Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phase II Trial of Preoperative Chemotherapy with Docetaxel, Cisplatin and S-1 for T4 Locally Advanced Gastric Cancer

The standard treatment for T4 locally advanced gastric cancer is gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy with S-1 for 12 months; however, prognostic outcome in Stage IIIb has been insufficient. It is expected that survival is improved by preoperative treatment with a triplet regimen of docetaxel, cisplatin and S-1 (divided DCS therapy). A multicenter Phase II study has been conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of two courses of preoperative chemotherapy followed by gastrectomy. Fifty-five patients are required for this study. The primary endpoint of the study is pathological response rate of primary lesions. Secondary endpoints are overall survival, disease-free survival, R0 resection rate and adverse events.
Exploitation of Herbivore-Induced Plant Odors by Host-Seeking Parasitic Wasps

Corn seedlings release large amounts of terpenoid volatiles after they have been fed upon by caterpillars. Artificially damaged seedlings do not release these volatiles in significant amounts unless oral secretions from the caterpillars are applied to the damaged sites. Undamaged leaves, whether or not they are treated with oral secretions, do not release detectable amounts of the terpenoids. Females of the parasitic wasp Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) learn to take advantage of those plant-produced volatiles to locate hosts when exposed to these volatiles in association with hosts or host by-products. The terpenoids may be produced in defense against herbivores but may also serve a secondary function in attracting the natural enemies of these herbivores.
Peripheral arterial disease: prognostic significance and prevention of atherothrombotic complications

The prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in people aged over 55 years is 10%–25% and increases with age; 70%–80% of affected individuals are asymptomatic; only a minority ever require revascularisation or amputation. Patients with PAD alone have the same relative risk of death from cardiovascular causes as those with coronary or cerebrovascular disease, and are four times more likely to die within 10 years than patients without the disease. The ankle–brachial pressure index (ABPI) is a simple, non‐invasive bedside tool for diagnosing PAD — an ABPI less than 0.9 is considered diagnostic of PAD. About half of patients with PAD (defined by an abnormal ABPI) have symptomatic coronary or cerebral vascular disease. The ABPI is an independent predictor of coronary and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality. Patients with PAD require medical management to prevent future coronary and cerebral vascular events. There are currently insufficient data to recommend routine population screening for asymptomatic PAD using the ABPI.
The Relationship Between 5 th Graders' Reading Comprehension, Reading Motivation and Reading Habits

OZET Bu arastirmada icsel ve dissal okuma motivasyonunun okudugunu anlamayi dogrudan ve okuma aliskanligi araciligiyla dolayli olarak etkileme durumu test edilmistir. Arastirma iliskisel tarama modeli cercevesinde yurutulmustur. Arastirmanin calisma grubunu alt, orta ve ust sosyoekonomik duzeye mensup toplam 481 ilkogretim 5. sinif ogrencisi olusturmaktadir. Arastirma sonuclari, icsel motivasyonun okudugunu anlamayi olumlu yonde etkiledigini;rekabet faktoru haric dissal motivasyonun ise olumsuz yonde etkiledigini gostermistir. Ogrencilerin okulda daha cok dissal motivasyon nedeniyle okudugu, kisisel tercihlerine dayali okumalarinda ise icsel motivasyonun etkili oldugu belirlenmistir. Ogrencilerin okuma aliskanliklarinin okudugunu anlama basarisina dogrudan etkisinin olmadigi belirlenmistir. ABSTRACT This study aimed wheter or not reading comprehension was affected directly by intrinsic and extrinsic reading motivation, and indirectly by the mediation of the reading habit. The study group comprised a total of 481 fifth graders from the lower, middle and upper socioeconomic levels. Accoding to the results of the study intrinsic motivation was found to have a positive effect on reading comprehension. It was also found that extrinsic motivation affects reading comprehension negatively but that its "competition" dimension affects reading comprehension positively. The results showed that intrinsic motivation, not extrinsic, is effective when reading  Bu calisma, "Ilkogretim 5. Sinif Ogrencilerinin Okudugunu Anlama, Okuma Motivasyonu ve Okuma Aliskanliklari Arasindaki Iliski" baslikli doktora tezine dayanmaktadir.
It Is All in the Name: A Study of Consumers' Responses to Personalized Communication

ABSTRACT Personalized communication is believed to be an effective persuasion strategy. However, few studies have examined the underlying processes responsible for its effects. This study investigates the role of perceived personalization as a mediating process. Three personalization strategies are compared: raising expectation, identification, and contextualization. The results confirm that perceived personalization mediates the effects of personalized advertising on attention, cognitive responses, and attitude toward the message. The increased attention caused by perceived personalization stimulates both positive and negative thoughts about the message. The findings imply that personalized advertisements have stronger effects when receivers are aware of the personalization elements.
A generalized Bayesian model for tracking long metrical cycles in acoustic music signals

