Effects of acupuncture treatment on natural killer cell activity,pulse rate,and pain reduction for older adults:an uncontrolled,observational study

OBJECTIVE： The aim of this study was to examine the changes in natural killer （NK） cell activity, pulse rate, and pain intensity among older adults before and after acupuncture treatment. METHODS： Fifty-six individuals （16 males and 40 females）, aged 60 to 82 years （mean age 72.4 ＋ 5.0）, who were experiencing pain in the shoulder, low back, or knee, participated in the study. NK cell activity, leukocyte differentiation （granulocytes and lymphocytes）, pulse rate, and blood pressure values were obtained. Pain intensity was evaluated by using the visual analog scale （VAS）. The Wilcoxon test was used to analyze NK cell activity, leukocytes （granulocyte counts and granulocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio）, and the VAS score in accordance with the location of pain complaints before and after acupuncture treatment. RESULTS： NK cell activity decreased after acupuncture treatment for pain in the shoulder-pain and knee-pain groups. Further, the lymphocyte and granulocyte counts increased after acupuncture treatment for the shoulder-pain group. Pulse rate decreased for the shoulder-pain, low-back- pain, and knee-pain groups after acupuncture treatment. The VAS score decreased after acupuncture treatment for the shoulder-pain, low-back-pain, and knee-pain groups. CONCLUSION： This study showed that in older adults, acupuncture treatment decreases pulse rate, relieves pain in the shoulder, low back, and knee, and reduces NK-cell activity.

IN SITU DAILY GROWTH RATE OF PROCHLOROCOCCUS AT THE CHLOROPHYLL MAXIMUM LAYER IN THE SOUTHERN SOUTH CHINA SEA:AN ESTIMATION FROM CELL CYCLE ANALYSIS

Prochlorococcus is the dominant population of the autotrophs in the oceanic area in theSouth China Sea; and contributes significantly to picoplanktonic (【2μm) carbon biomass. However, thereis no availabe data on its growth the and productivity so far. In the present study, the in situ populationgrowth rate of Prochlorococus at the chlorophyll maximum layer at 6 .3°N, 110°E in the South China

Assessment on Energy Self-Sufficiency Rate for Building Integrated Photovoltaics and Fuel Cell System in Japan

A building integrated photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell (FC) system is proposed for assessment of the energy self-sufficiency rate in a city in Japan. The electricity consumed in the building is mainly supplied by solar panels, while the gap between the energy demand and supply is solved by the FC that is powered by the H2 produced by water electrolysis with surplus power of PV. A desktop case study of using the proposed system in Tsu city which is located in central part of Japan, has been conducted. The results found that the self-sufficiency rates of PV system to electricity demand of households (RPV) during the daytime in April and July are higher than those in January and October. The results also reveal that the self-sufficiency rate of FC system to the electricity demand (RFC) is 15% - 38% for the day when the mean amount of horizontal solar radiation is obtained in January, April, July and October. In addition, it is found the optimum tilt angle of solar panel installed on the roof of the buildings should be 0 degree, i.e., placed horizontally.

Expressions for Entropy Production Rate of Fuel Cells

On the basis of a general model of fuel cells, the entropy production rates of a fuel cell system under different conditions are derived by using theories of electrochemistry and thermodynamics. In order to analyze the influence of the irreversible losses existing in an actual fuel cell, the equivalent circuit of the fuel cell is introduced, so that the irreversible factor of the fuel cell may be determined directly as a function of the internal, leak and load resistances. Moreover, the maximum power output and efficiency of the fuel cell are calculated, the optimal operation of the fuel cell is discussed, and the matching condition of the load resistance is determined.

S Phase Cell Percentage Normalized BrdU Incorporation Rate, a New Parameter for Determining S Arrest

In this study, a new parameter, S phase cell percentage （S fraction） normalized BrdU （SFN-BrdU） incorporation rate, was introduced to detect $ arrest. The results showed a positive linear correlation between the BrdU incorporation rate and the S fraction in unperturbed 16HBE cells. Theoretical analysis indicated that only S arrest could result in a decrease in the SFN-BrdU incorporation rate. Additionally, the decrease in SFN-BrdU incorporation rate and the activation of DNA damage checkpoints further demonstrated that S arrest was induced by diethyl sulfate treatment of 16HBE cells. In conclusion, $FN-BrdU incorporation rate can be used to detecting S arrest.

