IIT Research Institute

procedure arithmetic (a, b, c, op); integer a, b, c, op; onlment This procedure will perform different order arithmetic operations with b and c, putting the result in a. The order of the operation is given by op. For op = 1 addition is performed. For op = 2 multiplicaLion, repeated addition, is done. Beyond these the operations are non-commutative. For op = 3 exponentiation, repeated multiplication, is done, raising b to the power c. Beyond these the question of grouping is important. The innermost implied parentheses are at the right. The hyper-exponent is always c. For op = 4 tetration, repeated exponentiation, is done. For op = 5, 6, 7, etc., the procedure performs pentation, hexation, heptation, etc., respectively. The routine was originally programmed in FORTRAN for the Control Data 160 desk-size computer. The original program was limited to tetration because subroutine recursiveness in Control Data 160 FORTRAN has been held down to four levels in the interests of economy.

Traditional simulated annealing uses thermal fluctuations for convergence in optimization problems. Quantum tunneling provides a different mechanism for moving between states, with the potential for reduced time scales. Thermal and quantum annealing are compared in a model disordered magnet, where the effects of quantum mechanics can be tuned by varying an applied magnetic field. The results indicate that quantum annealing hastens convergence to the optimum state.

The finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) method is proposed as a means of accurately computing electromagnetic scattering by arbitrary-shaped extremely complex metal or dielectric objects excited by an external plane wave. In the proposed method, one first uses the FD-TD method to compute the near total fields within a rectangular volume which fully encloses the object. Then, an electromagnetic-field equivalence principle is invoked at a virtual surface of this rectangular volume to transform the tangential near scattered fields to the far field. To verify the feasibility of this method, the surface currents, near scattered fields, far scattered fields, and radar cross section of two canonical two-dimensional objects are presented. For these cases, it is shown that the FD-TD method provides magnitude of current and field predictions which are within ± 2.5 percent and further phase values within ± 30 of values predicted by the method of moments ( MOM) at virtually every point including in shadow regions.

A numerical method for predicting the sinusoidal steady-state electromagnetic fields penetrating an arbitrary dielectric or conducting body is described here. The method employs the finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) solution of Maxwell's curl equations implemented on a cubic-unit-cell space lattice. Small air-dielectric loss factors are introduced to improve the lattice truncation conditions and to accelerate convergence of cavity interior fields to the sinusoidal steady state. This method is evaluated with comparison to classical theory, method-of-moment frequency-domain numerical theory, and experimental results via application to a dielectric sphere and acylindrical metal cavity with an aperture. Results are also given for a missile-like cavity with two different types of apertures illuminated by an axial-incidence plane wave.

This paper describes the design and construction of the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber and associated systems. MicroBooNE is the first phase of the Short Baseline Neutrino program, located at Fermilab, and will utilize the capabilities of liquid argon detectors to examine a rich assortment of physics topics. In this document details of design specifications, assembly procedures, and acceptance tests are reported.

Infrared-reflectivity measurements were made from 200 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ to 800 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ at temperatures ranging from 7.5 to 1060\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K for LiF and from 8 to 1950\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K for MgO. The reflection spectra were analyzed by means of a two-resonance damped-oscillator model, and the calculated optical properties are presented. Dielectric dispersion theory is reviewed and it is shown that all the major theories discussed give identical results for the susceptibility when evaluated at the reststrahlen frequency but differ from one another at other frequencies. The damping constant $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ for LiF and MgO in the high-temperature limit ($h{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{1}<\mathrm{kT}$) agrees reasonably well with the formula suggested by Maradudin and Wallis, but discrepancies seem to appear in the low-temperature limit ($h{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{1}>\mathrm{kT}$). The general behavior of the extinction coefficient in the wings of the absorption region is consistent with the notion of continuous absorption produced by multiphonon processes. The shift of the long-wavelength optical-mode frequencies of LiF, MgO, and RbI with temperature is discussed in terms of the volume and other anharmonic effects. The anharmonic part of the frequency shift is found to agree qualitatively with the theory of Maradudin and Fein.

