LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Effects of rapamycin on cell apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells.

BACKGROUND
Rapamycin is an effective anti-angiogenic drug. However, the mode of its action remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to elucidate the antitumor mechanism of rapamycin, hypothetically via apoptotic promotion, using MCF-7 breast cancer cells.


MATERIALS AND METHODS
MCF-7 cells were plated at a density of 15105 cells/well in 6-well plates. After 24h, cells were treated with a series of concentrations of rapamycin while only adding DMEM medium with PEG for the control regiment and grown at 37oC, 5% CO2 and 95% air for 72h. Trypan blue was used to determine the cell viability and proliferation. Untreated and rapamycin-treated MCF-7 cells were also examined for morphological changes with an inverted-phase contrast microscope. Alteration in cell morphology was ascertained, along with a stage in the cell cycle and proliferation. In addition, cytotoxicity testing was performed using normal mouse breast mammary pads.


RESULTS
Our results clearly showed that rapamycin exhibited inhibitory activity on MCF-7 cell lines. The IC50 value of rapamycin on the MCF-7 cells was determined as 0.4μg/ml (p<0.05). Direct observation by inverted microscopy demonstrated that the MCF-7 cells treated with rapamycin showed characteristic features of apoptosis including cell shrinkage, vascularization and autophagy. Cells underwent early apoptosis up to 24% after 72h. Analysis of the cell cycle showed an increase in the G0G1 phase cell population and a corresponding decrease in the S and G2M phase populations, from 81.5% to 91.3% and 17.3% to 7.9%, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrated that rapamycin may potentially act as an anti-cancer agent via the inhibition of growth with some morphological changes of the MCF-7 cancer cells, arrest cell cycle progression at G0/G1 phase and induction of apoptosis in late stage of apoptosis. Further studies are needed to further characterize the mode of action of rapamycin as an anti-cancer agent.
Dynamic processor allocation for adaptively parallel work-stealing jobs

This thesis addresses the problem of scheduling multiple, concurrent, adaptively parallel jobs on a multiprogrammed shared-memory multiprocessor. Adaptively parallel jobs are jobs for which the number of processors that can be used without waste varies during execution. We focus on the specific case of parallel jobs that are scheduled using a randomized work-stealing algorithm, as is used in the Cilk multithreaded language. We begin by developing a theoretical model for two-level scheduling systems, or those in which the operating system allocates processors to jobs, and the jobs schedule their threads on the processors. To analyze the performance of a job scheduling algorithm, we model the operating system as an adversary. We show that a greedy scheduler achieves an execution time that is within a factor of 2 of optimal under these conditions. Guided by our model, we present a randomized work-stealing algorithm for adaptively parallel jobs, algorithm WSAP, which takes a unique approach to estimating the processor desire of a job. We show that attempts to directly measure a job’s instantaneous parallelism are inherently misleading. We also describe a dynamic processor-allocation algorithm, algorithm DP, that allocates processors to jobs in a fair and efficient way. Using these two algorithms, we present the design and implementation of Cilk-AP, a two-level scheduling system for adaptively parallel workstealing jobs. Cilk-AP is implemented by extending the runtime system of Cilk. We tested the Cilk-AP system on a shared-memory symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) with 16 processors. Our experiments show that, relative to the original Cilk system, Cilk-AP incurs negligible overhead and provides up to 37% improvement in throughput and 30% improvement in response time in typical multiprogramming scenarios. This thesis represents joint work with Charles Leiserson and Kunal Agrawal of the Supercomputing Technologies Group at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Thesis Supervisor: Charles E. Leiserson Title: Professor
Coenzyme Q10 as a treatment for fatigue and depression in multiple sclerosis patients: A double blind randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the chronic inflammatory and demyelinating disorder of central nervous system which is accompanied with disability and negative life style changes such as fatigue and depression. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplementation on fatigue and depression in patients with MS.


