cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changes in speciated PM 2.5 concentrations in Fresno, California, due to NO x reductions and variations in diurnal emission profiles by day of week

The San Joaquin Valley in California suffers from poor air quality due to a combination of local emissions and weak ventilation. Over the course of decades, there has been a concerted effort to control emissions from vehicles as well as from residential wood burning. A multiple linear regression model was used to evaluate the trends in air pollution over multiple time scales: by year, by season, by day of the week and by time of day. The model was applied to 18 years of measurements in Fresno including hourly concentrations of NOx and PM2.5; and daily measurements of speciated components of PM2.5. The analysis shows that there have been reductions in NOx, elemental carbon and ammonium nitrate of 4 to 6%/year. On weekends, NOx concentrations are reduced by 15 to 30% due to fewer vehicle miles traveled and a smaller fraction of diesel traffic. These weekend reductions in NOx have not been accompanied by weekend reductions in PM2.5 however. In particular, elemental and organic carbon concentrations are higher on winter weekends. Analysis of diurnal profiles suggests that this is because of increased PM2.5 on Saturday and holiday evenings which are likely due to residential wood combustion. Furthermore, while organic carbon concentrations have decreased in the winter months, they have been variable but without a net decline in the summer, most likely as a result of forest fires offsetting other improvements in air quality. Fog was found to greatly enhance ammonium nitrate formation and was therefore associated with higher PM2.5 in the winter months. Overall the analysis shows that air quality controls have been effective at reducing concentrations of NOx and PM2.5; that continued reductions in emissions will further reduce pollutant concentrations; but that winter residential wood combustion and summer forest fires could offset some of the gains obtained.
Falling as a strategy to decrease knee loading during landings: Implications for ACL injury prevention.

Abstract Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries often occur when individuals land primarily on a single leg. Falling has been proposed as a potential strategy to decrease knee loading during landings. The purpose of this study was to compare impact forces, knee angles, and knee moments during natural landings, soft landings, and landings followed by falling after forward and vertical jumps, each under single or double-leg conditions. Sixteen male and sixteen female participants (age: 22.0 ± 2.9 years) completed each landing condition while kinematics and ground reaction forces were collected. In the natural landing condition, participants landed as they would in a sport setting. In the soft landing condition, participants landed as softly as possible with increased knee and hip flexion. In the falling condition, participants landed softly and then fell forward or backward onto a mat after forward and vertical jumps, respectively. The falling condition demonstrated the greatest initial and peak knee flexion angles, the least peak vertical ground reaction forces, and the least peak knee extension and adduction moments compared to the natural landing and soft landing conditions. The soft landing condition resulted in similar changes in landing mechanics compared to the natural landing, but the effect was limited for single-leg landings compared to double-leg landings. When the sports environment allows, falling appears to be a potential strategy to decrease knee loading when individuals must land on a single leg with sub-optimal body postures. Future studies are needed to develop progressive training of effective and safe falling techniques.
DRIVING FORCES OF ISLAND BIODIVERSITY: AN APPRAISAL OF TWO THEORIES

The avifauna of three oceanic islands of the Revillagigedo archipelago in the eastern Pacific Ocean consists of 14 endemic landbird taxa and 3 recent continental colonists. This study analyzes the origin, areography of continental relatives, ecological characteristics, and role of immigration and extinction factors as regulators of the islands' species. Only two natural extinctions have been detected on this archipelago in more than 130 years. The endemic nature of the pristine avifauna is interpreted as an indication of high stability over thousands of years. The MacArthur–Wilson (1967) “equilibrium theory of island biogeography” cannot explain or predict the persistence of this avifauna adapted to stable and unique island ecosystems. Lack's (1976) “theory of ecological poverty” regulating island avifaunas, however, predicts stability and a resource-limited bird community. The Revillagigedo avifauna can be understood as an interactive community of a few highly adapted and competitive ecological generalis...
Dynamic Discontinuous PWM for Grid-tied Inverter Applications

This paper proposes a Dynamic Discontinuous PWM (DDPWM) strategy for Grid Tied Inverter applications utilizing 2 level Voltage Source Inverters (VSIs). DDPWM is a version of Generalized DPWM (GDPWM) optimized for usage with full range of operating power factor values and without need for current feedback signals, such that it provides minimal switching loss. Switching and Conduction Loss expressions are derived, simulated and analyzed for individual transistors and diodes inside inverter module. Simplified thermal model based on available datasheet parameters is presented and used for evaluation of thermal performance of semiconductor devices under DDPWM across full range of power factor and modulation index values. It is demonstrated that high modulation index and low power factor values produce highest overall module losses, but that the individual device temperatures are dependent on module forward and switching characteristics, as well as thermal resistances. Experimental setup is implemented to evaluate thermal performance of DDPWM.
Four New Delta Scuti Pulsators from a Variability Survey of 131 Stars

