LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of processed green and ripe mango peel and pulp flours (Mangifera indica var. Chokanan) in terms of chemical composition, antioxidant compounds and functional properties.

BACKGROUND
Mango is a highly perishable seasonal fruit and large quantities are wasted during the peak season as a result of poor postharvest handling procedures. Processing surplus mango fruits into flour to be used as a functional ingredient appears to be a good preservation method to ensure its extended consumption.


RESULTS
In the present study, the chemical composition, bioactive/antioxidant compounds and functional properties of green and ripe mango (Mangifera indica var. Chokanan) peel and pulp flours were evaluated. Compared to commercial wheat flour, mango flours were significantly low in moisture and protein, but were high in crude fiber, fat and ash content. Mango flour showed a balance between soluble and insoluble dietary fiber proportions, with total dietary fiber content ranging from 3.2 to 5.94 g kg⁻¹. Mango flours exhibited high values for bioactive/antioxidant compounds compared to wheat flour. The water absorption capacity and oil absorption capacity of mango flours ranged from 0.36 to 0.87 g kg⁻¹ and from 0.18 to 0.22 g kg⁻¹, respectively.


CONCLUSION
Results of this study showed mango peel flour to be a rich source of dietary fiber with good antioxidant and functional properties, which could be a useful ingredient for new functional food formulations.
Accelerated biological ageing in HIV-infected individuals in South Africa: a case–control study

OBJECTIVES
Little is known about the impact of HIV infection on biological ageing in sub-Saharan Africa. The study aimed to assess biological ageing in South African HIV-infected adults and HIV-seronegative individuals using two validated biomarkers, telomere length and CDKN2A expression (a mediator of cellular senescence).


DESIGN
A case-control study.


METHODS
Two hundred and thirty-six HIV-infected adults aged at least 30 years and 250 age and sex frequency matched HIV-seronegative individuals were recruited from clinics in township communities in Cape Town. Biological ageing was evaluated by measurement of telomere length and CDKN2A expression in peripheral blood leukocytes.


RESULTS
The median ages of the HIV-infected and HIV-seronegative participants were 39 and 40 years, respectively. Among HIV-infected participants, 87.1% were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART), their median CD4⁺ cell count was 468 cells/μl and 84.3% had undetectable viral load. Both biomarkers were validated against chronological age in HIV-seronegative individuals. Telomere length was significantly shorter in HIV-infected individuals than in HIV-seronegative individuals (mean relative T/S ratio ±SE:0.91 ± 0.007 vs. 1.07 ± 0.008, P < 0.0001). CD2NKA expression was higher in HIV-infected participants than in HIV-seronegative individuals (mean expression: 0.45 ± 0.02 vs. 0.36 ± 0.03, P = 0.003). Socioeconomic factors were not associated with biological ageing in HIV-infected participants. However, in participants on ART with undetectable viral load, biomarker levels indicated greater biological ageing in those with lower current CD4⁺ cell counts.


CONCLUSION
Telomere length and CDKN2A expression were both consistent with increased biological ageing in HIV-infected individuals. Prospective studies of the impact of HIV on biological ageing in sub-Saharan Africa are warranted.
Post-Soviet and Liberal Transitions: Wherefore, to What Effect, and How?

In Pursuit of Liberalism: International Institutions in Postcommunist Europe. By Rachel A. Epstein. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008. 288 pp., $55.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 987-0-801-88977-6).

Economic Liberalism and Its Rivals: The Formation of International Institutions among the Post-Soviet States. By Keith A. Darden. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 366 pp., $90.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-86653-8).

Transnational Actors in Central and East European Transitions. By Mitchell Orenstein, Stephen Bloom, Nicole Lindstrom. Pittsburg, PA: University of Pittsburg Press, 2008. 272 pp., $27.95 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-822-95994-6).

The fall of communism in Central and Eastern Europe and the dismemberment of the Soviet Union have arguably been the most important events in the contemporary international relations. They detonated momentous changes in the political, economic, and military landscapes of the formerly communist states thus setting off a natural experiment in broad transformations in the countries that endured decades of central planning and communism. Because of the unique and world-historic quality of these transformations and far-reaching implications of these reforms, they have attracted significant academic following, and have been a subject of growing scholarly concern. The early studies of liberal and post-Soviet transitions deliberated the optimal ways to transform the postcommunist states focusing on the sequence and pace of reforms as well as the country-specific initial conditions (Hardt and Kaufman 1995; Woo, Parker, and Sachs 1997). The recent scholarship expanded conceptual boundaries of transition and integrated the move toward a complex interdependence in Europe besides the democratic and market reform. It shifted accents from internal to transnational forces and began examining the precise role played by various international actors—non-governmental and international organizations, corporations, foundations, Church, just to name a few—in the transitional reforms. The books under review are a notable addition to this recent wave of literature on the transnational dimension of post-Soviet and liberal transitions.

