cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Azathioprine Metabolism: Pharmacokinetics of 6‐Mercaptopurine, 6‐Thiouric Acid and 6‐Thioguanine Nucleotides in Renal Transplant Patients

Despite extensive clinical experience with azathioprine (AZA), the disposition of various AZA metabolites remains obscure. We therefore evaluated the pharmacokinetics of three AZA metabolites: 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP), the immediate metabolite; 6-thiouric acid (6-TU), the final end product; and 6-thioguanine nucleotides (TGN), the active moiety; in eight renal transplant patients after oral administration of AZA. The low peak plasma 6-MP level of 73.7 +/- 23.7 ng/mL (mean +/- SD) and the short half-life (t1/2) of 1.9 +/- 0.6 hours suggest rapid conversion of 6-MP to other metabolites. A peak plasma 6-TU concentration of 1210 +/- 785 ng/mL was observed at 3.5 +/- 0.6 hours after the AZA dose. The strong correlation between 6-TU t1/2 and serum creatinine (r = 0.98, P = .0008) supported our previous work showing that 6-TU is primarily excreted by the kidneys. The total TGN levels in red blood cells (RBCs) in each patient remained largely unchanged over 24 hours with the intraindividual coefficient of variation ranging from 4.4% to 29.8%. In comparison, the mean TGN level varied considerably between patients, and ranged from undetectable to 413 pmol per 8 X 10(8) RBCs. However, there was no apparent correlation between white cell counts on day 0 (P greater than .5), day 7 (P greater than .5), or day 14 (P greater than .5) and RBC TGN level. The persistence of TGN in body tissues thus provides a pharmacokinetic rationale for the conventional once or twice daily AZA regimen.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tandemly Arrayed Genes in Vertebrate Genomes

Tandemly arrayed genes (TAGs) are duplicated genes that are linked as neighbors on a chromosome, many of which have important physiological and biochemical functions. Here we performed a survey of these genes in 11 available vertebrate genomes. TAGs account for an average of about 14% of all genes in these vertebrate genomes, and about 25% of all duplications. The majority of TAGs (72–94%) have parallel transcription orientation (i.e., they are encoded on the same strand) in contrast to the genome, which has about 50% of its genes in parallel transcription orientation. The majority of tandem arrays have only two members. In all species, the proportion of genes that belong to TAGs tends to be higher in large gene families than in small ones; together with our recent finding that tandem duplication played a more important role than retroposition in large families, this fact suggests that among all types of duplication mechanisms, tandem duplication is the predominant mechanism of duplication, especially in large families. Finally, several species have a higher proportion of large tandem arrays that are species-specific than random expectation.
Production of diethyl carbonate from ethanol and carbon monoxide over a heterogeneous catalytic flow reactor

Abstract Diethyl carbonate (DEC) is a candidate for use as an oxygen-containing additive in gasoline and diesel fuel to diminish pollutant emissions. The synthesis of DEC by the oxidative carbonylation of ethanol in the gas phase over heterogeneous CuCl 2 /PdCl 2 catalysts supported on activated carbon (AC) has been investigated using a laboratory-scale continuous flow reactor with online GC/MS. Influences of various reaction conditions and catalyst pretreatment on the DEC yield and selectivity have been tested. Yield of DEC at 150 °C reached a maximum of 12.5 wt.% and was found to increase with an increase of residence time, reaction temperature, and reaction pressure as expected. The relationship between CO flow rate and production of DEC showed three distinct regions of DEC production. A by-product, diethoxymethane (DEM), was formed when ethanol was introduced in stoichiometric excess. Catalyst pretreated with KOH presented the best catalytic performance, and all metal hydroxides tested enhanced the yield of and selectivity for DEC simultaneously. However, the CuCl 2 /PdCl 2 /AC–KOH catalyst with a higher OH/Cu mole ratio than 2.0 showed an even lower DEC yield than that found using a CuCl 2 /PdCl 2 /AC catalyst without KOH.
Electroluminescence of highly doped Ge pnn diodes for Si integrated lasers

Edge-emission electroluminescence from waveguide Ge-on-Si pnn heterojunction diode structures is demonstrated. Selective growth of highly phosphorus doped Ge in oxide trenches shows promise as a design for electrically pumped laser on Si.
2-Aminoimidazoles and their zinc complexes from Indo-Pacific Leucetta sponges and Notodoris nudibranchs

Abstract This investigation explored aminoimidazoles from the nudibranch, Notodoris gardineri , and the sponge Leucetta sp. Five compounds were isolated and include known metabolites, clathridine ( 7 ) and its corresponding Zn complex ( 8 ), accompanied by new compounds, preclathridine A ( 10 ), clathridine B ( 11 ), and Zn-isonaamidine ( 12 ). Compounds 7 , 8 , 10 , and 11 were isolated from the nudibranch and 12 was obtained from the sponge. The organometallic complex 12 provides the second example of such a chemotype isolated from a sponge and this study reports the first instance of an organometallic compound isolated from a nudibranch.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CANADIAN FISCAL POLICY

