Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is there a role for epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition in the treatment of advanced esophagogastric tumours

Advanced esophagogastric cancers are aggressive malignancies with an extremely poor prognosis. Palliative chemotherapy remains disappointing, with median survival of <12 months in first line clinical trials. Overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) in up to 80% of these cancers led to clinical trials testing the addition of EGFR-inhibitors (EGFR-I) to standard chemotherapy. Here we provide a perspective on the recent CALGB 80403 (Alliance)/E1206 trial publication which compared the safety and efficacy of three chemotherapy regimens combined with cetuximab and discuss its clinical practice implications. We identified relevant published data for discussion using a PubMed based search strategy and through the reference lists of identified studies. We focused our discussion mainly on the randomised trials that pertained to esophageal and esophagogastric junction tumours to match the population of the study in focus in this perspective.
Classroom Re-Design to Facilitate Student Learning: A Case Study of Changes to a University Classroom.

This case study examines the physical aspects of a particular university classroom, and what affect specific changes to the classroom had on the perceptions of students, instructors and observers regarding the room as an effective learning space. We compare survey and focus group data collected from students taking courses in the classroom prior to changes to the physical environment with comparable data from students taking courses in the same classroom after specific changes had been made. Immediately following changes to the classroom, notable increases were observed in reported perceptions of student satisfaction with the physical environment, including perceptions of the classroom as a more effective and engaging learning space. Similar perceptions of improvement as a teaching-learning space were reported by instructors and observers. However, subsequent follow-up data collection and analyses suggested little if any sustained increase in perceptions of efficacy of the room as a learning space; indeed, most reported variables returned to baseline levels. The implications of these findings and their relevance to classroom design nevertheless may provide insight regarding the manner in which physical space might support or even enhance teaching and learning.
Looking again at current practice in project management

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a survey designed to: capture the “real world” experiences of people active in project management (PM) in Australia, Canada and the UK; determine the extent to which those involved in the management of projects make use of the methods and techniques that are available; and discover how effective the methods and techniques are felt to be.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire comprising 24 questions with a mixture of yes/no, Likert‐scale, multiple choice and open questions was developed. These were designed so that the data gathered could be compared with the results of a similar survey conducted in the UK a decade ago. Professional networks and direct e‐mails were used to distribute the survey electronically to potential respondents who were actively involved in PM in the three countries. A total of 150 responses are used in the analysis, 50 from each country.Findings – The results show that there are many areas where the experiences,.
Website Design, Technological Expertise, Demographics, and Consumer¡¯s E-purchase Transactions

This study investigates the association of e-retaileri¯s website design, the consumersi¯ technological expertise, and some demographic characteristics with e-purchase transactions. The study was conducted on a sample of 290 respondents of Saudi consumers who had online purchase. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between the consumersi¯ technological expertise and their e-purchase transactions. The study also demonstrated no relationship between the e-retaileri¯s website design and the consumersi¯ e-purchase transactions. Regarding demographics and consumersi¯ e-purchase transactions, the study found nonsignificant differences between males and females, as well as among the different levels of education, as opposed to significant differences among the consumeri¯s monthly income levels in favor of higher-income consumers, and among different age levels in favor of the age 35-45 category. To help both marketers and consumers to gain the benefits of e-purchase, the study recommended e-marketers to establish marketing activities that enhance the consumer adoption of e-shopping; giving more concern to order processing as an important strategy for differentiation and positioning. The study also recommended e-retailers to focus on entertaining and luxury products to attract higher-income consumers. Furthermore, the study advised e-retailers to extensively do consumer behavior research as a base to enhance the planning of e-marketing strategies and activities.
Terahertz analysis of an East Asian historical mural painting

Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy and THz and imaging techniques are expected to have great potential for the non-invasive analysis of artworks. We have applied THz imaging to analyse the historic mural painting of a Lamaism temple by using a transportable time-domain THz imaging system; such an attempt is the first in the world. The reflection image revealed that there are two orange colours in the painting, although they appear the same to the naked eye. THz imaging can also estimate the depth of cracks. The colours were examined by X-ray fluorescence and Raman spectroscopy, and the results were found to be in good agreement. This work proved that THz imaging can contribute to the non-invasive analysis of cultural heritage.
Physicochemistry or physiology: cadmium uptake and effects of salinity and osmolality in three crabs of different ecologies

