cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of the Use of Pore Formers on Performance of an Anode supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell

The effects of amount of pore former used to produce porosity in the anode of an anode supported planar solid oxide fuel cell were examined. The pore-forming material utilized was rice starch. The reduction rate of the anode material was measured by Thermogravimetric analysis to qualitatively characterize the gas transport within the porous anode materials. Fuel cells with varying amounts of porosity produced by using rice starch as a pore former were tested. The performance of the fuel cell was the greatest with an optimum amount of pore former used to create porosity in the anode. This optimum is believed to be related to a trade off between increasing gas diffusion to the active three-phase boundary region of the anode and the loss of performance because of the replacement of active three-phase boundary regions of the anode with porosity.
Experiments with Khellin. I. The Preparation of Desmethylkhellin and Some of its Derivatives

Khellin (2-methyl-5,8-dimethoxyfurochromone), C14H12O5 when refluxed with hydrobromic acid, yields a partially demethylated compound named by us as desmethylkhellin (2-methyl-5-hydroxy-8-methoxyfurochromone), C12H10O5. It occurs as deep yellow prisms, m. p. 201′. Methylation of desmethylkhellin with either diazomethane or methyl iodide results in the formation of khellin. The acetyl derivative of desmethylkhellin was prepared in the usual manner. The ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, allyl, carbethoxymethyl, acetamido, phenacyl, and beta-diethylaminoethyl derivatives were prepared by refluxing the appropriate halide with desmethylkhellin in acetone with anhydrous potassium carbonate. Hydrolysis of the carbethoxymethyl derivative yielded carboxymethyldesmethylkhellin.
Association between depression and survival or disease recurrence in patients with head and neck cancer enrolled in a depression prevention trial.

Background. To determine if depression portends a worse prognosis in patients with head and neck cancer, we conducted a retrospective chart analysis of subjects who participated in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of citalopram for the prevention of depression during head and neck cancer treatment. Thirty-five patients were randomized, 34 with 1 or more evaluations form the basis of this report. Methods. We used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), with a minimum follow-up of 24 months if no evidence of disease, or until recurrence or death from disease. Results. Fourteen of 34 subjects were depressed at any time during the 16 week RCT (HAMD >15). Seven of the 14 subjects in the depressed group were dead from disease or had recurrence, compared to 4 of 20 who never developed depression (p = .03). Stage of disease was equivalent in the 2 groups. Conclusion. This study suggests that depression in patients with head and neck cancer reduces survival. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009
Using the wechsler memory scale-revised to detect and characterize memory deficits in multiple sclerosis

Abstract The Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) and measures of word-finding, vocabulary, and depression were administered to 45 patients with definite multiple sclerosis (MS) and to 25 age-, sex-, and education-matched normal controls. MS patients performed significantly more poorly as a group than did normal controls on all five WMS-R indexes, demonstrating the sensitivity of the WMS-R to memory impairment in MS. Three subgroups of MS patients with different levels and patterns of WMS-R performance were identified using cluster analysis. One subgroup (20%) exhibited marked global impairment in attention/short-term memory, learning, and long-term memory. Another subgroup (56%) had intact attention/short-term memory but displayed milder deficits in learning and long-term memory. Performance of the remaining 24% was intact. There was suggestive evidence that relapsing/progressive MS patients were more likely than others to be globally impaired, but extent of impairment was not related to other demograph...
Propensity score‐based nonparametric test revealing genetic variants underlying bipolar disorder

Association analysis has led to the identification of many genetic variants for complex diseases. While assessing the association between genes and a disease, other factors can play an important role. The consequence of not considering covariates (such as population stratification and environmental factors) is well-documented in genetic studies. We introduce a nonparametric test of association that adjusts for covariate effects. Specifically, the adjustment is realized through weights that are constructed from genomic propensity scores that summarize the contribution of all covariates. The benefit of our test is demonstrated through an important data set on bipolar disorder (BD) collected by the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium. When compared to other tests, our test identified an unreported region with three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 16 that show strong evidence of association (P-value <5 × 10(-7)). This region is near the RPGRIP1L gene known to be associated with BD. A haplotype block including these three SNPs was further discovered to be strongly associated with BD. It is also interesting to note that our nonparametric test did not reveal strong signals at two SNPs that were detected by a covariate-adjusted parametric test. This suggests that different methods of covariate adjustment can complement each other. Thus, we recommend using both parametric and nonparametric testing. Additionally, we performed simulation studies to compare our proposed test with the unadjusted test and an adjusted parametric test. Our finding underscores the importance of accommodating and controlling for covariate effects in discovering genetic variants associated with complex disorders.
Female mating preferences for male morphological traits used in species and mate recognition in the Mexican sailfin mollies, Poecilia velifera and Poecilia petenensis