In a photometric variability survey of 131 stars with B < 14 mag, we have found four new Delta Scuti stars. We were sensitive to oscillation amplitudes as low as a few mmag. The detection rate of short-period (P < 0.1 d) pulsating variable stars, which may be relevant for planned large variability surveys such as GAIA, POI, and even the LSST, was therefore 3%. All four new variable stars have low pulsation amplitude (tens of mmag), and one has a very short period (0.0198 d). This star is one of the fastest known Delta Scuti pulsators. The short period of this variable star makes it observationally tractable, and it may therefore be a particularly good candidate for asteroseismological studies. All four new variable stars will add to the cadre of low-amplitude and relatively short-period Delta Scuti stars that are potentially useful for learning about the structure of stars on or near the main sequence, slightly more massive than the Sun.
The Case for Retaining Natural Language Descriptions of Phenotypes in Plant Databases and a Web Application as Proof of Concept

Motivation Finding similarity across phenotypic descriptions is not straightforward, with previous successes in computation requiring significant expert data curation. Natural language processing of free text phenotype descriptions is often easier to apply than intensive curation. It is therefore critical to understand the extent to which these techniques can be used to organize and analyze biological datasets and enable biological discoveries. Results A wide variety of approaches from the natural language processing domain perform as well as similarity metrics over curated annotations for predicting shared phenotypes. These approaches also show promise both for helping curators organize and work through large datasets as well as for enabling researchers to explore relationships among available phenotype descriptions. Here we generate networks of phenotype similarity and share a web application for querying a dataset of associated plant genes using these text mining approaches. Example situations and species for which application of these techniques is most useful are discussed. Availability The dataset used in this work is available at https://git.io/JTutQ. The code for the analysis performed here is available at https://git.io/JTutN and https://git.io/JTuqv. The code for the web application discussed here is available at https://git.io/Jtv9J, and the application itself is available at https://quoats.dill-picl.org/
Then and now: the legacy and future of attachment research.

Attachment theory rescued psychology from the choice between an untestable psychoanalytic, drive reduction theory and behaviorist positions that were incapable of accounting for development. Theory...
Creation and validation of a polysocial score for mortality among community-dwelling older adults in the USA: the health and retirement study.

BACKGROUND the interrelatedness between social determinants of health impedes researchers to identify important social factors for health investment. A new approach is needed to quantify the aggregate effect of social factors and develop person- centred social interventions. METHODS participants ([n = 7,383], 54.5% female) were aged 65 years or above who complete an additional psychosocial questionnaire in the health and retirement study in 2006 or 2008. Social determinants of health encompassed five social domains: economic stability, neighbourhood and physical environment, education, community and social context, and healthcare system. We used the forward stepwise logistic regression to derive a polysocial score model for 5-year mortality. Indices of goodness-of-fit, discrimination and reclassification were used to assess model performance. We used logistic regression to identify the association between polysocial score and mortality. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine sex- and race-specific association. RESULTS polysocial score was created using 14 social determinants of health. In the training cohort, the C-statistic was 0.71 for the reference model (only age, sex and race/ethnicity) and increased to 0.75 for the continuous and categorical polysocial score. Compared with the reference model, the integrated discrimination index for adding the continuous or categorical polysocial score was both 0.03 (P values < 0.001). Participants with an intermediate (odds ratio [OR] = 0.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.82) or high (OR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.38-0.60) polysocial score had lower odds of death than those in the low category in the fully adjusted model, respectively. CONCLUSIONS the polysocial approach may offer possible solutions to monitor social environments and suggestions for older people to improve their social status for specific health outcomes.
Correlation study between features of a geographic location and Electric Vehicle Uptake

There are many socio-economic and travel-related factors of a given region that will impact the local adoption of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs). In this paper, eleven states are considered to study BEV uptake, and a total of 242 features are used to characterize each zip code. The results are analyzed to determine the degree of correlation between zip code features and BEV uptake. Preliminary results show several features well-correlated with BEV uptake, in particular individuals or households with high income in a single-dwelling unit and owning more than one vehicle.
Subcooled Flow Boiling Critical Heat Flux (CHF) and Its Application to Fusion Energy Components. Part I. A Review of Fundamentals of CHF and Related Data Base

The present understanding of critical heat flux (CHF) in subcooled flow boiling with water is reviewed and fusion reactor component high-heat flux (HHF) requirements are outlined. This survey (Part...
Stable isotopes reveal strong marine and El Niño effects on island food webs

Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool for unravelling the complex structure of food webs1,2,3. This technique is particularly well suited for studies at ecosystem boundaries, where physical processes and mobile consumers link the dynamics of seemingly disparate systems4,5,6. In coastal and insular environments, seabirds play a crucial role in transporting marine-based energy and nutrients to islands7,8,9. Here we show using stable isotopes that nutrients from the ocean drive the dynamics of terrestrial food webs on small islands. The indirect effects of seabird-derived nutrients on plant productivity are particularly prominent during wet El Nino Southern Oscillation years on our Gulf of California study sites. During dry years that characterize the region, many terrestrial consumers are subsidized by carrion and prey from the ocean. Shifts in trophic structure related to El Nino Southern Oscillation could only be elucidated because of the distinct nitrogen isotope ratios associated with seabird islands. The contributions of seabirds and other marine sources are reflected in the isotope signatures of terrestrial consumers in ways that challenge conventional interpretations of stable isotope results in studies of food webs.
View Synthesis with Occlusion Reasoning Using Quasi-Sparse Feature Correspondences

