Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression pattern of miR-451 and its target MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor) in colorectal cancer

Aims To investigate the expression pattern of microRNA-451 (miR-451) in patients with colorectal carcinoma and correlate with the expression of its target gene MIF (macrophage migration inhibitory factor). Methods Matched cancer and non-cancer fresh frozen tissues were prospectively collected from 70 patients (35 men and 35 women) who underwent resection of colorectal adenocarcinoma. These tissues collected were extracted for miR and complementary DNA conversion. Then, miR-451 expressions in these tissues were measured by quantitative real-time PCR. The expression was correlated with clinical and pathological parameters of these patients. In addition, paraffin blocks of 10 colorectal carcinomas with lowest expression of miR-451 were used for the study of MIF protein expression by immunohistochemistry. Results miR-451 was downregulated in majority of the colorectal cancer tissues when compared with their matched normal tissues (84.3%, n=59/70). Downregulation of miR-451 correlates significantly with presence of coexisting adenoma (91.4%, p=0.025). In addition, persistence of cancer or cancer recurrence after surgery showed significant correlation with downregulation of miR-451 (80% vs 0%; p=0.028). There is no significant correlation between miR-451 expression and age, gender of the patients as well as size, grades, pathological stages, presence of lymphovascular permeation, perineural invasion and microsatellite instability status of the colorectal carcinoma (p>0.05). Majority of the cases (80%) with low expression of miR-451 showed high levels of MIF protein expression confirming the inverse relationship between miR-451 and MIF expressions. Conclusions The results showed that miR-451 could play a role in development and progression of colorectal cancer and likely by targeting MIF.
SLC24A5 Encodes a trans-Golgi Network Protein with Potassium-dependent Sodium-Calcium Exchange Activity That Regulates Human Epidermal Melanogenesis*

A non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism in the human SLC24A5 gene is associated with natural human skin color variation. Multiple sequence alignments predict that this gene encodes a member of the potassium-dependent sodium-calcium exchanger family denoted NCKX5. In cultured human epidermal melanocytes we show using affinity-purified antisera that native human NCKX5 runs as a triplet of ∼43 kDa on SDS-PAGE and is partially localized to the trans-Golgi network. Removal of the NCKX5 protein through small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown disrupts melanogenesis in human and murine melanocytes, causing a significant reduction in melanin pigment production. Using a heterologous expression system, we confirm for the first time that NCKX5 possesses the predicted exchanger activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of NCKX5 and NCKX2 in this system reveals that the non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphism in SLC24A5 alters a residue that is important for NCKX5 and NCKX2 activity. We suggest that NCKX5 directly regulates human epidermal melanogenesis and natural skin color through its intracellular potassium-dependent exchanger activity.
Tourism Collaboration and Partnerships: Politics, Practice and Sustainability

Part I Process and patterns: cross-border partnerships in tourism resource management, Dallen Timothy interest based formulation of tourism policy for environmentally sensitive destinations, Brent Ritchie collaboration on tourism policy making, Steven Parker the World Wide Fund for Nature Arctic Tourism Project, Peter Mason, Margaret Johnston and Dave Twynam an Australian Research Partnership between industry, universities and government, Terry de Lacy and Madelaine Boyd developing a typology of sustainable tourism partnership, Steve Selin. Part II Politics and practice: rethinking collaboration and partnership, Michael Hall community Roundtable for tourism-related conflicts, Tazim Jamal and Donald Getz tourism development regimes in the inner city fringe, Philip Long is there a tourism partnership life cycle? , Alison Caffyn developing partnership approach to tourism in central and eastern Europe, Lesley Roberts and Fiona Simpson. Part III Emerging issues: collaborative tourism planning as adaptive experiments in emergent tourism settings, Maureen Reed stakeholder assessment and collaborative tourism planning, Bill Bramwell and L. Medeiros de Araujo collaboration and cultural consent, Mike Robinson an evolution interpretation of the role of collaborative partnerships in sustainable tourism, Pascal Tremblay. Collaborative tourism planning - issues and future directions, Brill Bramwell and Bernard Lane.
Topological probes of monoamine oxidases A and B in rat liver mitochondria: inhibition by TEMPO-substituted pargyline analogues and inactivation by proteolysis.

