bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Activin A Stimulates AKR1C3 Expression and Growth in Human Prostate Cancer
Authors: Hofland Johannes , van Weerden Wytske M. , Steenbergen Jacobie , Dits Natasja F. J. , Jenster Guido , de Jong Frank H. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Local androgen synthesis in prostate cancer (PC) may contribute to the development of castration-resistant PC (CRPC), but pathways controlling intratumoral steroidogenic enzyme expression in PC are unknown. We investigated the effects of activin, a factor involved in the regulation of PC growth and steroidogenic enzyme expression in other steroidogenic tissues, on intratumoral steroidogenesis in PC. Activin A effects and regulation of the activin-signaling pathway molecules were studied in the PC cell lines LNCaP, VCaP, and PC-3 and in 13 individual PC xenograft models. Also, expression levels of inhibin βA- and βB-subunits (INHBA and INHBB) and of the activin antagonist follistatin were quantitated in patient PC tissues. Activin A induced the expression and enzyme activity of 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme AKR1C3 in LNCaP and VCaP cells. Inhibition of endogenous activin A action in the PC-3 cell line decreased AKR1C3 levels and consequently testosterone synthesis. In return, androgens suppressed INHBA expression in both VCaP cells and the PC xenograft models. The antiproliferative effects of activin A were opposed by physiological concentrations of androstenedione in LNCaP cells. In patient PC tissues, expression levels of INHBA were increased in CRPC samples and correlated with AKR1C3 levels. Moreover, a high ratio of activin subunits to follistatin was associated with a worse metastasis-free survival in patients. In conclusion, activin A is controlled by androgens in PC models and regulates local androgen production. Activin A thus seems to mediate (residual) intratumoral androgen levels and could form a novel therapeutic target in CRPC.
Hepatocyte Growth Factor Plays a Key Role in Insulin Resistance-Associated Compensatory Mechanisms
Authors: Araújo Tiago G. , Oliveira Alexandre G. , Carvalho Bruno M. , Guadagnini Dioze , Protzek André O.P. , Carvalheira Jose B.C. , Boschero Antonio C. , Saad Mario J.A. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Insulin resistance is present in obesity and in type 2 diabetes and is associated with islet cell hyperplasia and hyperinsulinemia, but the driving forces behind this compensatory mechanism are incompletely understood. Previous data have suggested the involvement of an unknown circulating insulin resistance-related β-cell growth factor. In this context, looking for candidates to be a circulating factor, we realized that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a strong candidate as a link between insulin resistance and increased mass of islets/hyperinsulinemia. Our approach aimed to show a possible cause-effect relationship between increase in circulating HGF levels and compensatory islet hyperplasia/hyperinsulinemia by showing the strength of the association, whether or not is a dose-dependent response, the temporality, consistency, plausibility, and reversibility of the association. In this regard, our data showed: 1) a strong and consistent correlation between HGF and the compensatory mechanism in three animal models of insulin resistance; 2) HGF increases β-cell mass in a dose-dependent manner; 3) blocking HGF shuts down the compensatory mechanisms; and 4) an increase in HGF levels seems to precede the compensatory response associated with insulin resistance, indicating that these events occur in a sequential mode. Additionally, blockages of HGF receptor (Met) worsen the impaired insulin-induced insulin signaling in liver of diet-induced obesity rats. Overall, our data indicate that HGF is a growth factor playing a key role in islet mass increase and hyperinsulinemia in diet-induced obesity rats and suggest that the HGF-Met axis may have a role on insulin signaling in the liver.
Proliferation Rates of Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 (MEN1)-Associated Tumors
Authors: Walls Gerard V. , Reed Anita A.C. , Jeyabalan Jeshmi , Javid Mahsa , Hill Nathan R. , Harding Brian , Thakker Rajesh V. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by the combined occurrence of parathyroid and adrenocortical tumors, and neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the pancreas and pituitary. The pancreatic NETs are predominantly gastrinomas and insulinomas, and the pituitary NETs are mostly prolactinomas and somatotrophinomas. We postulated that the different types of pancreatic and pituitary NETs may be partly due to differences in their proliferation rates, and we therefore assessed these in MEN1-associated tumors and gonadal tumors that developed in mice deleted for an Men1 allele (Men1+/−). To label proliferating cells in vivo, Men1+/− and wild-type (Men1+/+) mice were given 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) in drinking water from 1–12 wk, and tissue sections were immunostained using anti-BrdU and hormone-specific antibodies. Proliferation in the tumors of Men1+/− mice was significantly (P &lt; 0.001) increased when compared with the corresponding normal Men1+/+ tissues. Pancreatic, pituitary and