Scientific integrity resource guide: Efforts by federal agencies,foundations, nonprofit organizations,professional societies,and academia in the United States

Scientific integrity is at the forefront of the scientific research enterprise. This paper provides an overview of key existing efforts on scientific integrity by federal agencies, foundations, nonprofit organizations, professional societies, and academia from 1989 to April 2016. It serves as a resource for the scientific community on scientific integrity work and helps to identify areas in which more action is needed. Overall, there is tremendous activity in this area and there are clear linkages among the efforts of the five sectors. All the same, scientific integrity needs to remain visible in the scientific community and evolve along with new research paradigms. High priority in instilling these values falls upon all stakeholders.     

Reliability analysis for electronic devices using beta‐Weibull distribution

Today, in reliability analysis, the most used distribution to describe the behavior of electronic products under voltage profiles is the Weibull distribution. Nevertheless, the Weibull distribution does not provide a good fit to lifetime datasets that exhibit bathtub‐shaped or upside‐down bathtub–shaped (unimodal) failure rates, which are often encountered in the reliability analysis of electronic devices. In this paper, a reliability model based on the beta‐Weibull distribution and the inverse power law is proposed. This new model provides a better approach to model the performance and fit of the lifetimes of electronic devices. To estimate the parameters of the proposed model, a Bayesian analysis is used. A case study based on the lifetime of a surface mounted electrolytic capacitor is presented, the results showed that the estimation of the proposed model differs from the inverse power law–Weibull and that it affects directly the mean time to failure, the failure rate, the behavior, and the performance of the capacitor under analysis.     

A multiple system governed by a quasi-birth-and-death process

The system we consider comprises n units, of which one has to operate for the system to work. The other units are in repair, in cold standby, or waiting for repair. Only the working unit can fail. The operational and repair times follow phase-type distributions. Upon failure, it is replaced by a standby unit and goes to the repair facility. There is only one repairman. When one unit operates the system is up and when all the units are in repair or waiting for repair, the system is down. This system is governed by a finite quasi-birth-and-death process. The stationary probability vector and useful performance measures in reliability, such as the availability and the rate of occurrence of failures are explicitly calculated. This model extends other previously considered in the literature. The case with an infinite number of units in cold standby is also studied. Computational implementation of the results is performed via a numerical example, and the different systems considered are compared from the reliability measures determined.     

Improving learner quality of experience by content adaptation based on network conditions

Apart from user characteristics, properties of the network over which the content is delivered and device on which the content is displayed affect end-user perceived quality. This paper presents a learner quality of experience (QoE) model that apart from the user-related content adaptation, considers delivery performance-based content personalisation in order to improve user experience when interacting with an online learning system.A comparison-based study on the benefit of using the proposed learner QoE model in adaptive and personalized education was conducted involving the original AHA! and QoEAHA – a version of AHA! enhanced with the learner QoE model. Testing results demonstrate significant benefits in terms of learning achievement, learning performance, learner navigation and user QoE in favour of the learner QoE model-enhanced solution.     

Characterization and catalytic activity of soft-templated NiO-CeO2 mixed oxides for CO and CO2 co-methanation

Nanosized NiO,CeO₂ and NiO-CeO₂ mixed oxides with different Ni/Ce molar ratios were prepared by the soft template method.All the samples were characterized by different techniques as to their chemical composition,structure,morphology and texture.On the catalysts submitted to the same reduction pretreatment adopted for the activity tests the surface basic properties and specific metal surface area were also determined.NiO and CeO₂ nanocrystals of about 4 nm in size were obtained,regardless of the Ni/Ce molar ratio.The Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results proved the formation of defective sites at the NiO-CeO₂ interface,where Ni species are in strong interaction with the support.The microcalorimetric and Fourier transform infrared analyses of the reduced samples highlighted that,unlike metallic nickel,CeO₂ is able to effectively adsorb CO₂,forming carbonates and hydrogen carbonates.After reduction in H2 at 400°C for 1 h,the catalytic performance was studied in the CO and CO₂ co-methanation reaction.Catalytic tests were performed at atmospheric pressure and 300°C,using CO/CO₂/H₂ molar compositions of 1/1/7 or 1/1/5,and space velocities equal to 72000 or 450000 cm³?h^-1?gcat^-1.Whereas CO was almost completely hydrogenated in any investigated experimental conditions,CO₂ conversion was strongly affected by both the CO/CO₂/H₂ ratio and the space velocity.The faster and definitely preferred CO hydrogenation was explained in the light of the different mechanisms of CO and CO₂ methanation.On a selected sample,the influence of the reaction temperature and of a higher number of space velocity values,as well as the stability,were also studied.Provided that the Ni content is optimized,the NiCe system investigated was very promising,being highly active for the CO_x co-methanation reaction in a wide range of operating conditions and stable(up to 50 h)also when submitted to thermal stress.     

