Role of the State Office for Nuclear Safety in testing special professional competence of selected personnel of nuclear facilities and selected personnel handling ionizing radiation sources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovar, P.

2003-01-01

The laws and regulations governing the title topic are identified. The following terms are defined and their context highlighted: professional competence; special professional competence; selected personnel; requirements for selected personnel; requirements for selected personnel training; examination boards; and licensing procedure. (P.A.)

A single cis element maintains repression of the key developmental regulator Gata2.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan W Snow

2010-09-01

Full Text Available In development, lineage-restricted transcription factors simultaneously promote differentiation while repressing alternative fates. Molecular dissection of this process has been challenging as transcription factor loci are regulated by many trans-acting factors functioning through dispersed cis elements. It is not understood whether these elements function collectively to confer transcriptional regulation, or individually to control specific aspects of activation or repression, such as initiation versus maintenance. Here, we have analyzed cis element regulation of the critical hematopoietic factor Gata2, which is expressed in early precursors and repressed as GATA-1 levels rise during terminal differentiation. We engineered mice lacking a single cis element -1.8 kb upstream of the Gata2 transcriptional start site. Although Gata2 is normally repressed in late-stage erythroblasts, the -1.8 kb mutation unexpectedly resulted in reactivated Gata2 transcription, blocked differentiation, and an aberrant lineage-specific gene expression pattern. Our findings demonstrate that the -1.8 kb site selectively maintains repression, confers a specific histone modification pattern and expels RNA Polymerase II from the locus. These studies reveal how an individual cis element establishes a normal developmental program via regulating specific steps in the mechanism by which a critical transcription factor is repressed.

Differential repression of arylsulphatase synthesis in Aspergillus oryzae.

Science.gov (United States)

Burns, G R; Wynn, C H

1977-09-15

1. The activities of the three arylsulphatases (arylsulphate sulphohydrolase, EC 3.1.6.1) of Aspergillus oryzae produced under a variety of repressing and non-repressing conditions were determined. 2. These enzymes exhibit different sensitivities to repression by inorganic sulphate. 3. Arylsulphatase I, but not arylsulphatases II and III, exhibits a transient de-repression in the early growth phase in sulphate media. 4. When the fungus is cultured in repressing media and subsequently transferred to non-repressing media, the synthesis of the three enzymes is non-co-ordinate. 5. Growth of the fungus in media containing choline O-sulphate or tyrosine O-sulphate as the sole source of sulphur results in complete de-repression of arylsulphatase I, But the synthesis of arylsulphatases II and III is essentially fully repressed. 6. The marked similarities between the repression characteristics of arylsulphatases II and III, contrasted with those of arylsulphatase I, indicate that the genetic locus of arylsulphatase I is distinct from that of arylsulphatases II and III, suggesting that there are distinct physiological roles for the enzyme.

Control of transcriptional repression of the vitellogenin receptor gene in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) by select estrogen receptors isotypes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dominguez, Gustavo A; Bisesi, Joseph H; Kroll, Kevin J; Denslow, Nancy D; Sabo-Attwood, Tara

2014-10-01

The vitellogenin receptor (Vtgr) plays an important role in fish reproduction. This receptor functions to incorporate vitellogenin (Vtg), a macromolecule synthesized and released from the liver in the bloodstream, into oocytes where it is processed into yolk. Although studies have focused on the functional role of Vtgr in fish, the mechanistic control of this gene is still unexplored. Here we report the identification and analysis of the first piscine 5' regulatory region of the vtgr gene which was cloned from largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides). Using this putative promoter sequence, we investigated a role for hormones, including insulin and 17β-estradiol (E2), in transcriptional regulation through cell-based reporter assays. No effect of insulin was observed, however, E2 was able to repress transcriptional activity of the vtgr promoter through select estrogen receptor subtypes, Esr1 and Esr2a but not Esr2b. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated that Esr1 likely interacts with the vtgr promoter region through half ERE and/or SP1 sites, in part. Finally we also show that ethinylestradiol (EE2), but not bisphenol-A (BPA), represses promoter activity similarly to E2. These results reveal for the first time that the Esr1 isoform may play an inhibitory role in the expression of LMB vtgr mRNA under the influence of E2, and potent estrogens such as EE2. In addition, this new evidence suggests that vtgr may be a target of select endocrine disrupting compounds through environmental exposures. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Toxicology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The unified theory of repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Erdelyi, Matthew Hugh

2006-10-01

Repression has become an empirical fact that is at once obvious and problematic. Fragmented clinical and laboratory traditions and disputed terminology have resulted in a Babel of misunderstandings in which false distinctions are imposed (e.g., between repression and suppression) and necessary distinctions not drawn (e.g., between the mechanism and the use to which it is put, defense being just one). "Repression" was introduced by Herbart to designate the (nondefensive) inhibition of ideas by other ideas in their struggle for consciousness. Freud adapted repression to the defensive inhibition of "unbearable" mental contents. Substantial experimental literatures on attentional biases, thought avoidance, interference, and intentional forgetting exist, the oldest prototype being the work of Ebbinghaus, who showed that intentional avoidance of memories results in their progressive forgetting over time. It has now become clear, as clinicians had claimed, that the inaccessible materials are often available and emerge indirectly (e.g., procedurally, implicitly). It is also now established that the Ebbinghaus retention function can be partly reversed, with resulting increases of conscious memory over time (hypermnesia). Freud's clinical experience revealed early on that exclusion from consciousness was effected not just by simple repression (inhibition) but also by a variety of distorting techniques, some deployed to degrade latent contents (denial), all eventually subsumed under the rubric of defense mechanisms ("repression in the widest sense"). Freudian and Bartlettian distortions are essentially the same, even in name, except for motive (cognitive vs. emotional), and experimentally induced false memories and other "memory illusions" are laboratory analogs of self-induced distortions.

Do inferences of competence from faces predict political selection in authoritarian regimes? Evidence from China.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, Stan Hok-Wui; Zeng, Yu

2017-08-01

Candidate appearance is a significant predictor of election outcomes in democracies because voters often make inference of competence based on facial appearance. Do inferences of competence from faces matter in autocracies? In this article, we study the effects of candidate appearance on the selection of three types of Chinese officials: (1) rural deputies elected to a local people's congress (LPC), (2) urban deputies elected to the LPC, and (3) unelected mayors and bureaucrats. We find that facial competence cues are relevant only to the votes received by rural LPC candidates. Our findings suggest the importance of information accessibility in political selection. In particular, the "selectorate" of mayors and bureaucrats do not need facial appearance cues because they have access to substantive information about the quality of political candidates. Our findings provide a possible explanation for the resilience of some autocracies: they are able to identify talent through an informative, albeit non-electoral, selection mechanism. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Targeted transcriptional repression using a chimeric TALE-SRDX repressor protein

KAUST Repository

Mahfouz, Magdy M.

2011-12-14

Transcriptional activator-like effectors (TALEs) are proteins secreted by Xanthomonas bacteria when they infect plants. TALEs contain a modular DNA binding domain that can be easily engineered to bind any sequence of interest, and have been used to provide user-selected DNA-binding modules to generate chimeric nucleases and transcriptional activators in mammalian cells and plants. Here we report the use of TALEs to generate chimeric sequence-specific transcriptional repressors. The dHax3 TALE was used as a scaffold to provide a DNA-binding module fused to the EAR-repression domain (SRDX) to generate a chimeric repressor that targets the RD29A promoter. The dHax3. SRDX protein efficiently repressed the transcription of the RD29A

Targeted transcriptional repression using a chimeric TALE-SRDX repressor protein

KAUST Repository

Mahfouz, Magdy M.; Li, Lixin; Piatek, Marek J.; Fang, Xiaoyun; Mansour, Hicham; Bangarusamy, Dhinoth K.; Zhu, Jian-Kang

2011-01-01

Transcriptional activator-like effectors (TALEs) are proteins secreted by Xanthomonas bacteria when they infect plants. TALEs contain a modular DNA binding domain that can be easily engineered to bind any sequence of interest, and have been used to provide user-selected DNA-binding modules to generate chimeric nucleases and transcriptional activators in mammalian cells and plants. Here we report the use of TALEs to generate chimeric sequence-specific transcriptional repressors. The dHax3 TALE was used as a scaffold to provide a DNA-binding module fused to the EAR-repression domain (SRDX) to generate a chimeric repressor that targets the RD29A promoter. The dHax3. SRDX protein efficiently repressed the transcription of the RD29A

Acute TNF-induced repression of cell identity genes is mediated by NFκB-directed redistribution of cofactors from super-enhancers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schmidt, Søren Fisker; Larsen, Bjørk Ditlev; Loft, Anne

2015-01-01

The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor (TNF) plays a central role in low-grade adipose tissue inflammation and development of insulin resistance during obesity. In this context, nuclear factor κ-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NFκB) is directly involved and required for the...... specifically repressing super-enhancer-associated cell identity genes....... binding to the associated enhancers but rather loss of cofactors and enhancer RNA (eRNA) selectively from high-occupancy sites within super-enhancers. Based on these data, we have developed models that, with high accuracy, predict which enhancers and genes are repressed by TNF in adipocytes. We show...... that these models are applicable to other cell types where TNF represses genes associated with super-enhancers in a highly cell-type-specific manner. Our results propose a novel paradigm for NFκB-mediated repression, whereby NFκB selectively redistributes cofactors from high-occupancy enhancers, thereby...

Competency test for selecting majors to produce competitive vocational graduates in industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jiwa Permana Agus Aan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available President of Indonesia, Jokowi reoriented vocational school graduate toward demand driven graduates that is graduates who have certificate and skill required by industry. The initial stage of the new student on vocational school is choosing a major. At first step, students often confuse in choosing the majors they want. The mistake of choosing a department will be a set beck to the motivation of learning and skill, later will impade students future career. Thus competence test is needed to helping them in choosing the majors according to their competence. The solution to this problem is to conduct online competency tests for new students. The Results of research with 60 responden, 78% corresponds stated that the majors they were in match with their interests. Then the remaining 22% did not match. But the result of the competency assessment of students in match with the majors of is 40% and 60% of students need counseling for selection majors.

