Showing papers by "National Cheng Kung University published in 2013"
Harvard University1, National Taiwan University2, Trinity College, Dublin3, McGill University4, The Chinese University of Hong Kong5, Prince of Songkla University6, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital7, National Cheng Kung University8, Chungbuk National University9, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust10, Boehringer Ingelheim11, University of Duisburg-Essen12
TL;DR: The LUX-Lung 3 study as mentioned in this paper investigated the efficacy of chemotherapy compared with afatinib, a selective, orally bioavailable ErbB family blocker that irreversibly blocks signaling from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB1), human epIDERmal growth factors receptor 2 (HER2/ERbB2), and ErbbB4 and has wide-spectrum preclinical activity against EGFR mutations.
Abstract: Purpose The LUX-Lung 3 study investigated the efficacy of chemotherapy compared with afatinib, a selective, orally bioavailable ErbB family blocker that irreversibly blocks signaling from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB1), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/ErbB2), and ErbB4 and has wide-spectrum preclinical activity against EGFR mutations. A phase II study of afatinib in EGFR mutation–positive lung adenocarcinoma demonstrated high response rates and progression-free survival (PFS). Patients and Methods In this phase III study, eligible patients with stage IIIB/IV lung adenocarcinoma were screened for EGFR mutations. Mutation-positive patients were stratified by mutation type (exon 19 deletion, L858R, or other) and race (Asian or non-Asian) before two-to-one random assignment to 40 mg afatinib per day or up to six cycles of cisplatin plus pemetrexed chemotherapy at standard doses every 21 days. The primary end point was PFS by independent review. Secondary end points included tumor...
2,550 citations
Harvard University1, National Taiwan University2, Trinity College, Dublin3, McGill University4, The Chinese University of Hong Kong5, Prince of Songkla University6, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital7, National Cheng Kung University8, Chungbuk National University9, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust10, Boehringer Ingelheim11, University of Duisburg-Essen12
TL;DR: Afatinib is associated with prolongation of PFS when compared with standard doublet chemotherapy in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and EGFR mutations.
Abstract: Purpose
The LUX-Lung 3 study investigated the efficacy of chemotherapy compared with afatinib, a selective, orally bioavailable ErbB family blocker that irreversibly blocks signaling from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/ErbB1), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2/ErbB2), and ErbB4 and has wide-spectrum preclinical activity against EGFR mutations. A phase II study of afatinib in EGFR mutation-positive lung adenocarcinoma demonstrated high response rates and progression-free survival (PFS).
Patients and Methods
In this phase III study, eligible patients with stage IIIB/IV lung adenocarcinoma were screened for EGFR mutations. Mutation-positive patients were stratified by mutation type (exon 19 deletion, L858R, or other) and race (Asian or non-Asian) before two-to-one random assignment to 40 mg afatinib per day or up to six cycles of cisplatin plus pemetrexed chemotherapy at standard doses every 21 days. The primary end point was PFS by independent review. Secondary end points included tumor response, overall survival, adverse events, and patient-reported outcomes (PROs).
Results
A total of 1,269 patients were screened, and 345 were randomly assigned to treatment. Median PFS was 11.1 months for afatinib and 6.9 months for chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR], 0.58; 95% CI, 0.43 to 0.78; P = .001). Median PFS among those with exon 19 deletions and L858R EGFR mutations (n = 308) was 13.6 months for afatinib and 6.9 months for chemotherapy (HR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.65; P = .001). The most common treatmentrelated adverse events were diarrhea, rash/acne, and stomatitis for afatinib and nausea, fatigue, and decreased appetite for chemotherapy. PROs favored afatinib, with better control of cough, dyspnea, and pain.
Conclusion
Afatinib is associated with prolongation of PFS when compared with standard doublet chemotherapy in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and EGFR mutations.
2,380 citations
TL;DR: All-solid-state donor/acceptor planar-heterojunction (PHJ) hybrid solar cells are constructed and their excellent performance measured.
Abstract: All-solid-state donor/acceptor planar-heterojunction (PHJ) hybrid solar cells are constructed and their excellent performance measured. The deposition of a thin C60 fullerene or fullerene-derivative (acceptor) layer in vacuum on a CH3 NH3 PbI3 perovskite (donor) layer creates a hybrid PHJ that displays the photovoltaic effect. Such heterojunctions are shown to be suitable for the development of newly structured, hybrid, efficient solar cells.