Most musical phenomena involve repetitive structures that enable listeners to track meter, i.e. the tactus or beat, the longer over-arching measure or bar, and possibly other related layers. Meters with long measure duration, sometimes lasting more than a minute, occur in many music cultures, e.g. from India, Turkey, and Korea. However, current meter tracking algorithms, which were devised for cycles of a few seconds length, cannot process such structures accurately. We present a novel generalization to an existing Bayesian model for meter tracking that overcomes this limitation. The proposed model is evaluated on a set of Indian Hindustani music recordings, and we document significant performance increase over the previous models. The presented model opens the way for computational analysis of performances with long metrical cycles, and has important applications in music studies as well as in commercial applications that involve such musics.
Association between statin use and plasma D-dimer levels

Summary D-dimers, specific breakdown fragments of cross-linked fibrin, are generally used as circulating markers of activated coagulation. Statins influence haemostatic factors, but their effect on plasma D-dimer levels is controversial. Therefore, the aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the association between statin therapy and plasma D-dimer levels. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Scopus and EMBASE (up to September 25, 2014) to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the impact of statin therapy on plasma D-dimer levels. Two independent reviewers extracted data on study characteristics, methods and outcomes. Meta-analysis of data from nine RCTs with 1,165 participants showed a significant effect of statin therapy in reducing plasma D-dimer levels (standardised mean difference [SMD]: –0.988 µg/ml, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: –1.590 – –0.385, p=0.001). The effect size was robust in sensitivity analysis and omission of no single study significantly changed the overall estimated effect size. In the subgroup analysis, the effect of statins on plasma D-dimer levels was significant only in the subsets of studies with treatment duration ≥ 12 weeks (SMD: –0.761 µg/ml, 95 %CI: –1.163– –0.360; p< 0.001), and for lipophilic statins (atorvastatin and simvastatin) (SMD: –1.364 µg/ml, 95 % CI: –2.202– –0.526; p=0.001). Hydrophilic statins (pravastatin and rosuvastatin) did not significantly reduce plasma D-dimer levels (SMD: –0.237 µg/ml, 95 %CI: –1.140–0.665, p=0.606). This meta-analysis of RCTs suggests a decrease of plasma D-dimer levels after three months of statin therapy, and especially after treatment with lipophilic statins. Well-designed trials are required to validate these results. Note: The review process for this paper was fully handled by Christian Weber, Editor in Chief.
Responsibility attribution in groups and individuals : A direct test of the diffusion of responsibility hypothesis

Tested the major assumption of the diffusion of responsibility hypothesis (i.e. that group members involved in acts with negative consequences should attribute less responsibility to themselves than either individuals who experience negative consequences or groups or individuals who experience positive consequences). Using 80 male undergraduates, this assumption was tested in a 2 × 2 design in which individuals or groups gave advice that led to success or failure. Group failure Ss assumed less responsibility than Ss in the other 3 conditions. Furthermore, individual failure Ss rated the outcomes as less bad and saw themselves as having less influence over the advisee. Other areas of social psychological research in which the combination of responsibility and negative consequences seems to be a critical factor are discussed. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)
Managing CEO communication and positioning: A cross-national study among corporate communication leaders

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the practices of positioning Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and other top executives in the public sphere and approaches to manage their communication activities. Design/methodology/approach – A neo-institutional framework is used to explain the growth of CEO positioning in mediatisated societies. Research questions are derived from previous research and tested in a quantitative online survey with 512 heads of corporate communication in 21 countries across Europe and a qualitative survey with 42 communication leaders in 12 countries. Findings – The majority of companies position their CEOs and/or other top executives, but only a minority guide these activities through a sound management process. European CEOs are primarily presented based on their functional and ethical competencies. A minority of communication leaders prefer the uniform positioning of their CEOs in different markets; others argue for localised approaches. More companies in high-power dis.
Is Payoff Necessarily Weighted by Probability When Making a Risky Choice? Evidence from Functional Connectivity Analysis