Mitosis-associated repression in development.

Science.gov (United States)

Esposito, Emilia; Lim, Bomyi; Guessous, Ghita; Falahati, Hanieh; Levine, Michael

2016-07-01

Transcriptional repression is a pervasive feature of animal development. Here, we employ live-imaging methods to visualize the Snail repressor, which establishes the boundary between the presumptive mesoderm and neurogenic ectoderm of early Drosophila embryos. Snail target enhancers were attached to an MS2 reporter gene, permitting detection of nascent transcripts in living embryos. The transgenes exhibit initially broad patterns of transcription but are refined by repression in the mesoderm following mitosis. These observations reveal a correlation between mitotic silencing and Snail repression. We propose that mitosis and other inherent discontinuities in transcription boost the activities of sequence-specific repressors, such as Snail. © 2016 Esposito et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Glucose repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Kayikci, Ömur; Nielsen, Jens

2015-09-01

Glucose is the primary source of energy for the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although yeast cells can utilize a wide range of carbon sources, presence of glucose suppresses molecular activities involved in the use of alternate carbon sources as well as it represses respiration and gluconeogenesis. This dominant effect of glucose on yeast carbon metabolism is coordinated by several signaling and metabolic interactions that mainly regulate transcriptional activity but are also effective at post-transcriptional and post-translational levels. This review describes effects of glucose repression on yeast carbon metabolism with a focus on roles of the Snf3/Rgt2 glucose-sensing pathway and Snf1 signal transduction in establishment and relief of glucose repression. © FEMS 2015.

The base pairing RNA Spot 42 participates in a multi-output feedforward loop to help enact catabolite repression in Escherichia coli

Science.gov (United States)

Beisel, Chase L.; Storz, Gisela

2011-01-01

SUMMARY Bacteria selectively consume some carbon sources over others through a regulatory mechanism termed catabolite repression. Here, we show that the base pairing RNA Spot 42 plays a broad role in catabolite repression in Escherichia coli by directly repressing genes involved in central and secondary metabolism, redox balancing, and the consumption of diverse non-preferred carbon sources. Many of the genes repressed by Spot 42 are transcriptionally activated by the global regulator CRP. Since CRP represses Spot 42, these regulators participate in a specific regulatory circuit called a multi-output feedforward loop. We found that this loop can reduce leaky expression of target genes in the presence of glucose and can maintain repression of target genes under changing nutrient conditions. Our results suggest that base pairing RNAs in feedforward loops can help shape the steady-state levels and dynamics of gene expression. PMID:21292161

A competency based selection procedure for Dutch postgraduate GP training: a pilot study on validity and reliability.

Science.gov (United States)

Vermeulen, Margit I; Tromp, Fred; Zuithoff, Nicolaas P A; Pieters, Ron H M; Damoiseaux, Roger A M J; Kuyvenhoven, Marijke M

2014-12-01

Abstract Background: Historically, semi-structured interviews (SSI) have been the core of the Dutch selection for postgraduate general practice (GP) training. This paper describes a pilot study on a newly designed competency-based selection procedure that assesses whether candidates have the competencies that are required to complete GP training. The objective was to explore reliability and validity aspects of the instruments developed. The new selection procedure comprising the National GP Knowledge Test (LHK), a situational judgement tests (SJT), a patterned behaviour descriptive interview (PBDI) and a simulated encounter (SIM) was piloted alongside the current procedure. Forty-seven candidates volunteered in both procedures. Admission decision was based on the results of the current procedure. Study participants did hardly differ from the other candidates. The mean scores of the candidates on the LHK and SJT were 21.9 % (SD 8.7) and 83.8% (SD 3.1), respectively. The mean self-reported competency scores (PBDI) were higher than the observed competencies (SIM): 3.7(SD 0.5) and 2.9(SD 0.6), respectively. Content-related competencies showed low correlations with one another when measured with different instruments, whereas more diverse competencies measured by a single instrument showed strong to moderate correlations. Moreover, a moderate correlation between LHK and SJT was found. The internal consistencies (intraclass correlation, ICC) of LHK and SJT were poor while the ICC of PBDI and SIM showed acceptable levels of reliability. Findings on content validity and reliability of these new instruments are promising to realize a competency based procedure. Further development of the instruments and research on predictive validity should be pursued.

Generation of a glucose de-repressed mutant of Trichoderma reesei using disparity mutagenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwakuma, Hidekazu; Koyama, Yoshiyuki; Miyachi, Ayako; Nasukawa, Masashi; Matsumoto, Hitoshi; Yano, Shuntaro; Ogihara, Jun; Kasumi, Takafumi

2016-01-01

We obtained a novel glucose de-repressed mutant of Trichoderma reesei using disparity mutagenesis. A plasmid containing DNA polymerase δ lacking proofreading activity, and AMAI, an autonomously replicating sequence was introduced into T. reesei ATCC66589. The rate of mutation evaluated with 5-fluoroorotic acid resistance was approximately 30-fold higher than that obtained by UV irradiation. The transformants harboring incompetent DNA polymerase δ were then selected on 2-deoxyglucose agar plates with hygromycin B. The pNP-lactoside hydrolyzing activities of mutants were 2 to 5-fold higher than the parent in liquid medium containing glucose. Notably, the amino acid sequence of cre1, a key gene involved in glucose repression, was identical in the mutant and parent strains, and further, the cre1 expression levels was not abolished in the mutant. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the strains of T. reesei generated by disparity mutagenesis are glucose de-repressed variants that contain mutations in yet-unidentified factors other than cre1.

Lactose-mediated carbon catabolite repression of putrescine production in dairy Lactococcus lactis is strain dependent.

Science.gov (United States)

del Rio, Beatriz; Ladero, Victor; Redruello, Begoña; Linares, Daniel M; Fernández, Maria; Martín, Maria Cruz; Alvarez, Miguel A

2015-06-01

Lactococcus lactis is the lactic acid bacterial (LAB) species most widely used as a primary starter in the dairy industry. However, several strains of L. lactis produce the biogenic amine putrescine via the agmatine deiminase (AGDI) pathway. We previously reported the putrescine biosynthesis pathway in L. lactis subsp. cremoris GE2-14 to be regulated by carbon catabolic repression (CCR) via glucose but not lactose (Linares et al., 2013). The present study shows that both these sugars repress putrescine biosynthesis in L. lactis subsp. lactis T3/33, a strain isolated from a Spanish artisanal cheese. Furthermore, we demonstrated that both glucose and lactose repressed the transcriptional activity of the aguBDAC catabolic genes of the AGDI route. Finally, a screening performed in putrescine-producing dairy L. lactis strains determined that putrescine biosynthesis was repressed by lactose in all the L. lactis subsp. lactis strains tested, but in only one L. lactis subsp. cremoris strain. Given the obvious importance of the lactose-repression in cheese putrescine accumulation, it is advisable to consider the diversity of L. lactis in this sense and characterize consequently the starter cultures to select the safest strains. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The robust corrective action priority-an improved approach for selecting competing corrective actions in FMEA based on principle of robust design

Science.gov (United States)

Sutrisno, Agung; Gunawan, Indra; Vanany, Iwan

2017-11-01

In spite of being integral part in risk - based quality improvement effort, studies improving quality of selection of corrective action priority using FMEA technique are still limited in literature. If any, none is considering robustness and risk in selecting competing improvement initiatives. This study proposed a theoretical model to select risk - based competing corrective action by considering robustness and risk of competing corrective actions. We incorporated the principle of robust design in counting the preference score among corrective action candidates. Along with considering cost and benefit of competing corrective actions, we also incorporate the risk and robustness of corrective actions. An example is provided to represent the applicability of the proposed model.

Culture, Personality, Health, and Family Dynamics: Cultural Competence in the Selection of Culturally Sensitive Treatments

Science.gov (United States)

Sperry, Len

2010-01-01

Cultural sensitivity and cultural competence in the selection of culturally sensitive treatments is a requisite for effective counseling practice in working with diverse clients and their families, particularly when clients present with health issues or medical problems. Described here is a strategy for selecting culturally sensitive treatments…

A new competency model for general practice: implications for selection, training, and careers

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Fiona; Tavabie, Abdol; Denney, MeiLing; Kerrin, Máire; Ashworth, Vicki; Koczwara, Anna; MacLeod, Sheona

2013-01-01

Background Recent structural and policy changes in the UK health service have significantly changed the job responsibilities for the GP role. Aim To replicate a previous job analysis study to examine the relevance of current competency domains and selection criteria for doctors entering training. Design and method A multisource, multimethod approach comprising three phases: (1) stakeholder consultation (n = 205) using interviews, focus groups and behavioural observation of practising GPs; (2) a validation questionnaire based on results from phase 1 (n = 1082); followed by (3) an expert panel (n = 6) to review and confirm the final competency domains. Results Eleven competency domains were identified, which extends previous research findings. A new domain was identified called Leading for Continuing Improvement. Results show that, Empathy and Perspective Taking, Communication Skills, Clinical Knowledge and Expertise, and Professional Integrity are currently rated the most important domains. Results indicate a significant increase in ratings of importance for each domain in the future (Ptraining provision arrangements to reflect the greater breadth of competencies now required. PMID:23643231

Glucose repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kayikci, Omur; Nielsen, Jens

2015-01-01

Glucose is the primary source of energy for the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although yeast cells can utilize a wide range of carbon sources, presence of glucose suppresses molecular activities involved in the use of alternate carbon sources as well as it represses respiration and gluc......Glucose is the primary source of energy for the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Although yeast cells can utilize a wide range of carbon sources, presence of glucose suppresses molecular activities involved in the use of alternate carbon sources as well as it represses respiration...

Radiographer-led plan selection for bladder cancer radiotherapy: initiating a training programme and maintaining competency.

