Measuring Perceived Effects of Drinking an Extract of Basidiomycetes Agaricus Blazei Murill: A Survey of Japanese Consumers with Cancer

BACKGROUND. To survey cancer patients who consume an extract of the Basidiomycetes Agaricus blazei Murill mushroom (Sen-Sei-Ro) to measure their self-assessment of its effects and to develop an instrument for use in future randomized trials. METHODS. We designed, translated and mailed a survey to 2,346 Japanese consumers of Sen-Sei-Ro self-designated as cancer patients. The survey assessed consumer demographics, cancer history, Sen-Sei-Ro consumption, and its perceived effects. We performed exploratory psychometric analyses to identify distinct, multi-item scales that could summarize perceptions of effects. RESULTS. We received completed questionnaires from 782 (33%) of the sampled Sen-Sei-Ro consumers with a cancer history. Respondents represented a broad range of cancer patients familiar with Sen-Sei-Ro. Nearly all had begun consumption after their cancer diagnosis. These consumers expressed consistently positive views, though not extremely so, with more benefit reported for more abstract benefits such as emotional and physical well-being than relief of specific symptoms. We identified two conceptually and empirically distinct and internally consistent summary scales measuring Sen-Sei-Ro consumers' perceptions of its effects, Relief of Symptoms and Functional Well-being (Cronbach's alpha: Relief of Symptoms, α = .74; Functional Well-Being, α = .91). CONCLUSION. Respondents to our survey of Sen-Sei-Ro consumers with cancer reported favorable perceived effects from its use. Our instrument, when further validated, may be a useful outcome in trials assessing this and other complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) substances in cancer patients.Kyowa-S.S.I., Tokyo, Japa

Adventitious shoot propagation and cultural inputs in nursery production of a primocane-fruiting blackberry selection

Studies were conducted from January to October 2005 to determine the effect of root-cutting length on adventitious shoot yield and the management practices necessary to produce nurseryquality primocane-fruiting blackberry plants. The first portion of the study measured the average number of shoots produced from 7.6 cm- and 15.2 cm-long root cuttings of APF-44 blackberry—a primocane-fruiting genotype from the University of Arkansas breeding program. Cuttings were forced in a shallow bin containing a soilless potting medium. The average number of shoots per root cutting from 7.6 cm- and 15.2 cm- long root cuttings averaged 1.6 and 2.7 shoots per root cutting, respectively. Rooting percentage for collected shoots was nearly 100% regardless of root-cutting length source. A qualitative comparison of shoots from the two roots lengths was similar. The latter part of the study included various treatments on the rooted shoots that might affect the productivity and quality of the final product intended for nursery sales in early fall. With the aim of producing a flowering/fruiting shrub by late September, three treatments were applied: pot dimension, fertilizer rate, and shoot tipping. Fertilizer rate had the greatest impact of all treatments with the higher rate producing larger and more attractive plants. Above-normal summer/fall temperatures may explain lack of fruiting on APF-44 blackberries, but the dimension and size of some plants provided a portion of the intended aesthetic

The Price of Growing Beyond Innocence: Examining the Literary Lineage of Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Through a thorough examination of textual clues in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, particularly those moments in the narrative in which Christopher Boone begins to develop an understanding of his own emotional and developmental limitations, as well as the results of that burgeoning understanding, this essay seeks to establish Haddon’s novel as a subtle homage to—if not the direct progeny of—Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and other noteworthy works of literature in which a fictional protagonist, originally limited mentally or intellectually, suffers emotional anguish brought on by self-awareness resulting from either internal action or external influence

Analysis of Arkansas Fur Harvest Records - 1942-1984: II. Species Accounts

Fur harvest records were maintained by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission on the following 16 furbearers: badger, beaver, bobcat, eastern spotted skunk (civet), coyote, gray fox, long-tailed weasel, mink, muskrat, nutria, opossum, raccoon, red fox, red wolf, river otter, and striped skunk. These harvest records were analyzed for each species in terms of mean pelt price and numbers of pelt sold by region (Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Mississippi Delta) per year. Historical or biological influences important in interpreting species accounts are presented

Analysis of Arkansas Fur Harvest Records - 1942-1984: III. Harvest-Price Relationships

Correlation and linear regression analyses between mean annual pelt price and total harvest of 13 Arkansas furbearer species between 1965 and 1983 were performed for state and regions (Ozark Mountains, Ouachita Mountains, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Mississippi Delta). Statewide, strong correlations (r \u3e 0.80) were identified for bobcat (Felis rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), mink (Mustela vison), nutria (Myocastor coypus), opossum (Didelphis virginiana), and raccoon (Procyonlotor). Moderate correlations (r = 0.55 - 0.79) were identified for eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius), muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus), river otter (Lutra canadensis), and striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). Nonsignificant correlations (r \u3c 0.468) were shown for beaver (Castor canadensis) and long-tailed weasel (Mustela frenata). Regional differences were noted for each species

A Precessing Numerical Relativity Waveform Surrogate Model for Binary Black Holes: A Gaussian Process Regression Approach

Gravitational wave astrophysics relies heavily on the use of matched filtering both to detect signals in noisy data from detectors, and to perform parameter estimation on those signals. Matched filtering relies upon prior knowledge of the signals expected to be produced by a range of astrophysical systems, such as binary black holes. These waveform signals can be computed using numerical relativity techniques, where the Einstein field equations are solved numerically, and the signal is extracted from the simulation. Numerical relativity simulations are, however, computationally expensive, leading to the need for a surrogate model which can predict waveform signals in regions of the physical parameter space which have not been probed directly by simulation. We present a method for producing such a surrogate using Gaussian process regression which is trained directly on waveforms generated by numerical relativity. This model returns not just a single interpolated value for the waveform at a new point, but a full posterior probability distribution on the predicted value. This model is therefore an ideal component in a Bayesian analysis framework, through which the uncertainty in the interpolation can be taken into account when performing parameter estimation of signals.Comment: 13 pages, with 7 figures. Accepted by Physical Review