scholarly journals Über die Situation der Jungwissenschaftlerinnen und -wissenschaftler in der Psychologie in Österreich

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakob C. Bergmann ◽  
Hanna M. Mües ◽  
Jochen Mosbacher ◽  
Lisa V. Eckerstorfer ◽  
Ulrich Pomper ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Conditions ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Work Satisfaction ◽  
Young Scientist ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Temporary Work ◽  
Work Done ◽  
High Work

Theoretical Background: Uncertainty with respect to professional prospects, a challenging work-life-balance and health problems as well as moderate to high work satisfaction are associated with being a young scientist. This paper aims to investigate the working conditions, job satisfaction, and strain of early stage researchers working in the field of psychology in Austria. To date, no systematic investigations have examined the working situations of these individuals.Methods: A total of 97 early stage researchers – 64 praedocs (66% female; M Age = 29.84 years, SD Age = 4.00 years), and 33 postdocs (55% female, M Age = 33.39 years, SD Age = 3.41 years) – participated in an online survey.Results: The results reveal that both groups report highly demanding working conditions (e.g. uncertain career paths due to temporary work contracts, high number of additional hours of work done outside the contractual work hours), moderate to high levels of work satisfaction and moderate to low strain.Conclusion: A considerable number of potential areas for improvement become apparent. However, due to the small sample size, the representativeness as well as generalizability of the results are limited. Based on the results of this survey, possible measures to improve the current situation are presented. This article provides guidance for potential future early stage researchers.

An Integrated Feature Selection Algorithm for Cancer Classification using Gene Expression Data

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 631-645 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saeed Ahmed ◽  
Muhammad Kabir ◽  
Zakir Ali ◽  
Muhammad Arif ◽  
Farman Ali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Feature Selection ◽  
Gene Expression Data ◽  
Classification Accuracy ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Feature Selection Method ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Expression Data ◽  
Base Function

Aim and Objective: Cancer is a dangerous disease worldwide, caused by somatic mutations in the genome. Diagnosis of this deadly disease at an early stage is exceptionally new clinical application of microarray data. In DNA microarray technology, gene expression data have a high dimension with small sample size. Therefore, the development of efficient and robust feature selection methods is indispensable that identify a small set of genes to achieve better classification performance. Materials and Methods: In this study, we developed a hybrid feature selection method that integrates correlation-based feature selection (CFS) and Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) approaches which select the highly informative genes. The hybrid model with Redial base function neural network (RBFNN) classifier has been evaluated on 11 benchmark gene expression datasets by employing a 10-fold cross-validation test. Results: The experimental results are compared with seven conventional-based feature selection and other methods in the literature, which shows that our approach owned the obvious merits in the aspect of classification accuracy ratio and some genes selected by extensive comparing with other methods. Conclusion: Our proposed CFS-MOEA algorithm attained up to 100% classification accuracy for six out of eleven datasets with a minimal sized predictive gene subset.

A debate about implementing immersive technology for higher education: Pre-study examining the usability of virtual reality for lectures

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 565-571
Author(s):  
Matej Hopp ◽  
Sandra Pfiel ◽  
René Mario Schuster ◽  
Florian Tiefenbacher ◽  
Michael Reiner
Keyword(s):  
Applied Sciences ◽  
Higher Education ◽  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
University Of Applied Sciences

BACKGROUND: As the COVID-pandemic has shown, the need for innovative (digitalized) solutions is in high demand across almost every field of interest. The implementation of advanced technologies in higher education provides an intriguing opportunity to expand its scope by reaching new audiences as well as ensuring a high quality of learning outcome. OBJECTIVE: In this article we tried to examine if virtual reality can be a suitable option by placing lectures into a virtual setup. METHODS: First, we explored the theoretical background if and how virtual reality has been adapted for usage in higher education. We then asked five lecturers from the IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems to test a virtual environment (Mozilla Hubs) and evaluate the platform for their teaching purposes. RESULTS: Among one of the results was, that 80 percent would recommend using the platform for lectures to their colleagues. Due to the small sample size the findings need to be further evaluated. CONCLUSIONS: In the foreseeable future virtual reality will become a valuable teaching assistance in higher education. Findings show that the response rate when training with virtual reality applications is much higher than to common studying methods.

