cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of several estimates of availability

We compare several competing estimates of the availability of a system which alternates between two states, “up” and “down,” in accordance with an alternating renewal process. Both interval and point estimators are compared under several special but representative situations. The comparison reaffirms the validity and robustness of the log-logistic jackknifed estimates. However, when the point estimates are compared from the intrinsic criterion of probability of concentration, the uniformly minimum variance estimate obtained for the Markov model performs very well.
Actuation scheduling in mobile actuator networks for spatial-temporal feedback control of a diffusion process with dynamic obstacle avoidance

In this paper, we discuss the problem of path planning for a group of networked mobile robots which can release neutralizing chemicals, known as "mobile actuator networks", to neutralize the toxic 2D diffusion process modelled by a parabolic PDE distributed parameter system. The desired trajectory of the robot is decided by centroidal Voronoi tessellations. Potential field method is used for the mobile robots to avoid dynamic obstacles in its working space. Simulation results show the effectiveness of our proposed method.
Persistent rectal prolapse in children: sclerotherapy and surgical management

Persistent rectal prolapse is an uncommon but distressing condition in children. Significant controversy exists regarding its surgical management. The aim of this study was to identify a successful management strategy for persistent rectal prolapse in the paediatric population. Records of all children with rectal prolapse treated surgically at Birmingham Children’s Hospital between 1995 and 2003 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic data, clinical presentation, investigations, treatment modality, complications, and outcome were recorded. Inclusion criteria for the study were failure of conservative management leading to operative treatment. An exclusion criterion was cystic fibrosis. A total of 24 patients with persistent rectal prolapse were identified. Two children with cystic fibrosis were excluded from the analysis. Children below the age of 5 years, group I (n=17), were successfully managed by submucous hypertonic saline injections. Eighty-three percent (14/17) were cured by injection sclerotherapy in this group, 12/14 (71%) requiring one injection and 2/14 requiring a second injection. In the three (17.6%) children in group I in whom sclerotherapy failed, cow’s milk protein (CMP) allergy was identified as the causative factor. Children older than 5, group II (n=5), either had behavioural problems (n=3) or were autistic (n=2). This group of children with adult-type, full-thickness rectal prolapse were found to be refractory to initial attempts of injection sclerotherapy. All five children were successfully managed with surgical correction. We conclude that rectal submucous hypertonic saline injections are highly effective for managing early-onset idiopathic childhood rectal prolapse. CMP allergy should be considered in young children with recurrent rectal prolapse. We recommend early definitive corrective surgery in older children with persistent rectal prolapse, as they do not respond to conservative measures or injection sclerotherapy.
Modeling of Combustion of Mono-Carbon Fuels Using the Rate-Controlled Constrained-Equilibrium Method

Modeling of a non-equilibrium combustion process involves the solution of large systems of differential equations with as many equations as species present during the process. The process of chemical reaction and combustion is complicated since it may be governed by hundreds, sometimes thousands of microscopic rate processes. Integration of these equations simultaneously becomes more difficult with the complexity of the combustible. In order to reduce the size of these systems of equations, the Rate-Controlled Constrained-Equilibrium method (RCCE) has been proposed to model non-equilibrium combustion processes. This method is based on the Second Law of Thermodynamics, assuming that the evolution of a complex system can be described by a small number of rate-controlling reactions which impose slowly changing constraints on all allowed states of the system, therefore a non-equilibrium system will relax to its final equilibrium state through a sequence of rate controlled constrained equilibrium states. Oxidation induction times and concentration of species during a combustion process are found in a less complicated way with this method, as equations for constraints rather than for species determine the composition and evolution of the system. The time evolution of the system can be reduced since the number of constraints is much smaller than the number of species presents, so the number of equations to solve. The RCCE method has been applied to the stoichiometric combustion of mono-carbon fuels using 29 chemical species and 139 chemical reactions at different sets of pressure and temperature, ranging from 1 atm to 100 atm, and from 900 K to 1600 K respectively. Results of using 8, 9, 10 and 11 constraints compared very well to those of the detailed calculations at all conditions for the cases of formaldehyde (H2 CO), methanol (CH3 OH) and methane (CH4 ). For these systems, ignition delay times and major species concentrations were within 5% of the values given by detailed calculations, and computational saving times up to 50% have been met.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Spectral approach to the relativistic inverse stellar structure problem II