Science.gov (United States)

McNair, H A; Hafeez, S; Taylor, H; Lalondrelle, S; McDonald, F; Hansen, V N; Huddart, R

2015-04-01

The implementation of plan of the day selection for patients receiving radiotherapy (RT) for bladder cancer requires efficient and confident decision-making. This article describes the development of a training programme and maintenance of competency. Cone beam CT (CBCT) images acquired on patients receiving RT for bladder cancer were assessed to establish baseline competency and training needs. A training programme was implemented, and observers were asked to select planning target volumes (PTVs) on two groups of 20 patients' images. After clinical implementation, the PTVs chosen were reviewed offline, and an audit performed after 3 years. A mean of 73% (range, 53-93%) concordance rate was achieved prior to training. Subsequent to training, the mean score decreased to 66% (Round 1), then increased to 76% (Round 2). Six radiographers and two clinicians successfully completed the training programme. An independent observer reviewed the images offline after clinical implementation, and a 91% (126/139) concordance rate was achieved. During the audit, 125 CBCT images from 13 patients were reviewed by a single observer and concordance was 92%. Radiographer-led selection of plan of the day was implemented successfully with the use of a training programme and continual assessment. Quality has been maintained over a period of 3 years. The training programme was successful in achieving and maintaining competency for a plan of the day technique.

A competency based selection procedure for Dutch postgraduate GP training: a pilot study on validity and reliability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vermeulen, M.I.; Tromp, F.; Zuithoff, N.P.; Pieters, R.H.; Damoiseaux, R.A.; Kuyvenhoven, M.M.

2014-01-01

Abstract Background: Historically, semi-structured interviews (SSI) have been the core of the Dutch selection for postgraduate general practice (GP) training. This paper describes a pilot study on a newly designed competency-based selection procedure that assesses whether candidates have the

Selection Of Employees In The Metal Industry Based On Competences, On The Example Of A Designer Position

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Skrzypek Katarzyna

2015-06-01

Full Text Available The selection of an effective team of employees is crucial to proper management of the company. The success of the project often depends on the competencies of employees who carry out those projects. Therefore, the selection of the workers, whose competences complement each other in terms of subject matter, in terms of personality, and also in practical terms, is very important. This article presents the proposal of applying the FAHP (fuzzy analytic hierarchy process and TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution methods as a tool to facilitate the management of human resources in the metal production factories based on the skills of employees.

The interplay of StyR and IHF regulates substrate-dependent induction and carbon catabolite repression of styrene catabolism genes in Pseudomonas fluorescens ST

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leoni Livia

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In Pseudomonas fluorescens ST, the promoter of the styrene catabolic operon, PstyA, is induced by styrene and is subject to catabolite repression. PstyA regulation relies on the StyS/StyR two-component system and on the IHF global regulator. The phosphorylated response regulator StyR (StyR-P activates PstyA in inducing conditions when it binds to the high-affinity site STY2, located about -40 bp from the transcription start point. A cis-acting element upstream of STY2, named URE, contains a low-affinity StyR-P binding site (STY1, overlapping the IHF binding site. Deletion of the URE led to a decrease of promoter activity in inducing conditions and to a partial release of catabolite repression. This study was undertaken to assess the relative role played by IHF and StyR-P on the URE, and to clarify if PstyA catabolite repression could rely on the interplay of these regulators. Results StyR-P and IHF compete for binding to the URE region. PstyA full activity in inducing conditions is achieved when StyR-P and IHF bind to site STY2 and to the URE, respectively. Under catabolite repression conditions, StyR-P binds the STY1 site, replacing IHF at the URE region. StyR-P bound to both STY1 and STY2 sites oligomerizes, likely promoting the formation of a DNA loop that closes the promoter in a repressed conformation. We found that StyR and IHF protein levels did not change in catabolite repression conditions, implying that PstyA repression is achieved through an increase in the StyR-P/StyR ratio. Conclusion We propose a model according to which the activity of the PstyA promoter is determined by conformational changes. An open conformation is operative in inducing conditions when StyR-P is bound to STY2 site and IHF to the URE. Under catabolite repression conditions StyR-P cellular levels would increase, displacing IHF from the URE and closing the promoter in a repressed conformation. The balance between the open and the closed

Catabolite repression of enzyme synthesis does not prevent sporulation.

OpenAIRE

Lopez, J M; Uratani-Wong, B; Freese, E

1980-01-01

In the presence of excess glucose, a decrease of guanine nucleotides in Bacillus subtilis initiated sporulation but did not prevent catabolite repression of three enzymes. Therefore, the ultimate mechanism(s) repressing enzyme synthesis differs from that suppressing sporulation.

Adenovirus small E1A employs the lysine acetylases p300/CBP and tumor suppressor Rb to repress select host genes and promote productive virus infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferrari, Roberto; Gou, Dawei; Jawdekar, Gauri; Johnson, Sarah A; Nava, Miguel; Su, Trent; Yousef, Ahmed F; Zemke, Nathan R; Pellegrini, Matteo; Kurdistani, Siavash K; Berk, Arnold J

2014-11-12

Oncogenic transformation by adenovirus small e1a depends on simultaneous interactions with the host lysine acetylases p300/CBP and the tumor suppressor RB. How these interactions influence cellular gene expression remains unclear. We find that e1a displaces RBs from E2F transcription factors and promotes p300 acetylation of RB1 K873/K874 to lock it into a repressing conformation that interacts with repressive chromatin-modifying enzymes. These repressing p300-e1a-RB1 complexes specifically interact with host genes that have unusually high p300 association within the gene body. The TGF-β, TNF-, and interleukin-signaling pathway components are enriched among such p300-targeted genes. The p300-e1a-RB1 complex condenses chromatin in a manner dependent on HDAC activity, p300 lysine acetylase activity, the p300 bromodomain, and RB K873/K874 and e1a K239 acetylation to repress host genes that would otherwise inhibit productive virus infection. Thus, adenovirus employs e1a to repress host genes that interfere with viral replication. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transcriptional switching by the MerR protein: Activation and repression mutants implicate distinct DNA and mercury(II) binding domains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shewchuk, L.M.; Helmann, J.D.; Ross, W.; Park, S.J.; Summers, A.O.; Walsh, C.T.

1989-01-01

Bacterial resistance to mercuric compounds is controlled by the MerR metalloregulatory protein. The MerR protein functions as both a transcriptional repressor and a mercuric ion dependent transcriptional activator. Chemical mutagenesis of the cloned merR structural gene has led to the identification of mutant proteins that are specifically deficient in transcriptional repression, activation, or both. Five mutant proteins have been overproduced, purified to homogeneity, and assayed for ability to dimerize, bind mer operator DNA, and bind mercuric ion. A mutation in the recognition helix of a proposed helix-turn-helix DNA binding motif (E22K) yields protein deficient in both activation and repression in vivo (a - r - ) and deficient in operator binding in vitro. In contrast, mutations in three of the four MerR cysteine residues are repression competent but activation deficient (a - r + ) in vivo. In vitro, the purified cysteine mutant proteins bind to the mer operator site with near wild-type affinity but are variable deficient in binding the in vivo inducer mercury(II) ion. A subset of the isolated proteins also appears compromised in their ability to form dimers at low protein concentrations. These data support a model in which DNA-bound MerR dimer binds one mercuric ion and transmits this occupancy information to a protein region involved in transcriptional activation

Racism and Surplus Repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Howard

1983-01-01

Explores the relationship between Herbert Marcuse's theory of "surplus repression" and Freud's theory of the "unconscious" with respect to latent, hidden, covert, or subliminal aspects of racism in the United States. Argues that unconscious racism, manifested in evasion/avoidance, acting out/projection, and attempted…

Sustained selective attention to competing amplitude-modulations in human auditory cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Riecke, Lars; Scharke, Wolfgang; Valente, Giancarlo; Gutschalk, Alexander

2014-01-01

Auditory selective attention plays an essential role for identifying sounds of interest in a scene, but the neural underpinnings are still incompletely understood. Recent findings demonstrate that neural activity that is time-locked to a particular amplitude-modulation (AM) is enhanced in the auditory cortex when the modulated stream of sounds is selectively attended to under sensory competition with other streams. However, the target sounds used in the previous studies differed not only in their AM, but also in other sound features, such as carrier frequency or location. Thus, it remains uncertain whether the observed enhancements reflect AM-selective attention. The present study aims at dissociating the effect of AM frequency on response enhancement in auditory cortex by using an ongoing auditory stimulus that contains two competing targets differing exclusively in their AM frequency. Electroencephalography results showed a sustained response enhancement for auditory attention compared to visual attention, but not for AM-selective attention (attended AM frequency vs. ignored AM frequency). In contrast, the response to the ignored AM frequency was enhanced, although a brief trend toward response enhancement occurred during the initial 15 s. Together with the previous findings, these observations indicate that selective enhancement of attended AMs in auditory cortex is adaptive under sustained AM-selective attention. This finding has implications for our understanding of cortical mechanisms for feature-based attentional gain control.

Sustained Selective Attention to Competing Amplitude-Modulations in Human Auditory Cortex

Science.gov (United States)

Riecke, Lars; Scharke, Wolfgang; Valente, Giancarlo; Gutschalk, Alexander

2014-01-01

Auditory selective attention plays an essential role for identifying sounds of interest in a scene, but the neural underpinnings are still incompletely understood. Recent findings demonstrate that neural activity that is time-locked to a particular amplitude-modulation (AM) is enhanced in the auditory cortex when the modulated stream of sounds is selectively attended to under sensory competition with other streams. However, the target sounds used in the previous studies differed not only in their AM, but also in other sound features, such as carrier frequency or location. Thus, it remains uncertain whether the observed enhancements reflect AM-selective attention. The present study aims at dissociating the effect of AM frequency on response enhancement in auditory cortex by using an ongoing auditory stimulus that contains two competing targets differing exclusively in their AM frequency. Electroencephalography results showed a sustained response enhancement for auditory attention compared to visual attention, but not for AM-selective attention (attended AM frequency vs. ignored AM frequency). In contrast, the response to the ignored AM frequency was enhanced, although a brief trend toward response enhancement occurred during the initial 15 s. Together with the previous findings, these observations indicate that selective enhancement of attended AMs in auditory cortex is adaptive under sustained AM-selective attention. This finding has implications for our understanding of cortical mechanisms for feature-based attentional gain control. PMID:25259525

Mechanism of ultraviolet light induced catabolite repression of L-arabinose isomerase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatnagar, D; Bhattacharya, A K [Banaras Hindu Univ. (India). Inst. of Medical Sciences

1982-12-01

An attempt has been made to find out how U.V. irradiation of E.coli B/r cells causes catabolite repression to inhibit L-arabinose isomerase synthesis. The results presented show that U.V. irradiation leads to a lowering of the cellular cyclic AMP level and of the cyclic AMP binding activity. Unlike catabolite repression by glucose, no small molecular weight compound is involved in U.V. light induced inhibition of the binding activity. It is therefore concluded that the mechanism of catabolite repression induced by U.V. appears to be different from that of the catabolite repression by glucose.

