cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous measurements of refractive index, surface tension, and evaporation rate of Jet A fuel.

Simultaneous measurements of refractive index, surface tension, and evaporation rate in pendant droplets have been conducted in water, ethanol, n-heptane, diesel, and Jet A fuel in a temperature range of 20°C–50°C at atmospheric pressure. The dispersion of the refractive indices has been determined by means of rainbow refractometry. The surface tensions have been measured based on the pendant droplet shape analysis. The Young–Laplace equation and the numerical model have been applied to precisely obtain surface tension from the balance between the droplet distortion of gravity and restoring the force of surface tension. The evaporation of the fuels has also been studied with pure droplets of a few millimeters in diameter in a temperature-controlled environment. The shadowgraph technique has been performed for the precise measurement of the droplet size change with a long-working-distance objective (10× magnification). The evaporation rate has been determined by the temporal rate of droplet diameter change extracted from the subsequent images. The experimental data in this work is compared with the previous work to validate the accuracy and estimate uncertainty. Furthermore, the simultaneous multi-property measurement of Jet A fuel (POSF 4658) has been conducted. These properties of the aviation fuel can be used in computation and modeling to further improve the knowledge of jet injection (atomization and evaporation) and practical combustion processes.
Development of an Extravehicular Activity Self Rescue Technique for Space Station

A design study was conducted to delineate potential failure modes and to evaluate various solutions to the many risks to which an astronaut is exposed while performing EVA activities. Among these are suit depressurization as a result of micrometeoroid impact and portable life system failure. There is also a risk of prolonged separation from the vehicle should a tether break or a manned maneuvering unit run out of fuel. In order to simplify contingency operations and to prepare for the situation when no other means are available, a self-rescue capability must be determined. Rescue options are detailed and a number of possible approaches and solutions are presented.
Loss of MAP3K7 Sensitizes Prostate Cancer Cells to CDK1/2 Inhibition and DNA Damage by Disrupting Homologous Recombination

The combined loss of CHD1 and MAP3K7 promotes aggressive prostate cancer by unknown mechanisms. Because both of these genes are lost genetically in prostate cancer, they cannot be directly targeted. We applied an established computational systems pharmacology approach (TRAP) to identify altered signaling pathways and associated druggable targets. We compared gene expression profiles of prostate cancer with coloss of CHD1 and MAP3K7 with prostate cancer diploid for these genes using The Cancer Genome Atlas patient samples. This analysis prioritized druggable target genes that included CDK1 and CDK2. We validated that inhibitors of these druggable target genes, including the CDK1/CDK2 inhibitor dinaciclib, had antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects selectively on mouse prostate cells with knockdown of Chd1 and Map3k7. Dinaciclib had stronger effects on prostate cells with suppression of Map3k7 independent of Chd1 and also compared with cells without loss of Map3k7. Dinaciclib treatment reduced expression of homologous recombination (HR) repair genes such as ATM, ATR, BRCA2, and RAD51, blocked BRCA1 phosphorylation, reduced RAD51 foci formation, and increased γH2AX foci selectively in prostate cells with suppression of Map3k7, thus inhibiting HR repair of chromosomal double-strand breaks. Dinaciclib-induced HR disruption was also observed in human prostate cells with knockdown of MAP3K7. Cotreatment of dinaciclib with DNA-damaging agents or PARP inhibitor resulted in a stronger cytotoxic effect on prostate cells with suppression of MAP3K7 compared with those without loss of MAP3K7, or to each single agent. IMPLICATIONS: These findings demonstrate that loss of MAP3K7 is a main contributing factor to drug response through disruption of HR in prostate cancer.
Public Health Service Act

The Public Health Service of the United States had its origin in an act of Congress passed on July 16, 1798 (1 Stat. 605). The Public Health Service Act of July 1, 1944, consolidated and revised substantially all then-existing legislation relating to the Public Health Service, which was charged by law to promote and assure the highest level of health attainable for every individual and family in the United States, and to develop cooperation in health projects with other countries. The broadbased functions of the service were: (1) to stimulate and assist states and communities with the development of local health resources, and to further development of education for the health profession; (2) to assist with improvement of the delivery of health services to all United States’ citizens; (3) to conduct and support research in the medical and related sciences, and to disseminate scientific information; (4) to protect the health of the nation against impure and unsafe foods, drugs and cosmetics, and other potential hazards; and (5) to provide national leadership for the control and prevention of communicable diseases, and other public health functions.
Multilevel UNet for pancreas segmentation from non-contrast CT scans through domain adaptation