A new method for solving the relativistic inverse stellar structure problem is presented. This method determines a spectral representation of the unknown high-density portion of the stellar equation of state from a knowledge of the total masses M and radii R of the stars. Spectral representations of the equation of state are very efficient, generally requiring only a few spectral parameters to achieve good accuracy. This new method is able, therefore, to determine the high-density equation of state quite accurately from only a few accurately measured [M,R] data points. This method is tested here by determining the equations of state from mock [M,R] data computed from tabulated realistic neutron-star equations of state. The spectral equations of state obtained from these mock data are shown to agree, on average, with the originals to within a few percent (over the entire high-density range of the neutron-star interior) using only two [M,R] data points. Higher accuracies are achieved when more data are used. The accuracies of the equations of state determined in these examples are shown to be nearly optimal, in the sense that their errors are comparable to the errors of the best-fit spectral representations of these realistic equations of state.
Real-time network induced delay compensation with digital redesign technique

Our technological demands today require extremely challenging control solutions such as real-time applications of Networked Control System (NCS). However, due to communication protocol and shared data bus, NCS always experiences uncertain and unpredictable time delays in both input and output channels. These delays cause asynchronization between controller and plant thereby degrading the performance of closed-loop control systems. To address the concern of stability improvement in real-time, this paper proposes to utilize digital redesign technique to compensate for these network induced delays.
Effect of Structuring Clinical Services Based on Resident Educational Objectives

Background Traditionally, surgical rotations are established based on attending surgeon clinical specialty and department/section organizational structure. Consequently, resident clinical rotations are forced to adopt an underlying structure that may not align with resident educational needs. An option is to realign clinical services based on resident educational objectives. Study Design We performed a comprehensive reorganization of the clinical service lines by emphasizing resident educational objectives. Effects on resident education were evaluated qualitatively and using a semistructured interview. Effects on clinical referral patterns and patient volumes for individual faculty and sections were also evaluated. Results New rotations and services (clarifying faculty roles and appointments) were designed. Examples of new rotations include hepatobiliary/transplant, acute care surgery, elective surgery, cardiac/vascular, and minimally invasive surgery. Clinical case mix was evaluated by using Residency Review Committees–defined categories for general surgery and used as a component of clinical service reorganization. Since the reorganization, all residents completed the minimum case number requirements before beginning postgraduate year 5. Program quality improved in key measurable areas, including American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination mean and median and total resident operative cases performed. Individual faculty clinical volume increased during the same time period. Evaluation of faculty volumes reveals that the new clinical services lines allowed for coordination of clinical services into centers with a multidisciplinary focus. Conclusions If carefully performed, reorganization of clinical rotations based on resident goals and objectives can result in measurable improvements in resident education without disrupting faculty practices. Unanticipated benefits for faculty include new collaborative opportunities that cross traditional section/department barriers. The process allows for rapid change focused on educational effectiveness, not simply revision of existing paradigms, but it requires faculty cooperation and willingness to change traditional clinical service organization.
Stresses in laminated glass subject to low velocity impact

Finite element analysis is used to study small, low velocity missile impact of laminated architectural glass. The impact situation models that commonly observed during severe windstorms in which small, hard missiles impact laminated glass windows in large buildings. Architectural laminated glass is typically made of two soda-lime glass plies separated by a clear, sticky, polyvinyl butyral (PVB) interlayer. In order to increase the damage tolerance of laminated glass windows, various geometric and material parameters are investigated to determine their effect in minimizing stress wave propagation through the three-layer system to the critical inside ply. Parameters investigated include the thickness of each layer of the system and the viscoelastic properties of the PVB interlayer.
Query rewriting using monolingual statistical machine translation

Long queries often suffer from low recall in Web search due to conjunctive term matching. The chances of matching words in relevant documents can be increased by rewriting query terms into new terms with similar statistical properties. We present a comparison of approaches that deploy user query logs to learn rewrites of query terms into terms from the document space. We show that the best results are achieved by adopting the perspective of bridging the "lexical chasm" between queries and documents by translating from a source language of user queries into a target language of Web documents. We train a state-of-the-art statistical machine translation model on query-snippet pairs from user query logs, and extract expansion terms from the query rewrites produced by the monolingual translation system. We show in an extrinsic evaluation in a real-world Web search task that the combination of a query-to-snippet translation model with a query language model achieves improved contextual query expansion compared to a state-of-the-art query expansion model that is trained on the same query log data.
Multiple mechanisms responsible for strong Congo-red-binding variants of Escherichia coli O157:H7 strains

