cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Model-based peak alignment of metabolomic profiling from comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography mass spectrometry

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GCxGC/TOF-MS) has been used for metabolite profiling in metabolomics. However, there is still much experimental variation to be controlled including both within-experiment and between-experiment variation. For efficient analysis, an ideal peak alignment method to deal with such variations is in great need. Using experimental data of a mixture of metabolite standards, we demonstrated that our method has better performance than other existing method which is not model-based. We then applied our method to the data generated from the plasma of a rat, which also demonstrates good performance of our model. We developed a model-based peak alignment method to process both homogeneous and heterogeneous experimental data. The unique feature of our method is the only model-based peak alignment method coupled with metabolite identification in an unified framework. Through the comparison with other existing method, we demonstrated that our method has better performance. Data are available at http://stage.louisville.edu/faculty/x0zhan17/software/software-development/mspa . The R source codes are available at http://www.biostat.iupui.edu/~ChangyuShen/CodesPeakAlignment.zip . 2136949528613691
Correlation of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient With Ki-67 Proliferation Index in Grading Meningioma

OBJECTIVE. A noninvasive method to predict aggressiveness of high-grade meningiomas would be desirable because it would help anticipate tumor recurrence and improve tumor management and the treatment outcomes. The Ki-67 protein is a marker of tumor proliferation, and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) is related to tumor cellularity. Therefore, we sought to determine whether there is a statistically significant correlation between ADC and Ki-67 values in meningiomas and whether ADC values can differentiate various meningioma subtypes. MATERIALS AND METHODS. MRI examinations and histopathology of 68 surgically treated meningiomas were retrospectively reviewed. Mean ADC values were derived from diffusion imaging. Correlation coefficients were calculated for mean ADC and Ki-67 proliferation index values using linear regression. An independent unpaired Student t test was used to compare the ADC and Ki-67 proliferation index values from low-grade and more aggressive meningiomas. RESULTS. A statistically sign...
Specification of the somatic musculature in Drosophila

The somatic muscle system formed during Drosophila embryogenesis is required for larvae to hatch, feed, and crawl. This system is replaced in the pupa by a new adult muscle set, responsible for activities such as feeding, walking, and flight. Both the larval and adult muscle systems are comprised of distinct muscle fibers to serve these specific motor functions. In this way, the Drosophila musculature is a valuable model for patterning within a single tissue: while all muscle cells share properties such as the contractile apparatus, properties such as size, position, and number of nuclei are unique for a particular muscle. In the embryo, diversification of muscle fibers relies first on signaling cascades that pattern the mesoderm. Subsequently, the combinatorial expression of specific transcription factors leads muscle fibers to adopt particular sizes, shapes, and orientations. Adult muscle precursors (AMPs), set aside during embryonic development, proliferate during the larval phases and seed the formation of the abdominal, leg, and flight muscles in the adult fly. Adult muscle fibers may either be formed de novo from the fusion of the AMPs, or are created by the binding of AMPs to an existing larval muscle. While less is known about adult muscle specification compared to the larva, expression of specific transcription factors is also important for its diversification. Increasingly, the mechanisms required for the diversification of fly muscle have found parallels in vertebrate systems and mark Drosophila as a robust model system to examine questions about how diverse cell types are generated within an organism.
Open and Free: Software and Scientific Reproducibility

Recent scandals, retractions and proliferation of scientific research has reached a stage where scrutiny of scientific debate is now routinely reported in the public press as evidence of bungling, or, worse, dishonesty, in our profession (see Zimmer, 2012; Reay, 2010). High profile cases, like the discredited cancer research at Duke University or the notorious “Climate‐gate”, can be traced back to poor implementation of checks and balances on standard scientific practice. One remedy is to require researchers to use open methods of analysis, to share software, and to submit only reproducible analysis where it is feasible. Barriers to reproducibility are propriety (closed) software and computer platforms that encourage, rather than prevent, sloppy documentation. It is time to remind ourselves of efforts, perhaps started in the 1980’s, to reestablish standards of reproducibility (see Schwab et al. , 1996). It has been a couple years now that I have acted as editor‐in‐chief of SRL, Seismological Research Letters . In the capacity of editor I handle papers submitted by authors all over the world. Some time ago a paper came across my desk formatted with an older version of a very popular word processor. I will not mention any names, but this software is used, nearly universally, by scientists and professionals around the world. The paper included equations formatted with an outdated system, a set of routines supplied by the corporate software publisher of the word processor that have since been superseded by newer, costly upgrades. Since the submission was formatted in this manner, I could not …
Application and evaluation of spatiotemporal enhancement of live aerial video using temporally local mosaics