A persistent issue in deep learning (DL) is the inability of models to function in a domain in which they were not trained. For example, a model trained to segment an organ in MRI scans often dramatically fails when tested in the domain of computed tomography (CT) scans. Since manual segmentation is extremely timeconsuming, it is often not feasible to acquire an annotated dataset in the target domain. Domain adaptation allows transfer of knowledge about a labelled source domain into a target domain. In this work, we attempt to address the differences in model performance when segmenting from intravenous contrast (IVC) enhanced or from non-contrast (NC) CT scans. Most of the publicly available, large-scale, annotated CT datasets are IVCenhanced. However, physicians frequently use NC scans in clinical practice. This necessitates methods capable of reliably functioning across both domains. We propose a novel DL framework that can segment the pancreas from non-contrast CT scans through training with the help of IVC-enhanced CT scans. Our method first utilizes a CycleGAN to create synthetic NC (s-NC) variants from IVC scans. Subsequently, we introduce a multilevel 3D UNet architecture to perform pancreas segmentation. The proposed method significantly outperforms the baseline. Experimental results show 6.2% percent improvement compared to the baseline model in terms of the Dice coefficient. To our knowledge, this method is the first of its kind in pancreas segmentation from NC CTs.
Abstract P017: Increased Sodium Excretion And Urinary Output During Acute Human Sleep Deprivation

Introduction: Insufficient sleep contributes to an increased risk (e.g. ~60%) of hypertension. While BP is influenced by renal regulation of sodium and water, the underlying mechanism involved the ...
Occupancy Detection in Room Using Sensor Data.

With the advent of Internet of Thing (IoT), and ubiquitous data collected every moment by either portable (smart phone) or fixed (sensor) devices, it is important to gain insights and meaningful information from the sensor data in context-aware computing environments. Many researches have been implemented by scientists in different fields, to analyze such data for the purpose of security, energy efficiency, building reliability and smart environments. One study, that many researchers are interested in, is to utilize Machine Learning techniques for occupancy detection where the aforementioned sensors gather information about the environment. This paper provides a solution to detect occupancy using sensor data by using and testing several variables. Additionally we show the analysis performed over the gathered data using Machine Learning and pattern recognition mechanisms is possible to determine the occupancy of indoor environments. Seven famous algorithms in Machine Learning, namely as Decision Tree, Random Forest, Gradient Boosting Machine, Logistic Regression, Naive Bayes, Kernelized SVM and K-Nearest Neighbors are tested and compared in this study.
Inferential Model Predictive Control of Continuous Pulping under Grade Transition

Even though continuous pulp processes have been studied for many years, the absence of a model that can accurately describe the evolution of fiber morphology has impeded the application of advanced...
A Health Justice Approach to Abortion Rights: The Promise and Perils of Medicalization

Medicalization has a complicated history in the legal regulation of abortion. Although scholars do not all agree on a definition of the concept, medicalization is typically defined as the framing of a phenomenon as medical in nature and properly within the jurisdiction of medical experts in terms of decision-making authority. Feminist scholars have often viewed medicalization suspiciously, especially in the context of reproduction, since medicalization has tended to correspond with physician control over women’s bodies. This Article traces out medicalization and demedicalization in abortion law in the United States in order to understand what happens to access to and agency over abortion decisions on the ground when it is framed as medical in the law. I find that, whether abortion is medicalized or demedicalized, women are never able to openly exercise decisional autonomy over abortion care. Instead, women’s abortion decisions are subject to oversight by either medical or legal authority. Nevertheless, after Roe v. Wade constitutionalized the issue, medicalizing abortion has tended to decrease legal restrictions on abortion care and thus increase women’s access to care on the ground. I contend that medicalization could be deployed in ways that advance reproductive rights and justice. Recently, a number of legal scholars have argued in favor of “medical civil rights” — that medicalization could be used for advancing civil rights in the realms of anti-discrimination, housing, disability, and poverty rights. In this Article, I argue in favor of extending the medical civil rights approach to abortion. In particular, I argue that a health justice approach to abortion as a medical civil right could advance more equitable access to care.
Sexual and Gender Minority Health Care Disparities: Barriers to Care and Strategies to Bridge the Gap

Gender and sexual minority individuals face considerable physical and mental health disparities, health risk factors, and barriers to care. These disparities are rooted in systemic and interpersonal prejudice, discrimination, and violence toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other (LGBTQ+) individuals and communities that place LGBTQ+ individuals at increased risk for negative social determinants of health. While also advocating for systemic change, individual providers and clinics have an ethical duty to promote an openly affirming, culturally competent health care environment that can help to address these disparities on an individual patient level.
Board certified behavior analysts and school fidelity of Applied Behavior Analysis services: qualitative findings

The Federal government mandates the use of evidence-based practice for interventions with students. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is one of these evidence-based practices, but despite this, many ...
Stabilization of subgrade soil with lime and coir