adrenocortical proliferation fitted first- and second-order regression lines in Men1+/+ tissues and Men1+/− tumors, respectively, R2 = 0.999. Apoptosis was similar in Men1+/− pancreatic, pituitary, and parathyroid tumors when compared with corresponding normal tissues, decreased in Men1+/− adrenocortical tumors, but increased in Men1+/− gonadal tumors. Mathematical modeling of NET growth rates (proliferation minus apoptosis rates) predicted that in Men1+/− mice, only pancreatic β-cells, pituitary lactotrophs and somatotrophs could develop into tumors within a murine lifespan. Thus, our studies demonstrate that Men1+/− tumors have low proliferation rates (&lt;2%), second-order kinetics, and the higher occurrence of insulinomas, prolactinomas, and somatotrophinomas in MEN1 is consistent with a mathematical model for NET proliferation.
Bioinspired Mechanism for the Translocation of Peptide through the Cell Membrane
Authors: Sakamoto Kazutami , Aburai Kenichi , Morishita Taku , Sakai Kenichi , Sakai Hideki , Abe Masahiko , Nakase Ikuhiko , Futaki Shiroh 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Discreetness of a cell is the key to life, with the cell membrane separating the interior cytosol from its environment. In this regard, cytosol is never connected to the external media even during the course of cell fission or fusion. However, water-soluble peptides called protein transduction domain (PTD) can spontaneously translocate through the cell membranes without any particular transporter or receptor. Here, we propose that the translocation of PTD can be described based on a local and temporal dynamic topological transformation of the membrane structure to mesh phase.
Effect of Surfactant Type on Enzymatic Miniemulsion Polymerization Using Horseradish Peroxidase as a Catalyst
Authors: Kohri Michinari , Kobayashi Ayaka , Fukushima Haruka , Taniguchi Tatsuo , Nakahira Takayuki 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
The influence of surfactant type on monomer conversion and particle size of polystyrene particles prepared by horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-mediated miniemulsion polymerization was investigated.
Tuning Particle Velocity and Measurement Sensitivity by Changing Pore Sensor Dimensions
Authors: Kozak Darby , Anderson Will , Trau Matt 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Tuning the size of an elastic pore sensor enables the control of both the measurement sensitivity and particle velocity through the pore. Increasing the pore size by stretching the pore membrane reduced the magnitude of the resistive pulse signal generated by 330 nm polystyrene particles by 24% while simultaneously increasing their velocity through the pore, as shown by the 68% shorter pulse durations. These effects are due to the reduced excluded particle volume and increased fluid velocity through the larger pore, respectively.
Two-dimensional Brownian Motions of Polyacrylamide-modified Colloidal Particles
Authors: Nakamura Yuki , Okuzono Tohru , Toyotama Akiko , Yamanaka Junpei 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
We report Brownian motions of colloidal silica particles (diameter: 325 nm) modified with polyacrylamide (PAAm), near the surfaces of PAAm-modified glass. Aqueous solutions of ethanol (EtOH) are used as the dispersion media, and the solvent properties with respect to PAAm chains are tuned by varying the EtOH concentrations. The mean-square displacements, σ2, of the individual particles are determined from particle trajectories obtained by optical microscopy. The diffusion coefficients of the particles, determined from the slopes of σ2–t plots, are smaller at higher EtOH concentrations as a result of increases in the magnitude of interactions between the PAAm chains on the colloidal particles and those on the glass surfaces.
Preparation and Electrooptic Properties of Liquid Crystal Devices Doped with Cucurbituril-protected Gold Nanowires
Authors: Sawai Hiroya , Matsuura Taisei , Kakiuchi Hideshi , Ohgi Taeko , Shiraishi Yukihide , Toshima Naoki 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Cucurbituril-protected gold (CB–Au) nanowires were prepared by ultraviolet irradiation of an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution of tetrachloroauric(III) acid in the presences of CB. The average width and length of CB[5]–Au nanowires were 256 and 6600 nm, respectively. The nanowires were dispersed in a liquid crystal, 4-cyano-4′-pentylbiphenyl, to construct a novel twisted nematic liquid crystal device (TN-LCD). The power consumption of this TN-LCD in the presence of CB–Au nanowires was lower than that in their absence.
Immobilization of a Single Intact Liposome onto a Peptide-modified Glass Microwell
Authors: Kasuya Yuzo , Tsukamoto Kei , Yamada Daisuke , Matsumura Kazunari 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
A method for immobilizing an intact liposome onto a solid material has been studied for applications in sensing devices and microreactor systems. We prepared peptide-modified microwells with a submicron size (&lt;300 nm), using focused ion beam milling on a glass material to immobilize single intact liposomes.
Locating Neocolonialism, “Tradition,” and Human Rights in Uganda's “Gay Death Penalty”
Authors: Cheney Kristen 
Published: October 2012