Camera-equipped mini-UAVs are popular for many applications, including search and surveillance, but video from them is commonly plagued with distracting jittery motions and disorienting rotations that make it difficult for human viewers to detect objects of interest and infer spatial relationships. For time-critical search situations there are also inherent tradeoffs between detection and search speed. These problems make the use of dynamic mosaics to expand the spatiotemporal properties of the video appealing. However, for many applications it may not be necessary to maintain full mosaics of all of the video but to mosaic and retain only a number of recent (temporally local) frames, still providing a larger field of view and effectively longer temporal view as well as natural stabilization and consistent orientation. This paper presents and evaluates a real-time system for displaying live video to human observers in search situations by using temporally local mosaics while avoiding masking effects from dropped or noisy frames. Its primary contribution is an empirical study of the effectiveness of using such methods for enhancing human detection of objects of interest, which shows that temporally local mosaics increase task performance and are easier for humans to use than non-mosaiced methods, including stabilized video.
Scalability of a Hybrid Extended Compact Genetic Algorithm for Ground State Optimization of Clusters

We analyze the utility and scalability of extended compact genetic algorithm (eCGA)—a genetic algorithm (GA) that automatically and adaptively mines the regularities of the fitness landscape using machine learning methods and information theoretic measures—for ground state optimization of clusters. In order to reduce the computational time requirements while retaining the high reliability of predicting near-optimal structures, we employ two efficiency-enhancement techniques: (1) hybridizing eCGA with a local search method, and (2) seeding the initial population with lowest energy structures of a smaller cluster. The proposed method is exemplified by optimizing silicon clusters with 4–20 atoms. The results indicate that the population size required to obtain near-optimal solutions with 98% probability scales sub linearly (as Θ(n 0.83)) with the cluster size. The total number of function evaluations (cluster energy calculations) scales sub-cubically (as Θ(n 2.45)), which is a significant improvement over ex...
Evaluating project scheduling and due date assignment procedures: an experimental analysis

Managers of construction projects, maintenance activities, auditing contracts, software shops, etc. are frequently faced with the task of establishing a new project's due date, which must compete with other projects already in progress or expected (forecasted) to start in the future. The study reported here addresses the problem of establishing due dates for projects which require limited resources, in an environment where new projects arrive continuously and randomly over time. A set of procedures is developed which set each project's due date when it arrives using information about the new project, current projects, and available resources. The due date setting procedures are tested via simulation with four activity scheduling heuristics that control the assignment of resources to specific activities of available projects. A second test demonstrates the performance of the due date procedures, where a portion of arriving projects have their due dates established by external forces beyond management's con...
Architectural energy optimization by bus splitting

This paper proposes split shared-bus architecture to reduce the energy dissipation for global data exchange among a set of interconnected modules. The bus splitting problem for minimum energy is formulated as a minimum-exchange bus split problem, which is shown to be NP-complete. The problem is solved heuristically by using a maximum-weight matching algorithm and combinatorial search. Experimental results show that the energy saving of split-bus architecture compared to monolithic-bus architecture varies from 16% to 50%, depending on the characteristics of the data transfer among the modules and the configuration of the split-bus. The proposed split-bus architecture can be extended to multiway split-bus architecture when large numbers of modules are to be connected.
Ventricular relaxation and myocardial ischemia: a comparison of different models of tau during coronary angioplasty.

This study compares the sensitivity and variability of four models of tau, the time constant of ventricular relaxation, to detect the presence of myocardial ischemia. High fidelity left ventricular pressure recordings were obtained in ten patients undergoing coronary angioplasty at baseline, during balloon inflation, and at recovery. Four models of tau were considered: (1) a semilogarithmic, zero asymptote model (TL), (2) a semilogarithmic model using data from the first 40 ms of isovolumic relaxation (T40), (3) an exponential non-zero asymptote model (Te), and (4) a derivative non-zero asymptote model (TD). TL, T40, and TE increased significantly during inflation and returned to near baseline values at recovery. TD showed no change during inflation. Comparisons of TL, T40, and TE using the derived relaxation half-time (T1/2), failed to reveal significant differences between the models at baseline, during inflation, or at recovery. The non-zero asymptote models were associated with a greater beat-to-beat variability than the semilogarithmic models. Thus, T1/2 using the semilogarithmic zero asymptote models (TL and T40) may be more useful and consistent when measuring the rate of isovolumic relaxation during myocardial ischemia.
New Indications for Antepartum Testing: Making the Case for Antepartum Surveillance or Timed Delivery for Women of Advanced Maternal Age

Maternal age is an independent risk factor for stillbirth; a moderate number of these occur in normally formed babies near term. For a woman 40 years of age or older giving birth, her risk of having a chromosomal anomaly is 1/66. What is not appreciated is that even without medical risk factors, her risk of having a stillbirth after 37 weeks of gestation is 1/116. This article reviews the risks and benefits of the strategy of antepartum testing and timed delivery and discusses the limitations of the available data in this field.
Presystolic mitral annular septal–lateral shortening is independent from left atrial and left ventricular contraction during acute volume depletion,

