1,406 research outputs found
Book Review: 'Only Connect': Belonging and Estrangement in the Poetry of Philip Larkin, R. S. Thomas and Charles Causley by Rory Waterman
No full textRory Waterman intriguingly combines discussions of
Philip Larkin, R. S. Thomas, and Charles Causley, three
poets who 'epitomize many of the emotional and societal
shifts and mores of their age', in the hope of making
possible 'new and persuasive readings'. Focussed
conceptually on belonging and estrangement, the book's
six chapters explore literary traditions and audience;
geographical and cultural origins; relationships,
particularly marriage
Data and analysis supporting: Quantifying aquatic plant commonness and cooccurrence across scales to support ecological understanding and management
No full textData and R code necessary to reproduce the results of the publication. This DRUM submission includes a Quarto document for reproducing the analyses, a PDF markdown document that was generated from the Quarto file, and 11 files (10 .rds, 1 .csv) with the underlying data.
Note that 11 of the species in the dataset are protected species in Minnesota, for which locality information is required to be anonymized. These have been renamed “protected_spp1”, “protected_spp2”, etc. in data files denoted with the suffix “_anon”. The actual species names are used in the manuscript where applicable. This introduces some subtle differences in outputs from this repository relative to the results shown in the manuscript.These data and R statistical code support the publication, "Quantifying aquatic plant commonness and cooccurrence across scales to support ecological understanding and management," in Journal of Ecology. We analyzed aquatic plant surveys from 1,658 lakes across Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA, collected over two decades (2000-2022) and encompassing nearly one million sampling points. These data were collected by agency staff, consultants, researchers, and others who performed the thousands of aquatic plant surveys that enabled this work. For 106 focal taxa, we quantified commonness as occupancy (at regional and local scales) and cooccurrence as diversity fields (the mean species richness of lakes or sampling locations where each focal species occurred). We used statistical models that incorporated environmental, spatial, and temporal covariates to correct for biased sampling and isolate community processes from other influential factors, and leveraged the temporal span of the data to investigate interannual variability in commonness and cooccurrence.Funder: Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC)Funding for this project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).Minnesota Agricultural Experiment StationMidwest Glacial Lakes PartnershipLarkin, Daniel J; Verhoeven, Michael R; Walsh, Jake R; Johnson, James A. (2026). Data and analysis supporting: Quantifying aquatic plant commonness and cooccurrence across scales to support ecological understanding and management. Retrieved from the Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM), https://doi.org/10.13020/hkyt-sv23
Theology in suspense : how the detective fiction of P.D. James provokes theological thought
No full textElectronic redacted version excludes material for which permission has not been granted by the rights holderThe following dissertation argues that the detective fiction of P.D. James
provokes her readers to think theologically. I present evidence from the body of
James’s work, including her detective fiction that features the Detective Adam
Dalgliesh, as well as her other novels, autobiography, and non-fiction work. I also
present a brief history of detective fiction. This history provides the reader with a
better understanding of how P.D James is influenced by the detective genre as well as
how she stands apart from the genre’s traditions.
This dissertation relies on an interview that I conducted with P.D. James in
November, 2008. During the interview, I asked James how Christianity has
influenced her detective fiction and her responses greatly contribute to this
dissertation. However, James’s novels should be interpreted and explored in the
manner that they are received by the reader. How the reader receives and responds to
the novels, not only how James writes the novels, is what causes her stories to
provoke theological thinking.
By examining Christian symbolism that is present in setting, character, the
Detective Adam Dalgliesh, and plot, this dissertation seeks to assert that James
contributes to a theological conversation through her popular detective fiction
Research Reports, 1974, 1-5
No full textDeWitt, Louis J.; Weiss, David J.; McBride, James R.; Larkin, Kevin C.; Betz, Nancy E.. (1974). Research Reports, 1974, 1-5. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/135272
Complete Data and Analysis for: Effects of seed traits and dormancy break treatments on germination of four aquatic plant species
No full textThere are two data files--one for germination and one for viability--each comprising a set of seeds (each row is a seed) with measured traits, the treatments to which they were subjected (germination only) and their germination date or viability assessment. Germination trial data from the chamber and seed photos referenced in the datasets are also included. The script included will read these files into R and conduct the analyses included in the companion manuscript.This repository contains the raw data and code necessary to conduct the analyses in the companion paper.This research was supported by: the Minnesota Environmental and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (M.V., D.L.); the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program at the University of Minnesota (J.B.); the National Science Foundation (M.V., Graduate Research Fellowship Program [Grant No. CON-75851, project 00074041]); and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture through the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station (D.L.). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.Verhoeven, Michael R; Bacon, Jonah A; Larkin, Daniel J. (2023). Complete Data and Analysis for: Effects of seed traits and dormancy break treatments on germination of four aquatic plant species. Retrieved from the Data Repository for the University of Minnesota (DRUM), https://doi.org/10.13020/nv5v-6d63
Systematic literature review for the association of biomarkers with efficacy of anti-PD-1 inhibitors in advanced melanoma.