scholarly journals Acupuncture in Subacute Stroke: No Benefits Detected

2013 ◽  
Vol 93 (11) ◽  
pp. 1447-1455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhu ◽  
Lixia Zhang ◽  
Gang Ouyang ◽  
Dianhuai Meng ◽  
Kailin Qian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Therapy ◽  
Motor Function ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
Scalp Acupuncture ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Acupuncture Group ◽  
Rehabilitation Centers ◽  
Subacute Stroke

Background There is debate concerning the effect of acupuncture on rehabilitation following stroke, with key reviews unable to find evidence of benefit. This lack of evidence may be due to poor study design, small sample size, and insufficient theoretical background. Objective The present study was designed to determine whether acupuncture combined with conventional physical therapy improves motor function and activities of daily living in patients with subacute stroke compared with conventional physical therapy alone. Design A multicenter, single-blinded, randomized study was conducted. Setting Four rehabilitation centers in the Jiangsu province of China participated in this study. Patients One hundred eighty-eight patients with subacute stroke admitted to the hospital were randomized into an acupuncture group and a conventional rehabilitation group. Interventions A combination of body and scalp acupuncture was used for 3 months in the acupuncture group. All patients underwent conventional stroke rehabilitation. Measurements The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) and Barthel Index (BI) were performed at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after inclusion in the study. Results No statistically significant differences were found at baseline between the groups. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups using the FMA motor scores and the BI scores at baseline or at 1, 3, or 6 months. Significant improvements were found in each group following treatment. Conclusions In patients with subacute stroke, the addition of body and scalp acupuncture to a regimen of conventional physical therapy does not result in further improvement in either motor function or ADL beyond the effect of conventional physical therapy alone.

Advanced endometrial cancer: Is there a benefit to neoadjuvant therapy?

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e15548-e15548
Author(s):  
Sarah Czok ◽  
Jenna R. Zechmeister ◽  
Andrea Jewell ◽  
Leslie R. Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Endometrial Cancer ◽  
Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Performance Status ◽  
Neoadjuvant Treatment ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Median Number ◽  
Small Sample

e15548 Background: The majority of endometrial cancers present as early stage tumors, yet those that are advanced at diagnosis are associated with poor outcomes. The role of radical debulking surgery for endometrial cancer is not clear. However, the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy is also unproven. We sought to evaluate if utilizing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for advanced endometrial cancer affected outcomes. Methods: A retrospective review from two hospitals served by one academic center from 2002 to 2011 was performed. All patients with stage 3 or 4 disease were identified. Patients with non-epithelial cell types, including carcinosarcoma, were excluded. Patients who received neoadjuvant treatment prior to surgery were identified. A case-control design was utilized matching patients 1:3 or 1:4 stratified by age, stage, grade, histology and performance status. Descriptive statistics and nonparametric analyses were utilized. Results: A total of 115 patients with advanced endometrial cancer were identified. 19 were excluded due to wrong cell type and 1 due to stage 3 disease based on positive cytology. 6 patients had a neoadjuvant treatment approach (NAs). 20 patients were identified as matched controls (CTRLs). The average age was 61 for the NAs, and 63 for the CTRLs. The average BMI was 26.9 for the NAs, and 27.4 for the CTRLs. NAs were more likely to have stage 4 disease—5/6 NAs versus 5/20 CTRLs. Both groups had a high proportion of grade 3 tumors—4/6 NAs versus 15/20 CTRLs. The performance status was similar in both groups. The median number of chemotherapy cycles was 11 in the NAs, and 4 in the CTRLs. 18/20 CTRLs received adjuvant treatment, and 17 included systemic chemotherapy. In the NAs, with a median follow-up of 17 months, 4 were alive with disease (AWD) and 2 were dead of disease (DOD). In the CTRLs, with a median follow-up of 14 months, 7 patients were NED, 8 were AWD, and 5 were DOD. Conclusions: Despite a small sample size, our results indicate that primary surgery remains the preferred strategy for patients with advanced endometrial cancer. However, prospective data is needed to determine to what extent neoadjuvant chemotherapy affects outcomes.