METHODS
We performed a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial to determine the effect of CoQ10 supplement (500 mg/day) vs. placebo for 12 weeks. Fatigue symptoms were quantified by means of fatigue severity scale (FSS) and the Beck depression inventory (BDI) was used to assess depressive symptoms.


RESULTS
A significant decrease of FSS was observed in CoQ10 group during the intervention (P = 0.001) and significant increase of FSS change was observed within placebo group (P = 0.001). Repeated measure analysis of variance showed a significant time-by-treatment interaction for FSS (baseline 41.5 ± 15.6 vs. endpoint 45 ± 13.6; F1,45 = 55.23, P < 0.001, η(2) = 0.56) and BDI (baseline 17.8 ± 12.2 vs. endpoint 20.4 ± 11.4; F1,45 = 40.3, P < 0.001, η(2) = 0.48), indicating significant decrease of FSS and BDI in CoQ10 group compared to placebo group.


CONCLUSION
Our study suggests that CoQ10 supplementation (500 mg/day) can improve fatigue and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis.
Golden rule of forecasting: Be conservative

This article proposes a unifying theory, or the Golden Rule, or forecasting. The Golden Rule of Forecasting is to be conservative. A conservative forecast is consistent with cumulative knowledge about the present and the past. To be conservative, forecasters must seek out and use all knowledge relevant to the problem, including knowledge of methods validated for the situation. Twenty-eight guidelines are logically deduced from the Golden Rule. A review of evidence identified 105 papers with experimental comparisons; 102 support the guidelines. Ignoring a single guideline increased forecast error by more than two-fifths on average. Ignoring the Golden Rule is likely to harm accuracy most when the situation is uncertain and complex, and when bias is likely. Non-experts who use the Golden Rule can identify dubious forecasts quickly and inexpensively. To date, ignorance of research findings, bias, sophisticated statistical procedures, and the proliferation of big data, have led forecasters to violate the Golden Rule. As a result, despite major advances in evidence-based forecasting methods, forecasting practice in many fields has failed to improve over the past half-century.
Choice of renal replacement therapy modality and dialysis dependence after acute kidney injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Choice of renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality may affect renal recovery after acute kidney injury (AKI). We sought to compare the rate of dialysis dependence among severe AKI survivors according to the choice of initial renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality applied [continuous (CRRT) or intermittent (IRRT)]. Systematic searches of peer-reviewed publications in MEDLINE and EMBASE were performed (last update July 2012). All studies published after 2000 reporting dialysis dependence among survivors from severe AKI requiring RRT were included. Data on follow-up duration, sex, age, chronic kidney disease, illness severity score, vasopressors, and mechanical ventilation were extracted when available. Results were pooled using a random-effects model. We identified 23 studies: seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 16 observational studies involving 472 and 3,499 survivors, respectively. Pooled analyses of RCTs showed no difference in the rate of dialysis dependence among survivors (relative risk, RR 1.15 [95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.78–1.68], I 2 = 0 %). However, pooled analyses of observational studies suggested a higher rate of dialysis dependence among survivors who initially received IRRT as compared with CRRT (RR 1.99 [95 % CI 1.53–2.59], I 2 = 42 %). These findings were consistent with adjusted analyses (performed in 7/16 studies), which found a higher rate of dialysis dependence in IRRT-treated patients [odds ratio (OR) 2.2–25 (5 studies)] or no difference (2 studies). Among AKI survivors, initial treatment with IRRT might be associated with higher rates of dialysis dependence than CRRT. However, this finding largely relies on data from observational trials, potentially subject to allocation bias, hence further high-quality studies are necessary.
Therapeutic angiogenesis in patients with severe limb ischemia by transplantation of a combination stem cell product.

