cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Forecasting the morbidity and mortality associated with prevalent cases of pre-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis C in the United States ☆ ☆☆

Abstract Background Without diagnosis and antiviral therapy, many patients with chronic hepatitis C infections will develop end-stage liver disease and die from complications. Aims To evaluate the future impacts of preventive interventions and treatment advances, this paper forecasts a baseline estimate of the future morbidity and mortality of prevalent hepatitis C when left untreated. Methods We simulated the future disease progression and death for all Americans with prevalent hepatitis C in 2005. To validate the model, we used past seroprevalence to forecast contemporary outcomes. We used the validated model to forecast future cases of end-stage liver disease, transplants, and deaths from 2010 to 2060, and we estimated credible intervals using Monte Carlo simulation. Results When programmed with past data, our model predicted current levels of hepatitis C outcomes with accuracy between ±1% and 13%. Morbidity and mortality from hepatitis C will rise from 2010 to a peak between the years 2030 and 2035. We forecasted a peak of 38,600 incident cases of end-stage liver disease; 3200 referrals for transplant; and 36,100 deaths. Conclusions Because current rates of screening and treatment are low, future morbidity and mortality from hepatitis C are likely to increase substantially without public health interventions to increase treatment.
Transition state structure of the solvolytic hydrolysis of NAD

The transition state structure has been determined for the pH-independent solvolytic hydrolysis of NAD+. The structure is based on kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) measured for NAD+'s labeled in various positions of the ribose ring and in the leaving group nitrogen. The KIEs for reactions performed at 100 °C in 50 mM NaOAc (pH 4.0) were as follows: 1-15N, 1.020 ± 0.007; 1‘-14C, 1.016 ± 0.002; [1-15N,1‘-14C], 1.034 ± 0.002; 1‘-3H, 1.194 ± 0.005; 2‘-3H, 1.114 ± 0.004; 4‘-3H, 0.997 ± 0.001; 5‘-3H, 1.000 ± 0.003; 4‘-18O, 0.988 ± 0.007. The transition state structure was determined using bond energy/bond order vibrational analysis to predict KIEs for trial transition state models. The structure that most closely matches the experimental KIEs defines the transition state. A structure interpolation method was developed to generate trial transition state structures and thereby systematically search reaction coordinate space. Structures are generated by interpolation between reference structures, reactant NAD+ and ...
Kinetically inert Cu in coastal waters.

Many studies have shown that Cu and other metals in natural waters are mostly bound by unidentified compounds interpreted to be strong ligands reversibly complexing a given metal. However, commonly applied analytical techniques are not capable of distinguishing strongly but reversibly complexed metal from metal bound in kinetically inert compounds. In this work, we use a modified competitive ligand exchange adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetry method combined with size fractionation to show that most if not all of the apparently very strongly (log K ≥ 13) bound Cu in samples from five New England coastal waters (1−18 nM, 10−60% of total Cu) is actually present as kinetically inert compounds. In three of the five samples examined by ultrafiltration, a significant portion of the 0.2-μm-filtrable inert Cu was retained by a 0.02-μm-pore size filter, suggesting that at least some of the Cu was kinetically inert because it was physically sequestered in colloidal material. The rest of the ambient Cu, and Cu...
Fluorescent analogs of NAADP with calcium mobilizing activity

Nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) mobilizes Ca2+ through a mechanism totally independent of cyclic ADP-ribose or inositol trisphosphate. Fluorescent analogs of NAADP were synthesized in this study to facilitate further characterization of this novel Ca2+ release mechanism. The base-exchange reaction catalyzed by ADP-ribosyl cyclase was utilized to convert nicotinamide 1,N6-ethenoadenine dinucleotide phosphate to a fluorescent product, nicotinic acid 1,N6-ethenoadenine dinucleotide phosphate (etheno-NAADP). The excitation spectrum of the product showed two maxima at 275 nm and 300 nm and an emission maximum at 410 nm. An aza derivative of etheno-NAADP was also synthesized by sequential treatments with NaOH and nitrite. The product, nicotinic acid 1,N6-etheno-2-aza-adenine dinucleotide phosphate (etheno-aza-NAADP) had excitation maxima at 280 nm and 360 nm and an emission maximum at 470 nm. The fluorescence of both analogs was sensitive to polarity and exhibited a 3-4-fold enhancement going from an aqueous buffer to an organic solvent. Proton-NMR measurements confirmed the presence of the etheno ring in both analogs. In the aza derivative the proton at the 2-position of the adenine ring was absent, consistent with the conversion of the 2-carbon to a nitrogen. Both analogs could activate Ca2+ release from sea urchin egg homogenates and the half-maximal concentrations for etheno-aza-NAADP and etheno-NAADP were at about 2.5 microM and 5 microM, respectively. At sub-threshold concentrations, both analogs could also function as antagonists, inactivating the NAADP-sensitive Ca2+ release with a half-maximal concentration of 60-80 nM. Microinjection of etheno-aza-NAADP into live eggs activated Ca2+ increase and triggered a cortical exocytotic reaction confirming its effectiveness in vivo. These fluorescent analogs are potentially useful for visualizing the novel Ca2+ stores that are sensitive to NAADP in live cells.
Free resolutions of parameter ideals for some rings with finite local cohomology

