or a narrow focus on the cancer by oncologists rather than it’s functional consequences. The uncomfortable reality is that our field continues to be a small and minor field in both physiatry and oncology. We’ve grown from an infant to a child. The need for rehabilitation for palliative care patients has been demonstrated. It has been reported that the second most important unmet need behind symptoms control was occupational functioning for palliative patients.7 Caregivers of terminal cancer patients report activities of daily living as their greatest unmet need.8 A need has been found for occupational therapists caring for palliative care patients to expand services beyond ADL’s.9 There is also a therapeutic effect for palliative patients. Palliative patients feel best when the care team supported efforts to go on living as usual with as much normalcy as possible.10 They also feel less abandonment, anxiety, loss of control and greater satisfaction through participation in rehabilitation programs.11, 12 Hospice patients are also able to make functional gains sometimes enough to leave an inpatient hospice. 46/355 patients in one study achieved adequate autonomy to discharge home from an inpatient hospice.12 Efforts should be made to integrate rehabilitation into palliative care programs. While the field has been progressively growing, the next decade may be the growth spurt that we have all been waiting for. There are 2 potential areas for cancer rehabilitation to flourish:
Radiolysis of biochemical systems using adamantane as an isolation matrix

SummaryThe use of adamantane matrices for investigating radiolysis processes in biochemically relevant systems is described. Data are given for radiolyses of D-(-)-ribose, D-2-deoxyribose, thymine, and cytosine, and possible radicals formed are discussed. Experimental details and data are given for radiolyses conducted in vacuo, under various gaseous atmospheres (CO, CO2, O2, air, N2O, and SO2), and for samples irradiated in vacuo and then exposed to various atmospheres to investigate the possible binding of small molecules to radical sites.
Longitudinal- and transverse-wake-field effects in dielectric structures.

A dielectric-loaded circular waveguide structure is a potential high-gradient linear wake-field accelerator. A complete solution is given for the longitudinal electric and magnetic fields excited by a $\ensuremath{\delta}$ function and a Gaussian charge distribution moving parallel to the guide axis. The fields are then given in the limit of particle velocity equal to the speed of light. Example calculations are given for a structure with inner radius of 2 mm, outer radius of 5 mm, dielectric constant of 3, and total charge of 100 nC. Peak wake fields in excess of 200 MV/m are found. Azimuthal modes 0 and 1 are investigated for the particular interest of acceleration and deflection problems.
Mechanical properties of blends of HDPE and recycled urea‐formaldehyde resin

The mechanical properties of blends of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with a recycled thermosetting filler, urea-formaldehyde grit (UFG), were evaluated in the range of 0 -23% of filler by volume. Ethylene-acrylic acid (EAA) copolymers and an ionomer based on EAA were evaluated as compatibilizers. The observed tensile mod- ulus of the ionomer-treated blends was raised to three times the modulus of virgin polyethylene, whereas the modulus of the untreated blends reached double that of polyethylene. The ionomer-treated blends also showed a higher tensile strength than the blends without filler treatment. The improvement in the properties was assigned to an increased interaction between the filler and the polymer matrix. © 2000 John Wiley &
Demographic structure of California chaparral in the long-term absence of fire

