cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ranitidine after burn injury

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ranitidine were studied in 10 hypermetabolic burned patients with normal creatinine clearance and compared with healthy volunteers. Ranitidine was administered as a single 50 mg intravenous bolus and multiple blood samples were obtained up to 10 hours after the dose for determination of plasma ranitidine concentrations. Gastric pH in burned patients was monitored by way of a nasogastric tube. Burned patients exhibited significantly higher (p less than 0.01) ranitidine clearance (mean +/- SD; 10.80 +/- 2.38 versus 7.53 +/- 1.71 ml/min/kg) and steady-state distribution volume (1.63 +/- 0.13 versus 1.16 +/- 0.33 L/kg). Within an hour of administration of drug the gastric pH was greater than or equal to 4.0 in all but one patient. This pH was maintained for at least 6 hours. In five patients the pH was greater than or equal to 4.0 throughout the 10-hour study. Thus, despite increased ranitidine clearance, the recommended dose of ranitidine maintained gastric pH greater than or equal to 4.0 throughout the normal dosing interval in the majority of patients. Dosage adjustment reported for many other drugs after burn injury may not be necessary for ranitidine.
T56 Derivative Engine in the Improved E-2C

Airborne Early Warning for the Navy fleets has been provided for the past 20 years by the Grumman/Allison E-2 Airframe/T56 engine combination. Although avionic capability has been continually updated to meet the increased threat, the airframe and powerplant have seen only minor changes. Projected mission requirements and future avionic system enhancements require payload increases being limited by the power capability of the present T56 powerplant. Of paramount importance in the E-2 carrier deck operation is the single engine rate of climb capability of the aircraft. This paper discusses the logical evolution of a replacement engine for the E-2C — a derivative T56 engine contracted and designated by the Navy as the T56-A-427 — to meet the projected single engine takeoff and other mission requirements. The T56-A-427 provides 24% power and 13% fuel consumption improvements with identical installation interfaces, and substantially improves E-2C performance characteristics across the flight envelope. Furthermore, the paper shows that meeting these stringent performance requirements with a derivative engine results in a low risk development program and an engine with improved maintainability and reliability, which can capitalize on the in-place logistics support base of the T56 — the world’s longest production run gas turbine engine.Copyright © 1985 by ASME
Is carry-trade a viable alternative asset class?

Abstract The currency carry-trade, which consists of selling low-yielding currencies and investing in high-yielding currencies, has the potential to be a new alternative asset class in the asset allocation decision. Using the Sharpe ratio and other performance measures, carry-trade displays noticeable characteristics (particularly low volatility) that improve portfolio performance when added to a portfolio and when used for replacing other alternative asset classes. Results also indicate that carry-trade enhanced portfolio performance during the recent financial crisis. Individual investors can readily use carry-trade in asset allocation with an exchange-traded fund.
The American Military Adventure in Iraq as Fiasco

Ricks, T.E. (2006). Fiasco: The American military adventure in Iraq. New York: Penguin Books. 492 pp. ISBN: 0143038915. $16.00. On June 1, 2007, I retired from the U.S. Air Force at the rank of col...
Structural motifs of the nucleotidyl unit and the handedness of polynucleotide helices

The nucleotide building blocks of nucleic acids show a preference for two major conformational motifs mainly determined by the sugar puckering and the concerted changes in the glycosyl sugar-base torsion angle: 3E-low anti (χ) and 2E-high anti (χ). The backbone C4′C5′ bond torsion prefers the gauche1 range while the C5′O5′ torsion displays a somewhat broader trans range. Thus the two preferred sugar-base-backbone relationships are: 3E-anti-gauche+ and 2Eanti- gauche+. In 5′-nucleotides there is an extreme reluctance for the syn base. Guanine is notoriously peculiar and has a tendency for syn. When the base is syn, the steric conflict with the phosphate is relieved by a concerted rotation around the C4′C5′ bond to the trans (or gauche−) states, leading to three additional nucleotide motifs: 3E-syn-trans and 3E-syn-trans (or gauche−). The gauche− state is highly destabilized for the 3E., Superhigh χ's are known to drive the backbone into left-handed structures, as exemplified by the unnatural Ikehara polymers [M. Sundaralingam and N. Yathindra, Int. J. Quantum Biol. QB4, 285–303 (1977)]. In the recently discovered left-handed Z helices of the alternating deoxy-CG tetra- and hexanucleotides it may be regarded that the C residues assume the preferred “right-handed” conformational combination 2E-anti-gauche+, while the G residues assume the less favored “left-handed” combination 2E-syn-trans., In the latter, steric interactions between the syn base and the 5′-phosphate drive the C4′C5′ torsion into the trans range, and the electrostatic interactions between the syn base and the 3′-phosphate now drive the sugar into 2E (a variant of 3E). The departure from the preferred nucleotide conformations leads to correlated changes in the ester P′O bonds of the internucleotide phosphodiester groups, which alternatively adopt (in Z-DNA) the “left-handed” double gauche (gauche+, gauche+) and the “right-handed” (gauche′, trans) conformations. The pseudorotational mobility of the furanose ring provides a simple and elegant way of understanding conformational fluctuations and flexibility of nucleic acids. Thermal fluctuations capitalize on the pseudorotation property of the furanose ring. Because the furanose ring is linked to the base and the phosphate, these fluctuations are correlated to the rotational mobility of the base and the phosphate and lead to phenomena such as premelting changes, breathing modes, or opening of base pairs. Such motions are instrumental in the polymorphic transitions of nucleic acid helices (e.g. A ⇄ B, B ⇄ C, B ⇄ Z, …) or in functional processes, such as unwinding and fork formation. It is also proposed that concerted changes in the sugar-phosphate backbone torsion angles, akin to a crankshaft motion, can bring about the B ⇄ Z transition without necessarily disrupting the hydrogen bonds.
Summertime ambient formaldehyde in five U.S. metropolitan areas: Nashville, Atlanta, Houston, Philadelphia, and Tampa.