Background: The mitral annulus (MA) is a dynamic structure that joins the left atrium (LA) and left ventricle (LV), but it is unknown whether MA motion is coupled to the LA or the LV or neither of the two. Since a well orchestrated coordination of LA, MA and LV septal-lateral (S-L) dynamics is essential for efficient valve closure, we assessed their functional coupling in an experimental ovine model. To assess the coupling under a wide range of physiological conditions, data were acquired in normal and acutely volume depleted hearts. Methods: In 10 sheep, radiopaque markers were placed in LA, MA and LV base (LV base ). Twelve weeks postoperatively, 4-D marker coordinates were obtained by stereo videofluoroscopy (60 frames/s) before (CTRL) and during acute inferior vena caval occlusion (VCO). Septal-lateral dimensions were calculated as distances between corresponding marker pairs in the LA, MA and LV base 5 frames before end-diastole (ED - 84 ms) and at end-diastole. Dynamics during late diastole are described as changes from ED - 84 ms versus end-diastole. To study the functional coupling between LA, MA and LV base we calculated slopes during late diastole from simple linear regressions on an animal-by-animal basis. Results: During late diastole in CTRL, the LA and MA both shortened along the S-L dimension (32.9 ± 6.6 mm vs 31.0 ± 5.5 mm, p = 0.026 and 27.3 ± 3.7 mm vs 24.6 ± 4.1 mm, p = 0.005, respectively) whereas the LV base lengthened (56.2 ± 9.3 mm vs 57.3 ± 9.3 mm, p = 0.012). VCO abolished septal―lateral dynamics of LA and LV base during late diastole (27.8 ± 4.3 mm vs 27.4 ± 3.9 mm, p = 0.155 and 49.4 ± 7.7 mm vs 49.5 ± 7.5 mm, p = 0. 752, respectively) while the MA still shortened (19.0 ± 2.9 vs 18.0 ± 2.8, p = 0.042). Under CTRL conditions LA dynamics were linearly dependent from MA dynamics (average coefficient 0.57, p = 0.001), suggesting that LA and MA are functionally coupled. With acute volume depletion, MA dynamics were linearly independent from both, LA and LV (average coefficient 0.28, p = 0.159 and 0.58, p = 0.192, respectively). Conclusion: Whereas MA and LA dynamics are coupled during late diastole in hearts with normal LV volumes, presystolic mitral annular septal-lateral shortening is independent from LA and LV dynamics with acute volume depletion. A better understanding of mitral annular dynamics and their functional coupling may help improve mitral valve repair strategies.
Dipole‐Field Sums, Lorentz Factors, and Dielectric Properties of Organic Molecular Films Modeled as Crystalline Arrays of Polarizable Points

The relative permittivity κ = e/e0 of thin films used in organic electronic devices is directly related to the structure and the molecular polarizability α when intermolecular overlap is small. Monolayer and multilayer films are modeled as lattices of polarizable points with induced dipoles μ = αF where the internal electric field F includes contributions from all induced dipoles. The polarization per unit volume is P = nμ for number density n. Dipole-field sums are evaluated directly for atomic and molecular crystals and films through stacking of infinite layers. Lorentz factors in uniformly polarized crystals of less than cubic symmetry resolve completely the conditional convergence of dipole-field sums in three dimensions. Thin films have equal P within layers but not at or near the surface. Surface effects are shown to increase with αn and sometimes to extend into films even though dipole fields are mainly due to adjacent layers. Simple and body-centered tetragonal lattices illustrate polarizing or depolarizing interactions between layers that mimic molecules or oligomers tilted at angle Φ from normal to the surface in films or SAMs. Uniform P in molecular films refers to unit cells rather than to atoms and there are multiple ways to partition anisotropic molecular α among polarizable points. An illustrative analytical model based on polarizable points and dipole fields of adjacent layers is applied to oligophenyl films and to conjugated molecules in acene films.
Moderate Zinc Deficiency Reduces Testicular Zip6 and Zip10 Abundance and Impairs Spermatogenesis in Mice

Male infertility accounts for ~40% of cases of failure to conceive. Testes have a strict zinc (Zn) requirement and severe Zn deficiency compromises spermatogenesis, sperm viability, and motility, compromising fertility in men. Despite the high prevalence of marginal Zn deficiency in humans, less emphasis has been placed on understanding the consequences on male reproduction. Swiss Webster mice were used to visualize Zip protein expression during spermatogenesis using immunohistochemistry. Data suggest Zip5 imports Zn into Sertoli cells and spermatocytes, augmented by Zip10 (primary spermatocytes) and Zip8 (secondary spermatocytes). Zip6, 8, and 10 expression was retained in round spermatids, although Zip8 and Zip10 expression disappears during spermatid maturation. Zip1 and Zip6 expression was detected in mature, elongated spermatids. Zip14 was detected in undifferentiated spermatogonia and Leydig cells. Mice fed diets (n = 10/group) reduced in Zn concentration [marginal-Zn diet (MZD), 10 mg Zn/kg; low-Zn diet (ZD), 7 mg Zn/kg] for 30 d had >35% lower liver Zn concentrations than mice fed the control diet (C; 30 mg Zn/kg) (P 50%; P < 0.5) compared with mice fed C. Our data provide compelling evidence that reduced Zn intake may be associated with infertility in men, perhaps independent of decreased levels of circulating Zn or testosterone, which warrants further investigation in human populations.
Kinetics of Growth of Individual Cells of Escherichia coli and Azotobacter agilis

