Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceived sociocultural impacts of tourism and community participation: A case study of Langkawi Island

Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling, we investigated the relationship between residents’ perceptions of the sociocultural impacts of tourism development and community participation in Pantai Cenang, Langkawi Island. We also investigated the moderating role of gender, age and education level on these relationships. The results revealed significant positive relationships between the positive and negative perceptions of residents and community participation; moreover, residents’ gender and age had a moderating effect on these relationships. These findings have implications for tourism development planners and government authorities seeking to expand the involvement of local residents in tourism developments.
Huntingtin Is Present in the Nucleus, Interacts with the Transcriptional Corepressor C-terminal Binding Protein, and Represses Transcription*

Huntingtin is a protein of unknown function that contains a polyglutamine tract, which is expanded in patients with Huntington's disease (HD). We investigated the localization and a potential function for huntingtin in the nucleus. In human fibroblasts from normal and HD patients, huntingtin localized diffusely in the nucleus and in subnuclear compartments identified as speckles, promyelocytic leukemia protein bodies, and nucleoli. Huntingtin-positive nuclear bodies redistributed after treatment with sodium butyrate. By Western blot, purified nuclei had low levels of full-length huntingtin compared with the cytoplasm but contained high levels of N- and C-terminal huntingtin fragments, which tightly bound the nuclear matrix. Full-length huntingtin co-immunoprecipitated with the transcriptional corepressor C-terminal binding protein, and polyglutamine expansion in huntingtin reduced this interaction. Full-length wild-type and mutant huntingtin repressed transcription when targeted to DNA. Truncated N-terminal mutant huntingtin repressed transcription, whereas the corresponding wild-type fragment did not repress transcription. We speculate that wild-type huntingtin may function in the nucleus in the assembly of nuclear matrix-bound protein complexes involved with transcriptional repression and RNA processing. Proteolysis of mutant huntingtin may alter nuclear functions by disrupting protein complexes and inappropriately repressing transcription in HD.
Pesticide use in the U.S. and policy implications: A focus on herbicides

This article examines herbicide use in the United States, providing estimates of poundage, land surface covered, distribution, and recent trends based on federal and state figures. Herbicides are by far the most widely used class of pesticide in the US, where 556 million lbs of herbicide active ingredients (AIs) were applied in 1995. Agriculture accounts for the majority of herbicide use, totaling 461 million lbs of AIs in 1995. Over 60% of the poundage of all agricultural herbicides consist of those that are capable of disrupting the endocrine and/or reproductive systems of animals. In addition, at least 17 types of `inert ingredients,' which can equal 90% or more of a pesticide product, have been identified as having potential endocrine-disrupting effects. Atrazine is the predominant herbicide used according to poundage, with 68-73 million lbs of AIs applied in 1995. However, 2,4-D is the most widespread herbicide, covering 78 million acres for agricultural uses alone. Both of these herbicides are reported endocrine disruptors. Acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitors, namely the sulfonylureas and imidazolinones, are one of the fastest growing classes of herbicides. Many of these herbicides are 100 times more toxic to select plant species than their predecessors, so they can be applied at rates approximately 100 times lower. Consequently, they can affect plant species at concentration levels so low that no standard chemical protocol can detect them. Due in part to these more potent herbicides, the poundage of herbicides used in the US has decreased since the mid-1980s; however, the available data suggest that the number of treated acres has not significantly declined. A thorough assessment of potential exposure to herbicides by wildlife and humans is limited due to the inaccessibility of production and usage data.
Tryptophan‐scanning mutagenesis in the S1 domain of mammalian HCN channel reveals residues critical for voltage‐gated activation

Hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated (HCN) channels are essential regulators in rhythmic activity, membrane excitability and synaptic transmission. There are four subtypes in mammals (HCN1–4); HCN4 has the slowest activation kinetics and HCN1 the fastest. Although voltage gating originates with the voltage‐dependent motion of the S4 segment, the different activation kinetics between HCN1 and HCN4 are generated mainly by S1 and the S1–S2 loop. In this study, we investigate the structural basis of the ability of S1 to affect activation kinetics by replacing each individual S1 residue in HCN1 with a tryptophan (Trp) residue, a Trp perturbation scan. Robust currents were generated in 11 out of 19 Trp mutants. Hyperpolarization‐activated currents were not detected in four mutants, and two other mutants generated only small currents. Presence or absence of current reflected the predicted α‐helical structure of the S1 transmembrane segment. Tryptophan replacements of residues responsible for the different kinetics between HCN1 and HCN4 made the activation kinetics slower than the wild‐type HCN1. Tryptophan mutations introduced in the middle of S1 (L139W and V143W) prevented normal channel closure. Furthermore, a negatively charged residue at position 139 (L139D) induced a positive voltage shift of activation by 125 mV. Thus, L139 and V143 probably face a mobile part of the S4 voltage sensor and may interact with it. These results suggest that the secondary structure of S1 is α‐helical and profoundly affects the motion of the voltage sensor.
Sexual function in patients with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia.

This study evaluated the sexual function in an unselected population referred to hospital for treatment of clinical BPH. 401 patients filled in the DAN-PSS questionnaire including 3 questions concerning sexuality (erection, ejaculation volume and pain/discomfort during eja culation). The patients were divided into four age groups (< 50; 50-59; 60-69 and > 69 years). The answers were analyzed for severity of symptoms and the related bothersomeness. The proportion of patients with erectile dysfunction increased with increasing age, and the related bother was much higher in the young males. Fiftyfour percent noticed that the amount of semen had decreased, and a correlation between increasing age and smaller ejaculation volume was observed. However, the related botherfactor was low. There was an age independent occurrence of about 15% of patients experiencing pain/discomfort during ejaculation and the bother factor is high. This study shows that the questions concerning sexuality in the DAN-PSS score system are formulated in a way that most patients can understand, and are willing to fill in the form.
Switching between parathormone (PTH) assays: the impact on the diagnosis of renal osteodystrophy

Abstract Background: Clinical guidelines for decision-making in chronic kidney disease (CKD) consider parathormone (PTH) levels. The measured PTH values differ if novel full length PTH(1-84) assays are used instead of earlier intact iPTH assays. In this study we analyzed how the classification of CKD patients alters when iPTH assays are switched to PTH(1-84) assays. Methods: Plasma samples were collected prior to dialysis sessions from 110 consecutive CKD patients on maintenance hemodialysis. PTH levels were determined with iPTH assays (Elecsys, Architect and DiaSorin Liaison N-tact) and PTH(1-84) assays (Elecsys and Liaison). Using KDIGO guidelines patients were classified as being below, above and in the recommended target range (RTR) of PTH. The results of classification with different assays were evaluated and, a novel calculation method of RTR was implemented. Results: The prevalence of patients with PTH in RTR is comparable with each assay, but the individual patients differed. PTH(1-84) Elecsys and Liaison assays classified more patients as being below RTR than iPTH Elecsys and Architect but not Liaison N-tact assay (27.3%, 22.7% vs. 41%, 31.8%, and 36.4%, respectively). In turn, PTH(1-84) Elecsys and Liaison assays identified less CKD patients with PTH above the RTR than iPTH except N-tact assays (6.4%, 10% vs. 16.3%, 19%, and 6.3%, respectively). Using our calculation method, our discrimination values for PTH(1-84) assays to achieve classification identical to that with iPTH Elecsys were lower than those recommended by the manufacturer. Conclusions: Current guidelines for the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in CKD should consider the type of assays used for PTH measurement. Each laboratory should assess its own RTR for PTH tests to achieve comparable classification. The presented calculation is simple, it mimics an everyday situation, switching from one assay to another one, and provides useful RTR values for PTH tests.
Corporate Venturing in Family Business: A Developmental Approach of the Enterprising Family

