cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Pharmacokinetics of N-acetylprocainamide

Since N-acetylprocainamide was identified in the urine of patients receiving procainamide, this compound has been studied both as a metabolite of procainamide and as a separate antiarrhythmic agent. N-acetylprocainamide absorption following oral administration is more than 8-% complete. 59 to 89% of N-acetylprocainamide is excreted unchanged in the urine in subjects with normal renal function. Deacetylation of N-acetylprocainamide to procainamide is a minor route of N-acetylprocainamide elimination. The half-life of N-acetylprocainamide in patients with normal renal function has been reported to vary between 4.3 and 15.1 hours. Total body clearance (mean +/- SD) of N-acetylprocainamide in patients with normal renal function has been reported to range from 2.08 +/- 0.36 ml/min/kg to 3.28 +/- 0.52 ml/min/kg. There is a linear relationship between N-acetylprocainamide clearance and creatinine clearance. The half-life of N-acetylprocainamide in functionally anephric patients may be as long as 42 hours; however, it can be effectively cleared from plasma by haemodialysis. N-acetylprocainamide is 10% protein-bound. There is an age-related decline in N-acetylprocainamide clearance, mostly due to the decrease in creatinine clearance that occurs with ageing. In the neonate, the half-life of acetylprocainamide is prolonged. Several therapeutic trials carried out to assess the effectiveness of N-acetylprocainamide in suppressing chronic ventricular premature beats have now been reported. If there is a therapeutic response to N-acetylprocainamide it will probably occur at a plasma concentration between 15 and 25 micrograms/ml. A high degree of overlap has been reported between the concentration range associated with arrhythmic suppression and the range of concentrations where intolerable side effects begin to occur. No severe cardiac toxicity has been reported with oral therapy despite plasma concentrations as high as 40 micrograms/ml. However, hypotension has been reported in association with a rapid intravenous bolus of N-acetylprocainamide. A maximum intravenous infusion rate of 50 mg/min has been recommended. N-acetylprocainamide in patients receiving procainamide; however, N-acetylprocainamide concentrations remain below the therapeutic range in patients with normal renal function. In patients with renal failure receiving procainamide, N-acetylprocainamide concentrations rise dramatically. The dose of N-acetylprocainamide must be adjusted in patients with renal insufficiency, and it should be used more cautiously in the very old and very young. N-acetylprocainamide plasma concentration monitoring would be valuable clinically in patients with renal insufficiency receiving either N-acetylprocainamide or procainamide, and in the very young and the aged.
Literature-Based Scientific Learning : A Collaboration Model

Amidst exponential growth of knowledge, student insights into the knowledge creation practices of the scientific community can be furthered by science faculty collaborations with university librarians. The Literature-Based Scientific Learning model advances undergraduates' disciplinary mastery and information literacy through experience with primary literature research practices and scientific scholarly communication traditions.
Reduced brain glutamate in patients with Parkinson's disease

An understanding of the role played by glutamate (Glu) in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) has remained somewhat elusive. Animal models of PD suggest that over-activity of Glu receptors complicates the motor symptoms of PD and that Glu blockade may be a pharmacologic target in PD, whereas patient autopsy studies have proved less convincing for changes in Glu. No previous 1H MRS patient studies have documented changes in glutamate. All but one of these previous studies were performed at 1.5 T. We performed 3 T 1H MRS of the posterior cingulate gyrus in 12 non-demented patients with PD and 12 age-matched, neurologically normal control participants. Glu, N-acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline-containing compounds (Cho) measured in reference to creatine + phosphocreatine (Cr) were determined from single-voxel proton MR spectra measured by PRESS at TE of 80 ms. The results show that the Glu/Cr ratio was reduced in patients with PD compared with controls (t = 2.54; P = 0.019), whereas no differences were observed in NAA/Cr or Cho/Cr ratios. These findings suggest that a reduction in Glu occurs in the cerebral cortex of patients with PD. 1H MRS at 3 T should be investigated in future studies as a means of tracking the course of metabolic brain changes in association with progression of disease in patients with PD. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Large-signal Theory for Frequency-mixing in Diode-pumped Q-switched Systems

A large signal theory is presented for frequency-mixing in diode-pumped Q-switched systems. Pulse lengthening, mode-mode coupling and the validity of small-signal theory are studied by numerical solutions of a set of coupled equations. Figures of merit of some nonlinear crystals are compared.
MOLECULAR DELINEATION OF SPECIES AND SYNGENS IN VOLVOCACEAN GREEN ALGAE (CHLOROPHYTA)1