Interference of transcription across H-NS binding sites and repression by H-NS.

Science.gov (United States)

Rangarajan, Aathmaja Anandhi; Schnetz, Karin

2018-05-01

Nucleoid-associated protein H-NS represses transcription by forming extended DNA-H-NS complexes. Repression by H-NS operates mostly at the level of transcription initiation. Less is known about how DNA-H-NS complexes interfere with transcription elongation. In vitro H-NS has been shown to enhance RNA polymerase pausing and to promote Rho-dependent termination, while in vivo inhibition of Rho resulted in a decrease of the genome occupancy by H-NS. Here we show that transcription directed across H-NS binding regions relieves H-NS (and H-NS/StpA) mediated repression of promoters in these regions. Further, we observed a correlation of transcription across the H-NS-bound region and de-repression. The data suggest that the transcribing RNA polymerase is able to remodel the H-NS complex and/or dislodge H-NS from the DNA and thus relieve repression. Such an interference of transcription and H-NS mediated repression may imply that poorly transcribed AT-rich loci are prone to be repressed by H-NS, while efficiently transcribed loci escape repression. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Growth Model of Inflation, Tax Evasion and Financial Repression

OpenAIRE

Roubini, Nouriel; Sala-i-Martin, Xavier

1992-01-01

In this paper we study the effects of policies of financial repression on long term growth and try to explain why optimizing governments might want to repress the financial sector. We also explain why inflation may be negatively related to growth, even though it does not affect growth directly. We argue that the main reason why governments repress the financial sector is that this sector is the source of "easy" resources for the public budget The source of revenue stemming from this intervent...

Repressive coping and alexithymia in idiopathic environmental intolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovbjerg, Sine; Zachariae, Robert; Rasmussen, Alice

2010-01-01

To examine if the non-expression of negative emotions (i.e., repressive coping) and differences in the ability to process and regulate emotions (i.e., alexithymia) is associated with idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI).......To examine if the non-expression of negative emotions (i.e., repressive coping) and differences in the ability to process and regulate emotions (i.e., alexithymia) is associated with idiopathic environmental intolerance (IEI)....

Impact of MicroRNA Levels, Target-Site Complementarity, and Cooperativity on Competing Endogenous RNA-Regulated Gene Expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Denzler, Rémy; McGeary, Sean E; Title, Alexandra C; Agarwal, Vikram; Bartel, David P; Stoffel, Markus

2016-11-03

Expression changes of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) have been proposed to influence microRNA (miRNA) activity and thereby regulate other transcripts containing miRNA-binding sites. Here, we find that although miRNA levels define the extent of repression, they have little effect on the magnitude of the ceRNA expression change required to observe derepression. Canonical 6-nt sites, which typically mediate modest repression, can nonetheless compete for miRNA binding, with potency ∼20% of that observed for canonical 8-nt sites. In aggregate, low-affinity/background sites also contribute to competition. Sites with extensive additional complementarity can appear as more potent, but only because they induce miRNA degradation. Cooperative binding of proximal sites for the same or different miRNAs does increase potency. These results provide quantitative insights into the stoichiometric relationship between miRNAs and target abundance, target-site spacing, and affinity requirements for ceRNA-mediated gene regulation, and the unusual circumstances in which ceRNA-mediated gene regulation might be observed. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proto-oncogene FBI-1 (Pokemon/ZBTB7A) Represses Transcription of the Tumor Suppressor Rb Gene via Binding Competition with Sp1 and Recruitment of Co-repressors*S⃞

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Bu-Nam; Yoo, Jung-Yoon; Choi, Won-Il; Lee, Choong-Eun; Yoon, Ho-Geun; Hur, Man-Wook

2008-01-01

FBI-1 (also called Pokemon/ZBTB7A) is a BTB/POZ-domain Krüppel-like zinc-finger transcription factor. Recently, FBI-1 was characterized as a proto-oncogenic protein, which represses tumor suppressor ARF gene transcription. The expression of FBI-1 is increased in many cancer tissues. We found that FBI-1 potently represses transcription of the Rb gene, a tumor suppressor gene important in cell cycle arrest. FBI-1 binds to four GC-rich promoter elements (FREs) located at bp –308 to –188 of the Rb promoter region. The Rb promoter also contains two Sp1 binding sites: GC-box 1 (bp –65 to –56) and GC-box 2 (bp –18 to –9), the latter of which is also bound by FBI-1. We found that FRE3 (bp –244 to –236) is also a Sp1 binding element. FBI-1 represses transcription of the Rb gene not only by binding to the FREs, but also by competing with Sp1 at the GC-box 2 and the FRE3. By binding to the FREs and/or the GC-box, FBI-1 represses transcription of the Rb gene through its POZ-domain, which recruits a co-repressor-histone deacetylase complex and deacetylates histones H3 and H4 at the Rb gene promoter. FBI-1 inhibits C2C12 myoblast cell differentiation by repressing Rb gene expression. PMID:18801742

Intact implicit and reduced explicit memory for negative self-related information in repressive coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujiwara, Esther; Levine, Brian; Anderson, Adam K

2008-09-01

Voluntary emotional memory control has recently been shown to involve prefrontal down-regulation of medial temporal lobe activity during memory retrieval. However, little is known about instances of uninstructed, naturally occurring forgetting. In the present study, we examined whether memory suppression extends to involuntary, uninstructed down-regulation of memory in individuals thought to be experts in forgetting negative memories--those with a repressive coping style. We contrasted explicit and implicit memory for negative information in repressor and nonrepressor groups and examined whether self-relevance is a moderating variable. To delineate the specificity of repressors' selective memory reductions, we contrasted encoding and retrieval of emotional words as a function of self-reference, subjective self-relevance, and explicitness of the memory task in nonrepressors and repressors. Self-descriptiveness judgments, lexical decisions (implicit memory), and free recall (explicit memory) were investigated. Repressors had selectively lowered free recall only for negative, self-relevant information. Their implicit memory for the same information was unaffected. This pattern suggests that regulation of emotional memory in repressive individuals is a case of motivated forgetting, possibly sharing much of the neural underpinnings of voluntary memory suppression.

Pax6 represses androgen receptor-mediated transactivation by inhibiting recruitment of the coactivator SPBP.

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Julianne Elvenes

Full Text Available The androgen receptor (AR has a central role in development and maintenance of the male reproductive system and in the etiology of prostate cancer. The transcription factor Pax6 has recently been reported to act as a repressor of AR and to be hypermethylated in prostate cancer cells. SPBP is a transcriptional regulator that previously has been shown to enhance the activity of Pax6. In this study we have identified SPBP to act as a transcriptional coactivator of AR. We also show that Pax6 inhibits SPBP-mediated enhancement of AR activity on the AR target gene probasin promoter, a repression that was partly reversed by increased expression of SPBP. Enhanced expression of Pax6 reduced the amount of SPBP associated with the probasin promoter when assayed by ChIP in HeLa cells. We mapped the interaction between both AR and SPBP, and AR and Pax6 to the DNA-binding domains of the involved proteins. Further binding studies revealed that Pax6 and SPBP compete for binding to AR. These results suggest that Pax6 represses AR activity by displacing and/or inhibiting recruitment of coactivators to AR target promoters. Understanding the mechanism for inhibition of AR coactivators can give rise to molecular targeted drugs for treatment of prostate cancer.

Mutual repression enhances the steepness and precision of gene expression boundaries.

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Thomas R Sokolowski

Full Text Available Embryonic development is driven by spatial patterns of gene expression that determine the fate of each cell in the embryo. While gene expression is often highly erratic, embryonic development is usually exceedingly precise. In particular, gene expression boundaries are robust not only against intra-embryonic fluctuations such as noise in gene expression and protein diffusion, but also against embryo-to-embryo variations in the morphogen gradients, which provide positional information to the differentiating cells. How development is robust against intra- and inter-embryonic variations is not understood. A common motif in the gene regulation networks that control embryonic development is mutual repression between pairs of genes. To assess the role of mutual repression in the robust formation of gene expression patterns, we have performed large-scale stochastic simulations of a minimal model of two mutually repressing gap genes in Drosophila, hunchback (hb and knirps (kni. Our model includes not only mutual repression between hb and kni, but also the stochastic and cooperative activation of hb by the anterior morphogen Bicoid (Bcd and of kni by the posterior morphogen Caudal (Cad, as well as the diffusion of Hb and Kni between neighboring nuclei. Our analysis reveals that mutual repression can markedly increase the steepness and precision of the gap gene expression boundaries. In contrast to other mechanisms such as spatial averaging and cooperative gene activation, mutual repression thus allows for gene-expression boundaries that are both steep and precise. Moreover, mutual repression dramatically enhances their robustness against embryo-to-embryo variations in the morphogen levels. Finally, our simulations reveal that diffusion of the gap proteins plays a critical role not only in reducing the width of the gap gene expression boundaries via the mechanism of spatial averaging, but also in repairing patterning errors that could arise because of the

Developing Clinical Competence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

P.F. Wimmers (Paul)

2006-01-01

textabstractThe development of clinical competence is the main purpose of medical education. The long road to become clinically competent starts on the first day of medical school, and every institution strives to select the best students. The responsibility of medical schools is to train

Mechanisms of transcriptional repression by EWS-FLl1 in Ewing Sarcoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niedan, S.