1,327 citations
TL;DR: Different synthesis methodologies to prepare well-dispersed MSNs and hollow silica nanoparticles with tunable dimensions with good potential for use in high-performance catalysis, antireflection coating, transparent polymer-MSNs nanocomposites, drug-release and theranostic systems are discussed.
Abstract: Good control of the morphology, particle size, uniformity and dispersity of mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) is of increasing importance to their use in catalyst, adsorption, polymer filler, optical devices, bio-imaging, drug delivery, and biomedical applications. This review discusses different synthesis methodologies to prepare well-dispersed MSNs and hollow silica nanoparticles (HSNs) with tunable dimensions ranging from a few to hundreds of nanometers of different mesostructures. The methods include fast self-assembly, soft and hard templating, a modified Stober method, dissolving–reconstruction and modified aerogel approaches. In practical applications, the MSNs prepared by these methods demonstrate good potential for use in high-performance catalysis, antireflection coating, transparent polymer–MSNs nanocomposites, drug-release and theranostic systems.
1,180 citations
TL;DR: This review article elucidates comprehensive information on the characteristics and metabolism of main fermentable microalgal carbohydrates (e.g., starch and cellulose), as well as the key factors and challenges that should be addressed during production and saccharification of microAlgal carbohydrates.
574 citations
TL;DR: Findings indicate the feasibility of using carbohydrate-producing microalgae as feedstock for fermentative bioethanol production.
544 citations
TL;DR: Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms, especially UP-Growth+, not only reduce the number of candidates effectively but also outperform other algorithms substantially in terms of runtime, especially when databases contain lots of long transactions.
Abstract: Mining high utility itemsets from a transactional database refers to the discovery of itemsets with high utility like profits. Although a number of relevant algorithms have been proposed in recent years, they incur the problem of producing a large number of candidate itemsets for high utility itemsets. Such a large number of candidate itemsets degrades the mining performance in terms of execution time and space requirement. The situation may become worse when the database contains lots of long transactions or long high utility itemsets. In this paper, we propose two algorithms, namely utility pattern growth (UP-Growth) and UP-Growth+, for mining high utility itemsets with a set of effective strategies for pruning candidate itemsets. The information of high utility itemsets is maintained in a tree-based data structure named utility pattern tree (UP-Tree) such that candidate itemsets can be generated efficiently with only two scans of database. The performance of UP-Growth and UP-Growth+ is compared with the state-of-the-art algorithms on many types of both real and synthetic data sets. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms, especially UP-Growth+, not only reduce the number of candidates effectively but also outperform other algorithms substantially in terms of runtime, especially when databases contain lots of long transactions.
522 citations
TL;DR: The authors used a combination of destination image and destination personality as a strategy to differentiate their destination brands from other competing destinations and created a brand saliency, the development of an emotional relationship with the consumer.
483 citations
TL;DR: In vitro performance clearly displays high efficacy in the NIR photothermal destruction of cancer cells, which has made the rod-in-shell structure a promising hyperthermia agent for the in vivo photothermal ablation of solid tumors when activated using a continuous-wave 808 m or a 1064 nm diode laser.
Abstract: Photothermal cancer therapy using near-infrared (NIR) laser radiation is an emerging treatment. In the NIR region, two biological transparency windows are located in 650–950 nm (first NIR window) a...
403 citations
TL;DR: This work aims to provide a stepwise strategy for management of gastric cancer applicable to different levels of health-care resources in Asian countries, using the categories of basic, limited, enhanced, and maximum level.
Abstract: Summary Gastric cancer is the fourth most common cancer globally, and is the second most common cause of death from cancer worldwide. About three-quarters of newly diagnosed cases in 2008 were from Asian countries. With a high mortality-to-incidence ratio, management of gastric cancer is challenging. We discuss evidence for optimum management of gastric cancer in aspects of screening and early detection, diagnosis, and staging; endoscopic and surgical intervention; and the concepts of perioperative, postoperative, and palliative chemotherapy and use of molecularly targeted therapy. Recommendations are formulated on the basis of the framework provided by the Breast Health Global Initiative, using the categories of basic, limited, enhanced, and maximum level. We aim to provide a stepwise strategy for management of gastric cancer applicable to different levels of health-care resources in Asian countries.