The goal of most image based rendering systems can be stated as follows: given a set of pictures taken from various vantage points, synthesize the image that would be obtained from a novel viewpoint. In this paper we present a novel approach to view synthesis which hinges on the observation that human viewers tend to be quite sensitive to the motion of features in the image corresponding to intensity discontinuities or edges. Our system focuses its efforts on recovering the 3D position of these features so that their motions can be synthesized correctly. In the current implementation these feature points are recovered from image sequences by employing the epipolar plane image (EPI) analysis techniques proposed by Bolles, Baker, and Marimont. The output of this procedure resembles the output of an edge extraction system where the edgels are augmented with accurate depth information. This method has the advantage of producing accurate depth estimates for most of the salient features in the scene including those corresponding to occluding contours. We will demonstrate that it is possible to produce compelling novel views based on this information.The paper will also describe a principled approach to reasoning about the 3D structure of the scene based on the quasi-sparse features returned by the EPI analysis. This analysis allows us to correctly reproduce occlusion and disocclusion effects in the synthetic views without requiring dense correspondences. Importantly, the technique could also be used to analyze and refine the 3-D results returned by range finders, stereo systems or structure from motion algorithms. Results obtained by applying the proposed techniques to actual image data sets are presented.
Mortality-adjusted duration of mechanical ventilation in critically ill children with symptomatic central venous line-related deep venous thrombosis.

Objective:To determine the association between symptomatic central venous line-related deep venous thrombosis and a mortality-adjusted measure of duration of mechanical ventilation in critically ill children with central venous lines.Design:Retrospective matched cohort study.Setting:Eleven pediatric
Characterization of Gmhsp26-A, a stress gene encoding a divergent heat shock protein of soybean: heavy-metal-induced inhibition of intron processing.

We determined the DNA sequence and mapped the corresponding transcripts of a genomic clone containing the Gmhsp26-A gene of soybean. This gene is homologous to the previously characterized cDNA clone pCE54 (E. Czarnecka, L. Edelman, F. Schoffl, and J. L. Key, Plant Mol. Biol. 3:45-58, 1984) and is expressed in response to a wide variety of physiological stresses including heat shock (HS). S1 nuclease mapping of transcripts and a comparison of the cDNA sequence with the genomic sequence indicated the presence of a soybean seedlings with either CdCl2 or CuSO4. Analysis of the 5' termini of transcripts indicated the presence of one major and at least two minor start sites. In each case, initiation occurred 27 to 30 base pairs downstream from a TATA-like motif, and thus each initiation site appears to be promoted by the activity of a separate subpromoter. The three subpromoters are all associated with sequences showing low homology to the HS consensus element of Drosophila melanogaster HS genes and are differentially induced in response to various stresses. Within the carboxyl-terminal half of the protein, hydropathy analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicated a high degree of relatedness to the small HS proteins. A comparison of the primary amino acid sequence of hsp26-A with sequences of the small HS proteins suggested that this stress protein is highly diverged and may therefore be specialized for stress adaptation in soybean.
Controlled release of photoswitch drugs by degradable polymer microspheres.

AbstractBackground: QAQ (quaternary ammonium-azobenzene-quaternary ammonium) and DENAQ (diethylamine-azobenzene-quaternary ammonium) are synthetic photoswitch compounds that change conformation in response to light, altering current flow through voltage-gated ion channels in neurons. These compounds are drug candidates for restoring light sensitivity in degenerative blinding diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).Purpose: However, these photoswitch compounds are cleared from the eye within several days, they must be administered through repeated intravitreal injections. Therefore, we are investigating local, sustained delivery formulations to constantly replenish these molecules and have the potential to restore sight.Methods: Here, we encapsulate QAQ and DENAQ into several molecular weights of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) through an emulsion technique to assess the viability of delivering the compounds in their therapeutic window over many weeks. We characterize the loading effi...
Dapsone-induced hematologic toxicity: comparison of the methemoglobin-forming ability of hydroxylamine metabolites of dapsone in rat and human blood.