How people make decisions under risk remains an as-yet-unresolved but fundamental question. Mainstream theories about risky decision making assume that the core processes involved in reaching a risky decision include weighting each payoff or reward magnitude by its probability and then summing the outcomes. However, recently developed theories question whether payoffs are necessarily weighted by probability when making a risky choice. Using functional connectivity analysis, we aimed to provide neural evidence to answer whether this key assumption of computing expectations holds when making a risky choice. We contrasted a trade-off instruction choice that required participants to integrate probability and payoff information with a preferential choice that did not. Based on the functional connectivity patterns between regions in which activity was detected during both of the decision-making tasks, we classified the regions into two networks. One network includes primarily the left and right lateral prefrontal cortices and posterior parietal cortices, which were found to be related to probability in previous reports, and the other network is composed of the bilateral basal ganglia, which have been implicated in payoff. We also found that connectivity between the payoff network and some regions in the probability network (including the left lateral prefrontal cortices and bilateral inferior parietal lobes) were stronger during the trade-off instruction choice task than during the preferential choice task. This indicates that the functional integration between the probability and payoff networks during preferential choice was not as strong as the integration during trade-off instruction choice. Our results provide neural evidence that the weighting process uniformly predicted by the mainstream theory is unnecessary during preferential choice. Thus, our functional integration findings can provide a new direction for the investigation of the principles of risky decision making.
Molecular and clinical characterization of TIM-3 in glioma through 1,024 samples

ABSTRACT Background: Researches on immunotherapy of glioma has been increasing exponentially in recent years. However, autoimmune-like side effects of current immune checkpoint blockade hindered the clinical application of immunotherapy in glioma. The discovery of the TIM-3, a tumor-specific immune checkpoint, has shed a new light on solution of this dilemma. We aimed at investigating the role of TIM-3 at transcriptome level and its relationship with clinical practice in glioma. Methods: A cohort of 325 glioma patients with RNA-seq data from Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas (CGGA project) was analyzed, and the results were well validated in TCGA RNA-seq data of 699 gliomas. R language was used as the main tool for statistical analysis and graphical work. Results: TIM-3 was enriched in glioblastoma (the most malignant glioma) and IDH-wildtype glioma. TIM-3 can act as a potential marker for mesenchymal molecular subtype according to TCGA transcriptional classification scheme in glioma. TIM-3 was closely related to immune functions in glioma, especially T cell mediated immune response to tumor cell and T cell mediated cytotoxicity directed against tumor cell target. Moreover, TIM-3 and PD-L1 played almost exactly the same inflammatory activation functions in glioma. Clinically, high expression of TIM-3 was an independent indicator of poor prognosis. Conclusion: The expression of TIM-3 is closely related to the pathology and molecular pathology of glioma. Meanwhile, in glioma TIM-3 plays a specific role in T cell tumor immune response. Therefore, TIM-3 is a promising target for immunotherapeutic strategies, providing an alternative treatment when glioma gains resistance to antibodies of PD-1/PD-L1.
Immunocytochemical demonstration of early appearing astroglial structures that form boundaries and pathways along axon tracts in the fetal brain

During normal development of the mammalian forebrain, the paired cerebral hemispheres are initially separated midsagittally by the connective tissue‐filled longitudinal fissure. During subsequent stages, the hemispheres fuse as basal lamina is remodeled and fibroblasts are eliminated from the fissure to create new central nervous system (CNS) territory in the midline. Two axon pathways, the corpus callosum and dorsal callosal stria, eventually use this region as part of their pathway. In order to assess the possible role of glial cells in the fusion process and in the guidance of axons in this and several other areas of the forebrain, we have analyzed the developing brain in timed cat and mouse embryos with immunohistochemical and morphological techniques. With the use of astroglial‐specific antibodies and electron microscopy, we have visualized two distinct, primitive astroglial structures associated with the cerebral midline, and seven more associated with other specific brain regions. The way in which one of these structures moves as a column along the hemispheric midline in synchrony with seam formation suggests the possibility that during morphogenesis of the telencephalon, astrocytes may aid in the fusion process. In addition, the compact assemblage, early appearance and location of this and the other glial structures in relation to well defined neuroanatomical landmarks or axon pathways suggest that they may transiently compartmentalize relatively large regions of the CNS and organize certain developing fiber systems by acting as guides or barriers at critical stages of ontogeny. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Patterns of students' earning orientations and expectations

The paper investigates students? earning expectations in the context of different motivations towards graduation. Although income benefits of attaining a degree is a thoroughly investigated topic as well as the realization of student wage expectations (see for example, Dominitz and Manski (1996); Betts (1996); (Brunello et al. (2004); Wolter (2001) etc.) there is less emphasis on the earning expectations as a component of learning motivations. Therefore, the main purpose of the study is to define the role of income benefit between the different student expectations.The paper applies explanatory models in order to respond three research questions. Firstly, we examine the position of students? wage orientation among other degree-related values (ie. income-oriented/not income oriented students) and explore its determinants. Secondly, the study analyze the background effects of students? earning expectations. However, unlike the approach of previous research the purpose of this analysis is not to explain the amount of expected income, but also to reveal the causes of differences between the evaluation of individual and average expected earnings (ie. subjective over-/underestimation). Thirdly, by creating a typology on the basis of wage orientations and subjective income-estimations the purpose of the paper is to explore the role of income presumption in students expectations. The research is based on data from the Hungarian Student Survey, fielded in 2012. The institution based online student survey, carried out within the framework of Hungarian Career Tracking System, covers the full range of Hungarian students and contains the data of up to 40,000 person.
Developing skills in counselling and psychotherapy: a scoping review of Interpersonal Process Recall and Reflecting Team methods in initial therapist training