2012-01-01

The EWS-FLI1 chimeric oncoprotein characterizing Ewing Sarcoma (ES) is a prototypic aberrant ETS transcription factor with activating and repressive gene regulatory functions. Mechanisms of transcriptional regulation, especially transcriptional repression by EWS-FLI1, are poorly understood. We report that EWS-FLI1 repressed promoters are enriched in forkhead box recognition motifs, and identify FOXO1 as a EWS-FLI1 suppressed master regulator responsible for a significant subset of EWS-FLI1 repressed genes. In addition to transcriptional FOXO1 regulation by direct promoter binding of EWS-FLI1, its subcellular localization and activity is regulated by CDK2 and AKT mediated phosphorylation downstream of EWS-FLI1. Functional restoration of nuclear FOXO1 expression in ES cells impaired proliferation and significantly reduced clonogenicity. Gene-expression profiling revealed a significant overlap between EWS-FLI1 repressed and FOXO1-activated genes. Treatment of ES cell lines with Methylseleninic acid (MSA) evoked reactivation of endogenous FOXO1 in the presence of EWS-FLI1 in a dose- and time-dependent manner and induced massive cell death which was found to be partially FOXO1-dependent. In an orthotopic xenograft mouse model, MSA increased FOXO1 expression in the tumor paralleled by a significant decrease in ES tumor growth. Together, these data suggest that a repressive sub-signature of EWS-FLI1 repressed genes precipitates suppression of FOXO1. FOXO1 re-activation by small molecules may therefore constitute a novel therapeutic strategy in the treatment of ES. (author) [de

Neural Progenitors Adopt Specific Identities by Directly Repressing All Alternative Progenitor Transcriptional Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kutejova, Eva; Sasai, Noriaki; Shah, Ankita; Gouti, Mina; Briscoe, James

2016-03-21

In the vertebrate neural tube, a morphogen-induced transcriptional network produces multiple molecularly distinct progenitor domains, each generating different neuronal subtypes. Using an in vitro differentiation system, we defined gene expression signatures of distinct progenitor populations and identified direct gene-regulatory inputs corresponding to locations of specific transcription factor binding. Combined with targeted perturbations of the network, this revealed a mechanism in which a progenitor identity is installed by active repression of the entire transcriptional programs of other neural progenitor fates. In the ventral neural tube, sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, together with broadly expressed transcriptional activators, concurrently activates the gene expression programs of several domains. The specific outcome is selected by repressive input provided by Shh-induced transcription factors that act as the key nodes in the network, enabling progenitors to adopt a single definitive identity from several initially permitted options. Together, the data suggest design principles relevant to many developing tissues. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Competence Map of Regulatory Body: Personal and Interpersonal Effectiveness Competencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volkov, E.

2016-01-01

Full text: The paper presents implementation stages and outcomes of the project “Nuclear Facility Competences” fulfilled in JSC “Rosenergoatom” and outcomes of the project “Knowledge Management, Training and Staff Retention” fulfilled for Romania regulatory authority. The goal of the project was a development of competence profiles for nuclear power plant and corporate inspectorate key job positions. The paper is focused on personal and interpersonal effectiveness competencies for inspectorate job positions which are a part of well-known 4-Quadrant Competence Model. Each competence is described by one or two behavior scales. One can consider those competencies like common ones for organizations implementing inspection activity and could be used in human resource management processes like personnel selection, job assessment, career planning, training, mentoring. (author

Rule of Repression in Chile.

Science.gov (United States)

American Indian Journal, 1979

1979-01-01

This report on the current condition of the Mapuche Indians of Chile is edited from a document on the "Situation of Human Rights in Chile" and details the repressive and inhumane treatment of the largest indigenous ethnic minority in the country. (Author/RTS)

Literature, Advertising and Return of the Repressed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesco Ghelli

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Since I have faced with the hypothesis elaborated by Francesco Orlando, according to which literature is a form of return of the repressed, I wondered what – in our era of deregulation, end of censorship and taboos – could occupy the place of the repressed. One of the most influential sociologists, Zygmunt Bauman, has outlined the epochal passage from “the uneasiness in civilization” to today's “uneasiness of freedom”. The problem of desire today would not be a clash with a limit, but an indefinite freedom that is likely to turn into lost, loss of intensity and meaning.

Social adjustment and repressive adaptive style in survivors of pediatric cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulte, Fiona; Wurz, Amanda; Russell, K Brooke; Reynolds, Kathleen; Strother, Douglas; Dewey, Deborah

2018-01-01

The aim of the study was to explore the relationship between repressive adaptive style and self-reports of social adjustment in survivors of pediatric cancer compared to their siblings. We hypothesized that there would be a greater proportion of repressors among survivors of pediatric cancer compared to siblings, and that repressive adaptive style would be significantly associated with more positive self-reports of social adjustment. We utilized a cross-sectional approach. Seventy-seven families participated. Survivors of pediatric cancer (n = 77, 48% male; 8-18 years of age) and one sibling (n = 50, 48% male; 8-18 years of age) completed measures assessing repressive adaptive style and social adjustment. As well, one parent from each family completed a socio-demographic questionnaire. Questionnaire packages were mailed to eligible families who agreed to participate, and were mailed back to investigators in a pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelope. Chi-square analyses revealed there was no significant difference in the proportion of repressors among survivors and siblings. Social adjustment scores were subjected to a two (group: survivor, sibling) by two (repressor, nonrepressor) ANCOVA with gender and age as covariates. There was a significant main effect of repressive adaptive style (F = 5.69, p < .05, η 2 = 0.05) with a modest effect. Survivors and siblings with a repressive style reported significantly higher social adjustment scores (M = 106.91, SD = 11.69) compared to nonrepressors (M = 99.57, SD = 13.45). Repressive adaptive style explains some of the variance in survivors and siblings' self-reports of social adjustment. Future research should aim to better understand the role of the repressive adaptive style in survivors and siblings of children with cancer.

Genetic interactions of MAF1 identify a role for Med20 in transcriptional repression of ribosomal protein genes.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ian M Willis

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Transcriptional repression of ribosomal components and tRNAs is coordinately regulated in response to a wide variety of environmental stresses. Part of this response involves the convergence of different nutritional and stress signaling pathways on Maf1, a protein that is essential for repressing transcription by RNA polymerase (pol III in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we identify the functions buffering yeast cells that are unable to down-regulate transcription by RNA pol III. MAF1 genetic interactions identified in screens of non-essential gene-deletions and conditionally expressed essential genes reveal a highly interconnected network of 64 genes involved in ribosome biogenesis, RNA pol II transcription, tRNA modification, ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis and other processes. A survey of non-essential MAF1 synthetic sick/lethal (SSL genes identified six gene-deletions that are defective in transcriptional repression of ribosomal protein (RP genes following rapamycin treatment. This subset of MAF1 SSL genes included MED20 which encodes a head module subunit of the RNA pol II Mediator complex. Genetic interactions between MAF1 and subunits in each structural module of Mediator were investigated to examine the functional relationship between these transcriptional regulators. Gene expression profiling identified a prominent and highly selective role for Med20 in the repression of RP gene transcription under multiple conditions. In addition, attenuated repression of RP genes by rapamycin was observed in a strain deleted for the Mediator tail module subunit Med16. The data suggest that Mediator and Maf1 function in parallel pathways to negatively regulate RP mRNA and tRNA synthesis.

Investigation of repressive and enhancive effects of fruit extracts on the activity of glucose-6-phophatase.

Science.gov (United States)

Zahoor, Muhammad; Jan, Muhammad Rasul; Naz, Sumaira

2016-11-01

Glucose-6-phosphatase is a key enzyme of glucose metabolic pathways. Deficiency of this enzyme leads to glycogen storage disease. This enzyme also plays a negative role in diabetes mellitus disorder in which the catalytic activity of this enzyme increases. Thus there is need for activators to enhance the activity of glucose-6-phosphatase in glycogen storage disease of type 1b while in diabetes mellitus repressors are needed to reduce its activity. Crude extracts of apricot, fig, mulberry and apple fruits were investigated for their repressive/enhancive effects on glucose-6-phosphatase in vivo. Albino mice were used as experimental animal. All the selected extracts showed depressive effects on glucose-6-phosphatase, which shows that all these extracts can be used as antidiabetic supplement of food. The inhibitory pattern was competitive one, which was evident from the effect of increasing dose from 1g/Kg body weight to 3g/Kg body weight for all the selected fruit extracts. However fig and apple fruit extracts showed high repressive effects for high doses as compared to apricot and mulberry fruit extracts. None of these selected fruit extracts showed enhancive effect on glucose-6-phosphatase activity. All these fruits or their extracts can be used as antidiabetic dietary supplement for diabetes mellitus.