Escherichia coli and Azotobacter agilis were grown in minimal media until a steady state was established. The distribution of cell size was determined electronically. From the equation of Collins and Richmond, the growth rate of individual cells was computed as a function of size. The main features of the growth of individual E. coli and A. agilis cells revealed by this work were: the specific growth rate decreased at the time of division, and both the absolute and specific growth rates increased between divisions. The frequency function of interdivision times was computed and was found to be positively skewed with a coefficient of variation of approximately 0.3. The results supported the hypothesis of Koch and Schaechter that the size of an individual cell at division is highly regulated.
The giant polygons of Utopia, northern Martian Plains

Much of Utopia Planitia is underlain by polygonal terrane. Most of the troughs defining the polygons are 250 m to 1 km wide; typical diameters of polygons are 4-5 km. These dimensions are orders of magnitude greater than the corresponding dimensions for familiar polygonal structures on Earth; consequently, the Earth structures are not valid mechanical analogues. Crater and superposition relationships indicate that trough formation was coeval with deposition of the polygonal terrane material. Based on crater age correlations with Elysium volcanism and outflow-channel activity, either a volcanic or a sedimentary source for this material is possible. Tensile stresses responsible for the troughs were produced by cooling or dessication shrinkage plus differential compaction over a rough buried surface that is the structurally disrupted remnant of the cratered highlands. Shrinkage alone will produce polygons orders-of-magnitude smaller than those present, but differential compaction will reflect the scale and pattern of the buried topography, and thus control the scale and pattern of the giant polygons of Utopia.
Metoprolol-induced lichenoid dermatitis.

A 74-year-old man presented to his physician with palpitations and metoprolol was initiated. Eight weeks later, he developed multiple discrete, pruritic, hyperpigmented, lichenoid plaques over the legs highs, and arms (Fig. 1). A skin biopsy showed lichenoid interface dermatitis, scattered eosinophils, and incontinence of the dermis, suggesting the diagnosis of lichenoid drug eruption (LDE). Peripheral eosinophilia was present. His beta-blockade was discontinued and topical steroids were initiated. Four weeks later, his rash resolved and his heart palpitations did not recur. A different beta-blocker was not initiated. Based on the temporal relationship of metoprolol exposure, duration and appearance of the rash, and dermatopathology findings, it was concluded that the diagnosis of metoprolol-induced lichenoid dermatitis was likely. Figure 1 Multiple discrete, hyperpigmented and lichenoid plaques distributed over the legs (a), and arms (b). There have been few case reports of LDE induced by beta-blockers. It appears to be a class effect with cases documented with sotalol, metoprolol, nebivolol, and labetalol.1,2 It is proposed that exogenous stimuli activate cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, which then cause epidermal damage.3 After cessation of the offending medication, the skin eruptions typically disappear within days to months.4 Cross-reactivity between members of this drug class is variable and the risk of recurrent LDE should be weighed prior to initiation of a different beta-blocking agent.1
Transparent and Opaque Consent in Contract Formation

If I say that I “consent to your terms,” I can mean that I consent to terms a-n, which you have proposed. But I also can mean that I consent to your terms, whatever they are, even if I don’t know what they are. Philosophers of language sometimes call the first reading “transparent” and the second reading “opaque.” The phenomenon occurs with many verbs. A classic illustration in the literature is “Bond believes that the author of this letter is a spy.” The speaker may be thinking of a particular author (the transparent reading), or may be saying that Bond has a good ear for spy talk, even though he could not identify the author (the opaque reading). This essay argues that as commercial life has become more commodified, opaque consent has become more the norm, with the result that consent is often given in total ignorance of what has been proposed. Yet I disagree with those who argue that one does not consent if one does not know or understand the terms that have been proposed. Instead I argue that the fact that such verbs are ambiguous in the way described above licenses judges to apply standard contract doctrines, often developed more than a century ago with the assumption of transparent consent, to situations involving opaque consent. I conclude with suggestions for how judges can become more flexible by requiring some combination of transparency and opacity without forsaking the notion that consent is at the heart of contract formation. The EU has had a directive to that effect in place for about two decades. And if judges cannot begin to do so, legislatures should step in.
Phonological Concept Learning.