The Effectiveness and Safety of Chemical Drugs Combined with Acupuncture for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shenghua Yu ◽  
Hongjie Liu ◽  
Li Xu ◽  
Yan Zhang ◽  
Yan Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Risk Of Bias ◽  
Disease Assessment ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Significant Difference

Introduction: Acupuncture has been applied with chemical drugs to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the clinic. Whether such combination is effective and safe should be studied although it is recommended by some researchers.Methods: To explore the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture combined with the chemical drugs for AD, databases like PubMed, Web of Science were searched to retrieve randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on AD treated with acupuncture and chemical drugs to perform meta-analysis. The risk of bias in each study was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias scale. Meta-analysis was performed using RevMan 5.3.Results: Five studies were included in which only donepezil combined with acupuncture was evaluated. Acupuncture combined with donepezil showed a significant difference in effectiveness rate [RR=1.45, 95% CI (1.19, 1.77), P=0.0002] compared with donepezil. On the comparison of mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score and Alzheimer's disease assessment scale cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) score there was no difference. However, after one trial with severe AD patients was removed, acupuncture combined with donepezil showed better effect than donepezil alone. Conclusion: Acupuncture combined with donepezil could work on AD at the early stage or with mild AD, implying that acupuncture could be a complementary therapy for AD at early stage or with mild condition. Besides, scalp acupuncture seems to be more effective on improving cognitive function. However, this conclusion must be considered cautiously, given the small sample size and lack of trials of high quality. Therefore, more high-quality, multicenter, prospective, RCTs with large sample sizes are needed to further clarify the effect of acupuncture combined with chemical drugs for AD.

Interplay Between IL-1, IL-6 and IL-17 in IL-1 Receptor Antagonist (IL-1Ra) Treated Multiple Myeloma Patients

Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 120 (21) ◽  
pp. 1874-1874
Author(s):  
Kathleen A. Donovan ◽  
Laurie L. Moon-Tasson ◽  
John A Lust
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Cells ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Cell Labeling ◽  
M Protein ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Minor Response ◽  
Reactive Protein

Abstract Abstract 1874 In early stage myeloma, IL-6 is a central myeloma growth factor and we have shown that abnormal production of IL-1 in the myeloma microenvironment stimulates the generation of IL-6 in a paracrine fashion. IL-1 has also been shown to be a crucial factor in the induction of IL-17 producing T-cells in vivo. IL-1Ra is a specific blocker of IL-1 activity. We have previously reported on a Phase II trial using IL-1Ra and dexamethasone, in patients with smoldering/indolent MM (SMM/IMM), showing that IL-1Ra targets the myeloma proliferative component which parallels a decrease in the C-reactive protein (CRP), a surrogate for IL-6 production. These patients are the individuals most likely to benefit from anti-cytokine therapy in an attempt to delay/prevent the development of active myeloma. Patients that had > 10% bone marrow plasma cells and/or an IgG or IgA M-spike > 3 g/dL and did not require immediate chemotherapy were eligible. All patients received 100 mg of Anakinra (IL-1Ra) SQ qd for 6 months. Patients with evidence of reduction in M-protein levels continued receiving IL-1Ra alone. Patients with stable disease at 6 months or those with a rising M-protein before 6 months received low dose dexamethasone (20 mg qweek) in addition; the dose was adjusted based on response/toxicity. Data were available on 47 patients based on intent to treat, and patients were classified as smoldering (72%) vs. indolent (28%). All 47 patients received IL-1Ra initially and 25/47 subsequently received IL-1Ra/Dex. Myeloma cell growth rate (PCLI), C-reactive protein (an in vivo marker of IL-6 levels) and IL-17 were measured in patients on trial. Seven patients had a decrease in the plasma cell labeling index (PCLI) on IL-1Ra alone which paralleled a decrease in the C-reactive protein in all cases. Three patients achieved a minor response to IL-1Ra alone and 9 patients achieved a PR/MR after addition of dexamethasone. When patients were grouped into whether they exhibited a reduction in the C-reactive protein from baseline after 6 months of therapy, the median PFS for patients without (21 patients) or with (26 patients) a greater than one-third reduction in baseline CRP was 1 year vs more than 8 years (p<.01). Analyses of biomarkers suggest that patients with elevated IL-17 levels may be less likely to respond to IL-1Ra treatment. Only 25% of the responders with a decrease in CRP had IL-17 levels > 10 pg/ml versus 60% of those without a CRP decrease. Although not statistically significant do to the small sample size, the median PFS in the IL-17 < 10 pg/ml group was 2047days vs 1367 days in the IL-17 > 10 pg/ml group. In conclusion, the above results suggest that agents such as IL-1Ra that specifically inhibit IL-1 induced paracrine IL-6 production are effective at targeting the proliferative myeloma component and warrant further investigation in combination with standard myeloma therapies. Elevated IL-17 levels may suggest that the inflammatory process is too far advanced in some individuals to respond to IL-1 blockade. Biomarkers such as CRP and IL-17 may be useful to predict those patients that are most likely to benefit from IL-1 treatment. Disclosures: Off Label Use: IL-1Ra in myeloma.