High variability in the expression of csgD -dependent, biofilm-forming and adhesive properties is common among Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli . Although many strains of serotype O157:H7 form little biofilm, conversion to stronger biofilm phenotypes has been observed. In this study, we screened different strains of serotype O157:H7 for the emergence of strong Congo-red (CR) affinity/biofilm-forming properties and investigated the underlying genetic mechanisms. Two major mechanisms which conferred stronger biofilm phenotypes were identified: mutations (insertion, deletion, single nucleotide change) in rcsB region and stx -prophage excision from the mlrA site. Restoration of the native mlrA gene (due to prophage excision) resulted in strong biofilm properties to all variants. Whereas RcsB mutants showed weaker CR affinity and biofilm properties, it provided more possibilities for phenotypic presentations through heterogenic sequence mutations.
Biologic Basis for Limitation of Infarct Size

The purpose of this chapter is to review several aspects of the biology of acute myocardial ischemic injury, in order to provide a framework within which possible therapies to limit infarct size may be considered.
Adding Value(S) to Corporate Law: An Agenda for Reform

One place to address the negative perceptions of corporate law and lawyers is the basic corporations course in law school. Raising issues of race, gender, and class in this course can begin to break the cycle of patriarchy and disrespect haunting corporate law and lawyers. This article explains why a teacher ought to endeavor to include such issues in the basic course, then turns to suggesting some specific methods through which one can do so. The article concludes by raising and responding to some possible objections to reform.
Environment and Development: Friends or Foes in the 21st Century?

This chapter, published in the Research Handbook of International Environmental Law (Fitzmaurice and others eds) explores the complex relationship between environmental protection and the promotion of sustainable development.
Failure of grafted ovaries to assume adrenalcortical function in rats.

SummaryTwo separate investigators, working in different laboratories at different times and with unrelated rat colonies have correlative data which shows, within the limits of the experiments, that spleen grafted ovaries will not noticeably extend the post adrenalectomy life of the host animal. The difference between the positive response in mice and the negative response in rats is noted. Histology of the grafted tissue was not correlated with the physiological response obtained.
Hemagglutinins in the serum of mice of low and high mammary tumor strains.

SummaryHeteroagglutinins for sheep erythrocytes were studied in the serum of 4 inbred mouse strains. Antisheep agglutinins were present much more frequently and in significantly higher titers in C57 black than in C3H, dba, and Marsh-albino strains. Some properties of the sheep agglutinins were studied. No such differences were found in the distribution of heteroagglutinins for human red cells in the different strains. The possible significance of these findings was discussed.
Disscussion on the causes and precautions of trouble between hospitals and patients

This article provides some measures for strengthening the administration of out-patient pharmacy,through concluding the cause of common troubles.That would reduce the break of trouble between hospitals and patients,and enhance the service quality of pharmacy department.
Voyager interstellar mission: challenges of flying a very old spacecraft on a very long mission

Two Voyager spacecraft were launched in 1977. After the successful flybys of Jupiter and Saturn by both Voyagers and Uranus and Neptune by Voyager 2, the mission has been extended for another 30 years in search of the transition region between the dominance of the solar energy and interstellar energy. The Voyager Interstellar Mission (VIM) started on January 1, 1990. It can be characterized by several factors including extremely long communication distances, aging hardware, reduced staffing levels and difficulty in obtaining Deep Space Network (DSN) resources necessitated by the increasing distance between the spacecraft and Earth. The mission was redesigned to compensate for such factors while maximizing the science return. After 25 years of VIM and several significant science discoveries, both Voyager spacecraft are still functioning well and the Voyager flight team is preparing for an even longer mission - until the year 2025 and beyond. In order to work around the challenges and to continue the mission even further, the team has been implementing numerous changes, mainly through flight software modifications and hardware reconfiguration. The major drivers for the changes are two-fold: resource constraints (such as decreasing power output and difficulty in obtaining the necessary DSN coverage) and anomalies due to the aging hardware. The majority of changes occur through flight software modifications so the state of the on-board responses is appropriate for the changing space environment and mission phase, and the flight software is compatible in allowing the maximum data gathering. The on-board flight software routines such as baseline sequence, fault protection routines, the High Gain Antenna POINTing to Earth (HPOINT) table, and long-term events table need to be maintained through flight software updates. The changes also occur through hardware reconfiguration such as selecting the backup Hybrid Buffer Interface Circuits (HYBIC) or attitude propulsion thrusters. This paper will describe the challenges of VIM and what has been done to overcome or mitigate those challenges. The primary focus will be the major flight software changes made during VIM and the changes that are in store for the near future in preparation for continuing the extended mission, from the originally projected year of 2020 out to the year 2025 and possibly beyond.
Providing managed care options for a large population: Evaluating the CHAMPUS reform initiative