We tested whether sexually selected morphological traits in the sailfin mollies, Poecilia velifera and Poecilia petenensis, are also used in species recognition. Our first experiment, using live males as stimuli and providing females with olfactory as well as visual cues, found that females of both sailfin species preferred conspecific males to males of shortfin species. However, neither species preferred conspecific males when compared with heterospecific sailfin males, suggesting that premating reproductive isolation is not well developed between them. Our second experiment, providing females with only visual cues when distinguishing between live males, found that females of P. velifera preferred the larger of 2 stimulus males, regardless of whether the larger male was a conspecific or an heterospecific sailfin male. Such a preference for the larger sized male was not found in P. petenensis .T o further investigate the role of the dorsal ‘‘sailfin’’ in species recognition, we used model males that varied only in the species identity of their dorsal fins. Females of both sailfin species preferred conspecific models with conspecific sailfins to those with dorsal fins of the shortfin species. In addition, females of P. velifera preferred the model with the largest sailfin, regardless of species identity. Similarly to the live male experiments, females of P. petenensis did not distinguish between conspecific and heterospecific sailfins. Overall, our study suggests that females of P. velifera have a generalized preference for larger males and that species-specific differences in sailfin shape do not lead to premating reproductive isolation between these 2 sailfin species.
Behavior-based control of a non-holonomic robot in pushing tasks

We describe a behavior-based control system that enables a non-holonomic robot to push an object from an arbitrary starting position to a goal location through an obstacle field. The approach avoids the need for maintaining an internal model of the target and obstacles and the potentially high computational overhead associated with traditional path planning approaches for non-holonomic robots. The motor schema-based control system was prototyped in simulation, then evaluated empirically on mobile robots. The approach was demonstrated in two pushing tasks: box pushing and ball dribbling. Using the same generalized control system, a robot is able to successfully push a box through a static obstacle field and dribble a ball into a goal during RoboCup soccer matches. In both cases the robot is able to react quickly and recover from situations where it loses control of its target with due to its own motion or interference with others. Quantitative experimental results for reliability in box pushing are included.
On local algorithms for topology control and routing in ad hoc networks

An ad hoc network is a collection of wireless mobile hosts forming a temporary network without the aid of any fixed infrastructure. Indeed, an important task of an ad hoc network is to determine an appropriate topology over which high-level routing protocols are implemented. Furthermore, since the underlying topology may change with time, we need to design routing algorithms that effectively react to dynamically changing network conditions.The aim of this paper is to explore the limits of communication in wireless mobile networks, concentrating on local-control algorithms for topology control and routing. We analyze the performance of the algorithms under three measures: throughput, which is the rate at which packets can be delivered, space overhead, i.e. the space necessary to buffer packets, and the total energy consumed due to packet transmissions. Energy consumption is an important performance measure for ad hoc networks since the battery power of mobile nodes is usually limited.Towards topology control, we show that for any distribution of nodes in the 2-dimensional Euclidean plane, a simple local algorithm allows to establish and maintain a connected constant degree overlay network that contains energy-efficient paths between every pair of nodes. Towards routing, we present a local routing algorithm that works for arbitrary overlay networks without transmission interference. We show that for any sequence of network changes and packet injections the algorithm is within a constant factor of the optimal, with respect to both throughput and energy, when compared to what a best possible routing algorithm can achieve under the same sequence of network changes and injection. We then combine the topology control and routing algorithms to obtain competitive wireless communication algorithms that account for transmission interference, an important performance-limiting aspect of wireless communication.
Scanning Electron Microscopy of the Human Fallopian Tube

Fallopian tubes from women of reproductive and postmenopausal ages were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The surface topography of these Fallopian tubes is described and illustrated.
Neural correlates of anchoring-and-adjustment during mentalizing

Recent studies have suggested that the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) contributes both to understanding the mental states of others and to introspecting about one's own mind. This finding has suggested that perceivers might use their own thoughts and feelings as a starting point for making inferences about others, consistent with "simulation" or "self-projection" views of social cognition. However, perceivers cannot simply assume that others think and feel exactly as they do; social cognition also must include processes that adjust for perceived differences between self and other. Recent cognitive work has suggested that such correction occurs through a process of "anchoring-and-adjustment" by which perceivers serially tune their inferences from an initial starting point based on their own introspections. Here, we used functional MRI to test two predictions derived from this anchoring-and-adjustment view. Participants (n = 64) used a Likert scale to judge the preferences of another person and to indicate their own preferences on the same items, allowing us to calculate the discrepancy between the participant's answers for self and other. Whole-brain parametric analyses identified a region in the MPFC in which activity was related linearly to this self-other discrepancy when inferring the mental states of others. These findings suggest both that the self serves as an important starting point from which to understand others and that perceivers customize such inferences by serially adjusting away from this anchor.
Dynamic program phase detection in distributed shared-memory multiprocessors