No full textAim: Summarize the literature assessing biomarkers in predicting efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy for patients with high-risk unresectable or metastatic melanoma. Materials & methods: Relevant studies were identified via a systematic literature review. Results: About 334 unique biomarkers or biomarker combinations were identified from 121 citations. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio was the most frequently studied biomarker, followed by C-reactive protein. Fifty-nine biomarkers were significantly associated with overall survival (OS), 51 with progression-free survival (PFS) and 44 with response. Twenty biomarkers were associated with both OS and PFS; two were associated with OS, PFS and response (MHC-II and tumor mutational burden). Conclusion: Numerous biomarkers could potentially predict the efficacy of anti-PD-1-based therapy for melanoma patients. However, confirmatory studies are needed as well as determination of implications for clinical decision-making
Prognostic markers and tumour growth kinetics in melanoma patients progressing on vemurafenib
Get PDFThe BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib is an effective drug in patients with BRAF mutant metastatic melanoma, but resistance occurs after a median of 6 months. The anti-CTLA4-antibody, ipilimumab, is a standard first-line and second-line treatment option in Europe, with a median time to response of 2-3 months, but some patients show rapid clinical deterioration before that. The aim of this analysis was to identify prognostic markers for survival after failure of vemurafenib treatment to identify patients who have a sufficient life expectancy to respond to new immunotherapy treatments. We retrospectively analysed 101 consecutive unselected patients treated with vemurafenib for metastatic melanoma at a single institution. The association between clinical parameters and death within 3 months after cessation of vemurafenib (n=69) was assessed by binary logistic and Cox regression. Of the patients, 45% died within 3 months of progression on vemurafenib. Elevated baseline serum lactate dehydrogenase, absence of normalization of serum lactate dehydrogenase on vemurafenib therapy, performance status of at least 2 at progression and time from primary tumour to metastatic disease less than 5 years were identified as poor prognostic markers. In an exploratory tumour growth kinetics analysis (n=16), we found that following cessation of vemurafenib, approximately a third each showed a stable, decelerated or accelerated rate of tumour growth. Patients with these poor prognostic markers are unlikely to have sufficient life expectancy to complete ipilimumab treatment after failure with vemurafenib. Consideration needs to be given to the elective use of immunotherapy before patients become resistant to vemurafenib. This requires prospective randomized evaluation. Our tumour growth kinetics analysis requires confirmation; however, it may suggest that intermittent vemurafenib treatment should be investigated in clinical trials
Axitinib, cabozantinib, or everolimus in the treatment of prior sunitinib-treated patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma: results of matching-adjusted indirect comparison analyses.
No full textBACKGROUND: In the absence of head-to-head trials comparing axitinib with cabozantinib or everolimus, the aim of this study was to conduct an indirect comparison of their relative efficacy in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), using data from the AXIS and METEOR trials. METHODS: Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) in prior sunitinib-treated patients with mRCC were compared by conducting matching-adjusted indirect comparison (MAIC) analyses, including base-case and sensitivity analyses. Individual patient-level data from prior sunitinib-treated patients who received axitinib in AXIS were weighted to match published baseline characteristics of prior sunitinib-treated patients who received either cabozantinib or everolimus in METEOR. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in PFS (aHR [adjusted hazard ratio] = 1.15 [CI: 0.82-1.63]) and OS (aHR = 1.00 [CI: 0.69-1.46]) between axitinib versus cabozantinib in the base-case analysis. In the sensitivity analysis, PFS (aHR = 1.39 [CI: 1.00-1.92]) and OS (aHR = 1.35 [CI: 0.95-1.92]) were shorter for axitinib compared with cabozantinib; however, the OS difference was not statistically significant. Axitinib was associated with significantly longer PFS compared with everolimus in the base-case (aHR = 0.53 [CI: 0.36-0.80]) and sensitivity analyses (aHR = 0.63 [CI: 0.45-0.88]), respectively. Results suggested an OS benefit for axitinib versus everolimus in base-case analyses (aHR = 0.63 [CI: 0.42-0.96]); however, the difference in OS in the sensitivity analysis was not statistically significant (aHR = 0.84 [CI: 0.59-1.18]). CONCLUSIONS: MAIC analyses suggest PFS and OS for axitinib and cabozantinib are dependent on the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center definition used; in the base-case analysis, there was no significant difference in PFS and OS between axitinib and cabozantinib. In the sensitivity analysis, PFS in favour of cabozantinib was significant; however, the trend for prolonged OS with cabozantinib was not significant. For axitinib and everolimus, MAIC analyses indicate patients treated with axitinib may have an improved PFS and OS benefit when compared to everolimus. Disparities between the base-case and sensitivity analyses in this study underscore the importance of adjusting for the differences in baseline characteristics and that naïve indirect comparisons are not appropriate
Fatal intracranial haemorrhage shortly after belzutifan initiation in von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease-associated haemangioblastoma.
No full textBACKGROUND: Belzutifan, a selective hypoxia-inducible factor-2α inhibitor, is approved for von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease-associated tumours and is Food and Drug Administration-approved for the management of advanced sporadic clear-cell renal-cell carcinoma. While belzutifan has demonstrated efficacy across VHL-related lesions, real-world safety data remain limited. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report a fatal intracranial haemorrhage occurring within 72 h of belzutifan initiation in a patient with VHL-associated central nervous system haemangioblastomas (CNS-HBs). RESULTS: This represents the third post-marketing case of early haemorrhage involving CNS or spinal haemangioblastomas, following previously reported spinal and cerebellar bleeds. Although CNS-HBs are highly vascular, spontaneous haemorrhage is exceedingly rare. The clustering of haemorrhagic events in these cases, within days of treatment initiation, suggests a rare but potentially serious adverse event not currently listed on regulatory labels. CONCLUSIONS: This case highlights the importance of pharmacovigilance as belzutifan use expands into broader real-world populations, particularly in rare disease settings where trial cohorts are small and long-term safety data are limited
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