IN ATTEMPTING to assess the role of economic policy, the specific measures selected must be tailored to the country's economic organization, and, in particular, to its monetary and fiscal institutions. This observation is more pertinent the less the country resembles a "closed economy." Foreign influences, both via visible trade and the less obvious money market ties, tend to condition, and perhaps even to nullify, efforts directed at an independent program, especially a selfrecovery effort during a world-wide depression. The Canadian economy furnishes an excellent illustration of the problems facing "open economies." Greatly dependent on English and American markets, both for imports and exports, influenced by the strong pull of the New York money market, yet faced with the possible onslaught of a severe depression, such as happened in 192933, her policy-makers are forced to consider as alternatives the aim of full employment or relatively free international trade.' Hence, by examining the events of the thirties, some guideposts for current policy can be deduced.
A REVIEW OF PERMEATION TUBES AND PERMEATORS

In this review, the basic principles underlying the design and application of permeation tubes and permeators are discussed. The fundamental theory is cast in terms of Fick's Laws and Henry's law. The various types of polymer materials and permeation tube devices are then discussed, with a view toward the final application of the devices. Finally, calibration and and lifetime issues are treated.
A photoionization study of ion pair formation from CFCl3

The first observations of ion pair formation from CFCL3 by UV photoionization are reported.
Sorafenib Triggers Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Signals in Human Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Cells

Background and purpose Current therapies offer scant benefit to patients with advanced esophageal adenocarcinoma. We investigated the effects of Sorafenib, a multifunctional kinase inhibitor, on several growth regulatory pathways that control cell growth and survival in SEG-1 cells derived from Barrett’s adenocarcinoma. Methods SEG-1 cells were exposed to acidified medium or taurocholic acid, with and without pre-incubation with Sorafenib. Cyclin D1 and E, c-Myc, and Bcl-2 expression levels as well as STAT3 activations were determined by Western blotting. Cyclin D1 mRNA was measured by real-time PCR. Apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL assay. Results Sorafenib significantly inhibited SEG-1 cell proliferation stimulated by acid or bile acid treatments and reduced cell survival. This drug significantly reduced the up-regulations of cyclin D1, cyclin E, c-Myc, and Bcl-2 as well as the activation of STAT3 in SEG-1 cells. Conclusions These results support a rational basis for future clinical studies to assess the therapeutic benefit of Sorafenib in esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Three-dimensional diffuse optical imaging of hand joints: System description and phantom studies

Abstract In this paper we describe a three-dimensional (3D) continuous wave (CW) diffuse optical tomography (DOT) system and present 3D volumetric reconstruction studies using this DOT system with simple phantom models that simulate hand joints. The CCD-based DOT system consists of 64×64 source/detector fiber optic channels, which are arranged in four layers, forming a cylindrical fiber optic/tissue interface. Phantom experiments are used to evaluate system performance with respective to axial spatial resolution, optical contrast and target position for detection of osteoarthritis where cartilage is the primary target region of interest. These phantom studies suggest that we are able to quantitatively resolve a 2 mm thick “cartilage” and qualitatively resolve a 1 mm thick “cartilage” using our 3D reconstruction approach. Our results also show that optical contrast of 3:1–7:1 between the “disease cartilage” and normal cartilage can be quantitatively recovered. Finally, the target position along axial direction on image reconstruction is studied. All the images are obtained using our 3D finite-element-based reconstruction algorithm.
Diffusion studies in Ag-Zn alloys

Diffusion studies were made in the alpha and beta phases of the silver-zinc system at 600°C with vapor-solid and solid-solid diffusion couples in order to determine intrinsic diffusion coefficients and interdiffusion coefficients. Intrinsic diffusion coefficients, DZn and DAg, determined experimentally for bothα andβ alloys, were compared with those predicted from the models of Darken, Manning, and Dayananda with the aid of thermodynamic and single crystal tracer diffusion data. The experimental values of Dzn were close to those predicted by the models of Darken and Manning, while the experimental DAg values were higher than those determined by both models. The experimental values of the ratio, DZn/DAg, were found to be lower than those predicted by either Darken’s or Manning’s relations. Also, Dayananda’s model was found to be inapplicable with the available tracer diffusion data. This disagreement is considered to reflect the inadequacy of the single crystal tracer diffusivities in the analysis of intrinsic diffusion in polycrystalline Ag-Zn alloys.
Geoscientists Are Key to Reducing Climate Threats, Expert Says

The world is facing an extreme environmental crisis, and Earth scientists have a unique and crucial role to play in helping to reduce the impact of climate change and other threats.
Ideology and the Reform of Public Higher Education

In this article, I critically examine calls for reform of public higher education. I construct a counter-intuitive alliance between the conservatism of twentieth-century philosopher Michael Oakeshott and the more recent thinking associated with post-structuralism. It is argued that in Oakeshott and post-structuralism, we find a similar critique of the idea behind these reforms as imposing instrumental or productivist values on higher education. What is produced is a type of person organized to produce more and to demand of herself greater production. This critique is associated with a broader criticism of liberalism found both in Oakeshott and post-structuralism that the liberal order produces a normalized and docile individuality. Conversely, it is argued that theories of higher education in Oakeshott and post-structuralism inform a broader positive idea of individuality, enacted in a “style,” having intrinsic worth, and never reducible to any finished form.
Interfacial impedance and roughness of solid electrodes; gold in perchloric acid☆

