GIS Mapping: Creating Solutions for Rock Creek Lake, 2004

Rock Creek Lake is at risk. The centerpiece of Rock Creek State Park in Jasper County, Rock Creek Lake offers visitors a range of recreational opportunities, including the second busiest campground in Iowa and great fishing. However, many different factors are threatening the lake. Action is being taken to improve the lake for today’s visitors and to preserve the lake for future generations. GIS mapping is helping to make those improvements possible.

Efficacy and Safety of Canakinumab Vs Triamcinolone Acetonide in Patients with Gouty Arthritis Unable to Use Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Colchicine, and On Stable Urate Lowering Therapy (ULT) or Unable to Use ULT

Background/Purpose: The primary treatment goals for gouty arthritis (GA) are rapid relief of pain and inflammation during acute attacks, and long-term hyperuricemia management. A post-hoc analysis of 2 pivotal trials was performed to assess efficacy and safety of canakinumab (CAN), a fully human monoclonal anti-IL-1_ antibody, vs triamcinolone acetonide (TA) in GA patients unable to use NSAIDs and colchicine, and who were on stable urate lowering therapy (ULT) or unable to use ULT. Methods: In these 12-week, randomized, multicenter, double-blind, double-dummy, active-controlled studies (_-RELIEVED and _-RELIEVED II), patients had to have frequent attacks (_3 attacks in previous year) meeting preliminary GA ACR 1977 criteria, and were unresponsive, intolerant, or contraindicated to NSAIDs and/or colchicine, and if on ULT, ULT was stable. Patients were randomized during an acute attack to single dose CAN 150 mg s.c. or TA 40 mg i.m. and were redosed "on demand" for each new attack. Patients completing the core studies were enrolled into blinded 12-week extension studies to further investigate on-demand use of CAN vs TA for new attacks. The subpopulation selected for this post-hoc analysis was (a) unable to use NSAIDs and colchicine due to contraindication, intolerance or lack of efficacy for these drugs, and (b) currently on ULT, or contraindication or previous failure of ULT, as determined by investigators. Subpopulation comprised 101 patients (51 CAN; 50 TA) out of 454 total. Results: Several co-morbidities, including hypertension (56%), obesity (56%), diabetes (18%), and ischemic heart disease (13%) were reported in 90% of this subpopulation. Pain intensity (VAS 100 mm scale) was comparable between CAN and TA treatment groups at baseline (least-square [LS] mean 74.6 and 74.4 mm, respectively). A significantly lower pain score was reported with CAN vs TA at 72 hours post dose (1st co-primary endpoint on baseline flare; LS mean, 23.5 vs 33.6 mm; difference _10.2 mm; 95% CI, _19.9, _0.4; P_0.0208 [1-sided]). CAN significantly reduced risk for their first new attacks by 61% vs TA (HR 0.39; 95% CI, 0.17-0.91, P_0.0151 [1-sided]) for the first 12 weeks (2nd co-primary endpoint), and by 61% vs TA (HR 0.39; 95% CI, 0.19-0.79, P_0.0047 [1-sided]) over 24 weeks. Serum urate levels increased for CAN vs TA with mean change from baseline reaching a maximum of _0.7 _ 2.0 vs _0.1 _ 1.8 mg/dL at 8 weeks, and _0.3 _ 2.0 vs _0.2 _ 1.4 mg/dL at end of study (all had GA attack at baseline). Adverse Events (AEs) were reported in 33 (66%) CAN and 24 (47.1%) TA patients. Infections and infestations were the most common AEs, reported in 10 (20%) and 5 (10%) patients treated with CAN and TA respectively. Incidence of SAEs was comparable between CAN (gastritis, gastroenteritis, chronic renal failure) and TA (aortic valve incompetence, cardiomyopathy, aortic stenosis, diarrohea, nausea, vomiting, bicuspid aortic valve) groups (2 [4.0%] vs 2 [3.9%]). Conclusion: CAN provided superior pain relief and reduced risk of new attack in highly-comorbid GA patients unable to use NSAIDs and colchicine, and who were currently on stable ULT or unable to use ULT. The safety profile in this post-hoc subpopulation was consistent with the overall _-RELIEVED and _-RELIEVED II population.