Linguistic and non-linguistic pattern learning have been studied separately, but we argue for a comparative approach. Analogous inductive problems arise in phonological and visual pattern learning. Evidence from three experiments shows that human learners can solve them in analogous ways, and that human performance in both cases can be captured by the same models. We test GMECCS (Gradual Maximum Entropy with a Conjunctive Constraint Schema), an implementation of the Configural Cue Model (Gluck & Bower, 1988a) in a Maximum Entropy phonotactic-learning framework (Goldwater & Johnson, 2003; Hayes & Wilson, 2008) with a single free parameter, against the alternative hypothesis that learners seek featurally simple algebraic rules (“rule-seeking”). We study the full typology of patterns introduced by Shepard, Hovland, and Jenkins (1961) (“SHJ”), instantiated as both phonotactic patterns and visual analogs, using unsupervised training. Unlike SHJ, Experiments 1 and 2 found that both phonotactic and visual patterns that depended on fewer features could be more difficult than those that depended on more features, as predicted by GMECCS but not by rule-seeking. GMECCS also correctly predicted performance differences between stimulus subclasses within each pattern. A third experiment tried supervised training (which can facilitate rule-seeking in visual learning) to elicit simple rule-seeking phonotactic learning, but cue-based behavior persisted. We conclude that similar cue-based cognitive processes are available for phonological and visual concept learning, and hence that studying either kind of learning can lead to significant insights about the other.
D-CLOC: A Delay Tolerant Cloud Formation Using Context-Aware Mobile Crowdsourcing

Gathering information and providing remote assistant is a common trend as it saves time and cost associated with visiting the actual location in person. The widely available mobile sensors are used in collecting information during a task processing. However, gathering information from a remote place, or an area of disaster, is not trivial, given the unavailability of appropriate infrastructure. Existing delay tolerant networking approaches address this issue but suffer from unsatisfactory performance due to the lack of sufficient user participation. We propose the Delay-tolerant Cloud Computing framework (D-CLOC), a cloud framework utilizing the contextual information of a mobile client. Our proposed architecture combines crowdsourcing and the cellular network and forms a temporal delay tolerant cloud. D-CLOC uses a bidding incentive model to ensure and promote user participation in the cloud. We provide a detailed reasoning of the security and feasibility of our model, and delineate probable approaches for solving the various security related aspects. The paper includes the design and implementation of a realistic-simulation model for D-CLOC. The simulation scenario incorporates an example face recognition task for evaluating the performance of our proposed model. Our experimental results show that D-CLOC performs quite well compared to some of the existing DTN approaches and can be deployed for solving any real life problems using crowdsourcing within a delay tolerant cloud infrastructure.
Development of the Male Gametophyte of Ginkgo biloba: A Window into the Reproductive Biology of Early Seed Plants

It has been a century since the discovery of zooidogamous reproduction among seed plants by Hirase [1, 2] and Ikeno [3]. The initial observations of motile sperm in Ginkgo and Cycas represented the culmination of progress, beginning with the discovery of the pollen tube by Amici [4], in the field of plant reproductive biology during the nineteenth century. Discovery of zooidogamy in Ginkgo and cycads in 1896 provided a critical connection, in terms of evolutionary history, between the life cycles of non-seed plants (“cryptogams”) with motile sperm and the life cycles of previously described seed plants (conifers and angiosperms) with pollen tubes and non-motile sperm [5]. Moreover, the presence of motile sperm within the male gametophytes of cycads and Ginkgo confirmed a prediction made almost one half century earlier by the renowned biologist Wilhelm Hofmeister [6] that flagellate sperm might be found among representatives of the seed plants [5].
Apical sling: an approach to posthysterectomy vault prolapse.

Introduction and hypothesis This video demonstrates a transvaginal technique for vaginal vault suspension using an apical sling suspended from the sacrospinous ligaments.
Cavitation Corrosion Characteristics of Low-carbon Steel

Optical microscope,scanning electronic microscope and other methods were used to analyzed the main cavitation corrosion characteristics of low-carbon steel which has poor corrosion-resistance to cavitation corrosion.The results show that macro-morphology of the cavitation corrosion is like horseshoe.In micro,work-hardening,deformation twins and flows fracture characters can be found.
Should Airway Pressure Release Ventilation Be the Primary Mode in ARDS

Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) was originally described as a mode to treat lung-injured patients with the goal to maintain a level of airway pressure that would not depress the cardiac function, deliver mechanical breaths without excessive airway pressure, and to allow unrestricted spontaneous ventilation. Indeed, based on its design, APRV has technological features that serve the goals of safety and comfort. Animal studies suggest that APRV leads to alveolar stability and recruitment which result in less lung injury. These features are sought in patients at risk for lung injury or with ARDS. APRV allows unrestricted spontaneous ventilation, which is welcome in the era of less sedation and increased patient mobility (the effects in terms of lung injury remain to be explored). However, we must highlight that the performance of APRV is dependent on the operator-selected settings and the ventilator's performance. The clinician must select the appropriate settings in order to make effective the imputed benefits. This is a challenge when the ventilator's performance is not uniform, and the outcomes depend on high precision settings (very short expiratory time), where small variations can lead to undesired outcomes (de-recruitment or large tidal volumes leading to lung injury). Finally, we do not have evidence that APRV (as originally described) improves relevant clinical outcomes of patients with ARDS. For APRV to become the primary mode of ventilation for ARDS, it will require development of sound protocols and technological enhancements to ensure its performance and safety. For now, APRV does have a greater potential for adversely affecting patient outcome than improving it; unless definitive data are forthcoming demonstrating outcome benefits from the use of APRV in ARDS, there is no reason to consider this approach to ventilatory support.
Crossed-fused renal ectopia with a solitary ureter.