Two species of the colonial green flagellate family Volvocaceae are worldwide in distribution yet exhibit contrasting species structure. Geographically disparate isolates of Gonium pectorale Mueller can interbreed while isolates of Pandorina morum Bory behave quite differently. More than 20 sexually isolated subpopulations occur within this species; these have been termed “syngens” (sensu Sonneborn). Because prezygotic barriers to mating cause intersyngen pairings to fail, breeding analyses cannot be used to estimate genetic relatedness among the syngens of P. morum. DNA comparisons provide an alternative method of assessing genetic relatedness. We compared the nucleotide sequence of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the nuclear ribosomal repeat among clones of P. morum and of G. pectorale. Members of syngens of P. morum with distribution restricted to one small geographical area show great similarity. Likewise, members of any syngen of worldwide distribution show near uniformity, even those from different continents. However, the ITS sequence of each syngen differs from that of other syngens. In contrast, G. pectorale, which has an ITS region that is remarkably uniform throughout the world, appears to consist of a single syngen within North America and Europe by mating tests. The molecular data are in complete conformity with previous syngen assignment. Because the latter is based on mating affinity, with two complementary mating types per syngen, the evolution of new mating type pairs appears to be the basis of microevolution in these algae. We infer that either P. morum is a more ancient species than G. pectorale or that P. morum has a less stable genome. In either case, the biogeographic distribution of certain syngens may reflect climatological changes of the past.
On Ranges of Lyapunov Transformations II

The Lyapunov transformation corresponding to the matrix is a linear transformation on the space of hermitian matrices of the form Given a positive stable , the Stein-Pfeffer Theorem characterizes those where B is similar to A and H is positive definite. Here several extensions of this theorem are proved
The Private World of the Hermitage: Lifestyles of the Rich and Old in an Elite Retirement Home

The Private World of the Hermitage: Lifestyles of the Rich and Old in an Elite Retirement Home. MARY MOORE FREE. Westport, CT: Bergin & Garvey, 1995. x + 168 pp., references, index.
COHERENT PHONON OSCILLATIONS IN GAAS

We present a microscopic theory of plasmon-phonon oscillations created by ultrafast optical excitation in polar semiconductors. Our analysis is based on the equations for the optical lattice displacement and the electronic polarization. For an idealized situation with homogeneous plasma density we find that plasmonlike oscillations dominate the transient behavior after the optical excitation. However, once the inhomogeneous density distribution is taken into account, only density-independent LO-phonon oscillations are present in the transient optical response. By using a model of electro-optical response that includes the influence of both the electric field and the lattice displacement on the refractive index, we achieve a quantitative agreement with the experiment.
Improved seed germination of Zamia floridana (sensu lato) with H2SO4 and GA3

Abstract Germination of Zamia floridana (sensu lato) (coontie) seeds was hastened by rapid mechanical removal of the fleshy coat (sarcotesta), soaking in H 2 SO 4 for 1 h followed by water rinse, soaking in 1000 mg l −1 GA 3 for 48 h and planting in coarse sand under inter-mittent mist. This treatment resulted in nearly 90% germination in 6 weeks, with the majority germinating in the first 2 weeks. The additive effect of H 2 SO 4 followed by GA 3 treatment is discussed as a possible result of “double dormancy” involving a hard seed coat and a partially dormant embryo.
Differentiation-related mechanisms which suppress DNA replication.

Differentiation of mammalian cells implies cessation of DNA replication and cell proliferation; the potential controls of this coupling are examined here. It is clear that the known or proposed mechanisms of down-regulation of replicative cellular activities vary in different lineages of cell differentiation, and occur in all phases of the cell cycle. In G1 these regulators include p21/Cip1 or p27/Kip1, pRb, and p53; the novel, recently reported mechanisms of their action are summarized. In S phase the availability of nucleotide precursors, the origin recognition complex (ORC), and other replication proteins may be important in differentiation, and in G2 phase the cdc2/cyclin B complex and replication licensing factors determine normal G2 traverse versus an arrest or polyploidisation. Other replication-related mechanisms include transcription factors, e.g., Sp1, telomerase, and nuclear matrix changes. Thus, differentiation alters the activity not only of the various checkpoint proteins, but also of the components of the replicative machinery itself.
Pre-Transplant Circulating Antibodies Predict Antibody-Mediated Rejection Using the New ISHLT Grading Scale

Purpose The presence of pre-transplant circulating anti-HLA antibodies (PRA) portend worse survival and increase the risk of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) after transplantation. The diagnosis of AMR is now standardized with the new ISHLT grading scale. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the presence of pre-transplant PRA is associated with an increased incidence of AMR according to the new ISHLT AMR grading scale. Methods and Materials 106 heart transplant recipients transplanted January 2010 to July 2011 were divided into groups based on the peak pre-transplant PRA: 0%, 1-25%, and 26-100%. 1152 biopsies from the 106 patients were examined. Endpoints were total number of pAMR episodes, highest grade of pAMR on biopsy, and incidence of treated AMR. Results Of the 106 patients, 66 had PRA 0%, 10 had PRA 1-25%, and 30 had PRA 26-100%. Patients with elevated PRA were younger, more often female, and more likely to have a ventricular assist device. Patients with elevated pre-transplant PRA had a higher incidence of pAMR on biopsy, a higher incidence of higher grade pAMR, were more likely to have AMR requiring treatment, and had a higher median number of pAMR episodes ( Table ). Conclusions Pre-transplant circulating anti-HLA antibodies are associated with more frequent pAMR on biopsy, higher grade of pAMR on biopsy, a higher incidence of treated AMR. This suggests that patients with elevated pre-transplant PRA should be considered for augmentation of immuonosuppression. Peak PRA 0% (66 pts; 701 biopsies) Peak PRA 1-25% (10 pts; 113 biopsies) Peak PRA 26-100% (30 pts; 338 biopsies) pAMR0 98% (701) 88% (100/113) 85% (286/338) pAMR1 2% (12/701) 10% (11/113) 11( (37/338) pAMR2 0 2% (2/113) 4% (15/338) pAMR3 0.1% (1/701) 0 0 Total pAMR 2% (13/701) 12% (13/113) 15% (52/338) Treated AMR 0 10% (1/10) 17% (5/30) Median AMR episodes per patient 1 1.5 3
Factors influencing acquired subgottic stenosis in infants

