Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Apoptosis regulation in the testis: Involvement of Bcl‐2 family members

Using immunohistochemical techniques and Western blot analysis, the possible role of Bcl‐2 family members Bax, Bcl‐2, Bcl‐xs, and Bcl‐xl in male germ cell density‐related apoptosis and DNA damage induced apoptosis was studied. The apoptosis inducer Bax was localized in all mouse and human testicular cell types, but despite the fact that irradiation induces its transcriptional activator, p53 in the human, Bax expression did not change after irradiation. The apoptosis inhibitor Bcl‐2 appeared to be present in late spermatocytes and spermatids and was up‐regulated in these cells after a dose of 4 Gy of X‐rays. Finally, Bcl‐x was expressed in both the mouse and human testis. The apoptosis inhibiting long transcripts of Bcl‐x, Bcl‐xl, were expressed in spermatogonia and spermatocytes and were up‐regulated after X‐irradiation. The apoptosis inducing shorter form of Bcl‐x, Bcl‐xs, was found to be expressed only in somatic cells, like peritubular and Leydig cells. While Bax is important in germ cell density regulation, Bax expression did not change after DNA damage inflicted by X‐radiation. Hence, spermatogonial apoptosis after X‐irradiation may not be induced via the apoptosis inducer Bax. Furthermore, as Bcl‐xl, but not Bcl‐2, is present in spermatogonia and spermatocytes, Bcl‐xl may regulate germ cell density, possibly in cooperation with Bax. As Bcl‐xl expression is enhanced after irradiation, this protein may also have a role in the response of spermatogonia and spermatocytes to irradiation. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 56:353–359, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Human Adenocarcinoma-associated Gene, AGR2, Induces Expression of Amphiregulin through Hippo Pathway Co-activator YAP1 Activation*

Anterior Gradient Homolog 2 (AGR2) is expressed by the normal intestine and by most human adenocarcinomas, including those derived from the esophagus, pancreas, lung, breast, ovary, and prostate. Xenografts of human adenocarcinoma cell lines in nude mice previously demonstrated that AGR2 supports tumor growth. In addition, AGR2 is able to induce in vitro a transformed phenotype in fibroblast and epithelial cell lines. The mechanism underlying the growth promoting effects of AGR2 is unknown. The present study shows that AGR2 induces expression of amphiregulin (AREG), a growth promoting EGFR ligand. Induced AREG expression in adenocarcinoma cells is able to rescue the transformed phenotype that is lost when AGR2 expression is reduced. Additional experiments demonstrate that AGR2 induction of AREG is mediated by activation of the Hippo signaling pathway co-activator, YAP1. Thus AGR2 promotes growth by regulating the Hippo and EGF receptor signaling pathways.
Choices and changes: Eccles’ Expectancy-Value model and upper-secondary school students’ longitudinal reflections about their choice of a STEM education

ABSTRACT During the past 30 years, Eccles’ comprehensive social-psychological Expectancy-Value Model of Motivated Behavioural Choices (EV-MBC model) has been proven suitable for studying educational choices related to Science, Technology, Engineering and/or Mathematics (STEM). The reflections of 15 students in their last year in upper-secondary school concerning their choice of tertiary education were examined using quantitative EV-MBC surveys and repeated qualitative interviews. This article presents the analyses of three cases in detail. The analytical focus was whether the factors indicated in the EV-MBC model could be used to detect significant changes in the students’ educational choice processes. An important finding was that the quantitative EV-MBC surveys and the qualitative interviews gave quite different results concerning the students’ considerations about the choice of tertiary education, and that significant changes in the students’ reflections were not captured by the factors of the EV-MBC model. This questions the validity of the EV-MBC surveys. Moreover, the quantitative factors from the EV-MBC model did not sufficiently explain students’ dynamical educational choice processes where students in parallel considered several different potential educational trajectories. We therefore call for further studies of the EV-MBC model's use in describing longitudinal choice processes and especially in investigating significant changes.
Social support as a contributor to student teachers’ experienced well-being

Abstract The aim of this study is to gain better understanding of the dynamics of the social support system adopted in teacher education and its significance for the student teachers’ experienced well-being. The focus was on exploring the extent to which empowering emotional, informational or instrumental support is enabled for student teachers during their studies. Altogether, 40 student teachers were interviewed, and the data were subjected to content analysis. The results showed that the student teachers faced both empowering and burdening experiences involving social support, or lack of it. Informational support was the most frequently reported. Further, most of the informational and emotional support was appropriate and was received from both peers and teacher educators. Conversely, a lack of or inadequate support was experienced burdening. However, active efforts to develop a more supportive social environment – i.e. offering or giving social support for others – were rarely described.
Dynamic modelling of die melt temperature profile in polymer extrusion