Linezolid, which targets the ribosome, is a new synthetic antibiotic that is used for treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens. Clinical resistance to linezolid, so far, has been developing only slowly and has involved exclusively target site mutations. We have discovered that linezolid resistance in a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus hospital strain from Colombia is determined by the presence of the cfr gene whose product, Cfr methyltransferase, modifies adenosine at position 2503 in 23S rRNA in the large ribosomal subunit. The molecular model of the linezolid-ribosome complex reveals localization of A2503 within the drug binding site. The natural function of cfr likely involves protection against natural antibiotics whose site of action overlaps that of linezolid. In the chromosome of the clinical strain, cfr is linked to ermB, a gene responsible for dimethylation of A2058 in 23S rRNA. Coexpression of these two genes confers resistance to all the clinically relevant antibiotics that target the large ribosomal subunit. The association of the ermB/cfr operon with transposon and plasmid genetic elements indicates its possible mobile nature. This is the first example of clinical resistance to the synthetic drug linezolid which involves a natural resistance gene with the capability of disseminating among Gram-positive pathogenic strains.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most difficult cancers to effectively treat, in part because of the lack of precision therapies and limited therapeutic access to intracranial tumor sites due to the presence of the blood-brain and blood-tumor barriers. We have developed a precision medicine approach for GBM treatment that involves the use of brain-penetrant RNA interference-based spherical nucleic acids (SNAs), which consist of gold nanoparticle cores covalently conjugated with radially oriented and densely packed small interfering RNA (siRNA) oligonucleotides. On the basis of previous preclinical evaluation, we conducted toxicology and toxicokinetic studies in nonhuman primates and a single-arm, open-label phase 0 first-in-human trial (NCT03020017) to determine safety, pharmacokinetics, intratumoral accumulation and gene-suppressive activity of systemically administered SNAs carrying siRNA specific for the GBM oncogene Bcl2Like12 (Bcl2L12). Patients with recurrent GBM were treated with intravenous administration of siBcl2L12-SNAs (drug moniker: NU-0129), at a dose corresponding to 1/50th of the no-observed-adverse-event level, followed by tumor resection. Safety assessment revealed no grade 4 or 5 treatment-related toxicities. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, x-ray fluorescence microscopy, and silver staining of resected GBM tissue demonstrated that intravenously administered SNAs reached patient tumors, with gold enrichment observed in the tumor-associated endothelium, macrophages, and tumor cells. NU-0129 uptake into glioma cells correlated with a reduction in tumor-associated Bcl2L12 protein expression, as indicated by comparison of matched primary tumor and NU-0129-treated recurrent tumor. Our results establish SNA nanoconjugates as a potential brain-penetrant precision medicine approach for the systemic treatment of GBM.

Stigma can greatly exacerbate the experience of mental illness. Diagnostic classification frequently used by clinical social workers may intensify this stigma by enhancing the public's sense of "groupness" and "differentness" when perceiving people with mental illness. The homogeneity assumed by stereotypes may lead mental health professionals and the public to view individuals in terms of their diagnostic labels. The stability of stereotypes may exacerbate notions that people with mental illness do not recover. Several strategies may diminish the unintended effects of diagnosis. Dimensional approaches to diagnosis may not augment stigma in the same manner as classification. Moreover, regular interaction with people with mental illness and focusing on recovery may diminish the stigmatizing effects of diagnosis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the tissue and corresponding serum concentration of tigecycline at selected time points in gall bladder, bile, colon, bone, synovial fluid (SF), lung and CSF in subjects undergoing surgical or medical procedures. METHODS: One hundred and four adult subjects (aged 24-83 years; 64 women, 40 men) received a single intravenous (i.v.) dose of tigecycline (100 mg infused over 30 min). Subjects were randomly assigned to one of four collection times at 4, 8, 12 and 24 h after the start of the infusion. For CSF, samples were collected at approximately 1.5 and 24 h after the start of the infusion. All subjects had serum samples collected before the administration of tigecycline, at the end of the infusion and at the time corresponding to tissue or body fluid collection. Drug concentrations in serum, tissues and body fluids were determined by LC/MS/MS. The area under the mean concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC(0-24)) was determined for the comparison of systemic exposure between tissue or body fluid to serum. RESULTS: The mean serum concentrations of tigecycline were similar to those previously published. Tissue penetration, expressed as the ratio of AUC(0-24) in tissue or body fluid to serum, was 537 for bile, 23 for gall bladder, 2.6 for colon, 2.0 for lung, 0.41 for bone, 0.31 for SF and 0.11 for CSF. CONCLUSIONS: A single 100 mg dose of intravenous tigecycline produced considerably higher tissue/fluid concentrations in bile, gall bladder, colon and lung compared with simultaneous serum concentrations. On average, the systemic exposure of tigecycline in bone, SF and CSF ranged from 11% to 41% of serum concentrations. The results in bone are inconsistent with previous radiolabelled studies in animals and it is unclear if tight binding to bone (versus low bone uptake) or poor extraction of tigecycline for LC/MS/MS detection or both may have contributed to the differences we observed in humans.