Objectives: To evaluate a managed care demonstration project in CHAMPUS (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services), the insurance program covering physical and mental health care services for the dependents of active duty military personnel, military retirees, and the retirees' dependents. The demonstration project added a health maintenance organization (HMO) option and a preferred provider organization (PPO) option to the standard CHAMPUS coverage and allowed beneficiaries to select the coverage option they preferred. Data Sources: Utilization, costs, access, and beneficiary satisfaction were measured using data from CHAMPUS claims records, the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System, the demonstration project contractor's HMO enrollment file, the contractor's list of network hospitals, and two surveys of CHAMPUS beneficiaries. Study Design: Changes in utilization at 11 demonstration sites were compared with changes in utilization at 11 matched control sites. The effect of the demonstration project on costs was evaluated by estimating the costs for the demonstration sites both with and without the managed care options based on data from the control sites. Access to care and satisfaction were compared between the demonstration sites and control sites based on beneficiary surveys. Data Collection: All claims in both demonstration and control sites were used in estimating utilization changes. Two mailed surveys were sent to a randomly selected sample of active duty and retiree households with CHAMPUS beneficiaries; the sample was stratified by beneficiary type (active duty or retiree) and site. Principle Findings: Overall utilization in the CHAMPUS system decreased at the demonstration sites but stayed approximately the same at the control sites. Utilization among the enrollees in the HMO demonstration option, however, increased dramatically. Patient access to care and satisfaction generally remained at the same levels at both demonstration and control sites, but enrollees in the HMO option reported higher satisfaction. Costs to the government at the demonstration areas, based on regression estimates from the control sites, were about the same or slightly higher than what they would have been under the standard CHAMPUS system. Conclusions: Managed care plans for large government-sponsored insurance programs can reduce utilization and maintain patient access and satisfaction. Careful structuring of such plans is needed, however, if they are to reduce costs.
Bortezomib in combination with other therapies for the treatment of multiple myeloma

The ubiquitin proteasome pathway is the major mechanism used by eukaryotic cells for degradation of proteins. Bortezomib, a highly potent and specific inhibitor of the proteasome, has been demonstrated to have activity against multiple myeloma as a single agent in phase I and II clinical trials. Modulation of proteasome function with agents such as bortezomib may also have a significant role in combination chemotherapy, however, by impacting upon mechanisms that overcome chemoresistance and support chemosensitization. Proteasome inhibition seems to be able to overcome Bcl-2-mediated suppression of apoptosis, P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance, and inducible resistance through nuclear factor kappa B. Preclinical studies with bortezomib and other agents have provided evidence of sensitization to several classes of chemotherapeutics that are used against multiple myeloma. Preliminary reports from phase I trials using bortezomib in combination with some of these standard cytotoxics have not found any pharmacologic interactions, and toxicities were not significantly increased with these regimens. Moreover, they have shown promising results, with documented major responses in patients who have previously progressed on the standard cytotoxic alone, and also high overall response rates. These findings are consistent with the possibility that bortezomib can act clinically as a chemosensitizing agent, and strongly support further studies of these regimens.
Exploring a Role for Sleep in Neural Development and Psychiatric Disease

Copyright: © 2013 Kayser MS, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Sleep is perhaps the most enigmatic of all behaviors, without any clear known purpose though conserved from fruit flies to rodents to humans. It has long been appreciated that abnormal sleep and mental illness are intimately related, and sleep disruptions are diagnostically relevant across many psychiatric disorders [1]. While we have gained some insight into the neurobiological and molecular underpinnings of sleep [2], there is still a limited understanding of why sleep occurs, what happens when sleep is disrupted, and why sleep changes are linked to nearly all psychiatric disorders. Advances in each of these areas are needed to successfully address sleep abnormalities in humans and begin to identify the potential role of sleep in maintaining mental health.
A compact electron gun for generation of FIR radiation

We report here on an experiment in which picosecond electron pulses, produced by a compact RF electron gun, were used to excite rectangular waveguide modes, generating 7 ps pulses of radiation with a bandwidth of approximately 200 GHz. The interaction of the electron pulses with the waveguide modes can be modeled quite simply by performing a harmonic expansion of the pulse train produced by the electron gun and employing Poynting's theorem to compute the power coupled into the modes of the waveguide by each harmonic. The resulting model for the distribution of spectral power yields good agreement with the observed spectrum. We also report of the production of sub-picosecond electron bunches at an energy of /spl sim/1.2 MeV to generate picosecond pulses of radiation via the mechanism of coherent transition radiation. We show that, though the high frequency cutoff for the radiation generated when the beam impacts a target at normal incidence is reduced by transverse beam size effects, it is nevertheless possible to generate much higher frequencies by a judicious choice of the angles of incidence and observation. These radiation pulses have a broadband spectrum containing frequencies from below 100 GHz to above 1 THz and have a number of potential applications in spectroscopy. Experimental results and comparison with theory are presented.
Slut-shaming on Facebook: Do Social Class or Clothing Affect Perceived Acceptability?