A prospective study of factors that might contribute to the development of acquired subgiottic stenosis was undertaken in newborn infants with endotracheal tubes in place for 7 days or more. Duration of intubation, the number of endotracheal tubes inserted, the duration of mechanical ventilation, the presence of post-extubation stridor, and the size of the endotracheal tube in relation to gestational age significantly correlated with the development of subglottic stenosis. Patients at risk for significant subglottic stenosis were those with post-extubation stridor and those with tubes in place for 25 days or longer. On the basis of these findings, it is recommended that endotracheal tubes be chosen such that the ratio of nominal tube size divided by the patient's gestational age in weeks is less than 0.1.
Carjacking and its consequences: A situational analysis of risk factors for differential outcomes

Using police narrative accounts of 241 carjackings in Las Vegas, this study examines the situational contexts of carjacking and the risk factors associated with its outcomes (that is, whether the vehicle theft is completed or just attempted, whether the victim suffers injuries or not). Our findings indicate that the influence of type of carjacking, the numerical advantage of suspects over victims, valuables stolen, weapon use and level of victim resistance are highly contextual, having diverse effects on the consequences of carjacking across different situational contexts. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the control of carjacking through increased victim awareness programs and other situational crime prevention strategies.
Novel preparation method for improving the dispersion of ionic liquid-modified montmorillonite in poly(ethylene terephthalate)

Thermally stable ionic liquids (ILs) were used to modify clay nanoparticles for use in the preparation of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/clay nanocomposites. Nanoclays with smaller particle size distributions were prepared with a two-step centrifugation method that removed large particles from commercial montmorillonite (MMT). Scanning electron microscopy of aqueous dispersions of MMT and centrifuged clay (CMMT) illustrated that the average particle size of CMMT in water was much lower than that of MMT in water. Both CMMT and MMT were modified with imidazolium- and phosphonium-based ILs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed that the surfactants were associated with the clay surface. Thermal gravimetric analysis results indicated that clays modified with thermally stable ILs degraded above 300°C and could survive PET processing temperatures. Transmission electron microscopy for nanocomposites revealed an improvement in the dispersion of centrifuged nanoclays (modified with both imidazolium and phosphonium ILs) into the polymer matrix compared to non-centrifuged modified MMT with larger particle sizes. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry data indicated that particle size distributions have a significant effect on the dispersion and rate of crystallization of nanoclays modified with imidazolium surfactants. There was, however, a less important effect of centrifugation on the dispersion of nanoclays modified with phosphonium surfactants. POLYM. COMPOS., 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
High-efficiency blue generation by frequency doubling of femtosecond pulses in a thick nonlinear crystal.

We have demonstrated highly efficient frequency doubling of femtosecond pulses in a thick, noncritically phase-matched KNbO3 crystal under conditions of large group-velocity mismatch. At low power we observed a slope efficiency of ?300% nJ-1 for harmonic conversion, and at higher powers we generated 170 mW of second-harmonic blue output for 300 mW of input light. Furthermore, we have shown that the focusing dependence for our conditions of large group-velocity mismatch is considerably different from that obtained for frequency doubling of continuous-wave light. We have also demonstrated that one can tune the spectral width of the generated blue light by varying the focusing conditions.
Long-term follow-up of liver transplantation for Budd-Chiari syndrome with antithrombotic therapy based on the etiology.

BACKGROUND Because myeloproliferative disorders (MPDs) are a frequent cause of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS), treatment directed toward altering platelet production and function may be more rational and effective than anticoagulation after liver transplantation. METHODS We reviewed data on 25 patients who received liver transplantation for BCS at our institution from 1987 to 2007. Posttransplant antithrombotic treatment was based on the cause of BCS: 17 patients with MPDs received hydroxyurea/aspirin; 5 received warfarin; and 3 (2 whose hypercoagulable disorder was corrected and 1 with sarcoidosis) received no therapy. RESULTS Both graft survival (88% at 5 years) and patient survival (92% at 5 years) were superior in the BCS group compared with the 2609 patients who received liver transplants for other indications. Vascular complications included three instances of hepatic artery stenosis (NS compared with non-BCS liver recipients), one of portal vein thrombosis (nonsignificant [NS]), and one of portal vein stenosis (NS). All 25 patients underwent multiple liver biopsies with no bleeding complications. CONCLUSIONS Using hydroxyurea and aspirin to treat patients with BCS caused by an MPD seems to be safe and effective and avoids the risks of anticoagulation with warfarin.
Use of time information in muon level-crossing resonance spectroscopy.