The establishment of any nation majorly depends upon transportation, import, and export. One in every of the big transport systems that connects all the agricultural and concrete areas is pavement. Rumenerative of road leads to increases country’s profitable growth with full load acting upon the road would be evenly distributed between this sub-graded layer, because the clayey loam has a low limit of capacity thus abundant material such as coconut coir and lime can be used to the strength of the subgrade layer. The clayey soil goes through unrestrained volumetric changes making their utilization within the construction engineering science project burdensome. The properties of clay particles will be modified in many ways such as mechanically, chemically as well as thermally. Thus stabilization of soil techniques is necessary in order to gain stability of the soil so that it can easily withstand the loads acting upon the super-structure.
Design of distributed adaptive event-triggered consensus control strategies with positive minimum inter-event times

Abstract This paper studies the design of distributed adaptive event-triggered control strategies with positive minimum inter-event times for linear multi-agent systems. To present our design idea, this paper focuses on the consensus problem of linear multi-agent systems defined on a fixed communication graph . In order to solve the consensus problem, a distributed adaptive event-triggered control strategy is proposed that consists of a distributed event-triggered adaptive control law and a distributed asynchronous event-triggering mechanism. It is shown that under the proposed event-triggered control strategy, the states of all agents asymptotically reach consensus via intermittent communication without using any global information of the communication graph. Moreover, using the proposed event-triggering mechanism, not only the exclusion of the Zeno behavior but also the existence of a uniform strictly positive minimum inter-event time is guaranteed for each agent. A simulation example demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed event-triggered control strategy.
A unique case of extrarenal calyces and associated vascular variations in an adult female cadaver

The following urogenital and vascular anomalies were observed in the left kidney of an 81-year-old female cadaver during routine dissection: three extrarenal calyces; an accessory renal artery originating directly from the abdominal aorta; and a circumaortic renal vein. The typical renal anatomical structures were identified, from anterior to posterior, as the renal vein, renal artery, and ureter appearing near the hilum of the left kidney. After closer examination, three extrarenal calyces were observed exiting from the hilum of the left kidney to form the pelvis, then narrowed and became the ureter which descended 21.5 cm to empty into the bladder. The accessory renal artery originated from the lateral aspect of the abdominal aorta 7.3 cm below the aortic origin of the left renal artery. A corresponding accessary renal vein, identified as a circumaortic vein, left the hilum 4.5 cm below the left renal vein and traveled posterior to the abdominal aorta to drain into the inferior vena cava. Extrarenal calyces are rare among urogenital tract variations. They can be associated with embryological abnormalities such as renal ectopia, horseshoe kidney or malrotation as well as clinical manifestations such as pelviureteric junction obstruction and hydronephrosis. Compression of the accessory renal artery can cause decreased blood flow to the inferior pole of the left kidney, thereby causing fibrosis, atrophy, or renal failure. The retro-aortic path of the circumaortic renal vein has been associated with posterior nutcracker phenomenon, hematuria, left renal vein thrombus formation, and renal vein hypertension. This unique combination of a collecting system anomaly and extrarenal vessel variations could have significant implications in abdominal surgery.
The Global Weather Experiment

The NAS/CAS study of the feasibility of a global atmospheric experiment was completed in 1965 and was reviewed at a PSAC meeting early in 1966 (NAS/CAS 1966). Jule Charney, chairman of the panel that had conducted the study, summarized the report; and I attended the meeting. Charney began in his usual rambling style, giving the impression that he might be thinking about the topic for the first time. PSAC regarded meeting time as a precious commodity. I noticed members exchanging annoyed glances and muttered comments. At other PSAC meetings that I had attended similar reactions had led to disapproval of proposed projects, so prospects for the global experiment did not look good. But within a few minutes, as Jule gathered his thoughts together, he gradually got the attention of members of the committee and challenged them with the excitement of mounting a test of the global atmospheric circulation. The meeting ended with PSAC approval to proceed to the detailed planning stage for the global experiment.
Using the Fraction of Missing Information to Identify Auxiliary Variables for Imputation Procedures via Proxy Pattern‐mixture Models

Summary In many surveys, imputation procedures are used to account for non-response bias induced by either unit non-response or item non-response. Such procedures are optimised (in terms of reducing non-response bias) when the models include covariates that are highly predictive of both response and outcome variables. To achieve this, we propose a method for selecting sets of covariates used in regression imputation models or to determine imputation cells for one or more outcome variables, using the fraction of missing information (FMI) as obtained via a proxy pattern-mixture (PMM) model as the key metric. In our variable selection approach, we use the PPM model to obtain a maximum likelihood estimate of the FMI for separate sets of candidate imputation models and look for the point at which changes in the FMI level off and further auxiliary variables do not improve the imputation model. We illustrate our proposed approach using empirical data from the Ohio Medicaid Assessment Survey and from the Service Annual Survey.
The ozone response to ENSO in Aura satellite measurements and a chemistry-climate simulation