ABSTRACT The authors conducted a scoping review of the peer-reviewed literature associated with Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) and Reflecting Team (RT) methods in order to find evidence for their use within skills development in therapist trainings. Inclusion criteria were: empirical research, reviews of empirical research, and responses to these; RT or IPR for skills development in counsellors/psychotherapists undertaking initial training. Six papers were identified (four IPR, two RT), all from the USA. Of the four IPR papers, three were themselves reviews, the fourth empirical paper being of poor methodological quality. There was some evidence that IPR is more valuable in developing reflective practice than in initial skills training. The small number of RT studies, of varying methodological quality, made it difficult to draw any conclusions about the appropriateness of this method for initial skills training. However, the method appeared to have been broadly welcomed by students for its potential to be inclusive and collaborative. The limitations of this current review are acknowledged, and research recommendations made.
Vertical Eye Movements during Mental Tasks: A Re-Examination and Hypothesis

Previous research has shown that both vertical and lateral eye movements occur during mental tasks, although the neuropsychological basis for such movements remains unclear. Vertical and lateral eye movements were recorded from 24 right-dominant subjects as they performed three different mental tasks: a mental arithmetic task, a visuospatial imagery task, and a proverb interpretation task. Significant upward biases in the direction of the initial eye movement were observed as subjects answered a series of arithmetic and visuospatial questions along with a nonsignificant upward bias following a series of proverbs that subjects had to interpret. By contrast, no consistent lateral eye movement biases were found during any task. The results are interpreted according to Previc's recent theory linking processing in the upper and lower visual fields to ventral versus dorsal posterior cortical activation, respectively.
The effect of increasing speaking rate on acoustic and perceptual measures of nasality in hearing impaired speakers

10 Introduction.11 Normal Speech Production . 11 Abnormal VP Functioning . 12 VP Functioning and Hearing Impairment . 13 Nasality as a Functional Disorder . 15 Nasality as a Structural Disorder . 17 Nasality Due to Other Factors.18 Summary of VP Functioning and Hearing Impairment.20 Effect of Speaking Rate on Normal VP Functioning.20 Effect of Hearing Impairment on Speaking Rate and VP Functioning . 23 Effect of Speaking Rate on Perceptions of Nasality . 24 Summary of the Effect of Speaking Rate on Perceptions of Nasality.25 Statement of the Problem.26
Selection and Validation of Appropriate Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Normalization in Staminate and Perfect Flowers of Andromonoecious Taihangia rupestris

Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) is the most commonly used and powerful method for gene expression analysis due to its high sensitivity, specificity, and high throughput, and the accuracy of this approach depends on the stability of reference genes used for normalization. Taihangia rupestris Yu and Li (Rosaceae), an andromonoecious plant, produces both bisexual flowers and unisexual male flowers within the same individual. Using qRT-PCR technique, investigation of the gene expression profiling in staminate and perfect flowers would improve our understanding of the molecular mechanism in regulation of flower formation and sex differentiation in andromonoecious T. rupestris. To accurate normalize the gene expression level in Taihangia flower, 16 candidate reference genes, including 10 traditional housekeeping genes, and 6 newly stable genes, were selected based on transcriptome sequence data and previous studies. The expressions of these genes were assessed by qRT-PCR analysis in 51 samples, including 30 staminate and perfect flower samples across developmental stages and 21 different floral tissue samples from mature flowers. By using geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and comprehensive RefFinder algorithms, ADF3 combined with UFD1 were identified as the optimal reference genes for staminate flowers, while the combination of HIS3/ADF3 was the most accurate reference genes for perfect floral samples. For floral tissues, HIS3, UFD1, and TMP50 were the most suitable reference genes. Furthermore, two target genes, TruPI, and TruFBP24, involved in floral organ identity were selected to validate the most and least stable reference genes in staminate flowers, perfect flowers, and different floral tissues, indicating that the use of inappropriate reference genes for normalization will lead to the adverse results. The reference genes identified in this study will improve the accuracy of qRT-PCR quantification of target gene expression in andromonoecious T. rupestris flowers, and will facilitate the functional genomics studies on flower development and sex differentiation in the future.