The relative methemoglobin (MetHgb) forming ability of two metabolites of dapsone, dapsone hydroxylamine (DDS-NOH) and monoacetyldapsone hydroxylamine (MADDS-NOH), were compared in rat and human whole blood. Concentration-response curves for the two metabolites were generated in vitro in whole blood. Data were fit to both the Emax and Sigmoid Emax models. The Emax values for MetHgb formation in rat blood for MADDS-NOH and DDS-NOH fitted to the Emax model were 83 (8) and 84 (2)%, while the EC50 values were 1087 (283) and 828 (104) μM, respectively (mean ± SD). Neither these values nor those generated for the Sigmoid Emax model differed significantly between the two metabolites. Similarly, the Emax values in human blood for MADDS-NOH and DDS-NOH fitted to the Emax model were 79 (5) and 80 (2)%; while the EC50 values were 90 (17) and 95 (19) μM, respectively. These values also did not differ between the two metabolites using either pharmacodynamic model. MetHgb was produced at the same rate, reached similar peak concentrations, and exhibited the same rate of decline with both metabolites. The area under the MetHgb content versus time curve did not differ between the two metabolites. These data demonstrate that MADDS-NOH and DDS-NOH are equipotent and equally efficacious in their MetHgb-forming ability. Investigation of the disposition of these metabolites is necessary to assess their relative role in dapsone-induced toxicity in vivo.
Rostral Transfontanel Herniation

Upward transtentorial herniation as a result of mass effect in the posterior fossa has been described in adults by several authors. We report the case of a premature infant, small for gestational age, who experienced rostral herniation of a portion of frontal lobe through the anterior fontanel as the result of a hemorrhagic cerebellar infarction followed by a large parieto-occipital intracerebral hemorrhage. (J Child Neurol 1992;7:392-394).
Translation-vibration-dissociation coupling in nonequilibrium hypersonic flows

A new simple and computationally efficient model was developed, describing the evolution of vibrational states during relaxation and dissociation. The model is based on dividing the nitrogen molecules into two types, those in the vibrational states at a lower level, whose vibrational energy is below a cutoff energy, and those in an upper level, with vibrational energy above the cutoff. Dissociation occurs at the upper level, and recombination returns molecules to the lower level. The model was applied to two flows of engineering interest, the flow through a normal Mach 15 shock wave at 60 km, and a supersonic quasi-one-dimensional flow in a nozzle. Results are compared to those obtained by existing translation-vibration-dissociation coupling models, with results indicating significant differences between the models.
The relationship between heart rate and eye movement in the human fetus at 38-40 weeks of gestation.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to compare two different methods for assessing fetal heart rate (FHR) - fetal eye movement (FEM) synchronization: (1) periods of high (HV) and low (LV) variability in the FHR and the presence (EM) and absence (NEM) of FEM were determined by visual inspection and the degree of association between FHR and FEM was assessed in terms of the fraction of study time for which no periods of LV-NEM and HV-EM could be identified; and (2) the maximum cross-correlation coefficient ( r max ) and the lag at r max ( L max ) were determined by direct computer analysis of FHR and FEM data for each fetus. Twenty normal human fetuses between 38 and 40 weeks of gestation were examined for a total of 2051 min (mean 103 min, range 72–150 min). In general, the state HV-EM was observed approximately twice as often as was the state LV-NEM; neither of these two states could be identified during 12.4% of the study time. The coefficient r max was calculated assuming a sliding 3-min moving window, using either the average FHR (mean 0.53, range 0.31–0.85) or the variability in the FHR (mean 0.52, range 0.18–0.77). No relationship was found between r max and L max calculated using the mean FHR and the fraction of time for which no state could be identified ( P = 0.995). When the cross-correlation analysis was performed using FHR variability, a statistically significant relationship was found between the periods of no coincidence (of states LV-NEM and HV-EM) and r max and L max ( r 2 = 0.32; P = 0.04). However, the low value of r 2 implied that 68% of the variability in the subjective measure is due to factors other than r max and L max . Although this discrepancy may be the result of an inappropriate selection of objective measures, the low correlation probably reflects the subjective nature of visually assessing FHR-FEM organization.
Retinoic Acid Regulates Differentiation of the Secondary Heart Field and TGFβ-Mediated Outflow Tract Septation

In many experimental models and clinical examples, defects in the differentiation of the second heart field (SHF) and heart outflow tract septation defects are combined, although the mechanistic basis for this relationship has been unclear. We found that as the initial SHF population incorporates into the outflow tract, it is replenished from the surrounding progenitor territory. In retinoic acid (RA) receptor mutant mice, this latter process fails, and the outflow tract is shortened and misaligned as a result. As an additional consequence, the outflow tract is misspecified along its proximal-distal axis, which results in ectopic expression of TGFβ2 and ectopic mesenchymal transformation of the endocardium. Reduction of TGFβ2 gene dosage in the RA receptor-deficient background restores septation but does not rescue alignment defects, indicating that excess TGFβ causes septation defects. This may be a common pathogenic pathway when second heart field and septation defects are coupled.
Calcium phosphate colloid: possible nidus for metastatic calcification in hypercalcemia.

