bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Transcriptionally Repress ESR1 but Cannot Overcome Constitutive ESR1 Mutant Activity
Authors: Lung David K , Warrick Jay W , Hematti Peiman , Callander Natalie S , Mark Christina J , Miyamoto Shigeki , Alarid Elaine T 
Published: August 2019

AbstractEstrogen receptor α (ER) is the target of endocrine therapies in ER-positive breast cancer (BC), but their therapeutic effectiveness diminishes with disease progression. Most metastatic BCs retain an ER-positive status, but ER expression levels are reduced. We asked how the bone tumor microenvironment (TME) regulates ER expression. We observed ESR1 mRNA and ER protein downregulation in BC cells treated with conditioned media (CM) from patient-derived, cancer-activated bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and the BMSC cell line HS5. Decreases in ESR1 mRNA were attributed to decreases in nascent transcripts as well as decreased RNA polymerase II occupancy and H3K27Ac levels on the ESR1 promoter and/or distal enhancer (ENH1). Repression extended to neighboring genes of ESR1, including ARMT1 and SYNE1. Although ERK/MAPK signaling pathway can repress ER expression by other TME cell types, MAPK inhibition did not reverse decreases in ER expression by BMSC-CM. ESR1 mRNA and ER protein half-lives in MCF7 cells were unchanged by BMSC-CM treatment. Whereas ER phosphorylation was induced, ER activity was repressed by BMSC-CM as neither ER occupancy at known binding sites nor estrogen response element–luciferase activity was detected. BMSC-CM also repressed expression of ER target genes. In cells expressing the Y537S and D538G ESR1 mutations, BMSC-CM reduced ESR1, but expression of target genes PGR and TFF1 remained significantly elevated compared with that of control wild-type cells. These studies demonstrate that BMSCs can transcriptionally corepress ESR1 with neighboring genes and inhibit receptor activity, but the functional consequences of the BMSC TME can be limited by metastasis-associated ESR1 mutations.
Cellular autophagy in α cells plays a role in the maintenance of islet architecture
Authors: Himuro Miwa , Miyatsuka Takeshi , Suzuki Luka , Miura Masaki , Katahira Takehiro , Goto Hiromasa , Nishida Yuya , Sasaki Shugo , Koike Masato , Shiota Chiyo , Gittes George K , Fujitani Yoshio , Watada Hirotaka 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Autophagy is known to play a pivotal role in intracellular quality control through the degradation of subcellular damaged organelles and components. Whereas autophagy is essential for maintaining β-cell function in pancreatic islets, it remains unclear as to how the cellular autophagy affects the homeostasis and function of glucagon-secreting α cells. To investigate the role of autophagy in α cells, we generated a mutant mouse model lacking Atg7, a key molecule for autophagosome formation, specifically in α cells. Histological analysis demonstrated an increased number of glucagon-positive cells, with a multilayered structure, in the islets under Atg7 deficiency, although metabolic profiles, such as body weight, blood glucose and plasma glucagon levels, were comparable between Atg7-deficient mice and control littermates. Consistent with our previous findings that Atg7 deficiency suppressed β-cell proliferation, cellular proliferation was suppressed in Atg7-deficient α cells. These findings suggest that α-cell autophagy plays a role in maintaining α-cell area and normal islet architecture, but appears to be dispensable for metabolic homeostasis.
Facile Synthesis of Layered Titanate/Rutile Heterojunction Photocatalysts
Authors: Yousef Ahmed K , Sanad Moustafa , Rashad Mohamed M , El-Sayed Abdel-Aziz Y , Ide Yusuke 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Synthesis of TiO2 photocatalysts with better activity via facile methods is desired to facilitate their applications. Here, we report a facile method to synthesize layered titanate/rutile heterojunction photocatalysts showing activity higher (up to twice) than that of a benchmark P25 TiO2 under irradiation with a solar simulator. In this method, a layered titanate (K0.8Ti1.73Li0.27O4) is treated with dilute HCl and dried under ambient conditions, resulting in the formation of rutile nanoparticles deposited on the outer particle surface of the protonated form of the layered titanate. The activity is identical to that of the prototype heterojunction synthesized by a similar method requiring a considerably longer time.
Pre-operative serum TSH levels: A risk factor for advanced metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma
Authors: Batool Sumera , Afridi Muhammad Shakir , Khoja Adeel Akbar , Islam Najmul 
Published: August 2019