Research summary: This conceptual article discusses when and why family firms are motivated to engage in entrepreneurial activities. Drawing on family development theory, we offer midrange reasoning about the impact of enterprising family dynamics—such as the birth of a child or children leaving home—on the motivation for corporate venturing and its changes over time. Moreover, our model also accounts for the contingent effect of ownership and business developmental dimensions. Finally, we predict that motivation for corporate venturing can, in turn, spur the development of the enterprising family. Managerial summary: Overcoming the idea that family firms are either very or minimally entrepreneurial, we focus on the enterprising family and consider its development to explain the motivation toward corporate venturing. We look at the evolution of the roles and norms of family members over time and predict that motivation for venturing increases with family growth until the moment in which a succession takes place and the younger generation receives the baton. We also consider how changes in the ownership structure and business growth influence the relationship between family development and motivation for venturing. The latter, in turn, can trigger the development of the enterprising family itself, with its structure and norms. Our work, in sum, depicts the enterprising family as a springboard for repeated acts of entrepreneurship across generations.
Safety and Feasibility of Using Sorafenib in Recurrent Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Background and Aim: The majority of patients who undergo orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have a very good prognosis if the tumor is within the Milan criteria. However, 10–15% of patients will have reoccurrence after OLT. Currently, sorafenib is available for advanced HCC. The safety and efficacy of sorafenib in this population has not been reported. Methods: We retrospectively looked at 54 patients who received sorafenib for advanced HCC. Out of 54 patients, we analyzed 9 who received sorafenib after OLT for HCC reoccurrence at Cleveland Clinic. Result: The median age at the time treatment with sorafenib was initiated was 59 years (range 46–77). Two patients received prior local therapy. Most of the toxicity was expected side effects from sorafenib except in 1 patient who developed hematological toxicity. Six patients required dose reduction secondary to toxicity. There were no unexpected complications from interaction with immunosuppressive medication. One patient achieved complete radiographic remission. Median survival from the start of sorafenib had not been reached at the time of writing; however, the 4-month survival rate is currently estimated to be 84 ± 15%, and 1 patient with lung reoccurrence has been treated for almost 18 months thus far. Conclusion: Sorafenib can be used in patients with recurrent HCC after liver transplantation with tolerable toxicity; however, dose adjustment may be required. A larger prospective study is necessary to determine the efficacy of sorafenib in this group of patients.
Lycopene's Effects on Cancer Cell Functions within Monolayer and Spheroid Cultures

ABSTRACT Lycopene, a compound that blocks the action of free radicals and oxygen molecules, is found in tomatoes and tomato-based products and linked to a reduced incidence of cancer. Increasing willingness of patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle by supplemental intake of nutrients and acceptance of alternative therapeutics has boosted research into nutraceuticals. The potential of lycopene to prevent or treat cancer has been investigated, but outcomes are inconsistent and its mode of action is still unknown. Further studies are needed to understand the role of lycopene in cancer prevention and treatment. The impact of lycopene on viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion of five different cancer cell lines was determined using monolayer and spheroid cultures. Cell viability was significantly reduced upon lycopene treatment at physiologically attainable concentrations. Cell proliferation, migration, and invasion did not change upon lycopene treatment. Ovarian cancer spheroids initially showed a decreased proliferation and after 14 days increased cell viability upon lycopene treatment, confirming the potential of lycopene to reduce cancer cell growth in short-term cultures and also indicate enhanced cell viability over prolonged exposure. This study cannot substantiate that lycopene inhibits cell functions associated with tumor growth, even in a 3D cancer model that mimics the natural tumor microenvironment.
Graph based visual object tracking

Object tracking is viewed as a two-class “one-versus-rest” classification problem, in which the sample distribution of the target is approximately Gaussian while the background samples are often multi-modal. Based on these special properties, we model the visual appearance via graph approach, which is a semi-supervised approach. The topology structure of graph is carefully designed to reflect the properties of the sample's distribution. The confidence of sample's label is computed via random walk with restart (RWR). The primary advantage of our algorithm is that it keeps the appearance of object via semi-supervised method. Experimental results demonstrate that, compared with two state of the art methods, the proposed tracking algorithm is more effective, especially in dynamically changing and clutter scenes.
The Bitcoin price formation: Beyond the fundamental sources