The effects of salinity and osmolality differences on the uptake rates of dissolved cadmium were investigated in 3 crabs of different ecologies — the euryhaline common shore crab Carcinus maenas, the extremely euryhaline Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis, and a more stenohaline crab, the velvet swimming crab Necora puber. This study tests predictions derived from the interpretations of the authors from a study of Zn uptake by the same crabs, in terms of the balance between physicochemical and counteractive physiological effects controlling trace metal uptake rates from solution. As predicted, reduced salinities caused increases in the cadmium uptake rate of E. sinensis as expected from the free metal ion model, with increased free cadmium ion availabilities in conditions of reduced chloride complexation. In the cases of C. maenas and N. puber, however, decreased salinity was associated with reduced cadmium uptake, a result interpreted in terms of a physiological response by these crabs to low salinity offsetting the physicochemical effect of increased free cadmium ion availability. This physiological response may include reductions in apparent water permeability with reduced salinities. Osmolality experiments showed that the physiological responses made by the crabs to decreases in salinity could not be explained simply by responses to changes in osmotic pressure of the medium. The interaction of physiology and physico- chemistry controls rates of trace metal uptake from solution by these ecophysiologically distinct crab species.
Creating a Community of Inquiry in Online Library Instruction

ABSTRACT According to the Community of Inquiry (CoI) model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000), an enriching educational experience online in a collaborative learning environment requires three interdependent elements: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. Social presence provides interaction in the online environment that allows students to feel like they are in a supportive and open environment. Teaching presence refers not just to teacher-student interaction during the lesson or course duration, but also to a teacher's ability to design an effective learning environment. Cognitive presence in the CoI model is knowledge generated from collaborative interaction. This model has been well-studied in the literature, and has been shown to be a meaningful framework for course development. However, more exploration of CoI in relation to library distance instruction is needed. This article describes the Community of Inquiry model and provides information about the three presences and how they can improve online educational environments.
Investors’ Misreaction to Subsequent Bad News

Authors : Liang-Chien Lee, Chih-Hsiang Chang, Ying-Shu Tseng Abstract : Comparing with prior studies mainly focused on the effect of a certain event (it may be the initial announcement of bad news or the repeated announcements of identical bad news) on stock price, the aim of this study is to explore how investors react to subsequent bad news with identical content. Empirical results show that as a result of behavioral pitfalls, investors underreact to the initial announcement of the bad news (i.e., unknown bad news) and overreact to the repeated announcements of the identical bad news (i.e., known bad news).
When is a Question a Question for Children and Adults?

ABSTRACT Terminal changes in fundamental frequency provide the most salient acoustic cues to declarative questions, but adults sometimes identify such questions from pre-terminal cues. In the present study, adults and 7- to 10-year-old children judged a single speaker’s adult- and child-directed utterances as questions or statements in a gating task with word-length increments. Listeners of all ages successfully used pre-terminal cues to identify utterance type, often only the initial word, and they were more accurate for child-directed than adult-directed utterances. There were age-related differences in identification accuracy and number of words required for correct identification. Age differences were already apparent on the initial (first five) utterances, confirming adults’ superior explicit knowledge of intonation patterns that signify questions and statements. Adults’ performance improved over the course of the test session, reflecting taker-specific learning, but children exhibited no such learning.
Dispersion of Phonon Waves in a Binary Alloy of Chromium and Tungsten

I11 recent past enormous efforts have been done in the tlieoreticd and experimental studies of the lattice dynamics of substitutional binary alloys. If we confine our attention to cubic crystals, experimental works on neutron scattering technique are available for some [ 11 421 of tlie important alloys like C U ~ ~ A I ~ , Gel-,Sz, , [31 Rbl-,li, ,cu~-,Au[~] ~ r l , ~ ' 5 ] and ~i l ,~t! ] . It is worth pointing out that the experimentalists faced more difficulty in obtaining the detailed structural information in the phonon spectra of alloys in contrast to pure cryst:ds. On the other hand, theoreticians also have a funda~nental difficulty in developing tlieir models due to thc lack of perfect periodic structure in the alloy forrnation. In a definite manner the theoretical works have a proiiounced influence of the following aspects: (1) Wf~ether the "host" crystal is liglit or heavy in comparisor to tlie impurity atom, and (2) Whether the atomic percent of the impurity atom in the alloy is low or high. It is found that heavy impurities in the light host lattice give rise to resonance modes corresponding to vibrations with rather low frequencies in comparision {,o the liost crystal. Systems with light impurities in heavy host lattices give rise to localized modes. From a theoretical point of view, the occurence of resonance rnodes or localized modes is predicted considering the niass defect and force constant changes as rigorously as ~ossible. Some of tlie well known theories for binary allcys developed so far are those of Elliot and ~ a r a d u d i n [ ~ ] , a ~ l o r [ ~ ] and Mostoller and ~ a ~ l a n [ ~ ] . It is noted that none of the aforesaid theories has equal very have
Generalized Burchnall-Type Identities for Orthogonal Polynomials and Expansions