Muon level-crossing resonance (\ensuremath{\mu}LCR) spectroscopy is used to measure the variation of the emitted-positron asymmetry with respect to the longitudinal magnetic field, averaged over the muon lifetime. However, for pulsed and even chopped ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}^{+}$ beams, time information can be used (i) to produce a stronger resonance signal, and (ii) to avoid most of the sensitivity to drifts, as compared to the customary integral \ensuremath{\mu}LCR technique. This can be done without reverting to the low-data rates normally required for time-differential muon-spin resonance (\ensuremath{\mu}SR) spectroscopy at cw accelerators.
Interrelationship of insulin and glucagon ratios on carbohydrate metabolism in isolated hepatocytes containing high glycogen.

Abstract The effect of physiological concentrations of glucagon and insulin on glycogenolysis was studied in the presence and absence of substrates in isolated hepatocytes containing high glycogen. In the absence of substrates glucagon stimulated glycogenolysis at 10−14M concentration, and addition of 100 μunits of insulin partially inhibited glucagon stimulated glycogenolysis (10−14M to 10−11M). However, in the presence of substrates, insulin completely inhibited glucagon stimulated glycogenolysis (10−14M to 10−11M), indicating that molar glucagon and insulin ratios control carbohydrate metabolism in liver. Additional studies showed incorporation of amino acid into protein was linear for only 3 to 4 hr in cells containing low glycogen, whereas in cells containing high glycogen, incorporation was linear for 8 to 10 hr.
Ecomorphology of the giant short-faced bears Agriotherium and Arctodus

The hypothesis that giant short-faced bears of the genera Agriotherium and Arctodus were primarily carnivorous and preyed on large terrestrial mammals is examined. It is argued that the shape and wear pattern of the cheek teeth and the presence of the premasseteric fossa on the mandible in these two ursids suggest a large amount of plant material in their diet. Likewise, the absence of adaptations for either ambush or pursuit predation in their skull and postcranial skeleton suggest that they did not prey on large terrestrial mammals. Further support for this conclusion is provided by a comparison of the dental and skeletal morphology of Agriotherium and Arctodus to that of Hemicyon ursinus, an extinct ursid widely accepted to have been a predaceous carnivore. However, it is also argued that the giant short-faced bears included a large amount of animal material in their diets, which was obtained by scavenging.
The Effect of Flow Shear Stress on Endothelialization of Impervious Dacron Grafts from Circulating Cells in the Arterial and Venous Systems of the Same Dog

The purpose of this report was to study effects of shear force and hemodynamic conditions that influence fallout healing in the arterial and venous systems of the same dog. Knitted Dacron grafts made impervious by a 1.5 mm thick coat of silicone rubber bonded to the external surface were implanted for 4 weeks during the same surgery in the descending thoracic aorta (DTA), abdominal aorta (AA) and inferior vena cava (IVC) of each of five dogs. Flow rates were measured during surgery and shear stresses calculated with the Hagen-Poiseuille formula. Full-wall thickness longitudinal tissue sections were embedded in resin and stained with hematoxylin and eosin for light microscopy, and in paraffin for immunocytochemistry studies with Factor VIII/von Willebrand factor, smooth muscle α-actin, collagen IV, laminin, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. Scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy studies were also performed. AgN03 was used to determine percentage of endothelial-like cell coverage on the flow surface. All grafts were patent, without hematoma or seroma. Endothelial-like cell coverage was highest in the IVC grafts and lowest in the DTA. Shear stress and flow velocity were significantly lower in IVC grafts than DTA and AA. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen indicated extensive cellular proliferation in the intima and in the interstices of the inner portion of the graft wall. The degree of fallout healing in knitted Dacron grafts made impervious by an external coat of silicone rubber varies inversely with the sheer force of blood flow in these grafts.
Nodal tachycardia in a case of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Abstract Rocky Mountain spotted fever is not a common disease, and despite its name it may occur in any part of the United States. When it occurs in an endemic area, it is more easily recognized than the occasional sporadic case. In the latter instance, the disease should be suspected when a patient complains of headache, prostration, chills, fever, and bone pain and when a maculopapular rash appears on the extremities. When these symptoms appear and there is a history of tick bite, the diagnosis can usually be confirmed by agglutinations with Proteus OX19 in a titer of 1:320 or over, and/or complement fixation test in a titer of 1:10 or over, or animal inoculation. In the untreated cases, the fatality rate is 20 to 25 per cent. Since the advent of the new antibiotics Chloromycetin and aureomycin, the disease can now be successfully treated. Pincoffs and associates 1 have reported seventeen cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever successfully treated with Chloromycetin. Parker and co-workers 5 have also reported on the efficacy of Chloromycetin as a chemotherapeutic agent in sixteen cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. Ross and associates, 2 Cooke, 3 and Havens and Stickney 4 have reported cases in which the disease was successfully treated with aureomycin. It is the purpose of this article to report a patient with Rocky Mountain spotted fever who made an excellent clinical response to Chloromycetin, but in whom an intermittent nodal tachycardia was discovered during the course of the disease which persisted after clinical recovery.
Uneasy Duets: Contemporary American Dances about Israel and the Mideast Crisis