First, we briefly review the atmospheric chemistry and previous intercomparison measurements for HCHO, with special reference to the diffusion scrubber Hantzsch reaction based fluorescence instrument used in the field studies reported herein. Then we discuss summertime HCHO levels in five major U.S. cities measured over 1999−2002, primarily from ground-based measurements. Land−sea breeze circulations play a major role in observed concentrations in coastal cities. Very high HCHO peak mixing ratios were observed in Houston (>47 ppb) where the overall median mixing ratio was 3.3 ppb; the corre sponding values in Atlanta were ∼>18 and 7.9 ppb, respectively. The peak and median mixing ratios (9.3 and 2.3 ppb) were the lowest for Tampa, where the land−sea breeze also played an important role. In several cities, replicate HCHO measurements were made by direct spectroscopic instruments; the instruments were located kilometers from each other and addressed very different heights (e.g., 106 vs 10 m). Even under the...
Colchicine and 2-methoxyestradiol Inhibit Human Angiogenesis.

Background Angiogenesis is a critical determinant of tumor growth and the development of metastases. Tubulin inhibitors have been shown to be effective inhibitors of angiogenesis. We hypothesized that colchicine, a well-know tubulin inhibitor and 2-methoxyestradiol (2 MeOH), a novel tubulin inhibitor, would limit the initiation of a human angiogenic response and would limit subsequent neovessel growth in a dose-dependent manner. Methods To test this hypothesis, we cultured full-thickness human placental vein discs from three placentas in a fibrin-thrombin clot model. Both colchicine and 2 MeOH were tested over a wide range of concentrations (10−6 to 10−12 M) to determine their effect on the percent of wells that initiated an angiogenic response (%I) and the subsequent growth (Angiogenic Index, 0–16 range) of vein-derived neovessels. Results Colchicine at doses of 10−6 and 10−8 M completely inhibited the angiogenic response (CI: 95%, P Conclusions Effective in vitro drug levels of 2 MeOH can be achieved in vivo, suggesting that 2 MeOH may have a role in the clinical treatment of angiogenesis-dependent diseases.
Distributed arithmetic implementation of multivariable controllers using field programmable gate arrays

Smart structural systems require the electronic control systems which are integrated into the structures to be small, light weight and power-efficient. The Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a good platform to implement such controllers. In our previous work FPGA-based digital controllers were built and tested on a cantilevered beam. In order to implement multivariable controllers, the hardware resources for FPGA-based architecture need to be further reduced. Distributed Arithmetic (DA) has long been proven to be a very efficient means to mechanize computations that are dominated by inner products involving constant multiplicand. The computational requirements of the smart structural controllers match this type very well. In this paper various DA structure controllers are designed and results are compared with multiply-and-accumulate structure controllers. Single- and multi-variable controllers are implemented and tested on a cantilevered beam.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Angiotensin II blockade and low-protein diet produce additive therapeutic effects in experimental glomerulonephritis.

