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In the development of new cancer treatment, an essential step is to determine the maximum tolerated dose in a phase I clinical trial. In general, phase I trial designs can be classified as either model-based or algorithm-based approaches. Model-based phase I designs are typically more efficient by using all observed data, while there is a potential risk of model misspecification that may lead to unreliable dose assignment and incorrect maximum tolerated dose identification. In contrast, most of the algorithm-based designs are less efficient in using cumulative information, because they tend to focus on the observed data in the neighborhood of the current dose level for dose movement. To use the data more efficiently yet without any model assumption, we propose a novel approximate Bayesian computation approach to phase I trial design. Not only is the approximate Bayesian computation design free of any dose-toxicity curve assumption, but it can also aggregate all the available information accrued in the trial for dose assignment. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate its robustness and efficiency compared with other phase I trial designs. We apply the approximate Bayesian computation design to the MEK inhibitor selumetinib trial to demonstrate its satisfactory performance. The proposed design can be a useful addition to the family of phase I clinical trial designs due to its simplicity, efficiency and robustness.

Teachers' continuous usage intention for virtual reality (VR) technology is a prerequisite for achieving its expected educational value in elementary and secondary education. Through a comprehensive model considering task-technology fit (TTF) and usage satisfaction, this study involved an analysis framework for the intention of teachers to continue using VR technology for classroom teaching. A questionnaire survey was conducted on 291 teachers of elementary and secondary schools in Jiangsu Province, China, to identify factors affecting their continuous usage intention for VR technology. The results indicated that perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-usage significantly impacted usage satisfaction. Surprisingly, usage satisfaction did not promote continuous usage intention. System quality and service quality of VR technology were key factors influencing perceived usefulness and perceived ease-of-use, respectively. Meanwhile, TTF promoted teachers' continuous usage intention while being positively affected by quality factors. Therefore, teachers are more concerned about optimizing pedagogical effectiveness by VR technology. Thus, further applications of VR technology in teaching should focus on improving the application modes. Moreover, a teaching environment supporting the pedagogical application of VR technology and a more autonomous classroom ecology for teachers to conduct VR-supported classroom teaching reform may be important factors to promote teachers' usage intention for VR technology.

Digital PCR (dPCR) holds immense potential for precisely detecting nucleic acid markers essential for personalized medicine. However, its broader application is hindered by high consumable costs, complex procedures, and restricted multiplexing capabilities. To address these challenges, an all‐in‐one dPCR system is introduced that eliminates the need for microfabricated chips, offering fully automated operations and enhanced multiplexing capabilities. Using this innovative oscillation‐induced droplet generation technique, OsciDrop, this system supports a comprehensive dPCR workflow, including precise liquid handling, pipette‐based droplet printing, in situ thermocycling, multicolor fluorescence imaging, and machine learning‐driven analysis. The system's reliability is demonstrated by quantifying reference materials and evaluating HER2 copy number variation in breast cancer. Its multiplexing capability is showcased with a quadruplex dPCR assay that detects key EGFR mutations, including 19Del, L858R, and T790M in lung cancer. Moreover, the digital stepwise melting analysis (dSMA) technique is introduced, enabling high‐multiplex profiling of seven major EGFR variants spanning 35 subtypes. This innovative dPCR system presents a cost‐effective and versatile alternative, overcoming existing limitations and paving the way for transformative advances in precision diagnostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study of a state-funded, 3-year implementation of an integrated STEM professional development (PD) program for teachers from two middle schools in the midwestern U.S. examined if participants in the PD were enabled to transform their practice and perceptions of STEM. An integrated STEM approach includes a focus on the STEM disciplines, along with leveraging social studies/history and English/language arts as important context and tools for solving society's biggest challenges. Findings in this study indicated that teachers implemented more effective STEM teaching strategies and had more positive perceptions regarding STEM overall. Further, participants became more aware of their personal needs for resources and support to teach through integrated STEM. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Based on life-history interviews conducted with Chinese young gay men, this research critically engages with the anti-family tendency in queer temporality studies. It identifies three forms of queer temporality among our informants – strategic delay, optimistic pursuit and queer passing-time – in relation to the emerging neo-Confucian familism in China, which, overall, suggests a 'yes-but-not-yet' queer youth temporality characterised by a combination of a selective acceptance of hetero-/homonormative familial responsibilities and a 'not yet ready to shoulder them' status. Caught between the assimilationist gesture and a queer standpoint, this 'yes-but-not-yet' queer temporality seems difficult to categorise. With a focus on our informants' efforts to draw on different resources to pragmatically seek possibilities for a liveable life, we argue that it is more important to understand 'queer' in and on their terms rather than discussing how to define queer or normative to analyse our informants' stories. In doing so, this research opens up possibilities to theorise queer temporality from an Asian perspective in relation to the emerging neo-Confucian familism. It also challenges the dichotomous thinking in queer studies that belittles the queer efforts made by the marginalised/non-Western and calls for a more context-specific queer sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]