AbstractA unique case is presented of a child with crossed-fused renal ectopia, in which the renal pelves joined into a common pelvis drained by a single ureter.
A Theoretical Simulation of the Settling of Proppants in a Hydraulic Fracturing Process

A THEORETICAL SIMULATION OF THE SETTLING OF PROPPANTS IN A HYDRAULIC FRACTURING PROCESS By Nisreen Alseamr, M.Sc. A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2016 Major Director: Vamsi K. Yadavalli, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Chemical and Life Science Engineering Hydraulic fracturing is a process for the extraction of hydrocarbons from underground formations. It involves pumping a specialized fluid into the wellbore under high pressures to form and support fractures in the rock. Fracturing stimulates the well to increase the production of oil and the natural gas which are the pillars of the energy economy. Key to this process is the use of proppants, which are solid materials used to keep the fractures open. Understanding the transport of proppant particles through a fluid is important to improve the efficiency and reduce environmental impact of fracturing. An increase of the settling velocity for instance, will impede the hydraulic fracturing process by reducing well productivity, or necessitate use of chemical additives. This thesis presents a theoretical investigation of the settling velocity of proppant particles. The effect of different parameters on the settling velocity were studied by manipulating the main factors that can influence particle transport. These include size of the particle (300 μm2000 μm), sphericity, density (1200 kg/m-3500 kg/m) and concentration. These typical values were obtained from commercially available proppants currently used in industry. Various correlations were investigated, assuming the carrier (fracturing) fluid to be an ideal Newtonian and as a power law (non-Newtonian) fluid. This will help predict the settling velocity for proppant particles in order to increase well productivity, and improve hydraulic fracturing efficiency. The models show that changing the carrier fluid viscosity and particle properties such as diameter, density, sphericity, and concentration leads to a significant change in the proppant settling velocity. For instance, reduction in particle size, density, and sphericity tend to reduce the settling velocity, while increasing the concentration of the particles and the fluid viscosity reduce the settling velocity.
Prevention of Recurrent Calcium-Oxalate Calculi Through Use of Hydrochlorothiazide Combined with Amiloride

While numerous studies have shown that thiazides are effective in prevention of calcium oxalate nephrolithiasis, a number of unanswered questions remain regarding this therapy: 1) why does it work; 2) who will benefit the most; 3) what is the minimum dose; 4) how can side effects be minimized; and 5) how might various co-therapies augment its effects?
Use of Clinical Decision Support to Improve Primary Care Identification and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)

Background: Early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) can lead to interventions to prevent renal failure and reduce risk for cardiovascular disease, yet adherence to treatment goals is suboptimal in the primary care setting. The purpose of this study was to assess whether clinical decision support (CDS) can be used to improve the identification and management of CKD. Methods: This 2 year demonstration study was conducted in 11 primary care PPRNet practices. CDS included a risk assessment tool, health maintenance protocols, flow chart and a patient registry. Practices received performance reports and hosted annual half day on-site visits. Results: There were statistically significant increases in screening for albuminuria (median 24 month change 30%, p Conclusions: Use of CDS to improve CKD identification and management in primary care practices shows promise. However, other barriers must be addressed to effectively achieve improvements in CKD outcomes.
Perceived value of a campus-based college support program by students who aged out of foster care

Abstract The purpose of this study is to evaluate core components of one college support program at a midwest university from the perspective of student users who have aged out of foster care and to assess the perception of these supports in the context of the program's college graduation rate. Ninety-five students enrolled in the program completed a 44-question survey to evaluate the program's services. Student perceived value of these services is presented along with graduation rates for students from the program. The findings confirm the importance of financial aid, housing, and adult guidance for this population in successfully graduating from college. While the 30% graduation rate for students from the program far exceeds the national average for degree completion of students with a background in foster care, it is below the rate for a comparable first-generation student population at the university. We conclude that while key components of a college support program like financial aid, housing, and trained adult staff guidance are necessary in supporting students with a background in foster care attain postsecondary success, they are not sufficient to adequately explain graduation rates.
Weak L^1 norms of random sums

Let {gj} denote a sequence of measurable functions on R, and let ∥.∥ WL 1 denote the weak L 1 norm. It is shown that ∥E(| N Σ j=l ∈ j g j |)∥ WL1 ≤ N Σ j=l ∥g j ∥ WL 1, where {ej} is a sequence of independent random variables taking on values +1 and -1 with equal probability. Moreover, it is shown that ∥E(| N Σ j=l ∈ j g j |)∥ WL 1 ≤E(∥ N Σ j=l ∈ j g j ∥ WL1 ). The paper concludes by providing an example indicating that, if ∥g 1 ∥ WL1 =...= ∥g N ∥ WL 1 = 1, then the estimate E (∥ N Σ j=l ∈ j g j ∥ WL 1) ≤ N log N is the best possible.
Acute kidney injury following first-stage palliation in hypoplastic left heart syndrome: hybrid versus Norwood palliation.