The extrusion process is one of the main methods of processing polymeric materials and thermal homogeneity of the process output presents a major challenge for high quality extruded products. Therefore, accurate process thermal monitoring and control are highly desirable. However, most of the industrial extruders use conventional single point thermocouples for thermal monitoring although their measurements are highly affected by barrel metal wall temperature. Moreover, it has been shown that the melt temperature changes considerably with the die radial position and point based measurements are not sufficient to determine the actual process thermal stability and hence to control the thermal homogeneity of melt output. Conversely, the majority of process thermal control methods are based on linear models and are not capable of dealing with process nonlinearities. In this work, a die melt temperature profile was monitored by a thermocouple mesh technique and the data obtained was used to formulate a new nonlinear dynamic model to predict the die melt temperature profile in a single screw extruder. The model is in good agreement with the measured data and offers a promising thermal monitoring technique which can be used in real-time for a thermal profile based control framework in polymer extrusion.
LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES AND THE GLOBALIZATION OF ‘STANDARD’ SPANISH.Darren Paffey. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2012. Pp. vii + 196.

Historical, political, and social issues, particularly those expressed by national agencies and institutions in Spain, infl uence the construction of language ideologies concerning the global spread of Spanish. Using critical discourse analysis (CDA), Paffey analyzes texts from Spain’s newspapers, El País and ABC , in order to examine the Real Academia Española (RAE [language planning institution in Spain]) and other agencies’ ideological representation of Spanish in the press. This volume investigates the “hidden agendas” of these institutions as they relate to the defi nition of global Spanish through the analysis of both explicit (linguistic) and implicit meanings of the texts. In the fi rst chapter, Paffey defi nes and distinguishes between language ideologies and CDA and contends that, when combined, the two frameworks provide accurate analyses of language use. Chapter 2 presents the issue of standardization as an institutional means to promote not only certain linguistic traits but also certain social traits, and addresses the RAE, Spanish government, Instituto Cervantes, and media as language authorities that advocate a “standard” Spanish through publications, public education, and audio-visual productions. Although Paffey does not discuss whether or not grammar should be standardized or prescribed, Chapters 3, 4, and 5 reveal the actuality of what, how, for whom, and why institutions prescribe language standards. The analysis of newspaper texts begins in Chapter 3, in which Paffey critiques the RAE’s inaccurate portrayal of a homogenous global Spanish and discusses possible consequences of excluding regionalisms and dialectal variants from el español común , such as linguistic discrimination and the imposition of a common identity on a diverse community of Spanish speakers. In Chapter 4, Paffey draws on statements issued by the RAE to assess the means by which it works to establish authority and change its image as a conservative language guardian. Chapter 5 profi les the efforts of language guardians as they persist in shaping ideologies now that Spanish is regarded as a pluricentric language. This volume raises questions about the implications of promoting a standard Spanish and what this promotion means for variation and the transmission of global Spanish. It will be of interest to scholars who examine the intersection of language ideologies, discourse analysis, and policy and planning in the Spanishspeaking world.
Clinicopathologic Factors Affecting Recurrence after Curative Surgery for Stage I Colorectal Cancer

Purpose The objective of the current study was to identify the clinicopathological risk factors affecting recurrence after a curative resection for stage I colorectal cancer. Methods We retrospectively studied 434 patients who underwent a curative resection for stage I colorectal cancer between January 1999 and December 2004. Postoperative oral chemotherapy was performed in 189 patients (45.3%). The following prognostic factors were correlated with recurrence: age, gender, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen level, location of tumor, T stage, size of tumor, histologic differentiation, growth pattern, and lymphovascular invasion. The median follow-up duration was 65 months. Results The overall recurrence rate was 4.6% (20/434). The median time to recurrence was 33 months. Two-thirds of the recurrence occurred more than two years after surgery. Risk factors associated with recurrence were rectal cancer (P = 0.009), T2 stage (P = 0.010), and infiltrative growth pattern (P = 0.020). A Cox proportional hazards regression analysis demonstrated that the infiltrative growth pattern was an independent predictor for recurrence. Tumor cell budding was observed in all pathologic reviews with recurrence. Conclusion Long-term follow-up is necessary for stage I colorectal patients with high risk factors like rectal cancer, T2 stage, and infiltrative growth pattern.
Body-Cathexis and Self-Cathexis in an Interactional, Awareness Training Class

This study examined the effects of a psychology of adjustment class on body-acceptance and self-acceptance. An introductory psychology class served as a control group. Subjects were pre- and posttested with the Body-cathexis and Self-cathexis scales. Two by two analyses of covariance indicated that the adjustment group showed a larger gain on both scales than the control. Sex interacted with group significantly on the Body-cathexis scale only. Means indicated that the main effect of groups on the Body-cathexis scale may be attributed to the larger gains by females in the adjustment class.
Implementation intentions and prospective memory among older adults: An investigation of the role of frontal lobe function