Abstract De levie's tapered transmission-line model of a solid electrode surface has been tested on Au in 1 M HClO4 in the (nearly) ideally polarizable region (0·2-0·8 V(she) and in the presence of adsorbed oxygen and/or an oxide film (0·8–1·6 V). From the frequency dependence of the cell impedance at 400–10,000 Hz the parameter l/sin β is calculated, where l = groove depth, and β = 1 2 groove angle. Values l/sin β observed increase with electrode roughening and may serve qualitatively to indicate the roughness of the electrode.
White and Breitborde's French Paleolithic Collections of the Logan Museum of Anthropology. 1992. Logan Museum Bulletin (new series)

At some point in their training, most Paleolithic archaeologists succumb to the almost spiritual pull of the French Perigord and undertake the pilgrimage. While today's prehistorians visit numerous French museums and are able to purchase a spectrum of teaching aids from artifact replicas to CD-ROM images of rockshelter exca­vations, the situation facing Alonzo Pond and George Collie in the early 1920's was quite different. During the seminal years of Beloit College's Department of Anthropology, Pond and Collie acquired over 20,000 Pale­olithic artifacts from both a network of professional and amateur archaeologists in France, and limited excava­ tion projects. This collection, consisting of stone artifacts, bone tools, worked shell, antler, and ivory, and even engraved plaquettes and Azillian pebbles, is the subject of French Paleolithic Collections of the Logan Museum of Anthropology.
Ideal free distribution or dynamic game? An agent-based simulation study of trawling strategies with varying information

Abstract An ecological economic model of trawling is presented to demonstrate the effect of trawling location choice strategy on net input (rate of economic gain of fish caught per time spent less costs). Fishing location choice is considered to be a dynamic process whereby trawlers chose from among a repertoire of plastic strategies that they modify if their gains fall below a fixed proportion of the mean gains of the fleet as a whole. The distribution of fishing across different areas of a fishery follows an approximate ideal free distribution (IFD) with varying noise due to uncertainty. The least-productive areas are not utilised because initial net input never reaches the mean yield of better areas subject to competitive exploitation. In cases, where there is a weak temporal autocorrelation between fish stocks in a specific location, a plastic strategy of local translocation between trawls mixed with longer-range translocation increases realised input. The trawler can change its translocation strategy in the light of information about recent trawling success compared to its long-term average but, in contrast to predictions of the Marginal Value Theorem (MVT) model, does not know for certain what it will find by moving, so may need to sample new patches. The combination of the two types of translocation mirrored beam-trawling strategies used by the Dutch fleet and the resultant distribution of trawling effort is confirmed by analysis of historical effort distribution of British otter trawling fleets in the North Sea. Fisheries exploitation represents an area where dynamic agent-based adaptive models may be a better representation of the economic dynamics of a fleet than classically inspired optimisation models.
U.S. treasury department studies of federal- state-local fiscal relations: the context, the major themes, and the outcome

This article provides an assessment of the condition of the literature on several major issues of Federal-State-local fiscal relations. The assessment is provided in the context of a three-volume report on Federal-State-local fiscal relations recently published by the U.S. Treasury Department. The author was a major participant in the studies who generally views them favorably, but who also raises his real concerns about a number of matters. This article summarizes and evaluates certain aspects of the economic theory of federalism, the intellectual underpinnings of the report. This article addresses the institutional context in which the report was written, which helped shape its approach, content, and conclusions. The report itself generally lacks detailed recom-mendations. Three main themes of the report are addressed in detail in this article. These are: (a) issues relevant to programs of general-purpose fiscal assistance, which include the adequacy of any potential improvements that might be made in m...
Phased array antenna limitations for ultra-wideband focusing

The fundamentals of ultra-wideband (UWB) focused phased array antennas are reviewed, and some basic limitations are outlined. It is shown that when phase shifters are used within the architecture of the array, the focal point moves as a function of frequency, which degrades the focusing performance of the antenna. To mitigate these limitations, time-delay units are proposed, and it is revealed that perfect focusing across a wide bandwidth can be achieved by this approach. To validate this concept, an UWB Vivaldi focused antenna array using time delays is designed which demonstrates good focusing capability across the UWB spectrum.
Sub-micrometer-sized metal tubes from electrospun fiber templates.

Metallic tubes have been synthesized by a polymer-based template approach using electroless deposition. Gold, copper, and nickel were deposited as thin films on sub-micrometer polymer fibers which ranged in diameter from ∼160 to 400 nm. After thermal degradation of the template fibers at 300 and 650 °C, tubes between 450 and 730 nm were obtained with wall thicknesses of 50−150 nm. Characterization by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and powder X-ray diffraction indicate that the tubes have a face-centered cubic structure with [111] preferred orientation for all of the metals investigated and that the tube walls are polycrystalline, composed of nanoparticles, ranging in size from 5.0 to 25.0 nm.
Characteristics of emotionally disturbed children referred for special education assessment.