Background and Objective: As the thyroid cancer incidence is increasing, the search for its risk factor is becoming more important. Serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels being a growth factor for normal thyroid tissue, is also considered as growth promotor of cancer cells. In our study we aimed for pre-operative serum TSH levels of Differentiated thyroid cancers (DTC) done before their first surgery and determined its association with advanced disease in terms of stage, multifocal disease, lymph node involvement and distant metastasis.
Methods: We have conducted a retrospective review of thyroid cancers from 1st January 2008 to 31st December 2017. Out of 281, 142 cases were included according to inclusion criteria. We noted the demographic details of participants, their histopathological diagnosis and serum TSH levels done before first surgery from the medical records. We calculated the stage of tumor through modified American Joint Committee (AJCC) staging system.
Results: Out of 147 participants, 89.4% had papillary carcinoma or its variants whereas 10.6% reported follicular carcinoma. The mean pre-op TSH level of the patients included was 2.04 ± 1.79. In addition to the descriptive analysis, the univariate regression analysis revealed that the association of serum TSH levels was found to be statistically insignificant with advanced stage of thyroid cancer, multifocal disease, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis respectively.
Conclusion: The serum TSH levels before surgery was not associated with poor prognosis of differentiated thyroid cancer with respect to higher staging, multifocal disease, lymphatic or distant metastasis.
doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.704
How to cite this:Batool S, Afridi MS, Khoja A, Islam N. Pre-operative serum TSH levels: A risk factor for advanced metastatic differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1312-1317. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.704
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Efficacy of mitomycin-C on anterior urethral stricture after internal urethrotomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Irdam Gampo Alam , Wahyudi Irfan , Andy Andy 
Published: August 2019

Background: Mitomycin-C is an agent that plays an important role in the tissue healing process and scar formation. This study aims to investigate the efficacy of mitomycin-C in treating anterior urethral stricture following internal urethrotomy. Methods: Studies evaluating the efficacy of mitomycin-c for anterior urethral stricture post urethrotomy were searched using PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, EBSCOHost, Cochrane Reviews, and OVID as directory databases. Terms used in the searching process were “mitomycin-c” or “mitomycin”, “urethral stricture”, “urethral stenosis”, “internal urethrotomy”, “optical urethrotomy” and its synonyms. Every randomized controlled trial study conducted in human subjects was included. Study appraisals were conducted in accordance with Oxford University Center for Evidence-Based Medicine guidelines. The conclusion of each study was summarized and the calculation of fixed effect from every study was conducted in meta-analysis. Results: Included in this study were three studies involving 231 patients. All of them reported less recurrence of in patients treated with mitomycin-c post urethrotomy (p<0.001). The fixed risk ratio of all studies was 0.32 with 95% confidence interval (0.19-0.54). All studies also reported less stricture length after treatment with mitomycin-c, but there were not statistical differences between with or without treatment group. Conclusion: Mitomycin-C has efficacy in treating anterior urethral stricture after internal urethrotomy. However, the inclusion of relatively few studies may affect the strength of this review and further studies need to be done.
Critical Analysis of Slum Tourism: A Retrospective on Bangalore
Authors: Jose Paul Neha Itty 
Published: August 2019