399 citations
TL;DR: This review article presents comprehensive information on the current state of these commercial applications, as well as the utilization and characteristics of the microalgal components, in addition to the key factors and challenges that should be addressed during the production of these materials, and thus provides a useful report that can aid the development of an efficient microalgae-based biorefinery process.
TL;DR: The synthesis of CS derivatives and their characteristics, as well as their potential transport mechanisms of macromolecular therapeutics across the intestinal biological membrane, are described.
TL;DR: Graphene oxide (GO) sheets have highly tunable electronic properties because of their unique 2D carbon structure, which allows extensive modification with surface functionalities. as discussed by the authors introduces strategies for tuning the electronic structure of GO and presents GO alone and with other materials, as a mediator for photocatalytic water splitting.
University of Barcelona1, Middlemore Hospital2, Medical University of Vienna3, Charles University in Prague4, Westmead Hospital5, Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil6, Hacettepe University7, American University of Beirut8, Medical University of Lublin9, Manchester Royal Infirmary10, French Institute of Health and Medical Research11, University of Düsseldorf12, Universidad Nacional de Asunción13, Hospital General San Juan de Dios14, Mexican Social Security Institute15, Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires16, All India Institute of Medical Sciences17, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki18, University of Iowa19, University of Hawaii20, Gomel State Medical University21, Jagiellonian University Medical College22, University of Chile23, Western Galilee Hospital24, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras25, National Cheng Kung University26, Lagos University Teaching Hospital27
TL;DR: Combined data from HPV-DNA and p16(INK4a) testing are likely to represent a closer estimate of the real fraction of IVC induced by HPV, indicating that HPV contribution in invasive vulvar cancer has probably been overestimated.
TL;DR: Results demonstrated that a combined effect of both guidance cues was more effective than an individual cue, suggesting a potential use of A-PCL/PANi nanofibers for skeletal muscle regeneration.
TL;DR: In this paper, a comprehensive theoretical model for destination branding that borrows the concepts of brand credibility, brand image, brand attachment, and satisfaction was developed and tested for a sample of 398 international tourists visiting a famous world heritage tourism destination (Angkor Wat) and a famous skyscraper (Taipei 101).
TL;DR: In this article, the authors empirically examined the relationships between internal green practices, external green integration, green performance, and firm competitiveness in the container shipping context, and they found that internal Green practices and external green collaboration have positive impacts on green performance.
Abstract: This study empirically examines the relationships between internal green practices, external green integration, green performance, and firm competitiveness in the container shipping context. We collect data from a survey of 163 container shipping firms in Taiwan, and apply a structural equation model (SEM) to test the research hypotheses. We confirm that internal green practices and external green collaboration have positive impacts on green performance, which in turn helps to enhance firm competitiveness. The findings show that a firm’s green performance and external green collaboration act as mediator variables between internal green practices and firm competitiveness, and they influence firm competitiveness positively. We also discuss in this paper the managerial implications for container shipping firms to improve their green performance and competitiveness.
TL;DR: Silver/iron oxide composite nanoparticles have been synthesized successfully via a facile one-pot green route by the use of l-arginine, which created an aqueous solution of about pH 10 and acted as a reducing agent for the successive formation of iron oxide and Ag nanoparticles.
TL;DR: In this article, a thermogravimetric analyzer was used to examine the co-pyrolysis characteristics of fuel blends and five different biomass blending ratios (BBRs) of 100, 75, 50, 25, and 0.1% were taken into consideration.
TL;DR: The result demonstrates that the proposed recurrent neural classifier using the energy features extracted from characteristic waves of EEG signals can classify sleep stages more efficiently and accurately using only a single EEG channel.
TL;DR: The proposed method can accurately estimate the SOH of the battery in a short period, and the average error of the prediction is 0.28% and the standard deviation is 1.15%.
