Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Safety, compliance, and predictive parameters for dosage modification in adjuvant S‐1 chemotherapy for gastric cancer

This study was performed to investigate the compliance, safety, dosage modifications (dose reduction and/or schedule change [including permanent S‐1 withdrawal]), and clinical parameters that predict S‐1 dosage modification in gastric cancer patients receiving adjuvant S‐1 chemotherapy. One hundred and forty‐nine patients who underwent curative D2 surgery and received adjuvant S‐1 chemotherapy were enrolled. S‐1 was administered orally (40 mg/m2 twice daily on days 1–28 every 6 weeks) for 1 year. For patients unable to tolerate S‐1, the dosage was reduced or the schedule was changed to a 3‐weekly schedule of 2 weeks on treatment followed by 1 week off treatment. The planned 1‐year treatment was completed in 73.8% of patients; 69 patients required dosage modification because of toxicity. The most frequent cause of dosage modification was enterocolitis (37 patients; defined as ≥ grade 2 abdominal pain and/or ≥ grade 2 diarrhea). Most dosage modification occurred during the early cycles of treatment (within the first 3 months). Severe toxicities (≥ grade 3) included neutropenia (13.4%), abdominal pain (8.1%) and diarrhea (8.1%). In multivariate analyses, decreased relative dose intensity was related to poor disease‐free survival independent of stage, and only low creatinine clearance predicted S‐1 dosage modification. In conclusion, although adjuvant S‐1 therapy has a high compliance rate, meticulous monitoring of adverse events is required in the early period of treatment. Decreased creatinine clearance was the only factor that predicted dosage modification. In patients with creatinine clearance <50 mL/min, dosage reduction should be considered from the initiation of S‐1 treatment. (Cancer Sci 2013; 104: 123–116)
Enhancing college students' understanding of lunar phases

"Astronomy education researchers now know that college students do not enter the introductory astronomy classroom as blank slates, but rather these students enter the classroom with a pre-existing understanding of m any introductory astronomy concepts, including lunar phases. Sometimes this understanding is scientifically correct, b u t often students' understanding is incomplete, inadequate or simply incorrect and cannot explain observed phenomenon. Unfortunately, students' pre-existing understandings are often deeply rooted, and m any students leave the classroom without a scientifically correct understanding of lunar phases. The question now arises, how do instructors develop successful instruction so that students leave the classroom with a scientifically correct understanding of lunar phases? The purpose of this research study was therefore to design instruction that enhances college students’ understanding of lunar phases. This m ulti-phase study utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods to fulfill this purpose by identifying students’ prior understanding of lunar phases, developing the Lunar Phases Concept Inventory (LPCI) to measure conceptual change, designing and evaluating an in-class group activity designed to teach the concept of lunar phases. Using a qualitative phenomenology, fourteen college students’ conceptual understanding of lunar phases was uncovered. This conceptual understanding was organized into a conceptual framework with eight separate dimensions of student understanding, each with alternative facets of student understanding. Based upon this conceptual framework, the LPCI was developed. This instrument consists of fourteen multiple-choice items designed to assess student understanding of lunar phases. Based on a modified Karplus Learning Cycle, an in-class group activity was developed to teach the concept of lunar phases. During the fall semester of 1999, this activity was implemented a t a midwestem university as part of a restructured astronomy course. This activity took only two fifty-minute class periods. Administered prior to and after instruction, the LPCI shows that the instruction was indeed effective. A statistical analysis of the results shows that the instruction produced an effect size of 2.99 and a normalized gain of 0.63. "
Controle postural em indivíduos portadores da síndrome de Down: revisão de literatura

This is a review of literature on postural control in individuals with the Down syndrome, by searching in Medline, Lilacs and Web of Science data bases. Among articles published in the last 16 years, 30 were selected, of which 7 focus on postural control system deficits, such as neurobiological and biomechanical alterations, and 23 focus postural control development (11 articles) and in adolescents and adults (12 articles) with the Down syndrome. The theoretic bases for understanding posture control development and deficits are discussed, in view of their implications for physical therapy practice.
Characterization of the electrical resistance of carbon-black-filled silicone: Application to a flexible and stretchable robot skin

Providing robots with the capability of sensing their surrounding environment is an important feature that would lead to a more intuitive and safe physical human-robot interaction. This paper proposes a new design of homogeneous flexible and stretchable robot skin based on carbon-black-filled (CBF) silicone and conductive fabric that can sense multiple contact locations as well as applied pressure. CBF silicone has been already used in sensing technology but its piezoresistivity is still largely misunderstood. This particular behavior is investigated in this paper through a set of experiments conducted on isolated sensing cells. Using the results of these experiments, a model describing the variation of the resistivity in the CBF silicone as a function of the applied pressure is proposed. Based on this model, a simple way to accurately estimate the applied pressure in real time is demonstrated. Finally, using this improved knowledge of the behaviour of the CBF silicone, the fabrication of a fully functional sensor array is presented. The proposed design has the particularity of circumventing the well-known problem of cross-talk between sensing cells.
Designer and natural peptide toxin blockers of the KcsA potassium channel identified by phage display