Guide to Concrete Overlay Solutions, 2007

Despite many successful projects, some public agencies and contractors have been hesitant to use concrete overlays. This lack of confidence has been based on a number of factors, including the misperception that concrete overlays are expensive or difficult to build. This guide will help readers understand concrete overlays and develop confidence in their application. The guide provides the key elements of the six major types of concrete overlays along with specifics on materials, typical sections, and important construction elements.

Consistent solutions in exchange economies: A characterization of the price mechanism

We characterize the Walrasian allocations correspondence by means offour axioms: consistency, replica invariance, individual rationality andPareto optimality. It is shown that for any given class of exchange economiesany solution that satisfies the axioms is a selection from the Walrasianallocations with slack. Preferences are assumed to be smooth, but may besatiated and non--convex. A class of economies is defined as all economieswhose agents' preferences belong to an arbitrary family (finite or infinite)of types. The result can be modified to characterize equal budget Walrasianallocations with slack by replacing individual rationality with individualrationality from equal division. The results are valid also for classes ofeconomies in which core--Walras equivalence does not hold.

Geochemistry and stable isotope composition of fresh alkaline porphyry copper tailings: Implications on sources and mobility of elements during transport and early stages of deposition

Prevention of acid mine drainage (AMD) in sulfide-containing tailings requires the identification of the geochemical processes and element pathways in the early stages of tailing deposition. However, analyses of recently deposited tailings in active tailings impoundments are scarce because mineralogical changes occur near the detection limits of many assays. This study shows that a detailed geochemical study which includes stable isotopes of water (delta H-2, delta O-18), dissolved sulfates (delta S-34, delta O-18) and hydrochernical parameter (pH, Eh, DOC, major and trace elements) from tailings samples taken at different depths in rainy and dry seasons allows the understanding of weathering (oxidation, dissolution, sorption, and desorption), water and element pathways, and mixing processes in active tailings impoundments. Fresh alkaline tailings (pH 9.2-10.2) from the Cu-Mo porphyry deposit in El Teniente, Chile had low carbonate (0.8-1.1 Wt-% CaCO3 equivalent) and sulfide concentrations (0.8-1.3 wt.%, mainly as pyrite). In the alkaline tailings water, Mo and Cu (up to 3.9 mg/L Mo and 0.016 mg/L Cu) were mobile as MoO42- and Cu (OH)(2)(0). During the flotation, tailings water reached equilibrium with gypsum (up to 738 mg/L Ca and 1765 mg/ L SO4). The delta S-34 VS. delta O-18 covariations of dissolved sulfate (2.3 to 4.5% delta S-34 and 4.1 to 6.0 % delta O-18) revealed the sulfate sources: the dissolution of primary sulfates (12.0 to 13.2%. delta S-34, 7.4 to 10.9%.delta O-18) and oxidation of primary sulfides (-6.7 to 1.7%. delta S-34). Sedimented tailings in the tailings impoundment can be divided into three layers with different water sources, element pathways, and geochemical processes. The deeper sediments (> 1 m depth) were infiltrated by catchment water, which partly replaced the original tailings water, especially during the winter season. This may have resulted in the change from alkaline to near-neutral pH and towards lower concentrations of most dissolved elements. The neutral pH and high DOC (up to 99.4 mg/L C) of the catchment water mobilized Cu (up to 0.25 mg/L) due to formation of organic Cu complexes; and Zn (up to 130 mg/L) due to dissolution of Zn oxides and desorption). At I m depth, tailings pore water obtained during the winter season was chemically and isotopically similar to fresh tailings water (pH 9.8-10.6, 26.7-35.5 mg/L Cl, 2.3-6.0 mg/L Mo). During the summer, a vadose zone evolved locally and temporarily up to 1.2 m depth. resulting in a higher concentration of dissolved solids in the pore water due to evaporation. During periodical new deposition of fresh tailings, the geochemistry of the surface layer was geochemically similar to fresh tailings. In periods without deposition, sulfide oxidation was suggested by decreasing pH (7.7-9.5), enrichment of MoO42- and SO42-, and changes in the isotopic composition of dissolved sulfates. Further enrichment for Na, K, Cl, SO4, Mg, Cu, and Mo (up to 23.8 mg/L Mo) resulted from capillary transport towards the surface followed by evaporation and the precipitation of highly soluble efflorescent salts (e.g., mirabilite, syngenite) at the tailing surface during summer. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Traitement des fractures de l'enfant par enclouage centro-médullaire élastique stable (ECMES) [Treatment of pediatric fractures by intramedullary stable elastic pinning]

