FYN is overexpressed in human prostate cancer

To test the hypothesis that FYN , a member of the SRC family of kinases (SFKs), is up-regulated in prostate cancer, as FYN is functionally distinct from other SFKs, and interacts with FAK and paxillin (PXN), regulators of cell morphology and motility. MATERIALS AND METHODS Through data-mining in Oncomine ( http://www.oncomine.org ), cell-line profiling with immunoblotting, quantitative reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemical analysis, we described FYN expression in prostate cancer. The analysis included 32 cases of prostate cancer, nine of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and 19 normal prostates. Samples were scored for the percentage of stained glands and intensity of staining (from 0 to 3). Each sample was assigned a composite score generated by multiplying percentage and intensity. RESULTS Data-mining showed an eight times greater FYN expression in prostate cancer than in normal tissue; this was specific to FYN and not present for other SFKs. Expression of FYN in prostate cancer cell lines (LNCaP, 22Rv1, PC3, DuPro) was detected using quantitative RT-PCR and immunoblotting. Expression of FYN and its signalling partners FAK and PXN was detected in human tissue. Comparing normal with cancer samples, there was a 2.1-fold increase in median composite score for FYN ( P  < 0.001) 1.7-fold increase in FAK ( P  < 0.001), and a doubling in PXN ( P  < 0.05). There was a 1.7-fold increase in FYN ( P  < 0.05) and a 1.6-fold increase in FAK ( P  < 0.01) in cancer compared with PIN. CONCLUSIONS These studies support the hypothesis that FYN and its related signalling partners are up-regulated in prostate cancer, and support further investigation into the role of the FYN as a therapeutic target.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71987/1/j.1464-410X.2008.08009.x.pd

Pinto Bean Cultivars Blackfoot, Nez Perce, and Twin Falls

Pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) cultivars ‘Blackfoot’ (Reg. No. CV-316, PI 680632), ‘Nez Perce’ (Reg. No. CV-317, PI 680633), and ‘Twin Falls’ (Reg. No. CV-318, PI 680634) were developed at the University of Idaho, Kimberly Research and Extension Center in collaboration with researchers in Colorado, Nebraska, and Washington. Blackfoot and Nez Perce are sister cultivars derived from the same bulk population, UIP35 (USPT-CBB-1/3/‘Othello’/‘UI 906’//‘Topaz’/‘Buster’). Twin Falls was selected from the bulk population UIP40 (USPT-CBB-1/3/CO12650/USPT-ANT-1//Othello/ABL15). The F8 of both population bulks and checks were yield tested in the Western Regional Bean Trial in 2014 and 2015 and in the Cooperative Dry Bean Nursery in 2015. The three cultivars were yield tested in Idaho in 2015. They were also yield tested across nine production environments in Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, and Washington in 2016. Blackfoot, Nez Perce, and Twin Falls are the first indeterminate erect Type II growth habit pinto bean cultivars resistant to Bean common mosaic virus (an aphid-vectored potyvirus) and bean rust developed at University of Idaho. Blackfoot has a compact Type IIA growth habit and produces little or no vine (i.e., elongated terminal axis with intertwined internodes that help the plant climb when provided support). In contrast, Nez Perce is tall and produces medium to long vines, with a Type IIB growth habit. Blackfoot has a mean maturity of 85 d and Nez Perce 95 d in southern Idaho. Twin Falls is a full-season cultivar (≥100 d) and relatively tall, with very small or no vines for climbing. The three cultivars have relatively smaller seed (100−1 seeds) than early-maturity pinto ‘Othello’ (≥35 g 100−1 seeds) in the Pacific Northwest