Let R be a d-dimensional local ring, with maximal ideal m, containing a field and let x 1 ,..., x d be a system of parameters for R. If depth R > d - 1 and the local cohomology module H d-1 m (R) is finitely generated, then there exists an integer n such that the modules R/(x i 1 ,...,x i d ) have the same Betti numbers, for all i ≥ n.
Phase-change phenomena in porous media – a non-local thermal equilibrium model

Abstract An approximate theoretical enthalpy model is developed to study the phase-change process in porous media. During the melting or the freezing process, the interface within a pore remains at the phase-change temperature until the process is completed. Since the melting process is relatively slow, the assumption of local thermal equilibrium is not universally valid. This theoretical study leads to the development of working relations. An approximate two-temperature model is studied analytically. The results provide the parametric information concerning the phase-change front. Also, the conditions that would assure the existence of local thermal equilibrium are presented.
Low-complexity image coder/decoder with an approaching-entropy quad-tree search code for embedded computing platforms

In this paper, we propose a fast, simple and efficient image codec applicable for embedded processing systems. Among the existing image coding methods, wavelet quad-tree is a foundation leading to an efficient structure to encode images. By searching significant coefficients along quadtrees, an embedded efficient code can be obtained. In this work, we exploit hierarchical relations of the quad-tree structure in terms of searching entropy and present a quadtree searching model that is very close to the searching entropy. By applying this model, our codec surpasses SPIHT [1] by 0.2–0.4 db over wide code rates, and its performance is comparable to SPIHT with arithmetic coding and JPEG2000 [2]. With no additional overhead of arithmetic coding, our code is much faster and simpler than SPIHT with adaptive arithmetic coding and the more complicated JPEG2000 algorithms. This is a critical factor sought in embedded processing in communication systems where energy consumption and speed are priority concerns. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed codec is about twice as fast with very low computational overheads and comparable coding performances than existing algorithms.
RELATIVE SWEETNESS OF FR.UCTOSE AND SUCROSE IN MODEL solutions, LEMON BEVERAGES AND WHITE CAKE

The relative sweetness of fructose and sucrose was evaluated at various concentrations in distilled water, in citric acid solutions (pH = 2.35, and 3.0), in lemon flavored beverages (pH = 2.35 and 2.7), and in vanilla cake. In distilled water and in the less acidic beverage and citric acid solutions, magnitude estimates of sweetness revealed fructose to be sweeter than sucrose by a factor of 1.6 – 1.9 at lower sugar concentrations. However, the greater relative sweetness of fructose declined- with increasing sugar concentration. In the more acidic beverage and citric acid solutions, no difference in perceived sweetness between fructose and sucrose was found at any sugar concentration. Similarly, no difference in the perceived sweetness of the two sugars was found when each was used as a sweetener in vanilla cake. These data suggest that the greatest sweetening advantage of fructose over sucrose occurs at the lower concentrations of the two sugars: However, when used in certain beverages or foods, concomitant tastes may mask or mitigate this differential sweetness.
Ion-implantation damage in amorphous and crystalline Nb40Ni60

The refractory-transition metal glasses may show a high resistance to displacement-type radiation damage. No resolvable crystallization, phase separation, or void formation is observed at the 20-dpa level for irradiation at room temperature and 900/sup 0/K. The stable NiNb crystalline phase, embedded in an amorphous matrix, may be converted to the glassy state by cascade-type ion bombardment with no evidence of microstructural features attributable to accumulation of radiation-induced defects. The level of radiation damage at which the crystalline material transforms completely to amorphous material appears to be quite low, perhaps a dose as small as 1 to 2 dpa. These results suggest that this class of metallic glass should be investigated thoroughly as a prospective material for high-flux radiation environments.
Lateral Nonuniformity And Mesoscale Effects in Giant Area Electronics

The recently developed physics of thin-film photovoltaics is suggested to be representative of other giant area electronics. We show that (i) giant-area devices are intrinsically nonuniform in the lateral directions, (ii) the nonuniformity spans length scales from millimeters to meters depending on external drivers such as light intensity and bias, and (iii) it significantly impacts the device performance. We derive a fundamental length scale that discriminates between the cases of small and large-area devices, and beyond which a new physics emerges. In addition, we present a practical method of mitigating the nonuniformity effects.
Factors Affecting Social Work Students’ Willingness to Work with Elders with Alzheimer’s Disease

This study sought to determine factors that affect social work students’ willingness to work with the growing number of elders with Alzheimer’s disease. An in-class survey of 333 BSW and MSW students at three Florida universities throughout 1996 produced data on measures of the dependent variable (willingness to work with elders with Alzheimer’s disease) and 16 independent variables (potential influences). Path analysis and a stepwise regression analysis allowed construction of a model with a prediction variance of 54%, indicating that the principal contributing variables are willingness to work with elders, previous close contact with elders, close contact with elders with Alzheimer’s disease, and preference for working with older versus younger clients. These and some less influential factors suggest ways that social work educators can encourage students to serve this vulnerable population.
Rate control in atrial fibrillation: targets, methods, resynchronization considerations.