TEMPO-substituted pargyline analogues differentially inhibit recombinant human monoamine oxidase A (MAO A) and B (MAO B) in intact yeast mitochondria, suggesting these membrane-bound enzymes are located on differing faces of the mitochondrial outer membrane [Upadhyay, A. , and Edmondson, D. E. (2009) Biochemistry 48, 3928]. This approach is extended to the recombinant rat enzymes and to rat liver mitochondria. The differential specificities exhibited for human MAO A and MAO B by the m- and p-amido TEMPO pargylines are not as absolute with the rat enzymes. Similar patterns of reactivity are observed for rat MAO A and B in mitochondrial outer membrane preparations expressed in Pichia pastoris or isolated from rat liver. In intact yeast mitochondria, recombinant rat MAO B is inhibited by the pargyline analogue whereas MAO A activity shows no inhibition. Intact rat liver mitochondria exhibit an inhibition pattern opposite to that observed in yeast where MAO A is inhibited and MAO B activity is unaffected. Protease inactivation studies show specificity in that MAO A is sensitive to trypsin whereas MAO B is sensitive to β-chymotrypsin. In intact mitochondrial preparations, MAO A is readily inactivated in rat liver but not in yeast upon trypsin treatment and MAO B is readily inactivated by β-chymotrypsin in yeast but not in rat liver. These data show MAO A is oriented on the cytosolic face and MAO B is situated on the surface facing the intermembrane space of the mitochondrial outer membrane in rat liver. The differential mitochondrial outer membrane topology of MAO A and MAO B is relevant to their inhibition by drugs designed to be cardioprotectants or neuroprotectants.
Epochal Evolution of GGII.4 Norovirus Capsid Proteins from 1995 to 2006

ABSTRACT Noroviruses are the causative agents of the majority of viral gastroenteritis outbreaks in humans. During the past 15 years, noroviruses of genotype GGII.4 have caused four epidemic seasons of viral gastroenteritis, during which four novel variants (termed epidemic variants) emerged and displaced the resident viruses. In order to understand the mechanisms and biological advantages of these epidemic variants, we studied the genetic changes in the capsid proteins of GGII.4 strains over this period. A representative sample was drawn from 574 GGII.4 outbreak strains collected over 15 years of systematic surveillance in The Netherlands, and capsid genes were sequenced for a total of 26 strains. The three-dimensional structure was predicted by homology modeling, using the Norwalk virus (Hu/NoV/GGI.1/Norwalk/1968/US) capsid as a reference. The highly significant preferential accumulation and fixation of mutations (nucleotide and amino acid) in the protruding part of the capsid protein provided strong evidence for the occurrence of genetic drift and selection. Although subsequent new epidemic variants differed by up to 25 amino acid mutations, consistent changes were observed in only five positions. Phylogenetic analyses showed that each variant descended from its chronologic predecessor, with the exception of the 2006b variant, which is more closely related to the 2002 variant than to the 2004 variant. The consistent association between the observed genetic findings and changes in epidemiology leads to the conclusion that population immunity plays a role in the epochal evolution of GGII.4 norovirus strains.
Thyroid cancer in children and adolescents

Purpose of reviewPaediatric thyroid cancer is a rare disease, but its incidence is rising in recent reports. This review aims at integrating recent findings into the current optimal diagnostic and therapeutic approach. Recent findingsThe causal relationship of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) to radiation exposure is increasingly unravelled. Research progressively uncovers the genetic basis, such as RET (rearranged during transfection)/papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) rearrangement and RET-mutations. Knowledge of oncogenic signalling pathways nowadays starts to help finetuning diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. This knowledge complements the current state-of-the-art of paediatric thyroid cancer treatment. In childhood, DTC presents at a more advanced stage and implies higher recurrence rates, recurrences often occurring decades later. Treatment should minimize not only these recurrences but also long-term treatment sequelae. Total thyroidectomy and central compartment dissection by a high-volume surgeon and radioactive iodine is the preferred approach for most children with DTC. For children with medullary thyroid cancer within the MEN2 framework, when possible, prophylactic thyroidectomy is performed. Unfortunately, frequently, the diagnosis is still made at a later stage, and then requires total thyroidectomy with dissection of the central compartment and the lateral neck, when involved. SummaryThe management complexity, the essential long-term follow-up and the lifetime burden of eventual complications demands management of paediatric thyroid cancer by physicians with the highest expertise. In such hands, excellent results can be obtained.
Wavelength demultiplexer using GaInAs-InP MQW-based variable refractive-index arrayed waveguides fabricated by selective MOVPE

