Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Simple Numerical Approach Towards Improving the Two One‐Sided Test for Average Bioequivalence

For testing average bioequivalence, a simple test that improves upon the two‐one sided test (TOST) is derived. The new test uses a critical value that is a non‐increasing continuous function of the sample standard deviation, and the function is numerically obtained. Simulation results show that the resulting test performs well in terms of type I error probability; in particular, the test avoids the conservatism of the TOST. Consequently, the test provides better power compared to the TOST, especially when the variance becomes large. Numerical results also show that our test results in power that is very similar to the other improved tests available in the literature. An advantage of our improved test is that it is just as easy to carry out as the TOST. An example is used to illustrate the new test. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Dietary fiber intake and mortality in the NIH-AARP diet and health study.

BACKGROUND Dietary fiber has been hypothesized to lower the risk of coronary heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. However, little is known of the effect of dietary fiber intake on total death and cause-specific deaths. METHODS We examined dietary fiber intake in relation to total mortality and death from specific causes in the NIH (National Institutes of Health)-AARP Diet and Health Study, a prospective cohort study. Diet was assessed using a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline. Cause of death was identified using the National Death Index Plus. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate relative risks and 2-sided 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS During an average of 9 years of follow-up, we identified 20 126 deaths in men and 11 330 deaths in women. Dietary fiber intake was associated with a significantly lowered risk of total death in both men and women (multivariate relative risk comparing the highest with the lowest quintile, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.73-0.82; P for trend, <.001] in men and 0.78 [95% CI, 0.73-0.85; P for trend, <.001] in women). Dietary fiber intake also lowered the risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases by 24% to 56% in men and by 34% to 59% in women. Inverse association between dietary fiber intake and cancer death was observed in men but not in women. Dietary fiber from grains, but not from other sources, was significantly inversely related to total and cause-specific death in both men and women. CONCLUSIONS Dietary fiber may reduce the risk of death from cardiovascular, infectious, and respiratory diseases. Making fiber-rich food choices more often may provide significant health benefits.
Comparative Analysis of the Properties of Acid-Base Indicator of Rose (Rosa setigera), Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica), and Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) Flowers

The need to develop effective alternative for synthetic indicators is the demand of present-day chemistry. The acid-base indicator properties of Rose (Rosa setigera), Allamanda (Allamanda cathartica), and Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) flowers were examined. Colour pigments were extracted from the flowers via cold and solvent extraction using soxhlet extractor. The pH value of the extracts with wavelengths of absorption was determined using ultraviolet spectrophotometer. From the results obtained, all the extracts exhibited sharp contrast between their colours in acid and base. Their pH was found to be 5.5 for cold extract of Rose and 5.6 for solvent extraction, 5.24 for cold extract of a Hibiscus and 6.52 for solvent extraction, 5.35 for cold extract of Allamanda, and 5.45 for solvent extraction. The maximum wavelengths of absorption obtained for all the extract fall within the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum. These values are almost similar to that obtained from synthetic indicators. It is on these bases that we concluded that natural indicators could be an excellent replacement for synthetic indicators since they are cheap, readily available, simple to extract, not toxic, user and environmentally friendly.
Fe-Substitution for Ni in Misch Metal-Based Superlattice Hydrogen Absorbing Alloys—Part 2. Ni/MH Battery Performance and Failure Mechanisms

The electrochemical performance and failure mechanisms of Ni/MH batteries made with a series of the Fe-substituted A2B7 superlattice alloys as the negative electrodes were investigated. The incorporation of Fe does not lead to improved cell capacity or cycle life at either room or low temperature, although Fe promotes the formation of a favorable Ce2Ni7 phase. Fe-substitution was found to inhibit leaching of Al from the metal hydride negative electrode and promote leaching of Co, which could potentially extend the cycle life of the positive electrode. The failure mechanisms of the cycled cells with the Fe-substituted superlattice hydrogen absorbing alloys were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma analysis. The failure of cells with Fe-free and low Fe-content alloys is mainly attributed to the pulverization of the metal hydride alloy. Meanwhile, severe oxidation/corrosion of the negative electrode is observed for cells with high Fe-content alloys, resulting in increased internal cell resistance, formation of micro-shortages in the separator and eventual cell failure.
Good clinical guidelines must define the setting, patients and evidence: Benzodiazepines versus droperidol for acute behavioural disturbance in the emergency department