ABSTRACT Prospective memory (PM) among older adults has been shown to be influenced by frontal lobe (FL) function. An implementation intention (e.g., ‘if situation X occurs, I will do Y’) is a mnemonic strategy that may be particularly beneficial for individuals with low-FL function, as it has been suggested that implementation intentions produce heightened accessibility to environmental cues, and automatic triggering of previously formed intentions. The present study investigated the effectiveness of implementation intentions among 32 older adults characterized as possessing high- or low-FL function. Participants were placed into one of two conditions: Read-Only or Implementation Intentions, before being tested on a laboratory prospective memory task. Results indicated that older adults with high-FL composite scores demonstrated better PM than those with low-FL scores, and that those who made implementation intentions outperformed those who simply read task instructions. Of particular interest is the finding that high-FL participants benefited from implementation intentions, suggesting that implementation intentions may improve PM of all older adults regardless of FL function. Theoretical underpinnings of implementation intentions are discussed in the context of FL function.
Training Status as a Marker of the Relationship between Nitric Oxide, Oxidative Stress, and Blood Pressure in Older Adult Women

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of functional fitness and oxidative capacity on the nitric oxide concentration associated with hemodynamic control in older adult women. The sample consisted of 134 women (65.73 ± 6.14 years old). All subjects underwent a physical examination to assess body mass index, waist-hip ratio, body fat measurement by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and blood pressure (BP). Training status (TS) was evaluated by indirect determination of maximal oxygen uptake by a treadmill test using Balke protocol modified for older adults. Functional fitness was also evaluated through a “Functional Fitness Battery Test” to determine the general fitness functional index (GFFI). All participants were separated according to the functional fitness (TS1, very weak and weak; TS2, regular; TS3, good and very good). Plasma blood samples were used to evaluate prooxidant and antioxidant activity and nitrite and nitrate concentrations. The general results of this study showed that good levels of TS were related to lower levels of lipoperoxidation and protein damage, higher levels of antioxidant, and higher concentration of nitrite and nitrate. This combination may be responsible for the lower levels of BP in subjects with better TS.
Do microsatellite instability profiles really differ between colorectal and endometrial tumors?

Microsatellite instability (MSI) occurs in more than 90% of the tumors of Lynch syndrome patients, and in 15–25% of sporadic colorectal (CRC) and endometrial carcinomas (EC). Previous studies comparing EC and CRC using BAT markers showed that the frequency of unstable markers is lower in EC, and that the size of the mutations is smaller in EC. In the present study, we analyzed the type (insertions/deletions), size, and frequency of mutations occurring at three BAT and three dinucleotide markers in CRC and EC, to elucidate whether it is possible to establish different MSI profiles in carcinomas of different tissue origin. We show that mononucleotide markers nearly always become shorter whereas dinucleotide markers can become shorter or longer, in both CRC and EC. We therefore conclude that the type of mutation is a marker‐dependent feature rather than tissue‐dependent. However, we observed that the size of the deletions/insertions differs between CRC and EC, with EC having shorter alterations. The frequency of mono‐ and dinucleotide instability found in both tissues is comparable, with mononucleotide and dinucleotide markers being affected at similar rates. We conclude that it is not possible to define clearly different MSI profiles that could distinguish MSI‐high in CRC and EC. We propose that the differences observed might indicate different durations of tumor development and/or differences in tissue turnover between colorectal and endometrial epithelium, rather than reflecting truly different MSI profiles. We therefore suggest that the same MSI tests can be used for both tumor types. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cross-Cultural Validation of the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS)

The purpose of this study was to verify the assertion that underlying motor and process skill items and tasks defined in the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) are cross-culturally free from bias between North America, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. Using many-faceted Rasch analysis, the hierarchical order of AMPS motor and process skill items and culture-general tasks were compared in order to test the assertion of bias-free assessment across regions. The unidimensionality of the AMPS motor and process skills and tasks through evaluation of their goodness-of-fit to the Rasch model was also investigated. The results revealed that the hierarchical order of all the AMPS motor and process skill items and culture-general tasks remained stable among the three regions examined, verifying cross-cultural freedom from bias of the skill items and tasks between these regions. All items in North America met the criteria for goodness-of-fit on both the motor and the process scales of the AMPS, while only 4% of the items failed to meet these expectations in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. It was concluded that the AMPS motor and process scales and tasks are unidimensional, demonstrating internal scale validity.
Stiripentol and vigabatrin current roles in the treatment of epilepsy