Significance Peptide neurotoxins that inhibit specific ion channels are valuable for research and clinical care but unknown for most targets. Here we consider KcsA, an orphan potassium channel with no known toxin. We build a phage-display library expressing natural toxins related to the sea anemone toxin ShK and 1.5 million novel combinatorial variants. Peptides that bind tightly to KcsA are isolated and two are described: Hui1 is novel and specific for KcsA, and HmK is natural and promiscuous. The 3D structure and action of Hui1 validate our strategy and reveal an unexpected basis for channel inhibition wherein an arginine side chain, too large to enter the conduction pathway, interacts with potassium ions traversing the pore from the other side of the membrane. Peptide neurotoxins are powerful tools for research, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Limiting broader use, most receptors lack an identified toxin that binds with high affinity and specificity. This paper describes isolation of toxins for one such orphan target, KcsA, a potassium channel that has been fundamental to delineating the structural basis for ion channel function. A phage-display strategy is presented whereby ∼1.5 million novel and natural peptides are fabricated on the scaffold present in ShK, a sea anemone type I (SAK1) toxin stabilized by three disulfide bonds. We describe two toxins selected by sorting on purified KcsA, one novel (Hui1, 34 residues) and one natural (HmK, 35 residues). Hui1 is potent, blocking single KcsA channels in planar lipid bilayers half-maximally (Ki) at 1 nM. Hui1 is also specific, inhibiting KcsA-Shaker channels in Xenopus oocytes with a Ki of 0.5 nM whereas Shaker, Kv1.2, and Kv1.3 channels are blocked over 200-fold less well. HmK is potent but promiscuous, blocking KcsA-Shaker, Shaker, Kv1.2, and Kv1.3 channels with Ki of 1–4 nM. As anticipated, one Hui1 blocks the KcsA pore and two conserved toxin residues, Lys21 and Tyr22, are essential for high-affinity binding. Unexpectedly, potassium ions traversing the channel from the inside confer voltage sensitivity to the Hui1 off-rate via Arg23, indicating that Lys21 is not in the pore. The 3D structure of Hui1 reveals a SAK1 fold, rationalizes KcsA inhibition, and validates the scaffold-based approach for isolation of high-affinity toxins for orphan receptors.
Learning from Evaluation by Peer Team: A Case Study of a Family Counselling Organization

This qualitative study explores how employees learn from Team Primacy Concept-based employee evaluation and how they use the feedback in performing their jobs. Team Primacy Concept-based evaluation is a type of multirater evaluation. The distinctive characteristic of such evaluation is its peer feedback component during which the employee's performance is discussed by peers in a face-to-face team setting. The study used Kolb's experiential learning model to describe the process by which employees learn from Team Primacy Concept-based employee evaluation and the ways in which they use the knowledge to improve their job performance. The study found eight major dimensions that highlight employee learning as a result of the employees' engagement in the process of Team Primacy Concept-based evaluation.
The effect of single course high dose dexamethasone on CD28/CTLA-4 balance in the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed primary immune thrombocytopenia

To evaluate the effect of a single course of high dose dexamethasone (HD-DXM) on CD28 and CTLA-4 expression in patients with newly-diagnosed primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Twenty-8 ITP patients (18 females and 10 males, age range 18–65 years, median age 38.5 years) enrolled in this study and 26 healthy volunteers (19 women and 7 men, age range 16–66 years, median age 37 years) served as a control group. The patients were treated with HD-DXM (40 mg/day) for 4 consecutive days. CD28 and CTLA-4 expression was assessed by flow cytometry once-monthly for 6 months. Plasma levels of the cytokines IFN-γ and IL-10 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. One month after treatment, a platelet response was observed in 23 (82%) of the patients. The response rates over the next 5 months were 71%, 57%, 53%, 46%, and 39%, chronologically. We observed a significant decrease in CD28 expression after the first month (34.7 ± 4.8% vs. 44.5 ± 4.4% before treatment), after which the CD28 levels gradually increased. In contrast, CTLA-4 expression increased after the first month (3.2 ± 0.5% vs. 0.8 ± 0.4 before treatment), after which the CTLA-4 levels gradually decreased. Similar dynamic changes were seen in the levels of IFN-γ and IL-10. The dynamic changes of CD28 and CTLA-4 were consistent with those of IFN-γ and IL-10 and with the effectiveness of HD-DXM in the treatment of ITP. Our results suggest that a disturbed CD28/CTLA-4 balance may contribute to the immunopathogenesis of ITP.
Organizational Citizenship Behaviour: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study on Ghanaian and Finnish Industrial Workers