This paper describes a comprehensive program of evaluation and consultation services provided to socially and emotionally disturbed (SED) youngsters in a large metropolitan school district. Problems with traditional SED evaluations and re-evaluations are reviewed, and the current assessment techniques and consultation services are discussed. These include the use of direct classroom observation by an observer/data collector and systematic school personnel contacts. A description of students referred for assessment is provided.
Disjunctive image computation for software verification

Existing BDD-based symbolic algorithms designed for hardware designs do not perform well on software programs. We propose novel techniques based on unique characteristics of software programs. Our algorithm divides an image computation step into a disjunctive set of easier ones that can be performed in isolation. We use hypergraph partitioning to minimize the number of live variables in each disjunctive component, and variable scopes to simplify transition relations and reachable state subsets. Our experiments on nontrivial C programs show that BDD-based symbolic algorithms can directly handle software models with a much larger number of state variables than for hardware designs.
Contribution to the mathematical theory of human relations: VI. Periodic fluctuations in the behavior of social groups

A case of interaction between two groups of “active” and one group of “passive” individuals, in which the efforts of the influencing active groups decrease with increasing total success in the past, is studied. In that case the numbers of passive individuals, exhibiting respectively the two opposite behaviors, fluctuate periodically, with a positive damping.
Translational and Clinical Applications of Salivary Diagnostics

There have been significant advances in techniques for the detection of biomarker signals in the oral cavity (e.g., ELISAs for proteins, PCR for RNA and DNA) as well as the engineering and development of microfluidic approaches to make oral-based point-of-care (POC) methods for the diagnosis for both local and systemic conditions a reality. In this section, we focus on three such approaches, namely, periodontal disease management, early markers for systemic diseases, and salivary markers useful for pharmacogenomic studies. Novel approaches using non-invasive, salivary samples and user-friendly devices offer results that are as sensitive and specific as laboratory-based analyses using blood or urine.
Lack of a tachycardic response to hypotension in penetrating abdominal injuries

Vital signs upon arrival to the emergency department were studied retrospectively in 59 consecutive patients with isolated penetrating abdominal injuries to determine their chronotropic response to hypotension. Forty-three patients with documented intraperitoneal injury were included in the study and separated into hypotensive and normotensive groups using a systolic blood pressure of 90 or 100 mm Hg. The difference in mean pulse rates between normotensive and hypotensive groups was not statistically significant (P greater than 0.05) although a wide range of pulse rates was noted in both groups. Nearly half of all hypotensive patients were not tachycardic, defined as a pulse rate less than 100. Similar findings were observed when the 117 sets of vital signs recorded both in the field and in the emergency department were analyzed as independent pieces of data. Several mechanisms are proposed for the lack of tachycardia in the presence of hypotension. This data suggest that tachycardia may not be a reliable sign of hypovolemic shock when defined by blood pressure criteria in these patients.
ePeriodicity: Mining Event Periodicity from Incomplete Observations

Advanced technology in GPS and sensors enables us to track physical events, such as human movements and facility usage. Periodicity analysis from the recorded data is an important data mining task which provides useful insights into the physical events and enables us to report outliers and predict future behaviors. To mine periodicity in an event, we have to face real-world challenges of inherently complicated periodic behaviors and imperfect data collection problem. Specifically, the hidden temporal periodic behaviors could be oscillating and noisy, and the observations of the event could be incomplete. In this paper, we propose a novel probabilistic measure for periodicity and design a practical algorithm, ePeriodicity, to detect periods. Our method has thoroughly considered the uncertainties and noises in periodic behaviors and is provably robust to incomplete observations. Comprehensive experiments on both synthetic and real datasets demonstrate the effectiveness of our method.
The disposition of tritiated dopamine by gills of Mytilus edulis and Modiolus demissus.

1. Tritiated dopamine is apparently not actively transported but does accumulate in isolated gill tissue of Mytilus edulis and Modiolus demissus by passive diffusion from an artificial sea water medium and is subsequently metabolized by a concentration-dependent process. 2. Dopamine was efficiently separated from its metabolites by passing a tissue extract through a Dowex 50W-X4 cation exchange resin column (50 × 5 mm) which allows collection of metabolites in the effluent followed by elution of the dopamine from the column with 12 ml 2 N HCl. 3. Substrate concentrations of dopamine stimulated the rate of oxygen consumption by Mytilus gill homogenates but had no effect on the rate of oxygen uptake by Modiolus gill homogenates. 4. Kinetics of metabolite formation and oxygen consumption data suggested that Mytilus and Modiolus metabolize dopamine by different mechanisms.
Some characteristics of ozone formation in the urban plume of St. Louis, MO