Abstract:In 2009, the Anti-Homosexuality Bill introduced in Uganda's Parliament reignited homophobic sentiment across Africa. Despite a well-documented history of sexual diversity in Africa, claims that homosexuality is “un-African” are being used to justify violence and exclusion. This article, based primarily on a discursive analysis of public media sources, delves into various cultural logics that reveal the tensions and contradictions in Ugandans' widespread opposition to homosexuality. U.S. evangelical influence, postcolonial amnesia in regard to “tradition,” fertility concerns, and human rights exceptionalism drive this moral panic over issues of sexual diversity. Such sentiments must be addressed by confronting neocolonial religious influence and cultivating renewed respect for human rights and Africa's history of sexual diversity.
International Human Rights, Gender-Based Violence, and Local Discourses of Abuse in Postconflict Liberia: A Problem of “Culture”?
Authors: Abramowitz Sharon , Moran Mary H. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract:In this article we draw on three years of ethnographic observation of postconflict humanitarian intervention in Liberia to consider the process whereby global efforts in the areas of gender-based violence (GBV) and human rights are interacting with local debates over kinship, entitlement, personal rights, and social responsibility. This article draws upon Liberian narratives, complaints, and efforts to regulate, in a national context, social norms and behavior in regard to gender-based violence issues in postconflict life while also engaging with an ongoing international human rights discourse on the subject of GBV. Our ethnography takes a multiscalar approach to give a sense of the process, multiple discourses, and dialectics of power involved in this issue, and to demonstrate how the definition of “the GBV problem” in Liberia, the target of complex GBV interventions, is different from the conception held by agencies, governmental ministries, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that are responsible for implementing global mandates.
Pastoral Production in Colonial Kenya: Lessons from the Past?
Authors: Waller Richard 
Published: October 2012