. Demographic structure of 12 chaparral sites unburned for 56 to 120 years was investigated. All sites were dominated by vigorous shrub populations and, although there was colonization by seedlings of woodland tree species in several stands, successional replacement of chaparral was not imminent. Although successional changes in community composition were evident, there was no indication of a decline in species diversity. Non-sprouting species of Ceanothus suffered the greatest mortality at most, but not all, sites. Sprouting shrubs, such as Quercus and Heteromeles had very little mortality, even in stands more than a century old. All postfire resprouting species had multiple stems of different ages indicating these shrubs were capable of continuously regenerating their canopy from basal sprouts. Ceanothus populations were highly clumped and there was a significant correlation across all sites between variance/mean ratio and percentage mortality. As Ceanothus populations thinned, they became less clumped. In mixed chaparral stands, Quercus and Heteromeles were significantly taller than associated Ceanothus shrubs and overtopped the Ceanothus; at two sites, the density of live Quercus per plot was correlated with the density of dead Ceanothus. Thus, mortality of Ceanothus stems is likely related to both intra and interspecific interations. Seedling recruitment was observed for most shrub species that regenerate after fire by resprouting; seedling and sapling densities ranging from 1000–36 500 ha-1 were recorded for Quercus dumosa, Rhamnus crocea, Prunus ilicifolia, Heteromeles arbutifolia and Cercocarpus betuloides. For all but the last species, seedlings and saplings were most abundant beneath the canopy cover and not in gaps. Across all sites, recruitment was significantly correlated with depth and bio-mass of the litter layer. Cercocarpus betuloides was present in several stands, but seedling establishment was found only in one very open, disturbed stand. Regardless of stand age, taxa such as Adenostoma, Arctostaphylos and Ceanothus, which recruit seedlings after fire, had no significant seedling production.
Segmented lineaments on Europa: Implications for the formation of ridge complexes and bright bands

We describe several segmented lineaments on Europa’s surface. These lineaments are extensive, stretching for 100s–1000s of km, and have ridge complex or bright band morphologies. The geometries of the segmented portions of these features are diagnostic of the remote normal and shear stress environment in which they formed and, therefore, constrain ridge complex and bright band formation mechanisms. Analysis of four ridge complexes indicates that they formed in a remote normal stress environment that was tensile and isotropic (or nearly so) and that these lineaments may have formed in a manner more analogous to bands on Europa than to ridges. The stress environment associated with these ridge complexes may also explain the anastomosing nature of their interior morphology. Analysis of two bright bands indicate that one formed in a remote normal stress environment that was tensile and the other was reactivated under a combination of remote tensile normal stress and remote sinistral shear stress. Aspects of the morphologies of these features also indicate that bright bands likely have complex deformation histories that can include multiple episodes of reactivation.
Do dividends signal earnings? The case of omitted dividends

Abstract Considerable evidence exists to support the hypothesis that the payment of dividends provides information that helps investors and analysts value the firm. We find that dividend omissions precede increases in return variance, beta and the dispersion of analyst forecasts of earnings. However, the variance of actual earnings also increases after dividend omissions. An increase in the variance of earnings implies a decrease in the predictability of earnings even if there is no change in information availability. The evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that managers omit dividends because earnings become inherently less predictable. In other words, managers use dividends as a signaling mechanism. We also report a negative association between stock-price reactions to omission announcements and changes in beta, but not changes in total return variance or earnings variance, consistent with increases in priced estimation risk.
Reversal of learning deficits in hAPP transgenic mice carrying a mutation at Asp664: a role for early experience.

In addition to the cleavages that generate amyloid-beta (Abeta), the Abeta-precursor protein (APP) is processed at Asp664, releasing a second toxic peptide (APP-C31). Transgenic mice otherwise identical to a well-characterized model of AD, PDAPP mice, but carrying a mutation that obliterates Asp664 show a reversal of AD-like deficits in memory and in non-cognitive components of behaviour in spite of accumulating high levels of Abeta. These results suggest that cleavage of APP at Asp664 plays a role in the generation of AD-like deficits, and that a major pathway of Abeta toxicity in vivo, or a pathway that crucially impinges on it, may depend on cleavage of APP at Asp664. Since young PDAPP(D664A) mice showed an akinetic phenotype when first required to swim, we trained a 3-month-old (mo) cohort to criterion (normal swimming), and briefly exposed it to the Morris water maze (MWM) environment prior to training at 7 mo, to avoid potentially confounding effects of the akinetic phenotype in MWM studies. Prior experience decreased floating in PDAPP(D664A) mice but not in PDAPP nor in non-Tg groups. While learning was restored in experienced PDAPP(D664A) mice, it was indistinguishable from both non-Tg as well as from PDAPP mice in naive PDAPP(D664A) animals. Floating did not correlate with worse performance in naive PDAPP(D664A) mice, suggesting that the contribution of prior experience to improved performance is related to its cognitive effects but not to non-cognitive components of behaviour. Our results suggest that early experience reduces the contribution of non-cognitive components of behaviour to performance, and may contribute to the restoration of learning at later ages in PDAPP(D664A) mice.
Benefits of Student Engagement in Intervention Research.