Why do states liberalize despite the apparent contradiction of these reforms to their domestic preferences, political autonomy, and national tradition? This is the central puzzle of Rachel A. Epstein's monograph, In Pursuit of Liberalism . She underscores the role played by international institutions in mobilizing domestic support for reforms, and elucidates the conditions for the success of mobilization. Epstein contends that the ability of international institutions to cultivate support for reforms hinges on the degree of uncertainty in the policies in transition, the …
CHAINS OF OWNERSHIP , REGIONAL TAX COMPETITION , AND FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT

This paper considers the effect of taxation on the location of foreign direct investment (FDI) and taxable income reported by multinational firms with particular attention to the regional dynamics of tax competition and the role of chains of ownership. Confidential affiliate-level data are used to compare the investment and income-reporting behavior of American-owned foreign affiliates across ownership forms and regions. Ten percent higher tax rates are associated with 5.0 percent lower FDI, controlling for parent company and observable aspects of local economies, and 0.9 percent lower returns on assets, controlling for parent company and level of FDI. Tax effects are particularly strong within Europe, where ten percent higher tax rates are associated with 7.7 percent lower FDI and 1.7 percent lower returns on assets. Indirectly owned foreign affiliates also exhibit strong tax effects, ten percent higher tax rates being associated with 12.0 percent lower FDI and 1.4 percent lower returns on assets. American firms finance a growing fraction of their foreign operations indirectly through chains of ownership, which now account for more than 30 percent of aggregate foreign assets and sales. Ownership chains are particularly concentrated among European affiliates. Since multinational firms from countries other than the United States face tax environments similar to those faced by indirectly owned affiliates of American companies, these results suggest a greater sensitivity of FDI to taxes for non-American firms. The results also suggest that European economic integration may have the effect of intensifying tax competition between European jurisdictions. Mihir A. Desai C. Fritz Foley James R. Hines Jr. Harvard Business School University of Michigan University of Michigan Morgan 363 Business School Business School Soldiers Field 701 Tappan Street 701 Tappan Street Boston, MA 02163 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234 mdesai@hbs.edu ffoley@umich.edu jrhines@umich.edu
Phase II study of the combination carboplatin and paclitaxel in patients with ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND
Recently the feasibility of combining carboplatin with paclitaxel has been demonstrated in dose-finding studies. Maximum tolerated doses were 550 mg/m2 and 200 mg/m2 (three hours), respectively. We report now a phase II study in ovarian cancer patients.


PATIENTS AND METHODS
Twenty-one chemo-naïve patients with optimally (n = 6) or suboptimally (n = 15) debulked stage III or IV ovarian cancer were treated every three weeks for six courses with paclitaxel (200 mg/m2) as a three-hour infusion, immediately followed by carboplatin (550 mg/m2) as a 30-minute infusion.


RESULTS
Uncomplicated neutropenia was the principal toxicity, with mild anemia occurring regularly. As observed in the preceding phase I study, a relative lack of thrombocytopenia, generally grade III was found. Other toxicities consisted of mild neurotoxicity, nausea and vomiting, alopecia, myalgia, and bone pain. All suboptimally debulked patients responded to therapy. Overall, 12 patients underwent second-look laparoscopy, which revealed a pathologically confirmed complete remission in six. The median follow-up interval at the time of analysis was 14 months. Twelve patients are currently free of progression, at 8+ to 19 +/- months after the start of therapy.


CONCLUSION
The carboplatin/paclitaxel combination appears to be a well-tolerated regimen, yielding high response rates. This combination has now gone forward to be evaluated in prospective randomized trials versus the cisplatin/paclitaxel combination.
Multiplayer activities that develop mathematical coordination

Four computer applications are presented that encourage students to develop “mathematical coordination” — the ability to manipulate numerical variables in cooperation with other students so as to achieve a definite goal. The programs enable a form of computer-supported cooperative learning (CSCL). In this paper we describe the rationale and design of the programs, the results of an informal evaluation, and possible future work. The games were developed using a special software and hardware environment that facilitates the rapid prototyping of computer-based cooperative-learning materials. This research is part of an ongoing project entitled “Mathematics Experiences Through Image Processing” whose objective is to develop and test educational materials that introduce K-12 students to mathematical ideas within the context of digital image processing activities.
[Circumcision affects glans penis vibration perception threshold].

OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of circumcision on the glans penis sensitivity by comparing the changes of the glans penis vibrotactile threshold between normal men and patients with simple redundant prepuce and among the patients before and after the operation.