Abstract:This article examines the troubled course of attempts to modernize and control pastoral production in Kenya over the last hundred years. It begins with an overview of changes in pastoralism to provide context and then gives more detailed consideration to the failure of colonial attempts to manage livestock resources. Finally, it discusses recent developments in relation to the past. It argues that study of pastoralism's past offers valuable lessons and provides insights into its present and possible future.
The New Sexual Violence Legislation in the Congo: Dressing Indelible Scars on Human Dignity
Authors: Zongwe Dunia Prince 
Published: October 2012

Abstract:This article describes a legal thread running from the commission of massive sexual violence in the eastern provinces of the Congo since 1996 to the enactment of liberal legislation in 2006 to combat sexual violence throughout the country, especially in eastern Congo. In doing so, the article fills a gap in the nascent legal literature on systematic sexual violence. It finds that the new rape law is progressive, liberal, gender-neutral, and in keeping with international law. However, an unfortunate lapse in legislative drafting puts in doubt the authority of the courts to use the new rape law to prosecute systematic sexual violence. Despite this weakness, as well as harsh realities such as resource limitations and institutionalized corruption, the new sexual violence law, “the law of shameful acts,” nonetheless provides a framework on the basis of which the state and rape survivors can prosecute perpetrators. It is a necessary step in upholding accountability and preparing for the more daunting task of healing communities affected by a devastating regional war.
Evaluation of high resolution gel β2-transferrin for detection of cerebrospinal fluid leak
Authors: McCudden Christopher R. , Senior Brent A. , Hainsworth Shirley , Oliveira Walter , Silverman Lawrence M. , Bruns David E. , Hammett-Stabler Catherine A. 
Published: October 2012

Abstract

Background: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks are potentially life-threatening conditions that can be diagnosed by detection of β2-transferrin using protein electrophoresis. Another less commonly available test is β-trace protein quantitation using immunoassay. The objectives of this study were to evaluate a new immunofixation-based β2-transferrin test for detection of CSF leaks and to compare it to an existing agarose gel electrophoresis test and β-trace protein immunoassay.

Methods: For method comparison, 63 consecutive samples from physician-ordered β2-transferrin tests were analyzed using two different electrophoresis methods, agarose gel fractionation followed by acid-violet staining, and high resolution agarose gel electrophoresis followed by β2-transferrin immunofixation. A subset of samples (16/63) were analyzed for β-trace protein. Results were compared against patient chart data for the presence of a CSF leak. Additional studies were performed to assess the stability, detection limit, and analytical specificity of the β2-transferrin immunofixation test.

Results: The β2-transferrin immunofixation test had a sensitivity of 100% (40/40) and specificity of 71% (12/17) for detection of CSF leaks. By comparison, the agarose gel test had a sensitivity of 87% (35/40) and specificity of 94% (16/17). β-trace protein had a sensitivity of 100% (10/10) and specificity of 86% (5/6). Serum and saliva could be differentiated from CSF by the β2-transferrin immunofixation test based on their migration patterns. However, whole blood samples appeared positive for β2-transferrin at a threshold of ∼4 g/L hemoglobin. At a cut-off of 3 mg/L, β-trace protein was increased in 10/10 cases with documented CSF leak and in 1/6 patients without CSF leak.

Conclusions: Both the new immunofixation test for β2-transferrin and the β-trace protein were effective at detecting CSF leaks. Users of the β2-transferrin immunofixation test should be cautioned against interpreting samples with blood contamination.
A statistical analysis of regional variation in adverb position in a corpus of written Standard American English
Authors: Grieve, Jack 
Published: October 2012

AbstractThis paper investigates whether the position of adverb phrases in sentences is regionally patterned in written Standard American English, based on an analysis of a 25 million word corpus of letters to the editor representing the language of 200 cities from across the United States. Seven measures of adverb position were tested for regional patterns using the global spatial autocorrelation statistic Moran's I and the local spatial autocorrelation statistic Getis-Ord Gi*. Three of these seven measures were indentified as exhibiting significant levels of spatial autocorrelation, contrasting the language of the Northeast with language of the Southeast and the South Central states. These results demonstrate that continuous regional grammatical variation exists in American English and that regional linguistic variation exists in written Standard English.
Genre-dependent interaction of coherence and lexical cohesion in written discourse
Authors: Berzlánovich, Ildikó , Redeker, Gisela 
Published: October 2012