We present a novel hardware mechanism for dynamic program phase detection in distributed shared-memory (DSM) multiprocessors. We show that successful hardware mechanisms for phase detection in uniprocessors do not necessarily work well in DSM systems, since they lack the ability to incorporate the parallel application's global execution information and memory access behavior based on data distribution. We then propose a hardware extension to a well-known uniprocessor mechanism that significantly improves phase detection in the context of DSM multiprocessors. The resulting mechanism is modest in size and complexity, and is transparent to the parallel application.
Necrotic pharyngitis associated with Mycoplasma bovis infections in American bison (Bison bison)

Mycoplasma bovis has emerged as a significant and costly infectious disease problem in bison, generally presenting as severe, caseonecrotic pneumonia. Three diagnostic cases in which M. bovis is associated with necrotic pharyngitis in bison are described in the current study. The bacterium was isolated from lesions of the pharynx or lung of 3 American bison (Bison bison), at 2 different locations in the upper Midwestern United States, with severe, necrotic pharyngeal abscesses. Chronic caseonecrotic inflammation typical of M. bovis infection in bovines was observed microscopically in the pharynxes of affected bison. A mixed population of bacteria was recovered from the pharyngeal lesions, and Trueperella pyogenes, a frequent secondary pathogen in ruminant respiratory disease, was consistently isolated from the affected animals. Distinctive histopathological features of the pharyngeal lesions favor causation by M. bovis, although a role for T. pyogenes in the clinical presentation cannot be excluded. Veterinarians and producers working with bison should be aware that M. bovis may be associated with pharyngitis in bison.
Far-infrared spectrophotometry of Saturn and its rings

Abstract The spectrum of Saturn was measured from 80 to 350 cm −1 (29 to 125 μm) with ≈6- cm −1 resolution using a Michelson interferometer aboard NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory. These observations are of the full disk, with little contribution from the rings. For frequencies below 300 cm −1 , Saturn's brightness temperature rises slowly, reaching ≈111°K at 100 cm −1 . The effective temperature is 96.8 ± 2.5°K, implying that Saturn emits 3.0 ± 0.5 times as much energy as it receives from the Sun. The rotation-inversion manifolds of NH 3 that are prominent in the far-infrared spectrum of Jupiter are not observed on Saturn. Our models predict the strengths to be only ≈2 to 5°K in brightness temperature because most of the NH 3 is frozen out; this is comparable to the noise in our data. By combining our data with those of an earlier investigation when the Saturnicentric latitude of the Sun was B ′ = 21.2°, we obtain the spectrum of the rings. The high-frequency end of the ring spectrum ( ν > 230 cm −1 ) has nearly constant brightness temperature of 85°K. At lower frequencies, the brightness temperature decreases roughly as predicted by a simple absorption model with an optical depth proportional to ν 1.5 . This behavior could be due to mu-structure on the surface of the ring particles with a scale size of 10 to 100 μm and/or to impurities in their composition.
Nutritive Value of Wet Brewers Grains for Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract Forty Holstein cows of high potential for milk production were assigned prepartum to five rations of varying protein percent and source. Protein was 85, 100, and 118% of the requirements recommended by the National Research Council. Within 100 and 118%, supplemental protein was either wet brewers grains or soybean meal. Wet brewers grains constituted 15 and 30% of ration dry matter or approximately 25 and 50% of total intake of concentrate dry matter for the 100 and 118% rations. The trial was the first 140 days of lactation. Production and composition of milk were not different between percents and sources of supplemental protein. However, production was reduced slightly by the unsupplemented ration containing 85% of recommendation. Rumen ammonia nitrogen and urea nitrogen of blood plasma were correlated with intakes of ration protein and soluble nitrogen among all rations and within rations containing soybean meal but not within rations containing wet brewers grains. Calculated energy for wet brewers grains indicated total digestible nutrients of 78% and net energy for lactation of 1.76 Mcal/kg of dry matter. These are approximately 16% greater than those listed by National Research Council.
Pay for performance: can the analytic hierarchy process hasten the day in the public sector?