The O3 measurements from the Regional Air Monitoring System (RAMS) in St. Louis in the upwind and downwind flow directions have been used to evaluate the first day impact of the urban plume of St. Louis. The time periods between April and October 1975 and 1976 have been utilized for this purpose. Ozone formation in the urban plume has been evaluated with respect to the distribution of O3 concentrations at RAMS stations downwind. The relationships between O3 concentrations in the urban plume and such meteorological parameters as wind direction, wind speed, temperature, solar radiation intensity and maximum mixing heights have been investigated. Plume widths also have been estimated and related to plume O3 intensities. Incremental O3 formation within the urban plume compared to regional O3 background increases both in frequency and intensity from spring into midsummer and declines again in late summer and early fall. Episodic periods with substantial increments of O3 formation in the plume over background occur especially during the summer months. Aircraft measurements of O3 in the St. Louis plume are discussed by considering first day transport distances, plume widths and O3 profiles beyond the outer stations in the RAMS network. The significance of incremental O3 formation is evaluated in the St. Louis plume on population exposures as well as on fumigations of field crops or forest in rural areas downwind. The strongest effects of O3 formation in the plume occur in the prevailing wind direction. The O3 in the plumes from all of the cities in an interior region of the U.S. is estimated to impact 5–10% of the rural lands in this region on any given day.
Effects of premilking and postmilking teat disinfectants on teat skin condition

An incomplete block split-plot design with repeated measures was used to test the effects of eight combinations of premilking and postmilking teat disinfectants on teat skin and teat end condition over a 6-wk period. These combinations included iodine, sodium chlorite, lactic acid, and orthophosphoric acid. Visual assessments of teat skin and teat ends were made on the teats of 101 cows. Teat skin thickness, teat end thickness, and transepidermal water loss were assessed for the teats of 50 cows. The interaction of predip and postdip had no effect on teat condition. Postdip had a significant effect on transepidermal water loss, visual teat skin condition, and visual teat end condition. The 1% iodine postdip was associated with the poorest teat skin condition.
Production of hydrogen peroxide and organic peroxides in the gas phase reactions of ozone with natural alkenes

The formation of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and organic peroxides in the reaction of O{sub 3} with trans-2-butene and naturally occurring alkenes has been studied using a 31 m{sup 3} reaction chamber. H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and organic peroxides were found to be products of the O{sub 3} reaction with trans-2-butene, isoprene, {alpha} and {beta}-pinene, and limonene. Water is necessary for the formation of H{sub 2}O{sub 2} and most of the H{sub 2}O{sub 2} is formed via a route that does not involve HO{sub 2} radicals. These results indicate that the reaction of O{sub 3} with natural alkenes may be a significant source of atmospheric H{sub 2}O{sub 2}, particularly in forest and rural areas.
A celebration of Steven Gabbe's contributions and accomplishments: Associate Editor, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1990 through 2010.

After twenty years as an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1990-2010), Dr. Steven Gabbe stepped down to focus on his current position as Chief Executive Officer of the Ohio State University Medical Center and Senior Vice President for Health Sciences at the Ohio State University. Earlier this year, the Editors of the Journal decided to celebrate Steve's professional and academic accomplishments. This article highlights Steve's exceptional contributions to Obstetrics and Gynecology, medicine and the institutions he has led. Steve's decision to pursue a career in medicine was made at the age of 10, when he witnessed the care provided to his grandmother (affected by cancer) by a family physician. Steve recognized the human value of medicine and admired the respect in which physicians were held by patients and their families. He knew then that medicine was his calling. Steve attended a local suburban high school in Newark, New Jersey and was subsequently admitted to Princeton, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude.
A multipurpose microcomputer system in the physician's office

This system was initially installed to perform medical accounts-receivable management and evoked response testing. Soon after installation, programs to perform word processing, data base management, and acoustic reflex display were requested and implemented. Testimony to the success of using a general-purpose microcomputer in this setting is its acceptance by operating personnel and its rapidly expanding utilization.
Cancellation of local oscillator intensity noise caused by the relaxation oscillation of GaAIAs lasers with a dual-detector heterodyne receiver

Coherent optical communication systems using semiconductor lasers can provide improved performance over direct detection systems due to higher receiver sensitivities. However, excessive local oscillator intensity fluctuations of present state-of-the-art semiconductor lasers usually prevent conventional heterodyne receivers from operating at the quantum limit. The amount of degradation can be substantial (2-40 dB).1.2 For wide-bandwidth systems in particular intensity noise due to the re- laxation oscillation of the local oscillator laser can degrade receiver sensitivities at frequencies well below the relaxation resonance frequency.3 A dual-detector heterodyne receiver has been proposed for the purpose of local oscillator intensity noise cancellation.4 The concept has been demonstrated for small receiver bandwidths (<150 MHz).5 In this paper we describe techniques and results of noise cancellation over a 3-GHz bandwidth. Intensity noise at the relaxation oscillation resonance has been successfully suppressed by 20 dB. Analytical performance bounds based on measurable device and circuit parameters are found to give excellent predictions of experimental results
Solar Power Satellites: Creating the Market for Beamed Energy Propulsion

