A higher Angiogenin expression is associated with a non-nuclear Maspin location in laryngeal carcinoma

Objectives. In numerous malignancies, angiogenin (ANG) and Maspin are important proangiogenic and antiangiogenic regulators, respectively. The aim of this study was to identify potential relationships between the biological roles of these two proteins in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). Methods. Immunohistochemical staining for ANG and Maspin was performed on specimens from 76 consecutive LSCC patients treated with surgery alone, considering the subcellular pattern of Maspin expression. Univariate and multivariate statistical models were used for prognostic purposes. Results. On univariate analysis, a different level of ANG expression was seen for patients stratified by subcellular Maspin expression pattern: the mean ANG expression was higher in cases with a nonnuclear MASPIN expression than in those with a nuclear pattern (P=0.002). Disease-free survival (DFS; in months) differed significantly when patients were stratified by N stage (P=0.01). Patients whose Maspin expression was nonnuclear (i.e., it was cytoplasmic or there was none) had a significantly higher recurrence rate (P<0.001), and shorter DFS (P=0.01) than those with a nuclear Maspin pattern. The mean ANG expression was significantly higher in cases with loco-regional recurrent disease (P=0.007); and patients with an ANG expression 655.0% had a significantly shorter DFS than those with an ANG expression <5.0% (P=0.007). On multivariate analysis, ANG expression 655.0% was a significant, independent, negative prognostic factor in terms of DFS (P=0.041). Conclusion. Our results support the hypothesis that a higher ANG expression is associated with a nonnuclear Maspin expression pattern in patients with LSCC. Further studies are needed to clarify the relationship between the ANG and Maspin pathways, and their potential diagnostic and therapeutic role in LSCC

Product Realization Capstone: Using Project Management to Optimize Manufacturing of Charcuterie Boards

The purpose of this project was to successfully create 36 charcuterie boards with varying designs during a two-week production period using principles of project management and manufacturing. In the initiation phase, the needs and requirements were assessed according to the project definition. During the planning phase, a work breakdown structure was created, material was researched, a budget was developed, and an initial risk assessment was performed. During the executing phase, the initial designs were prototyped before production began. The controlling phase was done in conjunction with the executing phase. The controlling phase monitored the project management plan and recorded the lessons learned. The project ended with the closing phase, which included a final report and presentation. These phases were all performed using the principles of project management and lean manufacturing. All of these used in conjunction resulted in a successful project and 36 charcuterie boards

Prognostic significance of serine-phosphorylated STAT3 expression in pT1-T2 oral tongue carcinoma

Objectives. Phosphorylated (activated) STAT3 (pSTAT3) is a regulator of numerous genes that play an essential part in the onset, development and progression of cancer; it is involved in cell proliferation and preventing apoptosis, and in invasion, angiogenesis, and the evasion of immune surveillance. This study aimed mainly to investigate the potential prognostic role of pSTAT3 expression in oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Methods. Phospho-ser727 STAT3 immunolabeling was correlated with prognostic parameters in 34 consecutive cases of pT1\u2013T2 tongue SCCs undergoing primary surgery. Computer-based image analysis was used for the immunohistochemical reactions analysis. Results. Statistical analysis showed a difference in disease-free survival (DFS) when patients were stratified by pN status (P=0.031). Most tumors had variable degrees (mean\ub1SD, 80.7%\ub123.8%) of intense nuclear immunoreaction to pSTAT3. Our findings rule out any significant association of serine-phosphorylated nuclear STAT3 expression with tumor stage, grade, lymph node metastasis, recurrence rate, or DFS. Conclusion. In spite of these results, it is worth further investigating the role of pSTAT3 (serine-and tyrosine-pSTAT3) in oral tongue SCC in larger series because preclinical models are increasingly showing that several anticancer strategies would benefit from STAT3 phosphorylation inhibition

The Impacts of Income Tax and Government Benefit Policy Changes on the “Welfare Wall” for Households in Receipt of Ontario Works (OW) Social Assistance in the City of Toronto

A “welfare wall” has long existed in Canada for households in receipt of social assistance when they transition into employment. The welfare wall phenomena occurs when the gain in overall income when employed is marginal compared to the overall income while in receipt of social assistance before a claw back of benefits occurs.A behavioral pattern identified and analyzed by previous studies is that when individuals experience a marginal gain in income when exiting social assistance that this may serve as a disincentive with exiting social assistance. In recent years both the Federal and Provincial governments have introduced numerous tax benefits and increases for individuals who are low to no income. The objective of his paper is twofold. Firstly, to determine the overall income gains OW clients in Toronto experience when they become employed to assess whether a “welfare wall” exists. Secondly, to determine whether the impacts of the welfare wall. have improved or worsened since 2019 as a result of government benefit and minimum wage policy changes. The study uses personas that have different demographical characteristics to complete simulations in order to determine increases in overall income when employed for each dollar of overall income lost when in receipt of social assistance. Findings concluded that government benefits generally lag the cost of living increases for some populations and that populations experience varying of overall income increases and benefit claw backs. A key unexpected finding is that housing subsidies have minimal impacts on overall income loss when employed. The study concludes by recommending new approaches and policy changes that are intended to simplify and improve the general understanding of benefit claw backs and the impact on overall income