The Effect of Physical Activity on 18-Month Weight Change in Overweight Adults

Few studies have been conducted that have examined the long-term effect of different doses of physical activity (PA) on weight change in overweight adults without a prescribed reduction in energy intake. This study examined the effect of different prescribed doses of PA on weight change, body composition, fitness and PA in overweight adults. 278 overweight adults (BMI: 25.0 to 29.9 kg/m2; Age: 18 to 55 years) with no contraindications to PA were randomized to one of three intervention groups for a period of 18 months. MOD-PA was prescribed 150 min/wk and HIGH-PA 300 min/wk of PA. SELF was provided a self-help intervention to increase PA. There was no recommendation to reduce energy intake. MOD-PA and HIGH-PA was delivered in a combination of in-person and telephone contacts across 18 months. 18-month percent weight change was −0.7±4.6% in SELF, −0.9±4.7% in MOD-PA, and −1.2±5.6% in HIGH-PA. Subjects were retrospectively grouped as remaining within ±3% of baseline weight (WT-STABLE), losing >3% of baseline weight (WT-LOSS), or gaining >3% of baseline weight (WT-GAIN) for secondary analyses. 18-month weight change was 0.0±1.3% for WT-STABLE, +5.4±2.6% for WT-GAIN, and −7.4±3.6% for WT-LOSS. 18-month change in PA was 78.2±162.6 min/wk for WT-STABLE, 74.7±274.3 for WT-GAIN, and 161.9±252.6 min/wk for WT-LOSS. The weight change observed in WT-LOSS was a result of higher PA combined with improved scores on the Eating Behavior Inventory, reflecting the adoption of eating behaviors to facilitate weight loss. Strategies to facilitate the maintenance of these behaviors are needed to optimize weight control

Honors Convocation

Program listing performers and works performe

Comparative genome analysis of lignin biosynthesis gene families across the plant kingdom

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>As a major component of plant cell wall, lignin plays important roles in mechanical support, water transport, and stress responses. As the main cause for the recalcitrance of plant cell wall, lignin modification has been a major task for bioenergy feedstock improvement. The study of the evolution and function of lignin biosynthesis genes thus has two-fold implications. First, the lignin biosynthesis pathway provides an excellent model to study the coordinative evolution of a biochemical pathway in plants. Second, understanding the function and evolution of lignin biosynthesis genes will guide us to develop better strategies for bioenergy feedstock improvement.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We analyzed lignin biosynthesis genes from fourteen plant species and one symbiotic fungal species. Comprehensive comparative genome analysis was carried out to study the distribution, relatedness, and family expansion of the lignin biosynthesis genes across the plant kingdom. In addition, we also analyzed the comparative synteny map between rice and sorghum to study the evolution of lignin biosynthesis genes within the <it>Poaceae </it>family and the chromosome evolution between the two species. Comprehensive lignin biosynthesis gene expression analysis was performed in rice, poplar and <it>Arabidopsis</it>. The representative data from rice indicates that different fates of gene duplications exist for lignin biosynthesis genes. In addition, we also carried out the biomass composition analysis of nine <it>Arabidopsis </it>mutants with both MBMS analysis and traditional wet chemistry methods. The results were analyzed together with the genomics analysis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The research revealed that, among the species analyzed, the complete lignin biosynthesis pathway first appeared in moss; the pathway is absent in green algae. The expansion of lignin biosynthesis gene families correlates with substrate diversity. In addition, we found that the expansion of the gene families mostly occurred after the divergence of monocots and dicots, with the exception of the C4H gene family. Gene expression analysis revealed different fates of gene duplications, largely confirming plants are tolerant to gene dosage effects. The rapid expansion of lignin biosynthesis genes indicated that the translation of transgenic lignin modification strategies from model species to bioenergy feedstock might only be successful between the closely relevant species within the same family.</p

The Coincidence Between Increasing Age, Immunosuppression, and the Incidence of Patients With Glioblastoma

