Changes in the “Self” of students with experience of school refusal: The perspective of Dialogical self theory

The study aims to clarify students' understanding of the “self” in the process of school refusal and uses it to elucidate their inner experience of school refusal. An interview survey using “Dialogical self theory” was conducted, targeting five students with prior experience in school refusal from the perspective of three “I-positions.” Results indicated that positive and negative aspects in the experience of school refusal were present in all positions. Furthermore, the most important I-position was selected in each period, namely, “before school refusal,” “among school refusal,” and “after school refusal.” The most important I-position for all students changed in “among school refusal” and “after school refusal.” Moreover, two patterns of changes in relationship were identified among the three I-positions. In such patterns, a “dialog” between the positions was evident in “among school refusal,” but not in “after school refusal.” The study suggests that students who have experienced school refusal develop multiple I-positions with ambivalent ideas, and the dialog among such positions provide a means of forming a stable self that accepts each other’s idea of I-position

The relationships between coping style, feelings for friends, and coping appraisal when college students feel interpersonal stress

The purpose of this research is to clarify the relationships between college students’ coping styles and their feelings for friends, and between coping styles and coping appraisal during their interpersonal friendship events. Initially, feelings for friends and coping appraisal were considered as variables in the process until coping affected mental health. Later, the differences between their feelings for friends and coping appraisal were explored by their choice of coping style. The results of cluster analysis of coping styles during interpersonal stress were divided into four groups. The variance analysis of coping styles and feelings for friends showed that the group using many positive relationship-oriented coping styles （e.g., “I tried to actively participate with the other party”） had higher “confidence/stability” feelings than did the other groups. The group with low use of negative relationship-oriented coping styles （e.g., “I tried to ignore the other party”） showed high “anxiety/concern” feelings, while the “rival” feeling was low in the group with lower use of positive relationship-oriented coping styles. The results of the variance analysis of coping styles and coping appraisal showed that the groups using positive relationship-oriented and postponed-solution coping styles （e.g., “I tried not to care about the other party”） more highly appreciated the efficacy of using these coping styles than did the other groups

Variation in ligand responses of the bitter taste receptors TAS2R1 and TAS2R4 among New World monkeys

Background New World monkeys (NWMs) are unique in that they exhibit remarkable interspecific variation in color vision and feeding behavior, making them an excellent model for studying sensory ecology. However, it is largely unknown whether non-visual senses co-vary with feeding ecology, especially gustation, which is expected to be indispensable in food selection. Bitter taste, which is mediated by bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in the tongue, helps organisms avoid ingesting potentially toxic substances in food. In this study, we compared the ligand sensitivities of the TAS2Rs of five species of NWMs by heterologous expression in HEK293T cells and calcium imaging. Results We found that TAS2R1 and TAS2R4 orthologs differ in sensitivity among the NWM species for colchicine and camphor, respectively. We then reconstructed the ancestral receptors of NWM TAS2R1 and TAS2R4, measured the evolutionary shift in ligand sensitivity, and identified the amino acid replacement at residue 62 as responsible for the high sensitivity of marmoset TAS2R4 to colchicine. Conclusions Our results provide a basis for understanding the differences in feeding ecology among NWMs with respect to bitter taste

Fluorescent data (mutants)

Fluorescence measurement dat

Fluorescent data (wild-type)

Fluorescence measurement dat

Data from: Variation in ligand responses of the bitter taste receptors TAS2R1 and TAS2R4 among New World monkeys

Background: New World monkeys (NWMs) are unique in that they exhibit remarkable interspecific variation in color vision and feeding behavior, making them an excellent model for studying sensory ecology. However, it is largely unknown whether non-visual senses co-vary with feeding ecology, especially gustation, which is expected to be indispensable in food selection. Bitter taste, which is mediated by bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) in the tongue, helps organisms avoid ingesting potentially toxic substances in food. In this study, we compared the ligand sensitivities of the TAS2Rs of five species of NWMs by heterologous expression in HEK293T cells and calcium imaging. Results: We found that TAS2R1 and TAS2R4 orthologs differ in sensitivity among the NWM species for colchicine and camphor, respectively. We then reconstructed the ancestral receptors of NWM TAS2R1 and TAS2R4, measured the evolutionary shift in ligand sensitivity, and identified the amino acid replacement at residue 62 as responsible for the high sensitivity of marmoset TAS2R4 to colchicine. Conclusions: Our results provide a basis for understanding the differences in feeding ecology among NWMs with respect to bitter taste

Additional file 3: Table S1. of Variation in ligand responses of the bitter taste receptors TAS2R1 and TAS2R4 among New World monkeys

Original statistical data for calcium assays. (XLSX 243 kb

Analysis of Survival and Response to Lenvatinib in Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The association between radiological response and overall survival (OS) was retrospectively evaluated in patients treated with lenvatinib as a first-line systemic treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma. A total of 182 patients with Child–Pugh class A liver function and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of zero or one were enrolled. Radiological evaluation was performed using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) and modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST). Initial radiological evaluation confirmed significant stratification of OS by efficacy judgment with both RECIST and mRECIST, and that initial radiological response was an independent prognostic factor for OS on multivariate analysis. Furthermore, in patients with stable disease (SD) at initial evaluation, macrovascular invasion at the initial evaluation on RECIST and modified albumin–bilirubin grade at initial evaluation on mRECIST were independent predictors of OS on multivariate analysis. In conclusion, if objective response is obtained at the initial evaluation, continuation of treatment appears desirable because prolonged OS can be expected; but, if SD is obtained at the initial evaluation, one should determine whether to continue or switch to the next treatment, with careful consideration of factors related to the tumor and hepatic reserve at the initial evaluation