Much significant research has been done to investigate various facets of the link between Bitcoin price and its fundamental sources. This study goes beyond by looking into least to most influential factors-across the fundamental, macroeconomic, financial, speculative and technical determinants as well as the 2016 events-which drove the value of Bitcoin in times of economic and geopolitical chaos. We use a Bayesian quantile regression to inspect how the structure of dependence of Bitcoin price and its determinants varies across the entire conditional distribution of Bitcoin price movements. In doing so, three groups of determinants were derived. The use of Bitcoin in trade and the uncertainty surrounding China's deepening slowdown, Brexit and India's demonetization were found to be the most potential contributors of Bitcoin price when the market is improving. The intense anxiety over Donald Trump being the president of United States was shown to be a positive determinant pushing up the price of Bitcoin when the market is functioning around the normal mode. The velocity of bitcoins in circulation, the gold price, the Venezuelan currency demonetization and the hash rate were found to be the fundamentals influencing the Bitcoin price when the market is heading into decline.
Adjuvant trastuzumab for 6 months is effective in patients with HER2-positive stage II or III breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE The optimal duration of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer is not known. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of 6 months of adjuvant trastuzumab treatment in patients with stage II or III HER2-positive breast cancer. METHODS The records of patients with HER2-positive stage II or III breast cancer who were admitted to the Breast Center of Taipei Medical University Hospital and Yuan's General Hospital between 2000 and 2008 were reviewed. All patients received adjuvant trastuzumab at an initial dose of 4 mg/kg followed by a maintenance dose of 2 mg/kg/week for 22 weeks in combination with chemotherapy. RESULTS A total of 51 patients were included with a mean age of 46.9 years. Approximately 55% of the patients had stage III disease. The mean follow-up time from initiation of treatment was 45.2 months (range, 0.9 to 85 months). During follow-up, 46 patients (90.2%) did not experience tumor recurrence. The mean estimated disease free survival was 80.2 months. The estimated 1- , 2-, 5-, and 7-year survival rates were 97.9%, 93.1%, 93.1%, and 93.1%, respectively. The most common adverse effects were gastrointestinal symptoms (21.6%), chills (17.6%), dizziness (9.8%), and bone pain (7.8%). No cardiac or hematologic adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION Adjuvant therapy with trastuzumab for 6 months resulted in a clinical benefit in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer.
[Human papilloma virus genotyping in women with CIN 1].

INTRODUCTION Cervical cancer remains a considerable diagnostic and therapeutic problem in Poland. Despite progress in creating an active cancer prevention program in our country Poland occupies one of the last places in the EU in terms of cervical cancer- morbidity and mortality Supplement of secondary prevention of primary prophylaxis-HPV 16, 18 vaccination, offers hope for improvement of the situation. Epidemiology of individual HPV types differs, depending on the geographical location of the study population. So far in Poland, we have had no reliable data on the participation of selected oncogenic HPV types in the development of cervical pathology OBJECTIVE Identification of the most frequent, oncogenic HPV types in women diagnosed with CIN 1, from the Central and Western Poland. MATERIAL In the course of the conducted studies, genotyping of 13 types of human papilloma virus has been done in 126 HPV DNA-positive women diagnosed with CIN 1. METHOD Each cell material in which the presence of HPVDNA identified 13 types of oncogenic human papillomavirus was subsequently subjected to genotyping using the molecular test--Linear Array HPV Genotyping (Roche Diagnostics). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION In women from the Central and Western Poland diagnosed with CIN 1, HPV 16 (53.97%) was the most common, followed by HPV 33 (21.3%), HPV 18 (16.67%), HPV 31 (10.32%), HPV 45 (7.94%), HPV 52 (1.59%). Current HPV vaccines are designed to protect against two of the three most common genotypes, in women diagnosed with CIN 1 in Central and Western Poland.
Full-Body Animation of Human Locomotion in Reduced Gravity Using Physics-Based Control