Recent studies indicate the influence of national cultural values on Organizational Citizenship Behaviours (OCBs). The current study investigated citizenship behaviours from a cross-national perspective: between Ghanaian industrial workers (N = 320) and their Finnish counterparts (N = 520). Data were collected with Van Dyne, Graham and Dinesch’s (1994) OCB standardized scale. Because job satisfaction is regarded as one of the robust predictors of OCB, analyses were conducted to assess its impact on citizenship behaviours between the two nations. The relationships between employee demographic factors and OCB performances were also analysed. T-test and hierarchical regression analyses were used to test two hypotheses and a research question. Results revealed statistically significant differences between the two samples. Contrary to expectations, Finnish workers were more active in citizenship behaviours than their Ghanaian counterparts. Job satisfaction was once again confirmed as a robust predictor of organizational citizenship behaviours. An attempt to empirically validate the proposition that collectivists would exhibit citizenship behaviours even in the absence of OCB predictors (e.g., satisfying job conditions) was not substantiated. The theoretical and practical implications of the study's findings are discussed. Keywords: Organizational citizenship behaviour, job satisfaction, culture, individualism, collectivism.
A 22,000-Year Record of Monsoonal Precipitation from Northern Chile's Atacama Desert.

Fossil rodent middens and wetland deposits from the central Atacama Desert (22 degrees to 24 degrees S) indicate increasing summer precipitation, grass cover, and groundwater levels from 16.2 to 10.5 calendar kiloyears before present (ky B.P.). Higher elevation shrubs and summer-flowering grasses expanded downslope across what is now the edge of Absolute Desert, a broad expanse now largely devoid of rainfall and vegetation. Paradoxically, this pluvial period coincided with the summer insolation minimum and reduced adiabatic heating over the central Andes. Summer precipitation over the central Andes and central Atacama may depend on remote teleconnections between seasonal insolation forcing in both hemispheres, the Asian monsoon, and Pacific sea surface temperature gradients. A less pronounced episode of higher groundwater levels in the central Atacama from 8 to 3 ky B.P. conflicts with an extreme lowstand of Lake Titicaca, indicating either different climatic forcing or different response times and sensitivities to climatic change.
Incidence, impact on survival, and risk factors for multi‐organ system failure in children following liver transplantation

Abstract: Liver transplantation (LTx) in children currently offers long‐term survival rates of more than 80%. Many causes for Tx failure have been identified. However, the incidence and impact of multi‐organ system failure (MOSF) are, to date, unknown. Therefore, in this study the role of MOSF after LTx in children was investigated with regard to outcome. The data of 114 children (53 girls, 61 boys; median age 4.3 yr) after first LTx were evaluated retrospectively. The definition of MOSF, as used by Wilkinson et al. [Crit Care Med 1986: 14: 271–274], was modified with regard to age‐adjusted values. The influence of MOSF on patient survival was investigated by Kaplan–Meier analysis and multivariate regression analysis. Thirty‐one of 114 children with orthotopic LTx developed MOSF (involving two or more organs). In total, 18 children died (15.8%) during the hospitalization; 16 of these had MOSF. Mortality related to two‐organ failure was 29.4% (n = 5), to three‐organ failure 78% (n = 7), and to four‐organ failure 80% (n = 4). The highest mortality rates were observed in children with central nervous system (CNS) and cardiovascular failure, leading to a decreased probability of survival of 0.40 (p < 0.0001). Multi‐variate analysis showed that CNS and cardiovascular failure were the most important risk factors for survival (p < 0.0001 and 0.056, respectively). Respiratory and renal failure, in univariate analysis, were significant contributors to poor survival, but had no statistically significant influence on outcome in multivariate analysis. Bone marrow insufficiency was found to have no influence on survival in either analysis. In multivariate analysis, the risk of development of MOSF was significantly increased by high numbers of transfused units of fresh‐frozen plasma (FFP), the absence of rejection episodes, or a high bilirubin level prior to Tx. Hence, MOSF is a major factor contributing to the death of children early after LTx. CNS and cardiovascular failure carried the highest risk for a poor outcome. Other risk factors associated with the development of MOSF were: numbers of transfused units of FFP, absence of rejection episodes, and a high pre‐Tx bilirubin level.
Relationship between the intensity of physical activity and depressive symptoms among Korean adults: analysis of Korea Health Panel data