Abstract In this paper we examine the suitability of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in performance monitoring systems at the state and local levels of government. We find the AHP to be a suitable technique for eliciting weights for developing overall performance scores for public agencies and think it would be useful for tying funding levels to performance levels.
Evaluating Performance of Various Localization Algorithms in Wireless and Sensor Networks

In this paper, recent localization algorithms are analyzed under a common one hop network scenario. The performance of localization is affected by physical parameters in a real wireless environment such as anchor node location and quantity, and error in the measured distance. The numerical analysis presented in this paper can be used to choose among localization algorithms to satisfy practical constraints such as number of anchors, nodes, geometry of anchors and computational efficiency.
Quality Control for Cardiac Surgery in the Veterans Administration

Abstract The volume of cardiac surgical procedures and the 30-day mortality associated with them were reviewed for the total experience of 72 Veterans Administration medical centers over a 10-year period (1975 to 1984). The total number of cardiopulmonary bypass operations increased from 3,074 in 1975 to 6,455 in 1984, whereas operative mortality declined from 8.3 to 4.7%. Operative mortality associated with isolated valve replacement operations declined from 10.9 to 5.9%. Aortocoronary vein bypass operations, which increased in number from 1,679 to 4,988 over the 10-year period, were associated with an operative mortality of 4.7% in 1975 and 3.6% in 1984. The extent of the patient's disease accounted for most of the operative mortality, but problems related to the adequacy of myocardial protection and the surgical technique were also important factors. These data were compared with similar comprehensive statistics compiled by the New York State Department of Health over a five-year period (1979–1983). Operative mortality rates were quite similar for aortocoronary bypass procedures, mitral valve replacements, and total cardiac operations. However, operative mortality for aortic valve procedures was higher among the Veterans Administration hospitals. In the future, if operative risk factors are clearly defined, a more meaningful comparison of operative mortality among ongoing reviews, such as those being carried out by the Veterans Administration and by New York State, could be used to establish standards of performance for cardiac surgery.
Does immune suppression during stress occur to promote physical performance

Two adaptationist hypotheses have been proposed to explain why stress, particularly elevation of stress hormones (i.e. glucocorticoids), tends to suppress immune functions. One is that immune suppression represents efforts to minimize autoimmune responses to self-antigens released as organisms cope with stressors (i.e. the autoimmune-avoidance hypothesis). The other is that immune suppression occurs to promote a shunting of resources to life processes more conducive to survival of the stressor (i.e. the re-allocation hypothesis). Here in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus), we tested the second hypothesis, asking whether sustained elevation of baseline glucocorticoids, due to captivity, caused a greater rate of decline in immune functions than flight performance. A greater decline in immune functions than flight performance would support the re-allocation hypothesis. As in previous studies, we found that captivity tended to alter baseline corticosterone, suggesting that house sparrows experience captivity as a stressor. Captivity also affected several constitutive and induced innate immune metrics: bacterial (Escherichia coli) killing activity of blood and oxidative burst of leukocytes both changed in a manner consistent with immune disregulation. In contrast, breast muscle size and vertical flight (hovering) duration improved over captivity. Collectively, these changes provide indirect support for the re-allocation hypothesis, although within individuals, changes in immune and physical performance were unrelated.
Energy transfer in plasmonic systems

We study cooperative effects in energy transfer (ET) from an ensemble of donors to an acceptor near a plasmonic nanostructure. We demonstrate that, in the cooperative regime, ET takes place from plasmonic superradiant and subradiant states rather than from individual donors leading to a significant increase in ET efficiency. The cooperative amplification of the ET relies on the large coupling of superradiant states to external fields and on the slow decay rate of subradiant states. We show that superradiant and subradiant ET mechanisms are efficient in different energy domains and, therefore, can be utilized independently. We present numerical results demonstrating the amplification effect for a layer of donors and an acceptor on a spherical plasmonic nanoparticle.
Immersed boundary method with non-uniform distribution of Lagrangian markers for a non-uniform Eulerian mesh

This study presents a technique to incorporate spheres in a channel flow that uses a non-uniform Eulerian grid using immersed boundary methods with direct forcing. An efficient algorithm is presented which distributes the Lagrangian markers non-uniformly to match the fluid grid and keep the number of markers optimized. Also a novel method to calculate the area weights of the Lagrangian markers is given. It is observed that even the best available algorithms for uniform distribution of markers on a sphere result in a finite error. Using vector spherical harmonics, this error is quantified and reduced to machine precision. A series of simulations of a stationary and moving sphere in a periodic channel at Reynolds number range of 1-100 are presented. Results for a sphere in an ambient shear flow in close proximity of a wall are also shown, where the present non-uniform distribution offers an order of magnitude reduction over uniform distribution of Lagrangian markers. Simulations of a random cluster of 640 monodisperse spherical particles show a 77% reduction in Lagrangian markers with an error of 0.135% in computing the total drag.
Effect on spermatozoa of tissue fluids encountered in the female reproductive tract