[1] The El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the dominant mode of inter-annual variability in the tropical ocean and troposphere. Its impact on tropospheric circulation causes significant changes to the distribution of ozone. Here we derive the lower tropospheric to lower stratospheric ozone response to ENSO from observations by the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) and the Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) instruments, both on the Aura satellite, and compare to the simulated response from the Goddard Earth Observing System Chemistry-Climate Model (GEOSCCM). Measurement ozone sensitivity is derived using multiple linear regression to include variations from ENSO as well as from the first two empirical orthogonal functions of the quasi-biennial oscillation. Both measurements and simulation show features such as the negative ozone sensitivity to ENSO over the tropospheric tropical Pacific and positive ozone sensitivity over Indonesia and the Indian Ocean region. Ozone sensitivity to ENSO is generally positive over the midlatitude lower stratosphere, with greater sensitivity in the Northern Hemisphere. GEOSCCM reproduces both the overall pattern and magnitude of the ozone response to ENSO obtained from observations. We demonstrate the combined use of ozone measurements from MLS and TES to quantify the lower atmospheric ozone response to ENSO and suggest its possible usefulness in evaluating chemistry-climate models.
Eschweiler–Clarke reductive alkylation of amines

Reductive methylation of primary or secondary amines using formaldehyde and formic acid. Cf. Leuckart–Wallach reaction.
Chapter 15 Ecology of Echinometra

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the ecology of Echinometra . Genetic, morphological, biochemical, ecological, and reproductive studies suggest four sympatric species of Echinometra : Echinometra species—A, B, C, and D—which occur in Okinawa and in Fiji. Echinometra are commonly reported from shallow waters between the average low tide and depths of 10 m. The upper limit to the distribution of Echinometra , mean low water, is caused by desiccation or high water temperatures. Some Echinometra exhibit agonistic behavior with individuals defending their burrows or crevices against intruders. In Echinometra , the protein binding influences the attachment of sperm to eggs, and eggs show strong selection to sperm with a binding genotype similar to their own, suggesting a strong linkage between female choice and male trait loci. Echinometra has two basic feeding modes that vary with species and environment—namely, catching algal drift and benthic grazing. Echinometra has low energy requirements that can be lowered further during starvation conditions. Echinometra can become very abundant, dominant herbivores and major eroders of reef–rock substrata in reefs and rocky shores with stable substratum and few fish predators.
/S/-Voicing in Ecuadoran Spanish:: Patterns and principles of consonantal modification

Abstract Highland Ecuadoran Spanish is unique among Spanish dialects in voicing word-final prevocalic /s/: los otros [loz otros] ‘the others’. This process has never received an adequate explanation within linear phonological models, despite attempts to relate it to ‘close juncture’. In the present study, the claim is motivated that at intermediate stages of derivation, Spanish word-final /s/ is followed by an unattached slot on the skeletal tier, as the phonological marker of Word Boundary. This accounts for the frequent similarity of preconsonantal, prepausal and word-final prevocalic position with respect to several consonantal modifications in Spanish. /s/-voicing in Spanish is analyzed as originally stemming from preconsonantal voicing of /s/ at the postcyclic lexical level, at times counteracted by low-level processes of devoicing. Spanish dialects, in turn, are characterized by the Extension Principle, which states that phrase-final consonantal modifications will preferentially be extended to all word-final environments. The positive choice of this parameter in Ecuadoran Spanish results in prevocalic voicing of word-final /s/, as well as other word-final processes.
A new immuno-, dystrophin-deficient model, the NSG-mdx4Cv mouse, provides evidence for functional improvement following allogeneic satellite cell transplantation

Transplantation of a myogenic cell population into an immunodeficient recipient is an excellent way of assessing the in vivo muscle-generating capacity of that cell population. To facilitate both allogeneic and xenogeneic transplantations of muscle-forming cells in mice, we have developed a novel immunodeficient muscular dystrophy model, the NSG-mdx(4Cv) mouse. The IL2Rg mutation, which is linked to the Dmd gene on the X chromosome, simultaneously depletes NK cells and suppresses thymic lymphomas, issues that limit the utility of the SCID/mdx model. The NSG-mdx(4Cv) mouse presents a muscular dystrophy of similar severity to the conventional mdx mouse. We show that this animal supports robust engraftment of both pig and dog muscle mononuclear cells. The question of whether satellite cells prospectively isolated by flow cytometry can confer a functional benefit upon transplantation has been controversial. Using allogeneic Pax7-ZsGreen donors and NSG-mdx(4Cv) recipients, we demonstrate definitively that as few as 900 FACS-isolated satellite cells can provide functional regeneration in vivo, in the form of an increased mean maximal force-generation capacity in cell-transplanted muscles, compared to a sham-injected control group. These studies highlight the potency of satellite cells to improve muscle function and the utility of the NSG-mdx(4Cv) model for studies on muscle regeneration and Duchenne muscular dystrophy therapy.
Systematically Distorted Communication: An Impediment to Social and Political Change