Angiotensin II blockade and low-protein diet produce additive therapeutic effects in experimental glomerulonephritis. Background Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) overexpression plays a key role in the accumulation of extracellular matrix in acute and chronic renal diseases. Recent studies have suggested that the degree of reduction in pathological TGF-β overexpression can be used as a therapeutic index to evaluate the antifibrotic potential of pharmacological angiotensin II (Ang II) blockade in renal disease. Using this target, we found that treatment with the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor enalapril or the Ang II type 1 receptor antagonist losartan reduced TGF-β overexpression more effectively at doses clearly higher than those required to control blood pressure. However, both forms of Ang II blockade were only partially effective in normalizing TGF-β expression. This study investigated whether a greater antifibrotic, TGF-β–reducing benefit can be achieved when Ang II blockade is combined with dietary protein restriction. Methods Mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats on a normal-protein diet. Treatment with a low-protein diet and/or maximally effective doses of enalapril or losartan was started one day after disease induction. On the fifth day, 24-hour urine protein excretion was measured. On the sixth day, cortical kidney tissue was taken for periodic acid-Schiff staining. Isolated glomeruli were used for mRNA extraction or were placed in culture for determination of production of TGF-β1, the matrix protein fibronectin, and the protease inhibitor plasmin activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Compared with untreated nephritic animals on a normal-protein diet, a single treatment with enalapril, losartan, or low-protein diet significantly reduced glomerular TGF-β production, albeit to a similar degree of approximately 45%. A moderate, but significant further reduction in pathological TGF-β expression of a total of 65% for enalapril and 60% for losartan was achieved when these drugs were combined with low-protein feeding. This reduction in TGF-β overexpression paralleled decreased proteinuria, glomerular matrix accumulation, and overproduction of fibronectin and PAI-1. Conclusions Ang II blockade and low-protein diet have additive effects on disease reduction, suggesting that disease progression in humans with chronic renal failure may be slowed more effectively when Ang II blockade and low-protein diet are combined. Since maximal pharmacological Ang II inhibition was used, it is likely that dietary protein restriction further reduces pathological TGF-β overexpression by mechanisms different from those of enalapril or losartan.
Genetic Variability for Ozone Insensitivity in Vegetable-Type Soybeans

Abstract Ozone (O3) is the most important air pollutant affecting vegetation in the United States. It has been reported that soybean (Gly-cine maxL.) is more sensitive to O3 injury than other major agricultural crops. The objectives of this study were: (1) to determine the relative responses of the vegetable-type soybeans to acute O3 injury, and (2) to estimate the genotypic and phenotypic variabilities, broad-sense herita-bility, and genetic advance. The responses of 133 vegetable-type soybeans along with two standard cultivars, Essex (O3-insensitive) and Forrest (O3-sensitive), were examined for O3 injury under controlled environmental conditions. Seedlings were exposed to 0.6 ppm of O3 for 2 hr in a growth cabinet. Ozone insensitivity was assessed by leakage of total electrolytes from leaf discs and visual leaf injury assessment of the unifoliolate, first trifoliolate, and second trifoliolate of each genotype. Significant differences for O3 injury assessment and electrolyte leakage were observed among ...
Roles of growth hormone and testosterone in the synthesis of mouse kidney glucuronidase.

Abstract Mouse kidney β-glucuronidase production is under multihormonal control. In normal mice, kidney glucuronidase is induced over 100-fold by testosterone. However, hypophysectomy reduces this induction to about 5% of normal. This loss in inducibility was in part restored by growth hormone. Simultaneous administration to hypophysectomized female mice of growth hormone and testosterone, but not of prolactin and testosterone, restored kidney glucuronidase concentration to half that found in testosterone-treated normal female mice. Growth hormone alone had no effect in hypophysectomized females nor did it enhance glucuronidase activity in testosterone-treated normal females. Radiolabeling experiments demonstrated that the enhancement by growth hormone of glucuronidase activity was accompanied by a corresponding increase in its rate of synthesis. Kidney hypertrophy and kidney glucuronidase production may be under common hormonal regulation. Testosterone or growth hormone treatment alone of hypophysectomized mice had little or no effect on either process, but combined treatment with the two hormones significantly enhanced both. The rate of synthesis of kidney glucuronidase is controlled by the Gur gene. Relative differences in kidney glucuronidase synthesis in mice of different Gur genotype were maintained in testosterone-treated hypophysectomized mice. This suggests that control of glucuronidase synthesis by the Gur locus is exerted by interaction with androgens rather than pituitary products.
Collateral Circulation to Myocardial Regions Supplied by Anterior Descending and Right Coronary Arteries in the Dog

The regional distribution of myocardial clearances of Rb86 has been determined in dogs with intact coronary circulation, as well as in those with acute occlusions of the anterior descending or right coronary artery. In the intact heart, the Rb86 clearance was rather homogeneous throughout the left ventricle and interventricular septum. The Rb86 clearance for most of the right ventricle was less than that for the left ventricle. At the apex of the right ventricle, however, the clearance was greater and was quite variable from experiment to experiment.
The Shaw scalpel and development of facial nerve paresis after superficial parotidectomy.

Objective To evaluate the independent relationship of the Shaw scalpel on the development of facial nerve injury in patients undergoing superficial parotidectomy. Methods A retrospective review of 77 cases between 1991 and 1996. Forty-eight percent of the surgical procedures were performed using the Shaw scalpel, and 52% were performed using a cold knife. To assess whether use of the Shaw scalpel is an independent predictor of facial nerve injury, both univariate analysis and regression analysis were used in the statistical analysis of the data. Results Fifty-four percent of the patients who underwent a parotidectomy in which the Shaw scalpel was used developed postoperative facial weakness, compared with 14% of those who underwent a cold knife parotidectomy ( P =.002). Conclusion Multivariate analysis revealed that use of the Shaw scalpel represents an independent risk factor for development of facial nerve weakness after parotidectomy ( P =.01), even after other risk factors are controlled for.
Characteristics and Practices of Sponsored Members of Alcoholics Anonymous

