Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bidirectional signals transduced by TOPK-ERK interaction increase tumorigenesis of HCT116 colorectal cancer cells.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Aberrant activation of Ras and Raf in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling has been linked with cancer. However, the role of MAPK kinases (MAPKKs or MEKs) in cancer is unclear, although constitutively activated MEK1, which does not exist in nature, is "oncogenic. " Herein, we found that T-cell-originated protein kinase (TOPK), a member of the MAPKK protein family, is highly expressed in human colorectal cancer tissues and cell lines and plays an important role in the transformation of colorectal cancer. METHODS The biologic consequences of overexpression or knockdown of TOPK in JB6 Cl41 and HCT116 colorectal cancer cells were studied in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Kinase assay or transient transfection experiments were performed to study the bidirectional signaling pathway between TOPK and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). RESULTS TOPK was shown to promote transformation in vitro and in vivo, and knockdown of TOPK in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells reduced this cell lines' tumorigenic properties in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, a positive feedback loop between TOPK and ERK2 was identified. With epidermal growth factor treatment, knockdown of either TOPK or ERK2 in HCT116 cells resulted in a decreased phosphorylation of ERK2 or TOPK, respectively, and knockdown of TOPK in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells blocked the phosphorylation of downstream substrates of ERK2. CONCLUSIONS The positive feedback loop between TOPK and ERK2 increases tumorigenesis properties of HCT116 colorectal cancer cells, and TOPK-regulated signaling may serve as a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer.
A self-management approach for service developers of PaaS

SaaS (Software as a Service) has been widely recognized as a new kind of service. Meanwhile, PaaS (Platform as a Service) is emerging in recent years. The management of service on PaaS platform is quite different from that of traditional services. This paper analyzed the service management activities of PaaS and proposed an intuitive and easy approach to the service management activities such as deploying, monitoring and controlling. All these can be taken by the service developers themselves. Based on the proposed approach, a flexible and scalable self-management framework is implemented. The key characteristics of the framework are the using of static analysis technique and runtime monitoring technique. The framework is used in a real PaaS—“SASEP” (Service Aided Software Engineering Platform). SASEP collects plenty of services, which are all closely related with software development and maintenance.
Fluvastatin Suppresses Mast Cell and Basophil IgE Responses: Genotype-Dependent Effects

Mast cell (MC)– and basophil-associated inflammatory diseases are a considerable burden to society. A significant portion of patients have symptoms despite standard-of-care therapy. Statins, used to lower serum cholesterol, have immune-modulating activities. We tested the in vitro and in vivo effects of statins on IgE-mediated MC and basophil activation. Fluvastatin showed the most significant inhibitory effects of the six statins tested, suppressing IgE-induced cytokine secretion among mouse MCs and basophils. The effects of fluvastatin were reversed by mevalonic acid or geranylgeranyl pyrophosphatase, and mimicked by geranylgeranyl transferase inhibition. Fluvastatin selectively suppressed key FcεRI signaling pathways, including Akt and ERK. Although MCs and basophils from the C57BL/6J mouse strain were responsive to fluvastatin, those from 129/SvImJ mice were completely resistant. Resistance correlated with fluvastatin-induced upregulation of the statin target HMG-CoA reductase. Human MC cultures from eight donors showed a wide range of fluvastatin responsiveness. These data demonstrate that fluvastatin is a potent suppressor of IgE-mediated MC activation, acting at least partly via blockade of geranyl lipid production downstream of HMG-CoA reductase. Importantly, consideration of statin use for treating MC–associated disease needs to incorporate genetic background effects, which can yield drug resistance.
Tamoxifen combined with octreotide or regular chemotherapeutic agents in treatment of primary liver cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of tamoxifen (TAM) combined with a somatostatin analogue, octretide (OCT) on advanced liver cancer and whether tamoxifen combined with OCT is superior to regular chemotherapeutic agents 5-Fu and mitomycin C (MMC). METHODS Thirty-nine patients with inoperable liver cancer were randomly subdivided into TAM+OCT group (n=24) and regular chemotherapeutic group (n=15). They received treatment for three months respectively. Blood cell count, liver function, immunologic function, blood alpha-FP was regularly measured. Liver lump and extrahepatic metastasis were examined by CT. The patients were followed up after treatment and conducted survival analysis. RESULTS In the TAM+OCT group, complete response is 4 patients, partial response is 7 patients, no change is 9 patients and progressive disease is 4 patients; blood level of ALT and AST had no noticeable change, IgE and IgG increased (P<0.01), and alpha-FP lowered (P<0.05). In regular chemotherapeutic group, no change is 4 patients and progressive disease is 11 patients. There was conspicuous statistical difference in the two groups. The accumulative survival rates of 6 months, 1 year and 2 years were 95.7% vs 41.2% (P<0.01), 63.7% vs 21.1% (P<0.01), 25.4% vs 0 (P<0.01), respectively. Medium survival time was 12.8 months in TAM+OCT group and 5.5 months in chemotherapeutic group. CONCLUSIONS TAM+OCT excerts reliable therapeutic effect on patients with inoperable ER(+) hepatocellular cancer. It is superior to 5-Fu and MMC in increasing the survival rate, prolonging survival time, and reducing side-effects.
Influence of a Juvenile Hormone Analog and Dietary Protein on Male Anastrepha suspensa (Diptera: Tephritidae) Sexual Success