Abstract: In this study, a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is used to estimate the state of health (SOH) of Li-ion batteries. The accurate prediction of SOH can help avoid inconveniences or fatal accidents from the sudden malfunction of the battery. A total of 110 pieces of Li-Co batteries are used. Constant current/voltage recharging and constant current discharging are performed for the life-cycle test of the battery. The data obtained from the recharging and discharging electric characteristics as well as the life-cycle test of the battery are used to estimate the SOH of the battery. The test data show that the constant current charging time, the instantaneous voltage drop at the start of discharging, and the open circuit voltage are the most important characteristics for estimating the SOH of the battery. The PNN is trained using 100 pieces of batteries. The remaining 10 pieces are used to verify the feasibility of the proposed method. The effectiveness of the PNN training using a number of samples is discussed and analyzed. The results show that the average error of the prediction is 0.28% and the standard deviation is 1.15%. The computation time of the PNN is 62.5 ms. Thus, the proposed method can accurately estimate the SOH of the battery in a short period.
TL;DR: A novel high step-up dc-dc converter for distributed generation systems is proposed, to utilize two capacitors and one coupled inductor to achieve a highstep-up voltage gain and the voltage stress on the main switch is reduced.
Abstract: In this paper, a novel high step-up dc-dc converter for distributed generation systems is proposed. The concept is to utilize two capacitors and one coupled inductor. The two capacitors are charged in parallel during the switch-off period and are discharged in series during the switch-on period by the energy stored in the coupled inductor to achieve a high step-up voltage gain. In addition, the leakage-inductor energy of the coupled inductor is recycled with a passive clamp circuit. Thus, the voltage stress on the main switch is reduced. The switch with low resistance RDS(ON) can be adopted to reduce the conduction loss. In addition, the reverse-recovery problem of the diodes is alleviated, and thus, the efficiency can be further improved. The operating principle and steady-state analyses are discussed in detail. Finally, a prototype circuit with 24-V input voltage, 400-V output voltage, and 200-W output power is implemented in the laboratory to verify the performance of the proposed converter.
TL;DR: It is found that miR-135b is dually regulated by DNA demethylation and nuclear factor-kappaB signalling, implying that abnormal expression in cancer may result from inflammatory and epigenetic modulations.
Abstract: Dysregulation of microRNAs has a critical role in cancer progression. Here we identify an intronic microRNA, miR-135b that is upregulated in highly invasive non-small-cell lung cancer cells. Expression of miR-135b enhances cancer cell invasive and migratory abilities in vitro and promotes cancer metastasis in vivo, while specific inhibition of miR-135b by a miR-135b-specific molecular sponge and antagomirs suppresses cancer cell invasion, orthotopic lung tumour growth and metastasis in a mouse model. miR-135b targets multiple key components in the Hippo pathway, including LATS2, β-TrCP and NDR2, as well as LZTS1. Expression of miR-135b, LZTS1, LATS2 and nuclear TAZ predicts poor outcomes of non-small-cell lung cancer. We find that miR-135b is dually regulated by DNA demethylation and nuclear factor-kappaB signalling, implying that abnormal expression of miR-135b in cancer may result from inflammatory and epigenetic modulations. We conclude that miR-135b is an oncogenic microRNA and a potential therapeutic target for non-small-cell lung cancer.
TL;DR: An intracluster D2D retransmission scheme with optimized resource utilization is proposed, which can adaptively select the number of cooperative relays performing multicast retransmissions and give an iterative subcluster partition algorithm to enhanceretransmission throughput.
Abstract: Device-to-device (D2D) communications help improve the performance of wireless multicast services in cellular networks via cooperative retransmissions among multicast recipients within a cluster. Resource utilization efficiency should be taken into account in the design of D2D communication systems. To maximize resource efficiency of D2D retransmissions, there is a tradeoff between multichannel diversity and multicast gain. In this paper, by analyzing the relationship between the number of relays and minimal time-frequency resource cost on retransmissions, we derive a closed-form probability density function (pdf) for an optimal number of D2D relays. Motivated by the analysis, we then propose an intracluster D2D retransmission scheme with optimized resource utilization, which can adaptively select the number of cooperative relays performing multicast retransmissions and give an iterative subcluster partition algorithm to enhance retransmission throughput. Exploiting both multichannel diversity and multicast gain, the proposed scheme achieves a significant gain in terms of resource utilization if compared with its counterparts with a fixed number of relays.