OBJECTIVE
Angiogenesis involves the interplay of endothelial progenitor cells, pericytes, growth factors, and cellular matrix components. The use of mesenchymal stem cells, which are closely related to pericytes and produce diverse angiogenic growth factors and matrix molecules, seems to be a promising therapeutic modality. We postulate that the use of a combination cell product (mesenchymal stem cells in conjunction with a source of endothelial progenitor cells) is safe and efficient and may optimize the clinical results obtained with the use of endothelial progenitor cells alone. This study assessed whether the intramuscular infusion of a combination cell product represents a viable, effective, and lasting therapeutic modality to improve perfusion in severely ischemic limbs.


METHODS
Patients with limb ischemia (n=26) received an intramuscular (gastrocnemius) infusion of the combination cell product in the most ischemic leg and a placebo product in the (less ischemic) contralateral leg. Clinical follow-up (months 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 postinfusion) included evaluation of pain-free walking time, ankle-brachial index, perfusion scintigraphy, and quality of life survey.


RESULTS
No adverse events occurred after infusion. Efficacy assessment indicated that after cell infusion there was a significant improvement in walking time and ankle-brachial index. In addition, technetium-99m-tetrofosmin scintigraphy demonstrated a significant increase of perfusion in the treated limbs compared with the respective control legs.


CONCLUSIONS
This phase II clinical trial shows that the use of a combination cell therapy is safe and effective in increasing blood flow in the ischemic legs of patients with limb ischemia.
Effects of labeling patients as prehypertensive.

BACKGROUND
Labeling patients as hypertensive has some negative effects. The effects of being labeled as having prehypertension are unknown. We examined whether the label of prehypertension exerts a negative effect on patients' perceived health and whether it motivates people to adopt lifestyle recommendations to prevent hypertension.


METHODS
We randomized 97 prehypertensive adults to either a labeling message or a generic (no label) message. At 3 months we assessed self-reports of change in perceived health and reported adoption of lifestyle recommendations to try to prevent hypertension.


RESULTS
Except for more participants with asthma in the label group, the 2 groups were similar at baseline. Among the 70 participants who provided 3-month follow-up data, 18 people (56%) in the no-label group and 22 people (58%) in the label group reported their health as the same; 13 people (41%) in the no label group and 16 people (42%) in the label group reported health as better; and 1 person (in no label group) reported his health as worse. At 3 months there were no differences in reports of changing eating habits (risk ratio [RR], 1.06; 95% CI, 0.86-1.31), cutting down on salt (RR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.84-1.15), reducing alcohol intake (RR, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.80-1.90), or exercising (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.91-1.51) to try to prevent hypertension.


CONCLUSION
Being labeled as prehypertensive seems to exert neither harmful nor helpful effects.
An electromyogram based force control coordinated in assistive interaction

This study proposes the design of electromyography (EMG)-based force feedback controller which explicitly considers human-robot interaction for the exoskeletal assistive robot. Conventional approaches have been only consider one-directional mapping from EMG to control input for assistive robot control. However, EMG and force generated by the assistive robot interfere each other, e.g., amplitude of EMG decreases if limb movements are assisted by the robot. In our proposed method, we first derive the nonlinear mapping from EMG signal to muscle force for estimating human joint torque, and convert it to assistive force using human musculoskeletal model and robot kinematic model. Additionally the feedforward interaction torque is feedback into torque controller to acquire the necessity loads. To validate the feasibility of the proposed method, assistive One-DOF system was developed as the real equipment and the simulator. We compared the proposed method with conventional approaches using both the simulated and the real One-DOF systems. As the result, we found that the proposed model was able to estimate the necessary torque adequately to achieve stable human-robot interaction.
How Joint Torques Affect Hamstring Injury Risk in Sprinting Swing–Stance Transition

PURPOSE
The potential mechanisms of hamstring strain injuries in athletes are not well understood. The study, therefore, was aimed at understanding hamstring mechanics by studying loading conditions during maximum-effort overground sprinting.


METHODS
Three-dimensional kinematics and ground reaction force data were collected from eight elite male sprinters sprinting at their maximum effort. Maximal isometric torques of the hip and knee were also collected. Data from the sprinting gait cycle were analyzed via an intersegmental dynamics approach, and the different joint torque components were calculated.