ABSTRACT Juvenile hormone levels and adult diet have important effects on the attractiveness and competitiveness of male Anastrepha suspensa (Loew) (Caribbean fruit fly). Because the success of the sterile insect technique requires the release of males that can compete in the wild, these effects are of crucial importance. Laboratory and field cage experiments were conducted to compare male sexual performance on a lifetime basis and daily basis when submitted to four different treatments: (M+P-) application of the juvenile hormone analog, methoprene (M) and sugar and hydrolyzed yeast as adult food; (M+P-) application of M and sugar as adult food; (M-P+) no application of M and sugar and hydrolyzed yeast as adult food; and (M-P-) no application of M and sugar as adult food. On a daily basis, M+P+ males always performed better sexually, and 10% of these individuals were able to mate three consecutive times in the same day. However, the copula duration decreased with the increased number of matings on same day. In addition, M caused earlier maturation. On a lifetime basis, M+P+ males had significantly greater sexual success than other flies. The substantial improvement in male sexual performance because of the hormone application, protein supply, and interaction of hormone and protein has the potential of producing more efficacious sterile males.
The European standards of Haemophilia Centres.

INTRODUCTION The European haemophilia community of professionals and patients has agreed on the principles of haemophilia care to address comprehensive optimal delivery of care which is nowadays scattered throughout Europe. Many of the health facilities call themselves Haemophilia Centres despite their variation in size, expertise and services provided. Only a small number of countries have Haemophilia Centre accreditation systems in place. METHODS In the framework of the European Haemophilia Network project, following an inclusive process of stakeholder involvement, the European Guidelines for the certification of haemophilia centres have been developed in order to set quality standards for European Haemophilia Centres and criteria for their certification. RESULTS The Guidelines define the standards and criteria for the designation of two levels of care delivery: European Haemophilia Treatment Centres, providing local routine care, and European Haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centres, providing specialised and multi-disciplinary care and functioning as tertiary referral centres. Additionally, they define standards about general requirements, patient care, provision of an advisory service and establishment of network of clinical and specialised services. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of the European Guidelines for the certification of Haemophilia Centres will contribute to the reduction of health inequalities through the standardisation of quality of care in European Union Member States and could represent a model to be taken into consideration for other rare disease groups.
Improved radiofrequency energy harvesting based on a rectenna array system and its feasibility evaluation in urban environments