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 50(12) Nor does peer review provide sufficient protection against misrepresentation of evidence from trials, because peer reviewers are denied access to the real data and may also be misinformed and biased towards drug use. Yet pharmaceutical companies ‘claim piously that their publications undergo peer review’ (Carroll, n.d.), and they are supported in this stance by journals and universities that overstate the effectiveness of peer review, because it is a key tenet of their claimed objectivity. Because we cannot trust corporate analyses or the peer review process, Carroll argues that ‘Corporations and investigators should be prohibited from publishing their own in-house statistical analyses’. Instead data should be analysed by regulatory agencies strictly according to registered protocols and analysis plans, in the same way that manufacturing corporations’ scientific evaluations of safety and performance of medical devices are checked by regulators. There is a cheaper alternative to verification by regulatory agency oversight (one that would also be less subject to financial influence, given that regulatory agencies often rely on industry fees). As well as mandatory trial registration and publication of detailed trial methodology, researchers should be obliged to provide access to their data by publishing data summary tables as soon as the study is completed. There should also be efficient mechanisms whereby legitimate researchers could apply for access to patient-level data, with the minimal level of redaction compatible with reasonable privacy requirements (Taichman et al., 2016). Both the original investigators and other researchers wishing to make use of the data could then prepare their own or collaborative analyses and submit them for publication, with research contributions and potential conflicts of interest clearly documented. To address concerns about appropriate recognition and reward for the original researchers, protocols might be needed to protect first opportunity to publish data analysis. Credit would also accrue from producing data that generated publications from other researchers. What is most important is that real authority lies with the data, not any individual interpretation. Too much harm has been done by biased interpretation and publication. We have an obligation, both to those who volunteer to participate in medical research and to those to whom we will prescribe, to ensure data are used honestly and to their maximum potential. We must therefore give priority to data transparency over bids to hide data on grounds of claims about intellectual property or proprietary interests. Declaration of Conflicting Interests
Ragged spiking of free calcium in ADP‐stimulated human platelets: regulation of puff‐like calcium signals in vitro and ex vivo

1 Human platelets respond to agonists of G protein (Gq)‐coupled receptors by generating an irregular pattern of spiking changes in cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i). We have investigated the ADP‐induced Ca2+ responses of single, Fluo‐3‐loaded platelets in the presence or absence of autologous plasma or whole blood under flow conditions. 2 In plasma‐free platelets, incubated in buffer medium, baseline separated [Ca2+]i peaks always consisted of a rapid rising phase (median time 0.8 s) which was abruptly followed by a slower, mono‐exponential decay phase. The decay constant differed from platelet to platelet, ranging from 0.23 ± 0.02 to 0.63 ± 0.03 s−1 (mean ±s.e.m., n = 3–5), and was used to identify individual Ca2+ release events and to determine the Ca2+ fluxes of the events. 3 Confocal, high‐frequency measurements of adherent, spread platelets (diameter 3‐5 μm) indicated that different optical regions had simultaneous patterns of both low‐ and high‐amplitude Ca2+ release events. 4 With or without plasma or flowing blood, the ADP‐induced Ca2+ signals in platelets had the characteristics of irregular Ca2+ puffs as well as more regular Ca2+ oscillations. Individual [Ca2+]i peaks varied in amplitude and peak‐to‐peak interval, as observed for separated Ca2+ puffs within larger cells. On the other hand, the peaks appeared to group into periods of ragged, shorter‐interval Ca2+ release events with little integration, which were alternated with longer‐interval events. 5 We conclude that the spiking Ca2+ signal generated in these small cells has the characteristics of a ‘poor’ oscillator with an irregular frequency being reactivated from period to period. This platelet signal appears to be similar in an environment of non‐physiological buffer medium and in flowing, whole blood.
Thioredoxin reductase inhibition by antitumor quinols: a quinol pharmacophore effect correlating to antiproliferative activity