OBJECTIVE Accreditation standards require entry-level occupational therapy students to understand, critique, and design research. However, the extent to which students should be embedded in research projects is unclear. The purpose of this study was to understand the benefits of student immersion in research for student learning and research quality. METHOD Using a multiple case study design, the principal investigator trained six occupational therapy students to implement a manualized intervention with research participants. Learning quizzes, video analysis of research activities, a practical exam, student documentation, an exit interview, and an exit survey identified student learning and research outcomes. RESULTS Students successfully implemented the study protocols with good reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = .89) and fidelity (99%). Students also reported improvements in comfort with client interactions, confidence in practice skills, self-efficacy in research, and clinical reasoning. CONCLUSION Student participation in hands-on research supports researchers in attaining their research goals and provides students with valuable learning experiences.
Genetics providers and the family covenant: connecting individuals with their families.

As genetic testing becomes more commonplace, medicine will likely face both family and individual demands for access to, and control of, test result information. Past research has emphasized confidentiality concerns of the individual and contrasted these claims with the "need to know" by others to avoid harm. These confidentiality concerns, based on individual self-interest, are challenged by a singularly important aspect of genetic testing—familial responsibility. As patients are often motivated to obtain genetic testing by an array of "other-directed" considerations toward their own family (such as love, fiduciary responsibility, gratitude, etc.), an accounting of these concerns is warranted. Understanding the relevance of family relationships and obligations facilitates a fuller informed consent for genetic testing. Genetic counselors and geneticists engaging in genetic counseling can account for the concerns of both individuals and their families using the family covenant—a helpful, innovative model t...
Diagnosis of Frontal Instabilities over the Southern Ocean

The development of three fronts over the Southern Ocean is described using SeaWinds-on-QuikSCAT scatterometer surface winds and an attribution technique to partition the wind field in three components: nondivergent and irrotational components at the scale of the front, and the remaining harmonic component (or environmental flow) induced by the synoptic-scale flow. The front and the environment in which the front is embedded are analyzed separately. A frontal wave is shown to develop out of the first front when the large-scale alongfront stretching decreases, the environmental flow becomes frontolytic, and a connection with the upper levels is established. In the second case, the stretching remains relatively strong and no frontal wave develops. The third front exhibits a developing wave but is not in a favorable configuration with the upper levels; the frontal wave does not deepen significantly.
The Closely Held Enterprise under Japanese Law

For fifty years Japan has operated with a dual statutory scheme for small incorporated businesses, but no policy basis for the duality is evident from the Japanese experience. While the limited liability company form is slightly more flexible than the corporation form, it has not been sufficiently more advantageous that even a majority of small businesses adopt it. Moreover, no convincing reason has been offered for denying the same flexibility of treatment to corporations, especially small corporations. The result is a system of mutually coexisting forms with no apparent reasons for statutory distinctions other than historical practice. The reforms now under consideration by the Ministry of Justice and propounded by the commentators are generally to be applauded. They would solve the most pressing problem of the closely held enterprise – minority shareholder oppression – and would ease the problem of nominal director liability by eliminating or reducing the requirement for nominal directors. The revised statutes would still lack the flexibility of the American statutes (whether general or special) in permitting contractual deviations from many standard operational methods. But at least thus far, Japanese businesspersons have shown little interest in varying such methods by contract in any event. Nevertheless, while the proposed reforms do not even attempt to make the theoretical case for continuing the dual statutory regime, they would continue to maintain distinctions, even while severely reducing the actual differences in statutory treatment between the corporation and the limited liability company. In sum, the lesson from Japan is that a dual regime is unnecessary, even where it escapes some of the problems that the dual-corporation statutes (in the form of special close corporation legislation) have engendered in the United States. The corollary lesson is that once in place, a dual regime will likely continue long after all reason for its existence has ceased.
Euglycemia Restoration by Central Leptin in Type 1 Diabetes Requires STAT3 Signaling but Not Fast-Acting Neurotransmitter Release