Energy recycling has become very atractive due to the extended usage time of devices. Among several forms of recycling energy, radiofrequency (RF) harvesting is becoming popular due to its immense availability mainly in urban environments. The possible utilizations for such amount of energy is mainly applicable for sensors nodes and, depending on the quantity of antennas, charging low power consumption portable devices. In this paper, we evaluate the feasible application of RF waves for energy recycling as an energetic source for charging a cell phone and furnishing power to embeded sensors. To validate our analysis, we conducted an RF measurement campaign at four important locations in Brasília, Brazil. Considering the average incidence of -3 dBm, we have achieved the final value of 2.18 mWh per day per antenna. In such context, and from the energetic standpoint, the utilization concerning to powering sensors was suitable for sensor networks applications, due to its low power consumption. However, in order to apply the RF energy harvesting in higher power consumption devices, we propose a rectenna array system which increases considerably the amount of recycled power. In particular, for massive MIMO communication systems, our proposed solution would require very little additional hardware being, therefore, very attractive.
Electrical resistivity structure at the SAFOD site from magnetotelluric exploration

The magnetotelluric dataset collected on the San Andreas Fault at Parkfield has been re‐analyzed using superior inversion algorithms that have been developed in recent years. A combination of constrained inversion, forward modeling and synthetic inversion studies are used, and show that at the SAFOD site, the low resistivity fault zone extends to a depth of 2–3 km. An extended zone of low resistivity east of the San Andreas Fault may be connected to the SAF at seismogenic depths. The connection increases along the SAF to the northwest and may be related to the transition from locked to creeping seismic behavior.
Oligomerization state-dependent hyperlipidemic effect of angiopoietin-like protein 4 Published, JLR Papers in Press, August 1, 2004. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M400138-JLR200

Angiopoietin-like protein 4 (Angptl4) is the second member of the angiopoietin-like family of proteins previously shown to increase plasma triglyceride (TG) levels in vivo. We recently reported that Angptl4 is a variable-sized oligomer formed by intermolecular disulfide bonds and undergoes regulated proteolytic processing upon secretion. We now show that adenoviral overexpression of Angptl4 potently increases plasma TG levels by a mechanism independent of food intake or hepatic VLDL secretion. We determined that cysteine residues at positions 76 and 80 of Angptl4, conserved among mouse, rat, and human, are required to form higher order structures. By generating adenoviral expression vectors of Angptl4 containing different epitope tags at both N and C termini, we show that loss of oligomerization results in decreased stability of the N-terminal coiled-coil domain of Angptl4 as well as decreased ability to increase plasma TG levels, suggesting that intermolecular disulfide bond formation plays important roles in determining the magnitude of the hyperlipidemic effect of Angptl4. Because Angptl4 is more potent than Angptl3 in increasing plasma TG levels in mice, inappropriate oligomerization of Angptl4 could be associated with disorders of lipid metabolism in vivo.
Capital regulation and the performance of the Nigerian banks : need for review

The banking sector in any economy serves as a catalyst for growth and development and is therefore so sensitive and sacrosanct to the economy in term of stability and growth that must not be let loose by the Government. It is not surprising in the light of this fact, that governments the world over attempt to evolve an efficient banking system, not only for the promotion of efficient intermediation, but also for the protection of depositors, encouragement of efficient competition, maintenance of public confidence in the system, stability of the system and protection against systemic risk and collapse. Economists differ on the level of government intervention in the economy, particularly on regulation imposed on the financial intermediaries. While some believe that many regulations are necessary in order to protect the depositorâ? s funds, other believes that the banks are over regulated. Therefore this paper seeks to explore various implications of capital regulation on the performance of the Nigeria banks with a view to proffer solutions to problems. The study adopts largely an exploratory methodology and submitted that though reforms of banks becomes necessary, there is a limit to which banks should be regulated on the issue of capital adequacy. The paper argued that consolidation arising from the recapitalization of banks brought about lots of problems that may mar the aim of the reform if not properly approached.
Work in the textile industry in Spain and bladder cancer