Slum tourism is a relatively unknown and controversial niche tourism segment. This form of tourism is mainly found in small pockets around the so-called third world. Slum tourism is famous in the Kibera slum in Nairobi and the Rochina slum in Rio de Janeiro. The largest slum in Asia, the Dharavi slum, became popular notably through the release of the Oscar-winning movie “Slumdog Millionaire” which highlighted the slum in Mumbai and thus brought the much-needed limelight on slum tourism otherwise known as poverty tourism. Slum tourism is the act of visiting low-income settlements also known as Favelas or simply as slums. Slum tourism has received mixed reviews of both a positive and negative character. A negative approach due to the very reason of it being seen as a means of showcasing the poor for the benefit of inquisitive tourists and critics say this form of tourism is voyeuristic and leads to the ill-treatment of slum dwellers. However, slum tourism can also lead to positive outcomes if managed in a sustainable manner it can develop employment opportunities for the slum dwellers. This paper deals with whether or not slum tourism has the potential of being developed in Bangalore, to find out if the much hype about slum tourism in Mumbai has created any demand for this niche market in Bangalore. A quantitative research methodology is used to investigate the matter. A survey and correlation analysis were conducted to delve into slum tours perspective of customers and travel agents of Bangalore. Findings of the study reveal that the potential customers or tourists are keen on taking such tours where as travel agents do not conduct slum tours as the profit margins are low.
A Study on Customer Perception of Medical Tourism in Puducherry
Authors: Marie C  Shanthi , Swain Sampad Kumar 
Published: August 2019

Medical tourism is the latest trend happening in many countries of the world where tourists in need of medical treatments from the developed countries approach the developing countries imparting treatments at par with the quality of their home countries. Among the countries practicing medical tourism, India is occupying one of the top positions with respect to the quality treatments as most of the states have recognized its significance. This study aims at studying the customer perception of medical tourism in the union territory of Puducherry. The units of the study are the international medical tourists who sought medical treatments in the private healthcare hospitals of Puducherry. The methodology used for the study is descriptive, analytical and inferential. Factor Analysis, T-test and ANOVA are the tools utilized for analyzing the primary data. The study reveals that the facilities provided to foreign patients are customer oriented. The satisfaction level of patients regarding the staff interaction, facilities and amenities and treatment are high. But, there is some need of improvement in the case of formalities and tourism part. The efficiency of the doctors, their personal touch, their communication skills, the facilities and amenities of the hospitals contributes to the cutting edge experience by the medical tourists. One important drawback is the lack of international accreditation which needs utmost ground work. The study finally suggests strategies for motivating the medical tourists undertaking healthcare treatments in Puducherry.
Editorial
Authors: Varghese Bindi 
Published: August 2019

