cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fecal Sterol and Runoff Analysis for Nonpoint Source Tracking

Fecal pollution source identification is needed to quantify risk, target installation of source controls, and assess performance of best management practices in impaired surface waters. Sterol analysis is a chemical method for fecal source tracking that allows for differentiation between several fecal pollution sources. The objectives of this study were to use these chemical tracers for quantifying human fecal inputs in a mixed-land-use watershed without point sources of pollution and to determine the relationship between land use and sterol ratios. Fecal sterol analysis was performed on bed and suspended sediment from impaired streams. Human fecal signatures were found at sites with sewer overflow and septic inputs. Different sterol ratios used to indicate human fecal pollution varied in their sensitivity. Next, geospatial data was used to determine the runoff volumes associated with each land-use category in the watersheds. Fecal sterol ratios were compared between sampling locations and correlations were tested between ratio values and percentage of runoff for a given land-use category. Correlation was not observed between percentage of runoff from developed land and any of the five tested human-indicating sterol ratios in streambed sediments, confirming that human fecal inputs were not evenly distributed across the urban landscape. Several practical considerations for adopting this chemical method for microbial source tracking in small watersheds are discussed. Results indicate that sterol analysis is useful for identifying the location of human fecal nonpoint-source inputs.
Friends and Foes of Philosophical Practice

Philosophical practice is a movement, and insofar as all movement meets with opposition, philosophical practice meets with opposition. Philosophy and psychiatry are potentially very close collaborators in the service of delivering appropriate care, and any conflict into which they have thus far been drawn is almost entirely instigated by mass media that exploits consumers' interminable obsession with sensationalism and insatiable taste for scandal. Philosophical practitioners are reasonably well-acquainted with the history and philosophy of medicine (including psychiatry), with biomedical and relevant legal ethics, with abuses as well as successes of medicine (including psychiatry), with many models of mind-brain reduction, adduction, and interaction, with Freudian psychoanalysis and the significant variants his disciples counter-proposed, with fundamental paradigms of behavioral science, and with salient developments in contemporary neuroscience, the philosophical foundations of psychiatry are better understood than many if not most psychiatrists. Philosophical practitioners are mostly non-physicians; and therefore, they neither diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment.
NAFTA’s Environmental Provisions

NAFTA negotiations between Canada, Mexico and the US had been initiated under the George H. W. Bush administration in 1990, but had not been completed prior to the 1992 presidential campaign. While some environmental provisions were in the August 1992 draft agreement due to concerns about and agitation for consideration of environmental issues, many environmental critics felt they were not adequate (Bailey 1992–93). As an approach to this issue the Bush administration proposed negotiating an environmental agreement in parallel with the trade agreement. NAFTA was sent to the Senate for ratification in December 1992, but not ratified before the change of administration in January 1993.
Profile of the Spleen Transcriptome in Beef Steers with Variation in Gain and Feed Intake

We have previously identified components of the immune system contributing to feed intake and gain in both the rumen and small intestine of beef steers. In this study, we examined the spleen, a major lymphatic organ near the digestive tract, to determine whether it was also influencing individual feed efficiency status through immune responses. Animals (n=16) that were divergent for gain and intake were selected for tissue sampling. The spleen transcriptomes were evaluated by microarray. A total of 1,216 genes were identified as differentially expressed. Genes were over-represented in Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathways including biological regulation, protein folding, cell communication, immune systems process, response to stress and RNA metabolic process. Several stress response or heat shock genes including HSPH1, HSPA1A, HSPA4, DNAJB4, DNAJA4, etc., were identified as a stress response functional gene cluster in the low gain-low intake animals. These genes were up-regulated amongst the low gain-low intake animals compared to all other groups. Canonical pathways associated with the differentially expressed genes included the coagulation system, extrinsic prothrombin activation, protein ubiquitination, unfolded protein response and aldosterone signaling in epithelial cells. An analysis of expressed copy number variable (CNV) genes in the spleen produced some of the same genes and gene families that were differentially expressed. Our data suggests the splenic contribution to some of the underlying variation among gain and intake within this group of animals may be a result of immune function and stress response. In addition, some of the differences in immune response functions may be related to gene copy number.
Spectrum sharing between communications and ATC radar systems

Increasing demand for wireless communications services within the spectrum bands that are most conducive to operating cellular and mobile broadband systems is aggravating frequency congestion within the electromagnetic spectrum. Primary-secondary spectrum sharing can be exploited to alleviate spectrum congestion by allowing secondary systems to access opportunistically the allotted frequency band of a primary system. In this study, the feasibility of spectrum sharing between air traffic control (ATC) radar and long-term evolution (LTE) wireless communications systems is investigated through waveform-level simulations and link budget analyses. Numerical results show that with moderate frequency and range separation, spectrum sharing between a scanning ATC radar and a single LTE cell in L-band is possible, though both systems are ultimately subject to quantified performance degradations due to the impact each has on the other.
Emotional Labor in the Dual Role of Teaching and Coaching