METHODS
The vibrotactile thresholds were measured at the forefinger and glans penis in 73 normal volunteer controls and 96 patients with simple redundant prepuce before and after circumcision by biological vibration measurement instrument, and the changes in the perception sensitivity of the body surface were analyzed.


RESULTS
The G/F (glans/finger) indexes in the control and the test group were respectively 2.39 +/- 1.72 and 1.97 +/- 0.71, with no significant difference in between (P > 0.05). And those of the test group were 1.97 +/- 0.71, 2.64 +/- 1.38, 3.09 +/-1.46 and 2.97 +/- 1.20 respectively before and 1, 2 and 3 months after circumcision, with significant difference between pre- and post-operation (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSION
There is a statistic difference in the glans penis vibration perception threshold between normal men and patients with simple redundant prepuce. The glans penis perception sensitivity decreases after circumcision.
Living a private life in public social networks: An exploration of member self-disclosure

a r t i c l e i n f o In this article, the author examines voluntary self-disclosure phenomenon among social networking sites. Self-disclosure enables member interactions, service customizations, targeted marketing, and digital content generation; hence the level of self-disclosure is imperative to the success of social networking sites. Yet, members are often reluctant to reveal themselves despite their desire for socialization in the ever-increasingly popular cyber community. Drawing upon relevant literature, we developed a succinct research model that identifies key stimuli and inhibitors of member self-disclosure. These influences stem from personality traits (e.g., extroversion and privacy value), networking service attributes (e.g., perceived critical mass), and computing environments (e.g., perceived Internet risk). The research model was validated through survey data collected from 222 social networking site users and the analysis results provided support to the hypothesized relationships. The current study generates new knowledge concerning the roles that varying factors play in shaping members' self-disclosure; it also informs networking service providers about how to better encourage members to reveal themselves online. Until recently, social networking sites have grown rapidly on the In-ternet. These sites allow members to create personal profiles, manage personal connections, and interact with other members with similar interests [9]. Due to the support in the management of personal networks, these websites have attracted millions of online users. As of February 2012, Pew Internet found that 66% of online adults use social networking sites [10]. Facebook alone, for example, attracted 995 million monthly active users in June 2012, with about 80% of users residing outside of the United States and Canada [26]. Social networking sites are considered by many as the " greatest invention of the past decade " [5] and the " best invention of the 21st century " [31]. These websites have made significant impacts on general society because they create brand new frontiers for interpersonal communications and interactions [36,79,101]. Academia recognizes this impact; several research streams exist within the realm of social networking studies, including self-presentation [8,60], network topology [33,44], and adoption [80,84]. However, less is known about member self-disclosure. Self-disclosure refers to any personal information one shares with others [20]. This may include " any information exchange that refers to the self, including personal states, dispositions, events in the past, and plans for the future " [24]. New knowledge in this regard is imperative to the long-term sustainability of social networking sites for four …
Early Predictors of Health-Related Quality of Life Outcomes in Polytrauma Patients with Spine Injuries: A Level 1 Trauma Center Study

Study Design Retrospective review on clinical-quality trauma registry prospective data. Objective To identify early predictors of suboptimal health status in polytrauma patients with spine injuries. Methods A retrospective review on a prospective cohort was performed on spine-injured polytrauma patients with successful discharge from May 2009 to January 2011. The Short Form 12-Questionnaire Health Survey (SF-12) was used in the health status assessment of these patients. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were applied to investigate the effects of the Injury Severity Score, age, blood sugar level, vital signs, brain trauma severity, comorbidities, coagulation profile, spine trauma-related neurologic status, and spine injury characteristics of the patients. Results The SF-12 had a 52.3% completion rate from 915 patients. The patients who completed the SF-12 were younger, and there were fewer patients with severe spinal cord injuries (American Spinal Injury Association classifications A, B, and C). Other comparison parameters were satisfactorily matched. Multivariate logistic regression revealed five early predictive factors with statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05). They were (1) tachycardia (odds ratio [OR] = 1.88; confidence interval [CI] = 1.11 to 3.19), (2) hyperglycemia (OR = 2.65; CI = 1.51 to 4.65), (3) multiple chronic comorbidities (OR = 2.98; CI = 1.68 to 5.26), and (4) thoracic spine injuries (OR = 1.54; CI = 1.01 to 2.37). There were no independent early predictive factors identified for suboptimal mental health-related qualify of life outcomes. Conclusion Early independent risk factors predictive of suboptimal physical health status identified in a level 1 trauma center in polytrauma patients with spine injuries were tachycardia, hyperglycemia, multiple chronic medical comorbidities, and thoracic spine injuries. Early spine trauma risk factors were shown not to predict suboptimal mental health status outcomes.
State of the art in simulation-based optimisation for maintenance systems