Controlling the ventricular rate during both paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation (AF), initially with digitalis preparations and subsequently with β-blockers and calcium channel blockers, has been a mainstay for the management of this arrhythmia for many years. With the advent of a wide range of pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches for maintaining sinus rhythm, rhythm control strategies have entered widespread clinical use in selected subsets of symptomatic patients. Despite the availability of these rhythm control strategies, however, rate control of AF remains an important and useful approach for a large number of patients, especially those with little or no symptoms from the arrhythmia once the ventricular rate has been controlled. This review discusses the relative risks and benefits of rate versus rhythm control strategies, describes the targets and available methods for rate control, and highlights special considerations for ventricular rate control when cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) is used in patients with AF. Among the most important decisions that must be made by a patient and care provider when choosing a treatment plan for AF is the choice between rate and rhythm control. Rate control is typically a simpler strategy than rhythm control, involving the use of generally less toxic medications and fewer medical procedures, although rate control strategies can result in adverse drug side effects and toxicities and, in some cases, may require interventions such as pacemaker implantation and atrioventricular (AV) nodal ablation. Rhythm control strategies typically involve potentially riskier antiarrhythmic medications or invasive procedures such as catheter ablation or surgery, but, when successful, provide the benefits of sinus rhythm. ### Randomized Trials of Rate versus Rhythm Control Several large randomized, controlled clinical trials have been performed to compare the risks and benefits of rate versus pharmacological rhythm control strategies in patients with AF. Among these are the Atrial Fibrillation Follow-Up Investigation of Rhythm Management (AFFIRM), Rate Control Versus …
Long Term Stability of Nanowire Nanoelectronics in Physiological Environments

Nanowire nanoelectronic devices have been exploited as highly sensitive subcellular resolution detectors for recording extracellular and intracellular signals from cells, as well as from natural and engineered/cyborg tissues, and in this capacity open many opportunities for fundamental biological research and biomedical applications. Here we demonstrate the capability to take full advantage of the attractive capabilities of nanowire nanoelectronic devices for long term physiological studies by passivating the nanowire elements with ultrathin metal oxide shells. Studies of Si and Si/aluminum oxide (Al2O3) core/shell nanowires in physiological solutions at 37 °C demonstrate long-term stability extending for at least 100 days in samples coated with 10 nm thick Al2O3 shells. In addition, investigations of nanowires configured as field-effect transistors (FETs) demonstrate that the Si/Al2O3 core/shell nanowire FETs exhibit good device performance for at least 4 months in physiological model solutions at 37 °C. The generality of this approach was also tested with in studies of Ge/Si and InAs nanowires, where Ge/Si/Al2O3 and InAs/Al2O3 core/shell materials exhibited stability for at least 100 days in physiological model solutions at 37 °C. In addition, investigations of hafnium oxide-Al2O3 nanolaminated shells indicate the potential to extend nanowire stability well beyond 1 year time scale in vivo. These studies demonstrate that straightforward core/shell nanowire nanoelectronic devices can exhibit the long term stability needed for a range of chronic in vivo studies in animals as well as powerful biomedical implants that could improve monitoring and treatment of disease.
Opto-electronic Sensor System for Laboratory Measurement of Planter Seed Spacing with Small Seeds

Abstract An opto-electronic sensor system for measuring seed spacing uniformity with different types of seeds is described in this paper. It consisted of a rectangular photogate block (124×92 mm) with 24 phototransistors (diameter, 3 mm) receiving light beams from 24 light-emitting diodes (diameter, 3 mm) opposite them, a digital input/output board in a personal computer, and power supplies. The opto-electronic system was tested by comparing seed spacing measurements obtained from the opto-electronic system with measurements of the same seed spacings obtained from a grease belt test stand. The tests were conducted with different types of seeds including regular-pelleted (diameter, 3·8–4·5 mm), mini-pelleted (diameter, 3·2–4·0 mm), and medium-encrusted sugarbeet seeds (3·2–3·6 mm in diameter by 1·8–2·6 mm in thickness), and pelleted chicory seeds (diameter, 2·8–3·3 mm). Results showed that the adjusted opto-electronic seed spacings were not significantly different from the same seed spacings measured with the grease belt test stand. The opto-electronic sensor system worked well to obtain 508 seed spacings with regular-pelleted and mini-pelleted sugarbeet seeds and pelleted chicory seeds. The opto-electronic sensor system missed two seeds and detected two “phantom” seeds out of 170 seed spacings with the medium-encrusted sugarbeet seed.
Content and timing of feedback and reflection: a multi-center qualitative study of experienced bedside teachers