I define and refine Habermas’s notion of systematically distorted communication by means of focused, structured comparison among three of its instances. Next, I show that its critique is possible within the confines of his theory by recourse to a minimalist concept of rationality and a version of the truth that avoids the unwelcome metaphysical baggage of truth with a capital T. For critique to be complete, however, it must be supplemented by the full range of rhetorical proofs. Even so, there are limits to the power of critique. In the end, only social and political action can alter oppressive institutional arrangements.
RankSpiral: Toward Enhancing Search Results Visualizations

This paper addresses the problem of how to enable users to visually explore and compare large sets of documents that have been retrieved by different search engines or queries. The Rank-Spiral enables users to rapidly scan large numbers of documents and their titles in a single screen. It uses a spiral mapping that maximizes information density and minimizes occlusions. It solves the labeling problem by exploiting the structure of the special spiral mapping used. Focus+Context interactions enable users to examine document clusters or groupings in more detail.
Coxiella burnetii exploits host cAMP-dependent protein kinase signalling to promote macrophage survival.

Summary Intracellular bacterial pathogens often subvert apoptosis signalling to regulate survival of their host cell, allowing propagation of the bacterial population. Coxiella burnetii, the intracellular agent of human Q fever, inhibits host cell apoptosis through several mechanisms, including prevention of mitochondrial cytochrome c release, triggering of an anti-apoptotic transcriptional programme, and activation of pro-survival kinases. To control host cell survival, C. burnetii delivers effector proteins to the eukaryotic cytosol using a specialized Dot/Icm type IV secretion system (T4SS). Effectors are predicted to regulate activity of pro-survival host signalling proteins, such as Akt and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), to control infection. Here, we show that host PKA activity is required for C. burnetii inhibition of macrophage apoptosis. PKA is activated during infection and inhibits activity of the pro-apoptotic protein Bad via phosphorylation. Bad is also phosphorylated at an Akt-specific residue, indicating C. burnetii uses two kinases to fully inactivate Bad. Additionally, Bad and the tethering protein 14-3-3β colocalize at the C. burnetii parasitophorous vacuole (PV) membrane during infection, an event predicted to alter Bad promotion of apoptosis. Inhibiting PKA activity prevents Bad recruitment to the PV, but the protein is retained at the membrane during induction of apoptosis. Finally, PKA regulatory subunit I (RI) traffics to the PV membrane in a T4SS-dependent manner, suggesting a C. burnetii effector(s) regulates PKA-dependent activities. This study is the first to demonstrate subversion of host PKA activity by an intracellular bacterial pathogen to prevent apoptosis and survive within macrophages.
MICROWAVE PRODUCTION WITH INTENSE RELATIVISTIC ELECTRON BEAMS

Some experiments in which static magnetic compression was used to produce high microwave power are described. It is shown how the microwave power and frequency spectrum depend upon the beam transverse energy, total electron energy, and magnetic field. Experimental results obtained using the rippled magnetic field are presented for comparison. This is followed by a theoretical model, with both linear and nonlinear results being presented. A detailed comparison between theoretical and experimental results is given. (MOW)
Pulmonary matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity in mechanically ventilated children with respiratory syncytial virus

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is a potent stimulus for airway epithelial expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9. MMP-9 activity in vivo is a predictor of disease severity in children with RSV-induced respiratory failure. Human airway epithelial cells were infected with RSV A2 strain and analysed for MMP-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 (a natural inhibitor of MMP-9) release. In addition, endotracheal samples from children with RSV-RF and controls (non-RSV pneumonia and nonlung disease controls) were analysed for MMP-9, TIMP-1, human neutrophil elastase and myeloperoxidase activity. RSV infection of airway epithelia was sufficient to rapidly induce MMP-9 transcription and protein release. Pulmonary MMP-9 activity peaked at 48 h in infants with RSV-induced respiratory failure. In the RSV group, MMP-9 activity and MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio imbalance predicted higher oxygen requirement and worse paediatric risk of mortality scores. The highest levels of human neutrophil elastase and myeloperoxidase activity were measured in the RSV cohort; however, unlike MMP-9, these neutrophil markers failed to predict disease severity. These results support the hypothesis that RSV is a potent stimulus for MMP-9 expression and release from human airway epithelium, and that MMP-9 is an important biomarker of disease severity in mechanically ventilated children with RSV lung infection.
Node-Capture Resilient Key Establishment in Sensor Networks: Design Space and New Protocols

Key management is required for basic security services of confidentiality, integrity, and data source authentication. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a challenging environment to provide such services due to the resource constraints and the increased likelihood of nodes to be captured. Various key management techniques were proposed that trade off resilience to node capture and overhead in terms of communication and memory.We identify the main factors influencing the design space of key management protocols for sensor networks and describe representative protocols that trade off the number of links established, communication overhead, and resilience to node capture. These trade-offs are due to using direct, pathbased, or multipath-based communication to establish secure links. We propose a new multipath protocol relying on an encoding scheme tailored for WSNs and analyze the effects of key pre-distribution on multipath key establishment.We provide extensive simulations to understand the trade-offs between resilience to node compromise and communication overhead under numerous network scenarios. This comparison highlights the trade-offs between these vastly different key management schemes. For the newer class of key management schemes—multipath based—we quantify experimentally the additional communication overhead required for extra paths and the improvement in resilience from using these paths.
An update on the pathogenesis and management of acne vulgaris.

