Project description:Background: Robots are increasingly used as interaction partners with humans. Social robots are designed to follow expected behavioral norms when engaging with humans and are available with different voices and even accents. Some studies suggest that people prefer robots to speak in the user's dialect, while others indicate a preference for different dialects. Methods: Our study examined the impact of the Berlin dialect on perceived trustworthiness and competence of a robot. One hundred and twenty German native speakers (M age = 32 years, SD = 12 years) watched an online video featuring a NAO robot speaking either in the Berlin dialect or standard German and assessed its trustworthiness and competence. Results: We found a positive relationship between participants' self-reported Berlin dialect proficiency and trustworthiness in the dialect-speaking robot. Only when controlled for demographic factors, there was a positive association between participants' dialect proficiency, dialect performance and their assessment of robot's competence for the standard German-speaking robot. Participants' age, gender, length of residency in Berlin, and device used to respond also influenced assessments. Finally, the robot's competence positively predicted its trustworthiness. Discussion: Our results inform the design of social robots and emphasize the importance of device control in online experiments.
Project description:Interventions: Patients scheduled for a HIPEC procedure for peritoneal carcinomatosis of colorectal origin will be consented for this study. There will be three study related visits. During a screening visit (visit 1), eligibility will be evaluated and patient characteristics will be collected. During the second visit 4.5 mg of bevacizumab-‐IRDye800CW will be administered intravenously. The patient will then be observed for 1 hour post administration. One day after administration of the tracer (visit 3 one day before surgery) the patient is administered to the hospital as in the standard procedure, or the patient can stay after the tracer injection if this more convenient for the patient. During the HIPEC procedure the fluorescent imaging will be performed and data acquired.
Primary outcome(s): Visualization of fluorescent tumor tissue confirmed by ex vivo immunohistochemistry or fluorescence microscopy of excised specimen.
Study Design: N/A: single arm study, Open (masking not used), N/A , unknown, Other
Project description:Interventions: lapatinib + binimetinib + vinorelbine
Primary Objective:
Phase I dose escalation
The main objective of the phase I part is to determine safety and the recommended phase II dose (RP2D) of the triple combination.
Phase II
The main objective of the phase II part is to determine efficacy of the triplet combination defined by objective response rate according to RECIST 1.1.
Study Design: N/A: single arm study, Open (masking not used), N/A , unknown, Other
Project description:EEN (extra eleven nineteen), also known as EA2 (endophilin A2), a fusion partner of the MLL (mixed-lineage leukaemia) gene in human acute leukaemia, is a member of the endophilin A family, involved in the formation of endocytic vesicles. We present evidence to show that EEN/EA2 is localized predominantly in nuclei of various cell lines of haemopoietic, fibroblast and epithelial origin, in contrast with its reported cytoplasmic localization in neurons and osteoclasts, and that EEN/EA2 exhibits nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. During the cell cycle, EEN/EA2 shows dynamic localization: it is perichromosomal in prometaphase, co-localizes with the bipolar spindle in metaphase and anaphase and redistributes to the midzone and midbody in telophase. This pattern of distribution coincides with changes in protein levels of EEN/EA2, with the highest levels being observed in G2/M-phase. Our results suggest that distinct subcellular localization of the endophilin A family members probably underpins their diverse cellular functions and indicates a role for EEN/EA2 in the cell cycle.
Project description:Autologous fecal microbiota transfer in pediatric Crohn´s disease patients under treatment with exclusive enteral nutrition harbors major challenges - a feasibility test
Project description:The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy of exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) and corticosteroids on the gut microbiome in Crohn's disease. Methods. Data were collected for 16 patients newly diagnosed with CD as the test group and 10 healthy volunteers as the control group. The 16 patients were randomly divided into the EEN group and the corticosteroids group. For subsequent analysis, 6 patients in the EEN group with follow-up were enrolled to compare the 0-month, 1-month, and 3-month outcomes. We analyzed and compared gut microbiota between different groups in 3 stages. To evaluate the clinical outcome of treatment, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), hemoglobin (HB), albumin (ALB), and Crohn's disease activity (CDAI) were recorded. Results. There are significant differences in microbiota between patients with CD and healthy people, and there are intuitive differences in the main components of the microbiota. 16 patients were included in stage 2, in which both corticosteroids and EEN can induce CD remission well. However, corticosteroids have a greater impact on inflammatory indicators, while EEN has a more obvious effect on nutritional indicators. Principal component analysis suggests that there are different compositional changes in the gut microbiome after corticosteroids and EEN treatment. After 3 months of dynamic observation, we found that EEN can effectively maintain CD remission, reduce inflammatory indicators, and improve nutritional indicators. Conclusions. Both EEN and corticosteroids can increase the diversity of the microbiome in inducing CD remission, while they have different effects on the proportion of microbiome species. This trial is registered with NCT02056418.
Project description:Primary objectives: L’objectif principal est d’évaluer le taux de patients sans échec de la stratégie expérimentale 16 mois après la randomisation.
Primary endpoints: Le taux de patients sans échec de la stratégie après la randomisation. L’échec de la stratégie est défini par: • Progression (définie dans chaque bras)* en utilisant les critères RECIST v1.1 ou• Décès (toutes causes confondues) ou• Toxicité conduisant à l’arrêt définitif d’un des produits de la chimiothérapie (oxaliplatine et/ou irinotécan) • Refus du patient de poursuivre la stratégie • Décision de l’investigateur d’arrêter la stratégie
Project description:De-extinction projects for species such as the woolly mammoth and passenger pigeon have greatly stimulated public and scientific interest, producing a large body of literature and much debate. To date, there has been little consistency in descriptions of de-extinction technologies and purposes. In 2016, a special committee of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) published a set of guidelines for de-extinction practice, establishing the first detailed description of de-extinction; yet incoherencies in published literature persist. There are even several problems with the IUCN definition. Here I present a comprehensive definition of de-extinction practice and rationale that expounds and reconciles the biological and ecological inconsistencies in the IUCN definition. This new definition brings together the practices of reintroduction and ecological replacement with de-extinction efforts that employ breeding strategies to recover unique extinct phenotypes into a single "de-extinction" discipline. An accurate understanding of de-extinction and biotechnology segregates the restoration of certain species into a new classification of endangerment, removing them from the purview of de-extinction and into the arena of species' recovery. I term these species as "evolutionarily torpid species"; a term to apply to species falsely considered extinct, which in fact persist in the form of cryopreserved tissues and cultured cells. For the first time in published literature, all currently active de-extinction breeding programs are reviewed and their progress presented. Lastly, I review and scrutinize various topics pertaining to de-extinction in light of the growing body of peer-reviewed literature published since de-extinction breeding programs gained public attention in 2013.