Atna-Journal of Tourism Studies (ATJS) has now entered its eighth year of publication. ATJS has continued to make progress in terms of publishing peer-reviewed articles and has attracted an ever increasing national audience of authors, research investigators, and scholars, as indicated by the increasing number of submissions and published papers. The scholarly contributions featured in the current issue range across such areas as Ayurvedic education in Kerala, sustainable hospitality management, Karnataka tourism satellite accounts, eco tourism, sustainability issues and pilgrimage tourism. Anila Thomas in her article "A Study on the Role and Contribution of Women for the Development of Ayurvedic Education in Kerala" highlights the perspective of contributions made towards national integration and the social transformation on economic lives as an important aspect of tourism. "Sustainable Hospitality Management and Dimensions of Environmental Regulations: A Qualitative Study on the Puducherry Perspective" by Anu Chandran and Sherry Abraham explains the accelerated growth of international and domestic tourists to Puducherry. They suggest that the growth can be sustained only if the hotels, resorts, restaurants and other hospitality outlets operate by showing profound consideration towards the environment.
Horizontal Mergers in a Dynamic Cournot Market: Solving the Free Riding Issue Without Efficiency Gains
Authors: Escrihuela-Villar Marc , Ferrarese Walter 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
We discuss horizontal mergers in a linear, homogeneous, symmetric Cournot market where the new entity repeatedly competes with outside firms over an indefinite horizon and efficiency gains are ruled out. If the degree of collusion among the outside firms is large enough, then, despite the large payoff of each outsider, we obtain output configurations solving both the profitability and the free riding issues. Such a result requires that mergers involve a sufficiently small number of firms, which is in sharp contrast with the findings in the literature and rationalize the empirical fact that relatively small mergers, even in absence of synergies, do actually occur and that, although outside firms may benefit from the merger of their rivals, insiders end up being better off. Finally, we show that merging can often be a more advantageous alternative than a fully collusive agreement, in which, moreover, the free riding component is not solved.
An image processing pipeline to segment iris for unconstrained cow identification system
Authors: Larregui Juan I. , Cazzato Dario , Castro Silvia M. 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
One of the most evident costs in cow farming is the identification of the animals. Classic identification processes are labour-intensive, prone to human errors and invasive for the animal. An automated alternative is an animal identification based on unique biometric patterns like iris recognition; in this context, correct segmentation of the region of interest becomes of critical importance. This work introduces a bovine iris segmentation pipeline that processes images taken in the wild, extracting the iris region. The solution deals with images taken with a regular visible-light camera in real scenarios, where reflections in the iris and camera flash introduce a high level of noise that makes the segmentation procedure challenging. Traditional segmentation techniques for the human iris are not applicable given the nature of the bovine eye; at this aim, a dataset composed of catalogued images and manually labelled ground truth data of Aberdeen-Angus has been used for the experiments and made publicly available. The unique ID number for each different animal in the dataset is provided, making it suitable for recognition tasks. Segmentation results have been validated with our dataset showing high reliability: with the most pessimistic metric (i.e. intersection over union), a mean score of 0.8957 has been obtained.
Analytical model assessing the effect of increased traffic flow intensities on the road administration, maintenance and lifetime
Authors: Hanzl Jiří 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader to the construction of an analytical model assessing the effect of increased traffic intensities on extraordinary road traffic events on the amount of expenditures that the road administrators are forced to spend on the extra maintenance and reshaping these alternative diversion routes into the initial technical conditions. The computational mechanism of this model is based on the one hand on parameters of diversion routes temporarily transferring increased traffic intensities (e.g. motorway traffic at closure), on the other hand on approved cost databases for the assessment of road constructions and other regulations concerning the design of road maintenance and repair. In the final part of the paper the applicability of this model in practice is assessed and some negatives that are not included in the final calculation when determining the total costs of the road administrator are mentioned.
Research into Customer Preferences of Potential Buyers of Simple Wood-based Houses for the Purpose of Using the Target Costing
Authors: Potkány Marek , Škultétyová Monika 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a research into the customer preferences of potential buyers of simple wood-based house for the purpose of using the Target Costing methodology. Respondents’ opinions of 280 customers were obtained through direct interviews taking place at a specialized exhibition of furniture and timber constructions in Slovakia. The object of the research was a simple wood-based house, namely a weekend garden cottage, made of northern spruce at the level of target price 9,320 €. The paper contribution is represented by the use of the Target Costing methodology in the conditions of wood-processing industry while defining the customer preference for a specific product with the subsequent use for a functional cost analysis and determining the target cost index of the evaluated components. Presented results can be used as information database for decision making in the field of make or buy decisions at the level of fixed purchase prices of individual components or as the upper price limit for producing the components by the business itself.
A kinetic study of Zn halide/TBAB-catalysed fixation of CO2 with styrene oxide in propylene carbonate
Authors: Rehman Abdul , Resul M.F.M. Gunam , Eze Valentine C. , Harvey Adam 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
Synthesis of styrene carbonate (SC) via the fixation of CO2 with styrene oxide (SO) has been investigated using a combination of zinc bromide (ZnBr2) and tetrabutylammonium halides (TBAX) as acid-base binary homogeneous catalysts. The combination of ZnBr2 and TBAB had a synergistic effect, which led to about 6-fold enhancement in the rate of SC formation as compared to using TBAB alone as a catalyst. Propylene carbonate (PC) was chosen as a green solvent for a comprehensive study of reaction kinetics. The reaction followed a first-order kinetics with respect to SO, CO2, and TBAB, whereas a fractional order was observed for the ZnBr2 when used in combination with the TBAB. Arrhenius and Eyring’s expressions were applied to determine the kinetic and thermodynamic activation parameters, where activation energy (Ea) of 23.3 kJ mol−1 was obtained for the SC formation over the temperature range of 90-120°C. The thermodynamic analysis showed that positive values for enthalpy (ΔH‡ = 18.53 kJ mol−1), Gibbs free energy (ΔG‡ = 79.74 kJ mol−1), whereas a negative entropy (ΔS‡ = –162.88 J mol−1 K−1) was obtained. These thermodynamic parameters suggest that endergonic and kinetically controlled reactions were involved in the formation of SC from SO and CO2.
Assessing cellulose dissolution efficiency in solvent systems based on a robust experimental quantification protocol and enthalpy data
Authors: Kostag Marc , Dignani Marcella Teixeira , Lourenço Matheus Costa , Bioni Thaís de Almeida , El Seoud Omar A. 
Published: August 2019