State Repression and its Effects on Civil Conflict, Socio-Economic Outcomes, and Leadership Tenure

Science.gov (United States)

feedback loop: how citizens respond peacefully or violently influences the type of repression rulers employ. How rulers use repression influences how and...whether citizens protest. Moreover, how rulers respond to their citizens may influence leadership duration. Obviously, the relationship among repression...US (and allied) officials may want policy options to influence rulers who are becoming increasingly repressive (as in Turkey and Egypt) or leaders who

A noncanonical Flt3ITD/NF-κB signaling pathway represses DAPK1 in acute myeloid leukemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Shanmugam, Rajasubramaniam; Gade, Padmaja; Wilson-Weekes, Annique; Sayar, Hamid; Suvannasankha, Attaya; Goswami, Chirayu; Li, Lang; Gupta, Sushil; Cardoso, Angelo A; Baghdadi, Tareq Al; Sargent, Katie J; Cripe, Larry D; Kalvakolanu, Dhananjaya V; Boswell, H Scott

2012-01-15

Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1), a tumor suppressor, is a rate-limiting effector in an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-dependent apoptotic pathway. Its expression is epigenetically suppressed in several tumors. A mechanistic basis for epigenetic/transcriptional repression of DAPK1 was investigated in certain forms of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with poor prognosis, which lacked ER stress-induced apoptosis. Heterogeneous primary AMLs were screened to identify a subgroup with Flt3ITD in which repression of DAPK1, among NF-κB-and c-Jun-responsive genes, was studied. RNA interference knockdown studies were carried out in an Flt3ITD(+) cell line, MV-4-11, to establish genetic epistasis in the pathway Flt3ITD-TAK1-DAPK1 repression, and chromatin immunoprecipitations were carried out to identify proximate effector proteins, including TAK1-activated p52NF-κB, at the DAPK1 locus. AMLs characterized by normal karyotype with Flt3ITD were found to have 10- to 100-fold lower DAPK1 transcripts normalized to the expression of c-Jun, a transcriptional activator of DAPK1, as compared with a heterogeneous cytogenetic category. In addition, Meis1, a c-Jun-responsive adverse AML prognostic gene signature was measured as control. These Flt3ITD(+) AMLs overexpress relB, a transcriptional repressor, which forms active heterodimers with p52NF-κB. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays identified p52NF-κB binding to the DAPK1 promoter together with histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) and HDAC6 in the Flt3ITD(+) human AML cell line MV-4-11. Knockdown of p52NF-κB or its upstream regulator, NF-κB-inducing kinase (NIK), de-repressed DAPK1. DAPK1-repressed primary Flt3ITD(+) AMLs had selective nuclear activation of p52NF-κB. Flt3ITD promotes a noncanonical pathway via TAK1 and p52NF-κB to suppress DAPK1 in association with HDACs, which explains DAPK1 repression in Flt3ITD(+) AML. ©2011 AACR.

Mechanisms of transcriptional repression by histone lysine methylation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hublitz, Philip; Albert, Mareike; Peters, Antoine H F M

2009-01-01

. In this report, we review the recent literature to deduce mechanisms underlying Polycomb and H3K9 methylation mediated repression, and describe the functional interplay with activating H3K4 methylation. We summarize recent data that indicate a close relationship between GC density of promoter sequences......, transcription factor binding and the antagonizing activities of distinct epigenetic regulators such as histone methyltransferases (HMTs) and histone demethylases (HDMs). Subsequently, we compare chromatin signatures associated with different types of transcriptional outcomes from stable repression to highly...

Polycomb group protein-mediated repression of transcription

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Morey, Lluís; Helin, Kristian

2010-01-01

The polycomb group (PcG) proteins are essential for the normal development of multicellular organisms. They form multi-protein complexes that work as transcriptional repressors of several thousand genes controlling differentiation pathways during development. How the PcG proteins work as transcri......The polycomb group (PcG) proteins are essential for the normal development of multicellular organisms. They form multi-protein complexes that work as transcriptional repressors of several thousand genes controlling differentiation pathways during development. How the PcG proteins work...... as transcriptional repressors is incompletely understood, but involves post-translational modifications of histones by two major PcG protein complexes: polycomb repressive complex 1 and polycomb repressive complex 2....

[Selection of medical students : Measurement of cognitive abilities and psychosocial competencies].

Science.gov (United States)

Schwibbe, Anja; Lackamp, Janina; Knorr, Mirjana; Hissbach, Johanna; Kadmon, Martina; Hampe, Wolfgang

2018-02-01

The German Constitutional Court is currently reviewing whether the actual study admission process in medicine is compatible with the constitutional right of freedom of profession, since applicants without an excellent GPA usually have to wait for seven years. If the admission system is changed, politicians would like to increase the influence of psychosocial criteria on selection as specified by the Masterplan Medizinstudium 2020.What experiences have been made with the actual selection procedures? How could Situational Judgement Tests contribute to the validity of future selection procedures to German medical schools?High school GPA is the best predictor of study performance, but is more and more under discussion due to the lack of comparability between states and schools and the growing number of applicants with top grades. Aptitude and knowledge tests, especially in the natural sciences, show incremental validity in predicting study performance. The measurement of psychosocial competencies with traditional interviews shows rather low reliability and validity. The more reliable multiple mini-interviews are superior in predicting practical study performance. Situational judgement tests (SJTs) used abroad are regarded as reliable and valid; the correlation of a German SJT piloted in Hamburg with the multiple mini-interview is cautiously encouraging.A model proposed by the Medizinischer Fakultätentag and the Bundesvertretung der Medizinstudierenden considers these results. Student selection is proposed to be based on a combination of high school GPA (40%) and a cognitive test (40%) as well as an SJT (10%) and job experience (10%). Furthermore, the faculties still have the option to carry out specific selection procedures.

miRNA-dependent translational repression in the Drosophila ovary.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

John Reich

Full Text Available The Drosophila ovary is a tissue rich in post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Many of the regulatory factors are proteins identified via genetic screens. The more recent discovery of microRNAs, which in other animals and tissues appear to regulate translation of a large fraction of all mRNAs, raised the possibility that they too might act during oogenesis. However, there has been no direct demonstration of microRNA-dependent translational repression in the ovary.Here, quantitative analyses of transcript and protein levels of transgenes with or without synthetic miR-312 binding sites show that the binding sites do confer translational repression. This effect is dependent on the ability of the cells to produce microRNAs. By comparison with microRNA-dependent translational repression in other cell types, the regulated mRNAs and the protein factors that mediate repression were expected to be enriched in sponge bodies, subcellular structures with extensive similarities to the P bodies found in other cells. However, no such enrichment was observed.Our results reveal the variety of post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that operate in the Drosophila ovary, and have implications for the mechanisms of miRNA-dependent translational control used in the ovary.

PPARγ partial agonist GQ-16 strongly represses a subset of genes in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Milton, Flora Aparecida [Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília (Brazil); Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX (United States); Cvoro, Aleksandra [Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX (United States); Amato, Angelica A. [Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília (Brazil); Sieglaff, Douglas H.; Filgueira, Carly S.; Arumanayagam, Anithachristy Sigamani [Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX (United States); Caro Alves de Lima, Maria do; Rocha Pitta, Ivan [Laboratório de Planejamento e Síntese de Fármacos – LPSF, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Brazil); Assis Rocha Neves, Francisco de [Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde, Laboratório de Farmacologia Molecular, Universidade de Brasília (Brazil); Webb, Paul, E-mail: pwebb@HoustonMethodist.org [Genomic Medicine, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Houston, TX (United States)

2015-08-28

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists that improve insulin resistance but trigger side effects such as weight gain, edema, congestive heart failure and bone loss. GQ-16 is a PPARγ partial agonist that improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mouse models of obesity and diabetes without inducing weight gain or edema. It is not clear whether GQ-16 acts as a partial agonist at all PPARγ target genes, or whether it displays gene-selective actions. To determine how GQ-16 influences PPARγ activity on a gene by gene basis, we compared effects of rosiglitazone (Rosi) and GQ-16 in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes using microarray and qRT-PCR. Rosi changed expression of 1156 genes in 3T3-L1, but GQ-16 only changed 89 genes. GQ-16 generally showed weak effects upon Rosi induced genes, consistent with partial agonist actions, but a subset of modestly Rosi induced and strongly repressed genes displayed disproportionately strong GQ-16 responses. PPARγ partial agonists MLR24 and SR1664 also exhibit disproportionately strong effects on transcriptional repression. We conclude that GQ-16 displays a continuum of weak partial agonist effects but efficiently represses some negatively regulated PPARγ responsive genes. Strong repressive effects could contribute to physiologic actions of GQ-16. - Highlights: • GQ-16 is an insulin sensitizing PPARγ ligand with reduced harmful side effects. • GQ-16 displays a continuum of weak partial agonist activities at PPARγ-induced genes. • GQ-16 exerts strong repressive effects at a subset of genes. • These inhibitor actions should be evaluated in models of adipose tissue inflammation.

PPARγ partial agonist GQ-16 strongly represses a subset of genes in 3T3-L1 adipocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milton, Flora Aparecida; Cvoro, Aleksandra; Amato, Angelica A.; Sieglaff, Douglas H.; Filgueira, Carly S.; Arumanayagam, Anithachristy Sigamani; Caro Alves de Lima, Maria do; Rocha Pitta, Ivan; Assis Rocha Neves, Francisco de; Webb, Paul

2015-01-01

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists that improve insulin resistance but trigger side effects such as weight gain, edema, congestive heart failure and bone loss. GQ-16 is a PPARγ partial agonist that improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in mouse models of obesity and diabetes without inducing weight gain or edema. It is not clear whether GQ-16 acts as a partial agonist at all PPARγ target genes, or whether it displays gene-selective actions. To determine how GQ-16 influences PPARγ activity on a gene by gene basis, we compared effects of rosiglitazone (Rosi) and GQ-16 in mature 3T3-L1 adipocytes using microarray and qRT-PCR. Rosi changed expression of 1156 genes in 3T3-L1, but GQ-16 only changed 89 genes. GQ-16 generally showed weak effects upon Rosi induced genes, consistent with partial agonist actions, but a subset of modestly Rosi induced and strongly repressed genes displayed disproportionately strong GQ-16 responses. PPARγ partial agonists MLR24 and SR1664 also exhibit disproportionately strong effects on transcriptional repression. We conclude that GQ-16 displays a continuum of weak partial agonist effects but efficiently represses some negatively regulated PPARγ responsive genes. Strong repressive effects could contribute to physiologic actions of GQ-16. - Highlights: • GQ-16 is an insulin sensitizing PPARγ ligand with reduced harmful side effects. • GQ-16 displays a continuum of weak partial agonist activities at PPARγ-induced genes. • GQ-16 exerts strong repressive effects at a subset of genes. • These inhibitor actions should be evaluated in models of adipose tissue inflammation

Nuclear AXIN2 represses MYC gene expression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rennoll, Sherri A.; Konsavage, Wesley M.; Yochum, Gregory S., E-mail: gsy3@psu.edu