Abstract 1. The human spermatozoon in traversing the female genital tract is confronted with a conduit containing several environmental tissue fluids. These fluids are consecutively vaginal secretion, cervical secretion, uterine mucosal fluid, fluid in the Fallopian tubes which include peritoneal fluid, and follicular fluid surrounding the ovum. 2. Only vaginal fluid decreases the spermicidal and aging time of the spermatozoa. The short duration of contact minimizes any effect on spermatozoa in vivo.
Editorial for International Journal of biomedical Data Mining

Copyright: © 2014 Dong G, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. This issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Data Mining presents two contributed articles. The first article, entitled Data Inventory for Cancer Patients Receiving Radiotherapy for Outcome Analysis and Modeling, authored by Jason Vickress, Rob Barnett and Slav Yartsev, describes a database created for storing and analyzing patient specific data related to pre-treatment condition, treatment planning, and treatment outcomes, for patients receiving radiotherapy based cancer treatment. The proposed database can perform automated analysis regarding quality assurance, dose accumulation for multiple treatments on different machines and can assist physicians in choosing the optimal radiation therapy for new patients. The second article, entitled Likelihood Ratio Test of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium Using Uncertain Genotypes for Sibship Data, authored by Qiong Li, Helene Massam and Xin Gao, is concerned with the problem of testing for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium of genotype frequencies in the area of population genetics. This paper develops an Expectation-Maximization algorithm to estimate the genotype frequencies for sibship data with genotype uncertainty, and develops a likelihood ratio test of HardyWeinberg equilibrium for sibships where parental genotypes are not available and where genotyping errors may exist.
Mitochondrial involvement in myocyte death and heart failure

As the heart is an energy-demanding organ, impaired cardiac energy metabolism and mitochondrial function have been inexorably linked to cardiac dysfunction. There is a growing recognition that mitochondrial dysfunction contributes to impaired myocardial energetics and increased oxidative stress in cardiomyopathies, cardiac ischemic damage and heart failure (HF), and mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening has been reported a critical trigger of myocyte death and myocardial remodeling. It is well established that mitochondria play pivotal roles in intracellular signaling in both cell death as well as in cardioprotective pathways. Moreover, recent studies have shown that defects in mitochondrial dynamics affecting biogenesis and turnover are linked to cardiac senescence and HF. Accordingly, there has been an increasing interest in targeting mitochondria for HF therapy. This article reviews the background and recent evidence of mitochondrial involvement in several types of cell death (apoptosis, necrosis and autophagy) occurring in HF. In addition, potential strategies for targeting mitochondria are examined, and their utility in HF therapy considered.
Peripapillary Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Swelling Predicts Peripapillary Atrophy in a Primate Model of Nonarteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy.

Nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION) is the most common cause of new optic nerve–related vision loss in individuals older than 50 years.1 There currently is no accepted treatment for this disorder. Our laboratory has developed two animal models, one in rodents (rNAION)2 and one in nonhuman primates (pNAION),3 to investigate the pathophysiology of this disorder and to develop treatments for NAION based on these mechanisms of damage. Improvements in optical coherence tomography (OCT) have made it easier to quantify swelling in the fundus that occurs from various pathologic processes. In NAION, the thickness of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (PRNFL), the optic nerve head, and the macular retinal ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer (mRGCIPL) complex are among the variables that can be compared with measures of visual function such as visual acuity and visual field sensitivity to assess the extent and progression of damage. In particular, the mRGCIPL has been shown to correlate with visual field loss in acute NAION but not with final visual field loss.4 Optical coherence tomography measures of swelling, in addition to visual acuity and field loss, have become endpoints in small-sample clinical trials exploring the efficacy of new medical treatments.5,6 Among the advantages that our nonhuman primate NAION model has in exploring the relationship between OCT thickness and structural and functional outcome in NAION are the following: (1) the time of pNAION onset is known; (2) the natural history from disease onset can be rigorously followed; (3) many sources of variablity in noninvasive measurements (i.e., OCT, visual evoked potential [VEP], pattern electroretinogram [PERG]) can be controlled, resulting in consistently high data quality; (4) there is no concomitant systemic pathology; and (5) there is no spontaneous improvement. This last consideration is important when the goal is to determine the absolute relationship among variables, as 40% of patients with NAION experience some degree of spontaneous recovery.7 In this study, we report the relationship between pNAION-induced PRNFL swelling and eventual PRNFL atrophy and loss of optic nerve and ganglion cell function.
Limitations of the correlation between the red cell volume and hemoglobin of blood during pregnancy.