ABSTRACT To the Editor.— Metastatic calcification occurs in patients with hypercalcemia of diverse etiologies. Ectopic calcification has been documented in patients with long-standing hypercalcemia without specific treatment and in patients with hypercalcemia who have been receiving prolonged phosphate therapy. However, the exact mechanism of pathogenesis of metastatic calcification is not yet clear. A working hypothesis has been proposed based on animal and human data (Lancet 1:590,1972; Chest 61:190, 1972). The hypothesis in essence tells that under normal conditions, the body keeps the serum calcium and phosphorus level in homeostasis so that their solubility product does not exceed the point beyond which they exist in solid phase. Whenever there is imbalance of serum calcium or phosphorus, or both, the solubility product of calcium phosphate is exceeded beyond the normal value (about 2.6 × 10-30) resulting in formation of colloidal particles of calcium phosphate in the blood (J Nucl Med 12:347,1971). These
Hormonal therapy of breast cancer

Hormonal therapy is appropriate treatment for all stages of estrogenor progesterone-receptorcontaining breast cancer for which systemic therapy is indicated. Against metastatic disease, initial endocrine treatments induce survival prolongation and objective tumor shrinkage in 2040% of all patients (40-80% of estrogen receptor-positive patients). Another lo-20% of patients will have clinically significant periods of tumor stability. No single class of hormonal agents has been shown to be consistently superior as a treatment of metastatic disease, so the choice of treatment is dictated by toxicity and effects on quality of life. As adjuvant therapy of early disease, tamoxifen and oophorectomy are the only hormonal treatments prospectively shown to decrease recurrence and mortality. Future prospects for hormonal treatment include development of additional predictors of response, new classes of drugs and more selective drugs to prevent as well as to treat the disease. This review of hormonal treatment of breast cancer will relate the current state of clinical practice to recent advances in hormonal therapy.
A sentence is to speech as what is to action

Abstract This article offers a conceptual framework for integrated analysis of subprocesses in action and language, based on goal-directed action. Anatomical substrates are discussed in the companion paper (Arbib and Bota, 2003) which approaches “Integrative Models of Broca's Area and the Ventral Premotor Cortex” within the context of explaining why the evolution of the human brain yielded mechanisms which support language in a multi-modal vocal-manual-facial system rather than privileging the vocal mode. Arbib and Bota (2003) examine homologies between different cortical areas in macaque and human to revisit the Mirror System Hypothesis (MSH) of Rizzolatti and Arbib (1998) — the notion that the mirror system for grasping (which has its frontal outpost in premotor area F5 of the macaque) provides the substrate for the evolution of the language-ready brain which supports parity of communication. They also offer a critique and extension based on the work of Aboitiz and Garcia (1997; Aboitiz et al., 2006). Arbib and Bota (2003) also discussed the utility of neuroinformatics in relating information across diverse cortical atlases and evaluating degrees of homology for brain regions of interest in different species (for discussion, see Deacon, 2004; Arbib and Bota, 2004).
Life cycle analysis of grinding: a case study of non-cylindrical computer numerical control grinding via a unit-process life cycle inventory approach:

It is estimated that the industrial sector is responsible for 29% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions. Recent efforts have sought to reduce the carbon footprint of manufacturing activities. Research suggests that a key to further reducing industrial-based greenhouse gas emissions is to more accurately characterize the carbon footprint of manufacturing processes. Life cycle assessment is a powerful tool that can be utilized to characterize the life cycle environmental impacts of a process. Current life cycle inventory databases that are used in life cycle assessments only have limited coverage on manufacturing operations. This article develops a parameterized process model for computer numerical control grinding, which enables the calculation of life cycle inventory data in a relatively rapid fashion and has some substantial characteristics, such as transparency, engineering quality, and the ability to reflect changes when new information is secured. Surface grinding of cobalt–chromium alloy kne...
Financial crisis and bank executive incentive compensation

Abstract We study the executive compensation structure in 14 of the largest U.S. financial institutions during 2000–2008. We focus on the CEO's purchases and sales of their bank's stock, their salary and bonus, and the capital losses these CEOs incur due to the dramatic share price declines in 2008. We consider three measures of risk-taking by these banks. Our results are mostly consistent with and supportive of the findings of Bebchuk, Cohen and Spamann (2010), that is, managerial incentives matter — incentives generated by executive compensation programs are correlated with excessive risk-taking by banks. Also, our results are generally not supportive of the conclusions of Fahlenbrach and Stulz (2011) that the poor performance of banks during the crisis was the result of unforeseen risk. We recommend that bank executive incentive compensation should only consist of restricted stock and restricted stock options — restricted in the sense that the executive cannot sell the shares or exercise the options for two to four years after their last day in office. The above incentive compensation proposal logically leads to a complementary proposal regarding a bank's capital structure, namely, banks should be financed with considerably more equity than they are being financed currently.
Simultaneous production and co-mixing of microparticles of nevirapine with excipients by supercritical antisolvent method for dissolution enhancement.