2014-01-03

Highlights: •AXIN2 localizes to cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments in colorectal cancer cells. •Nuclear AXIN2 represses the activity of Wnt-responsive luciferase reporters. •β-Catenin bridges AXIN2 to TCF transcription factors. •AXIN2 binds the MYC promoter and represses MYC gene expression. -- Abstract: The β-catenin transcriptional coactivator is the key mediator of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. In the absence of Wnt, β-catenin associates with a cytosolic and multi-protein destruction complex where it is phosphorylated and targeted for proteasomal degradation. In the presence of Wnt, the destruction complex is inactivated and β-catenin translocates into the nucleus. In the nucleus, β-catenin binds T-cell factor (TCF) transcription factors to activate expression of c-MYC (MYC) and Axis inhibition protein 2 (AXIN2). AXIN2 is a member of the destruction complex and, thus, serves in a negative feedback loop to control Wnt/β-catenin signaling. AXIN2 is also present in the nucleus, but its function within this compartment is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that AXIN2 localizes to the nuclei of epithelial cells within normal and colonic tumor tissues as well as colorectal cancer cell lines. In the nucleus, AXIN2 represses expression of Wnt/β-catenin-responsive luciferase reporters and forms a complex with β-catenin and TCF. We demonstrate that AXIN2 co-occupies β-catenin/TCF complexes at the MYC promoter region. When constitutively localized to the nucleus, AXIN2 alters the chromatin structure at the MYC promoter and directly represses MYC gene expression. These findings suggest that nuclear AXIN2 functions as a rheostat to control MYC expression in response to Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Nuclear AXIN2 represses MYC gene expression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rennoll, Sherri A.; Konsavage, Wesley M.; Yochum, Gregory S.

2014-01-01

Highlights: •AXIN2 localizes to cytoplasmic and nuclear compartments in colorectal cancer cells. •Nuclear AXIN2 represses the activity of Wnt-responsive luciferase reporters. •β-Catenin bridges AXIN2 to TCF transcription factors. •AXIN2 binds the MYC promoter and represses MYC gene expression. -- Abstract: The β-catenin transcriptional coactivator is the key mediator of the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. In the absence of Wnt, β-catenin associates with a cytosolic and multi-protein destruction complex where it is phosphorylated and targeted for proteasomal degradation. In the presence of Wnt, the destruction complex is inactivated and β-catenin translocates into the nucleus. In the nucleus, β-catenin binds T-cell factor (TCF) transcription factors to activate expression of c-MYC (MYC) and Axis inhibition protein 2 (AXIN2). AXIN2 is a member of the destruction complex and, thus, serves in a negative feedback loop to control Wnt/β-catenin signaling. AXIN2 is also present in the nucleus, but its function within this compartment is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that AXIN2 localizes to the nuclei of epithelial cells within normal and colonic tumor tissues as well as colorectal cancer cell lines. In the nucleus, AXIN2 represses expression of Wnt/β-catenin-responsive luciferase reporters and forms a complex with β-catenin and TCF. We demonstrate that AXIN2 co-occupies β-catenin/TCF complexes at the MYC promoter region. When constitutively localized to the nucleus, AXIN2 alters the chromatin structure at the MYC promoter and directly represses MYC gene expression. These findings suggest that nuclear AXIN2 functions as a rheostat to control MYC expression in response to Wnt/β-catenin signaling

THE DYNAMICS OF REPRESSIVE HABITUS LAWS: ETHNOGRAPHIC CASE STUDY IN UNWIMA

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Teddy Asmara

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This research describes repressive legal habitus Unwima community by focusing on the issue of why they create a legal cognition such manner and how to empower them in the public domain when facing a lawsuit in court and examination process in higher education office. The results of the research with ethnographic methods and interpretative analysis, First, that repressive legal habitus is a part of the neo-feudalistic thinking in education management. Second, the empowerment of repressive legal habitus in the public domain potentially generate a legal behavior of impulsive that tends to a manipulative, coercive, veiled, and other immorality practices.

How social media matter: Repression and the diffusion of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Science.gov (United States)

Suh, Chan S; Vasi, Ion Bogdan; Chang, Paul Y

2017-07-01

This study explores the role played by social media in reshaping the repression-mobilization relationship. Drawing on the case of the Occupy Wall Street movement, we examine the impact of Facebook and Twitter on the spatial diffusion of protests during a period of heightened state repression. Results from event history analyses suggest that the effects of repression on protest diffusion are contingent on the presence of social media accounts supporting the movement. We find that state repression at earlier protest sites encouraged activists to create Facebook and Twitter accounts in their own cities, which then served as important vehicles for the initiation of new Occupy protests. Moreover, results suggest that repression incidents can directly facilitate future protests in cities that already have Occupy Facebook accounts. This study highlights the potential of social media to both mediate and moderate the influence of repression on the diffusion of contemporary movements. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PROBLEM OF CRIMINAL REPRESSION, APPLIED OUTSIDE OF CRIMINAL LIABILITY

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Vitaly Stepashin

2017-01-01

Full Text Available УДК 343.2A new institute of repressive measures applied outside the criminal liability in criminal law (including as a condition for exemption from criminal liability is forming now in Russian legislation. The author concludes that the provisions of the criminal law on monetary compensation and a court fine should be deleted because of the following reasons. 1 By their nature, and monetary compensation and a court fine, not being a formal punishment (and, therefore, a form of realization of criminal responsibility is a monetary penalty, i.e., penalty-punishment. Moreover, the rules of court fine destination identical rules of criminal sentencing. 2 Quantitatively court fine may exceed the minimum limits of criminal punish-ment in the form of fines. The dimensions of monetary compensation in the order of hours. Pt. 2, Art. 76.1 of the Criminal Code and at all close to the maximum values of fine-punishment. 3 Exemption from criminal liability requires states to refrain from prosecuting the person alleged to have committed a crime, which means that the nonuse of criminal repression. Regulatory standards analyzed, on the other hand, require mandatory use of repression, ie, virtually no exemption from criminal liability does not occur at all. 4 The use of a quasi-penalty in the form of monetary compensation and court fines are not an exemption from criminal responsibility, but on the contrary, the use of criminal repression (of responsibility, and in a simplified manner. 5 Contrary to the requirements of the Constitution and the Criminal Code of criminal repression is applied to persons whose guilt has not been established in the commission of a crime. Thus, in criminal law introduced a presumption of guilt. 6 Customization repression (in fact – of criminal responsibility in the application of the judicial penalty is substantially limited, and the application of monetary compensation is excluded at all, contrary to the requirement that the rough

Glucose-mediated repression of autolysis and conidiogenesis in Emericella nidulans.

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Emri, Tamás; Molnár, Zsolt; Veres, Tünde; Pusztahelyi, Tünde; Dudás, Gábor; Pócsi, István

2006-10-01

Glucose-mediated repression of autolysis and sporulation was studied in submerged Emericellanidulans (anam. Aspergillus nidulans) cultures. Null mutation of the creA gene, which encodes the major carbon catabolite repressor CreA in E. nidulans, resulted in a hyperautolytic phenotype characterized by increased extracellular hydrolase production and dry cell mass declination. Interestingly, glucose, as well as the glucose antimetabolite 2-deoxy-d-glucose, repressed autolysis and sporulation in both the control and the creA null mutant strains suggesting that these processes were also subjected to CreA-independent carbon regulation. For example, the glucose-mediated, but CreA-independent, repression of the sporulation transcription factor BrlA was likely to contribute to the negative regulation of conidiogenesis by glucose. Although CreA played a prominent role in the regulation of autolysis via the repression of genes encoding important autolytic hydrolases like ChiB chitinase and PrtA protease the age-related production of the chitinase activity was also negatively affected by the down-regulation of brlA expression. However, neither CreA-dependent nor CreA-independent elements of carbon regulation affected the initiation and regulation of cell death in E. nidulans under carbon starvation.

Designing Organizational Effectiveness Model of Selected Iraq’s Sporting Federations Based on Competing Values Framework

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Hossein Eydi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the present study was designing effectiveness model of selected Iraq sport federations based on competing values framework. Statistical society of present study included 221 subjects ranging from chairmen, expert staffs, national adolescent athletes, and national referees. 180 subjects (81.4 percent answered standard questionnaire of Eydi et al (2011 with five Likert values scale. Content and face validity of this tool was confirmed by 12 academic professors and its reliability was validated by Cronbach's alpha (r = 0.97. Results of Structural Equation Model (SEM based on path analysis method showed that factors of expert human resources(0.88, organizational interaction (0.88, productivity (0.87, employees' cohesion (0.84, planning (0.84, organizational stability (0.81, flexibility (0.78, and organizational resources (0.74 had the most effects on organizational effectiveness.Also, findings of factor analysis showed that patterns of internal procedures and rational goals were main patterns of competing values framework and determinants of organizational effectiveness in Iraq's selected sport federations. Moreover, federations of football, track and field, weightlifting, and basketball had the highest mean of organizational effectiveness, respectively. Hence, Iraq sport federations mainly focused on organizational control, and internal attention as index of OE.

Political Repression in U.S. History

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Minnen, C.A.