Mixed-model assembly occurs when more than one model of the same general product are intermixed on one assembly line. The amount of work required to assemble units can vary from model to model, creating an uneven flow of work along the line. This paper describes a procedure of adapting single-model line balancing techniques to mixed-model schedules. The paper also introduces a sequencing procedure for determining the order in which models are to flow down the line. Because the line balancing and sequencing procedures consider a wide variety of factors, they are applicable to many types of assembly lines.

Selected flavonoids were tested for their ability to inhibit the catalytic activity of DNA topoisomerase (topo) I and II. Myricetin, quercetin, fisetin, and morin were found to inhibit both enzymes, while phloretin, kaempferol, and 4',6,7-trihydroxyisoflavone inhibited topo II without inhibiting topo I. Flavonoids demonstrating potent topo I and II inhibition required hydroxyl group substitution at the C-3, C-7, C-3', and C-4' positions and also required a keto group at C-4. Additional B-ring hydroxylation enhanced flavonoid topo I inhibitory action. A C-2, C-3 double bond was also required, but when the A ring is opened, the requirement for the double bond was eliminated. Genistein has been previously reported to stabilize the covalent topo II-DNA cleavage complex and thus function as a topo II poison. All flavonoids were tested for their ability to stabilize the cleavage complex between topo I or topo II and DNA. None of the agents stabilized the topo I-DNA cleavage complex, but prunetin, quercetin, kaempferol, and apigenin stabilized the topo II DNA-complex. Competition experiments have shown that genistein-induced topo II-mediated DNA cleavage can be inhibited by myricetin, suggesting that both types of inhibitors (antagonists and poisons) interact with the same functional domain of their target enzyme. These results are of use for the selection of flavonoids that can inhibit specific topoisomerases at specific stages of the topoisomerization reaction.

This article reports the prevalence of violence and co-victimization among African-American youth in Chicago. Results of a violence screening survey were compiled on 1035 school children, aged 10 to 19 years. Police crime statistics are compared to illustrate the magnitude of the problem of youth and violence. Results indicate that 75% of the participating boys and 10% of participating girls had witnessed the shooting, stabbing, robbing, or killing of another person in their own lives. The survey itself did not identify the effects of co-victimization on the participants. Previous research is incorporated in the development of tentative hypotheses for intervention in public schools.

A modified Landau-Lifshitz equation is solved for a single-domain sphere and an infinitely-wide thin single-domain sheet of ferromagnetic material neglecting anisotropy. The external magnetic field is switched from one direction to its opposite instantaneously at the initial time and the behavior of the magnetization vector is investigated thereafter. It is shown that there is a critical value of the damping constant corresponding to the minimum value of the (repetitive) magnetization reversal time. If the damping constant is larger than the critical value, the magnetization vector moves slower; if it is smaller, the magnetization vector moves faster but oscillates so that it takes longer time until it comes to a rest at the final position. The critical values of the Landau-Lifshitz damping constant λ are γM for the sphere and 0.013γM for the thin sheet, where γ and M are the gyromagnetic ratio and the magnetization, respectively. The computed minimum switching time for the thin sheet of 4–79 molybdenum Permalloy is of the order of 10−9 sec.