Abstract Microparticles of a poorly water-soluble model drug, nevirapine (NEV) were prepared by supercritical antisolvent (SAS) method and simultaneously deposited on the surface of excipients such as lactose and microcrystalline cellulose in a single step to reduce drug–drug particle aggregation. In the proposed method, termed supercritical antisolvent-drug excipient mixing (SAS-DEM), drug particles were precipitated in supercritical CO2 vessel containing excipient particles in suspended state. Drug/excipient mixtures were characterized for surface morphology, crystallinity, drug–excipient physico-chemical interactions, and molecular state of drug. In addition, the drug content uniformity and dissolution rate were determined. A highly ordered NEV–excipient mixture was produced. The SAS-DEM treatment was effective in overcoming drug–drug particle aggregation and did not affect the crystallinity or physico-chemical properties of NEV. The produced drug/excipient mixture has a significantly faster dissolution rate as compared to SAS drug microparticles alone or when physically mixed with the excipients.
The Fitzhugh-Nagumo model: Firing modes with time-varying parameters & parameter estimation

In this paper, we revisit the issue of the utility of the FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) model for capturing neuron firing behaviors. It has been noted (e.g., see [6]) that the FHN model cannot exhibit certain interesting firing behaviors such as bursting. We illustrate that, by allowing time-varying parameters for the FHN model, one could overcome such limitations while still retaining the low order complexity of the FHN model. We also highlight the utility of the FHN model from an estimation perspective by presenting a novel parameter estimation method that exploits the multiple time scale feature of the FHN model, and compare the performance of this method with the Extended Kalman Filter through illustrative examples.
Suppression of the frog's cone system in the dark.

An intermittent light presented to a dark adapted frog eye produces a small “flicker ERG” (response to the individual light pulses). After light adaptation the flicker ERG increases drastically in amplitude. The preceding study using the isolated retina showed that adaptation strictly within the cone system could produce this increase. This study showed that in the intact frog light adaptation effected the increase in two ways: by modifying the cone system and by releasing the cones from some inhibitory element with an action spectrum of a 502 pigment, probably the red rods or accessory cones.
Thermodynamic stabilization of nucleotide binding to thymidylate synthase by a potent benzoquinazoline folate analogue inhibitor.

The stabilization of dUMP, FdUMP, and dGMP binding to Escherichia coli thymidylate synthase (TS) in the presence and absence of a folate analogue inhibitor of TS, 1843U, was determined by differential scanning calorimetry. When the enzyme is thermally unfolded in the presence of dUMP, two separate temperature transitions are evident, although only one binding site/dimer was detected in equilibrium dialysis experiments. In the absence of dUMP, TS shows a major peak of unfolding at 45 degrees C with a shoulder at 47 degrees C. In the presence of increasing amounts of dUMP progressive changes in the size of each peak occur, each associated with a higher temperature of unfolding. At a ratio of dUMP/TS of 100, a major peak predominates with an unfolding temperature (Td) of 60 degrees C. FdUMP shows a similar profile, while dGMP does not alter the Td of the enzyme since dGMP alone does not bind to TS. Despite the fact that 1843U binds tightly to TS in the absence of nucleotide ligands [Dev, I. K., Dallas, W.S., Ferone, R., Hanlon, H., McKee, D.D., & Yates, B. B. (1994) J.Biol. Chem. 269, 1873-1882], it exhibits only a small effect on the Td profile of TS. However, when 1843U is present, in addition to the nucleotides (dUMP, FdUMP, or dGMP), a Td of 72 degrees C is achieved and the enthalpy of unfolding is increased by one-third. The stabilizing effect of substrate binding to TS by 1843U examined by thermodynamic parameters can be attributed to the considerable extra amount of free energy released on formation of the ternary complex of TS-1843U-nucleotide. The tightness of this complex is due to the stacking energy that results from Van der Waals contacts between the nucleotide purine or pyrimidine ring and the benzoquinazoline ring of 1843U [Weichsel, A., Montfort, W. R., Cieśla, J., & Maley, F. (1995) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 92, 3493-3497], which induces a local conformational change in the protein. This conformational change is associated with a significant positive entropy change, which suggests that water is expelled from the active site region.
Intra-amniotic injection of pyridine nucleotides or adenosine triphosphate as countertherapy for 6-aminonicotinamide (6-AN) teratogenesis.

Day-15 rat uteri were exteriorized under ether anesthesia and 100 μg 6-AN + 500 μg oxidized (NAD;NADP) or reduced (NADH;NADPH) coenzyme; 500 μg adenosine triphosphate (ATP); or 100 μg nicotinamide (NAM) were injected into amniotic cavities in one horn. Embryos in the opposite horn served as injection controls. Mothers were closed and returned to their stock diet until autopsy on day 21 of gestation (day 0 = day of finding spermatozoa); fetuses were weighed, fixed, and examined for congenital abnormalities. Coenzymes, ATP, and NAM appeared to correct fetal and placental weight loss observed in 6-AN-treated fetuses. Vitamin and coenzyme therapy but not ATP treatment reduced the frequency and severity of brain and skeletal malformations to the double puncture, solvent control value. The data suggest that malformation and mortality may involve separate mechanisms.
Molecular Characterization of Head and Neck Cancer: How Close to Personalized Targeted Therapy?