Novel heteroaromatic‐substituted 4‐hy‐ droxycyclohexa‐2,5‐dienones (quinols) demonstrate po tent in vitro antiproliferative activity and in vivo antitu mor activity in tumor xenografts. The mechanism of action of these promising novel anticancer agents, however, remains to be fully elucidated. The thiore‐ doxin (Trx) system comprising Trx, thioredoxin reduc tase (TrxR), and NADPH participates in a broad range of cellular functions involved in cell survival and pro liferation. Accumulating evidence has indicated that the selenocysteine‐containing mammalian TrxR is a valid molecular target for development of novel cancer therapeutics. In this study, we demonstrate that struc tural analogs containing a quinol pharmacophore inhib ited TrxR with potencies correlated with their antipro liferative and cytotoxic efficacies. Benzenesulfonyl‐6F‐ indole‐substituted quinol (compound 6) irreversibly inhibited TrxR most strongly with a half‐maximal inhib itory concentration of 2.7 μ,M after 1 h of incubation with recombinant rat TrxR. The inhibition was shown to be concentration‐, time‐, and NADPH‐dependent and mediated through a direct quinol attack on the penultimate C‐terminal selenocysteine residue. More over, TrxR activity in lysates of HCT 116 cells treated with apoptosis‐inducing doses of quinols was signifi cantly reduced. From the results obtained, we propose that TrxR inhibition is a critical cellular event that contributes to the proapoptotic effects of quinols. — Chew, E. H. , Lu, J., Bradshaw, T. D. , Holmgren, A. Thioredoxin reductase inhibition by antitumor quinols: a quinol pharmacophore effect correlating to antipro liferative activity. FASEB J. 22, 2072–2083 (2008)
Modeling energetic particle injections in dynamic pulse fields with varying propagation speeds

[1] Dispersionless injections are a ubiquitous characteristic of substorms. They are defined as simultaneous enhancements in the fluxes of electrons and ions of different energies, and they are often observed near or inside geosynchronous orbit. We model dispersionless electron injections by considering the interaction of an earthward propagating electromagnetic pulse with the preexisting electron population. Such simulations have been performed previously [Li et al., 1993, 1998]; however, they assumed a constant propagation velocity for the transient fields. Observations have shown that substorm injections and associated magnetic signatures do not propagate at constant velocities, but rather slow down as they approach the inner magnetosphere. Between 4.5 and 6.6 RE the injection propagation speeds reach surprisingly low values, of the order of 24 km/s. Nonetheless, the injections still remain dispersionless [Reeves et al., 1996]. In our simulation we vary the pulse speed with the radial distance from the Earth to match the reported propagation speeds and demonstrate that dispersionless injections are achievable under such low propagation speeds. In particular, we simulate the dispersionless injections of 12 February 1991 measured at two radially displaced spacecraft (CRRES and LANL 1990–095), when they were both around local midnight.
Retention Rates on RBANS Memory Subtests in Elderly Adults