Recently, more attention has been directed towards improving and optimising maintenance in manufacturing systems using simulation. This paper aims to report the state of the art in simulation-based optimisation of maintenance by systematically classifying the published literature and outlining main trends in modelling and optimising maintenance systems. The authors investigate application areas and published real case studies as well as researched maintenance strategies and policies. Much of the research in this area is focusing on preventive maintenance and optimising preventive maintenance frequency that will lead to the minimum cost. Discrete event simulation was the most reported technique to model maintenance systems whereas modern optimisation methods such as Genetic Algorithms was the most reported optimisation method in the literature. On this basis, the paper identifies the current gaps and discusses future prospects. Further research can be done to develop a framework that guides the experimenting process with different maintenance strategies and policies. More real case studies can be conducted on multi-objective optimisation and condition based maintenance especially in a production context. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hormonal regulation of circulating C-reactive protein in men.

increase leukocyte capture, various experimental conditions, such as the antibody fixing time, incubation time, and leukocyte concentration, were optimized. The results for the CD45 immobilization experiments showed that various experimental conditions, such as antibody fixing time, incubation time, and leukocyte concentration, affected the leukocyte capture efficiencies. We identified the following optimized conditions: 37 °C, 16-h antibody fixation, 120-min incubation time, and 5.0 ϫ 10 5 leuko-cytes/mL, as determined by hemocytometer counting. Seven monoclonal antibodies for a set of leukocyte surface antigens (including CD13, CD15, CD33, CD34, HLA-DR, CD14, and CD45) have been immobilized on a modified slide (left side of Fig. 1). On the slide we spotted CD45 as the positive control spot and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as the negative control spot. CD13, CD15, CD33, CD34, and HLA-DR are positive for M2a leukemia, and CD14 is negative for M2a leukemia (9). Leukocytes from 11 patients with leukemia M2a were incubated with the slides. Four spots (CD13, CD15, CD34, and CD14) are shown in the image on the right in Fig. 1. The spots with leukocytes indicate the existence of associated cell surface antigens, and the cell counts on these spots could be used to obtain the phenotype of the leukemia. Table 1 shows the total experimental results of all 8 spots for 11 patients. The results are in agreement with the flow cytometric results. Acute leukemia displays characteristic patterns of surface antigens (CD antigens), which facilitate their identification and proper classification and hence play an important role in instituting proper treatment plans (1). In current practice, the surface antigens of cells in acute leukemia are analyzed by two-, four-, or six-color flow cytometry (10). However, cell immuno-chip technology can also detect cell surface antigens and might be convenient for identifying and confirming the patterns of a large number of surface antigens simultaneously and, perhaps, achieving high throughput. (2002AA2Z2041 and 2004AA30207), and the Jiangsu post-doctoral project. We are grateful to the Hospital of Southeast University for supplying the human blood samples. relevance of immunophenotyping in 379 patients with acute myeloid leuke-mia. A novel method of cell separation based on dual parameter immunomagnetic cell selection. Development of a microfabricated cytometry platform for characterization and sorting of individual leukocytes. cerebrospinal fluid central memory CD4 ϩ T cells: evidence for trafficking through choroid plexus and meninges via P-selectin. The plasma concentration of C-reactive protein (CRP), measured by high-sensitivity methods, is a reliable marker …
DNA damage, aging, and cancer.

N Engl J Med 2009;361:1475-85. Copyright © 2009 Massachusetts Medical Society. DNA damage has emerged as a major culprit in cancer and many diseases related to aging. The stability of the genome is supported by an intricate machinery of repair, damage tolerance, and checkpoint pathways that counteracts DNA damage. In addition, DNA damage and other stresses can trigger a highly conserved, anticancer, antiaging survival response that suppresses metabolism and growth and boosts defenses that maintain the integrity of the cell. Induction of the survival response may allow interventions that improve health and extend the life span. Recently, the first candidate for such interventions, rapamycin (also known as sirolimus), has been identified.1 Compromised repair systems in tumors also offer opportunities for intervention, making it possible to attack malignant cells in which maintenance of the genome has been weakened. Time-dependent accumulation of damage in cells and organs is associated with gradual functional decline and aging.2 The molecular basis of this phenomenon is unclear,3-5 whereas in cancer, DNA alterations are the major culprit. In this review, I present evidence that cancer and diseases of aging are two sides of the DNAdamage problem. An examination of the importance of DNA damage and the systems of genome maintenance in relation to aging is followed by an account of the derailment of genome guardian mechanisms in cancer and of how this cancerspecific phenomenon can be exploited for treatment.