Translating new data to the daily practice in second line treatment of renal cell carcinoma:The role of tumor growth rate

The therapeutic options for patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma(mRCC) have completely changed during the last ten years. With the sequential use of targeted therapies, median overall survival has increased in daily practice and now it is not uncommon to see patients surviving kidney cancer for more than four to five years. Once treatment fails with the first line targeted therapy, head to head comparisons have shown that cabozantinib, nivolumab and the combination of lenvatinib plus everolimus are more effective than everolimus alone and that axitinib is more active than sorafenib. Unfortunately, it is very unlikely that we will ever have prospective data comparing the activity of axitinib, cabozantinib, lenvatinib or nivolumab. It is frustrating to observe the lack of biomarkers that we have in this field, thus there is no firm recommendation about the optimal sequence of treatment in the second line. In the absence of reliable biomarkers, there are several clinical endpoints that can help physicians to make decisions for an individual patient, such as the tumor burden, the expected response rate and the time to achieve the response to each agent, the prior response to the agent administered, the toxicity profile of the different compounds and patient preference. Here, we propose the introduction of the tumor-growth rate(TGR) during first-line treatment as a new tool to be used to select the second line strategy in m RCC. The rapidness of TGR before the onset of the treatment reflects the variability between patients in terms of tumor growth kinetics and it could be a surrogate marker of tumor aggressiveness that may guide treatment decisions.

Fixed Dose Rate versus Standard Dose Rate Infusion of Gemcitabine and Cisplatin in Advanced Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Background: Comparing the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine at a fixed-dose rate (FDR) infusion (10 mg/m2/min) with the standard dose rate infusion in patients with locally advanced and metastatic non-small squamous cell carcinoma (NSCLC). Methods: The study randomized 60 patients with confirmed diagnosis of NSCLC to receive gemcitabine at a dose of 1000 mg/m2 on days 1 and 8 given as a 30-min infusion (Arm A) or at a rate of 10 mg/m2/min (Arm B). Cisplatin 75 mg/m2 was administered intravenously on day 2 in both arms. Results: No difference in overall response rate (46.6% versus 43.3%). Median time to progression for Arm A was 7 months (95% CI, 6.207 - 7.793 months), versus 6 months for Arm B (95% CI, 4.990 - 7.010 months). Median survival time was comparable [12 months (95% CI, 8.588 - 15.412 months) versus 11 months (95% CI, 9.066 - 12.934 months)] respectively. Two-year survival (18% versus 11%, p = 0.38) was detected. No treatment related deaths occurred. Main hematological toxicities were grade I and II neutropenia, in 36.7% and 53.3% respectively (p = 0.044). Grade III anemia was observed in 10% and 6.7% in both arms respectively (p = 0.024). Grade I and II nausea and vomiting was observed in 50% and 46.7%. Conclusions: FDR gemcitabine in combination with cisplatin had equivalent efficacy and more severe hematologic toxicities compared to the standard 30-min gemcitabine infusion with cisplatin in patients with advanced NSCLC.

Influence of the total gas flow rate on high rate growth microcrystalline silicon films and solar cells

This paper reports that high-rate-deposition of microcrystalline silicon solar cells was performed by very-highfrequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. These solar cells, whose intrinsic μc-Si：H layers were prepared by using a different total gas flow rate （Ftotal）, behave much differently in performance, although their intrinsic layers have similar crystalline volume fraction, opto-electronic properties and a deposition rate of - 1.0 nm/s. The influence of Ftotal on the micro-structural properties was analyzed by Raman and Fourier transformed infrared measurements. The results showed that the vertical uniformity and the compact degree of μc-Si：H thin films were improved with increasing Ftotal. The variation of the microstructure was regarded as the main reason for the difference of the J V parameters. Combined with optical emission spectroscopy, we found that the gas temperature plays an important role in determining the microstructure of thin films. With Ftotal of 300 sccm, a conversion efficiency of 8.11% has been obtained for the intrinsic layer deposited at 8.5 A/s （1 A=0.1 nm）.