A GaInAs-InP multiple quantum well (MQW)-based wavelength demultiplexer composed of an arrayed waveguide in which the refractive index varies across the array was fabricated. Since optical path length differences between waveguides in the array are achieved through refractive-index differences that are controlled by SiO/sub 2/ mask design in selective metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE), straight waveguide gratings having reduced optical propagation losses can be achieved. Furthermore, by employing MQW waveguides, variations in the refractive index may be induced through an applied electric field, allowing the device to manipulate wavelengths dynamically. A straight arrayed waveguide device having a 1.4% difference in refractive index was fabricated using an asymmetric side mask via a single selective MOVPE growth. The achievement of a diffraction angle difference of 4.40/spl deg/ between wavelengths of 1520 and 1580 nm was confirmed experimentally. In addition, a preliminary wavelength demultiplexer with a wavelength separation of approximately 25 nm and a free spectral range (FSR) of approximately 100 nm was also fabricated.
Decreased Expression of Cytosolic Pyruvate Kinase in Potato Tubers Leads to a Decline in Pyruvate Resulting in an in Vivo Repression of the Alternative Oxidase1[W][OA]

The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of decreased cytosolic pyruvate kinase (PKc) on potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber metabolism. Transgenic potato plants with strongly reduced levels of PKc were generated by RNA interference gene silencing under the control of a tuber-specific promoter. Metabolite profiling showed that decreased PKc activity led to a decrease in the levels of pyruvate and some other organic acids involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Flux analysis showed that this was accompanied by changes in carbon partitioning, with carbon flux being diverted from glycolysis toward starch synthesis. However, this metabolic shift was relatively small and hence did not result in enhanced starch levels in the tubers. Although total respiration rates and the ATP to ADP ratio were largely unchanged, transgenic tubers showed a strong decrease in the levels of alternative oxidase (AOX) protein and a corresponding decrease in the capacity of the alternative pathway of respiration. External feeding of pyruvate to tuber tissue or isolated mitochondria resulted in activation of the AOX pathway, both in the wild type and the PKc transgenic lines, providing direct evidence for the regulation of AOX by changes in pyruvate levels. Overall, these results provide evidence for a crucial role of PKc in the regulation of pyruvate levels as well as the level of the AOX in heterotrophic plant tissue, and furthermore reveal that these parameters are interlinked in vivo.
A Novel Ensemble Clustering for Operational Transients Classification with Application to a Nuclear Power Plant Turbine

The objective of the present work is to develop a novel approach for combining in an ensemble multiple base clusterings of operational transients of industrial equipment, when the number of clusters in the final consensus clustering is unknown. A measure of pairwise similarity is used to quantify the co-association matrix that describes the similarity among the different base clusterings. Then, a Spectral Clustering technique of literature, embedding the unsupervised K-Means algorithm, is applied to the coassociation matrix for finding the optimum number of clusters of the final consensus clustering, based on Silhouette validity index calculation. The proposed approach is developed with reference to an artificial casestudy, properly designed to mimic the signal trend behavior of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) turbine during shut-down. The results of the artificial case have been compared with those achieved by a state-of-art approach, known as Clusterbased Similarity Partitioning and Serial Graph Partitioning and Fill-reducing Matrix Ordering Algorithms (CSPAMETIS). The comparison shows that the proposed approach is able to identify a final consensus clustering that classifies the transients with better accuracy and robustness compared to the CSPA-METIS approach. The approach is, then, validated on an industrial case concerning 149 shut-down transients of a NPP turbine.
Effects of pH, lactate, and viscoelastic drag on sperm motility: a species comparison.