Identification of memory impairment is important for neuropsychological diagnostic and research applications, and retention rates on verbal and visual memory tests can provide useful information when characterizing a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Although the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) is becoming a popular screening battery for cognitive functions, normative data on retention rates are not available. The retention rates of verbal and visual material were evaluated in a sample of clinical patients (n = 109) compared to a healthy control group (n = 718). Individual subtest retention rates were converted to age-corrected scaled scores based on the cumulative distribution of raw scores obtained by an elderly community-dwelling sample. Compared with the healthy normative sample, the percent retention found for the clinical group was significantly lower on all 3 RBANS memory subtests. These preliminary data suggest that retention rates of the RBANS memory subtests may add to the clinical utility of this test as a neuropsychological diagnostic and research tool.
Molecular Characterization and their Phylogenetic Relationship Based on Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase I of Brinjal Shoot and Fruit Borer, Leucinodes orbonalis (Guenée) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

The brinjal, Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae), often referred as an eggplant or an aubergine in other regions of the world and is grown for its fleshy fruits. It is one of the widely used vegetable crops by most of the people and is popular in many countries, viz., Central, South and South East Asia, some parts of Africa and Central America (Gurubban, 1977). Brinjal is grown throughout the country, all round the year (Choudhary, 1970) and is believed to be cultivated in India for the last 4,000 years. South East Asian countries account for almost 50 per cent of world’s area under brinjal cultivation. In India, the shoot and fruit borer, Leucinodes orbonalis has a countrywide distribution and has been categorized as the most destructive and most serious pest causing huge losses in brinjal (Patil, 1990). The yield loss could be as high as 20-90 per cent in certain conditions in different states (Dhandapani et al., 2003; Kalloo, 1988; Raja et al., 1999; Sasikala et al., 1999; Jhala et al., 2003; Lal et al., 1976). The yield loss due to International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 7 (2017) pp. 2527-2539 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Characterization of VPI Pathogenicity Island and CTXφ Prophage in Environmental Strains of Vibrio cholerae

ABSTRACT Environmental isolates of Vibrio cholerae of eight randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) fingerprint types from Calcutta, India, that were unusual in containing toxin-coregulated pilus or cholera toxin genes but not O1 or O139 antigens of epidemic strains were studied by PCR and sequencing to gain insights intoV. cholerae evolution. We found that each isolate contained a variant form of the VPI pathogenicity island. Distinguishing features included (i) four new alleles oftcpF (which encodes secreted virulence protein; its exact function is unknown), 20 to 70% divergent (at the protein level) from each other and canonical tcpF; (ii) a new allele oftoxT (virulence regulatory gene), 36% divergent (at the protein level) in its 5′ half and nearly identical in its 3′ half to canonical toxT; (iii) a new tcpA (pilin) gene; and (iv) four variant forms of a regulatory sequence upstream oftoxT. Also found were transpositions of an IS903-related element and function-unknown genes to sites in VPI. Cholera toxin (ctx) genes were found in isolates of two RAPD types, in each case embedded in CTXφ-like prophages. Fragments that are inferred to contain only putative repressor, replication, and integration genes were present in two other RAPD types. New possible prophage repressor and replication genes were also identified. Our results show marked genetic diversity in the virulence-associated gene clusters found in some nonepidemic V. cholerae strains, suggest that some of these genes contribute to fitness in nature, and emphasize the potential importance of interstrain gene exchange in the evolution of this species.
Initial Concentration-Time Profile of Gentamicin Determines Efficacy against Enterobacter cloacae ATCC 13047