Burchnall's method to invert the Feldheim-Watson linearization formula for the Hermite polynomials is extended to all polynomial families in the Askey-scheme and its $q$-analogue. The resulting expansion formulas are made explicit for several families corresponding to measures with infinite support, including the Wilson and Askey-Wilson polynomials. An integrated version gives the possibility to give alternate expression for orthogonal polynomials with respect to a modified weight. This gives expansions for polynomials, such as Hermite, Laguerre, Meixner, Charlier, Meixner-Pollaczek and big $q$-Jacobi polynomials and big $q$-Laguerre polynomials. We show that one can find expansions for the orthogonal polynomials corresponding to the Toda-modification of the weight for the classical polynomials that correspond to known explicit solutions for the Toda lattice, i.e. for Hermite, Laguerre, Charlier, Meixner, Meixner-Pollaczek and Krawtchouk polynomials.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns in South South Nigeria

Knowledge about the trends in antimicrobial susceptibility patterns in different settings is very important for rational antibiotic utilization.It is very important in areas where empiric therapy is common. Due to the lack of personnel and equipment, bacterial infections are mostly treated empirically in Nigeria, hence, the knowledge of prevailing antibacterial susceptibility patterns is essential. This study analyses the susceptibility patterns of pathogenic bacteria isolated from the urine and high vaginal swab samples, to commonly used antibacterial agents. The study setting was a general hospital and a private clinic in Rivers State, Nigeria.
Differences in hydrophyte life forms induce spatial heterogeneity of CH4 production and its carbon isotopic signature in a temperate bog peatland

To clarify the effect of differences in hydrophyte life forms on methane (CH4) production and its carbon stable isotopic signature (δ13C‐CH4), we analyzed CH4 and carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations, their stable carbon isotope values, and chemical constituents dissolved in pore water in a small floating peat bog in Japan. Because eutrophication has modified the surrounding water quality, the bog vegetation on the mat has been, in part, replaced by fen‐type vegetation. We hypothesized that differences in hydrophyte habitats affect redox conditions, including dissolved oxygen (DO) in water and therefore the amounts and carbon isotopic values of CH4 and CO2 dissolved in pore water. Between the habitats of two Sphagnum species, DO was considerably higher, and CH4 concentrations were significantly lower in Sphagnum cuspidatum Ehrh. habitats in hollow (DO: 0.62 ± 0.20 mg/L (standard error (SE)) and CH4: 0.18 ± 0.02 mmol/L) than in Sphagnum palustre L. habitats in hummock (DO: 0.29 ± 0.08 and CH4: 0.82 ± 0.06) in pore water (10 cm depth). Both DO and CH4 concentrations in three vascular plant habitats (Rhynchospora fauriei Franch., Phragmites australis [reed], and Menyanthes trifoliata L.) in pore water (10 cm depth) were intermediate relative to the two Sphagnum species. However, CH4 flux in M. trifoliata site was significantly higher than that at both Sphagnum sites, suggesting that the type of gas transport (diffusive or convective via root and stem) affected the depth profile of CH4 concentrations and its flux. δ13C‐CH4 values in pore water also varied among the vegetation types, even within Sphagnum species (e.g., at 10 cm depth, δ13C‐CH4: R. fauriei, −55.3 ± 1.8‰ (SE); P. australis, −57.5 ± 1.6‰; M. trifoliata, −56.7 ± 1.5‰; S. cuspidatum, −71.2 ± 1.4‰; and S. palustre, −60.4 ± 0.6‰). Our results suggest that significant differences arise in CH4 concentration and δ13C‐CH4 values among the hydrophyte habitats even within a small peat bog and that change in vegetation relative to trophic conditions can affect CH4 emissions and associated δ13C‐CH4 values.
Diagnosis of orthopaedic prosthesis infections with radionuclide techniques; clinical application of various imaging methods

A variety of radiopharmaceuticals and imaging techniques are currently available for scintigraphic imaging of infections. However, comparisons on the clinical value of such techniques have been limited, especially in prosthesis infections. This series included 138 cases with suspected prosthesis infections – 94 in hip and 44 in knee prostheses of patients whose final diagnoses were based on clinical, operative and microbiological findings, and who underwent three-phase bone, 99mTc -leukocyte and 99mTc-ciprofloxacin imaging in the Department of Clinical Chemistry, Oulu University Hospital and in the Laboratory, LansiPohja Central Hospital, during the years from 1993 to 2001. The normal arterial and soft-tissue phase images of three-phase bone imaging practically excluded infection in hip prostheses, whereas these techniques frequently yielded false positive findings in patients with knee prostheses, resulting in specificity of 23% or less. In combined 99mTc-leukocyte/ bone imaging, diagnostic accuracy was 80–86% at twoto four-hour images and 87–98% at 24-hour images. The 99mTc-ciprofloxacin images showed unspecific accumulation of tracer in the one-hour and four-hour images, which disappeared in the 24-hour images in most hip and knee prostheses. 99mTc-ciprofloxacin imaging yielded almost as good diagnostic accuracy as combined 99mTcleukocyte/bone imaging. In conclusion, in suspected hip prosthesis infections, normal findings in three-phase bone imaging exclude infection, whereas abnormal results in the arterial and soft-tissue phases should be confirmed with 99mTc-leukocyte imaging using 24-hour images. Contrary-wise, in suspected knee prosthesis infections, 99mTc-leukocyte imaging with 24-hour images is the first-line examination, and abnormal results in 24-hour images should be confirmed by using 99mTc-bone-metabolic imaging. 99mTcciprofloxacin yielded almost equally good results as 99mTc-leukocyte/bone-metabolic imaging, but unfortunately, the tracer is not commercially available, although it has been patented.
A 100 Myr history of the carbon cycle based on the 400 kyr cycle in marine δ13C benthic records