This study investigated the emotional labor involved in two forms of sport services-teaching and coaching-as perceived by high school teacher-coaches regarding required emotional displays and the use of emotional labor strategies. A total of 403 high school teacher-coaches from 47 states in the United States completed the online questionnaires measuring their perceptions of required emotional displays and their uses of emotional labor strategies in the two occupational roles. Results showed that there was no significant difference in the perception of positive emotional displays as required among participants. However, participants perceived that the expressions of friendliness and cheerfulness were more required in teaching than in coaching. On the other side, negative emotional displays were perceived to be more required in coaching than in teaching. That is, expressing upset, disappointment, anger, unhappiness, and frustration were perceived differently among participants. Also, participants utilized more surface acting when teaching and employed more genuine expression when coaching. The findings of this study highlight that differences do exist in the perception of required emotional displays and the utilization of emotional labor strategies in the two roles of teaching and coaching. These results were discussed in light of the task and group differences between teaching and coaching.
A non-invasive assessment of skin carotenoid status through reflection spectroscopy is a feasible, reliable and potentially valid measure of fruit and vegetable consumption in a diverse community sample.

OBJECTIVE To assess the feasibility, reliability and validity of reflection spectroscopy (RS) to assess skin carotenoids in a racially diverse sample. DESIGN Study 1 was a cross-sectional study of corner store customers (n 479) who completed the National Cancer Institute Fruit and Vegetable Screener as well as RS measures. Feasibility was assessed by examining the time it took to complete three RS measures, reliability was assessed by examining the variation between three RS measures, and validity was examined by correlation with self-reported fruit and vegetable consumption. In Study 2, validity was assessed in a smaller sample (n 30) by examining associations between RS measures and dietary carotenoids, fruits and vegetables as calculated from a validated FFQ and plasma carotenoids. SETTING Eastern North Carolina, USA. RESULTS It took on average 94·0 s to complete three RS readings per person. The average variation between three readings for each participant was 6·8 %. In Study 2, in models adjusted for age, race and sex, there were statistically significant associations between RS measures and (i) FFQ-estimated carotenoid intake (P<0·0001); (ii) FFQ-estimated fruit and vegetable consumption (P<0·010); and (iii) plasma carotenoids (P<0·0001). CONCLUSIONS RS is a potentially improved method to approximate fruit and vegetable consumption among diverse participants. RS is portable and easy to use in field-based public health nutrition settings. More research is needed to investigate validity and sensitivity in diverse populations.
Wisdom, Fate, and Moral Agency

Rosa Chen’s essay is rich and many-layered, and this response picks up just one of many possible threads to consider. I am grateful for the opportunity to have read it and respond to it. Without dissenting from any of the points Chen makes in her very interesting essay, in this response I consider some implications of her analysis, discussing some aspects of agency and moral development suggested, but not explored, in her discussion of Aristotle, Confucius, and the moral choices that were a significant part of her moral development. Specifically, I consider the different roles of fate and contingency in the two traditions.
Low Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Influences Fatigue and Quality of Life in Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

OBJECTIVE Fatigue is common among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Proinflammatory cytokines are elevated in chronic inflammation and can induce "sickness behaviors," such as fatigue. Chronic inflammatory states also lead to growth hormone resistance, demonstrated by low levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and elevated growth hormone. This study evaluated the relationship between IGF-1, proinflammatory cytokine levels, and fatigue in patients with IBD. METHODS In this prospective study children with IBD, ages 10 to 16 years, were recruited from a subspecialty ambulatory clinic. Participants and their parents completed age-appropriate generic and disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments. Serum samples obtained at the same encounter were analyzed for Th17 cytokine and IGF-1 levels. HRQOL scores were compared to a healthy sample and HRQOL scores and cytokine levels were compared by IGF-1 z score quartiles. RESULTS A total of 67 patients with IBD were recruited, median age of 13.7 years (interquartile range, 11.7-15.3). Forty-eight (72%) had inactive disease based on Physician Global Assessment. Patients with IBD reported lower generic HRQOL (P = 0.0006) and more fatigue (P = 0.0004) than a healthy sample. Patients with IGF-1 z scores in the lowest quartile had significantly lower disease-specific HRQOL (P = 0.01) and more fatigue (P = 0.02) than the remainder of the cohort. Serum interleukin (IL)-10, IL-17A, IL-6, and interferon-γ were significantly higher in patients with IBD with IGF-1 z scores in the lowest quartile (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Children with subclinical IBD experience more fatigue and lower generic HRQOL than healthy children. Lower IGF-1 z scores are associated with more fatigue, and this relationship may be mediated through proinflammatory cytokines.
The Use of Ultrasound to Detect Infarction Expansion and Mural Thrombi

With the widespread availability of two-dimensional (2-D) echocardiography and, more recently, of Doppler echocardiography, ultrasonic methods for the evaluation of ischemic heart disease have greatly improved. Whereas time-motion (“M-Mode”) echocardiography allowed only an ice pick view of a small (and possibly nonrepresentative) portion of the heart, 2-D echo allows a much broader field of view, as well as the potential to obtain views in various planes at multiple tomographic levels. In addition, significant improvements in image quality now allow excellent definition of ventricular wall motion, wall thickening, and chamber size in most patients (1).
An Introduction to Meteorology for Airborne Wind Energy

Airborne wind energy systems (AWES) are devices that effectively extract energy from the air flow, more specifically kinetic energy, and convert it to electricity. Wind is the manifestation of the kinetic energy present in the atmosphere. Understanding wind, its properties and power, as well as other atmospheric properties that can affect AWES, is the goal of this chapter.
Extensional Rheometry of Polymer Melts

The goal of this chapter is to provide workers in the field of adhesion with an understanding of some pivotal ideas of rheology which go beyond the usual notion of viscosity. To this end, we present an elementary introduction to some more general rheological concepts. We show that in addition to the “ordinary” viscosity η, which is defined with respect to a shear experiment, there is another very useful quantity called the elongational viscosity ηE. This latter quantity is defined by an experiment in which the deformation is in a stretching mode, such as, for example, the elongation of a rod or a fiber. It was pointed out in Chapter 3d) that this mode of deformation is important in many separation processes, particularly with regard to polymers adhering to solids. The molecular mechanisms of deformation of polymer chains in the two modes (shear and elongation) were also discussed briefly.
Correlation between the oral microbiome and brain resting state connectivity in smokers

Recent studies have shown a critical role for the gastrointestinal microbiome in brain and behavior via a complex gut microbiome and brain axis, however, the influence of the oral microbiome in neurological processes is much less studied, especially in response to the stimuli in the oral microenvironment such as smoking. Additionally, given the complex structural and functional networks in brain system, our knowledge about the relationship between microbiome and brain functions on specific brain circuits is still very limited. In this pilot work, we leverage next generation microbial sequencing with functional MRI techniques to enable the delineation of microbiome-brain network links as well as their relations to cigarette smoking. Thirty smokers and 30 age- and sex- matched non-smokers were recruited for measuring both microbial community and brain functional networks. Statistical analyses were performed to demonstrate the influence of smoking on: the taxonomy and abundance of the constituents within the oral microbial community, brain functional network connectivity, and associations between microbial shifts and the brain signaling network. Among smokers, we found significant decrease in beta diversity (p = 0.006) and identified several classes (Betaproteobacteria, Spirochaetia, Synergistia, and Mollicutes) as having significant alterations in microbial abundance. Metagenomic analyses demonstrate that the microbiota with altered abundance are mainly involved in pathways related to cell processes, DNA repair, immune system, and neurotransmitters signaling. One brain functional network connectivity component with marginal difference between smokers and nonsmokers (p = 0.033) consists of connectivity between default network and other task-positive networks (i.e., executive control network). This brain functional component was also significantly associated with some smoking- and immune- related oral microbiota, suggesting potential influence of smoking-induced oral microbiome dysbiosis in regulating brain functional connectivity, possibly through immunological or neurotransmitter signaling pathways. This work is the first attempt to link oral microbiome and brain functional networks, and provides the support for future work in characterizing the role of oral microbiome in mediating smoking effects on brain activity.
Effect of antibiotic exposure in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with PD-1 inhibitor or CTLA-4 inhibitor or a combination of both.

e14141Background: Pre clinical studies have demonstrated the effect of gut microbiome in the efficacy of immune check point inhibitors. The effect of antibiotic exposure to patients receiving PD-1/...
The impact of diabetic foot ulcers and unilateral offloading footwear on gait in people with diabetes.

Abstract Background Unilateral offloading footwear prescribed to patients with diabetic foot ulcers elevates one limb relative to the other, which may lead to limp and abnormal gait. This study investigated whether the unilateral foot ulcer and offloading combination negatively impacts gait function beyond diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Methods Eighty-six participants were recruited in 3 groups: 12 with diabetic peripheral neuropathy and unilateral foot ulcers wearing offloading footwear (offloading group, age = 55.6 ± 9.5 years, BMI = 30.9 ± 4.5 kg/m2), 27 with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (neuropathy group, age = 64.3 ± 7.7 years, BMI = 30.9 ± 5.4 kg/m2), and 47 non-diabetic controls (non-diabetic group, age = 62.9 ± 16.1 years, BMI = 29.0 ± 6.0 kg/m2). Gait function was quantified during a habitual speed walking test using a validated wearable platform. Findings The offloading group exhibited deteriorated gait function compared to the non-diabetic group (p Interpretation This study demonstrated that while diabetic peripheral neuropathy deteriorates gait function, including increasing gait unsteadiness and limp, the diabetic foot ulcer and offloading combination magnifies the deterioration beyond diabetic peripheral neuropathy. These findings promote caution of the current standards of care for treating diabetic foot ulcers with offloading footwear. However, it is possible that a contralateral shoe lift may remedy deteriorated gait function and improve quality of life for unilateral offloading users.
The New World of Heterogeneous AI/ML High Performance Computing with Intel FPGAs Mark

This talk will show the progress and future directions in custom logic advanced architectures for AI/ML in HPC.
Compact mode-division multiplexing with folded metasurfaces

To meet the demand for ever-increasing data transfer rates in fiber optic communications, there is great interest in space-division multiplexing of light. Mode-division multiplexing, a subset of space-division multiplexing, increases the channel capacity of a system by spatial conversion and coupling of optical signals into the orthogonal modes of a multimode fiber channel. Current mode multiplexers, which rely on directional couplers, photonic lanterns, and free-space optics, can be challenging to fabricate, align, and scale to a large number of modes with low loss and crosstalk. As a result, more resources have to be spent on amplifiers and digital signal processing which increases the cost of the communications system. Metasurfaces offer a solution to this problem and have shown wide success in realizing various optics. Being lithographically patterned with subwavelength-scale dielectric structures, metasurfaces allow full control of the wavefront. We adopt a folded metasurface configuration by coating the dielectric structures with cladding and depositing metal on both sides of a glass substrate. Inside the substrate, light interacts with the metasurface multiple times to yield unprecedented abilities in shaping light. Based on this platform, we demonstrate a metasurface mode multiplexer design with low loss and crosstalk in the telecom. It directly aligns to an array of input fibers and an output fiber and converts each input mode into the orthogonal modes of the latter fiber. Short-distance and long-haul communication systems such as data centers and submarine links, respectively, can benefit from this mode multiplexer.
Hempseed Oil-Based Covalent Adaptable Epoxy-Amine Network and Its Potential Use for Room-Temperature Curable Coatings

Conventional thermoset coatings are prepared from petrochemical feedstocks which are nonrenewable, and the resulting coatings are not repairable. To extent the service life and meet the sustainable...
Success and breakdown of the T-matrix approximation for phonon-disorder scattering

We examine the validity of the widely used T-matrix approximation for treating phonon-disorder scattering by implementing an unfolding algorithm that allows simulation of disorder up to tens of millions of atoms. The T-matrix approximation breaks down for low-energy flexure phonons that play an important role in thermal transport in two-dimensional materials. Furthermore, insights are developed into the success of the T-matrix approximation in describing maximally mass disordered systems. To achieve this, the phonon unfolding formalism is generalized to describe mass disorder and strongly nonperturbative features of the spectrum are connected to the Boltzmann quasiparticle picture.
Serial Selves: Identity and Representation in Autobiographical Comics

The rise of the underground comix scene in the 1960s and 1970s introduced autobiographical writing to the comics page, and it redefined what it means to write an autobiography, a memoir, or a liter...
A note from the new editor-in-chief

It is an honor to be chosen as the new editor-in-chief of the Journal of Urban Affairs. The JUA and its society, the Urban Affairs Association, are an integral part of my life as an urban scholar. ...
Smooth tensor estimation with unknown permutations.

We consider the problem of structured tensor denoising in the presence of unknown permutations. Such data problems arise commonly in recommendation system, neuroimaging, community detection, and multiway comparison applications. Here, we develop a general family of smooth tensor models up to arbitrary index permutations; the model incorporates the popular tensor block models and Lipschitz hypergraphon models as special cases. We show that a constrained least-squares estimator in the block-wise polynomial family achieves the minimax error bound. A phase transition phenomenon is revealed with respect to the smoothness threshold needed for optimal recovery. In particular, we find that a polynomial of degree up to $(m-2)(m+1)/2$ is sufficient for accurate recovery of order-$m$ tensors, whereas higher degree exhibits no further benefits. This phenomenon reveals the intrinsic distinction for smooth tensor estimation problems with and without unknown permutations. Furthermore, we provide an efficient polynomial-time Borda count algorithm that provably achieves optimal rate under monotonicity assumptions. The efficacy of our procedure is demonstrated through both simulations and Chicago crime data analysis.
ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND ITS APPLICATION TO THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Covering work done under Grant GH-25 from the Sea Grant Office of the National Science Foundation, this paper describes the development of an engineering technology curriculum in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering leading to the degree of Bachelor of Engineering Technology. The emergence of baccalaureate degree programs is traced; the types of students for whom the programs are suited is suggested; employment areas are discussed; and a pre-engineering technology curriculum is described. The particular curriculum in Marine Engineering Technology is described with attention given to cooperation from shipyard personnel in curriculum development, the creation of new courses in Shipbuilding and Shipyard Operations, and the continuing support from commercial shipyards as the curriculum was being offered.
Scaling-up regional fruit and vegetable distribution: potential for adaptive change in the food system

As demand for locally grown food increases there have been calls to ‘scale-up’ local food production to regionally distribute food and to sell into more mainstream grocery and retail venues where consumers are already shopping. Growing research and practice focusing on how to improve, expand and conceptualize regional distribution systems includes strategies such as value chain development using the Agriculture of the Middle (AOTM) framework. When the Ohio Food Policy Advisory Council asked how they could scale-up the distribution of Ohio fresh fruits and vegetables to Ohioans, we decided to use this practical opportunity to not only provide recommendations to this council, but to simultaneously contribute to the literature on AOTM, value-based and spatially–proximate relationships, and conceptualizations of food system hybridity. We do this while examining an entire sub-sector of the Ohio agricultural economy, namely fruit and vegetables and applying the AOTM framework beyond the farm, namely to distributors and retailers. Through interviews with Ohio retailers and a survey of all fresh fruit and vegetable distributors Ohio we: (1) Describe current distribution systems within the state; (2) Identify firms interested in scaling-up distribution, and; (3) Inform state-level policy efforts by identifying opportunities to better target any state-level policy and program efforts. We demonstrate support for the concept of AOTM applied beyond the farm, for value chain development strategies that can transmit ‘quality’ via spatially proximate supply chains, and support for considering hybrid solutions, such as piggybacking for scaling-up local food systems. This work highlights the role a statewide food policy council can have in facilitating market development and their unique position to provide public sector and institutional support to facilitate meaningful connections in the food system.
Learning to Become Lifelong Global Citizens

This study examines transition practices of four international male graduate students from Cambodia pursuing social science degrees at Northern Illinois University (NIU). An interview guide was designed and grounded in three questions: (1) How do informants describe their academic and social experiences during their first year at NIU?; (2) What adaptation resources do they have at their disposal (i.e. on NIU campus, in DeKalb and neighbouring communities, social networks in Cambodia and America)? How do these resources help them to adjust; (3) How do they view themselves as international students at NIU? And, how does this view play a role in their adaptation process? The analysis is drawn upon four individual in-depth interviews. Two informants have been at NIU since August 2006 referred to as Senior 1 and Senior 2. The other two participants have been at NIU since August 2007and are referred to as Junior 1 and Junior 2. Excerpts of critical markers accumulated from interviews are employed to emphasize key themes in the data. Implications for teaching and learning in multicultural education context and literature dealing with similar groups of students from South East Asia are also discussed. Le but de cet article est d’examiner les pratiques d’adaptation de quatre etudiants internationaux de troisieme cycle, originaires du Cambodge et qui etudient a la faculte de Sciences de l’Universite d’ Illinois du Nord (UIN). Nous avons mis en place un guide pour les interviews ou nous les avons interroges sur les trois questions suivantes: (1) Comment nos informateurs decrivent-ils leurs experiences academiques et sociales pendant leur premiere annee a UIN ? ; (2) A quelles ressources d’adaptation ont-ils acces (par exemple sur le campus de l’UIN, a DeKalb et dans le voisinage, dans leurs reseaux de relations sociales au Cambodge et aux Etats-Unis) ? Comment ces ressources leurs servent-elles a s’adapter ? ; (3) Comment se percoivent-ils eux-memes en tant qu’etudiants internationaux a UIN ? Et quel role joue cette perception dans leur processus d’adaptation ? Cette analyse puise dans les interviews de ces quatre individus. Deux informateurs sont a la UIN depuis aout 2006. Nous nous refererons a eux avec les mots anglais Senior 1 et Senior 2. Les autres deux participants sont a la UIN depuis aout 2007. Nous nous refererons a eux avec les mots anglais Junior 1 et Junior 2. Nous utiliserons des references critiques de quelques extraits des interviews afin de mettre l’accent sur des themes cles dans les donnees. Pour conclure, nous examinerons les implications pour l’enseignement et l’apprentissage dans des contextes educatifs multi culturaux et analyserons les resultats d’autres recherches avec des groupes d’etudiants similaires, originaires de l’Asie du Sud Est.
Performance projection and scalable loss model of SiC MOSFETs and SiC Schottky diodes

Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices are expected to achieve better performance than silicon power devices in high-switching-frequency, high-power and high-temperature applications. Several commercial SiC MOSFETs and SiC Schottky diodes are available on the market, and SiC power devices with higher power ratings are expected in the future. This paper presents a performance projection method and a scalable loss model for both SiC MOSFETs and SiC Schottky diodes. The performance projection method provides estimated parameters also for upcoming devices with higher power ratings than currently commercially available. These parameters are used in the scalable loss models to estimate power losses. The performance projection and scalable loss model are established based on data from Cree's product datasheets. The loss breakdown analysis of a SiC DC-DC boost converter is presented to demonstrate the proposed performance projection method and scalable loss model.
On a possible Euler singularity during transition in a high-symmetry flow

We briefly review our previous work, high-Reynolds number simulations of a high-symmetry flow, and the evidence found therein for a singularity in incompressible, inviscid flow. We show the physical picture of a self-similar collapse of a 12-vortex structure during transition. We find that vortex reconnection plays an important role in the alteration of the topology of vortex lines and in the development of a turbulent flow. We also present an analysis of the behavior of third-order velocity derivatives at the origin, the center of the collapse.
Effect of Vehicles and Penetration Enhancers on the In Vitro and In Vivo Percutaneous Absorption of Methotrexate and Edatrexate Through Hairless Mouse Skin

Purpose. Low-dose methotrexate (MTX) is approved for the treatment of recalcitrant rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The objective of this study was to determine the effect of vehicles and penetration enhancers on the percutaneous absorption of MTX and its analog edatrexate (EDAM), and develop transdermal (TD) delivery systems of the drugs for the treatment of RA.
Simple perturbation and perturbation‐variation treatments of the 1sσg and 2pσu states of H 2+

First-order wave functions and binding energies of the 1sσg and 2pσu states of H are calculated by simple methods for internuclear separations between 0.2 and 10a0. An exact perturbation treatment of the lsσg state with a zeroth-order function of the form N exp (-sRλ/2) exp (sR μ2) yields only fair results. An alternative method starts with zeroth-order functions of the form N exp (-sRλ/2)[exp (-sRμ/2) ± exp (sRμ/2)] for the 1 and 2 states, respectively. An approximate first-order trial function is set up and the energies are determined variationally. For both states the results are comparable to those obtained by exact perturbation treatments of the same order.
Mechanisms of aerobic performance impairment with heat stress and dehydration

Environmental heat stress can challenge the limits of human cardiovascular and temperature regulation, body fluid balance, and thus aerobic performance. This minireview proposes that the cardiovasc...
Stereoselective alkylations of a bicyclic lactam derived from pyroglutamic acid

Abstract Improvements in the stereoselective alkylation of a bicyclic lactam derived from pyroglutamic acid are described. This methodology is used to synthesize a conformationally constrained homo-glutamic acid analog.
Thermal behavior and ice-table depth within the north polar erg of Mars

Abstract We fully resolve a long-standing thermal discrepancy concerning the north polar erg of Mars. Several recent studies have shown that the erg’s thermal properties are consistent with normal basaltic sand overlying shallow ground ice or ice-cemented sand. Our findings bolster that conclusion by thoroughly characterizing the thermal behavior of the erg, demonstrating that other likely forms of physical heterogeneity play only a minor role, and obviating the need to invoke exotic materials. Thermal inertia as calculated from orbital temperature observations of the dunes has previously been found to be more consistent with dust-sized materials than with sand. Since theory and laboratory data show that dunes will only form out of sand-sized particles, exotic sand-sized agglomerations of dust have been invoked to explain the low values of thermal inertia. However, the polar dunes exhibit the same darker appearance and color as that of dunes found elsewhere on the planet that have thermal inertia consistent with normal sand-sized basaltic grains, whereas Martian dust deposits are generally lighter and redder. The alternative explanation for the discrepancy as a thermal effect of a shallow ice table is supported by our analysis of observations from the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer and the Mars Odyssey Thermal Emission Imaging System and by forward modeling of physical heterogeneity. In addition, our results exclude a uniform composition of dark dust-sized materials, and they show that the thermal effects of the dune slopes and bright interdune materials evident in high-resolution images cannot account for the erg’s thermal behavior.
Sensor Control/Data Display Set (SC/DDS) For Film And/Or Electro Optics (EO)

Sensor control /data display set (SC /DDS) for film and /or electro optics (BO)W. Fishell and J. RaderFairchild Communications & Electronics Company20301 Century Boulevard, Germantown, Maryland 20874 -1182AbstractRecent sensor control development systems, designed for demonstration of ElectroOptics (BO) Systems, have required similar control signals as those required for filmsensors. From this similarity of interface controls and functions (along with costconsiderations) comes the realization that reconnaissance systems of the future mustevolve in a modular fashion to produce the level of sophistication, or complexity,required for each specific mission. Fairchild Communications & Electronics Company hasdeveloped an AN /ASQ -197, Sensor Control /Data Display Set (SC /DDS) to control sensors andannotate film in the F /A -18(R) Reconnaissance System. The AN /ASQ -197, with itsprogrammability, is the basic building block of this hybrid system of the future, for film
Late-onset hypogammaglobulinemia withcellular immune deficiency

This study describes an 11-year-old Caucasian girl with a nonfamilial, late-onsetimmunologic disorder characterized by hypogammaglobulinemia, absent anamnestic responses to previously recognized antigens, and deficient cellular immunity. Evidence for impaired cellular immunity initially included lymphopenia, absent delayed skin responses to numerous antigens and failure to develop contact hypersensitivity to dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB), delayed skin homograft rejection, and absent in vitro lymphocyte response to phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation. Recent improvement in cellular immune status is suggested by an increase in the total lymphocyte count and the demonstration of normal PHA-induced lymphocyte transformation. Despite the fact that the child has had recurrent illnesses during the past 5 years, her activities are not limited and she is in a state of relative good health.
Relationship between spleen tyrosine kinase and phosphatidylinositol 5' phosphatase expression and secretion from human basophils in the general population.

Background Previous studies have suggested that expression levels of spleen tyrosine kinase (syk) or phosphatidylinositol 5′ phosphatase (SHIP) may explain certain extreme human basophil phenotypes. Objective This study is designed to explore whether variability in syk and SHIP expression levels in the general population, alone or in concert, can account for the variability in basophil function. Methods A survey of maximum responsiveness to IgE-mediated stimulation, sensitivity, and expression levels of 6 early signaling elements was performed on 36 subjects' basophils. Results Of the 6 signaling elements, only syk and SHIP showed a correlation with maximum histamine release or cellular sensitivity. In a multiple regression, syk and SHIP together could account for 67% of population variance, although most of the variance was explained by syk expression. The pattern of expression variance syk>>SHIP1>SHIP2≈lyn≈p85≈cbl suggested a process that primarily modulated syk levels. IL-3 is known to modulate syk levels, but we found that a 3-day incubation with IL-3 resulted in increased expression of other signaling elements to a greater degree: cbl>SHIP1>SHIP2≈lyn≈p85≥syk, opposite the pattern in the population survey. In contrast, 18-hour stimulation with anti-IgE antibody led to marked downregulation of syk expression, modest downregulation of FcɛRI expression, weak downregulation of lyn expression, and no effect on 23 other signaling elements. Conclusion Unlike studies in mice, we conclude that expression of syk is a good preconditioning predictor of basophil function in the general population. Clinical implications The finding that expression of syk levels may strongly influence functional responses of basophils suggests a mechanism underlying the severity of atopic diseases.
Pneumatic applanation tonometer studies. III. Analysis of the floating tip sensor.

Abstract A theoretical and experimental study has been made of a pneumatic tonometric sensor designed to continuously record intraocular pressure and intraocular pulse. The tonometric probe includes a pneumatic bearing, which allows the sensor to float freely on a cushion of gas. Theoretical and experimental analyses have shown that it acts in a closely similar manner to the sensor without a gas bearing. Both can record the intraocular pressure with minimal volume disturbance of the eye and both can follow accurately experimentally induced modifications of pressure. However, they do differ in that the air-bearing means that the sensor is pushed against the cornea with a force of a few grams. This additional force causes a pressure increment in the eye of 1 or 2 mmHg above that induced by the rigid sensor, depending on whether the sensor is applied either horizontally (1 mmHg) or vertically ( ca. 2 mmHg) to the eye.
Education for rural surgical practice: the Oregon Health & Science University model.

Like many states in the United States, Oregon has a large rural area with a lower physician-to-population ratio than in the urban and metropolitan central core of the state. In 2004, the Portland area had 302 physicians per 100,000 population, whereas the rural counties in the northwest part of the state had only 104 physicians per 100,000 population. 1 Physicians of all types are in short supply, with the shortage particularly acute in primary care and general surgery. As the site of the only surgery residency program in the state, Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU’s) Department of Surgery has long been aware of the critical need for general surgeons to provide emergency and elective surgical care for those who live in remote areas and to support the small rural hospitals whose survival depends on the presence of a surgeon. Several studies have documented that the cases performed by rural general surgeons differ markedly from those that are performed in urban hospitals and that the typical urban general surgery residency does not offer trainees the breadth of cases in surgical specialties that they will need if they desire to practice in a rural, remote setting, whether domestic or international. 2–4
Shooting for the Stars

The primary objective of the Kepler mission is the discovery of Earth-like planets that are transiting their central stars. Its exquisite photometric precision also makes it the ideal instrument for measuring low-amplitude brightness variations in a broad range of stars. In a great many cases, these stellar variations represent modes of oscillation of the star, and their study can yield information on its interior structure. On page 213 of this issue, Chaplin et al. ( 1 ) make use of recent Kepler observations to examine the ensemble properties of more than 500 “Sun-like” stars. On page 205, Beck et al. ( 2 ) describe results for a red giant star. Finally, on page 216, Derekas et al. ( 3 ) present data on an exotic triple-star system with multiple eclipse components. Taken in combination, these latest results illustrate the power of the Kepler space telescope to probe the internal structure of distant stars.
Diverging Chemoselective Reactions of Separable Amide Rotational Isomers