The term “slut” is commonly used as a disparaging remark against women in the United States. The goal of this study was to examine how the use of that term affects perceptions of both the “slut” and the “shamer” as well as how clothing choice and social class of the targets, as well as feminist identity of the participant, affect these judgments. We presented 186 self-identified feminist and non-feminist female college students with a Facebook interaction in which one woman calls another woman a “slut.” The interaction included a photograph of the target, in which she was dressed either “provocatively” or “conservatively.” Her visible Facebook profile information suggested she was part of either a lower or higher socioeconomic class. Participants generally had negative perceptions about the “shamer,” but results showed that both social class and clothing had an effect on how women perceived both the “slut” and the “shamer.” Participants’ feminist identity also played a role in shaping perceptions: self-identified feminists were more willing to spend time with the “slut” and found the “shamer” less justified in her actions than did non-feminist participants.
Endourologic and Open Ureterolithotomy and Common Sheath Reimplant for Large Bladder and Distal Ureteral Calculi.

Abstract A twenty-eight-year-old female with a history of suprapubic pain and recurrent urinary tract infections presents for urology referral with a kidney, ureter, and bladder radiograph showing a 4.4 cm bladder calculus and 6.5 cm distal left ureteral stone. She underwent effective cystolitholapaxy of the bladder stone. Endourologic attempt (left ureteroscopy) was unsuccessful because of ureteral stone burden. Findings at ureteroscopy revealed a duplicated system on the left with the lower pole moiety joining just proximal to the ureteral orifice. The stone was found to be in the upper pole moiety ureter. An open ureterolithotomy was performed with intraoperative ureteroscopic laser lithotripsy and common sheath ureteral reimplant. Furthermore, a previously placed stent was found to be encrusted at the time of the ureterolithotomy. Effective ureteroscopy and lasering were performed through the ureterotomy up to the renal pelvis of the upper pole ureter.
Social Risk and Protective Factors in Adolescents' Reduction and Cessation of Alcohol Use.

ABSTRACTBackground: Adolescents' alcohol use is related to many health problems, injuries, and violent acts, some with fatal consequences. A gap exists in the literature discussing risk/protective factors in change from non-heavy drinking to non-drinking, and also for change from heavy drinking to non-heavy drinking or non-drinking. Objective: This secondary study examined some risk and protective factors involved when adolescent non-heavy drinkers and adolescent heavy drinkers curb or terminate their drinking. Method: The temporal-ordered analysis evaluated 570 nonheavy drinkers and 374 heavy drinkers (all adolescents), a sample extracted from Wave 1 and Wave 2 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, or Add Health. Results: We observed positive associations between likelihood of change from heavy/non-heavy drinking to nondrinking and 5 characteristics: neighborhood attachment, maternal receipt of public assistance, African American ethnicity, maternal involvement, physical maltr...
Data feedback for quality improvement of stroke care: CAPTURE Stroke experience.

Background Feedback on “quality indicators” collected from chart audit is a widely used quality-improvement strategy. Skeptics argue that temporal change in practice patterns or improvement of documentation as a result of implementation of chart audit can affect change in quality indicators rather than change in practice due to feedback. This study compared the effectiveness in quality improvement for stroke care of chart audit and feedback versus chart audit only. Methods Data were examined on quality indicators constructed from the performance measures abstracted from chart audit for 1953 stroke patients admitted to 13 hospitals. Seven of the 13 hospitals were provided with feedback on quality indicators from baseline audit, and 6 hospitals had chart audit only. Results Least-squares estimation was used to estimate the adjusted mean change in quality indicators between follow-up and baseline audits and differences in mean change between feedback and nonfeedback groups. Differences in adjusted mean change (with 90% confidence interval) were: deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, 8.46 (−9.46 to 26.38); dysphagia screening, −3.78 (−21.37 to 13.81); antithrombotic therapy within 48 hours of hospitalization, 3.63 (−6.59 to 13.84); discharged on antithrombotic, −0.31 (−6.26 to 5.63); patients with atrial fibrillation discharged on warfarin/coumadin, 44.73 (−13.14 to 102.60); lipid screening, 19.93 (2.99 to 36.86); and smoking counseling, 17.47 (−12.13 to 47.08). Conclusions Although not statistically significant, results suggest a potential for improvement with data feedback. There is a need for evaluation of the effectiveness of a multifaceted approach in a community setting.
Intraoperative 1-Hour Electrical Nerve Stimulation Enhances Outcomes of Nerve-Muscle-Endplate Band Grafting Technique for Muscle Reinnervation.