Background/objective: Textile manufacturing is a complex industry that has frequently been associated with bladder cancer. However, results have not been consistent. This study investigated the risk of bladder cancer in Spanish textile workers. Methods: We analysed data from a multicentre hospital-based case-control study carried out in Spain (1998–2001) including 1219 cases of bladder cancer and 1271 controls. Of those, 126 cases and 122 controls reported a history of employment in the textile industry. Lifetime occupational history was obtained using a computer-assisted personal interview. Occupations, locations and materials used in the textile industry were assessed using a detailed questionnaire and expert assessment. Results: Overall, no increased risk of bladder cancer was found for textile workers, including duration of employment analysis. Increased risks were observed for weavers (OR = 1.82, 95% CI 0.95 to 3.47), for workers in winding/warping/sizing (OR 4.11, 95% CI 1.58 to 10.71) and for those exposed to synthetic materials (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.00 to 3.56). Working for more than 10 years appeared to be associated with an increased risk for weavers (OR 2.27, 95% CI 0.97 to 5.34), for those who had ever worked in winding/warping/sizing (OR 11.03, 95% CI 1.37, 88.89), for workers in the weaving room (OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.24 to 7.01) and for those exposed to synthetic (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.14 to 6.01) or cotton (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.04 to 3.87) materials. Statistically significant higher risks were also found for specific combinations of occupations or locations with exposure to synthetics and cotton. Conclusions: There was no overall increased risk for textile workers, but increased risks were found for specific groups of workers. Our findings indicate that observed risks in previous studies may be better evaluated by analysis of materials used or section worked within the industry and occupation.
Teacher Education in Kenya: Emerging Issues

Teacher Education is an important component of educ ation. It influences all aspects of education and beyond. Like other components of education, Teacher Education is influenced by social, political, economic and technological de velopments in a society. This paper examines the emerging issues in this component of education in Kenya brought about by the technological developments. Also discussed are the implications of these emerging issues to education and other related developments in this country.
Are news important to predict the Value-at-Risk?

In this paper, we investigate the impact of news to predict extreme financial returns using high-frequency data. We consider several model specifications differing for the dynamic property of the underlying stochastic process as well as for the innovation process. Since news are essentially qualitative measures, they are firstly transformed into quantitative measures which are subsequently introduced as exogenous regressors into the conditional volatility dynamics. Three basic sentiment indexes are constructed starting from three lists of words defined by historical market news response and by a discriminant analysis. Models are evaluated in terms of their predictive accuracy to forecast out-of-sample Value-at-Risk of the STOXX Europe 600 sectors at different confidence levels using several statistic tests and the model confidence set procedure of Hansen, Lunde, Nason [(2011). “The Model Confidence Set”. Econometrica, 79, pp. 453–497]. Moreover, since Hansen's procedure usually delivers a set of models having the same VaR predictive ability, we propose a new forecasting combination technique that dynamically weights the VaR predictions obtained by the models belonging to the optimal final set. Our results confirm that the inclusion of exogenous information as well as the right specification of the returns' conditional distribution significantly decreases the number of actual versus expected VaR violations towards one, and this is especially true for higher confidence levels.
Atrophy of the Posterior Subiculum Is Associated with Memory Impairment, Tau- and Aβ Pathology in Non-demented Individuals