Competency-based medical education increasingly recognizes the importance of observation, feedback, and reflection for trainee development. Although bedside rounds provide opportunities for authentic workplace-based implementation of feedback and team-based reflection strategies, this relationship has not been well described. The authors sought to understand the content and timing of feedback and team-based reflection provided by bedside teachers in the context of patient-centered bedside rounds. The authors conducted a thematic analysis qualitative study using transcripts from audio-recorded, semi-structured telephone interviews with internal medicine attending physicians (n= 34) identified as respected bedside teachers from 10 academic US institutions (2010–2011). Half of the respondents (50%) were associate/full professors, with an average of 14 years of academic experience. In the context of bedside encounters, bedside teachers reported providing feedback on history-taking, physical-examination, and case-presentation skills, patient-centered communication, clinical decision-making, leadership, teaching skills, and professionalism. Positive feedback about physical-exam skills or clinical decision-making occurred during encounters, positive or constructive team-based feedback occurred immediately following encounters, and individualized constructive feedback occurred in one-on-one settings following rounding sessions. Compared to less frequent, emotionally-charged events, bedside teachers initiated team-based reflection on commonplace “teachable moments” related to patient characteristics or emotions, trainee actions and emotions, and attending physician role modeling. Bedside teachers use bedside rounds as a workplace-based method to provide assessment, feedback, and reflection, which are aligned with the goals of competency-based medical education. Embedded in patient-centered activities, clinical teachers should be encouraged to incorporate these content- and timing-related feedback and reflection strategies into their bedside teaching.
Assessing the Risks for Modern Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging

Some 35 years after Paul-Jacques and Pierre Curie discovered piezoelectricity, ultrasonic imaging was developed by Paul Langevin. During this work, ultrasonic energy was observed to have a detrimental biological effect. These observations were confirmed a decade later by R. W. Wood and A. L. Loomis. It was not until the early 1950s that ultrasonic exposure conditions were controlled and specified so that studies could focus on the mechanisms by which ultrasound influenced biological materials. In the late 1940s, pioneering work was initiated to image the human body by ultrasonic techniques. These engineers and physicians were aware of the deleterious ultrasound effects at sufficiently high levels; this endeavored them to keep the exposure levels reasonably low. Over the past three decades, diagnostic ultrasound has become a sophisticated technology. Yet, our understanding of the potential risks has not changed appreciably. It is very encouraging that human injury has never been attributed to clinical practice of diagnostic ultrasound.
Superstring Theories as Candidates for Unification

String theories are promising candidates for a unified theory of all fundamental forces and elementary particles. In perturbation theory they are free from the ultraviolet divergences that plague all other attempts to formulate a quantum theory of gravity. Mathematical consistency appears to require a supersymmetric theory in ten dimensions. The E 8×E 8 heterotic string theory may be capable, after spontaneous compactification of six dimensions, of producing realistic low-energy physics. It certainly accounts in a natural way for the occurrence at low mass of chiral families of quarks and leptons. Superstring theory is being developed very rapidly now that it has become so popular. However, it will probably take a long time to full understand its nonperturbative behaviour as a quantum theory and to make a convincing case that it is the theory that nature has chosen.
The Direction of Walking—but Not Throwing or Kicking—Is Adapted by Optic Flow

Optic flow is known to adapt the direction of walking, but the locus of adaptation remains unknown. The effect could be due to realignment of anatomical eye, head, trunk, and leg coordinate frames or to recalibration of a functional mapping from the visual direction of the target to the direction of locomotion. We tested whether adaptation of walking to a target, with optic flow displaced by 10°, transfers to facing, throwing, and kicking a ball to the target. A negative aftereffect for initial walking direction failed to transfer to head orientation or throwing or kicking direction. Thus, participants effectively threw or kicked the ball to the target, and then walked in another direction to retrieve it. These findings are consistent with recalibration of a task-specific visuo-locomotor mapping, revealing a functional level of organization in perception and action.
Comparison of motor control deficits during treadmill and overground walking poststroke.

Background. Force-sensing split-belt treadmills (TMs) provide an alternative to the conventional overground (OG) setting and allow new avenues for analyzing the biomechanics and motor control of walking. However, walking control may differ on a TM compared with walking OG. Objective. To compare spatiotemporal, kinematic, and EMG-based measures of motor control between TM and OG walking at self-selected and fastest comfortable speeds in persons with poststroke hemiparesis. Methods. Individuals with chronic hemiparesis (56) and similarly aged healthy individuals (17) walked over an instrumented walkway and on an instrumented split-belt TM; 16 channels of EMG recorded bilateral muscle activity, and a 12-camera motion capture system collected bilateral 3D kinematics. The authors applied a nonnegative matrix factorization (NNMF) algorithm to examine the underlying patterns of motor control. Results. Self-selected walking patterns differed on the TM versus OG in controls: speed decreased, stride length decrease...
Auditory reaction time as a function of stimulus intensity and rise time

Six levels of stimulus intensity were combined factorially with six different rise times in an auditory reaction time experiment using a 1000 cps tone. Rise time had a simple effect on responses; the longer the rise time, the slower the responses. The magnitude of this effect was larger than could be accounted for by the fact that slower rising tones take longer to reach threshold. Intensity interacted with rise time so that for fast rises (0.5 msec.) intensity had no influence on the speed of reactions. It was only as the rate of loading the auditory system became more gradual that an intensity-reaction time function was obtained.
Specificity of the 21-Item Test in two elderly samples.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to measure the specificity of the 21-Item Test for detecting malingering in an elderly sample. The 21-Item Test was administered to 20 community-dwelling elderly individuals with means for age, education, and Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ) error scores of 76.25 years (SD = 7.19), 14.30 years (SD = 3.89), and 0.30 (SD = 4.70). None of these healthy elderly participants were cognitively impaired. A second group of 53 nursing home residents had means for age, education, and SPMSQ error scores of 82.79 years (SD = 8.56), 11.14 years (SD = 2.46), and 3.17 (SD = 2.46). Approximately 60% of the nursing home participants had cognitive impairment based on the SPMSQ. The cut offs provided by Iverson (1998, 21 Item Test Research Manual) for interpretation of the forced-choice component of the 21-Item Test were insensitive to age and relatively insensitive to cognitive deficits. Specificity was 100% since no elderly participant from either group scored in the...
Model predictive control of transitional maneuvers for adaptive cruise control vehicles

In this paper, model predictive control (MPC) is used to compute the spacing-control laws for transitional maneuvers (TMs) of vehicles equipped with adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems. A TM is required, for example, to establish a steady-state following distance behind a newly encountered vehicle traveling with a slower velocity. These spacing-control laws are computed by formulating the objective of a TM as an optimal control problem (OCP). The steady-state following distance, collision avoidance, and acceleration limits of the ACC vehicle are incorporated into the OCP as constraints. The spacing-control laws are then obtained by solving this constrained OCP by using a receding-horizon approach, where the acceleration command computed at each sampling instant is a function of the current measurements of range and range rate. A baseline scenario requiring a TM is used to evaluate and compare the performance of the MPC algorithm and the standard constant time gap (CTG) algorithm. The simulation results show that the ACC vehicle is able to perform the TM of the baseline scenario using the MPC spacing-control laws, whereas the ACC vehicle is unable to perform this TM using the CTG spacing-control laws. The success of the MPC spacing-control laws is shown to depend on whether collision avoidance and the acceleration limits of the ACC vehicle are explicitly incorporated into the formulation of the control algorithm.
Learning Multiple Search, Utility, And Goal Parameters For The Game RISK

In dynamic planning and execution problems the measure of utility is the value of the reward one seeks combined with the probability of achieving that reward. However, in a complex stochastic environment, there are a number of other concerns when calculating the true utility of planning ahead and achieving predicted results. Three additional factors that can be considered in measuring a broader, more versatile, utility metric are: (1) the expected value may produce more risk than desired; (2) the temporal cost of planning; and (3) a more comprehensive consideration of the probability of successful completion of a plan. The correct application of these parameters is not fixed and may depend on the application. In this paper, we present a framework for learning these parameters with the inclusion of reward and solution search parameters to formulate a truer measure of success. We also present a specific example of learning these parameters for the game RISK.
Signal- and Development-Dependent Alternative Splicing of LEF1 in T Cells Is Controlled by CELF2

The HMG-box transcription factor LEF1 controls many developmentally regulated genes, including genes that activate expression of the T-cell antigen receptor alpha chain (TCR-alpha) in developing thymocytes. At least two distinct isoforms of LEF1 are expressed, resulting from variable inclusion of LEF1 exon 6; however, the expression pattern of these isoforms and mechanism of splicing regulation have not been explored. Here we demonstrate that inclusion of LEF1 exon 6 is increased during thymic development and in response to signaling in a cultured T-cell line in a manner which temporally correlates with increased expression of TCR-alpha. We further find that inclusion of exon 6 is dependent on the signal-induced increase in expression and binding of the splicing factor CELF2 to two intronic sequences flanking the regulated exon. Importantly, loss of exon 6 inclusion, through knockdown of CELF2 or direct block of the exon 6 splice site, results in reduced expression of TCR-alpha mRNA. Together, these data establish the mechanistic basis of LEF1 splicing regulation and demonstrate that LEF1 alternative splicing is a contributing determinant in the optimal expression of the TCR-alpha chain.
The Bulk Purchase of Pharmaceuticals: The Experiences of the United States, Europe, and New Zealand

Pharmaceutical costs are escalating at a rate that outpaces inflation, forcing government providers to balance consumer needs against budgetary realities. Several strategies for better managing drug expenditures are attracting significant attention, including bulk purchase agreements. These agreements seek to reduce per unit costs by increasing the volume of product purchased. In pharmaceutical markets this is done by combining multiple purchasing entities, such as employers, states, provinces or municipalities, and the drugs they buy to secure lower prices for their medicines. However, because bulk purchase agreements are always employed in combination with multiple other cost-saving strategies, it is virtually impossible to tease out the singular impact or cost savings accruing to the bulk purchase agreement alone.This study gathers ample anecdotal evidence to establish that these agreements consistently generate cost savings, ranging from modest to quite impressive. But while bulk purchasing agreements are beneficial to coverage and for taxpayers, they may not be good for patients’ health. Bulk purchase agreements may result in a situation in which the insured receive optimal brands in some areas, but less optimal brands in others. Frequent renegotiation (annually in some cases) can lead to abrupt changes in treatment for insured patients, leading to patient dissatisfaction and a potential for adverse outcomes, including lack of adherence, which in turn can lead to a requirement for more expensive treatment options, such as hospital admission. Another potential problem with bulk purchasing agreements may be a reduction in competition, leading to drug monopolies or limited numbers of drug suppliers. At the extreme, this reduction in competition may lead to drug shortages, which would harm patients.Bulk purchasing agreements also have the potential to limit access to other medications that are not included in the agreements. As a result, prescription costs may shift to patients if the necessary medications are not part of such agreements, thereby requiring higher co-payments, or forcing patients to cover the entire cost of these drugs — or even go without. Finally, there can be an impact on innovation. Price pressure on the innovative pharmaceutical industry will reduce the incentives for pharmaceutical research and development, stifling innovation and reducing the number of breakthrough therapies in the pipeline.
Self-deployment and self-configuration of pervasive network services

In this paper, we present a policy-based approach to achieve self-deployment and self-configuration of pervasive systems and services. In our approach, we decompose applications into a set of interconnected components. With each component, we specify the autonomic attributes required to self-configure and self-manage the operations of the components in Autonomic Component Architecture (ACA) such that the overall objectives of the applications are maintained at runtime. We use the self-deployment and configuration engines of our Autonomic Computing Environment, Autonomia, to demonstrate and validate our approach. We have demonstrated how Autonomia to automatically deploy and configure the distributed computing application of Linear Equation Solver.
International Income Taxation

The author discusses the issues impacting the development of international tax policy. He states that the proper question in forming international tax policy should be, "what policy is in the United States' national interest?" However, advancing the competitive position of U.S. multinationals may or may not be the right answer, depending on the issue and the circumstances. The author looks at the taxation of business income, and the relative merits of our credit system versus an exemption system, then explores the taxation of portfolio income. He notes that the U.S. international income tax system is built on irrelevant concepts, discussing specifically, corporate residence and source classifications. And, he finds that policymakers in the U.S. are insufficiently alert to the impact of international organizations such as the World Trade Organization and the European Court of Justice. Finally, he observes that the U.S. has the wrong mix of taxes, relying to heavily on income taxes and not nearly enough on a consumption tax.
Digital Image Formation from Holograms: Early Motivation Modern Capabilities

In 1967, R.W. Lawrence and I reported the first case of detection of a hologram and reconstruction of the corresponding image by purely electronic means. The detector was a rather poor-quality vidicon and the image was reconstructed using the fast Fourier transform algorithm, which had become widely known only two years earlier. In this paper I review this simple experiment, but more importantly I discuss the circumstances that led to the experiment in the first place. This and many other ideas that arose in this time period were motivated by the desire to form images of actively illuminated satellites orbiting overhead, free from the disturbing effects of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Beholding a Rotating Beacon

Imagine a powerful beacon positioned on an island, its beam illuminating the (convex) shoreline of a lake as it rotates counterclockwise with constant angular velocity w. Is there any place on the lake where an observer could sit in a rowboat so that the illuminated spot on the beach always appears to move about the shoreline in a counterclockwise direction? The reader might be inclined to think that nothing to the contrary could occur, that any place on the lake would be equally satisfactoiy. However, if w is large enough, and if we take into account the finite speed of light, then some unexpected behavior results. One pulrose of this paper is to characterize the set of "ordinai-y" vantage points, from which the beacon's light show is always counterclockwise. We prove that at moderate rotation rates the set of ordinaiy points is a proper, open, convex subset of the region bounded by the shoreline. Furthermore, in all cases save one, the set of ordinary points will be empty at high rotation rates. The single exception is the case of an elliptical shoreline with the beacon at one focus. In this case the set of ordinaly points always contains the second focus of the ellipse. As the rotation rate of the beacon increases, the set of ordinaiy points shrinks to the second focus at a rate which (to first order) is inversely proportional to the rotation rate of the beacon. An investigation into the structure of the set of ordinaiy points leads us into mathematics that is interesting in its own right. For example, in order to study the "sshape" of the set of ordinary points we construct an explicit parametrization for the envelope of a family of lines that make specified angles with some fixed curve. This parametrization should be of general interest apart from its specific application in our paper. (In a number of cases it is much easier to use our parametrization than to cariy out the classical envelope procedure.) Another result of some general interest is our "elliptical" generalization of unit normalization: given an ellipse, pick a focus and scale each point on the ellipse "away" from that focus by the reciprocal of its distance to the second focus. In the case of a circle the result is of course simply a concentric unit circle. More generally, in the case of an ellipse the result is always a second ellipse whose congruence class depends only upon the similarity class of the original ellipse. Our most surprising result (Theorem 6) has to do with the slhape of the ordinaiy set at high rotation rates in the case of an elliptical shoreline with the beacon at one focus. We prove that this shape is described by a (classical) curve known as an antiorthotomnic of an ellipse. (See FIGURE 14 for an example of an antiorthotomic.) However, the
Therapeutic activity of narcissus alkaloids on Rauscher leukemia: antiviral effect in vitro and rational drug combination in vivo.

SummaryNarcissus alkaloid (pseudolycorine and the residual alkaloid) in comparison with standard inhibitors of reverse transcriptase (ethidium bromide, rifamycin SV, acetyl adriamycin, and cinerubin A) were tested for their antiviral activities against Rauscher leukemia virus in mouse embryo cell cultures. The narcissus alkaloid remarkably suppressed the virus replication in mouse embryo cells, while rifamycin SV, acetyl adriamycin and cinerubin A were moderately inhibitory, and ethidium bromide showed no effect.In the treatment of Rauscher leukemia in mice, with single-drug administration, the narcissus alkaloid showed a significant prolongation of the life span of leukemic mice, while acetyl adriamycin and cinerubin A were only slightly effective, and rifamycin SV and ethidium bromide were found to be ineffective. The triple combination treatments using narcissus alkaloids with 6-mereaptopurine and cyclophosphamide showed a superior prolongation effect on the survival time over two-combination treatment...
The Head Injury Symptoms Checklist (HISC) as a Potential Screening Tool for PPCS in TBI (P3.320)

OBJECTIVE: To describe a potential tool for accurately measuring persistent post-concussive syndrome (PPCS). BACKGROUND: Patients with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) present with a variety of symptoms that can impair aspects of daily functioning. While such symptoms usually resolve within three months, there are patients with PPCS whose symptoms persist longer. Researchers and clinicians face a difficult task in identifying sensitive measures of PPCS because these are non-specific and commonly present in a range of conditions that can co-occur post-mTBI. DESIGN/METHODS: The HISC is a brief, self-report measure used to quantify symptom endorsement following a head injury. The HISC was modified to include additional items pertaining to depression, apathy, and personality changes. This measure effectively identified patients diagnosed with a clinical mood disorder better than the other mood scales utilized in this study. The modified HISC was administered to 33 mTBI patients who self-identified as having PPCS. Correlational analyses were conducted between the HISC and various neurocognitive and affective measures. RESULTS: Correlational analysis showed that the modified HISC had no statistically significant relationship with various neurocognitive measures, except for simple reaction time (r = 0.42). However, there were significant relationships between modified HISC scores and affective and behavioral measures, in particular the CAARS Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Index (r=0.74), the CES-D (r=0.71), and the PCL (r=0.67). Additionally the modified HISC accurately classified patients who received a clinical diagnosis of anxiety post-injury (area under curve: 0.913, p=.001), and was also better than any individual measure at identifying patients who received a clinical diagnosis of a mood disorder post-injury (area under curve: 0.874, p=.001). CONCLUSIONS: The HISC is a brief and efficient measure for characterizing the broad range of symptoms in a brain-injured population, identifying in one administration affective and behavioral dysfunction as effectively as a battery of individual measures. Disclosure: Dr. Creque has nothing to disclose. Dr. Duggan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Adams has nothing to disclose. Dr. Asiedu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Tseretopoulos has nothing to disclose. Dr. Ghajar has nothing to disclose.
Study on Sex Behaviors and Associated Factors among High School Students and College Students in Guangdong Province