Jewish choreographers have consistently created dances that embody the shifting role of Israel in American Jewish life. Countering the Zionism of mid-century dances about Israel, contemporary Jewish American choreographers such as Liz Lerman and Kristen Smiarowski actively question the ideology of unconditional support, deftly grapple with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and situate performance as an opportunity for activism, inquiry, and debate.
Long-term reduction in pain and disability after surgery with the interspinous device for intervertebral assisted motion (DIAM) spinal stabilization system in patients with low back pain: 4-year follow-up from a longitudinal prospective case series

Patients with low back pain (LBP) suffer chronic disability. In 40% of LBP patients degenerative disc disease (DDD) seems to be the cause. This prospective case series assessed the efficacy of the interspinous device for intervertebral assisted motion (DIAM™) in patients with LBP resulting from DDD. All patients were initially assessed by physical examinations, magnetic resonance imaging, dynamic X-rays and provocative discography. Eligible patients (n = 52) had LBP for a minimum of 4 months, and received surgery with the DIAM™ system 2–4 weeks after diagnosis. Patients were evaluated pre-/post-operatively for pain severity using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and for dysfunction and disability with the Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). VAS and RMDQ score changes were assessed using the appropriate contrasts and Bonferroni-corrected P values. As a result, significant (P < 0.0001) pain score reductions were observed between baseline values, and 2 (3.7, 95% CI 3.1; 4.2) and 48 (3.1, 95% CI 2.5; 3.6) months follow-up (intent-to-treat population). Disability scores were significantly (P < 0.0001) reduced between baseline and 2 (8.6, 95% CI 7.4; 9.9) and 48 (7.5, 95% CI 6.1; 8.9) months. Disability scores were similar from months 2 to 48. At 48 months, 67.3% of patients reached the minimum clinically important difference (MCID; ≥1.5-unit improvement) in VAS score and 78.9% of patients reached the MCID (≥30% improvement) in RMDQ score. No complications were associated with surgery. In conclusion, patients with LBP treated with the interspinous DIAM™ system showed significant and clinically meaningful improvements in pain and disability for up to 4 years.
The effects of platinum on nickel electrodes in the nickel-hydrogen cell

Interactions of platinum and platinum compounds with the nickel electrode that are possible in the nickel hydrogen cell, where both the nickel electrode and a platinum catalyst hydrogen electrode are in intimate contact with the alkaline electrolyte, are examined. Additionally, a mechanism of nickel cobalt oxyhydroxide formation in NiH2 cells is presented.
Pathwise approximation and simulation for the Zakai filtering equation through operator splitting

Pathwise approximate solutions to the Zakai nonlinear filtering equation are analyzed and computed through operator splitting techniques. Several examples are presented to test the performances of the operator splitting algorithms.
Disagreeing (about) What to Do: Negation and Completeness in Gibbard's Norm‐Expressivism*

struction of only two, most plausibly (N,) and (N3), with no way to interpret (N2). From a logical point of view, we can think of requirement and permission as operators on sentences (or on infinitives or participles). The operators are duals, so that to define one operator in terms of the other we need not just internal negation, but external as well. We can use *R and T as operators for requirement and permission, so *RA is (defined as) /PiA; more to the point,
Characteristics of Multimodal Conflicts in Urban On-Street Bicycle Lanes

In urban areas, bicycles that travel in bicycle lanes encounter a variety of obstructions, including pedestrians and various types of motor vehicles. Earlier studies focused on the frequency of such events. The goal of this study was to characterize the obstructions. Data were collected in the Manhattan and Brooklyn boroughs of New York City to evaluate specific characteristics (e.g., bicycle lane designs, curb regulations, land use) that might influence the frequency of specific conflict types. A method is described for evaluating the frequency of conflicts between bicycles that travel in on-street bicycle lanes and various other transportation modes and for identifying factors that might affect the frequency of such conflicts.
Spot Pricing of Secondary Spectrum Usage in Wireless Cellular Networks

