The object of this study was to investigate the impact of facility type (academic center AC vs non-AC) and facility volume (high-volume facility HVF vs low-volume facility LVF) on low-grade glioma ...(LGG) outcomes.
This retrospective cohort study included 5539 LGG patients (2004-2014) from the National Cancer Database. Patients were categorized by facility type and volume (non-AC vs AC, HVF vs LVF). An HVF was defined as the top 1% of facilities according to the number of annual cases. Outcomes included overall survival, treatment receipt, and postoperative outcomes. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional-hazards models were applied. The Heller explained relative risk was computed to assess the relative importance of each survival predictor.
Significant survival advantages were observed at HVFs (HR 0.67, 95% CI 0.55-0.82, p < 0.001) and ACs (HR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73-0.97, p = 0.015), both prior to and after adjusting for all covariates. Tumor resection was 41% and 26% more likely to be performed at HVFs vs LVFs and ACs vs non-ACs, respectively. Chemotherapy was 40% and 88% more frequently to be utilized at HVFs vs LVFs and ACs vs non-ACs, respectively. Prolonged length of stay (LOS) was decreased by 42% and 24% at HVFs and ACs, respectively. After tumor histology, tumor pattern, and codeletion of 1p19q, facility type and surgical procedure were the most important contributors to survival variance. The main findings remained consistent using propensity score matching and multiple imputation.
This study provides evidence of survival benefits among LGG patients treated at HVFs and ACs. An increased likelihood of undergoing resections, receiving adjuvant therapies, having shorter LOSs, and the multidisciplinary environment typically found at ACs and HVFs are important contributors to the authors' finding.
We present herein the development of a new polycationic molecular receptor, inspired by the ubiquitous cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene)cyclophane (“blue box”). Our analogue, the “white box”, has been ...easily self-assembled on a preparative scale in water, using a template-assisted process by acyl hydrazone bonding of complementary bis(pyridinium)xylylene tweezers, followed by kinetic trapping of the empty receptor. The obtained macrocycle was found to display a marked pH responsiveness in water, because of an abnormal acidity of the amide protons within its structure. Consequently, and because of the concurrence of rotational isomerism under acidic conditions (fixed at higher pH values), the compound was found to display a dual behavior as a conformationally locked/flexible molecular host, being able to recognize appropriate aromatic substrates, in a lock and key or induced fit fashion, by a conjunction of π–π, C–H···π, and, crucially, the hydrophobic effect.
The translation and adaptation of an assessment instrument into another language can be problematic, due, among other reasons, to sociocultural differences. This proved to be the case with the ...Spanish adaptation of the Students' Understanding of Models in Science (SUMS) questionnaire, a Likert‐type scale developed originally in English. In light of this, and with the additional aim of improving upon certain aspects of the original instrument, we report the development of a new questionnaire for assessing Spanish‐speaking students' understanding of the nature of models and their uses in science, providing validity evidence for the internal structure of the construct measured. The tool was developed by considering various dimensions of this concept that have been described in the literature, as well as the results of studies that piloted the SUMS questionnaire. For each dimension we drew up a set of items that could be rated using a Likert‐type scale; half of these items were positively worded with respect to an adequate understanding of models, and half were reverse worded. The adequacy of the proposed items was first assessed by a panel of experts, following which we examined the score structure obtained with the resulting instrument by administering it to a sample of 1272 students aged between 14 and 55 years. After purifying the instrument based on the results of these analyses, we obtained a final version of the questionnaire comprising 20 items distributed equally across four subscales: Beyond exact replicas, Purpose of models, Multiple models, and Changing models. The results obtained through factor analysis and structural equation modeling provide validity evidence for the internal structure of the construct measured. The questionnaire is quick to administer and is applicable to students across a wide range of ages and levels of education, including prospective science teachers.