scholarly journals Phenotype-Genotype Correlation in Colorectal Cancer: A Real-Life Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Catarina Frias-Gomes ◽  
Ana Carla Sousa ◽  
Inês Rolim ◽  
Ana Raquel Henriques ◽  
Francisco Branco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Mismatch Repair ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Disease Free Survival ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Stage I ◽  
Curative Surgery ◽  
Genetic Characteristics

<b><i>Background and Aims:</i></b> Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease with distinctive genetic pathways, such as chromosomal instability, microsatellite instability and methylator pathway. Our aim was to correlate clinical and genetic characteristics of CRC patients in order to understand clinical implications of tumour genotype. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Single-institution retrospective cohort of patients who underwent curative surgery for CRC, from 2012 to 2014. <i>RAS</i> and <i>BRAF</i> mutations were evaluated with the real-time PCR technique Idylla®. Mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR) was characterized by absence of MLH1, MSH6, MSH2 and/or PMS2 expression, evaluated by tissue microarrays. Overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed using survival analysis. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Overall, 242 patients were included (males 57.4%, age 69.3 ± 12.9 years; median follow-up 49 months). <i>RAS</i>-mutated tumours were associated with reduced DFS (<i>p</i> = 0.02) and OS (<i>p</i> = 0.045) in stage I–III CRC. <i>BRAF</i>-mutated tumours were more predominant in females and in the right colon, similarly to dMMR tumours. BRAF status did not influence OS (4 years)/DFS (3.5 years) in stage I–III disease. However, after relapse, length of survival was 3.5 months in <i>BRAF</i>-mutated tumours in contrast to 18.6 months in <i>BRAF</i> wild-type tumours (<i>p</i> = NS). No germline mutations in mismatch repair genes were so far identified in the patients with dMMR tumours. Molecular phenotype (<i>RAS, BRAF</i> and MMR) did not influence OS in metastatic patients. Our small sample size may be a limitation of the study. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> In our cohort, <i>RAS</i>-mutated tumours were associated with worse DFS and OS in early-stage CRC, whereas the remaining molecular variables had no prognostic influence.

scholarly journals Multi-way methods for understanding longitudinal intervention effects on bacterial communities

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ingrid Måge ◽  
Christina Steppeler ◽  
Ingunn Berget ◽  
Jan Erik Paulsen ◽  
Ida Rud
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Phylogenetic Network ◽  
Decomposition Methods ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
List Type ◽  
Intervention Effects ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
High Degree

AbstractBackgroundThis paper presents a strategy for statistical analysis and interpretation of longitudinal intervention effects on bacterial communities. Data from such experiments often suffers from small sample size, high degree of irrelevant variation, and missing data points. Our strategy is a combination of multi-way decomposition methods, multivariate ANOVA, multi-block regression, hierarchical clustering and phylogenetic network graphs. The aim is to provide answers to relevant research questions, which are both statistically valid and easy to interpret.ResultsThe strategy is illustrated by analysing an intervention design where two mice groups were subjected to a treatment that caused inflammation in the intestines. Total microbiota in fecal samples was analysed at five time points, and the clinical end point was the load of colon cancer lesions. By using different combinations of the aforementioned methods, we were able to show that:The treatment had a significant effect on the microbiota, and we have identified clusters of bacteria groups with different time trajectories.Individual differences in the initial microbiota had a large effect on the load of tumors, but not on the formation of early-stage lesions (flat ACFs).The treatment resulted in an increase in Bacteroidaceae, Prevotellaceae and Paraprevotellaceae, and this increase could be associated with the formation of cancer lesions.ConclusionThe results show that by applying several data analytical methods in combination, we are able to view the system from different angles and thereby answer different research questions. We believe that multiway methods and multivariate ANOVA should be used more frequently in the bioinformatics fields, due to their ability to extract meaningful components from data sets with many collinear variables, few samples and a high degree of noise or irrelevant variation.