Background Increasing evidence suggests that 1-hour electrical nerve stimulation during surgery improves nerve regeneration and functional recovery. However, it remains unknown if this approach has beneficial effects on the outcomes of our recently developed nerve–muscle-endplate band grafting-native motor zone (NMEG-NMZ) technique for muscle reinnervation. Methods In this study, NMEG-NMZ transplantation was performed in a rat model. The right sternomastoid muscle was experimentally denervated and immediately reinnervated by implanting a NMEG harvested from the ipsilateral sternohyoid (SH) muscle into the NMZ of the target muscle. Before implantation of the NMEG, the SH nerve branch innervating the NMEG was subjected to intraoperative 1-hour continuous electrical stimulation (20 Hz). Three months after surgery, the degree of functional recovery was evaluated with muscle force measurement and the extent of nerve regeneration and endplate reinnervation was examined using histological and immunohistochemical methods. Results A combination of NMEG-NMZ with electrical nerve stimulation resulted in a greater degree of functional recovery than the NMEG-NMZ alone. The mean muscle force of the treated muscles was 90% of the contralateral control. The muscle mass was recovered up to 90% of the control. The mean number and percentage of area of the regenerated axons in the treated muscles was computed to be 81 and 84% of the control muscles, respectively. On average, 83% of the denervated endplates in the treated muscles were reinnervated by regenerated axons. Conclusion Intraoperative brief nerve stimulation promotes nerve regeneration, endplate reinnervation, and functional recovery of the muscles reinnervated with NMEG-NMZ technique.
Mind the overlap in multiple categorization: A review of crossed categorization, intersectionality, and multiracial perception:

Research on social categorization continues, with one growth area being multiple categorization. Various approaches study questions that, although different in scope and content, potentially tap th...
Application of rare earths in fluid catalytic cracking: A review

Abstract The need for more active and hydrothermally stable fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts to combat the effect of metal contaminants has led to an increase in demand for rare earth oxides. Rare earth oxides enhance catalyst activity and prevent the loss of acid sites during the FCC unit operation, especially when heavy residue with high metal content is used as feed. In this paper, a review was carried out to show the effects of rare earth elements on the structure, activity, and stability of FCC catalysts. Also, the use of rare earth elements as vanadium traps was analyzed in conjunction with the mechanism of catalyst deactivation by vanadium. The objective was to elucidate the interaction of vanadium species with the zeolite component of the FCC catalysts and the role of rare earth elements in countering the deleterious effects of vanadium on the FCC catalysts.
Chapter 8 – Diffusion

This chapter presents diffusion in nonelectrolyte and electrolyte systems as the linear phenomenological laws. It presents the three main ways to describe multicomponent diffusion such as: the Maxwell–Stefan diffusion where fluxes and forces are mixed; Chapman–Cowling and Hirschfelder–Curtis–Bird approach where the diffusion of all the components are treated in a similar way; and description with a reference to a particular component, for example solvent or mass average (barycentric) definition. The chapter describes the concepts of mobility, electrochemical potential, electrochemical affinity, electrical conductance, and Hittorf transference number. One of the problems with diffusion in liquids is that even the binary diffusion coefficients are often composition dependent, and it is difficult to obtain the numerical values of coefficients relating fluxes to concentration gradients. In gas mixtures, only the binary diffusivities are assumed independent of composition. The chapter presents some advantages of the Maxwell-Stefan description of diffusion. The mass and molar diffusion are important in practice, and can be derived from the Maxwell-Stefan description of diffusion. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the irreversible processes in electrolyte systems.
Motor Unit Potential

Motor unit potential (MUP) is a summated response of all single muscle fiber action potentials belonging to one motor unit. MUP characteristics including duration, amplitude, configuration, and recruitment on voluntary motor activity are studied as part of the clinical electromyography. Alteration in MUP morphology and recruitment pattern forms the basis for diagnostic interpretation of underlying disease process. Neurogenic changes are characterized by increased duration and amplitude of MUP and reduced recruitment pattern, whereas typical myopathic pattern consists of small amplitude, short duration, and polyphasic MUPs with early recruitment.
Cross validating hyperspectral with Ultrasound-based skin thickness estimation