Beamed energy advocates must investigate the potential of major markets like space based solar satellites and space‐based nuclear waste disposal. For BEP to succeed, its proponents must work with these possible users to generate interest and resources needed to develop BEP.
CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON TISSUE RESIDUES FROM BOVINE FEED SUPPLEMENTS: APPLE POMACE AND FISH MEAL

Beef cattle were fed corn silage with or without apple pomace andlor fish meal. Trace levels of dicofol, an acaricide used on apples, were found in tissues of animals fed apple pomace. Detectable levels of p, p'-DDE were also found in tissues of these cattle since dicofol, as formulated, contains about 2.5% p, p'-DDT. The addition of fish meal containing traces of p,p'-DDE to the ration did not consistently increase p, p'-DDE concentrations since this supplement only comprised 3% of the diet. The corn silage and fish meal each contained trace concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) but PCBs were not detectable in tissues of any of the cattle.
Hot Interconnects and Hot Topics

This column discusses hot interconnects and the three keynote speeches from the Micro 2011 conference. It also introduces a new Editorial Board member.
The Mesoscale Forcing of a Midlatitude Upper-Tropospheric Jet Streak by a Simulated Convective System. Part II: Kinetic Energy and Resolution Analysis

Abstract A kinetic energy (KE) analysis of the forcing of a mesoscale upper-tropospheric jet streak by organized diabaaic processes within the simulated convective system (SCS) that was discussed in Part I is presented in this study. The relative contributions of the ageostrophic components of motion to the generation of KE of the convectively generated jet streak are compared, along with the KE generation by the rotational (nondivergent) and irrotational (divergent) mass transport. The sensitivity of the numerical simulations of SCS development to resolution is also briefly examined. Analysis within isentropic coordinates provides for an explicit determination of the influence of dramatic processes on the generation of KE. The upper-level production of specific KE is due predominantly to the inertial advective ageostrophic component (IAD), and as such represents the primary process through which the KE of the convectively generated jet streak is realized. A secondary contribution by the inertial diabatic...
Diffraction by a symmetric material junction. I. General solution

Generalized impedance boundary conditions (GIBCs) and generalized sheet transition conditions (GSTCs) have been explored as a means of modeling thicker material layers. Unfortunately, the resulting diffraction solutions obtained with GIBCs and GSTCs are often nonunique, typically displaying unknown constants which cannot be determined after the application of the standard edge condition. The authors address the general solution and the subsequent determination of the unknown constants for three specific junction geometries. Particular emphasis is placed on diffraction by grounded metal-dielectric junctions. >
Thermochemistry of uranium compounds XV. Calorimetric measurements on UCl4, UO2Cl2, and UO2F2, and the standard molar enthalpy of formation at 298.15 K of UCl4☆

Abstract The standard molar enthalpy of formation, ΔfHmo, of uranium tetrachloride at 298.15 K has been determined on the basis of calorimetric measurements of its enthalpy of oxidation by XeO3(aq). Solution-calorimetric measurements have yielded the standard molar enthalpy of formation at 298.15 K of uranyl chloride based on our earlier results for uranyl fluoride. The following values are reported: ΔfHmo(UCl4, cr, 298.15 K) = −(1022.8±3.8) kJ · mol−1 and ΔfHmo(UO2Cl2, cr, 298.15 K) = −(1247.9±3.6) kJ · mol−1.
The Development of Calculus in the Kerala School

The Kerala School of mathematics, founded by Madhava in Southern India, produced many great works in the area of trigonometry during the fifteenth through eighteenth centuries. This paper focuses on Madhava's derivation of the power series for sine and cosine, as well as a series similar to the well-known Taylor Series. The derivations use many calculus related concepts such as summation, rate of change, and interpolation, which suggests that Indian mathematicians had a solid understanding of the basics of calculus long before it was developed in Europe. Other evidence from Indian mathematics up to this point such as interest in infinite series and the use of a base ten decimal system also suggest that it was possible for calculus to have developed in India almost 300 years before its recognized birth in Europe. The issue of whether or not Indian calculus was transported to Europe and influenced European mathematics is not addressed.
Fabrication of thin-film micropolarizer arrays for visible imaging polarimetry.

We describe a microfabrication process for fabricating micropolarizer devices with polarization thin film. The polarization film is less than a 0.5 µm thick and can have a polarization extinction ratio of ∼330 in the visible wavelength range. A single-state micropolarizer array with polarizing pixels as small as 5 µm × 5 µm has been fabricated. A multilayer spatially multiplexed three-state micropolarizer line array with a 14.4-µm resolution has also been fabricated for visible imaging polarimetry application.
NMR studies of ligand binding to P450eryF provides insight into the mechanism of cooperativity