RESULTS
During the initial stance phase, the ground reaction force passed anteriorly to the knee and hip, producing an extension torque at the knee and a flexion torque at the hip joint. Thus, the active muscle torque functioned to produce flexion torque at the knee and extension torque at the hip. The maximal muscle torque at the knee joint was 1.4 times the maximal isometric knee flexion torque. During the late swing phase, the muscle torque counterbalanced the motion-dependent torque and acted to flex the knee joint and extend the hip joint. The loading conditions on the hamstring muscles were similar to those of the initial stance phase.


CONCLUSIONS
During both the initial stance and late swing phases, the large passive torques at both the knee and hip joints acted to lengthen the hamstring muscles. The active muscle torques generated mainly by the hamstrings functioned to counteract those passive effects. As a result, during sprinting or high-speed locomotion, the hamstring muscles may be more susceptible to high risk of strain injury during these two phases.
Guidelines for multimodal user interface design

JMUI (Journal on Multimodal User Interfaces), Special issue “Best of affective computing and intelligent Guidelines for multimodal user interface design. support, human multi-modal information processing. characteristics to the design of a user-oriented and guidelines of multimodal interface design. Artifact lifecycle management, Consumer and user, Interfaces in Automated.Aug 2 Aug 7Los Angeles, CA, USAThursday, 6 August 2015 / HCI International 20152015.hci.international/thursday​CachedDefining and Optimizing User Interfaces Information Complexity for AI Design and Development of Multimodal Applications: A Vision on Key Issues and Traditional Heuristics and Industry Guidelines to Evaluate Multimodal Digital Artifacts
SoftAir: A software defined networking architecture for 5G wireless systems

One of the main building blocks and major challenges for 5G cellular systems is the design of flexible network architectures which can be realized by the software defined networking paradigm. Existing commercial cellular systems rely on closed and inflexible hardware-based architectures both at the radio frontend and in the core network. These problems significantly delay the adoption and deployment of new standards, impose significant challenges in implementing and innovation of new techniques to maximize the network capacity and accordingly the coverage, and prevent provisioning of trulydifferentiated services which are able to adapt to growing and uneven and highly variable traffic patterns. In this paper, a new softwaredefined architecture, called SoftAir, for next generation (5G) wireless systems, is introduced. Specifically, the novel ideas of network function cloudification and network virtualization are exploited to provide a scalable, flexible and resilient network architecture. Moreover, the essential enabling technologies to support and manage the proposed architecture are discussed in details, including fine-grained base station decomposition, seamless incorporation of Openflow, mobilityaware control traffic balancing, resource-efficient network virtualization, and distributed and collaborative traffic classification. Furthermore, the major benefits of SoftAir architecture with its enabling technologies are showcased by introducing softwaredefined traffic engineering solutions. The challenging issues for realizing SoftAir are also discussed in details. © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Full Article
Reproductive Behavior of Pacific Cod in Captivity

The reproductive behavior of Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) was examined during captive ex periments. The captive cod spawned demersal and slightly adhesive eggs, which dispersed and settled on the tank bottom. Ripe males and females did not display the ventral mounting behavior typically dis played in other gadid fishes during spawning. Neither sound production nor aggressive behavior oc curred during the breeding period. The female released approximately all of her ripe eggs in a single spawning, which lasted less than 20 seconds. Spawning involved one female and one or more males in midwater of the tank. Just after release of eggs by a female, one or a few males followed the female and spread sperm on the eggs using tail beats. The eggs and milt slowly sank to the bottom. The spawning behavior of Pacific cod differed from the single-pair spawning characterized by ven tral mounting and multiple spawning over a several day period seen in walleye pollock and Atlantic gadid species.
Genitourinary injuries in the newborn.