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with atrophy of the cornu ammonis (CA) 1 and the subiculum subfield of the hippocampus (HC), and with deficits in episodic memory and spatial orientation. These deficits are mainly associated with the functionality of the posterior HC. We therefore hypothesized that key AD pathologies, i.e., β-amyloid and tau pathology would be particularly associated with the volume of the posterior subiculum in non-demented individuals. In our study we included 302 cognitively normal elderly participants (CN), 183 patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and 171 patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), all of whom underwent 3T magnetic resonance images (MRI). The subicular subfield was segmented using Freesurfer 5.3 and divided into 10 volumetric segments moving from the most posterior (segment 1) to the most anterior part along the axis of the hippocampal head and body (segment 10). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ42 and phosphorylated tau (P-tau) were quantified using ELISA and were used as biomarkers for β-amyloid and tau pathology, respectively. In the total sample, tau-pathology and Aβ-pathology and (measured by elevated P-tau and low Aβ42 levels in CSF) and mild memory dysfunction were mostly associated with the volume changes of the posterior subiculum. Both SCD and MCI patients with elevated P-tau or low Aβ42 levels displayed predominantly posterior subicular atrophy in comparisons to control subjects with normal CSF biomarker levels. Finally, there was no main effect of Aβ42 or P-tau when comparing SCD with abnormal P-tau or Aβ42 with SCD with normal levels of these CSF-biomarkers. However, in the left subiculum there was a significant interaction revealing atrophy in the left posterior but not the anterior subiculum in participants with low Aβ42 levels. The same pattern was observed on the contralateral side in participants with elevated P-tau levels. In conclusion, AD pathologies and mild memory dysfunction are mainly associated with atrophy of the posterior parts of the subicular subfields of the HC in non-demented individuals. In light of these findings we suggest that segmentation of the HC subfields may benefit from considering the volume of the different anterior-posterior subsections of each subfield.
‘Kind of like a Barbie doll, but for grown men!’: Women gamers’ accounts of female bodies in digital games

Although various authors have argued women’s bodies in video games are unrealistically thin and large breasted, few studies have asked women who make frequent use of video games to discuss their experiences of viewing these kinds of images. In the present study, 32 women who identified as ‘women gamers’ answered an open-ended questionnaire on the portrayal of women’s bodies in video games. Responses were analysed using thematic analysis broadly informed by discursive analysis. Women presented complex accounts where they constructed themselves as informed gamers, not duped into wanting to emulate the sexualised images on display. The idealised bodies in games were constructed as pandering to the sexual fantasies of male gamers who were seen as malleable and naïve. Participants reported that they were frustrated by the prevalence of hypersexualised bodies in games, but emphasised their mastery over the gaming environment, and their ability to dismiss the images as fantasy. Implications for understanding body image in women gamers are discussed.
Computer adaptive test performance in children with and without disabilities: prospective field study of the PEDI-CAT

Purpose: To examine the discriminant validity, test–retest reliability, administration time and acceptability of the pediatric evaluation of disability inventory computer adaptive test (PEDI-CAT). Methods: A sample of 102 parents of children 3 through 20 years of age with (n = 50) and without (n = 52) disabilities was recruited for this prospective field study. A sub-sample (n = 25) also completed the PEDI-CAT a second time within one month. Parents completed 15 items in each of the four PEDI-CAT domains (daily activities, mobility, social/cognitive, responsibility) using a laptop computer. Following completion, parents answered a four-question user evaluation survey. Results: PEDI-CAT scores based on parent responses differentiated between groups of children with and without disabilities in all four domains. Test–retest reliability estimates were high (ICC = 0.96–0.99) for all four domains. The mean time to complete 60 items for the full sample (n = 102) was 12.66 minutes (SD = 4.47). Parents reported favorable reactions to the PEDI-CAT. Conclusions: The PEDI-CAT offers a valid and reliable assessment acceptable to parents. Implications for rehabilitation The pediatric evaluation of disability inventory computer adaptive test (PEDI-CAT) is a new measure for infants, children and youth from birth through 20 years of age in the functional areas of daily activities, mobility, social/cognitive and responsibility. PEDI-CAT scores based on parent responses differentiated functional skills between groups of children with and without disabilities in all four domains. The PEDI-CAT has high test–retest reliability and could be completed in about 12 minutes. Parent respondents indicated they provided meaningful information about their child with the PEDI-CAT.
Predicting factors of malignancy in dermatomyositis and polymyositis: a case–control study

Background An association between dermatomyositis (DM)/polymyositis (PM) and malignancies has been widely reported in the literature. The validity of extensive evaluation for malignancies in those patients has also been questioned for decades. Only limited papers regarding the signs of malignancy and the prognostic factors in DM/PM have been reported.