Background: Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults and is associated with a median overall survival (mOS) of 16–21 months. Our previous work found a negative association between advanced aging and the survival benefit after treatment with immunotherapy in an experimental brain tumor model. Given the recent phase III clinical success of immunotherapy in patients with many types of cancer, but not for patients with GBM, we hypothesize that aging enhances immunosuppression in the brain and contributes to the lack of efficacy for immunotherapy to improve mOS in patients with malignant glioma. Herein, we compare epidemiological data for the incidence and mortality of patients with central nervous system (CNS) cancers, in addition to immune-related gene expression in the normal human brain, as well as peripheral blood immunological changes across the adult lifespan.Methods: Data were extracted from the National Cancer Institute’s surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER)-, the Broad Institute’s Genotype Tissue Expression project (GTEx)-, and the University of California San Francisco’s 10k Immunomes-databases and analyzed for associations with aging.Results: The proportion of elderly individuals, defined as ≥65 years of age, has predominantly increased for more than 100 years in the United States. Over time, the rise in elderly United States citizens has correlated with an increased incidence and mortality rate associated with primary brain and other CNS cancer. With advanced aging, human mRNA expression for factors associated with immunoregulation including immunosuppressive indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO) and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), as well as the dendritic cell surface marker, CD11c, increase in the brain of normal human subjects, coincident with increased circulating immunosuppressive Tregs and decreased cytolytic CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood. Strikingly, these changes are maximally pronounced in the 60–69 year old group; consistent with the median age of a diagnosis for GBM.Conclusion: These data demonstrate a significant association between normal human aging and increased immunosuppression in the circulation and CNS; particularly late in life. Our data raise several hypotheses including that, aging: (i) progressively suppresses normal immunosurveillance and thereby contributes to GBM cell initiation and/or outgrowth; (ii) decreases immunotherapeutic efficacy against malignant glioma

Differential cross section measurements for the production of a W boson in association with jets in proton–proton collisions at √s = 7 TeV

Measurements are reported of differential cross sections for the production of a W boson, which decays into a muon and a neutrino, in association with jets, as a function of several variables, including the transverse momenta (pT) and pseudorapidities of the four leading jets, the scalar sum of jet transverse momenta (HT), and the difference in azimuthal angle between the directions of each jet and the muon. The data sample of pp collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV was collected with the CMS detector at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0 fb[superscript −1]. The measured cross sections are compared to predictions from Monte Carlo generators, MadGraph + pythia and sherpa, and to next-to-leading-order calculations from BlackHat + sherpa. The differential cross sections are found to be in agreement with the predictions, apart from the pT distributions of the leading jets at high pT values, the distributions of the HT at high-HT and low jet multiplicity, and the distribution of the difference in azimuthal angle between the leading jet and the muon at low values.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Alfred P. Sloan Foundatio

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Penilaian Kinerja Keuangan Koperasi di Kabupaten Pelalawan

This paper describe development and financial performance of cooperative in District Pelalawan among 2007 - 2008. Studies on primary and secondary cooperative in 12 sub-districts. Method in this stady use performance measuring of productivity, efficiency, growth, liquidity, and solvability of cooperative. Productivity of cooperative in Pelalawan was highly but efficiency still low. Profit and income were highly, even liquidity of cooperative very high, and solvability was good

Juxtaposing BTE and ATE – on the role of the European insurance industry in funding civil litigation

One of the ways in which legal services are financed, and indeed shaped, is through private insurance arrangement. Two contrasting types of legal expenses insurance contracts (LEI) seem to dominate in Europe: before the event (BTE) and after the event (ATE) legal expenses insurance. Notwithstanding institutional differences between different legal systems, BTE and ATE insurance arrangements may be instrumental if government policy is geared towards strengthening a market-oriented system of financing access to justice for individuals and business. At the same time, emphasizing the role of a private industry as a keeper of the gates to justice raises issues of accountability and transparency, not readily reconcilable with demands of competition. Moreover, multiple actors (clients, lawyers, courts, insurers) are involved, causing behavioural dynamics which are not easily predicted or influenced. Against this background, this paper looks into BTE and ATE arrangements by analysing the particularities of BTE and ATE arrangements currently available in some European jurisdictions and by painting a picture of their respective markets and legal contexts. This allows for some reflection on the performance of BTE and ATE providers as both financiers and keepers. Two issues emerge from the analysis that are worthy of some further reflection. Firstly, there is the problematic long-term sustainability of some ATE products. Secondly, the challenges faced by policymakers that would like to nudge consumers into voluntarily taking out BTE LEI