Explore the vast range of titles available.

In general, tumor cells display a more glycolytic phenotype compared to the corresponding normal tissue. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that tumors are composed of a heterogeneous population of cells. Breast cancers are organized in a hierarchical manner, with the breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs) at the top of the hierarchy. Here, we investigate the metabolic phenotype of BCSCs and their differentiated progeny. In addition, we determine the effect of radiation on the metabolic state of these two cell populations. Luminal, basal, and claudin-low breast cancer cell lines were propagated as mammospheres enriched in BCSCs. Lactate production, glucose consumption, and ATP content were compared with differentiated cultures. A metabolic flux analyzer was used to determine the oxygen consumption, extracellular acidification rates, maximal mitochondria capacity, and mitochondrial proton leak. The effect of radiation treatment of the metabolic phenotype of each cell population was also determined. BCSCs consume more glucose, produce less lactate, and have higher ATP content compared to their differentiated progeny. BCSCs have higher maximum mitochondrial capacity and mitochondrial proton leak compared to their differentiated progeny. Radiation treatment enhances the higher energetic state of the BCSCs, while decreasing mitochondrial proton leak. Our study indicated that breast cancer cells are heterogeneous in their metabolic phenotypes and BCSCs reside in a distinct metabolic state compared to their differentiated progeny. BCSCs display a reliance on oxidative phosphorylation, while the more differentiated progeny displays a more glycolytic phenotype. Radiation treatment affects the metabolic state of BCSCs. We conclude that interfering with the metabolic requirements of BCSCs may prevent radiation-induced reprogramming of breast cancer cells during radiation therapy, thus improving treatment outcome.

This is the first study to investigate how food and nutrient intakes vary with the levels of acculturation of Korean Americans using a dietary assessment tool tested for validity and reliability. The respondents were Korean Americans (n 486) resident in the Greater New York metropolitan area, USA. They were divided into two groups according to the total score of acculturation: low- and high-acculturated groups. Using a food-frequency questionnaire and a modified Suinn-Lew Asian self-identity acculturation scale, differences in the frequencies of food items, food groups and nutrient intakes consumed were analysed by level of acculturation. The low-acculturated group tended to consume significantly more rice, mixed rice, soyabean paste chigae (pot stew), saengsun (fish) chigae, kimchi chigae, other fish broiled or baked, eggs, kimchi, spinach, persimmons, and white or brown sugar in coffee or tea. The high-acculturated group demonstrated a statistically greater tendency to consume bread, cereal, spaghetti, ham, green salad, sweetcorn, chocolate, candies and diet soft drinks. The more acculturated an individual, the more significant was the tendency to consume sweets. The more acculturated group had significantly (P<0·05) higher intakes of % energy from total fat, thiamin, vitamin E and folate, while the low-acculturated group consumed greater amounts of Na, niacin and dietary fibre. The information from the present study can be used to describe dietary habits according to various aspects of acculturation, and allows a better understanding of the dynamics of acculturation and dietary habits.

Breast cancers are thought to be organized hierarchically with a small number of breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), able to regrow a tumor after sublethal treatment while their progeny lack this feature. Furthermore, BCSCs are highly resistant to conventional anticancer treatments. According to the cancer stem cell hypothesis, all cancer stem cells in a tumor have to be eliminated to achieve cancer cure. In this study we tested if targeted elimination of BCSCs leads to tumor regression. Specific targeting of BCSCs was achieved via a unique imaging and targeting system that relies on their low proteasome activity. In our system breast cancer cells stably express a fluorescent fusion protein, thymidine kinase-ZsGreen-cODC, which is readily degraded after translation in cells with normal 26S proteasome activity. However, cells with low proteasome activity accumulate this fluorescent fusion protein, thus allowing for their identification, tracking, and specific elimination. Here, we show that the activity of the 26S proteasome was significantly down-regulated in MCF-7, T47D, and MDA-MB-231 cultures enriched for BCSCs. Treatment with ganciclovir resulted in abrogation of sphere formation in vitro, and tumor regression in vivo, thus demonstrating that targeted elimination of BCSCs leads to loss of self-renewal in vitro and tumor regression in vivo. We conclude that specific targeting of BCSCs could be a useful strategy to improve treatment outcome.

Teachability Hypothesis, a subset of Processability Theory, states that instruction is most beneficial if it focuses on structures from the next stage of the learners (that is, X+1 stage) of learners’ stage (X), and that learners cannot skip stages. After a review of past Teachability studies, it is found that the past studies have not proved that Cantonese native speakers must be at the X stage in order to be ready to learn the X+1 stage English as Teachability Hypothesis (TH) has stated. Although the processing procedures of Processability Theory were built for universal application in Second Language Acquisition (SLA), it is believed that possible interference from learners’ first language had not been attended to, and such interference could contribute to outcome or outcomes different from that of the Teachability Hypothesis (TH). It is hoped that the study can contribute to the understanding of Cantonese learners of English as a Second Language (ESL), and that the issues about typologically distant languages and first language interference to English as a Second Language (ESL) learners can be pursued further. This study aimed to investigate whether Cantonese speakers in Hong Kong will progress in line with Pienemann’s Teachability Hypothesis. In contrast to the past studies in which the first language of informants were mostly Romance languages such as German, Italian, and Spanish, the first language of informants of this study is Cantonese, which is a Chinese language dialect and is more distant to English. This study adopted the processing hierarchy of Processability Theory as the framework to measure, describe, and explain the recorded conversational data. A pretest interview was recorded followed by a 3-month period tutorial and a post-test interview. Both interviews’ data was analyzed using the Emergence Criterion method of data analysis. The analyzed data of pretest and posttest was compared for any stage gain. It was found that each of the six informants advanced to the next stage (X+1), and that each informant progressed according to his/her order of development regardless of the tutorial input, and no one skipped stage. The answer to the research question is that Cantonese speakers did progress as predicted by the result from Pienemann’s Teachability Hypothesis. The study also provided some additional insights about the first language interference in English as a Second Language acquisition.

A study examined the relationship between color and perceived flavor intensity and acceptance of food by young adults and elderly adults using two commonly consumed food products: chicken bouillon and chocolate pudding.

In this thesis, a fullband adaptive noise cancellation system is compared to a subband adaptive noise cancellation system using MATLAB. Adaptive noise cancellation is used to remove background noise from useful signals. The noise cancellation system is implemented with a fuliband adaptive filter using the Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithm. Although the algorithm performs well with white noise, its performance is significantly degraded with colored noise. System performance can be improved by using subband adaptive filters (SAF), which uses a filter bank to split the signal into a number of frequency bands. Two channel filter banks are used in the SAF and its performance is compared to the fullband adaptive system.

I AM sorry that I seem to have discriminated against women (\"Demeaning to a mother,\" South China Morning Post, March 6), but...

IT is very strange indeed that you should call the abolition of penal sanctions for adultery \"Good news\"...