The proposed physics-based approach can generate stable and robust full-body animation of various gaits under different gravitational conditions. As input, this method takes motion-captured human motions in the Earth’s gravity and builds an inverted-pendulum on cart (IPC) control model, which is analyzed using the motion-captured data. The authors use a pre-estimation model based on the Froude number to predict the desired velocity and stride frequency of a character model in hypogravity and then generate full-body animation using a pendulum trajectory generator, motion planner, and tracking.
The DODT tool applied to sub-sea software

Using natural language is still a common form of writing software requirements. Tools and techniques to improve the quality of natural language requirements may give better results than attempts to convince industry to use something else. We have combined natural language requirements with tool support using boilerplates and domain ontologies, enabling detection of ambiguities and incompleteness in requirements. This paper reports on a case study where requirement analysts used the developed tool to analyse requirements for a safety-critical control system. The experience showed that people were able to use the tool to develop a domain ontology and apply boilerplates to describe requirements in a structured way, yielding requirements readable for humans and analysable for the tool. The tool support improved the quality of requirements by reducing ambiguities and inconsistent use of terminology, removing redundant requirements, and improving partial and unclear requirements.
Gender differences in β‐adrenoceptor system in cardiac hypertrophy due to arteriovenous fistula

This study was undertaken to determine alterations in the β‐adrenoceptor (β‐AR) signaling system in male and female rats at 4 weeks after the induction of arteriovenous (AV) fistula or shunt. AV shunt produced a greater degree of cardiac hypertrophy and larger increase in cardiac output in male than in female animals. Increases in plasma levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine (EPI) due to AV shunt were also higher in male than females. While no difference in the β1‐AR affinity was seen in males and females, AV shunt induced increase in β1‐AR density in female rats was higher than that in males. Furthermore, no changes in basal adenylyl cyclase (AC) V/VI mRNA levels were seen; however, the increase in EPI‐stimulated AC activities was greater in AV shunt females than in males. AV shunt decreased myocardial β1‐AR mRNA level in male rats and increased β2‐AR mRNA level in female hearts; an increase in Gi‐protein mRNA was detected only in male hearts. Although GRK2 gene expression was increased in both sexes, an increase in GRK3 mRNA was seen only in AV shunt female rats. β‐arrestin1 mRNA was elevated in females whereas β‐arrestin 2 gene expression was increased in both male and female AV shunt rats. While these data demonstrate gender associated differences in various components of the β‐AR system in cardiac hypertrophy due to AV shunt, only higher levels of plasma catecholamines may account for the greater increase in cardiac output and higher degree of cardiac hypertrophy in males. J. Cell. Physiol. 226: 181–186, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Evidence for the Use of Botulinum Toxin in the Chronic Pain Setting—A Review of the Literature

▪ Abstract: A significant proportion of chronic pain is of musculoskeletal origin. Botulinum toxin (BTX) has been successfully used in the treatment of spasmodic torticollis, limb dystonia, and spasticity. Investigators have, thus, become interested in its potential use in treating many chronic pain conditions. Practitioners have used BTX, outside the product license, in the treatment of refractory myofascial pain syndrome and neck and low back pain (LBP). This article reviews the current evidence relating to chronic pain practice. There is evidence supporting the use of both BTX type A and type B in the treatment of cervical dystonias. The weight of evidence is in favor of BTX type A as a treatment in: pelvic pain, plantar fasciitis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction associated facial pain, chronic LBP, carpal tunnel syndrome, joint pain, and in complex regional pain syndrome and selected neuropathic pain syndromes. The weight of evidence is also in favor of BTX type A and type B in piriformis syndrome. There is conflicting evidence relating to the use of BTX in the treatment whiplash, myofascial pain, and myogenous jaw pain. It does appear that BTX is useful in selected patients, and its duration of action may exceed that of conventional treatments. This seems a promising treatment that must be further evaluated. ▪