Current music technologies can assist in the process of learning to play a musical instrument and provide objective measures for evaluating the improvement of music students in concrete music tasks. ...In this paper, we investigated the effects of a sound quality visual feedback system (SQVFS) in violin learning. In particular, we studied the EEG activity of a group of participants with no previous violin playing experience while they learned to produce a stable sound (regarding pitch, dynamics, and timbre) in order to find motor learning biomarkers in a music task. Eighteen subjects with no prior experience in violin playing were divided into two groups: participants in the first group (experimental group,
= 9) practiced with instructional videos and offline feedback from the SQVFS provided in alternation with their performance, while participants in a second group (control group,
= 9) practiced with the instructional videos only. A third group of violin experts (players with more than 6 years of experience) performed the same task for comparative purposes (
= 7). All participants were asked to perform 20 trials (4 blocks of 5 trials) consisting of a violin bowing exercise while their EEG activity and their produced sound was recorded. Significant sound quality improvements along the session were found in all participants with the exception of participants in the expert group. In addition, participants in the experimental group showed increased interest in the learning process and significant improvement after the second block not present in the control group. A significant correlation between the levels of frontal gamma band power and the sound improvement along the task was found in both the experimental and control group. This result is consistent with the temporal binding model which associates gamma band power with the role of integrating (binding) information processed in distributed cortical areas. Task complexity demands more cognitive resources, more binding and thus, gamma band power enhancement, which may be reduced as the demanded task begins to be automated as it is likely to be the case in both beginners groups.
•The individual evidences are monitored in each phase of the teamwork process.•Indicators to monitor the individual evidences in the teamwork process are presented.•There is strong positive ...correlation between grades and student–student interactions.•The Learning Analytics system reduces the time spent for the individual assessment.•The Learning Analytics system facilitates decision making in the teamwork process.
Acquiring the teamwork competency is fundamental nowadays, in order to guarantee a correct working performance for individuals. This means that a great deal of importance is being given to this activity in educational circles. Nevertheless, evaluating the development of teamwork individually is not simple, given that on many occasions there is no objective evidence to study. Information and Communication Technologies applied to educational contexts enable access to information that can help in this analysis. However, it is still complex due to the large amount of information that needs to be considered. This study proposes indicators based on the interaction between learning agents (student–student and active–passive). The exploration of these indicators contributes to the assessment of the individual development within the teamwork context. The analysis carried out in this study demonstrates that there is a direct relation between these interactions and final grading corresponding to individual assessment of teamwork activities by teachers. Additionally, a Learning Analytics system is introduced as support for the challenging task that teachers face in evaluating and monitoring individual progress within teamwork. The information provided by the Learning Analytics system and timely information extraction allow preventing problems, carrying out corrective measures and making decisions to improve the learning process of teamwork.
Technology behaviors in education innovation Sein-Echaluce, María Luisa; Fidalgo-Blanco, Ángel; Alves, Gustavo
Computers in human behavior,
July 2017, 2017-07-00, 20170701, Letnik:
72
Journal Article
Multisession staged stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) represents an alternative approach for management of large brain metastases (LBMs), with potential advantages over fractionated SRS. This study ...investigated clinical efficacy and safety of 2-stage stereotactic radiosurgery (2-SSRS) in patients with LBMs.
Patients with LBMs treated with 2-SSRS between 2014 and 2020 were evaluated. Demographic, clinical, and radiologic data were obtained. Volumetric measurements at first SRS session, second SRS session, and follow-up imaging studies were obtained. Characteristics that might predict response to 2-SSRS were evaluated through Fisher exact or Mann-Whitney U test.
The study included 24 patients with 26 LBMs. Median (range) marginal doses for first and second SRS sessions were 15 Gy (14–18 Gy) and 15 Gy (12–16 Gy), respectively. Median (range) tumor volumes at first SRS session, second SRS session, and 3-month follow-up were 8.1 cm3 (1.5–28.5 cm3), 3.3 cm3 (0.8–26.1 cm3), and 2.2 cm3 (0.2–10.1 cm3), respectively. Of 26 lesions, 24 (92%) demonstrated early local control following the first SRS session, with 17 lesions (71%) demonstrating a decrease of ≥30% in T1 postcontrast MRI volume before the second SRS session and 3 lesions (12%) remaining stable. Eventually, 4 lesions showed disease progression after 2-SSRS. The median time to local progression was not reached; the median time to intracranial progression was 9.1 months.