ABSTRACT In vitro studies were designed to investigate the influence of peak drug concentration (Cmax), the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC), and, consequently, the trough concentration on the bactericidal effects of gentamicin againstEnterobacter cloacae (MIC, 0.5 mg/liter) by simulating bolus versus infusion administration and bolus dosing with altered drug clearance. Bacteria in the lag phase were exposed to gentamicin concentration-time profiles modelling either bolus or infusion dosing (AUC constant, Cmax changing) with 30-min postdose peak concentrations (Cpeak30) of 4, 6, 8, and 10 mg/liter or bolus dosing with normal and double drug clearance (Cmax constant, AUC changing) corresponding to normal clearance profiles withCpeak30 of 6 and 8 mg/liter. Exposure to gentamicin caused early bactericidal effects apparent by 2 h, followed by variable bacteriostatic and recovery phases. Exposure to bolus profiles resulted in greater bactericidal activity than the corresponding infusion profile up to a Cpeak30of 8 mg/liter. At a Cpeak30 of 10 mg/liter, there were no differences in bactericidal effect. Double clearance profiles had a reduced bactericidal effect at 6 mg/liter compared to the corresponding normal clearance profile, but no differences in bactericidal effect were observed for 8-mg/liter double and normal clearance profiles. These results suggest that the initial exposure (i.e., 0 to 30 min) is a more important determinant for bacterial killing than the AUC or trough concentration for this bacterium. Subject to confirmation of these findings with other gram-negative bacteria, to optimize aminoglycoside efficacy the initial exposure (Cmax) should be maximized by giving higher doses or bolus administration at intervals which may not produce detectable trough concentrations. Clinical trials with a broad range of patients, especially those with higher clearance, would confirm these in vitro observations and define optimal dosing recommendations.
Stock Prices, Total Factor Productivity and Economic Fluctuations Some Further Evidence from Japanese and U.S. Sectoral Data

Here we supplement some earlier work (Beaudry and Portier [2004]) with some new evidence obtained from Japanese and U.S. sectoral data. Our results show that (i) In the U.S. as well as for Japan, Stock Prices short run movements incorporate most (all) of the long run shocks to Total Factor Productivity and (ii) the Stock Price news is indeed a shock that does not aect sectoral TFPs on impact, but that increases TFP in the long run in the sectors that are driving TFP growth, namely durable goods, and among them equipment sectors.
Theoretical investigation of microwave breakdown ignition in OMUX filters. A 3D numerical modeling approach

A description of microwave breakdown in output multiplexer filter is presented in this paper. Such a phenomenon can affect the device and cause irreversible damage. It is so necessary to be able to predict the power level which can generate such a microwave breakdown. To study this problem, a multidisciplinary approach with a combination of three fields of science was used: electromagnetic, thermal transfer theory and plasma physics. In this paper new 1D and 3D numerical investigations of microwave breakdown in OMUX filters are presented.
Thromboembolism Prophylaxis and Cesarean Section: A Survey of General Obstetricians

Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) has historically remained a risk factor for obstetric patients, particularly those requiring cesarean section. The objective of this survey was to assess the response of general obstetricians to risk factor considerations for VTE prophylaxis and cesarean section. Methods A survey regarding VTE prophylaxis and cesarean section was sent to 113 obstetricians practicing in suburban Chicago and northern Wisconsin. Results There were 51 responses (45%) to the survey. Most respondents do not routinely use VTE prophylaxis for cesarean section in patients who may have one or more risk factors. Conclusion There appears to be lack of consensus or appreciation for VTE and prophylaxis for cesarean section. Further studies and education are warranted.
New methods for monitoring mitochondrial biogenesis and mitophagy in vitro and in vivo

Removal of damaged mitochondria through mitophagy is critical for maintaining cellular homeostasis and functions. Increasing evidence implicates mitophagy in red blood cell differentiation, neurodegeneration, macrophage-mediated inflammation, ischemia, adipogenesis, drug-induced tissue injury, and cancer. Considerable progress has been made toward understanding the biochemical mechanisms involved in mitophagy regulation. However, few reliable assays to monitor and quantify mitophagy have been developed, particularly in vivo. In this review, we summarize the recent development of three assays, MitoTimer, mt-Keima and mito-QC, for monitoring and quantifying mitophagy in cells and in animal tissues. We also discuss the advantages and limitations of these three assays when using them to monitor and quantify mitophagy. Impact statement Removal of damaged mitochondria through mitophagy is critical for maintaining cellular homeostasis and functions. However, reliable quantitative assays to monitor mitophagy, particularly in vivo, are just emerging. This review will summarize the current novel quantitative assays to monitor mitophagy in vivo.