Our work is focused on the development of non-invasive methods to estimate skin constitutive elements. Such methods can play an important clinical and scientific role in detecting the early onset of skin tumors. Given current statistics by the American Academy of Dermatology suggesting that more than 10 people die each hour worldwide due to skin related conditions, this has potentially high impact on the delivery of skin cancer diagnostics, and patient mortality and morbidity. It can also serve as a valuable tool for research in cosmetology and pharmaceuticals in general. We combine a physics-based model of human skin with machine learning and hyperspectral imaging to non-invasively estimate physiological skin parameters, including melanosomes, collagen, oxygen saturation, blood volume, and skin thickness. While some prior work has been done in this regard, no validation against ground truth has occurred whatsoever. In this specific study we develop a protocol to validate our methodology for estimating one of these skin parameters, skin thickness, using a dataset of 48 hyperspectral signatures obtained in vivo, and cross-validate our depth estimates with a gold standard obtained via Ultrasound. Relative to this gold standard, we find promising mean absolute errors of less than 0.1 mm for skin thickness estimation.
miRNAs in Cancer Stem Cells

Abstract microRNAs, or miRNAs, play critical roles in cell differentiation and organogenesis by regulating stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. They are important regulators of cancer stem cell formation, survival, and growth, and their aberrant expression may increase drug resistance and promote invasion and metastasis. miRNAs regulate TGF-β, Wnt, notch, and hedgehog signal transductions, which are critical in stem cell development and differentiation. Targeted miRNA regulation by synthetic oligonucleotides, novel agents, or nutraceuticals that inhibit cancer stem cell development and differentiation, in combination with conventional chemotherapeutics, promises better treatment outcomes.
LGBT Issues and Criminal Justice Education

This chapter reviews the state of the literature regarding college students’ attitudes toward LGBT individuals, and then narrows that focus to discuss criminal justice majors in particular. The status of criminal justice education on LBGT issues is discussed, with particular attention to why such issues are important for undergraduate criminal justice education. The authors suggest a paradigm for inclusion of such issues in criminal justice curriculum globally, modeled after the decision to include race and gender issues in that same curriculum.
Two-Fluid Theory of Phonon Scattering in Dielectric Crystals

In order to describe the transport characteristics of thermal phonons, we propose to divide them into two categories. The first consists of relatively nondispersive phonons with interactions dominated by anharmonic normal (N) processes. This category defines a propagation group that transports energy. The second category is dominated by resistive processes and constitutes a group that extracts momentum and energy from the propagation group, and passes it on to an external heat bath. Thus, this second group acts as a thermal reservoir, thermal resistance appearing through the scattering of propagating phonons into these reservoir modes. Towards high temperature (T), the resistive processes that determine the reservoir are principally umklapp (U) processes.
The Current Status of Breeding for Protein Quality in Corn

The current rapid expansion of the human population on earth, particularly in the less developed countries, raises the possibility of widespread, serious malnutrition and starvation for many unless agricultural technology can intervene with appropriate answers to these problems. Plant breeders have been charged with developing varieties that will yield larger quantities of improved quality protein. Since the realization that maize having the opaque-2 gene has markedly improved protein quality, much work has been done in many areas of research to apply this discovery as well as to learn more about alternative methods to attain the same goals. This discussion will be a review of the advances so far attained by plant breeders in their efforts to develop maize with improved protein quantity and quality. Work concerning the utilization of mutant genes that improve protein quality and efforts at exploiting the naturally occurring variation for protein quality and quantity will be examined. Work that has been done in other related fields that has relevance to the protein improvement problem will also be examined. Screening and subsequent regeneration of tissue cultures as well as work concerning the biochemical energetics of yield and protein improvement will be examined in order to bring the problem of breeding for protein improvement into perspective. Finally, the corn industry’s experience with improving protein quality and quantity will provide a basis for discussing the economic considerations of such improvement.
A Comparison of Knee Abduction Angles Measured by a 3D Anatomic Coordinate System Versus Videographic Analysis: Implications for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury.

Background:Knee positions involved in noncontact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury have been studied via analysis of injury videos. Positions of high ACL strain have been identified in vivo. ...
TIME-RESTRICTED EATING PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS AND LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH METABOLIC SYNDROME

Metabolic syndrome affects 34% of the U.S. population and increases risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle changes are first-line therapy. In patients with metabolic syndrome who eat during a significant portion of each day (>/=14 hours/day, for example by late-night snacking
ASCEND-8 pharmacokinetic, safety, and efficacy data for ceritinib 450 mg with food in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small cell lung Cancer: A clinical perspective.