Molecular targeted therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) continues to make strides, and holds much promise. Cetuximab remains the sole US FDA-approved molecular targeted therapy available for HNSCC, though several new biologic agents targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and other pathways are currently in the regulatory approval pipeline. While targeted therapies have the potential to be personalized, their current use in HNSCC is not personalized. This is illustrated for EGFR-targeted drugs, where EGFR as a molecular target has yet to be individualized for HNSCC. Future research needs to identify factors that correlate with response (or lack of one) and the underlying genotype-phenotype relationship that dictates this response. Comprehensive exploration of genetic and epigenetic landscapes in HNSCC is opening new frontiers to further enlighten and mechanistically inform newer as well as existing molecular targets, and to set a course for eventually translating these discoveries into therapies for patients. This opinion offers a snapshot of the evolution of molecular subtyping in HNSCC and its current clinical applicability, as well as new emergent paradigms with implications for controlling this disease in the future.
The recrystallized grain size piezometer for quartz

D=1 0 3.56±0.27 * s 1.26 ±0.13 , with no change in slope at the regime 2–3 transition and no effect of temperature or a/b stability field. Another experimental piezometer relation for regime 1 of Hirth and Tullis [1992] differs in slope, suggesting that different recrystallization mechanisms require different piezometer calibrations. INDEX TERMS: 3902 Mineral Physics: Creep and deformation; 5120 Physical Properties of Rocks: Plasticity, diffusion, and creep; 8030 Structural Geology: Microstructures; 8159 Tectonophysics: Rheology—crust and lithosphere; 8164 Tectonophysics: Stresses—crust and lithosphere. Citation: Stipp, M., and J. Tullis, The recrystallized grain size piezometer for quartz, Geophys. Res. Lett., 30(21), 2088, doi:10.1029/2003GL018444, 2003.
Wavelength hopping due to spectral distortion in dynamic fiber Bragg grating sensor measurements

We demonstrate the measurement of wavelength hopping in dynamic fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor measurements and its effect on the interpretation of the dynamic behavior of a composite laminate. Strain measurements are performed with FBG sensors embedded in laminates, subjected to low-velocity impacts, with data acquired using a commercial peak wavelength following controller and a high-speed full-spectral interrogator recently developed by the authors. The peak follower response is theoretically predicted from the full-spectral interrogator measurements. We demonstrate that dynamic wavelength hopping does occur, that it changes the apparent dynamic behavior of the composite and that it can be directly predicted from the dynamic spectral distortion. We also demonstrate that full-spectral data acquisition at speeds lower than those required to fully resolve the dynamic event creates apparent measurement errors due to wavelength hopping as well.
Improvement of the neural network proxy cache replacement strategy

As the Internet has become a more central aspect for information technology, so have concerns with supplying enough bandwidth and serving web requests to end-users in an appropriate time frame. Web caching help decrease bandwidth, lessen user perceived lag, and reduce loads on origin servers by storing copies of web objects on servers closer to end users as opposed to forwarding all requests to the origin servers. Since web caches have limited space, web caches must effectively decide which objects are worth caching or replacing for other objects. This problem is known as cache replacement. We used neural networks to solve this problem and proposed the Neural Network Proxy Cache Replacement (NNPCR) method. In this paper we propose an improved strategy of NNPCR referred to as NNPCR-2. We implemented NNPCR-2 in Squid proxy server and compared it with four other cache replacement strategies. In this paper we use 84 times more data than NNPCR was tested against and present exhaustive test results for NNPCR-2 with different trace files and neural network structures. Our results demonstrate that NNPCR-2 made important, balanced decisions in relation to the hit rate and byte hit rate; the two performance metrics most commonly used to measure the performance of web proxy caches.
The responsibility principle and the democratic firm

The recent Enron-type scandals have reinvigorated the corporate governance debate. The purpose of this paper is to situate that debate in a much older and more fundamental debate about the organization of production. This paper presents a modern reconstruction of a property rights argument for the democratic firm (a firm whose legal members are the people working in it). The old “fruits of their labor” argument is reformulated using the ordinary responsibility principle that legal responsibility is to be imputed to whoever is in fact responsible. Far from conflicting with private property, the responsibility principle provides grounds for the just appropriation of private property. However, there is a conflict with the legal contract for the renting of human beings, the employment contract, in view of thede facto nontransferability of responsibility. This recognition of the invalidity of the employment contract can be independently arrived at using a modern reconstruction of an inalienable rights argument from the Reformation and Enlightenment. Finally these arguments are applied to the corporate governance debate to suggest a rechartering of corporations so that shareholders become debt-holders and the people working in a corporation become its legal members.
The Learning Styles of Medical Students: An Annotated Bibliography of Twenty Years of Research