Recent deregulation initiatives enable cellular providers to sell excess spectrum for secondary usage. In this paper, we investigate the problem of optimal spot pricing of spectrum by a provider in the presence of both non-elastic primary users, with long-term commitments, and opportunistic, elastic secondary users. We first show that optimal pricing can be formulated as an infinite horizon average reward problem and solved using stochastic dynamic programming. Next, we investigate the design of efficient single pricing policies. We provide numerical and analytical evidences that static pricing policies do not perform well in such settings (in sharp contrast to settings where all the users are elastic). On the other hand, we prove that deterministic threshold pricing achieves optimal profit amongst all single-price policies and performs close to global optimal pricing. We characterize the profit regions of static and threshold pricing, as a function of the arrival rate of primary users. Under certain reasonable assumptions on the demand function, we show that the profit region of threshold pricing can be far larger than that of static pricing. Moreover, we also show that these profit regions critically depend on the support of the demand function rather than specific form of it. We prove that the profit function of threshold pricing is unimodal in price and determine a restricted interval in which the optimal threshold lies. These two properties enable very efficient computation of the optimal threshold policy that is far faster than that of the global optimal policy.
Integration of Self-Assembled Porous Alumina and Distributed Bragg Reflector for Light Trapping in Si Photovoltaic Devices

Light trapping is an important issue for thin film silicon photovoltaic cells due to the limited absorption coefficient for near infrared light. In this letter, we present a photonic structure that combines porous anodic aluminum oxide with a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) on the backside of Si cells for light trapping. Simulation results show that this low-cost, self-assembled structure can provide more than 50% relative efficiency enhancement for a 2 μm thin film crystalline Si solar cell, as compared to a reference cell without any back structure. As a proof of concept, we incorporated the backside structure into thick silicon wafers. The enhancement of light absorption near the band edge of silicon is demonstrated for our proposed light-trapping structure, in agreement with the theoretical predictions.
CHAOS, NOISE AND COMPLEX FRACTAL DIMENSIONS

Herein we propose a measure to distinguish a chaotic time series from one which is colored noise. We apply rescaled range analysis to the chaotic time series generated by a two-degree-of-freedom, nonintegrable Hamiltonian system, and find a modulated power-law for R/S. The combination of the power-law index and the period of modulation suggests a complex fractal dimension, which may be the signature of chaos. Some residual questions are collected.
Edson Sunderland and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure

T wAs my privilege to be associated with Edson Sunderland for many years in a major endeavor for the improvement of law administration, namely, the framing of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In this association I came to know what a rare spirit he was, how devoted to the public service he had undertaken, and yet withal how gay and charming a friend and co-worker he always showed himself. In the roster of American workers for better justice he stands preeminent for the length, the original character, and the unique persistence of his labors. But this wholehearted idealism in a particular area still left him occasion for public and community service of a high order, while he remains one of the great American law teachers of all time. For me it is a sacred duty to pay all the tribute of which I am capable to a memory so dear and so cherished. Our endeavor in fashioning the federal rules - shared of course with the other members of the Supreme Court's Advisory Committee - comprised not only the original drafting of the new procedure, but also its critical study, with the suggestion of clarifying amendments, over a period of two decades. But my association with Professor Sunderland dated from a time even earlier. From my first teaching days in the early '20s I had learned to recognize the outstanding leadership he had shown in his chosen field wherein I had become a worker only more or less by chance when my senior Yale colleagues spurned it. I had also come to know him and to recognize him as a scholar through his lively participation in the meetings of the Association of American Law Schools.' In 1930 he served as its president, 2 and I recall with some pride that two years later he was chairman of a committee which nominated me
Closed-world tracking

A new approach to tracking weakly modeled objects in a semantically rich domain is presented. We define a closed-world as a space-time region of an image sequence in which the complete taxonomy of objects is known, and in which each pixel should be explained as belonging to one of those objects. Given contextual object information, context-specific features can be dynamically selected as the basis for tracking. A context-specific feature is one that has been chosen based upon the context to maximize the chance of successful tracking between frames. Our work is motivated by the goal of video annotation-the semi-automatic generation of symbolic descriptions of action taking place in a contextually-rich dynamic scene. We describe how contextual knowledge in the "football domain" can be applied to closed-world football player tracking and present the details of our implementation. We include tracking results based on hundreds of images that demonstrate the wide range of tracking situations the algorithm successfully handles as well as a few examples of where the algorithm fails. >
Seasonal patterns of heat loss in wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

This study investigated patterns of heat loss in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) resident to Sarasota Bay, FL, USA, where water temperatures vary seasonally from 11 to 33°C. Simultaneous measurements of heat flux (HF) and skin surface temperature were collected at the body wall and appendages of dolphins during health-monitoring events in summer (June 2002–2004) and winter (February 2003–2005). Integument thickness was measured and whole body conductance (W/m2 °C) was estimated using HF and colonic temperature measurements. Across seasons, HF values were similar at the appendages, but their distribution differed significantly at the flipper and fluke. In summer, these appendages displayed uniformly high values, while in winter they most frequently displayed very low HF values with a few high HF values. In winter, blubber thickness was significantly greater and estimated conductance significantly lower, than in summer. These results suggest that dolphins attempt to conserve heat in winter. In winter, though, HF values across the body wall were similar to (flank) or greater than (caudal keel) summer values. It is likely that higher winter HF values are due to the steep temperature gradient between the body core and colder winter water, which may limit the dolphin’s ability to decrease heat loss across the body wall.
Electrochromic device with full-color technology

