Finding a Place: Involvement in College Social Justice Organizations and its Impacts

In this research, we aim to answer the question: How does being involved in social justice organizations at SCU impact students’ experience in higher education? We were interested in this because we are also students at SCU, and we wanted to be able to provide knowledge to our peers about the benefits of being involved. Involvement in student groups is often encouraged in college, and we wanted to learn more about the specific benefits of participation. We conducted eight interviews and eight observations at Santa Clara University using convenience sampling to collect the data. We find that being involved in social justice organizations has a positive impact on students’ experience in higher education by developing their sense of identity and a sense of community. We also find that our results correspond to the sociological theories of Robert Merton’s theory of manifest and latent functions, Emile Durkheim’s social solidarity, and Pierre Bourdieu’s social capital. This study is not only important to understand the direct benefits that students attain but also implies that institutions of higher education should invest in student organizations for the improvement of their communities

A combination of routine laboratory findings and vital signs can predict survival of advanced cancer patients without physician evaluation: a fractional polynomial model

IntroductionThere have been no reports about predicting survival of patients with advanced cancer constructed entirely with objective variables. We aimed to develop a prognostic model based on laboratory findings and vital signs using a fractional polynomial (FP) model.MethodsA multicentre prospective cohort study was conducted at 58 specialist palliative care services in Japan from September 2012 to April 2014. Eligible patients were older than 20 years and had advanced cancer. We developed models for predicting 7-day, 14-day, 30-day, 56-day and 90-day survival by using the FP modelling method.ResultsData from 1039 patients were analysed to develop each prognostic model (Objective Prognostic Index for advanced cancer [OPI-AC]). All models included the heart rate, urea and albumin, while some models included the respiratory rate, creatinine, C-reactive protein, lymphocyte count, neutrophil count, total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase and platelet/lymphocyte ratio. The area under the curve was 0.77, 0.81, 0.90, 0.90 and 0.92 for the 7-day, 14-day, 30-day, 56-day and 90-day model, respectively. The accuracy of the OPI-AC predicting 30-day, 56-day and 90-day survival was significantly higher than that of the Palliative Prognostic Score or the Prognosis in Palliative Care Study model, which are based on a combination of symptoms and physician estimation.ConclusionWe developed highly accurate prognostic indexes for predicting the survival of patients with advanced cancer from objective variables alone, which may be useful for end-of-life management. The FP modelling method could be promising for developing other prognostic models in future research

A Model of Continuous Improvement Programme Management

The aim of this study is to identify key management decisions that enable the sustainment of a continuous improvement (CI) initiative. To accomplish this aim, we examine the procedures and practices used by two manufacturing companies for the management of their CI initiatives; one that is successfully sustaining the effectiveness of its CI initiative and another failing to do the same. This research makes two contributions to the conceptual understanding of CI programme management. First, we identify five CI programme management factors that enable the sustainment of a CI initiative. Second, the five factors are incorporated into a new CI programme management model. The model details a ‘bottom-up’ procedure for the generation of manufacturing performance improvement ideas and the management of their implementation

ナガノケン サン リンゴ カジツ ニ オケル コウサンカノウ ノ ヒンシュカンサイ ト シュウカクビ オヨビ チョゾウ ニ ヨル ヘンカ

長野県で収穫されたリンゴ果実の抗酸化能をoxygen radical absorbance capacity（ORAC）法により測定した。まず6品種の果肉のORAC値を比較した。‘ふじ’については，同日収穫での品質のばらつき，さらに収穫日や貯蔵条件がORAC値に与える影響を調査した。その結果，リンゴのORAC値は‘紅玉’，‘ふじ’が最も高く，‘シナノゴールド’の1.8倍を示した。同日に収穫した果実でも果実間で1.7倍の差異がみられ，ORAC値がばらつきやすい品質であることがわかった。また，暦日から判断した適期で収穫した果実で最も高いORAC値を示したことから，抗酸化能の面からも適期収穫果が高品質であることが示唆された。貯蔵期間中のORAC値は貯蔵温湿度に関わらずほぼ一定であった。抗酸化能の高い果実の提供のためには，収穫時点でのORAC値が高いことが重要だと考えられる。The antioxidant capacity of apples harvested in Nagano prefecture was determined using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity （ORAC） method. We measured the ORAC value of six varieties of apple. The effects of harvest date and storage conditions on ORAC value were also investigated in ‘Fuji’. We found that the ORAC value of ‘Kogyoku’ and ‘Fuji’ was the highest out of the six apple cultivars and 1.8 times higher than that of ‘Shinano Gold’. There was 1.7 times difference in ORAC value between individual fruits of ‘Fuji’. The fruits harvested at the optimum time had the highest ORAC value in ‘Fuji’ apples and the value remained stable during storage. The optimum harvest date determined using the calendar and from experience was also optimal in terms of antioxidant capacity