During the past decade several new techniques for the treatment of children's fractures respecting the specificity of the growing bone have been described. The goal of all these techniques was to mechanically stabilise the fracture however to preserve a certain instability of the fracture gap itself inducing early callus formation and subsequent consolidation. The dynamic external fixation as well as the elastic stable intramedullary pinning have become accepted means in the treatment of long bone fractures in the paediatric age group. We report our experience of the last seven years with the intramedullary pinning of 105 fractures. Eighty-four were fractures of the femur, 9 of the humerus, 8 of the forearm, and a further 4 of the tibial shaft. The intramedullary elastic pinning represents a simple technique which supports or even enhances the natural process of fracture healing of the growing bone. The method is not very invasive, is cost effective, and allows short hospitalisation. Early physical activity is guaranteed due to early consolidation of the fracture. Complications are rare and the final orthopedic and cosmetic outcome is excellent.

Diagnostic de la maladie coronarienne stable par FFR non invasive, mythe ou réalité [Diagnosis of stable coronary artery disease with non-invasive FFR: myth or reality?].

Decision to revascularize a patient with stable coronary artery disease should be based on the detection of myocardial ischemia. If this decision can be straightforward with significant stenosis or in non-significant stenosis, the decision with intermediate stenosis is far more difficult and require invasive measures of functional impact of coronary stenosis on maximal blood (flow fractional flow reserve=FFR). A recent computer based method has been developed and is able to measure FFR with data acquired during a standard coronary CT-scan (FFRcT). Two recent clinical studies (DeFACTO and DISCOVER-FLOW) show that diagnostic performance of FFRcT was associated with improved diagnostic accuracy versus standard coronary CT-scan for the detection of myocardial ischemia although FFRcT need further development.

Validation of methane measurement using headspace-GC-MS and quantification by a stable isotope-labeled internal standard generated in situ.

A previous study has shown the possibility to identify methane (CH4 ) using headspace-GC-MS and quantify it with a stable isotope as internal standard. The main drawback of the GC-MS methods discussed in literature for CH4 measurement is the absence of a specific internal standard necessary to perform quantification. However, it becomes essential to develop a safer method to limit the manipulation of gaseous CH4 and to precisely control the injected amount of gas for spiking and calibration by comparison with external calibration. To avoid the manipulation of a stable isotope-labeled gas, we have chosen to generate a labeled gas as an internal standard in a vial on the basis of the formation of CH4 by the reaction of Grignard reagent methylmagnesium chloride with deuterated water. This method allows precise measurement of CH4 concentrations in gaseous sample as well as in a solid or a liquid sample after a thermodesorption step in a headspace vial. A full accuracy profile validation of this method is then presented.

Stable sunspot equilibria in a cash-in-advance economy

We analyze a monetary model with flexible labor supply, cash-inadvance constraints and seigniorage-financed government deficits. If the intertemporal elasticity of substitution of labor is greater than one, there are two steady states, one determinate and the other indeterminate. If the elasticity is less than one, there is a unique steady state, which can be indeterminate. Only in the latter case do there exist sunspot equilibria that are stable under adaptive learning. A sufficient reduction in government purchases can in many cases eliminate the sunspot equilibria while raising consumption/labor taxes even enough to balance the budget may fail to achieve determinacy.

The role of proteolytic processing and the stable signal peptide in expression of the Old World arenavirus envelope glycoprotein ectodomain.