Objective To study the sex behaviors and associated factors among students in high schools and colleges in Guangdong Province in order to provide scientific basis for making health education and behaviors intervention strategies among youth.MethodsStratified cluster sampling was used to enroll 15971 students from high schools and colleges in 21 counties in Guangdong Province.Self-administered standard questionnaires were used to collect the information on sex behaviors and related factors among youth.ResultsIn total 15971 students were enrolled.Males accounted for 47.2% and females accounted for 49.8%.The mean age was 17.7 years old.The proportion who understood the HIV/AIDS related knowledge was 47.8%(7627/15971).The proportion who had sexual intercourse was 7.0%(1114/15856)and it was 6.3% and 10.6% among high school students and college students respectively(χ2=59.3,P0.01).The factors associated with having sex experience were vocational school students,college students,being male,older age group,mother's education level,family income,knowing HIV/AIDS related knowledge and history of drug use.Higher grade in school work was protective factor associated with sexual experience.ConclusionsThe proportion of students who had sexual experience was high in high school and colleges in Guangdong Province,especially in vocational school and college students.HIV/AIDS related health education and behavior intervention programs should be strengthened in vocational schools and colleges especially for older male students and those who did poorly in school work and drug-useing prevention and sex education should be combined effectively.
Research direction(s) and model projects

Any research which is aimed at discovery (rather than confirmation or verification of findings by other researchers) needs to be both systematic and flexible. It needs to be systematic in order that the chances of discovery are maximized and not left solely to luck or ‘happy accidents’. However, it also needs to be flexible so that it can respond to the unanticipated problems and detours that will almost inevitably accompany exploratory research (Layder 1993: 121). Layder’s advice is especially true for language policy research - it is important to go into a research setting knowledgeable of the existing LPP theories, concepts, and methods; however, because unanticipated problems and detours are inevitable (and not always unwelcome), it is also very important to be flexible. This chapter is designed to offer some guidance on conducting an LPP research project. Chapter 5 reviewed some of the prominent research methodologies used to study language policy products and processes and Chapter 6 detailed one particular method - language policy action research - and proposed ways to engage in language policy processes. Chapter 7 is designed as a guide to doing an LPP research project and it follows a typical trajectory, from developing a topic and choosing a context to designing research questions, and collecting and analyzing data. This is not proposed as a statically rigid framework but as a pliable heuristic.
Two Cytochrome Oxygen Consumption Model and Mechanism for Carotid Body Chemoreception

We have measured sinus nerve discharge, tissue PO2 and oxygen consumption (vO2) in cat carotid bodies under different experimental conditions using our recessed oxygen microelectrode. Our results indicate that the change in chemoreceptor activity with oxygen disappearance following blood flow occlusion can be related to a two cytochrome model for oxygen consumption as previously proposed by Mills and Jobsis (1972).
Occurrence of Scirpentriol and its Seven Acetylated Derivatives in Culture Extracts of Fusarium sambucinum NRRL 13495

Ethyl acetate extracts of culture filtrates from Fusarium sambucinum NRRL 13495 contained scirpentriol, triacetoxyscirpenol, 4,15-diacetoxyscirpenol, 3,4-diacetoxyscirpenol, 3,15-diacetoxyscirpenol, 15-monoacetoxyscirpenol, 4-monoacetoxyscirpenol, and 3-monoacetoxyscirpenol which are the eight possible members of the scirpentriol family of trichothecene mycotoxins. These eight mycotoxins were identified by chemical derivatization, thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and comparison to standards. The total concentration of scirpenol derivatives in the culture filtrate was 426 mg/liter of which 346 mg/L was 4,15-diacetoxyscirpenol. The occurrence of a complete family of mycotoxins in a single culture implies that outbreaks of toxicity associated with Fusarium may be multiple toxicoses, and that the screening of foodstuffs for trichothecenes should be broadened, particularly potato tubers which are subject to infection by F. sambucinum .
The Context of the Development of Carnap’s Views on Logic up to the Aufbau

Friedman, Richardson, and others have helpfully foregrounded the neglected presence of Kantian and neo-Kantian influences on the early Carnap. Here, however, I sound a cautionary note, highlighting a dimension along which early Carnap departs directly from Kant and neo-Kantianism, swinging much closer to Russell – namely, in his conception of logic’s subject-matter. For while Kant and neo-Kantians conceive of logic as a science concerned primarily with mental activity and its (ideal) contents (concepts, Fregean ‘Sinne’), Carnap (mostly) follows Russell in seeing logic as primarily concerned with the objectivities represented by such contents through such acts – i.e., with the objects, properties, states of affairs, facts (and so on) that together constitute the world’s most general or universal features. But then, because Carnap also follows Russell in placing logic at the very basis of his own constitution programme, I conclude that Russellian doctrines lie at the heart of Carnap’s Aufbau project, which means that we must also orient our understanding of early Carnap on central points by reference to decidedly non-Kantian threads.
Combining quantum communication and processing, and a new twist for QKD

This paper presents a slide presentation on the combination of quantum communication and processing. Also, it presents a new twist for quantum key distribution (QKD). (20 pages)