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the intensity of physical activity and symptoms of depression. [Subjects and Methods] We analyzed the influence of different intensities of physical activity on depressive symptoms using the data of 12,350 adults over the age of 20 years who had completed the 2011 Korea Health Panel. After controlling for confounding variables, a multivariable logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the association between the intensity of physical activity and depressive symptoms. [Results] The results showed that vigorous physical activity had a significant effect on depressive symptoms. The incidence of depressive symptoms was 1.487 (95% CI 1.137, 1.943) OR higher among people who did not participate in regular activity than it was among those who took part in regular intense physical activity. [Conclusion] It appears that physical activity affects depressive symptoms, a result which is in agreement with previous studies. However, we also showed a difference in influence according to activity intensity. Thus, the intensity of physical activity should be considered when developing physical activity programs for improving depressive symptoms.
Hippocampal response to visual objects is related to visual memory functioning

The medial temporal lobe participates not only in episodic memory, but also in visual object processing. Here we asked whether these processes are linked within the human hippocampus. To this end, we recorded field potentials directly from the hippocampus proper during a visual object decision task in temporal lobe epilepsy patients with either normal or below normal visual memory performance. Only in patients with normal visual memory, did the hippocampus proper differentiate reliably between real and nonsense objects, whereas neural responses to both kinds of objects were virtually the same in patients whose visual memory performance was reduced. These findings suggest that neural responses to visual objects within the hippocampus proper are directly linked to visual memory performance.
FC-NIRS: A Functional Connectivity Analysis Tool for Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Data

Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), a promising noninvasive imaging technique, has recently become an increasingly popular tool in resting-state brain functional connectivity (FC) studies. However, the corresponding software packages for FC analysis are still lacking. To facilitate fNIRS-based human functional connectome studies, we developed a MATLAB software package called “functional connectivity analysis tool for near-infrared spectroscopy data” (FC-NIRS). This package includes the main functions of fNIRS data preprocessing, quality control, FC calculation, and network analysis. Because this software has a friendly graphical user interface (GUI), FC-NIRS allows researchers to perform data analysis in an easy, flexible, and quick way. Furthermore, FC-NIRS can accomplish batch processing during data processing and analysis, thereby greatly reducing the time cost of addressing a large number of datasets. Extensive experimental results using real human brain imaging confirm the viability of the toolbox. This novel toolbox is expected to substantially facilitate fNIRS-data-based human functional connectome studies.
Antimicrobial and cytotoxic activities of extracts from Sterculia quinqueloba (Garcke) K. Schum and Canthium crassum Hiern

Sterculia quinqueloba (Garcke) K. Schum and Canthium crassum Hiern extracts were evaluated for antimicrobial activity using 96-well-microtitre serial micro-dilution method against Vibrio cholera, Klebsiella oxytoca, Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. All extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity with minimum inhibition concentration range of 0.39 - 12.5 mg/mL. The S. quinqueloba leaf methanolic extract had the highest activity with minimum inhibitory concentration range of 0.78 - 1.56 mg/mL and 0.78 - 1.50 mg/mL against bacterial and fungal species respectively. The lethality test against brine shrimp larvae revealed that S. quinqueloba and C. crassum leaf extracts with LC50 value range of 113.439 - 840.537 µg/mL is non-cytotoxic. The antimicrobial activity and lethality results indicate therapeutic potency of Sterculia quinqueloba and Canthium crassum.
Fast axonal transport of the proteasome complex depends on membrane interaction and molecular motor function

ABSTRACT Protein degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system in neurons depends on the correct delivery of the proteasome complex. In neurodegenerative diseases, aggregation and accumulation of proteins in axons link transport defects with degradation impairments; however, the transport properties of proteasomes remain unknown. Here, using in vivo experiments, we reveal the fast anterograde transport of assembled and functional 26S proteasome complexes. A high-resolution tracking system to follow fluorescent proteasomes revealed three types of motion: actively driven proteasome axonal transport, diffusive behavior in a viscoelastic axonema and proteasome-confined motion. We show that active proteasome transport depends on motor function because knockdown of the KIF5B motor subunit resulted in impairment of the anterograde proteasome flux and the density of segmental velocities. Finally, we reveal that neuronal proteasomes interact with intracellular membranes and identify the coordinated transport of fluorescent proteasomes with synaptic precursor vesicles, Golgi-derived vesicles, lysosomes and mitochondria. Taken together, our results reveal fast axonal transport as a new mechanism of proteasome delivery that depends on membrane cargo ‘hitch-hiking’ and the function of molecular motors. We further hypothesize that defects in proteasome transport could promote abnormal protein clearance in neurodegenerative diseases.
Imperialism, the highest stage of capitalism : a popular outline

The concept of imperialism lies at the heart of Marxist analysis and debate. This text offers a prescient analysis of a world shaken by competitive instability, war and crisis, dominated by monopolies, the merging of finance and industrial capital and fierce territorial competition. Originally published in 1916, it explains how colonialism and World War I were inherent features of the global development of the capitalist economy. The introduction to this edition contrasts Lenin's approach with that adopted by contemporary theories of globalization. It argues that, while much has changed since Lenin wrote, his theoretical framework remains the best method for understanding recent global developments.