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of acute kidney injury after first-stage surgical palliation in patients with a single ventricle and to explore associated risk factors and outcomes. Design and patients This single-centre retrospective study included neonates who underwent either Norwood or Hybrid procedure from 2008 to 2015 for a single ventricle. Postoperative acute kidney injury was defined using the paediatric risk, injury, failure, loss, end-stage renal disease (pRIFLE), criteria within 72 hours of the procedure. Main results Our cohort (n=48) underwent surgical palliation at a mean (SD) age of 12 (11) days. Postoperative acute kidney injury was diagnosed in 14 (29%) patients. The prevalence of acute kidney injury in the Hybrid group was 16% and 53% in the Norwood group. Infants who developed acute kidney injury underwent surgery at younger ages [6 (5–10) versus 10 (8–16) days, p=0.016], and had a higher peak lactate level in the initial 24 hours [5.9 (4.2–9.1) versus 3.4 (2.4–6.7), p=0.007]. Norwood procedure was significantly associated with acute kidney injury [odds ratio 11.7 (95% confidence interval 1.3–101.9), p=0.03]. ICU stay [38 (21–84) versus 16 (6–45) days, p=0.038] and time to extubation [204 (120–606) versus 72 (26–234) hours, p=0.014] were longer in those with acute kidney injury. The two patients who developed early postoperative renal failure as per pRIFLE died before discharge from associated comorbidities. Conclusions Acute kidney injury occurs in a third of the patients with single ventricle after surgical palliation but is mostly transient. Norwood, compared with Hybrid procedure, is a risk factor for postoperative acute kidney injury, which, in turn, is associated with longer ICU stay and time to extubation.
Cytotoxic Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Aggressive Pituitary Tumors

Pituitary tumors are usually benign entities that can be treated with surgery, radiation, and medical therapy, including dopamine agonists and hormonal therapy. Despite judicious implementation of these treatment modalities, a subset of pituitary tumors may become aggressive with local invasive recurrence or with metastases. In this chapter we will discuss the medical oncologic management of aggressive pituitary adenomas and pituitary carcinomas. We will review the published experience using cytotoxic chemotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, and targeted therapy for pituitary tumors, and we will discuss biomarkers that are potentially predictive of response.
Implant Survival and Patient-Reported Outcomes After Total Hip Arthroplasty in Young Patients

Background Younger patients are undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) for various conditions that affect the hip joint. This study evaluates the implant survival and long-term patient-reported outcomes of THA in patients aged 35 years or younger. Methods Data were collected through a retrospective chart review, and follow-up surveys were conducted to determine implant survival and patient-reported outcomes. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to evaluate implant survival, and the hip disability and osteoarthritis outcome score (HOOS) was used to describe patient-reported outcomes. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize baseline and follow-up data, and univariate and multivariate analyses were used to compare implant survival and patient-reported outcomes. Results This study included 400 patients (548 THAs). The average age at the time of surgery was 27 (range: 8-35) years, and the mean time to follow-up was 14 (range: 2-29.7) years. The 10- and 20-year implant survival was 87% and 61%, respectively. Implant survival differed based on primary diagnosis (P = .05), and it was significantly better in patients aged 25 years or older at the time of surgery, male patients, and patients with ceramic-on-ceramic or ceramic-on-plastic implants (P Conclusion Young patients have good implant survival and favorable long-term outcomes after THA. There are several predictors of implant survival and patient-reported outcomes after THA in young patients.
Ultrasound Evaluation of Bladder Calculi

Abstract A case is presented in which the identification of intravesical calculi by ultrasound was an aid in management. Bladder stones appear as high intensity echoes within the bladder, have an associated acoustic shadow and shift to the dependent portion of the bladder with alterations in position. Ultrasound provides a rapid, safe imaging technique to diagnose or verify the presence of bladder calculi.
Culture: The Use and Abuse of an Anthropological Concept

The concept of culture, as developed within the discipline of anthropology, has had a significant influence on Western understandings of humanity. The concept percolated widely into the discourse of the Western world as an alternative to explaining human differences as a result of racial or biological factors. A philosophical concept of culture in the West can be traced back to Roman times and the Enlightenment period. The anthropological concept of culture was developed in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. However, the anthropological concept of culture has gone through considerable changes over the last century. This chapter will discuss how the concept was used and abused by practitioners and academics in many disciplines. The concept was loosely employed by many as an autonomous variable and determinant of individual, ethnic, national, and sometimes civilizational group behavior. This usage resulted in the separation between the disciplines of anthropology and psychology. More recently, a more nuanced understanding of this anthropological concept of culture has been the consequence of groundbreaking research within the cognitive approaches in anthropology and psychology. This refined understanding of culture can provide a foundation for improvement in dealing with the practical issues in counseling, social work, and other related applied psychology fields.
Crystal structure and elementary properties of PbS2 with a pressure–stabilized S-S dimer