The electrochromic device can switch colors by inducing appropriate potential. There are many advantages, including low driving potential, high contrast, bright color, memory effect [1], and flexibility [2], so they can be applied to displays, e-papers and energy-efficiency windows. However, slow switching speed and full-color are both main faults. Hence, electrochromic devices are only applied to low-class products.
Relative dispersal ability of a key agricultural pest and its predators in an annual agroecosystem

In predator–prey interactions, a widely held view is that prey species have higher dispersal rates relative to their predators and are thereby able to escape from predation by colonizing habitats before their predators. Despite major implications for predator–prey interactions, community assembly, and biological control, this view has rarely been tested, and measuring relative dispersal abilities is often complicated by colonizing predators and prey originating from different locations. In California’s San Joaquin Valley, the periodic harvest of alfalfa presents an opportunity to measure dispersal of a key generalist pest, Lygus spp., relative to a suite of its generalist predators. We performed a large-scale mark-capture study by marking a mature alfalfa field containing Lygus and its predators with an aerial application of a protein marker. The alfalfa was then harvested by the grower, prompting a dispersal event. At several times following harvest, surrounding cotton fields were sampled at known distances from the marked field to quantify movement by Lygus and its predators. Contrary to the general view, our data do not suggest that Lygus routinely out-disperses its suite of predators. Instead, the mean dispersal distance for Lygus fell near the average dispersal distances of its predators. Implications for biological control are discussed in light of these results, and the importance of predators’ trophic strategy is stressed.
Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is usually an indolent disorder which in some patients assumes an aggressive clinical course. In order to assess at presentation the prognosis of a given patient, several staging systems and prognostic variables have been proposed including the expression of the Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA). PCNA is a 36 kd nuclear protein, the regulation of which is cell cycle-dependent. In CLL, PCNA levels correlate with cell proliferation, clinical stage and the lymphocyte doubling time (LDT). Furthermore, preliminary data suggests that PCNA expression may also predict response to Fludarabine-based chemotherapy. Since PCNA is a cofactor for Delta DNA polymerase, PCNA overexpression in CLL may also reflect the intrinsic DNA repair activity of the leukemic cells and thus their resistance to chemotherapy. Further studies aiming at modulation of PCNA expression in CLL cells may clarify this issue and may offer a future new therapeutic strategy with which to treat this disorder.
Health care use and charges for adolescents enrolled in a title XXI program.

Abstract Purpose: To examine the use patterns and charges for adolescents with special health care needs (ASHCN) and adolescents engaging in risky behaviors (ARB) and both (BOTH), compared with adolescents with no identified special health care or risky behavior diagnosis (ANIC) in a pool of adolescent enrollees eligible for Title XXI services. Methods: Claims and encounter data were used to classify 11,459 who had been enrolled in Florida’s Healthy Kids Program for 2 consecutive years into 4 groups: ASHCN (n = 1363); ARB (n = 1801); BOTH (n = 773); and ANIC (n = 7522). Monthly per capita inpatient, outpatient, emergency room, and total use and charges were calculated and compared across groups using the Wilcoxon rank sum test, descriptive statistics, and odds ratios. Results: The data indicated that ASHCN, ARB, and BOTH consume significantly more health care services than ANIC and that their higher use and charges are attributable not only to condition-related costs but also to their higher use of non-condition-related services as well. The data also revealed that adolescents with a special health care diagnosis (ASHCN and BOTH) had a higher percentage of costs owing to inpatient stays, whereas adolescents with a risky behavior diagnosis (ARB and BOTH) had a higher percentage of costs owing to emergency room usage. Finally, relevant to the total resources necessary to provide health care for adolescents, the data showed that 65% of the total annual costs of this program emanate from the 35% of adolescents who have special health care needs, engage in risky behaviors, or both. Conclusions: This study underscores two important points that can be used to ensure that adequate financing, provider network, and service delivery systems are developed to best meet the needs of the adolescent population: (a) the importance of considering the unique needs of adolescents in reimbursement rate setting strategies and (b) the importance of considering category of service utilization in weighting premiums for various groups.
Paromomycin: No More Effective than Placebo for Treatment of Cryptosporidiosis in Patients with Advanced Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