Cytochrome P450's (P450's) catalyze the oxidative metabolism of most drugs and toxins. Although extensive studies have proven that some P450's demonstrate both homotropic and heterotropic cooperativity toward a number of substrates, the mechanistic and molecular details of P450 allostery are still not well-established. Here, we use UV/vis and heteronuclear nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic techniques to study the mechanism and thermodynamics of the binding of two 9-aminophenanthrene (9-AP) and testosterone (TST) molecules to the erythromycin-metabolizing bacterial P450eryF. UV/vis absorbance spectra of P450eryF demonstrated that binding occurs with apparent negative homotropic cooperativity for TST and positive homotropic cooperativity for 9-AP with Hill-equation-derived dissociation constants of KS = 4 and 200 μM, respectively. The broadening and shifting observed in the 2D-{1H,15N}-HSQC-monitored titrations of 15N-Phe-labeled P450eryF with 9-AP and TST indicated binding on intermediate and ...
Mental Health Law

For hundreds of years the Anglo-American legal system has been developing special rules for dealing with problems caused by the inherently perplexing phenomenon of mentally disordered behavior. In almost every area of civil and criminal law, from rules concerning preventive detention to rules concerning criminal responsibility, mentally disordered persons are treated differently from nonmentally disordered persons.
Auctions and Land Values: An Experimental Analysis

Although urban land development is a well-researched area, there has been inadequate research on the allocation mechanism for land. This paper offers a new perspective on the effects of the auction mechanism on land values. By appealing to an experimental setting to examine the bidding behaviour of developers in repeated first-price sealed bid (FPSB) auctions where resolution of price uncertainty (development revenue) is deferred, it is shown that overbidding is pervasive. Participants consistently shave expected profit margins in order to secure land for development. The actual profit margins reported in all experiments are significantly lower than the suggested benchmark made known before the experiments. Consequently, participants tend to experience smaller ex post profits relative to ex ante expectations. However, we find that repeated bidding does mitigate overbidding to some extent, as evidenced by lower differences in the winning bid to the second-highest bid. Convergence in the range of bids occur...
Morphological Atlases of Knee Cartilage: Shape Indices to Analyze Cartilage Degradation in Osteoarthritic and Non-Osteoarthritic Population

3D Magnetic resonance imaging of the articular cartilage allows accurate morphological assessment of the cartilage with relevance for identifying osteoarthritis (OA) status and to monitor progression and response to treatment. We propose the creation of morphological atlases of the cartilage using normal subjects segregated by age, sex, and gender. These atlases capture the variation of shape in normal subjects and are then used to classify new imaging studies as belonging to 'normal (asymptomatic of OA)' or 'abnormal (symptomatic of OA)'. The classification is performed by (i) analysis of the 3D deformation field required to move voxels to their corresponding locations in the atlas. Deformations beyond plusmn2SD of normal variations constitute regions with large morphological changes; (ii) generating active shape models from the normal subject data and using the shape coefficients to classify cartilage morphology. The methodology is evaluated with an atlas of 20 normal subjects in one sub-type and testing the classification potential with 3 subjects symptomatic and 3 subjects asymptomatic of OA.
Hepoxilin A3 Facilitates Neutrophilic Breach of Lipoxygenase-expressing Airway Epithelial Barriers

A feature shared by many inflammatory lung diseases is excessive neutrophilic infiltration. Neutrophil homing to airspaces involve multiple factors produced by several distinct cell types. Hepoxilin A(3) is a neutrophil chemoattractant produced by pathogen-infected epithelial cells that is hypothesized to facilitate neutrophil breach of mucosal barriers. Using a Transwell model of lung epithelial barriers infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, we explored the role of hepoxilin A(3) in neutrophil transepithelial migration. Pharmacological inhibitors of the enzymatic pathways necessary to generate hepoxilin A(3), including phospholipase A(2) and 12-lipoxygenase, potently interfere with P. aeruginosa-induced neutrophil transepithelial migration. Both transformed and primary human lung epithelial cells infected with P. aeruginosa generate hepoxilin A(3) precursor arachidonic acid. All four known lipoxygenase enzymes capable of synthesizing hepoxilin A(3) are expressed in lung epithelial cell lines, primary small airway epithelial cells, and human bronchial epithelial cells. Lung epithelial cells produce increased hepoxilin A(3) and lipid-derived neutrophil chemotactic activity in response to P. aeruginosa infection. Lipid-derived chemotactic activity is soluble epoxide hydrolase sensitive, consistent with hepoxilin A(3) serving a chemotactic role. Stable inhibitory structural analogs of hepoxilin A(3) are capable of impeding P. aeruginosa-induced neutrophil transepithelial migration. Finally, intranasal infection of mice with P. aeruginosa promotes enhanced cellular infiltrate into the airspace, as well as increased concentration of the 12-lipoxygenase metabolites hepoxilin A(3) and 12-hydroxyeicosa-5Z,8Z,10E,14Z-tetraenoic acid. Data generated from multiple models in this study provide further evidence that hepoxilin A(3) is produced in response to lung pathogenic bacteria and functions to drive neutrophils across epithelial barriers.
A surgical option for ventricular tachycardia caused by nonischemic cardiomyopathy.