A cne vulgaris is an easily recognizable dermatologic disease. It is also very common. Acne is seen in nearly 100% of individuals at some time during their lives. Small, noninflamed acne lesions may not be more than a slight nuisance but, in individuals with more severe inflammatory nodular acne, pain, social embarrassment, and both physical and psychological scarring can be life altering. Fortunately, our understanding of the pathogenesis of acne has progressed and our therapeutic armamentarium has greatly expanded in the last twenty-five years. The four key pathogenetic factors of acne have been recognized for decades. These include follicular epithelial hyperproliferation and resultant follicular plugging, excess sebum, inflammation, and the presence and activity of Propionibacterium acnes (Table I). The earliest microscopic lesion observed in acne vulgaris is the microcomedo. This lesion is characterized by follicular plugging. Inflammation and the bacteria, P acnes, are not observed. The stimulus for microcomedo formation is still unknown. Leading hypotheses implicate androgen hormones, alterations in follicular linoleic acid levels, and the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1a (IL1a). The microcomedo is the precursor of other acne lesions. With time, the microcomedo fills with P acnes, whose cell wall and biological byproducts are chemoattractant and proinflammatory. As a result, inflammatory cells surround the follicle, diffuse through the follicular wall, and produce enzymes that disrupt the follicular wall. The degree of inflammation seen in acne vulgaris may be dependent upon individual immune responsiveness to P acnes.
Phytocompounds for the control of human enteric viruses

Plant extracts and associated polyphenols are known for their varied health benefits that include antioxidant effects and antimicrobial properties. The increasing consumer demand for cost-effective and natural alternatives to chemically-synthesized antimicrobials and therapeutics that are also sustainable makes the field of phytochemical research rather intriguing and challenging. Human enteric viruses are increasingly recognized worldwide as significant causes of human disease in adults and children, alike. In the absence of available vaccines for the human noroviruses, plant extracts are gaining popularity for the prevention and treatment of viral diseases. Research on plant extracts (particularly polyphenols derived from fruits) for human enteric virus control will be briefly summarized in this article.
Self-efficacy in alcoholics: Clinical validation of the situational confidence questionnaire☆

Recent theory and empirical data suggest that self efficacy plays an important role in resistance to relapse for substance abusers. This study investigated the validity of the Situational Confidence Questionnaire (SCQ), a new instrument designed to measure self-efficacy expectations in purported high-risk drinking situations. The SCQ was administered to 46 short-term sober (STS) and 25 long-term sober (LTS) alcoholics. STS subjects were newly admitted alcohol treatment patients and LTS subjects had been abstinent for at least one year. Results indicated significantly higher self efficacy for LTS subjects than for STS subjects on total score and on 7 of the 8 subscales (p<.001). Stepwise discriminant analysis yielded a linear combination of three subscales to account for 49% of the total variance; 92% of the LTS and 65% of the STS subjects were correctly identified by the classification function. These results extended earlier work with the SCQ using newly sober subjects and, in addition, provide encouraging validity data for the SCQ.
Pharmacological and anatomical evidence of selective μ, δ, and χ opioid receptor binding in rat brain

While the distribution of opioid receptors can be differentiated in the rat central nervous system, their precise localization has remained controversial, due, in part, to the previous lack of selective ligands and insensitive assaying conditions. The present study analyzed this issue further by examining the receptor selectivity of [3H]DAGO (Tyr-D-Ala-Gly-MePhe-Gly-ol), [3H]DPDPE (2-D-penicillamine-5-D-penicillamine-enkephalin), [3H]DSLET (Tyr-D-Ser-Gly-Phe-Leu-Thr) and [3H](-)bremazocine, and their suitability in autoradiographically labelling selective subpopulations of opioid receptors in rat brain. The results from saturation, competition, and autoradiographic experiments indicated that the three opioid receptor subtypes can be differentiated in the rat brain and that [3H]DAGO and [3H]DPDPE selectively labelled mu and delta binding sites, respectively. In contrast, [3H]DSLET was found to be relatively non-selective, and labelled both mu and delta sites. [3H]Bremazocine was similarly non-selective in the absence of mu and delta ligands and labelled all three opioid receptor subtypes. However, in the presence of 100 nM DAGO and DPDPE, concentrations sufficient to saturate the mu and delta sites, [3H]bremazocine did label kappa sites selectively. The high affinity [3H]bremazocine binding sites showed a unique distribution with relatively dense kappa labelling in the hypothalamus and median eminence, areas with extremely low mu and delta binding. These results point to the selectivity, under appropriate conditions, of [3H]DAGO, [3H]DPDPE and [3H]bremazocine and provide evidence for the differential distribution of mu, delta, and kappa opioid receptors in rat brain.
Stem cell engraftment and cell cycle phenotype.