To evaluate the efficacy of paromomycin for the treatment of symptomatic cryptosporidial enteritis in human immunodeficiency virus-infected adults, we conducted a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial before the widespread introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Seven units under the auspices of the AIDS Clinical Trials Group enrolled 35 adults with CD4 cell counts of < or = 150/mm(3). Initially, 17 patients received paromomycin (500 mg 4 times daily) and 18 received matching placebo for 21 days. Then all patients received paromomycin (500 mg q.i.d.) for an additional 21 days. Clinical definitions of response were measured by an average number of bowel movements per day in association with concurrent need for antidiarrheal agents that was lower than that before study entry. There was no treatment response during the placebo-controlled phase of the study according to protocol-defined criteria (P=.88). Three paromomycin recipients (17.6%) versus 2 placebo recipients (14.3%) responded completely. Rates of combined partial and complete responses in the paromomycin arm (8 out of 17, 47.1%) and the placebo arm (5 out of 14, 35.7%) of the study were also similar (P=.72). The clinical course of cryptosporidiosis was quite variable. Paromomycin was not shown to be more effective than placebo for the treatment of symptomatic cryptosporidial enteritis. However, inadequate statistical power prevents definitive rejection of the usefulness of paromomycin as therapy for this infection.
Building Local Government Capacity: The Toolbox for Outreach Educators

The environment in which local governments, particularly smaller more rural governments operate, has undergone fundamen- tal changes. What was once modest part-time volunteer service by civic-minded persons has been transformed into complex, time con- suming political environments. As the responsibilities and chal- lenges of managing local government mounts, institutions of higher education can play a significant role in helping these community volunteers better understand and act upon the new environment in which they find themselves. In this article, we lay out one potential line of thinking to help institutions of higher education address this growing need for applied research and outreach education.
Recent findings of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3 PUFAs) on atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD) contrasting studies in Western countries to Japan

Recent long-term randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3 PUFAs) on coronary heart disease (CHD) among high-risk patients conducted in Western countries all failed to show their clinical benefits. In striking contrast, an RCT of LCn-3 PUFAs on CHD conducted in Japan, which is a combination of secondary and primary prevention, showed a significant 19% reduction. Potential reasons for this discrepancy are large differences in doses of LCn-3 PUFAs administered (300-900 mg/day in Western countries vs. 1800 mg/day in Japan) and background dietary intake of LCn-3 PUFAs ( 1000 mg/day in Japan). These observations suggest that higher doses of LCn-3 PUFAs than examined in RCTs in Western countries may be cardio-protective. Atherosclerosis is the major underlying cause of CHD. Recent observational studies and an RCT of LCn-3 PUFAs on atherosclerosis in Japan show that LCn-3 PUFAs are anti-atherogenic. In this brief review, we focus on recent epidemiological and clinical findings of LCn-3 PUFAs on atherosclerosis and CHD, contrasting studies in Western countries to those in Japan. We also discuss mechanisms of high-dose LCn-3 PUFAs on atherosclerosis.
Heads up!: biomechanical modeling and neuromuscular control of the neck

Unlike the human face, the neck has been largely overlooked in the computer graphics literature, this despite its complex anatomical structure and the important role that it plays in supporting the head in balance while generating the controlled head movements that are essential to so many aspects of human behavior. This paper makes two major contributions. First, we introduce a biomechanical model of the human head-neck system. Emulating the relevant anatomy, our model is characterized by appropriate kinematic redundancy (7 cervical vertebrae coupled by 3-DOF joints) and muscle actuator redundancy (72 neck muscles arranged in 3 muscle layers). This anatomically consistent biomechanical model confronts us with a challenging motor control problem, even for the relatively simple task of balancing the mass of the head in gravity atop the cervical spine. Hence, our second contribution is a novel neuromuscular control model for human head animation that emulates the relevant biological motor control mechanisms. Incorporating low-level reflex and high-level voluntary sub-controllers, our hierarchical controller provides input motor signals to the numerous muscle actuators. In addition to head pose and movement, it controls the tone of mutually opposed neck muscles to regulate the stiffness of the head-neck multibody system. Employing machine learning techniques, the neural networks within our neuromuscular controller are trained offline to efficiently generate the online pose and tone control signals necessary to synthesize a variety of autonomous movements for the behavioral animation of the human head and face.
Joint Attention, Social-Cognition, and Recognition Memory in Adults

The early emerging capacity for Joint Attention, or socially coordinated visual attention, is thought to be integral to the development of social-cognition in childhood. Recent studies have also begun to suggest that joint attention affects adult cognition as well, but methodological limitations hamper research on this topic. To address this issue we developed a novel virtual reality (VR) paradigm that integrates eye-tracking and virtual avatar technology to measure two types of joint attention in adults, Initiating Joint Attention (IJA) and Responding to Joint Attention (RJA). Distinguishing these types of joint attention in research is important because they are thought to reflect unique, as well as common constellations of processes involved in human social-cognition and social learning. We tested the validity of the differentiation of IJA and RJA in our paradigm in two studies of picture recognition memory in undergraduate students. Study 1 indicated that young adults correctly identified more pictures they had previously viewed in an IJA condition (67%) than in a RJA (58%) condition, η2 = .57. Study 2 controlled for IJA and RJA stimulus viewing time differences, and replicated the findings of Study 1. The implications of these results for the validity of the paradigm and research on the affects of joint attention on adult social-cognition are discussed.