Rate Equation of Small Particle-Air Bubble Attachment in Turbulent Flow of Flotation Cells

A rate equation of small particle-air bubble attachment in the turbulent now of flotation cells has beenderived. The equation, integrating both the collision probability and adhesion probability together, represents theprobability of attachment between particle and bubble in the turbulent flow. 'Capture efficiency' f(a) is introducedinto the rate equation to reflect the influence of energy hairier on the attachment rate. Three typical situations of particle-bubble interaction in flotation process have been discussed. For a completely hydrophobic particle-bubble system,f(a) = 1. This means that all collision leads to attachment. Whereas for hydrophilic particle-bubble systems, .f(a) =0. Thus no adhesion of particle on bubble occurs at all. In real notation circumstances, however, there always existsa certain energy barrier between the particle and the bubble. Therefore, f(a) = 0～1. In such cases, not all collisionsresult in particle-bubble attachment.

EFFECTS OF MEDICINAL MOXIBUSTION ON SERUM GASTRIN,URINARY D-XYLOSE EXCRETORY RATE AND T CELL SUBGROUPS IN SPLEEN DEFICIENCY PATIENTS

The medicinal moxa stick made by moxa wool combining with Chinese medicines of supporting the body resistance and strengthening the spleen was used to treat 74 cases of spleen deficiency, the other 41 patients as control were treated by pure moxa stick. After treatment, the serum gastrin, urinary D - xylose excretory rate and T cell subgroups in patients with spleen deficiency have been greatly improved as compared with those before treatment in two groups (P< 0.01 or 0.05). Comparing the changes of the indexes between treatment group and control group, there were significant(P<0.05), or markedly significant(P<0.01) differences. It indicated that the medicinal moxibustion could improve the secreting and absorbing functions of digestive tract and the cellular immune function in patients with spleen deficiency.

THE ANALYSIS OF CELL LOSS RATES IN AN ATM MUX WITH LOSS PRIORITIES

The analysis of cell loss rates in an ATM Mux with loss priorities is an important problem in the-study of traffic control in ATM networks. In this paper, the loss rates of the cells with different priorities in an ATM Mux are analyzed by approximating the actual input process with two-state MMDP and fluid flow technique, and the analytical expressions of the relation between the loss rates and the buffer size are obtained. Simulation shows that the approach is sulliciently accurate for applications.

Decrease of back recombination rate in CdS quantum dots sensitized solar cells using reduced graphene oxide

The photovoltaic performance of CdS quantum dots sensitized solar cells （QDSSCs） using the 0.2 wt% of reduced graphene oxide and TiO2 nanoparticles （RGO＋TiO2 nanocomposite） photoanode is investigated. CdS QDs are adsorbed onto RGO＋TiO2 nanocomposite films by the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction （SILAR） technique for several cycles. The current density-voltage （J-V） characteristic curves of the assembled QDSSCs are measured at AM1.5 simulated sunlight. The optimal photovoltaic performance for CdS QDSSC was achieved for six SILAR cycles. Solar cells based on the RGO＋TiO2 nanocomposite photoanode achieve a 33% increase in conversion efficiency （η） compared with those based on plain TiO2 nanoparticle （NP） photoanodes. The electron back recombination rates decrease significantly for CdS QDSSCs based on RGO＋TiO2 nanocomposite photoanodes. The lifetime constant （τ） for CdS QDSSC based on the RGO＋TiO2 nanocomposite photoanode is at least one order of magnitude larger than that based on the bare TiO2NPs photoanode.

Exploring the thermal stability of lithium-ion cells via accelerating rate calorimetry:A review

Given the importance of lithium-ion cell safety,a comprehensive review on the thermal stability of lithium-ion cells investigated by accelerating rate calorimetry(ARC),is provided in the present work.The operating mechanism of ARC is discussed first,including the usage and the reaction kinetics.Besides that,the thermal stability of the cathode/anode materials at elevated temperatures is revealed by examining the impacts of some significant factors,i.e.,the lithium content,particle size,material density,lithium salt,solvent,additive,binder and initial heating temperature.A comparison of the common cathode materials indicates that the presence of Mn and polyanion could significantly enhance the thermal stability of cathode materials,while the doping of Al also helps to restrain the reactivity.Except for their high capacity,some alloy materials demonstrate more competitive safety than traditional carbon anode materials.Furthermore,the thermal behaviors of full cells under abusive conditions are reviewed here.Due to the sensitivity of ARC to the kinetic parameters,a reaction kinetic modeling can be built on the basis of ARC profiles,to predict the thermal behaviors of cell components and cells.Herein,a shortcircuit modeling is exampled.