Maturation of the arenavirus GP precursor (GPC) involves proteolytic processing by cellular signal peptidase and the proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin isozyme 1 (SKI-1)/site 1 protease (S1P), yielding a tripartite complex comprised of a stable signal peptide (SSP), the receptor-binding GP1, and the fusion-active transmembrane GP2. Here we investigated the roles of SKI-1/S1P processing and SSP in the biosynthesis of the recombinant GP ectodomains of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) and Lassa virus (LASV). When expressed in mammalian cells, the LCMV and LASV GP ectodomains underwent processing by SKI-1/S1P, followed by dissociation of GP1 from GP2. The GP2 ectodomain spontaneously formed trimers as revealed by chemical cross-linking. The endogenous SSP, known to be crucial for maturation and transport of full-length arenavirus GPC was dispensable for processing and secretion of the soluble GP ectodomain, suggesting a specific role of SSP in the stable prefusion conformation and transport of full-length GPC.

Stable isotope and trace element stratigraphy across the Permian-Triassic transition: A redefinition of the boundary in the Velebit Mountain, Croatia

Stable isotopes of carbonates (delta(13)C(carb), delta(18)O(carb)), organic matter (delta(13)C(org), delta(15)N(org)) and major, trace and rare earth element (REE) compositions of marine carbonate rocks of Late Permian to Early Triassic age were used to establish the position of the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) at two continuous sections in the Velebit Mountain, Croatia. The chosen sections - Rizvanusa and Brezimenjaca - are composed of two lithostratigraphic units, the Upper Permian Transitional Dolomite and the overlying Sandy Dolomite. The contact between these units, characterized by the erosional features and sudden occurrence of ooids and siliciclastic grains, was previously considered as the chronostratigraphic PTB. The Sandy Dolomite is characterized by high content of non-carbonate material (up to similar to 30 wt.% insoluble residue), originated from erosion of the uplifted hinterland. A relatively rich assemblage of Permian fossils (including Geinitzina, Globivalvulina, Hemigordius, bioclasts of gastropods, ostracods and brachiopods) was found for the first time in Sandy Dolomite, 5 m above the lithologic boundary in the Rizvanusa section. A rather abrupt negative delta(13)C(carb) excursion in both sections appears in rocks showing no recognizable facies change within the Sandy Dolomite, -2 parts per thousand at Rizvanusa and -1.2 parts per thousand at Brezimenjaca, 11 m and 0.2 m above the lithologic contact, respectively. This level within the lower part of the Sandy Dolomite is proposed as the chemostratigraphic PTB. In the Rizvanusa section, the delta(13)C(org) values decline gradually from similar to-25 parts per thousand in the Upper Permian to similar to-29 parts per thousand in the Lower Triassic. The first negative delta(13)C(org) excursion occurs above the lithologic contact, within the uppermost Permian deposits, and appears to be related to the input of terrigenous material. The release of isotopically light microbial soil-biomass into the shallow-marine water may explain this sudden decrease of delta(13)C(org) values below the PTB. This would support the hypothesis that in the western Tethyan realm the land extinction, triggering a sudden drop of woody vegetation and related land erosion, preceded the marine extinction. The relatively low delta(15)N(org) values at the Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) transition level, close to approximate to 0 parts per thousand, and a secondary negative delta(13)C(org) excursion of -0.5 parts per thousand point to significant terrestrial input and primary contribution of cyanobacteria. The profiles of the concentrations of redox-sensitive elements (Ce, Mn, Fe, V), biogenic or biogenic-scavenged elements (P, Ba, Zn, V), Ce/Ce* values, and normalized trace elements, including Ba/Al, Ba/Fe, Ti/Al, Al/(Al + Fe + Mn) and Mn/Ti show clear excursions at the Transitional Dolomite-Sandy Dolomite lithologic boundary and the chemostratigraphic P-Tr boundary. The stratigraphic variations indicate a major regression phase marking the lithologic boundary, transgressive phases in the latest Permian and a gradual change into shallow/stagnant anoxic marine environment towards the P-Tr boundary level and during the earliest Triassic. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.