AbstractWe investigate the interaction between coherence and lexical cohesion in expository and persuasive texts using seven encyclopedia texts and seven fundraising letters. We describe genre structure in terms of genre-specific moves and coherence structure with Rhetorical Structure Theory. For lexical cohesion, we identify repetitions, systematic semantic relations and collocations across discourse units, modeled as weighted multigraphs. By comparing the prominence of discourse units in the coherence structure with the centrality in the lexical cohesion structure in the two genres, we show that lexical cohesion is closely aligned with coherence in the expository texts, but not in the persuasive texts.
Human cytochrome P450 4F3: structure, functions, and prospects
Authors: Corcos Laurent , Lucas Danièle , Le Jossic-Corcos Catherine , Dréano Yvonne , Simon Brigitte , Plée-Gautier Emmanuelle , Amet Yolande , Salaün Jean-Pierre 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
Cytochrome P450 4F3 (CYP4F3), originally identified as one of the leukotriene B4 ω-hydroxylases, belongs to a CYP gene family that comprises several members, which participate in the metabolism of various endobiotics, as well as some xenobiotics. The CYP4F gene family is clustered in a 0.5-Mb stretch of genomic DNA on the p13 region of chromosome 19. Apart from the ω-hydroxylation of leukotriene B4 and prostaglandins, CYP4F3 is the main catalyst in the oxidation of fatty acid epoxides. CYP4F3 expression results from the synthesis of two distinct enzymes, CYP4F3A and CYP4F3B, which originate from the alternative splicing of a single pre-mRNA precursor molecule. Remarkably, the selection of either isoform is part of a tissue-specific control through which CYP3F3A is mostly expressed in leukocytes and CYP4F3B mostly in the liver. Recently, CYP4F3 single nucleotide polymorphisms have been incriminated in the onset of pathologies, including celiac or Crohn’s diseases. Although much has been discovered in the regulation and function of CYP4F2, the closest CYP4F subfamily member, analyses of CYP4F3 enzymes lag somewhat behind in the field of our knowledge. In this short review, emphasis will be placed on the regulation and the functional roles of human CYP4F3.
CYP2A6: genetics, structure, regulation, and function
Authors: Raunio Hannu , Rahnasto-Rilla Minna 
Published: October 2012

Abstract
The human CYP2A gene subfamily consists of three members, CYP2A6, CYP2A7, and CYP2A13. The CYP2A6 gene is highly polymorphic with approximately 40 annotated allelic variants. Individuals homozygous for some of these alleles have a total lack of CYP2A6 activity. The CYP2A6 protein is most abundant in liver and is expressed, although at much lower levels, in some other tissues, especially nasal mucosa. CYP2A6 differs from other human liver CYP forms in that it participates in the metabolism of very few currently used drugs. The two most relevant substrates for CYP2A6 are coumarin and nicotine. Coumarin is the marker substance for determining CYP2A6 activity both in vitro and in vivo. Approximately 80% of a nicotine dose is eliminated by CYP2A6, and there is a clear link between CYP2A6 genotypes, smoking behavior, and lung cancer risk.
Tools for Analyzing Computing Resource Management Strategies and Algorithms for SDR Clouds
Authors: Marojevic Vuk , Gomez-Miguelez Ismael , Gelonch Antoni 
Published: October 2012

AbstractSoftware defined radio (SDR) clouds centralize the computing resources of base stations. The computing resource pool is shared between radio operators and dynamically loads and unloads digital signal processing chains for providing wireless communications services on demand. Each new user session request particularly requires the allocation of computing resources for executing the corresponding SDR transceivers. The huge amount of computing resources of SDR cloud data centers and the numerous session requests at certain hours of a day require an efficient computing resource management. We propose a hierarchical approach, where the data center is divided in clusters that are managed in a distributed way. This paper presents a set of computing resource management tools for analyzing computing resource management strategies and algorithms for SDR clouds. We use the tools for evaluating a different strategies and algorithms. The results show that more sophisticated algorithms can achieve higher resource occupations and that a tradeoff exists between cluster size and algorithm complexity.
On the Use of the Sparse Property of the Cyclic Autocorrelation Function to Blindly Estimate the Cyclostationarity
Authors: Khalaf Ziad , Palicot Jacques 
Published: October 2012

AbstractBased on the sparse property of the Cyclic Autocorrelation Function (CAF) in the cyclic frequency domain, we propose in this paper a new blind estimator using compressed sensing, which better estimates the Cyclic Autocorrelation Function at a given delay compared to the classical non blind estimator when using the same number of samples. Two metrics are used to evaluate this estimation: the Mean Square Error of type one and that of type two (