Members of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) are more likely to be abstinent if they are sponsored, but little is known about those who connect with a sponsor. This exploratory survey study (N = 264) compared unsponsored AA members to sponsored AA members, and short-term sponsored members to long-term sponsored members. Compared with the unsponsored, the sponsored had less sobriety and greater spiritual surrender, and more frequently engaged in a range of AA practices. The short-term sponsored averaged 7.35 fewer years sober than the long-term sponsored, and they were more likely to attend meetings, perform service, and communicate with their sponsor.
Second-Generation Language Maintenance and Identity: A Case Study

While the benefits of bilingualism have been widely acknowledged, parents face many hurdles raising children bilingually. Factors such as consistency in language use, family, school, and social support networks, issues of ethnic and social identity, and the prestige value of language have contributed to successful bilingualism. This paper presents a case study exploring the maintenance of German in an English-dominant environment, the strategies the mother employed in fostering German, and how her strategies influenced the children's perceptions of German. The findings offer insights into nurturing bilingualism, particularly when community and school do not support the heritage language.
The effect of time on mediation deficiency in children and adults

Abstract This research investigates the effect of response-time restriction on the behavior of second grade children and adults in an acquired equivalence task. With ever more severe time restriction the proportion of adults using the symbolic mediational mode steadily decreased, and the proportion using the nonmediational S - R mode increased. Probability of mediation by children also decreased with time restriction. The results were interpreted as suggesting an explanation for children's mediation deficiency in terms of temporal factors.
On Grabmann's Text of William of Sherwood

I offer logicam the of following William of corrections Sherwood of (Paris, the text B.N. of Lat. the 16.617) Introductiones given by in logicam of William of Sherwood (Paris, B.N. Lat. 16.617) given by Martin Grabmann in Sitzungsberichte der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften , Jahrgang 1937, Heft 10. Although the great majority of these are fairly trivial, there are several which ought to be considered in further study of this work. In my list the pages and lines refer to Grabmann's edition. In the case of substitutions the variations are given, for ease of comparison, in two parallel columns. In the case of additions and omissions the original is given, rather paradoxically, as a variant of the Grabmann text and these are then noted in one column only. Additions over the line (s.l.) and in the margin (i.m.) are so indicated. These were incorporated with no such indication into Grabmann's text. No attempt is made here to distinguish the different hands. Errors noted by Kretzmann (translation, introduction and notes, Minnesota, 1966) are indicated by ť(K)' In fairness to him one must point out that he limited himself to remarking on variants of major importance. It is clear, however, that he does not take into account several readings which would have rendered superfluous certain interpolations and paraphrases in his translation and some suggested emendations in the received text.
Crop Diversification, Tillage, and Management System Influence Spring Wheat Yield and Water Use

Depleted soil quality, decreased water availability, and increased weed competition constrain spring wheat production in the northern Great Plains. Integrated crop management systems are necessary for improved crop productivity. We conducted a field experiment from 2004-2010 comparing productivity and soil water use of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) under four crop rotations (continuous wheat, wheat-pea [Pisum sativum L.], wheat- forage barley [Hordeum valgaris L.] -pea, and wheat- forage barley -corn [Zea mays L.]-pea), two tillage systems (conventional till and no-till), and two management systems (conventional and ecological). Conventional management included recommended seed rates and plant spacing, early planting date, broadcast N fertilization, and reduced stubble height. Ecological management included variable seed rates and plant spacing, delayed planting, banded N fertilization, and increased stubble height. Spring wheat characteristics, yields, and soil water use varied among treatments and years. Spring wheat in diversified rotations averaged 35 mm greater preplant soil water content, 37 mm greater water use, 0.8 kg ha-1 mm-1 greater water use efficiency, and 473 kg ha-1 and 817 kg ha-1 greater grain and biomass yields, respectively, than continuous wheat. Wheat in conventional management averaged 9 cm taller height, 28 fewer heads m-2, 4 additional seed head-1, and 2 mg seed-1 heavier seed weight than wheat under ecological management, resulting in 644 kg ha-1 greater yield. Wheat under ecological management used 8 mm more water, but water use efficiency was 2.6 kg ha-1 mm-1 greater under conventional management. Postharvest soil water content was similar among rotations, tillage, and management systems, suggesting that wheat uses most of the available soil water. Spring wheat in diversified rotations planted early in the season is more resilient and should confer greater production stability than continuous wheat systems planted late.
Juvenile hormone effects on chromosomal puffing and development in Chironomus thummi

Several larval stages of the dipteran Chironomus thummi were treated with a synthetic juvenile hormone (JH) mixture. Treatment resulted in larvae which underwent the first three molts, but thereafter development was arrested; many were incapable of completing the larval-pupal molt. The pattern of chromosomal puffs in the prepupal salivary gland was examined at 91 loci: nine pupal puffs which were consistently active in controls were found to be reduced following treatment; one puff, Balbiani ring IV b, was enlarged. Autoradiographs indicate intensive RNA synthesis at Balbiani ring IV b, but depressed synthesis at the other nine affected loci. The puffing pattern demonstrates for the first time in detail specific effects of chemical compounds with JH activity on chromosomal puffs. Compounds exhibiting JH activity may regulate transcriptional activity at specific gene loci, and specific alterations in RNA synthesis may account for alterations in the course of metamorphosis.
Model-independent analysis of quark and gluon fragmentation