Usage of Cox-Regression Model for Forecasting of Survival Rate in Patients with the Early Stage of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

In the past decades a lot of investigations were focused on searching for more accurate markers of lung cancer progression. Researchers indicate that molecular markers may be useful in forecasting of treatment outcome and overall survival rate in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. The aim of our research was to create a forecasting model in order to identify patients with stage I-II of non-small cell lung cancer and dismal prognosis. Our research covered 254 patients with the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer who underwent a cure from June 2008 till December2012 inthe Department of Thoracic Surgery of Zaporizhzhia Regional Clinical Oncologic Dispensary. Surgery was performed for all patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy was performed for 101 patients. In order to carry out multivariate Cox-regression analysis, STATISTICA 6.0 (StatSoft Inc.) program was used. The most significant from 39 variables were selected (tumor size, histological form of tumor, volume of surgical intervention, volume of conducted lymph node dissection, Ki-67 expression, EGFR expression, E-cadherin expression). We propose the computer system which can forecast survival rate in patients with the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer.

Forecasting of Survival Rate in Patients with the Early Stage of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cause of death from oncological diseases all over the world. Primary treatment of patients with the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer is a surgery. However, after surgery 30% - 85% of patients undergo disease progression. In order to improve the results of treatment of patients with non-small cell lung cancer it is necessary to separate a group of patients with dismal prognosis for whom adjuvant chemotherapy will permit improving the survival rate. The aim of our research was to create a forecasting model with a view to detect the patients with the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer and dismal prognosis. Our research covered 254 patients with the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer who underwent a cure from June 2008 till December 2012 in the department of thoracic surgery of Zaporizhzhia Regional Clinical Oncologic Dispensary. In order to identify the factors connected with the risks of low survival rate of patients with the early stage of non-small cell lung cancer after curative treatment (surgical treatment, adjuvant chemotherapy), a method of design of neural network models of classification was used. 39 factors were taken for input characteristics. During investigation two forecasting models were built. As follows from the analysis of first forecasting model with the increase of the patient’s BMI, the risk of low patient survival rate statistically and significantly (p = 0.03) decreases, OR = 0.89 (95% CI 0.80 - 0.99) for each kg/m2 index value. The risk of low patient survival rate also decreases (p = 0.02) if he has a squamous cell carcinoma, OR = 0.36 (95% CI 0.15 - 0.88) compared with other histological forms of tumor. The connection between the risk of low patient survival rate and the volume of surgical intervention was discovered (p = 0.01), OR = 3.19 (95% CI 1.29 - 7.86) for patients who underwent a pulmonectomy compared with patients who underwent an upper bilobectomy. As follows from the analysis of second forecasting model with the increase of the patient’s BMI the risk of low patient survival rate statistically and significantly (p = 0.01) decreases;OR = 0.84 (95% CI 0.74 - 0.96) for each kg/m2 index value. It is found that with the increasing level of EGFR expression in the primary tumor, the risk of low patient survival rate statistically and significantly increases (p = 0.04), OR = 1.39 (95% CI 1.01 - 1.90) for each graduation rate. The risk of low patient survival rate also increases when conducting the lymph dissection in the volume D0 - D1.

Energy Assessment of Building Integrated Photovoltaics and Fuel Cell Systems: Design Study for Building(s) of Mie, Japan

A building integrated energy system (photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell (FC)) is proposed for assessment of the energy self-sufficiency rate in five cities of Mie prefecture in Japan. In this work, it is considered that the electricity requirement of the building is provided by the building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system and the gap between the energy demand and BIPV supply is fulfilled by the FC. The FC is powered by the electrolytic H2 produced from the surplus power of PV. A design study of using the proposed system in five cities in Mie prefecture, which are in center part of Japan, has been performed. It has been observed that the monthly power production from BIPV is higher in spring and summer, while it is lower in autumn and winter at all considered locations. The self-sufficiency rate of the FC system is higher with decreasing households’ number and it has been observed that the 12 households are more suitable for full cover of the electricity demand by the combined system of PV and FC. The relationship between the households’ number and self-sufficiency rate of the FC system per solar PV installation area can be expressed by exponential curve. The coefficient of the exponential curve can predict the suitable city for the BIPV system with FC system utilizing electrolytic H2 generated by using excess energy from the PV system.