Networking Website for Artists

ArtSmirk is a networking website designed for artists to promote and enhance their creative expression. This can be achieved by providing artists with a web application that lets them upload their work for others to comment, critique, or offer suggestions. Users of this web application can view other member profiles and galleries, while being able to manage their own. ArtSmirk takes advantage of Web 2.0 technologies such as AJAX for retrieving data from the webserver asynchronously. These approaches to development make the web application more responsive to used requests and the navigation more intuitive. Art Smirk has been designed to incorporate the future implementation of the latest invention for the web: HTML5 Canvas. With HTML canvas, graphics can be rendered and manipulated via JavaScript directly on the page without the need of a plugin such as the Adobe Flash Player. Currently, ArtSmirk does not use the HTML5 doctype, because many browsers lack support at the time of this writing

Unilateral inferior turbinate hypoplasia caused by a longstanding (approximately 35 yr) nasal foreign body.

We report the unusual case of a 44-year-old man who presented with a plastic foreign body that had been lodged in his right nasal cavity for approximately 35 years. Initial attempts to remove the object were unsuccessful; only after it was broken into several parts was removal achieved. Rigid nasal endoscopy and computed tomography revealed hypoplasia of the ipsilateral inferior turbinate

Looking from a local lens: Inbound tour operators and sustainable tourism in Kenya

Few empirical studies on sustainable tourism take into account the perspective of developing countries’ actors. This is even the case in debates about the need to adapt sustainability’s definitions to the context of developing countries. The present study aims at giving a voice to developing countries’ actors by describing how inbound tour operators (ITOs) in Kenya conceive sustainable tourism and their role in promoting it. ITOs were reached through the two official Kenyan category associations for tour operators and through Ecotourism Kenya. Both a survey and in-depth interviews were used to gather data. Results suggest that Kenyan ITOs are familiar with the current definition of sustainability as being constituted of an economic, a social and an environmental dimension. Contrary to expectations, respondents weight their responsibility towards the natural environment at least as highly as their social responsibility. In the end, it is the business long-term survival that dictates this choice: respondents are aware that tourists expect to find in Kenya a flourishing natural environment. Kenyan ITOs are on the whole keenly aware of their role in promoting sustainability to tourist, staff and the community. They experience as a major challenge the lack of institutional pressure from the government. Though this is a common complaint of organisations in developing countries, it is interesting in a Kenyan context where the Government has deployed several policy initiatives on sustainable tourism. A major limitation of this study is the limited sample. Only category associations’ members were sampled, leaving ITOs that operate in the informal economy unheard.Keywords: sustainable tourism development, corporate social responsibility, inbound tour operators, Keny

Understanding millennials' tourism experience: values and meaning to travel as a key for identifying target clusters for youth (sustainable) tourism

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to better understand the tourism experience of millennials by connecting their value orientations to the meaning that they give to travel. In doing so, it also aims at discovering profiles of young tourists that can be targeted both now and in the future by tourism organisations. Design/methodology/approach A survey based on validated scales reached 423 Dutch millennials. An integrated multidimensional research strategy has been applied where models that reduce the gathered data to fewer components (principal component analyses) were followed by a cluster analysis. Findings Ten value orientations (Schwartz, 1994) and four travel meanings have been identified. By combining these ten value orientations and four meanings, nine clusters have been identified representing groups of millennial tourists with different needs. For example, while two clusters fit into the popular description of young travellers seeking only unpretentious enjoyment, millennials represented in two other clusters are strongly motivated by self-transcending values, distance themselves from the travel meaning escapism and relaxation and will therefore not positively respond to a merely hedonic travel offer. Research limitations/implications Replication of this research is recommended in other national contexts, possibly using a longitudinal approach. Practical implications The nine clusters should be approached with a dedicated travel offer. In particular, at least two clusters of millennials may be successfully approached with a sustainable tourism offer. Originality/value The combination of value orientations and travel meanings portrays a detailed and realistic picture of the tourism experience looked for by millennials

Fun, animal welfare or community development? Understanding young tourists' preferences for a wildlife tourism package

n/