Abstract Multiple jets produced in hard collisions fragment independently. Correlations between their fragments arise through dependence on the jet type (quark flavor, gluon). We propose a simple method for exploring the differences in quark and gluon fragmentation using data on correlations in e + e − and large p T hadron collisions.
Linkage, Chromosomal Association, and Expression of Adh-I and Pgm-2 in Tomato

The linkage relationship and chromosomal association of two genes in tomato coding for the respiratory enzymes alcohol dehydrogenase and phosphoglucomutase are reported. Also included is a description of where in the life cycle of the plant these genes are expressed. The finding that in pollen and germinating seeds most if not all of the detected activity of these two enzymes apparently arises from these genes suggests that the two isozymes might function in the same respiratory pathway.
Determinates of inner city butterfly and bee species richness

Although urbanization is increasing worldwide, relatively few studies have investigated patterns of urban biodiversity outside of city parks and reserves, in urban neighborhoods where people live and work. We evaluated models including local and landscape factors that might influence the bee and butterfly richness of community gardens located within densely populated neighborhoods of the Bronx and East Harlem in New York City (>10,000 people/km2). The gardens were surrounded by buildings and limited amounts of green space (3,600–17,400 building units and 10–32% green space within a 500 m radius). Contrary to our initial prediction that landscape green space might be especially influential in this heavily urbanized setting, the most highly supported models for both bee and butterfly richness (based on Akaike Information Criterion) included just the local, within-garden variables of garden floral area and sunlight availability. There was marginal support for models of bee richness including the number of building units surrounding gardens within a 500 m radius (which exhibited a negative association with bee richness). In addition, perhaps because bees are central place foragers that may nest within or near gardens, supported models of bee species richness also included total garden area, canopy cover, and the presence of wild/unmanaged area in the garden. Generally, our findings indicate that sunlight and floral abundance are the major factors limiting local pollinator diversity in this setting. This suggests that rooftop and other “open” urban habitats might be managed to increase local pollinator diversity, even if seemingly “isolated” within heavily developed neighborhoods.
Laser Beam Propagation Through Three-Dimensional High-Aspect-Ratio Microholes

The drilling of high-aspect-ratio microholes has very important applications in automotive, aerospace, electronics and other areas. However, this is difficult to realize with conventional mechanical machining or electrical discharge machining approaches. Laser ablation can potentially provide a good solution to this, but it also involves many technical difficulties. One of these is that the hole structure may act like a wave guide and affect the laser beam propagation. However, previous investigations on this important issue are very limited. In this paper, laser beam propagation through high-aspect-ratio microholes has been studied by solving the three-dimensional transient Maxwell’s wave equation, and the important discoveries from the calculations are discussed.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Transient decrease in rat striatal D2 dopamine receptor mRNA level after acute haloperidol treatment

Acute haloperidol administration decreases the number of rat striatal D2 dopamine receptor (D2-receptor). The potential involvement of decreased D2-receptor gene transcription in the above process was examined using Northern blot analysis. There was a dose- and time-dependent transient decrement in the level of striatal D2-receptor mRNA after haloperidol. The decrease in transcription may be mediated via blockade of D2-receptor, since S(-)-sulpiride but not the inactive enantiomer R(+)-sulpiride produced the inhibition.
Can Payments for Environmental Services Help Reduce Poverty? An Exploration of the Issues and the Evidence to Date from Latin America

Summary. — This paper examines the main ways in which Payments for Environmental Services (PES) might affect poverty. PES may reduce poverty mainly by making payments to poor natural resource managers in upper watersheds. The extent of the impact depends on how many PES participants are in fact poor, on the poors ability to participate, and on the amounts paid. Although PES programs are not designed for poverty reduction, there can be important synergies when program design is well thought out and local conditions are favorable. Possible adverse effects can occur where property rights are insecure or if PES programs encourage less labor-intensive practices. � 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Urethral erosion of tension-free vaginal tape presenting as recurrent stress urinary incontinence

The suburethral sling with tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) has become a popular treatment for stress urinary incontinence. Erosion of the mesh into the urethra is rare, usually presenting with hematuria, pain, voiding dysfunction or urge incontinence. A patient with stress incontinence was treated with a TVT suburethral sling. One month later, symptoms of recurrent stress incontinence developed. Cystourethroscopy revealed urethral mesh erosion. Surgical removal involved cystourethroscopic-assisted transurethral resection of the mesh, followed by vaginal dissection and periurethral withdrawal. Urethral mesh erosion should be considered in a patient who presents with atypical symptoms after being treated with a suburethral sling. It is important to obtain a detailed history and have a high clinical index of suspicion for erosion. Careful and comprehensive urethroscopy, in addition to cystoscopy, should be a mandatory part of the TVT procedure. Further study is needed to determine the optimal technique for mesh removal.
Chemoselective attachment of biologically active proteins to surfaces by expressed protein ligation and its application for "protein chip" fabrication.