Design,Synthesis, Biological Activity,and Structural Analysis of Lactam‐Constrained PTPRJ Agonist Peptides

PTPRJ is a receptor‐like protein tyrosine phosphatase mainly known for its antiproliferative and tumor‐suppressive functions. PTPRJ dephosphorylates several growth factors and their receptors, negatively regulating cell proliferation and migration. We recently identified a disulfide‐bridged nonapeptide, named PTPRJ‐19 (H‐[Cys‐His‐His‐Asn‐Leu‐Thr‐His‐Ala‐Cys]‐OH), which activates PTPRJ, thereby causing cell growth inhibition and apoptosis of both cancer and endothelial cells. With the aim of replacing the disulfide bridge by a chemically more stable moiety, we have synthesized and tested a series of lactam analogues of PTPRJ‐19 . This replacement led to analogues with higher activity and greater stability than the parent peptide.     

Processed and prepared corn products as sources of lutein and zeaxanthin: compositional variation in the food chain

ABSTRACT:  Widely consumed by populations of all socioeconomic classes worldwide, corn is one of the few food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin. However, data on these carotenoids in processed corn and corn as eaten are lacking. Thus, the major carotenoids in the principal brands of processed corn (canned corn, corn meal, corn flour, corn flake) and in typical corn dishes (farofa, boiled corn, pamonha, curau, fried and boiled polenta) were determined. There was marked variation between processed products and between brands of the same product, but variation between lots of the same brand was small. Canned corn had the highest zeaxanthin (11.91 to 18.06 μg/g), β-cryptoxanthin (2.32 to 3.77 μg/g), and β-carotene (1.79 to 2.75 μg/g) contents. The corn flake breakfast cereal had the second highest amount of zeaxanthin (9.08 to 12.77 μg/g). Corn meal had the highest lutein (4.02 to 7.62 μg/g) level and also had good zeaxanthin content (6.13 to 11.39 μg/g), but drastic reduction of all carotenoids, especially zeaxanthin, occurred when it was toasted to farofa. Boiled corn also had lower carotenoid levels compared to the raw corn. The wide variations in carotenoid concentrations appeared to be due mainly to varietal differences in the carotenoid composition of raw materials and to losses during processing and preparation for consumption.     

Isomerization of n-Butane over Ultrastable H-Y Zeolites with Different Si/Al Atomic Ratio

Ultrastable H-Y zeolites with different Si/Al atomic ratios (3n-butane isomerization. The initial activity of these catalysts is lower than that measured on tungsta supported on zirconia catalysts (WO _x /ZrO₂) and acidic mordenite catalysts; however, the Brønsted acid sites of the ultrastable H-Y zeolites are stable and selective towards isobutane. No deactivation of the catalysts was observed after 5 h of time on stream. In contrast, WO _x /ZrO₂ and acidic mordenite catalysts under the same experimental conditions are largely deactivated in less than 1 h of time on stream. The stability of the ultrastable H-Y zeolite in comparison to H-mordenite catalysts may be due to the three-dimensional structure of H-Y made of large supercages interconnected by apertures of 12 oxygen atoms. This structure may favour the diffusion of reactant and product decreasing the residence time and the ensuing degradation to coke. Acidic molecular sieves with monodimensional structure may favour the formation of the precursors of the coke responsible of the catalyst deactivation.     

WOx/ZrO2 catalysts: Part 3. Surface coverage as investigated by low temperature CO adsorption: FT-IR and volumetric studies

The adsorption of CO at 77 K on zirconia-supported tungsten oxide (ZW) samples prepared by equilibrium adsorption or by impregnation and with tungsten content up to 12.4 W atoms nm⁻² was studied with the aim of determining the coverage of ZrO₂ surface by the supported tungsten oxospecies. As an essential background for quantitative volumetric measurements, ZW samples were investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy to identify the surface sites responsible for the CO adsorption. FT-IR showed that CO adsorbed selectively and irreversibly on Zr_cus⁴⁺ centers of the support surface, but not on W_cus⁶⁺ sites. By volumetric determinations, the coverage of the zirconia surface by tungsten oxospecies was about 50% at maximum, irrespective of the preparation procedure and of the support crystallographic modification (monoclinic or tetragonal). Zirconia coverage remained significantly unchanged after leaching with a NH₃ solution that removed tungsten oxospecies not directly interacting with the zirconia surface. This finding indicates that ZrO₂ support coverage depends mainly on the tungsten species strongly anchored to the zirconia surface.