A simple computer-based screening technique has been developed for classifying human expired air components into 16 chemical classes, based on empirical formulas. The sort procedure was developed to simplify the screening of the composition of expired air samples by sorting all components into chemical classes and classifying components at the greater than 75% and greater than 90% occurrence levels. Both occurrence-rate components are then evaluated as diagnostic markers in a discriminant function model for their ability to detect lung cancer. Of the 386 components detected in the gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) data files, 45 components were present at the greater than 75% occurrence level and 28 components at the greater than 90% occurrence level. Thus, this preliminary sort routine, performed by using a simple macro program installed into a standard personal-computer spread-sheet, greatly reduces the amount of data required for statistical treatment. Such a sort routine can also be applied as easily to other complex GC/MS data files for the purpose of data reduction.

Numerous numbers of biologically active agents have been identified for their diverse therapeutic functions. Detailed investigations of phytochemicals for antiviral activities have assumed greater importance in the last few decades. A wide variety of active phytochemicals, including the flavonoids, terpenoids, organosulfur compounds, limonoids, lignans, sulphides, polyphenolics, coumarins, saponins, chlorophyllins, furyl compounds, alkaloids, polyines, thiophenes, proteins and peptides have been found to have therapeutic applications against different genetically and functionally diverse viruses. The antiviral mechanism of these agents may be explained on basis of their antioxidant activities, scavenging capacities, inhibiting DNA, RNA synthesis, inhibition of the viral entry, or inhibiting the viral reproduction etc. Large number candidate substances such as phytochemicals and their synthetic derivatives have been identified by a combination of in vitro and in vivo studies in different biological assays. In this article we have made attempts to extensively review and provide comprehensive description of different phyto-antiviral agents. We have examined the recent developments in the field of plant derived antiviral agents. The major advances in the field of viral interactions in various biological assays have been summarized. In addition sources of origin, major viral studies mechanistic action and phase trials of various phytoantiviral agents have been included in the review.

When conducting a meta-analysis on studies with repeated measures, a useful measure of effect size is Becker's (1988) standardized mean change. This paper examines the distributional properties of the standardized mean change, and discusses potential problems with the variance formulae given in Becker (1988). First, an error in the exact variance formula can lead to severe underestimation of the actual sampling variance. Second, Becker (1988) recommended the use of an approximation which is shown to underestimate the sampling variance when sample size is small. Using the approximation can decrease the accuracy of meta-analysis results; however, the degree of error is generally small.

The room-temperature reststrahlen spectra of flame fusion grown NiO and CoO, as well as those of three intermediate members of this solid solution series, are presented. A full Kramers-Kronig analysis on all members has been performed and checked with damped oscillator calculations. The resulting refractive indices, extinction coefficients, dielectric constants, effective ionic charges (Szigeti q*), and characteristic frequencies are presented along with the lattice constants and are discussed in the light of their interrelation.

In this paper a new turbulent lubrication analysis has been derived which takes into account certain well-established facts concerning turbulent shear flow. Consistent with lubrication-film theory, the nature of the local flow is taken to depend only on local film thickness, surface velocity, and pressure gradients. An eddy diffusivity treatment is used which incorporates the “law of wall” with the use of local (within the film) shear stress. Stress reversal phenomena are accommodated and isotropy of the turbulent exchange mechanism in the plane of the film is assured. Coefficients are developed for use in the generalized Reynolds (lubrication) equation, and computation procedures for the static and dynamic characteristics of turbulent, self-acting bearings have been prepared. The nonlinear effects due to the coupling of the shear induced flows and the flows due to the circumferential and axial pressure gradients are fully considered in this analysis. Thus, it is anticipated that it, unlike the previous linearized analysis, is directly applicable also to turbulent, externally pressurized, and hybrid bearings.

Two disparate approaches̲the finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) method and the method-of-moments (MOM) surface -patch technique-which permit highly realistic modeling of electromagnetic scattering problems are compared. New results of induced surface currents and radar cross section are presented for an important three-dimensional canonical cube scatterer. It is shown that a high level of agreement for the two modeling approaches is obtained for this scattering example.