Central leptin action is sufficient to restore euglycemia in insulinopenic type 1 diabetes (T1D); however, the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. To examine the role of intracellular signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) pathways, we used LepRs/s mice with disrupted leptin-phosphorylated STAT3 signaling to test the effect of central leptin on euglycemia restoration. These mice developed streptozocin-induced T1D, which was surprisingly not associated with hyperglucagonemia, a typical manifestation in T1D. Further, leptin action on euglycemia restoration was abrogated in these mice, which was associated with refractory hypercorticosteronemia. To examine the role of fast-acting neurotransmitters glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), two major neurotransmitters in the brain, from leptin receptor (LepR) neurons, we used mice with disrupted release of glutamate, GABA, or both from LepR neurons. Surprisingly, all mice responded normally to leptin-mediated euglycemia restoration, which was associated with expected correction from hyperglucagonemia and hyperphagia. In contrast, mice with loss of glutamate and GABA appeared to develop an additive obesity effect over those with loss of single neurotransmitter release. Thus, our study reveals that STAT3 signaling, but not fast-acting neurotransmitter release, is required for leptin action on euglycemia restoration and that hyperglucagonemia is not required for T1D.
Enron and Beyond: Enhancing Worker Retirement Security

The Enron situation has caused the retirement income policy community to focus increased attention on the desirability of current law and practices regarding company stock in 401(k) plans. Several proposals have been advanced to limit the exposure of 401(k) participants to company stock. I suggest that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the introduction of company stock into 401(k) plans is not simply more risk for no additional (expected) return. Rather, the introduction of this asset class into the 401(k) participant's portfolio may have beneficial influences via the differential asset allocation. I create a model to simulate the likely financial impact of prospectively eliminating company stock from 401(k) plans and find that average balances are expected to be between 4.0 and 7.8 percent larger if company stock is retained.
Measures of Social Costs of Agricultural Programs

SEVERAL alternatives may exist for satisfying a specific policy goal. Once a goal (or set of goals) is agreed upon by society, and some alternatives specified, the decision is economic-costs and returns must be weighed. This paper represents an attempt to compare some stereotyped agricultural policy proposals on the basis of social costs. There are three parts to the paper. The first part reviews a formal scheme for evaluating social costs of some alternative price policies. Some necessarily crude estimates of social costs of two types of price policy under three alternative assumed goals are presented in the second part. Since many agricultural economists are convinced that free market agriculture would be far from Pareto optimal, the last section is reserved for examining some of these arguments for possible modification of the results arrived at in the first two parts.
114. Neural and behavioral responses to low-grade inflammation

Neural and behavioral responses after peripheral immune challenge have been observed in numerous studies using relatively high pharmacological doses of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). However, little attention has been given to the effects of LPS dose ranges that simulate low grade-inflammation on CNS-related biology and behavior. The current studies were designed to characterize neural and behavioral responses to low-grade inflammation. Results showed burrowing and open field activities were significantly impaired following a single i.p. injection of 10 μg/kg, but not 1 μg/kg of LPS. In addition, following repeated 1 μg/kg LPS administration for 10 days, animals showed LPS-induced motor deficits in the open field starting on day 4 that continually worsened by day 10’s assessment of activity. When examining the effects of repeated low-dose LPS administration on burrowing behavior, animals showed signs of LPS tolerance following repeated doses of 1 μg/kg LPS. To correlate behavior with CNS activity, c-Fos activation was determined in the PVN, NTS, CeA, and VLM. Data revealed there was a dose-dependent activation in all brain areas examined. Furthermore, animals that received 1 μg/kg of LPS for 8 days had a PVN c-Fos activation that approached levels found following a single 10 μg/kg LPS injection. These data demonstrate neural and behavior responses can be induced by low-grade inflammation and chronic exposure to sub-threshold levels of LPS sensitizes the host to subsequent exposures of very low levels of LPS.
Pathology innovations making cancer genomics personal

The era of molecular cancer medicine has arrived coincident with an increasing ability to characterise each patient’s genomic drivers of carcinogenesis with exquisite precision. This ‘perfect storm’ is driving a new era of precision medicine in cancer care, whereby each patient’s genotype can be determined rapidly and searched against the available targeted therapies for a match that may enable the patient to achieve a measurable decrease in tumour burden. Our Institute has transitioned from retrospective, discovery-based cancer genomics to a capability that enables real-time sequencing, analysis and interpretation of an individual patient with a goal to identify therapeutic options. These efforts encompass two approaches: (1) identification of drug-gene interactions, and (2) identification of tumour-specific immunogenic peptides that can be used in vaccine development. My lecture will outline both approaches to precision medicine, and will describe our work to date in these areas of precision medicine as enabled by genomics.
Polarity Inverted GaN for Photonic Crystal Biosensor Applications

Periodic poling of GaN (alteration of the crystallographic direction along the c-axis) has potential for applications in photonics, sensing, and non-linear optics. One approach to periodic poling of GaN, involves Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) growth of heavily Mg doped GaN which results in inversion of the surface polarity from Ga-polar to N-polar GaN. Fabrication and dry etching of the inversion layer followed by re-growth, and a subsequent highly anisotropic wet etch of re-grown N-polar regions can result in periodically poled GaN with features on either the micro or nanoscale. This paper outlines the design of GaN based photonic crystal biosensors based on periodic poling. Initial results of growth, fabrication, and theoretical modeling will be discussed.
Release and Colonization of Laricobius osakensis (Coleoptera: Derodontidae), a Predator of the Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges tsugae

Abstract Biological control of Adelges tsugae (Hemiptera: Adelgidae; Hemlock Woolly Adelgid [HWA]) is an essential component of a management plan for this non-native pest of Tsuga spp. native to eastern N. America. The predatory beetle Laricobius osakensis Montgomery and Shiyake (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) shows potential as a biological control agent because of its coevolved life-cycle with HWA in its native habitat and its voracious appetite for HWA. In the first releases ever made for this species, adult beetles were introduced at 4 sites in the eastern United States with 2 long-term objectives: (1) suppressing HWA populations, and (2) developing field insectaries for re-distribution of predators in the future. Our immediate objectives were to determine the predator's survival and colonization in eastern Tsuga forests following their introduction. In addition, L. osakensis eggs were set out at the 4 release sites. Results from the first year post-release of adult beetles indicated that reproduction occu...
INTRODUCTION HOW DO LONG-CHAIN FREE FATTY ACIDS CROSS CELL MEMBRANES ?

Long-chain, non-esterified free fatty acids (FFA), the building blocks from which triglycerides are synthesized, are important energy substrates in various tissues, essential building blocks for the lipid components of cell membranes, and precursors for the synthesis of important biological mediators such as the prostaglandins. They are also increasingly being recognized as important intracellular mediators of gene expression. These multiple roles suggest that careful regulation of all aspects of FFA disposition, including cellular uptake, would be advantageous. However, although the intracellular metabolism of FFA and their transport in plasma as complexes with albumin have been extensively studied, little attention was paid until recently to the mechanisms by which FFA enter and leave cells. This neglect occurred both for methodologic reasons and because the cellular uptake of FFA was long considered to be an entirely unregulated process in which FFA partitioned passively into the lipid bilayer of the p...
Participation of the elderly, women, and minorities in pivotal trials supporting 2011-2013 U.S. Food and Drug Administration approvals.

Pivotal trials, the clinical studies that inform U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval decisions, provide the foundational evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of novel therapeutics. We determined the representation of the elderly, women, and patients from racial and ethnic minorities in pivotal trials and whether the FDA is making subgroup efficacy analyses among these subpopulations available to the public. We conducted a cross-sectional study of novel therapeutics approved by the FDA between 2011 and 2013. Using publicly available FDA documents, we collected information on the demographic characteristics of pivotal trial participants (age ≥65 years, sex [male, female], race [white, black, Asian, other], and ethnicity [Hispanic, non-Hispanic]) and determined the availability of subgroup analyses by age, sex, race, and ethnicity. We identified 86 novel therapeutic that were approved by the FDA between 2011 and 2013 for 92 indications on the basis of 206 pivotal trials. The median age of pivotal trial patients was 53.1 years (interquartile range 40.6–60.6), and the mean proportion of patients ≥65 years of age was 28.9 % (95 % CI 23.5–34.4 %). Similar proportions of pivotal trial participants were male (mean 50.3 %, 95 % CI 45.3–55.2 %) and female (mean 49.7 %, 95 % CI 44.7–54.7 %). Most participants were white (mean 79.2 %, 95 % CI 75.9–82.6 %), while the mean proportion of black patients was 7.4 % (95 % CI 5.5–9.3 %), that of Asian patients was 7.4 % (95 % CI 5.2–9.7 %), and that of patients of other races was 5.9 % (95 % CI 4.4–7.5 %). Information about ethnicity was available for only 59.8 % of indications, and where such data were available, the mean proportion of Hispanic participants was 13.3 % (95 % CI 10.3–16.3 %). FDA reviewers performed and made available subgroup efficacy analyses by age, sex, and race for at least one of the pivotal trials used as the basis of approval for over 80 % of indications. Although women are equally represented in pivotal trials supporting recent novel therapeutic approvals by the FDA, elderly patients and those from racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented. FDA reviewers generally perform subgroup efficacy analyses by age, sex, and race and make these subgroup analyses available to the public.
Optimization of Coordinated Control System during Low-load Economic Operation of 600 MW Units in Taishan Power Plant

Taking for example the optimization of coordinated control system(CCS) during low-load economic operation of 600 MW units in Taishan Power Plant,aiming at the considerable increase in the slope of optimized sliding pressure curve and the requirement of power grid on fast load changing of automatic generation control(AGC),the paper describes in detail some common problems of control system during low-load economic operation of unit and presents the methods to modify CCS for improving the fast load responding capability of unit and the stability of CCS.
Qualified Immunity as a Defense to Federal Wiretap Act Claims

In 1968, in response to several high-profile criminal cases involving the surveillance of U.S. citizens without a warrant,' Congress passed Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, known as the Federal Wiretap Act ("FWA").i Before passage of the FWA, Congress saw a gap in federal, state, and local provisions regarding forms of surveillance due to technological innovation. It concluded that the present state of the law was "extremely unsatisfactory" and served "neither the interests of privacy nor law enforcement."3 The FWA embodies the dual purposes of Congress: first, protecting the privacy of wire and oral communications and the integrity of court proceedings; and second, preserving the ability of law enforcement to use taps in legitimate criminal investigations.4 With respect to the first goal, the statute provides strict limits on the ability of law enforcement officials to tap suspects without proper approval and authorizes civil suits against officials who violate the Act.5 With respect to the second goal, Congress recognized that wiretapping was an effective evidence-gathering mechanism, in particular against organized crime. Congress feared that the safeguards it established to protect innocent citizens from wiretapping (limits on unapproved tapping, plus civil suits for violations) could overdeter the use
Free to Work Anxiously: Splintering Precarity Among Drivers for Uber and Lyft

Drawing on interviews from the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, this study explores how Uber and Lyft drivers understand their own digital labor. Situated between the presumed freedom of the digital economy and the feelings of risk that accompany independently contracted work under neoliberalism, these drivers evidence what we term splintering precarity—a bifurcated set of risks that stands in contrast to both certain more privileged dotcom employees who may not require a supplemental income and less privileged laborers who are denied even the “on-demand” employment of Uber and Lyft. The experience of these drivers offers an important picture of the affective impacts of the infrastructural outsourcing that characterizes much early 21st-century economics.
Independent component analysis for audio classification

In this paper, we explore the performance gains achieved by performing independent component analysis (ICA) decomposition on speech features obtained from a model of the early auditory system. ICA projection achieves dimensionality reduction by reducing the redundancy in the feature set (the transformed features are statistically independent). Performance is evaluated for an audio classification environment using a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) classifier and compared against the classification performance of AdaBoost, a wide-margin boosting algorithm. The new features are compared with mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCC) and perceptual linear prediction (PLP) features. We also show that the ICA transformation is well suited for dimensionality reduction of auditory system-inspired features and it significantly improves the classification accuracy.