ABSTRACT Introduction: Stiripentol and vigabatrin are the two anticonvulsant drugs currently approved in severe infantile-onset epilepsies, respectively Dravet syndrome and infantile spasms. Areas covered: For both, the indication was discovered by chance thanks to an exploratory study. Both demonstrated indisputable efficacy through randomized-controlled trials. Stiripentol as adjunctive therapy to clobazam and valproate performed better than placebo, and vigabatrin as first-line monotherapy better than the reference steroid therapy in spasms due to tuberous sclerosis. At one-year treatment vigabatrin and steroids were equally efficient in the other etiologies of spasms. However, it took more than 20 years for both drugs to be approved world-wide. Expert opinion: Stiripentol suffered from pharmacokinetic potentiation of clobazam, thus raising the question whether it was efficient per se. Finally, animal models and pharmacogenetic data on CYP2C19 confirmed its specific anticonvulsant effect. Stiripentol (in comedication with clobazam and valproate) is therefore to be recommended for Dravet patients. Vigabatrin was found to have a frequent and irreversible retinal toxicity, which required an alternative visual testing to be detected in young children. Today the benefit/risk ratio of vigabatrin as first-line is considered to be positive in infantile spasms, given the severity of this epilepsy and the lack of a safer alternative therapy.
Signaling in H2O2-Induced Increase in Cell Proliferation in Barrett's Esophageal Adenocarcinoma Cells

Mechanisms whereby acid reflux may accelerate the progression from Barrett's esophagus (BE) to esophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) are not fully understood. We have previously shown that NADPH oxidase NOX5-S generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) when Barrett's metaplastic cells are exposed to acid. Besides metaplastic cells, other H2O2-producing cells (e.g., inflammatory cells) present in BE mucosa may produce additional ROS, which may also affect metaplastic cells contributing to esophageal tumorigenesis. In this study, we investigate whether exogenous H2O2 stimulates cell proliferation by increasing NOX5-S expression. Low dose (10−13 M) of H2O2 significantly increased thymidine incorporation, NOX5-S mRNA, and protein expression in a Barrett's EA cell line FLO. H2O2-induced increase in NOX5-S expression was significantly inhibited by knockdown of nuclear factor (NF)-κB1 p50 with p50 small interfering RNA (siRNA) in EA cell lines FLO and OE33. H2O2 significantly increased p65 phosphorylation and the luciferase activity in FLO cells transfected with a NF-κB activation reporter plasmid pNF-κB-Luc. H2O2-induced increase in luciferase activity in FLO cells was significantly decreased by knockdown of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2 (ERK2) mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). Overexpression of p50 and p65 remarkably increased the luciferase activity in FLO cells transfected with a NOX5-S reporter plasmid NOX5-LP. In addition, H2O2-induced thymidine incorporation in FLO cells was significantly decreased by the MAPK kinase 1/2 inhibitor 2′-amino-3′methoxyflavone (PD98059) and ERK2 siRNA but not by ERK1 siRNA. Likewise, H2O2-induced increase in NOX5-S expression was significantly decreased by ERK2 siRNA in FLO and OE33 cells. We conclude that a low dose of H2O2 increases cell proliferation. H2O2-induced increase in cell proliferation may depend on sequential activation of ERK2 MAPK, NF-κB1 p50, and NOX5-S.
Resistance Training and Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: Strength of the Evidence

Objective. This paper analyzes the effects of resistance training (RT) on metabolic, neuromuscular, and cardiovascular functions in older adults (mean age ≥ 65 years) with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Research Design and Methods. A systematic review conducted by two reviewers of the published literature produced 3 records based on 2 randomized controlled trials that assessed the effect of RT on disease process measures and musculoskeletal/body composition measures. Statistical, Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (version 2) software was used to compute Hedge's g, and results were calculated using the random effects model to account for methodological differences amongst studies. Results. Largest effect of RT was seen on muscle strength; especially lower body strength, while the point estimate effect on body composition was small and not statistically significant. The cumulative point estimate for the T2DM disease process measures was moderate and statistically significant. Conclusions. RT generally had a positive effect on musculoskeletal, body composition, and T2DM disease processes measures, with tentative conclusions based on a low number of completed RCTs. Thus, more research is needed on such programs for older adults (≥65 years) with T2DM.
On the convex hull of random points in a polytope

The convex hull of n points drawn independently from a uniform distribution on the interior of a d-dimensional polytope is investigated. It is shown that the expected number of vertices is O(log d–1 n) for any polytope, the expected number of vertices is Ω(log d–1 n) for any simple polytope, and the expected number of facets is O(log d–1 n) for any simple polytope. An algorithm is presented for constructing the convex hull of such sets of points in linear average time.