Documenting the past coevolution of Earth temperatures and of the carbon cycle is of paramount importance for our understanding of climate dynamics. Atmospheric CO2 is well constrained over the last million years through direct measurements in air bubbles from Antarctic ice cores. For older times, many different and sometimes conflicting proxies have been suggested. Here we provide a new methodology to constrain the carbon cycle in the past, based on marine benthic δ13C records. Marine δ13C data are recording a persistent 400 kyr cycle, with an amplitude primarily linked to the total amount of carbon in the ocean, or dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). By extracting this amplitude from published records, we obtain a new strong constraint on the 100 Myr history of Earth's carbon cycle. The obtained Cenozoic evolution of DIC is in surprisingly in a good agreement with existing reconstructions of pCO2, suggesting that pCO2 is mostly driven by DIC changes over this period. In contrast, we find no strong decreasing trend in DIC between the Cretaceous and the Cenozoic, suggesting that Cretaceous atmospheric pCO2 levels were limited, and high temperatures at this time should be explained by other mechanisms. Alternatively, high Cretaceous atmospheric pCO2 could occur as a consequence of changes in oceanic chemistry but not carbon content.
Frost Hardiness Expression and Characterisation in Wheat at Ear Emergence

Occasionally, wheat can be exposed to overnight freezing temperatures whilst it is in the early reproductive stage and considerable frost damage can occur. In the vegetative stage, full expression of frost tolerance genes can be gained when plants are exposed to acclimation temperatures (4 °C). Paradoxically, wheat during flowering has limited or no ability to effectively acclimate or re-acclimate and it demonstrates frost sensitivity during this stage. Using a combined approach involving infrared thermography and molecular analysis, the causes and effects of frost-induced damage to wheat during ear emergence were investigated. It was demonstrated that frost damage only occurs to wheat ears if the temperature falls below −5 °C but some ears, and some spikelets on frozen ears do not freeze but supercool and escape freezing. In whole plant freezing experiments, spikelets showed both complete and partial sterility upon maturation and this was linked to parallel infrared observation of detached ears showing full or partial freezing of spikelets. It was hypothesised that wherever spikelet freezing occurred the spikelet was sterile and grain production per ear was drastically reduced, and in contrary, spikelet survival was as a result of supercooling. Molecular analysis of the upregulation of Cbf14 showed that as ear emergence progressed the ability to induce Cbf14 decreased but at early stages of ear emergence Cbf14 was able to be induced by exposure to acclimating temperatures (4 °C). The hypothesis that the lack of the ear to acclimate is because of the incapability to induce the CBF transcription factor was only partially upheld in this investigation. Further work is needed to elucidate more precisely the molecular incompetency for the acclimation of wheat during ear emergence.
Predictive data mining of chronic diseases using decision tree: A case study of health insurance company in Indonesia

This study aims to identify the potential benefits that data mining can bring to the health sector, using Indonesian Health Insurance company data as case study. The most commonly data mining technique, decision tree, was used to generate the prediction model by visualizing the tree to perform predictive analysis of chronic diseases. All the steps in data mining process have been performed by a data mining tool, named WEKA. Additionally, WEKA also was utilized to evaluate the prediction performance by measuring the accuracy, the specificity and the sensitivity. Among the result found in this study shows some factors that the health insurance can take into account when predicting the treatment cost of a patient.
The Strategic Management of Human Capital: Making the Smart Investments in Teachers and Principals.

1 SMHC Overview Corporations have been striving to perfect the ‘people side’ of their operations for decades. Most hunt aggressively for the right talent, train workers to produce at high levels, and reward top performers with promotions and higher pay. In public education, though, school districts have been more passive in managing this vital asset. Most rely on colleges and universities to supply workers, and pay and promote people for experience and education levels rather than for their success in raising student achievement. But as the pressure to improve schools continues to mount — and reform efforts fall short — a growing number of school district leaders, funders, education thinkers, and policymakers are zeroing in on developing ‘human capital’ as the key strategy to improve student learning. – Education Week (December 8, 2008)