Abstract Correlations of 0.677 and 0.747 were found between the red cell volume and hemoglobin of blood from pregnant women, using potassium oxalate and heparin, respectively, as anticoagulants. Variations were found in about 25 per cent of the cases, in both directions, as shown in Fig. 1. Mean values, with computed ranges to cover individual findings, were established for the red cell volumes and hemoglobin concentration in blood from preg-nant women.
Why Assessment Will Never Work at Many Business Schools: A Call for Better Utilization of Pedagogical Research

On the long and arduous journey toward effective educational assessment, business schools have progressed in their ability to clearly state measurable learning goals and use direct measures of student learning. However, many schools are wrestling with the last stages of the journey—measuring present learning outcomes, implementing curricular/pedagogical changes, and then measuring postchange outcomes to determine if the implemented changes produced the desired effect. These last steps are particularly troublesome for a reason unrecognized in the assessment literature—inadequate statistical power caused primarily by the use of small student samples. Analyses presented here demonstrate that assessment efforts by smaller schools may never provide the statistical power required to obtain valid results in a reasonable time frame. Consequently, decisions on curricular and pedagogical change are too often based on inaccurate research findings. Rather than waste time and resources toward what essentially is a sta...
Research Progress of Genus Usnea

The research progress of genus Usnea(Usneaceae) in biological characteristics,chemical components and bioactivity were reviewed.Its main chemical constituents were lichen acids and lichen polysaccharides.Lichen acids have strong functions of anisepsis,radioresistance,antioxidation,antivirus,etc.Lichen polysaccharides have strong functions of immunity improvement,antioxidation,antitumour,antivirus,etc.
Production by secretagogues of duodenal ulcers in the rat.

Duodenal ulcers were produced in rats by subcutaneous infusion for 48 hr of either of the following secretagogues: histamine, carbachol, pentagastrin. When any two of these secretagogues were administered together, synergism was observed in the ulcerogenic effect. Synergism, or potentiation, is defined as an effect produced by two agents given together that is greater than the sum of the effects produced by each agent when given separately. The ulcers were located opposite to the mesenteric attachment, were often multiple, and extended as far as 4 cm from the pylorus. Their severity ranged from shallow erosions to perforation with peritonitis. When two secretagogues were infused at the same time, the incidence of animals with ulcers, their severity, number, and distance from the pylorus were related to the doses given. Pentagastrin, when administered alone, was the least ulcerogenic agent, but when pentagastrin was given with either histamine or carbachol, the ulcerogenic effect was potentiated. Although the duodenum was consistently ulcerated, the stomach remained intact, except in some animals receiving high doses of secretagogues and dying or dead from peritonitis. It is concluded that: (1) the rat can develop duodenal ulcers; and (2) secretagogues, when infused for 48 hr and especially when combined, can produce such ulcers; (3) the mechanism by which these ulcers develop remains to be elucidated.
Summiting Mount Everest; An Experiential Learning Application for Organizational Behavior

Organizational behavior, often included as core business curriculum, instructs students how individuals and teams successfully work within organizations. This theory-based course, which often utilizes case studies, can be challenging to transform into a hands-on, applied learning approach. This paper presents an experiential course design for organizational behavior around the theme of summiting Mount Everest. This model utilizes a variety of activities, along with a short computer simulation, in order to immerse students into the experience of ascending the famous mountain. Students encounter what it is like to maintain individual motivation, communicate effectively, develop trust within their team, build a culture, and experience conflict and change, all while designing a successful organization. The course begins with researching the individuals who made the first successful summit of Mt. Everest, which is then followed by a simulated summit attempt with their climbing team, and finally, a merger of the teams to create a world-class climbing expedition organization. This experiential learning design creates an environment that challenges students to apply and test approaches, discover solutions and personalize the task to bring greater meaning and learning to organizational behavior theory.
The Stem Cell Hard Sell: Report From a Clinic’s Patient Recruitment Seminar

The growing direct-to-consumer, stem cell clinic industry in the U.S. uses a number of strategies for patient recruitment, including self-styled educational seminars, which may reach thousands of members of the public annually. Here I report on a first-hand experience at such a seminar that I recently attended. Numerous specific medical claims were made at the seminar: no potential for rejection; no side effects, including no pain; proven efficacy for a variety of conditions, including in particular arthritis and pain; and U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. I discuss the potential impact of these kinds of seminars on the public and on the stem cell field. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:14-16.
Sub kW Wind Turbine Emulator (WTE)

Wind power is among the fastest growing renewable sources of energy. A Wind Turbine Emulator (WTE) is a tool that emulates an actual wind turbine and enables the study of different control topologies for electric power generators. This paper presents the development of a sub kW WTE and demonstrates its performance under a highly fluctuating wind profile. The laboratory prototype consists of a permanent magnet dc (PMDC) motor, controlled by a DC-DC converter, coupled with an induction generator that converts the dc motor generated torque to electrical power. System performance and results are discussed.
Control of translational activation by PIM kinase in activated B-cell diffuse large B-cell lymphoma confers sensitivity to inhibition by PIM447