Abstract Anaplastic lymphoma kinase–positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is diagnosed in up to 126,000 patients worldwide annually. Ceritinib is a next-generation ALK-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor that is approved for the treatment of patients with metastatic ALK+ NSCLC. In December 2017, the US Food and Drug Administration–approved dose of ceritinib was changed from 750 mg/day under fasting conditions to 450 mg/day taken with food for the treatment of patients with ALK+ NSCLC. This change was implemented on the basis of data from studies designed to investigate ways to reduce the frequency of gastrointestinal adverse events noted in patients enrolled in several ASCEND clinical trials that evaluated a ceritinib 750-mg fasted dose as either first- or second/third-line treatment. This review highlights and discusses published findings from the ASCEND-8 food-effect trial and includes commentary from physicians regarding their own clinical cases of patients who were enrolled in the trial and treated with either the 750-mg fasted or 450-mg fed dose of ceritinib. The review also discusses the implications of using the recently approved ceritinib 450-mg dose in the clinical setting.
Frequency of off-targeting in genome edited pigs produced via direct injection of the CRISPR/Cas9 system into developing embryos

The CRISPR/Cas9 system can effectively introduce site-specific modifications to the genome. The efficiency is high enough to induce targeted genome modifications during embryogenesis, thus increasing the efficiency of producing genetically modified animal models and having potential clinical applications as an assisted reproductive technology. Because most of the CRISPR/Cas9 systems introduce site-specific double-stranded breaks (DSBs) to induce site-specific modifications, a major concern is its potential off-targeting activity, which may hinder the application of the technology in clinics. In this study, we investigated off-targeting events in genome edited pigs/fetuses that were generated through direct injection of the CRISPR/Cas9 system into developing embryos; off-targeting activity of four different sgRNAs targeting RAG2, IL2RG, SCD5, and Ig Heavy chain were examined. First, bioinformatics analysis was applied to identify 27 potential off-targeting genes from the sgRNAs. Then, PCR amplification followed by sequencing analysis was used to verify the presence of off-targeting events. Off-targeting events were only identified from the sgRNA used to disrupt Ig Heavy chain in pigs; frequency of off-targeting was 80 and 70% on AR and RBFOX1 locus respectively. A potential PAM sequence was present in both of the off-targeting genes adjacent to probable sgRNA binding sites. Mismatches against sgRNA were present only on the 5′ side of AR, suggesting that off-targeting activities are systematic events. However, the mismatches on RBFOX1 were not limited to the 5′ side, indicating unpredictability of the events. The prevalence of off-targeting is low via direct injection of CRISPR/Cas9 system into developing embryos, but the events cannot be accurately predicted. Off-targeting frequency of each CRISPR/Cas9 system should be deliberately assessed prior to its application in clinics.
Nifuroxazide Inhibits STAT3 Function and Shows Potent Anti-Tumor Activity Against Multiple Myeloma.

Activation of the transcription factor STAT3 is essential for the pathogenesis of many cancers, including multiple myeloma. While normal cells can tolerate a reduction in STAT3 function, tumors often require constitutive STAT3 signaling for survival. Thus, identifying drugs that inhibit STAT3 activity may provide new therapeutic agents useful for cancer treatment. We have developed a high throughput cell-based screen to identify drugs that inhibit STAT3-dependent transcriptional activity. To assure the specificity of these drugs for STAT3 function, we performed a counter screen assessing NF-kappaB-dependent transcriptional activity. To bypass the difficulties inherent in the development of novel small molecules for clinical use, we analyzed a library of 1120 drugs that are either FDA approved, or are otherwise known to be safe in humans. From this screen, we identified nifuroxazide, a drug used to treat dehydration associated with diarrheal illness, as a potent inhibitor of STAT3 transcriptional activity. By contrast, nifuroxazide has no effect on NF-kappaB-dependent transcription. Myeloma cells containing constitutive STAT3 activation show decreased STAT3 tyrosine phosphorylation when incubated with 10 uM nifuroxazide. In addition, expression of STAT3 target genes necessary for myeloma survival, including bcl-x, mcl-1, and cyclin D1, is markedly reduced by 10 uM nifuroxazide. To determine whether these effects of nifuroxazide on STAT3 signaling alter cell viability, we utilized U266 myeloma cells, which depend on STAT3 activation for survival. U266 viability is inhibited by nifuroxazide at an EC50 of approximately 3 uM. Notably, RPMI 8226 myeloma cells, which do not contain activated STAT3, are not affected by comparable concentrations of nifuroxazide. In addition, this dose has no effect on normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Given that myeloma cells receive survival signals from bone marrow stromal cells, we determined if nifuroxazide affects myeloma survival in stromal cell co-cultures. Nifuroxazide is effective at reducing U266 viability in the presence of bone marrow stromal cells at an EC50 of approximately 3 uM. Thus, screening for compounds that inhibit STAT3 transcriptional activity is useful in identifying potential drugs for myeloma therapy. Through this approach, we have identified a novel STAT3 inhibitory function for nifuroxazide. Nifuroxazide inhibits STAT3 mediated survival of myeloma cells and may be useful, either alone or in combination with other drugs, for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma.