Hydrocracking of Octacosane and Cobalt Fischer–Tropsch Wax over Nonsulfided NiMo and Pt-Based Catalysts

The effect of activation environment (N2, H2 and H2S/H2) on the hydrocracking performance of a NiMo/Al catalyst was studied at 380 °C and 3.5 MPa using octacosane (C28). The catalyst physical structure and acidity were characterized by BET, XRD, SEM-EDX and FTIR techniques. The N2 activation generated more active nonsulfided NiMo/Al catalyst relative to the H2 or H2S activation (XC28, 70–80% versus 6–10%). For a comparison, a NiMo/Si-Al catalyst was also tested after normal H2 activation and showed higher activity at the same process conditions (XC28, 81–99%). The high activity of the NiMo/Al (N2 activation) and NiMo/Si-Al catalysts was mainly ascribed to a higher number of Brønsted acid sites (BAS) on the catalysts. The hydrocracking of cobalt wax using Pt/Si-Al and Pt/Al catalysts confirmed the superior activity of the Si-Al support. A double-peak product distribution occurred at C4–C6 and C10–C16 on all catalysts, which illustrates secondary hydrocracking and faster hydrocracking at the middle of the chain. The nonsulfided NiMo/Al and Pt/Al catalysts, and NiMo/Si-Al catalyst produced predominantly diesel (sel. 50–70%) and gasoline range (sel. \u3e 50%) hydrocarbons, respectively, accompanied by some CH4 and light hydrocarbons C2–C4. On the other hand, the hydrocarbon distribution of the Pt/Si-Al varied with conditions (i.e., diesel sel. 87–90% below 290 °C or gasoline sel. 60–70% above 290 °C accompanied by little CH4) The dependence of the isomer/paraffin ratio on chain length was studied as well. The peak iso/paraffin value was observed at C10–C13 for the SiAl catalyst

Examining the Effect of Physician Language on Physician Impressions

Previous research provides evidence that stigma can be perpetuated through language with consequences for well-being and quality of care. For example, providers who use stigmatizing language transmit bias toward patients with implications for care provided by other healthcare professionals. The current work extends upon this research by investigating perceptions of physicians who use stigmatizing or humanizing language. The current work sought to document the negative consequences of providers’ indelicate language on impressions of the provider, thereby motivating thoughtful language choices. To this end, the current work experimentally manipulated the language (stigmatizing, identity-first and destigmatizing, person-first) that hypothetical providers used to describe individuals with substance use disorder and examined participants’ judgments of the providers (likeability and positive behavioral intentions). We predicted that the provider using stigmatizing, identity-first language would elicit more negative responses than the provider using destigmatizing, person-first language. However, the results provided no support for this hypothesis; instead, we observed only an effect of the vignette content: participants had more positive perceptions of the physician who spoke first, compared to the physician who spoke second. Although the current work did not observe significant effects of language, past work indicates the importance of empathy, warmth, and respect from providers for patient well-being and outcome. We suggest directions for improving upon the current study, as well as possible topics for future research that may aid in understanding these important antecedents of inclusive and successful patient-physician interactions

Characterization of growth of rubella virus in LLC-MK2 cells

1. A characteristic CPE of rubella virus in LLC-MK 2 cells is described and its usefulness and limitations in experimental work are discussed.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/41677/1/705_2005_Article_BF01253851.pd

Heterostructures for High Performance Devices

Contains table of contents for Part I, table of contents for Section 1, an introduction, reports on sixteen research projects and a list of publications.DARPA/NCIPTJoint Services Electronics Program Contract DAAL03-92-C-0001National Science FoundationToshiba Corporation Ltd.Charles S. Draper LaboratoriesHertz Foundation FellowshipVitesse SemiconductorGTE LaboratoriesNational Science Foundation FellowshipDARPA/MOSISTexas Instruments, Inc.U.S. Army Research Office Grant DAAL03-92-G-025

Heterostructures for High Performance Devices

Contains table of contents for Part I, table of contents for Section 1, an introduction, reports on eighteen research projects and a list of publications.Charles S. Draper Laboratories Contract DL-H-418483DARPA/NCIPTJoint Services Electronics Program Contract DAAL03-89-C-0001Joint Services Electronics Program Contract DAAL03-92-C-0001IBM Corporation FellowshipNational Science Foundation FellowshipVitesse SemiconductorGTE LaboratoriesCharles S. Draper LaboratoriesElectronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) FellowshipNational Science Foundation/Northeastern UniversityTRW SystemsU.S. Army Research OfficeNational Science FoundationAT&T Bell Laboratories FellowshipNational Science Foundation Grant ECS 90-0774

Y chromosome microdeletions in infertile men with idiopathic oligo- or azoospermia

About 30–40% of male infertility is due to unknown reasons. Genetic contributions to the disruption of spermatogenesis are suggested and amongst the genetic factors studied, Y chromosome microdeletions represent the most common one. Screening for microdeletions in AZFa, b and c region of Y chromosome showed a big variation among different studies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of such deletions in Saudi men. A total of 257 patients with idiopathic oligo- or azoospermia were screened for Y chromosome microdeletions by 19 markers in AZF region. Ten (3.9%) patients had chromosomal rearrangements, six of them showed sex chromosome abnormalities and four patients had apparently balanced autosomal rearrengements. Eight of the remaining 247 patients (3.2%) with a normal karyotype and no known causes of impaired spermatogenesis had Y chromosome microdeletions. Among these, six patients had deletions in AZFc region, one case had a deletion in AZFb and another had both AZFa and AZFc deletions. In conclusion, our study shows that Y chromosome microdeletions are low in our population. We also report for the first time a case with unique point deletions of AZFa and AZFc regions. The lower frequency of deletions in our study suggest that other genetic, epigenetic, nutritional and local factors may be responsible for idiopathic oligo- or azoospermia in the Saudi population

Association football and the representation of homosexuality by the print media: a case study of Anton Hysén

In March 2011 Anton Hysén (a semi-professional footballer currently playing in the Swedish fourth division) became only the second association football (soccer) player of any professional disposition to publicly declare his homosexuality whilst still playing the game. This article provides a textual analysis of the print media’s reaction to Hysén coming out and examines whether, in 2011, they portray more inclusive notions towards homosexuality than they did in 1990 when British footballer Justin Fashanu came out. The results advance inclusive masculinity theory as a number of print media sources (mostly British) interview Hysén in the weeks immediately after he came out and publish articles that challenge homophobia. Highlighting a change since 1990, a significant number of articles stress the need for the key stakeholders in football (players, fans, clubs, agents, the authorities and the media) to accept gay players

The extracellular matrix and insulin resistance

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a highly dynamic compartment that undergoes remodeling as a result of injury and repair. Over the past decade, mounting evidence in humans and rodents suggest that ECM remodeling is associated with diet-induced insulin resistance in several metabolic tissues. Additionally, integrin receptors for the ECM have also been implicated in the regulation of insulin action. This review will address what is currently known about the ECM, integrins and insulin action in the muscle, liver and adipose tissue. Understanding how ECM remodeling and integrin signaling regulates insulin action may aid in the development of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

A One-Step Real-Time Multiplex PCR for Screening Y-Chromosomal Microdeletions without Downstream Amplicon Size Analysis

BACKGROUND: Y-chromosomal microdeletions (YCMD) are one of the major genetic causes for non-obstructive azoospermia. Genetic testing for YCMD by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is an established method for quick and robust screening of deletions in the AZF regions of the Y-chromosome. Multiplex PCRs have the advantage of including a control gene in every reaction and significantly reducing the number of reactions needed to screen the relevant genomic markers. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The widely established "EAA/EMQN best practice guidelines for molecular diagnosis of Y-chromosomal microdeletions (2004)" were used as a basis for designing a real-time multiplex PCR system, in which the YCMD can simply be identified by their melting points. For this reason, some AZF primers were substituted by primers for regions in their genomic proximity, and the ZFX/ZFY control primer was exchanged by the AMELX/AMELY control primer. Furthermore, we substituted the classical SybrGreen I dye by the novel and high-performing DNA-binding dye EvaGreen™ and put substantial effort in titrating the primer combinations in respect to optimal melting peak separation and peak size. SIGNIFICANCE: With these changes, we were able to develop a platform-independent and robust real-time based multiplex PCR, which makes the need for amplicon identification by electrophoretic sizing expendable. By using an open-source system for real-time PCR analysis, we further demonstrate the applicability of automated melting point and YCMD detection