Abstract PbS2 and Pb0.9Ag0.1S2 were prepared through the reaction of PbS with excess sulfur (and silver) at 4 GPa and 600 °C. PbS2 crystallizes in the CuAl2 structure type, (I4/mcm (#140), a = 6.1106(5) A, c = 7.4949(6) A, Z = 4), determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction. Its structure consists of layers of [S2]2- dimers and Pb2+ in square antiprismatic coordination – a rare structure type for metal dichalcogenides. Electronic structure calculations suggest that the material should be an indirect band gap semiconductor. Consistent with the calculations, the temperature-dependent resistivity of undoped PbS2 is that of a degenerate semiconductor, while the Ag-doped material shows metallic temperature dependent resistivity down to 2 K. The materials are both diamagnetic. For the Ag-doped material, the Seebeck coefficient is small and shows nearly linear temperature-dependent behavior from 50 to 250 K.
Olympic Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton olympicus) Oviposition Site With Notes On Early Development

We describe the eggs, oviposition site, and pre-hatching development of the Olympic Torrent Salamander (Rhyacotriton olympicus) for the first time. We made field observations before oviposition and continued them until the site washed out. We also reared an egg to hatching in the laboratory to allow us to describe early development. Oviposition is similar to that of the other 3 torrent salamander species in that unattached eggs are deposited separately in the interstices of an unconsolidated coarse-clast substrate through which water flows. The number of eggs (n = 10) at this oviposition site falls within the range of variability ascribed to single clutches for other torrent salamander species (n = 5–11). However, haphazard dispersion of deposited eggs, likely typical, and sometimes communal oviposition sites, can create ambiguity in what comprises 1 clutch. Egg capsules averaged 9.5 mm ± 0.9 mm SD (range: 8.0–11.0 mm); their pale yellow-white ova, measured when still roughly round, averaged 4.5 mm ± 0.5 mm SD (range: 4.0–5.0 mm). Lack of attachment may constrain torrent salamander egg deposition to low-flow habitats, which appear more frequent in headwater landscapes. Colluvium, also frequent in headwater landscapes, may often provide the low-flow interstitial matrix ideal for torrent salamander oviposition.
Permeability of Clays and Shales

The low permeability of clays, shales, and other argillaceous lithologies makes them key controls of transport and deformation processes in the crust but is known for being challenging to character...
2SPD-031 Management of drug shortages in a tertiary hospital

Background Drug shortages can occur for many reasons including manufacturing, quality problems, delays and discontinuations. Nowadays, the number of drug shortages is increasing and finding solutions for them is fundamental. Purpose To analyse drug shortages that have affected the hospital in the 3 months from June to August, and the pharmaceutical actions carried out to solve them. Material and methods Retrospective observational study in which drug shortages reported between June and August 2018, were analysed. A list of all the specialties with shortage problems in these 3 months was obtained from the Agencia Espanola del Medicamento y Productos Sanitarios. Those which affected directly or indirectly our tertiary hospital were chosen. The following variables were collected: drug involved, therapeutic group, if the drug shortage was active or solved, time in resolution and pharmaceutical actions implemented to solve them. Results From 504 drug shortages reported in our country from June to August, 264 affected directly or indirectly our hospital: 136 active ingredients were involved in this list. The therapeutic group most affected was antibiotics, reaching 20% of the total number of drug shortages reported in the hospital, followed by antineoplastics with 13%. A total of 78 (30%) of the drug shortages were resolved up to September. The average time for resolution was 66 days. In contrast, 186 (70%) drug shortages still remain active, of which 107 (41%) have an expected date of resolution. Depending on the pharmaceutical action taken against drug shortages, in 81 (49%) cases it was necessary to change the specialty to one with the same active ingredient and pharmaceutical form, contrasting with 20 (12%) cases in which the pharmaceutical form needed to change. In six (4%), an alternative medicine was proposed with a different active ingredient. Greater control of the stock was required for 39 (23%) specialties. A foreign medicine was imported in 12 (7%) cases. In a minority of cases, the size of the medical packaging was changed to another with no supply problems (3%), a magistral formula was performed (2%) and a specialty was bought for outpatient dispensing. Conclusion There is a high number of drug shortages that suggest a problem for our hospital. The role of the pharmacist is fundamental in managing them. In most cases, it was possible to switch between specialties as there were several interchangeable ones on the market. References and/or acknowledgements I wish to thank my work team for their contribution to this project. No conflict of interest.
Team Approach: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Management of Hip and Knee Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis of the hip and knee is common and contributes substantially to the global burden of disability, comorbid disease, and health-care expenditure.Osteoarthritis is traditionally managed with nonoperative and operative interventions that demonstrate substantial variations in costs, utiliza