Diverging chemoselective reactions of a pair of amide rotamers have been observed by separating the rotamers and then reacting them individually. Reduction of (Z)-N-allyl-2-(phenylselanyl)-N-(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)acetamide with tributyltin hydride at room temperature provides only the product of 5-exo cyclization, 4-methyl-1-(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one. In contrast, reduction of the corresponding (E) amide rotational isomer under identical conditions provides only the reduced product, (E)-N-allyl-N-(2,4,6-tri-tert-butylphenyl)acetamide. Such diverging reactions of rotamers may be common in transformations involving reactive intermediates (carbenes, radicals, organometallic intermediates) that have low barriers to onward reactions relative to amide rotation.
Ethical Requirements for Research on Human Sexual Behavior: From the Perspective of Participating Subjects

This study utilized procedures representative of published research on human sexual behavior as a means of establishing a direct approach (via a postexperimental questionnaire) to generalizing about ethical standards for this area of investigation. The 40 males and 40 females who volunteered (as part of their introductory psychology requirement) to participate anonymously in this investigation completed a questionnaire about past sexual experiences and a personality measure of sexual attitudes, read an erotic story and rated their arousal to the story, were observed in a waiting room that contained sexually explicit magazines, responded to double-entendre words, and were tested for retention of information on reproductive biology. Subjects were then provided with a detailed, personally oriented debriefing session. The postexperimental questionnaire, which was completed following the debriefing, indicated that subjects viewed their participation as constructive and void of negative aftereffects.
NEAR-IR H2 EMISSION OF PROTOSTARS: PROBING CIRCUMSTELLAR ENVIRONMENTS*

We present new observations of near-infrared molecular hydrogen (H2) line emission in a sample of 18 Class I and flat-spectrum low-mass protostars, primarily in the Tau-Aur and ? Oph dark clouds. The line emission is extended by up to several arcseconds (several hundred?AU) for most objects, and there is little night-to-night variation in line strength coincident with the continuum point source. Flux ratios of H2 v = 2-1 S(1) and v = 1-0 S(1) lines are consistent with this emission arising in jets or winds in many objects. However, most objects have only small offsets (under 10?km?s?1) between their H2 and photospheric radial velocities. No objects have line ratios which are clearly caused solely by UV excitation, but the H2 emission of several objects may be caused by UV or X-ray excitation in the presence of circumstellar dust. There are several objects in the sample whose observed velocities and line fluxes suggest quiescent, non-mechanical origins for their molecular hydrogen emissions. Overall, we find the H2 emission properties of these protostars to be similar to the T Tauri stars studied in previous surveys.
Intradune flats of the Algodones chain, Imperial Valley, California

A striking characteristic of the southeastern part of the remarkably linear northwest-southeast Algodones Dunes chain is a succession of regularly spaced, wholly enclosed flats exposing the alluvial substrate. Each flat is bounded on the northwest by a high active slip face of sand and on the southeast by a more gently inclined deflated sand slope, suggesting that the flats are moving southeasterly along the chain axis. Measurements over a 12-y interval confirm this movement and indicate an average southeasterly movement of 35 to 40 cm/y. Development of alluvium-floored intradune flats is presaged by formation of ridge and hollow couplets father to the northwest. Embryonic ridge-and-hollow forms extend almost to the northwestern tip of the chain. Development of long, linear transverse, sand-trapping ridges, which are instrumental in creating downwind hollows, appears to be an inherent characteristic of eolian transport under conditions of relatively smooth terrain, scanty vegetation, and a limited flux of sand supplied approximately orthogonally to a dominant resultant direction of drift. Principal resultant sand drift produced by a multidirectional wind regime over the dunes is southeast; northeast is the next most favored direction. Secondary influences of faulting may account for the unusual linearity of the chain, which is probablymore » a belt of shoreline dunes about 37,000 y old. Intradune flats are large enough to be resolved on orbiter photos of Mars, and some of the patterns on the martian surface attributed to eolian processes may involve intradune flats.« less
Differential Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling Regulates Anchorage-Independent Growth by Modulation of the PI3K/AKT Pathway

Tumor cells are capable of surviving loss of nutrients and anchorage in hostile microenvironments. Under these conditions adapting to specific signaling pathways may shift the balance between growth and cellular dormancy. Here we report a mechanism by which EGFR differentially modulates the PI3K/AKT pathway in cellular stress conditions. When carcinoma cells were cultured as multicellular aggregates (MCA), cyclin D1 was induced through a serum-dependent EGFR activating pathway, triggering cell proliferation. The expression of cyclin D1 required both EGFR-mediated ERK and AKT activation. In serum-starved MCAs, EGFR activation was associated with active ERK1/2 but not AKT and failed to induce cyclin D1. Analysis revealed that, under serum-starved conditions, EGFR-Y1086 residue was poorly autophosphorylated and this correlated with failure to phosphorylate Gab1. Accordingly, the EGFR activation failed to induce EGFR/PI3K complex formation or AKT activation, preventing cyclin D1 induction. Furthermore, we show that in serum-starved MCA, expression of constitutively active AKT re-established cyclin D1 expression and induced proliferation in an EGFR-dependent manner. Thus, modulation of the PI3K/AKT pathway by context-dependent EGFR signaling may regulate tumor cell growth and dormancy.