This annotated bibliography of 25 papers represents a careful search of the periodical literature on the learning styles of medical students from 1975 to 1995, including the Chical Medicine series of Current Contents weekly. Computer databases included Medline, ERIC, and Psychological Abstracts, using the key phrases learning styles, cognitive styles, and mehcal students as well as names of specific inventories used to measure individual styles, e.g., the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Kolb's Learning Style Inventory. In selecting entries for the bibliography, we chose those articles that have received the most attention in the literature over the past twenty years
Complexity results on labeled shortest path problems from wireless routing metrics

Metrics to assess the cost of paths through networks are critical to ensuring the efficiency of network routing. This is particularly true in multi-radio multi-hop wireless networks. Effective metrics for these networks must measure the cost of a wireless path based not only on traditional measures such as throughput, but also on the distribution of wireless channels used. In this paper, we argue that routing metrics over such networks may be viewed as a class of existing shortest path problems, the formal language constrained path problems. On this basis, we describe labeled path problems corresponding to two multi-radio wireless routing metrics: Weighted Cumulative Expected Transmission Time (WCETT), developed by Draves et al., and Metric for Interference and Channel-switch (MIC), developed by Yang et al. For the first, we give a concise proof that calculating shortest WCETT paths is strongly NP-Complete for a variety of graph classes. We also show that the existing heuristic given by Draves et al. is an approximator. For the second, we show that calculating loop-free (simple) shortest MIC paths is NP-Complete, and additionally show that the optimization version of the problem is NPO PB-Complete. This result implies that shortest simple MIC paths are only poorly approximable in the worst case. Furthermore, we demonstrate how the polynomial-time algorithm for shortest MIC paths is derivable from an existing language constrained shortest path algorithm. We use this as a basis to exhibit the general utility of viewing multi-channel wireless routing metrics as labeled graph problems, and discuss how a class of related polynomial-time computable metrics are derivable from this algorithm.
Hepatitis C: a challenge for the generalist.

Most cases of hepatitis C become chronic, and although many of those remain silent for decades, some eventually progress to cirrhosis or other complications. Since almost 2% of the U.S. population is already infected, clinicians are likely to encounter growing numbers of patients with progressive disease. Treatment has been modified; ribavirin can now be added to interferon therapy.
New thalassocypridine Ostracoda from anchialine caves of the Loyalty Islands, New Caledonia (Podocopida, Paracypridinae)

Four new species of Ostracoda belonging to the tribe Thalassocypridini are described from anchialine cave pools of the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia: Dolerocypria iliffei n. sp., Paracypria uberis n. sp., Mungava woutersi n. sp., and Mungava xariessa n. sp. Detailed anatomical comparisons with 36 established species test the soundness of the emerging generic classification of thalassocypridines. Mangalocypria and Mungava are well-defined genera with exclusive, key diagnostic traits. Dolerocypria, Paracypria and Thalassocypria are somewhat less coherent. The essential qualities of Pontoparta and Parapontoparta remain elusive because of the heterogeneity of species referred to those nominal genera. Emended diagnoses are offered for the tribe Thalassocypridini and for the genera Dolerocypria, Paracypria, and Mungava.
THE LOSS OF FIRST PERMANENT MOLARS IN A FLUORIDATED AND A FLUORIDE-DEFICIENT COMMUNITY

This paper is presented as a “spring-board” to introduce a series of reports about the impact of fluoridation of drinking water on the practice of dentistry—an investigation begun at the University of Illinois.
Candida albicans White and Opaque Cells Undergo Distinct Programs of Filamentous Growth

The ability to switch between yeast and filamentous forms is central to Candida albicans biology. The yeast-hyphal transition is implicated in adherence, tissue invasion, biofilm formation, phagocyte escape, and pathogenesis. A second form of morphological plasticity in C. albicans involves epigenetic switching between white and opaque forms, and these two states exhibit marked differences in their ability to undergo filamentation. In particular, filamentous growth in white cells occurs in response to a number of environmental conditions, including serum, high temperature, neutral pH, and nutrient starvation, whereas none of these stimuli induce opaque filamentation. Significantly, however, we demonstrate that opaque cells can undergo efficient filamentation but do so in response to distinct environmental cues from those that elicit filamentous growth in white cells. Growth of opaque cells in several environments, including low phosphate medium and sorbitol medium, induced extensive filamentous growth, while white cells did not form filaments under these conditions. Furthermore, while white cell filamentation is often enhanced at elevated temperatures such as 37°C, opaque cell filamentation was optimal at 25°C and was inhibited by higher temperatures. Genetic dissection of the opaque filamentation pathway revealed overlapping regulation with the filamentous program in white cells, including key roles for the transcription factors EFG1, UME6, NRG1 and RFG1. Gene expression profiles of filamentous white and opaque cells were also compared and revealed only limited overlap between these programs, although UME6 was induced in both white and opaque cells consistent with its role as master regulator of filamentation. Taken together, these studies establish that a program of filamentation exists in opaque cells. Furthermore, this program regulates a distinct set of genes and is under different environmental controls from those operating in white cells.