BACKGROUND
Circumcisions and cesarian sections are common procedures. Although complications to the newborn child fortunately are rare, it is important to emphasize the potential significance of this problem and its frequent iatrogenic etiology. The authors present 7 cases of genitourinary trauma in newborns, including surgical management and follow-up.


METHODS
The authors relate 7 recent cases of genitourinary trauma in newborns from a children's hospital in a major metropolitan area.


RESULTS
Case 1 and 2: Two infants suffered degloving injuries to both the prepuce and penile shaft from a Gomco clamp. Successful full-thickness skin grafting using the previously excised foreskin was used in 1 child. Case 3, 4, and 5: A Mogen clamp caused glans injuries in 3 infants. In 2, hemorrhage from the severed glans was controlled with topical epinephrine; the glans healed with a flattened appearance. Another infant sustained a laceration ventrally, requiring a delayed modified meatal advancement glanoplasty to correct the injury. Case 6: A male infant suffered a ventral slit and division of the ventral urethra before placement of a Gomco clamp. Formal hypospadias repair was required. Case 7: An emergent cesarean section resulted in a grade 4-perineal laceration in a female infant. The vaginal tear caused by the surgeon's finger, extended up to the posterior insertion of the cervix and into the rectum. The infant successfully underwent an emergent multilayered repair.


CONCLUSIONS
Genitourinary trauma in the newborn is rare but often necessitates significant surgical intervention. Circumcision often is the causative event. There has been only 1 prior report of a perineal injury similar to case 7, with a fatal outcome.
Board development practices and competent board members: Implications for performance

This study explores underlying assumptions about board development practices in nonprofit governance. Specifically, a model was developed to determine if using recommended recruitment, board member orientation, and evaluation practices resulted in more competent board members and if the presence of these board members led to better board performance. The sample consisted of 1,051 survey responses from CEOs and board chairs representing 713 credit unions. As member-benefit nonprofit organizations, credit unions rely almost exclusively on voluntary board members in an oversight capacity. Results support the contention that board development practices lead to more capable board members, and the presence of these board members tends to explain board performance. The study advances the understanding of nonprofit board development practices by further defining the concept and proposing an empirically tested assessment strategy. Furthermore, the findings support using specific recruitment practices that should strengthen nonprofit boards.
Has Marijuana Legalization Increased Marijuana Use Among US Youth?

Since 2012, citizens in Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington have voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana by adults. Advocates of legalization have argued that prohibition wastes scarce law enforcement resources by selectively arresting minority users of a drug that has fewer adverse health effects than alcohol.1,2 It would be better, they argue, to legalize, regulate, and tax marijuana, like alcohol.3 Opponents of legalization argue that it will increase marijuana use among youth because it will make marijuana more available at a cheaper price and reduce the perceived risks of its use.4 Cerdá et al5 have assessed these concerns by examining the effects of marijuana legalization in Colorado and Washington on attitudes toward marijuana and reported marijuana use among young people. They used surveys from Monitoring the Future between 2010 and 2015 to examine changes in the perceived risks of occasional marijuana use and self-reported marijuana use in the last 30 days among students in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades in Colorado and Washington before and after legalization. They compared these changes with changes among students in states in the contiguous United States that had not legalized marijuana (excluding Oregon, which legalized in 2014). The perceived risks of using marijuana declined in all states, but there was a larger decline in perceived risks and a larger increase in marijuana use in the past 30 days among eighth and 10th graders from Washington than among students from other states. They did not find any such differences between students in Colorado and students in other US states that had not legalized, nor did they find any of these changes in 12th graders in Colorado or Washington. If the changes observed in Washington are attributable to legalization, why were there no changes found in Colorado? The authors suggest that this may have been because Colorado’s medical marijuana laws were much more liberal before legalization than those in Washington. After 2009, Colorado permitted medical marijuana to be supplied through for-profit dispensaries and allowed advertising of medical marijuana products. This hypothesisissupportedbyotherevidencethattheperceivedrisks of marijuana use decreased and marijuana use increased among young people in Colorado after these changes in 2009.6