The present work describes a general method for the selective attachment of proteins to solid surfaces through their C-termini that can be used for the efficient creation of protein chips. Our method is based in the chemoselective reaction between a protein C-terminal α-thioester and a modified surface containing N-terminal Cys residues. α-Thioester proteins can be obtained using standard recombinant techniques by using expression vectors containing engineered inteins. This new method was used to immobilize two fluorescent proteins and a functional SH3 domain using a protein microarrayer.
Defect reduction of replacement metal gate aluminum chemical mechanical planarization at 28nm technology node

The replacement metal gate (RMG) defectivity control is very challenging for high-k metal gate (HKMG) RMG chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) processes. In this study, three major defect types, including fall on particle, micro-scratch and corrosion, post Al metal CMP process have been investigated to provide the total solutions for preventing the formation of these defects. The fall on particles were fully removed as a repulsive force created between the surfaces of the Al metal gate and polishing abrasives by introducing appropriate acid based slurries and chemical solutions. Furthermore, the micro-scratches could be significantly eliminated as implementing a reliable soft pad at the final polishing step. Severe integranular corrosion and pitting issues on the surface of the RMG structures were also found to be effectively prevented by creating a capable passivation layer with minimized micro-galvanic corrosion level on the top surface of the Ti-doped Al metal gate structures.
Analytically Evaluating the Properties and Performance of Layered Magnetoelectric Composites

A theoretical model has been developed for predicting the magnetoelectric (M-E) coupling effect of magnetostrictive-piezoelectric layered composites (MPLC). This model determines the individual effects of MPLC configurations and material properties on the homogenized M-E voltage coefficient, a', curves. By analyzing the model, a 3D α' sequencing map covering the span of compliance, Poisson's ratio, and piezomagnetic coefficient ratio q 33 /q 31 of the magnetostrictive phases is generated to aid the MPLC design. Six MPLC configurations are addressed in this study, including three field orientations, longitudinal, transverse, and in-plane, in both ID and 2D geometries. Results show that the piezoelectric volume fraction required for achieving the maximum M-E effect is dependent upon the compliance. Higher compliance values cause the α' peaks to be attenuated, as well as shifted to lower piezoelectric volume fractions. This study also investigates the influence of the piezomagnetic coefficient q 33 and the ratio q 33 /q 31 on a'. For a constant ratio q 33 /q 31 , larger q 33 -values increase a'. However, changing this ratio alters the relative ordering of the α'-values for each of the six MPLC configurations studied. This demonstrates that the ratio q 33 /q 31 strongly influences the selection of the MPLC configurations to produce the largest M-E coupling effect. By integrating the results from this model into 3D α' sequencing map, the ideal MPLC configuration with the highest M-E coupling effect can be predicted for all possible MPLC magnetostrictive phases.
Endosonographic diagnosis & laparoscopic resection of a gastric duplication cyst

A 32yo healthy male presented with epigastric pain, nausea and bloating. Exam and labs were unremarkable. CT scan showed a large solid-appearing perigastric mass. It appeared contiguous with the outer wall of the stomach, extending laterally to the spleen. Upper endoscopy was unremarkable. Endoscopic ultrasound revealed an anechoic structure, approximately 4 |[times]| 8 cm adjacent to the gastroesophageal junction, extending along the proximal aspect of the stomach. The findings suggested a cystic mass, contiguous with the stomach wall, consistent with a gastric duplication cyst. Clearly attributing the patient's symptoms to this structure was difficult. Watchful waiting was suggested. Later the patient opted for laparoscopic resection. A 6 |[times]| 10 cm duplication cyst containing clear green fluid was found posterior to the angle of His. The cyst was lined with mucosa of the upper gastrointestinal tract. It shared a muscular wall with the posterior wall of the lower esophagus and gastric cardia. Six weeks later, the patient was asymptomatic.
Agency, class, and archaeological interpretation

Abstract Anthropology has drawn heavily on the Marxist theoretical tradition for help in understanding agency and conflict in human societies. This paper considers agency theories in contemporary archaeology. It argues that current theories marginalize a key aspect of human social life of importance to Marx: the process of extracting and distributing surplus labor. The interpretive consequences of this situation are explored, and an alternative class-analytical framework is outlined. The implications of this class-analytical approach for archaeological interpretation are discussed, and the approach is illustrated using case material from the Mississippian archaeological record of the midcontinental United States.
Amelioration of laminin-α2-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy by somatic gene transfer of miniagrin

Congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) is characterized by severe muscle wasting, premature death in early childhood, and lack of effective treatment. Most of the CMD cases are caused by genetic mutations of laminin-α2, which is essential for the structural integrity of muscle extracellular matrix. Here, we report that somatic gene delivery of a structurally unrelated protein, a miniature version of agrin, functionally compensates for laminin-α2 deficiency in the murine models of CMD. Adeno-associated virus-mediated overexpression of miniagrin restored the structural integrity of myofiber basal lamina, inhibited interstitial fibrosis, and ameliorated dystrophic pathology. Furthermore, systemic gene delivery of miniagrin into multiple vital muscles significantly improved whole body growth and motility and quadrupled the lifespan (50% survival) of the dystrophic mice. Thus, our study demonstrated the efficacy of somatic gene therapy in a mouse model of CMD.
Photosystem I and II chlorophyll-protein complexes of higher plant chloroplasts

Abstract An improved purification procedure which provides large quantities of the Photosystem I and II chlorophyll-protein complexes in a homogeneous form is reported. Only approx. 20% of the chlorophyll in the plants examined is associated with Photosystem I. Preliminary analyses of the properties of the two chlorophyll-proteins are given.
Project Scheduling under Resource Constraints—Historical Review and Categorization of Procedures

Abstract Techniques for the management of resources in project-type planning and scheduling models have received increasing attention in recent years. Development of new procedures has occurred at a rapid rate, as evidenced by the growing tide of publications in the literature and widespread promotion of new “systems” for resource management by commercial organizations. The first previously-published survey of developments in this field was done by the author in 1966 and much has taken place since then. The development of new procedures has been so rapid, in fact, that it has been difficult to gauge both the existing state of the art and the trend in current developments. This paper is an attempt to categorize the existing procedures, define the state of the art and indicate the directions of continued progress.
New Imperfect Random Source with Applications to Coin-Flipping

We introduce a new imperfect random source that realistically generalizes the SV-source of Santha and Vazirani [SV86] and the bit-fixing source of Lichtenstein, Linial and Saks [LLS89]. Our source is expected to generate a known sequence of (possibly dependent) random variables (for example, a stream of unbiased random bits). However, the realizations/observations of these variables could be imperfect in the following two ways: (1) inevitably, each of the observations could be slightly biased (due to noise, small measurements errors, imperfections of the source, etc.), which is characterized by the "statistical noise" parameter δ ∈ [0, 1/2], and (2) few of the observations could be completely incorrect (due to very poor measurement, improper setup, unlikely but certain internal correlations, etc.), which is characterized by the "number of errors" parameter b ≥ 0. While the SV-source considered only scenario (1), and the bit-fixing source - only scenario (2), we believe that our combined source is more realistic in modeling the problem of extracting quasi-random bits from physical sources. Unfortunately, we show that dealing with the combination of scenarios (1) and (2) is dramatically more difficult (at least from the point of randomness extraction) than dealing with each scenario individually. For example, if bδ = ω(1), the adversary controlling our source can force the outcome of any bit extraction procedure to a constant with probability 1 - o(1), irrespective of the random variables, their correlation and the number of observations. We also apply our source to the question of producing n-player collective coin-flipping protocols secure against adaptive adversaries. While the optimal non-adaptive adversarial threshold for such protocols is known to be n/2 [BN00], the optimal adaptive threshold is conjectured by Ben-Or and Linial [BL90] to be only O(√n). We give some evidence towards this conjecture by showing that there exists no black-box transformation from a non-adaptively secure coin-flipping protocol (with arbitrary conceivable parameters) resulting in an adaptively secure protocol tolerating ω(√n) faulty players.
Exploring the diversity of complex metabolic networks

Motivation: Metabolism, the network of chemical reactions that make life possible, is one of the most complex processes in nature. We describe here the development of a computational approach for the identification of every possible biochemical reaction from a given set of enzyme reaction rules that allows the de novo synthesis of metabolic pathways composed of these reactions, and the evaluation of these novel pathways with respect to their thermodynamic properties. Results: We applied this framework to the analysis of the aromatic amino acid pathways and discovered almost 75 000 novel biochemical routes from chorismate to phenylalanine, more than 350 000 from chorismate to tyrosine, but only 13 from chorismate to tryptophan. Thermodynamic analysis of these pathways suggests that the native pathways are thermodynamically more favorable than the alternative possible pathways. The pathways generated involve compounds that exist in biological databases, as well as compounds that exist in chemical databases and novel compounds, suggesting novel biochemical routes for these compounds and the existence of biochemical compounds that remain to be discovered or synthesized through enzyme and pathway engineering. Availability: Framework will be available via web interface at http://systemsbiology.northwestern.edu/BNICE (site under construction). Contact:vassily@northwestern.edu or broadbelt@northwestern.edu Supplementary information: http://systemsbiology.northwestern.edu/BNICE/publications
The Activity Reaction Core and Plasticity of Metabolic Networks