Our study supports the effectiveness and safety of 2-SSRS as a treatment modality for patients with LBMs, especially in poor surgical candidates. The local failure rate and low occurrence of adverse effects are comparable to other staged radiosurgery studies.
Cell-derived microparticles are secreted in response to cell damage or dysfunction. Endothelial and platelet dysfunction are thought to contribute to the development of multiple sclerosis (MS). Our ...aim here is, first, to compare the presence of microparticles of endothelial and platelet origin in plasma from patients with different clinical forms of MS and with clinically isolated syndrome. Second, to investigate the effect of microparticles on endothelial barrier function.
Platelet-poor plasma from 95 patients (12 with clinically isolated syndrome, 51 relapsing-remitting, 23 secondary progressive, 9 primary progressive) and 49 healthy controls were analyzed for the presence of platelet-derived and endothelium-derived microparticles by flow cytometry. The plasma concentration of platelet-derived and endothelium-derived microparticles increased in all clinical forms of MS and in clinically isolated syndrome versus controls. The response of endothelial barriers to purified microparticles was measured by electric cell-substrate impedance sensing. Microparticles from relapsing-remitting MS patients induced, at equivalent concentrations, a stronger disruption of endothelial barriers than those from healthy donors or from patients with clinically isolated syndrome. MS microparticles acted synergistically with the inflammatory mediator thrombin to disrupt the endothelial barrier function.
Plasma microparticles should be considered not only as markers of early stages of MS, but also as pathological factors with the potential to increase endothelial permeability and leukocyte infiltration.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A software environment is described, called the computational environment for radiotherapy research (CERR, pronounced “sir”). CERR partially addresses four broad needs in treatment planning research: ...(a) it provides a convenient and powerful software environment to develop and prototype treatment planning concepts, (b) it serves as a software integration environment to combine treatment planning software written in multiple languages (MATLAB, FORTRAN, C/C++, JAVA, etc.), together with treatment plan information (computed tomography scans, outlined structures, dose distributions, digital films, etc.), (c) it provides the ability to extract treatment plans from disparate planning systems using the widely available AAPM/RTOG archiving mechanism, and (d) it provides a convenient and powerful tool for sharing and reproducing treatment planning research results. The functional components currently being distributed, including source code, include: (1) an import program which converts the widely available AAPM/RTOG treatment planning format into a MATLAB cell-array data object, facilitating manipulation; (2) viewers which display axial, coronal, and sagittal computed tomography images, structure contours, digital films, and isodose lines or dose colorwash, (3) a suite of contouring tools to edit and/or create anatomical structures, (4) dose–volume and dose–surface histogram calculation and display tools, and (5) various predefined commands. CERR allows the user to retrieve any AAPM/RTOG key word information about the treatment plan archive. The code is relatively self-describing, because it relies on MATLAB structure field name definitions based on the AAPM/RTOG standard. New structure field names can be added dynamically or permanently. New components of arbitrary data type can be stored and accessed without disturbing system operation. CERR has been applied to aid research in dose–volume-outcome modeling, Monte Carlo dose calculation, and treatment planning optimization. In summary, CERR provides a powerful, convenient, and common framework which allows researchers to use common patient data sets, and compare and share research results.
The adsorption mechanism of SO2 in the Hofmann-like coordination polymer Fe(pz)Pt(CN)4 is studied using inelastic neutron scattering and density functional theory calculations. We find that the ...most important spectral change upon gas adsorption is the blue shift of the low-energy peak found at 100 cm–1, a feature that is fully confirmed by the computed neutron-weighted phonon density of states. Our calculations suggest that the origin of this change is twofold: (i) an increase in the force constant of the cyanide out-of-plane movement due to the binding of the gas onto the Pt(CN)4 plane and (ii) the hampered rotation of the pyrazine due to steric hindrance. The high-energy region of the neutron scattering data whose spectral weight is dominated by the internal vibrations of the pyrazine is negligibly affected by the presence of the gas as expected from a physisorption type of binding.
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