AbstractDissolution of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) in pure ionic liquids (ILs) and IL/dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) mixtures (mole fraction χDMSO = 0.2–0.9) was quantified using a specially constructed mechanical stirring system that allows reproducible agitation speed; temperature control, and minimum solution-air contact. The electrolytes employed were: 1-(n-butyl)-3-methylimidazolium acetate (C4MeIm AcO), 1-(methoxyethyl)-3-methylimidazolium acetate (C3OMeIm AcO), 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-enium acetate (DBU AcO), tetramethylguanidinium acetate (TMG AcO), and tetra(n-butyl)ammonium fluoride hydrate (TBAF·xH2O). The effects on MCC dissolution of IL/DMSO composition, and temperature (50, 70°C) were studied. C4MeIm AcO and C4MeIm AcO/DMSO were more efficient solvents than their C3OMeIm AcO counterparts, due to “deactivation” of the ether oxygen of C3OMeIm AcO. MCC dissolution by C4MeIm AcO/DMSO was compared with DBU AcO/DMSO, TMG AcO/DMSO at χDMSO = 0.6, and TBAF·xH2O/DMSO at χDMSO = 0.95. The relative efficiency was (solutions in DMSO): C4MeIm AcO > C3OMeIm AcO > DBU AcO > TMG AcO > TBAF·xH2O. The efficiency of C4MeIm AcO relative to C3OMeIm AcO is due to higher solution basicity. Isothermal titration calorimetry was used to study cellobiose-solvent interactions. Except for TBAF·xH2O/DMSO, these interactions are exothermic; the relative solvent efficiency increases with increasing dissolution |enthalpy|. Using the mole fraction concentration scale to report cellulose dissolution avoids possible ambiguities.
Feminist reformulations of human rights
Authors: Tonetto Milene Consenso 
Published: August 2019

AbstractFor feminist philosophers it is important to consider how the language of human rights can be used to support women’s issues and how well it is established in political institutions. However, they suggest that human rights should be reformulated and supplemented with other ethical frameworks to ensure that injustices to women are not neglected. The aim of this paper is to argue that Nussbaum’s capability approach can take into account feminists’ insights into rationality, care and context to reform and to supplement the universal framework of rights. Finally I will illustrate Nussbaum’s claim that human rights and capabilities need to complement each other through a discussion of the Brazilian case.
Electrochemical Behavior of Fe3O4 in NaCl-CaCl2 Melts
Authors: Li Hui , Zhang Lisheng , Liang Jinglong , Reddy Ramana G. , Yan Hongyan , Yin Yuhan 
Published: August 2019

Abstract
The reduction and dissolution mechanism of Fe3O4 in NaCl-CaCl2 melts system are analyzed by thermodynamics. The electrochemical methods of Fe3O4 in NaCl-CaCl2 melts are studied by cyclic voltammetry, square wave voltammetry and open-circuit chronopotentiometry. The effects of temperature on reduction potential and peak current are investigated. The diffusion coefficients of Fe3+ and Fe2+ at different temperatures are calculated, and the activation energy E is obtained. Electrolytic products are obtained after 10 min of potentiostatic electrolysis in the melts of NaCl-CaCl2-Fe3O4 at 1073 K and 1.9 V. The results of XRD show that no other compounds are formed in the melts, indicating that Fe3O4 do not react chemically in the NaCl-CaCl2 melts system at 973 K, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis. Fe3O4 is reduced by two-step quasi-reversible reaction in the melts of NaCl-CaCl2 at 973 K to obtain iron: Fe3+ → Fe2+ → Fe. The two-step reaction is controlled by diffusion. The diffusion coefficients are 4.53 × 10–6 cm2·s–1 and 1.17 × 10–6 cm2·s–1, respectively. Fe3O4 is reduced in two steps. The potential shifts with temperature and decreases with the increase of the proportion of Fe3O4. The activation energies of the two-step reaction are 62.38 kJ·mol–1 and 77.52 kJ·mol–1. A deposited layer of uniform distribution, high coverage and dense iron is prepared.