Understanding the system-level adaptive changes taking place in an organism in response to variations in the environment is a key issue of contemporary biology. Current modeling approaches, such as constraint-based flux-balance analysis, have proved highly successful in analyzing the capabilities of cellular metabolism, including its capacity to predict deletion phenotypes, the ability to calculate the relative flux values of metabolic reactions, and the capability to identify properties of optimal growth states. Here, we use flux-balance analysis to thoroughly assess the activity of Escherichia coli, Helicobacter pylori, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolism in 30,000 diverse simulated environments. We identify a set of metabolic reactions forming a connected metabolic core that carry non-zero fluxes under all growth conditions, and whose flux variations are highly correlated. Furthermore, we find that the enzymes catalyzing the core reactions display a considerably higher fraction of phenotypic essentiality and evolutionary conservation than those catalyzing noncore reactions. Cellular metabolism is characterized by a large number of species-specific conditionally active reactions organized around an evolutionary conserved, but always active, metabolic core. Finally, we find that most current antibiotics interfering with bacterial metabolism target the core enzymes, indicating that our findings may have important implications for antimicrobial drug-target discovery.
Public Markets as Community Development Tools

Public markets were once essential parts of the cityscape and they are becoming so again. Markets serve several purposes, social, political, and economic, and so planners interested in multipurpose tools for development will be interested in public markets. Markets can help achieve a variety of goals including place-making, employment, and entrepreneurship. This article focuses on markets as tools of business incubation. Archival data and literature shows how important markets once were to cities. Ethnographically collected data from Chicago's Maxwell Street market illustrates the individual and structural factors that account for businesses created at the market. Rural and urban markets are emerging or being rehabilitated all over the country — this research helps planners understand the history of markets, their multi-disciplinary nature, and the circumstances of people creating businesses at markets.
Thickness and rotational effects in simulated HRTEM images of graphene on hexagonal boron nitride.

Recent studies have shown that when graphene is placed on a thin hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) substrate, unlike when it is placed on a typical SiO2 surface, it can closely approach the ideal carrier mobility observed in suspended graphene samples. This study further examines the epitaxial relationship between graphene and h-BN substrate with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy simulation. Virtual monolayer and multilayer stacks of h-BN were produced with a monolayer of graphene on top, on bottom, and in between h-BN layers, in order to study this interface. Once the simulations were performed, the phase contrast image and Moire pattern created by this heterostack were analyzed for local and global intensity minima and maxima. In addition, h-BN substrate thickness and rotations between h-BN and graphene were probed and analyzed. The simulated images produced in this work will be used to help understand subsequent transmission electron microscopy images and electron energy-loss studies.
Analysis of Air Force Weather Agency cloud data for assessing single and multiple scattering through clouds at optical wavelengths

The Air Force Weather Agency (AFWA) has a long history of providing global cloud analyses and forecasts. Until recently, their focus has been on determining the cloud amount and cloud type. Satellite-based World-Wide Merged Cloud Analysis (WWMCA) data provided by the AFWA are analyzed to understand and assess their capability to characterize cloud single scattering parameters at optical wavelengths. WWMCA represents the most refined version of AFWA’s cloud depiction and forecast system and includes up to four cloud layers and 38 cloud parameters per file at each hemispheric grid point. Findings on WWMCA’s determination of cloud optical depth (COD), consistency with synoptic-scale cloud fields, and its ability to support radiative transfer calculations are as follows: (1) the WWMCA optical depth is strongly correlated with the theoretical optical depth at 550 nm computed using WWMCA’s cloud microphysical parameters. (2) WWMCA captures the large-scale spatial variation of COD as represented by the Mei-yu/Baiu onset and progression of synoptic cloud fields as well as the time-dependent character of mesoscale features. (3) WWMCA does not provide single scattering albedo and the cloud phase function which are needed to solve the radiative transfer equation. Because WWMCA is based on passive sensor processing, obscured cloud layers are not accounted for in the calculation of COD, which may lead to an underestimation of total COD.
Investigation of a coaxial bipolar nerve stimulator for intraoperative motor nerve monitoring

Intraoperative cranial motor nerve monitoring has improved the preservation of cranial nerve function during cerebellopontine angle and skull base surgery. Further improvements are needed to provide greater selectivity and sensitivity during intraoperative motor nerve stimulation. Use of bipolar stimulator probes has been recommended by previous investigators. The authors hypothesized that a coaxial bipolar stimulator design might provide important advantages over existing designs. This study compared the results of bipolar and monopolar stimulation using a coaxial stimulator probe in a rat model and during neurotologic procedures. The coaxial bipolar probe was superior in selectivity, thereby permitting useful multichannel monitoring. The coaxial design may also offer advantages over previous bipolar stimulator designs.
Designing and Testing a New Shack-Hartmann High Bandwidth Two-Dimensional Wave front Sensor

A novel Shack-Hartmann high bandwidth two-dimensional wave front sensor was designed and tested, addressing high temporal bandwidth light aberrations due to light-fluid interaction. The new sensor’s principles of operation and modifications are presented, and compared against a commercially-available two-dimensional wave front sensor with a 33x44 sub-apertures spatial resolution. The comparison was performed over a two-dimensional, acoustically forced heated jet. The results show a good agreement between the two sensors.