// Tara L. Peters 1 , Lingxiao Li 2 , Ana A. Tula-Sanchez 3 , Praechompoo Pongtornpipat 4 , Jonathan H. Schatz 2 1 Sheila and David Fuente Graduate Program in Cancer Biology, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA 2 Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA 3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA 4 Bio5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA Correspondence to: Jonathan H. Schatz, email: jschatz@miami.edu Keywords: ABC-DLBCL, PIM kinase, cap-dependent translation, B-cell receptor signaling, lymphomagenesis Received: October 05, 2015 Accepted: August 05, 2016 Published: August 20, 2016 ABSTRACT The PIM family kinases promote growth and survival of tumor cells and are expressed in a wide variety of human cancers. Their potential as therapeutic targets, however, is complicated by overlapping activities with multiple other pathways and remains poorly defined in most clinical scenarios. Here we explore activity of the new pan-PIM inhibitor PIM447 in a variety of lymphoid-derived tumors. We find strong activity in cell lines derived from the activated B-cell subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL). Sensitive lines show lost activation of the mTORC1 signaling complex and subsequent lost activation of cap-dependent protein translation. In addition, we characterize recurrent PIM1 protein-coding mutations found in DLBCL clinical samples and find most preserve the wild-type protein’s ability to protect cells from apoptosis but do not bypass activity of PIM447. Pan-PIM inhibition therefore may have an important role to play in the therapy of selected ABC-DLBCL cases.
Antidumping Laws Should Be Consigned to the History Books

Antidumping laws have existed in some form since the early twentieth century. Ostensibly aimed at protecting domestic producers from unfair trade practices, they have frequently been used as weapons of protectionism even when dumping has not occurred. When this happens, some special interest group gains at the expense of the general public. Studies have found that antidumping laws result in a negative-sum game, since the losses exceed the gains, an outcome that violates utilitarian ethical principles. Antidumping laws also violate property and contract rights, since they prevent consenting adults from trading the property they have for the property they want. This paper begins with a review of the theory and practice of antidumping laws, then proceeds to apply ethical principles to determine whether individuals who launch antidumping investigations are acting ethically and concludes that President Barack Obama “needs to be bold on trade” by starting out with correcting the popular view that “dumping” is bad and those who dump should be penalized. Frederic Bastiat pointed out the fallacy of this view in 1845, yet the view is not only still with many American politicians but widely believed to be true among U.S. domestic manufacturers. President Obama should proclaim the following: In a free enterprise economic system, domestic producers have no inherent claim on the funds of consumers. The only ethical way of obtaining consumer funds is through voluntary trade. Using the force of government to obtain the funds (by prohibiting foreign suppliers from competing) puts domestic producers in the role of the aggressor, and in fact makes consumers the real victims. That is exactly what happens when a domestic producer appeals to the government to request an anti-dumping investigation against some foreign producer that is merely taking away business. Therefore, all anti-dumping laws and policies should be abrogated to promote freer trade. A bibliography containing links to more than 100 trade articles is also included.
Financial ties of principal investigators and randomized controlled trial outcomes: cross sectional study

Objective To examine the association between the presence of individual principal investigators’ financial ties to the manufacturer of the study drug and the trial’s outcomes after accounting for source of research funding. Design Cross sectional study of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Setting Studies published in “core clinical” journals, as identified by Medline, between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2013. Participants Random sample of RCTs focused on drug efficacy. Main outcome measure Association between financial ties of principal investigators and study outcome. Results A total of 190 papers describing 195 studies met inclusion criteria. Financial ties between principal investigators and the pharmaceutical industry were present in 132 (67.7%) studies. Of 397 principal investigators, 231 (58%) had financial ties and 166 (42%) did not. Of all principal investigators, 156 (39%) reported advisor/consultancy payments, 81 (20%) reported speakers’ fees, 81 (20%) reported unspecified financial ties, 52 (13%) reported honorariums, 52 (13%) reported employee relationships, 52 (13%) reported travel fees, 41 (10%) reported stock ownership, and 20 (5%) reported having a patent related to the study drug. The prevalence of financial ties of principal investigators was 76% (103/136) among positive studies and 49% (29/59) among negative studies. In unadjusted analyses, the presence of a financial tie was associated with a positive study outcome (odds ratio 3.23, 95% confidence interval 1.7 to 6.1). In the primary multivariate analysis, a financial tie was significantly associated with positive RCT outcome after adjustment for the study funding source (odds ratio 3.57 (1.7 to 7.7). The secondary analysis controlled for additional RCT characteristics such as study phase, sample size, country of first authors, specialty, trial registration, study design, type of analysis, comparator, and outcome measure. These characteristics did not appreciably affect the relation between financial ties and study outcomes (odds ratio 3.37, 1.4 to 7.9). Conclusions Financial ties of principal investigators were independently associated with positive clinical trial results. These findings may be suggestive of bias in the evidence base.
From rapalogs to anti-aging formula