TL;DR: A significant band gap as high as 600 meV is observed for low BN concentrations and is attributed to the opening of the π-π* band gap of graphene due to isoelectronic BN doping.
Abstract: Band gap opening and engineering is one of the high priority goals in the development of graphene electronics. Here, we report on the opening and scaling of band gap in BN doped graphene (BNG) films grown by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition method. High resolution transmission electron microscopy is employed to resolve the graphene and h-BN domain formation in great detail. X-ray photoelectron, micro-Raman, and UV–vis spectroscopy studies revealed a distinct structural and phase evolution in BNG films at low BN concentration. Synchrotron radiation based XAS-XES measurements concluded a gap opening in BNG films, which is also confirmed by field effect transistor measurements. For the first time, a significant band gap as high as 600 meV is observed for low BN concentrations and is attributed to the opening of the π–π* band gap of graphene due to isoelectronic BN doping. As-grown films exhibit structural evolution from homogeneously dispersed small BN clusters to large sized BN domains with embedded d...
TL;DR: A systematic analysis on the effects of GC bias on genome assembly reveals that GC bias only lowers assembly completeness when the degree ofGC bias is above a threshold, and provides guidance toward a better de novo genome assembly in the presence of GC biases.
Abstract: Next-generation-sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized the field of genome assembly because of its much higher data throughput and much lower cost compared with traditional Sanger sequencing. However, NGS poses new computational challenges to de novo genome assembly. Among the challenges, GC bias in NGS data is known to aggravate genome assembly. However, it is not clear to what extent GC bias affects genome assembly in general. In this work, we conduct a systematic analysis on the effects of GC bias on genome assembly. Our analyses reveal that GC bias only lowers assembly completeness when the degree of GC bias is above a threshold. At a strong GC bias, the assembly fragmentation due to GC bias can be explained by the low coverage of reads in the GC-poor or GC-rich regions of a genome. This effect is observed for all the assemblers under study. Increasing the total amount of NGS data thus rescues the assembly fragmentation because of GC bias. However, the amount of data needed for a full rescue depends on the distribution of GC contents. Both low and high coverage depths due to GC bias lower the accuracy of assembly. These pieces of information provide guidance toward a better de novo genome assembly in the presence of GC bias.
TL;DR: These results confirm that the proposed starch/gelatin microneedles enable stable encapsulation of bioactive molecules and have great potential for transdermal delivery of protein drugs in a relatively painless, rapid, and convenient manner.
TL;DR: It is argued that for a bicycle-sharing system to be most effective for this customer segment, the system must deploy the right number of bicycles at the right places, because this affects the utilization rate of the bicycles and how bicycles circulate within the system.
Abstract: We develop practical operations research models to support decision making in the design and management of public bicycle-sharing systems. We develop a network flow model with proportionality constraints to estimate the flow of bicycles within the network and the number of trips supported, given an initial allocation of bicycles at each station. We also examine the effectiveness of periodic redistribution of bicycles in the network to support greater flow, and the impact on the number of docks needed. We conduct our numerical analysis using transit data from train operators in Singapore. Given that a substantial proportion of passengers in the train system commute a short distance—more than 16% of passengers alight within two stops from the origin—this forms a latent segment of demand for a bicycle-sharing program. We argue that for a bicycle-sharing system to be most effective for this customer segment, the system must deploy the right number of bicycles at the right places, because this affects the util...
TL;DR: The authors explored the essence of "creativity" in "creative tourism" from a tourist perspective and found that "outer interactions" and "inner reflections" construct the model of tourists' creative experience.
TL;DR: This review focuses on how these three monoamine neurotransmitters contribute to exercise affecting brain function and how it can work against neurological disorders.
Abstract: The beneficial effects of exercise on brain function have been demonstrated in animal models and in a growing number of clinical studies on humans. There are multiple mechanisms that account for the brain-enhancing effects of exercise, including neuroinflammation, vascularization, antioxidation, energy adaptation, and regulations on neurotrophic factors and neurotransmitters. Dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NE), and serotonin (5-HT) are the three major monoamine neurotransmitters that are known to be modulated by exercise. This review focuses on how these three neurotransmitters contribute to exercise affecting brain function and how it can work against neurological disorders.