S93 hierarchically based. These studies have major implications for gene therapy strategies in which retroviral vectors are incorporated into proliferating cells. Many of the failures of gene therapy may in fact be due to defective engraftment as opposed to the basic nature of the vectors utilized. In addition, these studies indicate that with relatively nontoxic therapy, bone marrow chimeric states can be created which might form a base for approaches to the creation of allochimeric models in nonmalignant marrow states such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia. Here, the major goal would be to develop approaches to create tolerance and modulate graftversus-host disease and graft rejection. Finally, in order to maximize any therapeutic effect of cytokine-treated stem cells in vitro, strategies must include an understanding of the cell cycle status and engraftment potential of these cells at different points in cell cycle.
Over-Reliance Issues with Task Guidance Systems

Over-reliance occurs when the human responsible for completing a task allows a task aid to have too much authority. Over-reliance, long recognized as a problem with automation and decision aiding systems, now appears to also be an issue for task guidance systems. Task guidance systems are computer-based systems that guide a user through a task. A recent investigation of how the capabilities of a wearable computer may be used to provide task guidance in mobile environments demonstrated the possibility for over-reliance in these systems. Specifically, this investigation examined a wearable computer inspection aid for preflight inspection of general aviation aircraft. Pilots using the wearable computer inspection system were less thorough in their inspection than the pilots completing the inspection from memory. Deficiencies in the procedures used on the task guidance systems made it clear that the pilots with the wearable computer inspection aid were over-relying on its information. Details of this investig...
An overview of reconfigurable hardware in embedded systems

Over the past few years, the realm of embedded systems has expanded to include a wide variety of products, ranging from digital cameras, to sensor networks, to medical imaging systems. Consequently, engineers strive to create ever smaller and faster products, many of which have stringent power requirements. Coupled with increasing pressure to decrease costs and time-to-market, the design constraints of embedded systems pose a serious challenge to embedded systems designers. Reconfigurable hardware can provide a flexible and efficient platform for satisfying the area, performance, cost, and power requirements of many embedded systems. This article presents an overview of reconfigurable computing in embedded systems, in terms of benefits it can provide, how it has already been used, design issues, and hurdles that have slowed its adoption.
Temporal Variation in Microhabitat Use by Age‐0 Smallmouth Bass in the North Anna River, Virginia

Abstract Microhabitat use by age-0 smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu in the North Anna River was quantified from 10 snorkel surveys conducted between May and August in 1990 and 1991. Depth, mean velocity within the water column, substrate, and cover were quantified in 25 larval brood sites, and the same variables (plus focal-point velocity) were quantified at 634 points where dispersed individuals were located. Larvae in broods occupied a wide variety of microhabitats, but after larvae dispersed from brood sites they primarily occupied low-velocity areas with large substrate or cover. During the first 4–6 weeks after dispersal, juveniles continued to use relatively deep, low-velocity microhabitats. Thereafter, juveniles occupied shallower microhabitats with greater focal-point velocities. Fish size was generally not related to microhabitat use within a sampling period, except during two periods when there was a positive relationship between size and depth use. Microhabitat use of the age-0 cohort of sm...
Promising Future of Metamaterials

This article summarized and reviewed the realization and applications of the waveguide-based metamaterial structures. In particular, an overview of the existing metamaterial elements was presented. We discussed the possible solutions to enable wave propagation below the waveguide cutoff frequency by loading these elements. Then a detailed analysis on those waveguide unit-cells loaded with different metamaterial elements was provided based on HFSS simulation. Various guided and radiated microwave applications based on these novel metamaterial-based waveguide structures were presented. Those obtained simulation and experimental results were found to be in good agreement with the theoretical prediction. These applications also demonstrate that the combination of waveguide structure and metamaterials offers an excellent alternative approach to the design of miniaturized and high-performance microwave components. Waveguide has high-power handling capability and high Q-factor. It also provides a uniform and lossless e-negative (μ-negative) environment when operated based on the TE modes (TM modes) below the cutoff frequency. This is a promising and potentially rewarding research topic. We are looking forward to achieving more truly high-performance metamaterial devices by taking advantages of these features in the near future.
In-cylinder measurement of mixture maldistribution in a L-head engine

The distribution of fuel-air mixtures in many L-head engines is not homogeneous. If the local mixture is too rich or too lean, then incomplete combustion occurs. This can play a major role in unburned hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide emissions. Fuel-air mixture distribution depends on in-cylinder swirl and turbulence, and is directly related to intake-manifold configuration, fuel-delivery-system design and combustion-chamber shape. Understanding the spatial mixture distribution may help improve the design of these aforementioned components. Consequently, a more complete combustion process may result, and emissions reduced. An optical fiber bundle was used to measure the emissions of CH and C{sub 2} radicals in this research to map the mixture uniformity in the combustion chamber. The experimental results showed that there exists a relationship between the intensity ratio (I{sub C2}/I{sub CH}) and the fuel equivalence ratio. The local fuel equivalence ratios can be obtained after the relationship between the light intensity ratio and fuel equivalence ratio is established. In addition, fuel-rich combustion zones were identified in the vicinity of spark plug and valves. Two fuels, propane (C{sub 3}H{sub 8}) and Indolene (CH{sub 1.86}){sub 7} were used for investigating the effects of different types of fuel on the intensity ratio. A L-head spark-ignitionmore » engine was selected for this study since this type of engine uses a conventional carburetor in which the fuel-air mixture is relatively nonhomogeneous which produces high hydrocarbon emissions. Furthermore, the flat cylinder head supplies sufficient space for the installation of the optical fiber bundles.« less
Understanding the Challenges Faced by Neurodiverse Software Engineering Employees: Towards a More Inclusive and Productive Technical Workforce

Technology workers are often stereotyped as being socially awkward or having difficulty communicating, often with humorous intent; however, for many technology workers with atypical cognitive profiles, such issues are no laughing matter. In this paper, we explore the hidden lives of neurodiverse technology workers, e.g., those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and/or other learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. We present findings from interviews with 10 neurodiverse technology workers, identifying the challenges that impede these employees from fully realizing their potential in the workplace. Based on the interview findings, we developed a survey that was taken by 846 engineers at a large software company. In this paper, we reflect on the differences between the neurotypical (N = 781) and neurodiverse (N = 59) respondents. Technology companies struggle to attract, develop, and retain talented software developers; our findings offer insight into how employers can better support the needs of this important worker constituency.
A knowledge-based framework for automated software synthesis

Automated software synthesis is one of the central techniques used in knowledge-based software engineering to enhance the quality and efficiency of software development. Although many software synthesis systems have been developed, automatic control of these systems remains a difficult problem. Our goal is to reduce user interaction in transformational and schema-based synthesizers by means of significant advances in control mechanisms. This paper describes an approach for synthesis control that integrates a blackboard control architecture with an existing synthesis system. We present a framework language called MetaMorphos that allows explicit representations of control knowledge for use in selecting appropriate synthesis actions. MetaMorphos represents control decisions explicitly in terms of actions, events, and states. It is task-specific and contains knowledge about programming and how to select synthesizing methods based on given features. By employing a blackboard control architecture, our synthesis controller provides adaptability for dynamic control behaviors and flexibility to handle unanticipated situations during software development. Applying MetaMorphos in the domain of software synthesis, we illustrate how we use MetaMorphos to select appropriate transformations, data structure and algorithm schemas during the synthesis. An example shows how MetaMorphos handles the difficult problem of selecting schemas for two very similar problems which, in the best case, require different solutions.
Transgenic models for detection of mutations in tumors and normal tissues of rodents.

Abstract Transgenic rodents that contain easily retrievable target genes allow the rapid quantitation of mutations in any tissue from which DNA can be isolated. We are using the Stratagene Big Blue ™ transgenic mouse system that contains a lacI target and an α lacZ reporter gene to study the parameters that affect mutations. We have evaluated a number of chemicals to determine mutant frequency (MF) in specific target tissues of C57B1/6 and B6C3F1 mice. The correlation between mutagenesis and carcinogenesis in this system is excellent. For example, the liver carcinogen dimethylnitrosamine produces significant increases in MF in mouse liver, whereas the nonhepatocarcinogenic mutagen methylmethane sulfonate does not. We have also evaluated the induction of mutations by radiation and demonstrated that this system is suitable for the study of agents that produce deletion mutations. This system is also useful for studying changes in MF in developing tumors. We have used an initiation-promotion protocol to induce hepatocellular carcinomas, and we then measured MF in normal liver, tumors, and metastases from these mice. Animals initiated with diethylnitrosamine maintain an elevated MF in normal liver, even 1 year after initiation. This MF increases exponentially in developing liver tumors, possibly owing to a breakdown in the fidelity of DNA replication and DNA repair in tumors. This system offers a unique tool for the study of mutations induced in specific target tissues of rodents and should become an important assay for evaluating the mutagenic risk of drugs and chemicals.