Sustained monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) in patients with heart disease is usually due to reentry involving a region of myocardial scar. Most commonly, the scar is due to prior myocardial infarction and associated with significantly depressed left ventricular function. Scars create a very stable substrate for VT, such that up to 70% of patients who present with sustained monomorphic VT late after myocardial infarction will have another episode within the next 2 years.1,2 Scars also occur in patients with nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathies (NICM) but are generally small, averaging less than 4% of the ventricular myocardium in one study using MRI.3 Replacement fibrosis is a likely mechanism. Consistent with the less frequent and smaller areas of confluent scar in nonischemic cardiomyopathies, sustained monomorphic VT is relatively infrequent. In patients with depressed left ventricular function who received an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) for primary prevention, 15% had spontaneous VT or ventricular fibrillation detected by the ICD during a follow-up of 29 months, and approximately half of these arrhythmias were monomorphic VT.4 Article see p 494 Because large scars are not common in NICM, the possibility of bundle-branch reentry, which may occur without large scars, is an important consideration when sustained VT is encountered but accounts for fewer than 10% of VTs in this patient population.5 It has become increasingly clear that ventricular scars are a major factor causing sustained monomorphic VT in patients with NICM.6,7 Of patients who have recurrent episodes of VT, who are considered for catheter ablation, the vast majority have evidence of ventricular scars, based on voltage mapping or late Gd enhancement (LGE) on MRI.8 …
Organizational Support and Volunteering Benefits for Older Adults

Purpose: This study tested a theoretical model of volunteering benefits and examined the mechanism through which volunteering benefits older adults. Design and Methods: This is a 2-wave study of 253 older adult volunteers serving in 10 volunteer programs. Older volunteers completed the mailed surveys in 2005 and 2006. Structural equation modeling was used to define the latent variables and to test direct and indirect relationships among organizational support, socioemotional benefits, and self-reported health. Results: Organizational support (measured by choice of volunteer activity, training, and ongoing support) had significant direct associations with 2 latent factors of socioemotional benefits, that is, perceived contribu tion and personal benefits. Perceived contribution was significantly related to mental health. Additionally, older volunteers with lower socioeconomic status (SES) committed more hours and perceived more personal benefits than higher SES peers. Implications: These findings suggest that volunteer programs can pro vide various organizational supports to older volunteers, especially to low-SES volunteers, in order to promote the socioemotional and health benefits of volunteering to older adults. Psychological well-being of older adults can be improved through engagement in meaningful volunteer activities and contribution to others.
The Performance of Convex Set Projection Based Neural Networks

We consider a class of neural networks whose performance can be analyzed and geometrically visualized in a signal space environment. Alternating projection neural networks (APNN's) perform by alternately projecting between two or more constraint sets. Criteria for desired and unique convergence are easily established. The network can be configured in either a homogeneous or layered form. The number of patterns that can be stored in the network is on the order of the number of input and hidden neurons. If the output neurons can take on only one of two states, then the trained layered APNN can be easily configured to converge in one iteration. More generally, convergence is at an exponential rate. Convergence can be improved by the use of sigmoid type nonlinearities, network relaxation and/or increasing the number of neurons in the hidden layer. The manner in which the network responds to data for which it was not specifically trained (i.e. how it generalizes) can be directly evaluated analytically.
Biosynthesis of Threonylcarbamoyl Adenosine (t6A), a Universal tRNA Nucleoside

The anticodon stem-loop (ASL) of transfer RNAs (tRNAs) drives decoding by interacting directly with the mRNA through codon/anticodon pairing. Chemically complex nucleoside modifications found in the ASL at positions 34 or 37 are known to be required for accurate decoding. Although over 100 distinct modifications have been structurally characterized in tRNAs, only a few are universally conserved, among them threonylcarbamoyl adenosine (t6A), found at position 37 in the anticodon loop of a subset of tRNA. Structural studies predict an important role for t6A in translational fidelity, and in vivo work supports this prediction. Although pioneering work in the 1970s identified the fundamental substrates for t6A biosynthesis, the enzymes responsible for its biosynthesis have remained an enigma. We report here the discovery that in bacteria four proteins (YgjD, YrdC, YjeE, and YeaZ) are both necessary and sufficient for t6A biosynthesis in vitro. Notably, YrdC and YgjD are members of universally conserved families that were ranked among the top 10 proteins of unknown function in need of functional characterization, while YeaZ and YjeE are specific to bacteria. This latter observation, coupled with the essentiality of all four proteins in bacteria, establishes this pathway as a compelling new target for antimicrobial development.
Recent Insights into the Structure, Regulation, and Function of the V-ATPases

The vacuolar (H + )-ATPases (V-ATPases) are ATP-dependent proton pumps that acidify intracellular compartments and are also present at the plasma membrane. They function in such processes as membrane traffic, protein degradation, virus and toxin entry, bone resorption, pH homeostasis, and tumor cell invasion. V-ATPases are large multisubunit complexes, composed of an ATP-hydrolytic domain (V 1 ) and a proton translocation domain (V 0 ), and operate by a rotary mechanism. This review focuses on recent insights into their structure and mechanism, the mechanisms that regulate V-ATPase activity (particularly regulated assembly and trafficking), and the role of V-ATPases in processes such as cell signaling and cancer. These developments have highlighted the potential of V-ATPases as a therapeutic target in a variety of human diseases.