LocTree3 prediction of localization

The prediction of protein sub-cellular localization is an important step toward elucidating protein function. For each query protein sequence, LocTree2 applies machine learning (profile kernel SVM) to predict the native sub-cellular localization in 18 classes for eukaryotes, in six for bacteria and in three for archaea. The method outputs a score that reflects the reliability of each prediction. LocTree2 has performed on par with or better than any other state-of-the-art method. Here, we report the availability of LocTree3 as a public web server. The server includes the machine learning-based LocTree2 and improves over it through the addition of homology-based inference. Assessed on sequence-unique data, LocTree3 reached an 18-state accuracy Q18 = 80 ± 3% for eukaryotes and a six-state accuracy Q6 = 89 ± 4% for bacteria. The server accepts submissions ranging from single protein sequences to entire proteomes. Response time of the unloaded server is about 90 s for a 300-residue eukaryotic protein and a few hours for an entire eukaryotic proteome not considering the generation of the alignments. For over 1000 entirely sequenced organisms, the predictions are directly available as downloads. The web server is available at http://www.rostlab.org/services/loctree3

Three-dimensional Analysis the Mode of Invasion in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma and the Correlation Between its Results and the Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases( MMPs)

われわれは口腔扁平上皮癌の浸潤様式に対してはじめて三次元解析による検討を行ない,その有用性について報告してきた.今回は,癌の浸潤・転移において重要な役割を担う細胞外マトリックス分解酵素のうち,Matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2),MMP-9 およびMembrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase(MT1-MMP)の発現と三次元解析による浸潤様式との関係について検討を行ったので報告する.対象は獨協医科大学病院口腔外科で加療した口腔扁平上皮癌一次症例175 例のうち,三次元解析が可能であった根治的手術症例31 例を用いた.MMP-2,MMP-9 およびMT1-MMP のそれぞれの発現陽性率は38.7%,67.7%,100%であった.非連続型は連続型に比較し,MMPs の発現頻度は高く,また発現部位は腫瘍細胞だけでなく,間質の細胞にも発現していた.非連続型はMMPs が単独で,あるいは相互に作用しあい,び慢性に浸潤することが示唆された.今回の検討により,MMPs の発現と三次元解析による浸潤様式は密接に関連し,両者とも口腔癌の治療法の決定や予後予測に有用であることが示された.We studied the mode of invasion of oral squamous cell carcinoma( OSCC) by three-dimensional( 3-D) analysis for the first time and reported its clinical usefulness. The purpose of this study is to discuss the relationship between the expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9and membrane type 1-metalloproteinase( MT1-MMP) and the mode of invasion of OSCC by 3-D analysis. In this present31 of 175 patients with OSCC treated with curative surgery at first were able to be examined. The expression ofMMP-2, MMP-9 and MT1-MMP was examined by immunohistochemical techniques. The rate of MMP-2 expressionwas 38.7%, MMP-9 67.7 % and MT1-MMP 100 % . The rates of the expression of MMPs were significantly higher in discontinuous type than in continuous type. The positive expression of MMPs were detected not only in tumor cells but also in stromal cells in discontinuous type. These results indicate that MMPs contribute to the diffused invasion of OSCC with discontinuous type independently or mutually.In conclusion, the mode of invasion of OSCC by 3-Danalysis is closely related with the expression of MMPs and they can be useful to planning therapeutic strategy and predicting prognosis of the patient with OSCC

Genome-wide association and functional follow-up reveals new loci for kidney function

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an important public health problem with a genetic component. We performed genome-wide association studies in up to 130,600 European ancestry participants overall, and stratified for key CKD risk factors. We uncovered 6 new loci in association with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), the primary clinical measure of CKD, in or near MPPED2, DDX1, SLC47A1, CDK12, CASP9, and INO80. Morpholino knockdown of mpped2 and casp9 in zebrafish embryos revealed podocyte and tubular abnormalities with altered dextran clearance, suggesting a role for these genes in renal function. By providing new insights into genes that regulate renal function, these results could further our understanding of the pathogenesis of CKD

Pharmacokinetic aspects of retinal drug delivery

Drug delivery to the posterior eye segment is an important challenge in ophthalmology, because many diseases affect the retina and choroid leading to impaired vision or blindness. Currently, intravitreal injections are the method of choice to administer drugs to the retina, but this approach is applicable only in selected cases (e.g. anti-VEGF antibodies and soluble receptors). There are two basic approaches that can be adopted to improve retinal drug delivery: prolonged and/or retina targeted delivery of intravitreal drugs and use of other routes of drug administration, such as periocular, suprachoroidal, sub-retinal, systemic, or topical. Properties of the administration route, drug and delivery system determine the efficacy and safety of these approaches. Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic factors determine the required dosing rates and doses that are needed for drug action. In addition, tolerability factors limit the use of many materials in ocular drug delivery. This review article provides a critical discussion of retinal drug delivery, particularly from the pharmacokinetic point of view. This article does not include an extensive review of drug delivery technologies, because they have already been reviewed several times recently. Instead, we aim to provide a systematic and quantitative view on the pharmacokinetic factors in drug delivery to the posterior eye segment. This review is based on the literature and unpublished data from the authors' laboratory.Peer reviewe