Clinical outcomes of early-stage ampullary carcinoma: A single institutional experience.

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 456-456
Author(s):  
Ashish Manne ◽  
Sushanth Reddy ◽  
Peng Li ◽  
Carlo M. Contreras ◽  
John Christein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Overall Survival ◽  
Adjuvant Treatment ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Ampullary Carcinoma ◽  
Current Data ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Study Cohort ◽  
Regional Lymphadenectomy ◽  
Significant Difference

456 Background: Ampullary carcinoma [AC] is a rare malignancy associated with favorable prognosis among pancreatobiliary tumors. Pancreaticoduodenectomy [PDY] is considered to be curative for early stage cancers. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy [CT] or combination chemoradiation [CRT] remains uncertain for stage I/II. In this analysis we reviewed our institution’s experience with AC. Methods: From 2005 to 2015, 62 patients with stage 1 and 2 AC with at least one year follow up after PDY were reviewed. Clinical and pathologic factors and disease status were obtained from chart review. The patients’ demographical and oncological characteristics are summarized. The univariate Cox proportional hazard model was conducted for evaluating the parameters associated with overall survival. Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank was used to compare the time-to-events. Results: Adjuvant treatment was administered in 61%: CT (32%), CRT (29%) 39% surgical alone. The median overall survival [OS] for the study cohort is 60 months with 3 yr OS at 58% and 5 yr OS at 50%. Recurrence noted in 21% of patients. About half of patients surviving five years were alive at 10 years. Lymph node [LN] metastases (57%) predicted worse PFS (HR 2.29, 95% CI (1.13-4.61), p = 0.021) but did not significantly affect OS (HR 1.2, 95% CI (0.84-3.61);p = 0.13). There were no postoperative deaths following surgery.Peri- pancreatic extension [PPE] (20%) and peri-neural invasion [PNI] (16%) was also found to be determinants for poor OS. Current data did not suggest lympho-vascular invasion (24%) predict OS (HR 1.20, 95% CI (0.49, 2.96);p = 0.63 or PFS(HR 1.45 (0.65, 3.20),p = 0.36). When compared to surgery alone adjuvant CT or CRT had no statistically significant difference in terms of PFS (p = 0.53) or OS (p = 0.96). Conclusions: The use of adjuvant treatment may be most useful at improving long-term disease control in patients with high-risk features; however, no significant difference between CT and CRT was demonstrated in our series. This could be due to small sample size and needs further validation in larger cohort. PDY with regional lymphadenectomy is appropriate for early-stage AC, but worst outcomes seen in patients with PPE, PNI and LN involvement.

scholarly journals Impact of working conditions on faculty teaching:

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn Berlin ◽  
DoMonique Brock
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Small Sample Size ◽  
Student Learning Outcomes ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Faculty Teaching ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Time Faculty

The following exploration examined the impact of working conditions on faculty teaching for full-time faculty and non-tenure track faculty within an academic department at a large Midwestern university to determine whether employment status and working conditions potentially impacted student learning outcomes. Questions asked of participating faculty focused on factors related to, or influencing, teaching that may improve or hinder student learning. Factors such as available resources, interaction with department administrators and other faculty, job satisfaction, work-life integration, and mentorship were explored through written surveys and one-on-one interviews. Twelve faculty, out of a target population of 33, provided insight as to concerns or issues they felt impeded or supported teaching efforts. Although the exploration contained a small sample size, department administrators implemented changes to address faculty concerns to reduce “disconnects” and issues mentioned by faculty members. Primary changes occurred around part time faculty input on curriculum development and interactions with department administrators and full time faculty. While still ongoing, initial feedback is positive and indicates faculty are adapting to the changes. Further work is necessary to examine individual feelings of worth and value, as well as exploring actual student learning outcomes across courses.

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