Achievable Uplink Rate Analysis for Distributed Massive MIMO Systems with Interference from Adjacent Cells

This work focuses on the multicell multi-user distributed massive MIMO(DM-MIMO)systems,of which each user is equipped with single antenna and the base stations(BSs)consists of distributed antenna units. We first investigate the arbitrary BS antenna topology scenario. The derivation indicates that in this case the achievable uplink rate of an arbitrary user in central cell depends on both the number of BS's antennas and the users' access distance to each distributed antenna unit(DAU). As a result,the performance analysis based on the derivations is difficult. To overcome this issue and achieve clearer insight,we then consider a circularly distributed BS antenna array and obtain the asymptotic uplink rate of an arbitrary user by considering the asymptotic case where the number of antennas of BSs tends to infinity. It is achieved that the asymptotic uplink rate only depends on the distance from users' position to the center of reference cell. The presented numerical results show clearly that the distributed massive MIMO systems outperform the centralized ones. Moreover,it is also achieved that the interference from the adjacent cells imposes great impact on system performance. Besides this,in numerical analysis the averageasymptotic uplink rate of a user is presented,which is free of the users' position and only depends on the radius of circular antenna arrays. It is achieved the maximum average uplink rate would be achieved when the radius of circularly distributed antenna array goes to its optimization location.

Studies on the Construction Parameter of an Artificial Occluded Cell for In-situ Inspection of the Propagation Rate of Localized Corrosion

An artificial localized corrosion system is assembled and some parameters related to the localized corrosion in active dissolution state (i.e., non-passive state) have been studied. The results showed that the developed electrochemical system can satisfactorily imitate a naturally formed localized corrosion and the coupling current can indicate the maximum localized propagating rate. In this artificial system, the anodic dissolution reaction followed the auto-catalytic mechanism. The localized corrosion current density was dependent on the area ratio R of the cathode to the occluded anode. While R was equal to or more than 6, the coupling current reached at a maximum value and did not alter with the increase in R-value. Therefore, R=7 is chosen as one of these optimum parameters used in constructing the system, with which the biggest galvanic current might be obtained. In contrast, the thickness of the polymer filler separating the occluded anode area from the bulk electrolyte solution and the volume of the occluded anode area did not affect the corrosion current obviously. They might affect the response time to approach a steady state.

Tuning of neocortical astrogenesis rates by Emx2 in neural stem cells

Generation of astrocytes within the murine developing cerebral cortex mainly takes place during the first postnatal week, after neuronogenesis and prior to the bulk of oligogenesis. This process involves a great variety of highly complex regulatory mechanisms. Astrocytic outputs depend on two primary factors： progressive commitment of multipotent precursors to astroglial fates and proper tuning of proliferation of astrocyte-committed progenitors. To date, several regulatory mechanisms have been identified for the former process, while very little is known about modulation of astroblast proliferation （reviewed in Mallamaci,

Energy Characteristics of an Integrated Power Generation System with Photovoltaic and Fuel Cell

An integrated energy system (with photovoltaic (PV) and fuel cell (FC) for building) is proposed and assessed in term of its energy self-sufficiency rate in seven cities (Nagoya, Toyota, Tajimi, Takayama, Ogaki, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka) in Tokai region in Japan in this paper. In this work, it is considered that the electricity requirement of the building for household users is provided by a building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system and the gap between the energy demand and BIPV supply is fulfilled by the FC. The FC is powered by the electrolytic H2 produced when PV power was in surplus. Based on the study of applying the proposed system in seven cities, which clarifies the effectiveness of the integrated BIPV, electrolytic H2 and FC power generation system, a universal system model has been developed in this paper. It has been observed that the monthly power production from BIPV as well as FC system are higher in spring and summer, while they are both lower in autumn and winter at all considered locations. The self-sufficiency rate of the FC system is higher with decreasing households’ number and it has been observed that 16 is the most appropriate number of households in a building, whose electricity demand could be fully covered by the integrated PV and FC system. Due to its climate condition, Hamamatsu is the best city in the region for installing the proposed system. The correlation between the households’ number and self-sufficiency rate of the FC system per solar PV installation area can be expressed by the regression curve in the form of y = ax-b well.