Little or no motility is observed when sperm from 5 mammalian species are incubated in vitro in their cauda epididymal fluid (CEF). We examined the effects of pH, lactate, and viscoelastic drag on sperm motility to determine whether these factors are responsible for this inhibition of motility. The pHs of CEF from bull, dog, rat, guinea pig, and hamster were 5.8, 6.2, 6.9, 6.9, and 7.2, respectively. The lactate concentration of epididymal semen collected from anesthetized animals ranged from 0.6 to 0.9, but increased almost 10-fold in samples from rats or dogs when measured 2 h postmortem. Increasing the pH of CEF to 7.0 resulted in the initiation of full motility for bull and dog sperm. Suspensions of sperm in buffer at various pHs (from 4.0 to 7.6) produced a sigmoidal motility curve for all species. All species, including bull and dog, showed almost full motility in buffer at a pH equal to the pH of their own CEF. Motility of bull and dog sperm showed greater inhibition with decreasing pH when suspended in CEF instead of buffer. The addition of 15 mM lactate, which has been shown to lower sperm intracellular pH, shifted the motility versus pH curves of all species toward higher pH. In bull and dog the addition of lactate produced a motility profile that was indistinguishable from that in their own CEF. The viscoelastic drag of the CEF of only two species, rat and hamster, was sufficiently high to inhibit sperm motility. We conclude that the low pH of the CEF from bulls and dogs plus the presence of lactate is sufficient to cause inhibition of motility. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase Separately Regulates NFκB p65RelA Activation and Cytokine Interleukin (IL)-10/IL-12 Production in TLR9-stimulated B Cells*

B lymphocytes express both B cell receptor and Toll-like receptors (TLR). We show here that Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), a critical component in B cell receptor signaling, is also involved in TLR9 signaling in B cells. Stimulation of B cells with TLR9 ligand CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) leads to transient phosphorylation of Btk, and in the absence of Btk, TLR9-induced proliferation of B cells is impaired. Interestingly, Btk–/– B cells secrete significantly more interleukin (IL)-12 but much less IL-10 compared with wild type B cells upon TLR9 stimulation. Immunization of Btk–/– mice with CpG ODN also leads to elevated levels of IL-12 in vivo and consequently, a greater -fold increment in the production of Th1 type IgG2b and IgG3 antibodies in these mice compared with wild type controls. The addition of exogenous recombinant IL-10 could suppress IL-12 production by TLR9-activated Btk–/– B cells, suggesting that in B cells, Btk negatively regulates IL-12 through the induction of autocrine IL-10 production. TLR9 signaling also leads to the activation of NFκB, including the p65RelA subunit in wild type B cells. The lack of Btk signaling affects the activation of NFκB and impairs the translocation of the p65RelA subunit to the nucleus of B cells upon TLR9 stimulation. However, p65RelA–/– B cells could respond similarly to wild type B cells in terms of IL-10 and IL-12 secretion when stimulated with CpG ODN, suggesting that the defect in NFκB p65RelA activation is additional to the impairment in cytokine production in TLR9-activated Btk–/– B cells. Thus, Btk plays an important role in TLR9 signaling and acts separately to regulate NFκB RelA activation as well as IL-10 and IL-12 production in B cells.
Field Evaluation Against Mosquitoes of Regular and Polymer-Based Deet Formulations in Manitoba, Canada, with Comment on Methodological Issues

Abstract Studies were carried out in Manitoba, Canada, to evaluate the efficacy of three repellent products for protection of human subjects against mosquito bites. All test substances contained the active ingredient N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet); two were polymer-based creams (3M Ultrathon Insect Repellent and Morflex DEET Insect Repellent 30) and the third (Muskol Insect Repellent) was an alcohol-based pump spray formulation. Application of repellent was to the forearm and lower legs of subjects at 0.75 or 0.83 mg deet/cm2. Exposure to mosquito attack was continuous, and efficacy was determined by measuring complete protection time (CPT). Regardless of whether delivered as a polymer cream or in alcohol, mean CPT was similar for the tested repellents at 623 ± 107 to 644 ± 163 min. By contrast, mean CPT for the different test subjects showed significant variation, ranging from 531 ± 42 to 756 ± 54 min. Mosquito collections from untreated human test subjects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) light traps and sweep-netting consisted primarily of Ochlerotatus sticticus (Meigen) and Aedes vexans (Meigen). Relative catch of these two species was similar for different sampling methods through much of the day, but not in the evening, when CDC light traps oversampled Ae. vexans relative to untreated human subjects. Results are used to highlight the need to account for intersubject variation when designing repellent studies, and also are used as a basis to discuss limitations associated with using relatively few subjects when testing repellents.
Swimming against the tide: social partnership, mutual gains and the revival of ‘tired’ HRM