// Mikhail V. Blagosklonny 1 Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY, USA Correspondence to: Mikhail V. Blagosklonny, email: // email: // Keywords : lifespan, longevity, rejuvenation, health, diseases Received : February 17, 2017 Accepted : April 30, 2017 Published : May 22, 2017 Abstract Inhibitors of mTOR, including clinically available rapalogs such as rapamycin (Sirolimus) and Everolimus, are gerosuppressants, which suppress cellular senescence. Rapamycin slows aging and extends life span in a variety of species from worm to mammals. Rapalogs can prevent age-related diseases, including cancer, atherosclerosis, obesity, neurodegeneration and retinopathy and potentially rejuvenate stem cells, immunity and metabolism. Here, I further suggest how rapamycin can be combined with metformin, inhibitors of angiotensin II signaling (Losartan, Lisinopril), statins (simvastatin, atorvastatin), propranolol, aspirin and a PDE5 inhibitor. Rational combinations of these drugs with physical exercise and an anti-aging diet (Koschei formula) can maximize their anti-aging effects and decrease side effects.
MicroRNAs in gynecological cancers: Small molecules with big implications

Gynecological cancers (GCs) are often diagnosed at advanced stages, limiting the efficacy of available therapeutic options. Thus, there remains an urgent and unmet need for innovative research for the efficient clinical management of GC patients. Research over past several years has revealed the enormous promise of miRNAs. These small non-coding RNAs can aid in the diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of all major GCs, viz., ovarian cancers, cervical cancers and endometrial cancers. Mechanistic details of the miRNAs-mediated regulation of multiple biological functions are under constant investigation, and a number of miRNAs are now believed to influence growth, proliferation, invasion, metastasis, chemoresistance and the relapse of different GCs. Modulation of tumor microenvironment by miRNAs can possibly explain some of their reported biological effects. miRNA signatures have been proposed as biomarkers for the early detection of GCs, even the various subtypes of individual GCs. miRNA signatures are also being pursued as predictors of response to therapies. This review catalogs the knowledge gained from collective studies, so as to assess the progress made so far. It is time to ponder over the knowledge gained, so that more meaningful pre-clinical and translational studies can be designed to better realize the potential that miRNAs have to offer.
Abstract 226: Mutual Interactive Factors β-Catenin and Oct4 Regulate Mesp1 Transcription

The b-HLH family protein Mesp1 sits on the top of the regulatory hierarchy of factors that govern cardiac specification. Ectopic expression of Mesp1 drives precocious appearance of cardiac progenitors, while ablation of Mesp1 and its close genetic relative Mesp2 completely blocked the emergence of heart in mouse embryos. Despite its central importance in cardiac specification, the regulation of Mesp1 is largely unknown. In this study, we show several lines of evidences supporting that beta-catenin and Oct4 cooperate in regulating Mesp1 induction. (1) A conserved TCF/Lef-Oct4 composite binding site is identified near the transcription start site of Mesp1. (2) beta-catenin and Oct4 each activates a Mesp1-Luciferase reporter, with beta-catenin being more potent; while together, beta-catenin and Oct4 synergize in activating the Mesp1-Luciferase reporter. Point mutations within the TCF/Lef-Oct4 binding site impair reporter activation by beta-catenin. (3) beta-catenin and Oct4 individually binds to an oligo covering the putative TCF/Lef-Oct4 binging site on Mesp1 promoter, and together they form a ternary complex, as detected by electrophoresis mobility shift assays. (4) Mesp1 induction is absent in cells with null alleles of beta-catenin, or conditional null alleles of Oct4. (5) While a 6K promoter of Mesp1 effectively drives expression of a lacZ reporter at E7.5, mutants affecting the TCF/Lef-Oct4 binding site fail to do so, in transient transgenic assays. Together, our results show that the cooperation between beta-catenin and Oct4, for Mesp1 transcription and cardiac specification substantiate a novel regulatory mechanism governing cell fate determination and cardiac development, which also explain the mechanism of well-established roles of each factor in mesoderm formation and heart development. Such knowledge may be used to establish new technology to generate cardiac cells for therapeutic purposes.
The Emperor's Old Clothes: Constitutional History and the Symbolic Language of the Holy Roman Empire. By Barbara Stollberg‐Rilinger. Translated by Thomas Dunlap. (New York, NY: Berghahn Books, 2015. Pp. x, 332. $120.00.)

Historians have long struggled to explain the nature of the early modern Holy Roman Empire as a polity. Constitutional approaches to this problem, which examine the laws and other official document...