This paper explores the theoretical antecedents underpinning the social partnership approach and examines the motives behind, and the potential benefits of, the partnership agenda as a model for the future of employment relations. It puts forward an analysis that eschews a simplistic ‘good’ or ‘bad’ interpretation of partnership. Instead, it argues for a framework that is sensitive to its evolution and complex construction. Central to this approach is the recognition that both management and trade unions are faced with a series of complex choices in responding to partnership, and that the evolution and outcomes of partnership are influenced by the prevailing economic environment, regulatory infrastructure and political ideology. The paper suggests that in the context of the UK partnership represents an attempt to renew what we consider to be the ‘tired’ project of HRM, in order to overcome the historic difficulties of constructing the project of the high-performance workplace.
Arbeidsbelasting, fysieke klachten en ziekteverzuim bij varkenshouders

In 1997 en 1998 hebben het Praktijkonderzoek Varkenshouderij en IMAG-DL0 een enquete onder varkenshouders gehouden met als doel het inventariseren van arbeidsbelasting, gezondheidsklachten, ziekteverzuim en arbeidsongeschiktheid. Het onderzoek bestond uit twee fasen: een antwoordkaart met een paar korte vragen en een uitgebreide enquete. De antwoordkaart is verstuurd naar 2.174 varkenshouders. Dit was een derde deel van alle bedrijven met meer dan 75 zeugen of meer dan 500 vleesvarkens die bij de locale standsorganisaties van LTO-Nederland waren aangesloten. Naar de varkenshouders die op de antwoordkaart aangegeven hadden mee te willen werken aan een enquete, zijn vervolgens enquetes verstuurd. De enquete bevatte vragen over persoonskenmerken, arbeidsgebonden factoren, belastingsverschijnselen en belastingsgevolgen
An Examination of Factors Affecting Service Recovery in a Restaurant Setting

This study contributes to the literature on service recovery. As in prior studies, service recovery was found to have a significant impact on consumer satisfaction. However, the results of this study suggest that service recovery strategies may not always be able to restore or exceed original customer satisfaction. The level of postrecovery satisfaction may depend on a number of factors, such as the magnitude of the service failure, the customer’s perception of the criticality of the consumption, and whether the service provider or the customer is first to notice the service failure.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the Middle and Inner Ear After Intratympanic Injection of a Gadolinium-Containing Gel

Objective To investigate the distribution and elimination of a gadolinium containing high viscosity formulation of sodium hyaluronan (HYA gel) after injection to the middle ear. Materials and Methods The T1 contrast agent gadolinium-diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid-bis methylamine (Gd-DTPA-BMA) was added to HYA gel and delivered to the middle ear of 13 albino guinea pigs by 3 different ways of injection. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed with a 4.7 T MRI system using a T1-weighted 3-dimentional rapid acquisition with relaxation enhancement sequence. Results An injection technique where the Gd-DTPA-BMA-containing HYA gel was delivered to the middle ear through a percutaneous injection through the auditory bulla after a small incision had been made in the tympanic membrane gave the best filling of the middle ear, covering the cochlea and the region of the round window niche for 24 hours in a majority of the ears studied. Ears injected without an incision in the tympanic membrane showed an immediate uptake of Gd-DTPA-BMA in the inner ear as a sign of rupture of the round window membrane. Conclusion A percutaneous injection of a HYA gel into the tympanic bulla is distributed in a predictable way and gives a good filling of the middle ear cavity. The HYA gel remains in close vicinity to the RWM for more than 24 hours. Injection should be performed after an incision of the tympanic membrane has been made to prevent rupture of the round window membrane.