2009-01-01

The authors of the essays in this book amass considerable historical evidence illustrating various forms of political repression and its relationship with democracy in the United States, from the late-eighteenth century to the present. They discuss efforts, made mostly but not only by government

Moral competency: meta-competence of nursing care

Science.gov (United States)

Zafarnia, Niloofar; Abbaszadeh, Abbas; Borhani, Fariba; Ebadi, Abbas; Nakhaee, Nouzar

2017-01-01

Introduction To follow the progress of technology and increasing domain of nurses’ duties, ethical challenges can be observed more than ever. Therefore, the growing and dynamic system of nursing requires nurses with professional and ethical competence who can provide optimal care. The aim of the present study was to define and explain dimensions of moral competency among the clinical nurses of Iran. Methods This qualitative content analysis study was carried out in the years 2014 and 2015 in Iran. Data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews and field notes. The resulting data were analyzed by Graneheim and Lundman’s method of conventional content analysis. The participants were 12 clinical nurses who were selected using purposive convenient sampling and continued interviews until data saturation. Results Themes obtained in the present study were posited in three main categories of “moral character,” with subcategories of altruism, search for meaning, be pioneering, perfectionism, self-control, honesty, and forgiveness; “moral care” with subcategories of dignified care, safe care, fair care, and holistic care; and “moral decision-making” with subcategories of moral sensitivity, moral thinking, moral reasoning, and moral courage. Conclusions Findings of the present study suggest that nurses’ moral competency is an adorable character with a wide range that includes moral virtues and character, moral decision-making, and ultimately providing moral care; therefore, moral competency is a meta-competence in the field of nursing. Because there are many competencies in different fields. PMID:28848630

Extremadura: Behind the material traces of Franco’s repression

OpenAIRE

Muñoz Encinar, Laura; Chaves Palacios, Julián

2014-01-01

After the failed coup d’état of July 17th, 1936 and after the start of the Spanish Civil War that followed it, rebels carried out a repressive strategy based on the execution of thousands of people as a key tool of social control. The socialization of fear and terror through humiliation, killing and disappearance would become the main strategy employed throughout the war and the post-war period. In this context, perpetrators would exercise repressive practices on victims and their bodies. As ...

A non-canonical Flt3ITD/NF-κB signaling pathway represses DAPK1 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML)

Science.gov (United States)

Shanmugam, Rajasubramaniam; Sayar, Hamid; Suvannasankha, Attaya; Goswami, Chirayu; Li, Lang; Gupta, Sushil; Cardoso, Angelo A.; Baghdadi, Tareq Al; Sargent, Katie J.; Cripe, Larry D.; Kalvakolanu, Dhananjaya V.; Boswell, H. Scott

2014-01-01

Purpose DAPK1, a tumor suppressor, is a rate-limiting effector in an ER stress-dependent apoptotic pathway. Its expression is epigenetically suppressed in several tumors. A mechanistic basis for epigenetic/transcriptional repression of DAPK1 was investigated in certain forms of AML with poor prognosis, which lacked ER stress-induced apoptosis. Experimental Design Heterogeneous primary AMLs were screened to identify a subgroup with Flt3ITD in which repression of DAPK1, among NF-κB- and c- jun-responsive genes, was studied. RNAi knockdown studies were performed in Flt3ITD+ve cell line, MV-4-11, to establish genetic epistasis in the pathway Flt3ITD-TAK1-DAPK1 repression, and chromatin immunoprecipitations were performed to identify proximate effector proteins, including TAK1-activated p52NF-κB, at the DAPK1 locus. Results AMLs characterized by normal karyotype with Flt3ITD were found to have 10-100-fold lower DAPK1 transcripts normalized to the expression of c-jun, a transcriptional activator of DAPK1, as compared to a heterogeneous cytogenetic category. Meis1, a c-jun-responsive adverse AML prognostic gene signature was also measured as control. These Flt3ITD+ve AMLs over-express relB, a transcriptional repressor, which forms active heterodimers with p52NF-κB. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays identified p52NF-κB binding to the DAPK1 promoter along with HDAC2 and HDAC6 in the Flt3ITD+ve human AML cell line MV-4-11. Knockdown of p52NF-κB or its upstream regulator, NIK, de-repressed DAPK1. DAPK1-repressed primary Flt3ITD+ve AMLs had selective nuclear activation of p52NF-κB. Conclusions Flt3ITD promotes a non-canonical pathway via TAK1 and p52NF-κB to suppress DAPK1 in association with HDACs, which explains DAPK1 repression in Flt3ITD+ve AML. PMID:22096027

The Efficiency of Repressive Anti-Corruption Measures in Conditions of High-Level Corruption

OpenAIRE

Abramov Fedir V.

2017-01-01

The article is aimed at determining the efficiency of repressive anti-corruption measures in conditions of high-level corruption. It is shown that the formal rules regulating the use of repressive methods of countering corruption are characterized by a significant level of the target inefficiency of formal rules. Resulting from ignorance as to the causes of both occurence and spread of corruption – the inefficiency of the current formal rules – repressive anti-corruption measures are fundamen...

The Efficiency of Repressive Anti-Corruption Measures in Conditions of High-Level Corruption

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Abramov Fedir V.

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The article is aimed at determining the efficiency of repressive anti-corruption measures in conditions of high-level corruption. It is shown that the formal rules regulating the use of repressive methods of countering corruption are characterized by a significant level of the target inefficiency of formal rules. Resulting from ignorance as to the causes of both occurence and spread of corruption – the inefficiency of the current formal rules – repressive anti-corruption measures are fundamentally incapable of achieving a significant reduction in the level of corruptness. It has been proved that, in addition to significant target inefficiency, repressive anti-corruption methods can potentially lead to increased levels of corruption because of abusing by supervisory officials of their official duties and the spread of internal corruption within anti-corruption structures. The potential threats from the uncontrolled anti-corruption structures towards other controlling organizations were considered. It is shown that in conditions of high-level corruption repressive anti-corruption measures can lead to expansion of imitation of anti-corruption activity.

Suppression and repression: A theoretical discussion illustrated by a movie

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Maria Lucia de Souza Campos Paiva

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The first translations of Freud's work into Portuguese have presented problems because they were not translated from the German language. More than a hundred years after the beginning of Psychoanalysis, there are still many discussions on Freud's metapsychology and a considerable difficulty in obtaining a consensus on the translation of some concepts. This paper refers back to Freud's concepts of primal repression, repression and suppression. In order to discuss such concepts, we have made use of a film, co-produced by Germans and Argentineans, which is named "The Song in me" (Das Lied in mir, released to the public in 2011 and directed by Florian Micoud Cossen. Through this motion picture, the following of Freud's concepts are analyzed, and the differentiation between them is discussed: suppression and repression, as well as the importance of their precise translation.

Cancer, acute stress disorder, and repressive coping

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Anette Fischer; Zachariae, Robert

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between repressive coping style and Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) in a sample of cancer patients. A total of 112 cancer patients recently diagnosed with cancer participated in the study. ASD was assessed by the Stanford Acute Stress...... Reaction Questionnaire, and repressive coping was assessed by a combination of scores from the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and the Bendig version of the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale. Significantly fewer patients classified as "repressors" were diagnosed with ASD compared to patients...... classified as "non-repressors". However, further investigations revealed that the lower incidence of ASD in repressors apparently was caused by a low score on anxiety and not by an interaction effect between anxiety and defensiveness. Future studies have to investigate whether different psychological...

America COMPETES Act: Programs, Funding, and Selected Issues

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Stine, Deborah D

2008-01-01

.... The act responds to concerns that the United States may not be able to compete economically with other nations in the future due to insufficient investment today in science and technology research...

Role of sugar uptake and metabolic intermediates on catabolite repression in Bacillus subtilis.

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez, J M; Thoms, B

1977-01-01

Many phosphorylated intermediates exert catabolite repression on the enzyme acetoin dehydrogenase in Bacillus subtilis. This was shown with strains that are blocked at different positions in central metabolism when they receive sugars that cannot be metabolized past enzymatic block(s). In the case of sorbitol, transport events were not involved in catabolite repression, for this sugar cannot repress acetoin dehydrogenase in a strain lacking sorbitol dehydrogenase but otherwise able to take up sorbitol. The presence of glucose did not markedly influence the uptake of acetoin. PMID:401492

The transcription factor DREAM represses A20 and mediates inflammation

OpenAIRE

Tiruppathi, Chinnaswamy; Soni, Dheeraj; Wang, Dong-Mei; Xue, Jiaping; Singh, Vandana; Thippegowda, Prabhakar B.; Cheppudira, Bopaiah P.; Mishra, Rakesh K.; DebRoy, Auditi; Qian, Zhijian; Bachmaier, Kurt; Zhao, Youyang; Christman, John W.; Vogel, Stephen M.; Ma, Averil

2014-01-01

Here we show that the transcription-repressor DREAM binds to the A20 promoter to repress the expression of A20, the deubiquitinase suppressing inflammatory NF-κB signaling. DREAM-deficient (Dream−/− ) mice displayed persistent and unchecked A20 expression in response to endotoxin. DREAM functioned by transcriptionally repressing A20 through binding to downstream regulatory elements (DREs). In contrast, USF1 binding to the DRE-associated E-box domain activated A20 expression in response to inf...

The Firm as a Competent Team

OpenAIRE

Eliasson, Gunnar

1988-01-01

Results from empirical studies of firm behavior are synthesized into, a theory of the firm as a competent team. I demonstrate the existence of a tacit organizational competence exercising a leverage on the productivities of all other factors through selecting and allocating competent people, thus earning a monopoly rent in the capital market. The competence identified can only be fairly compensated through sharing in firm value growth in the equity market, exhibiting undervaluation of prime a...

Molecular mechanism underlying juvenile hormone-mediated repression of precocious larval-adult metamorphosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kayukawa, Takumi; Jouraku, Akiya; Ito, Yuka; Shinoda, Tetsuro

2017-01-31

Juvenile hormone (JH) represses precocious metamorphosis of larval to pupal and adult transitions in holometabolous insects. The early JH-inducible gene Krüppel homolog 1 (Kr-h1) plays a key role in the repression of metamorphosis as a mediator of JH action. Previous studies demonstrated that Kr-h1 inhibits precocious larval-pupal transition in immature larva via direct transcriptional repression of the pupal specifier Broad-Complex (BR-C). JH was recently reported to repress the adult specifier gene Ecdysone-induced protein 93F (E93); however, its mechanism of action remains unclear. Here, we found that JH suppressed ecdysone-inducible E93 expression in the epidermis of the silkworm Bombyx mori and in a B. mori cell line. Reporter assays in the cell line revealed that the JH-dependent suppression was mediated by Kr-h1. Genome-wide ChIP-seq analysis identified a consensus Kr-h1 binding site (KBS, 14 bp) located in the E93 promoter region, and EMSA confirmed that Kr-h1 directly binds to the KBS. Moreover, we identified a C-terminal conserved domain in Kr-h1 essential for the transcriptional repression of E93 Based on these results, we propose a mechanism in which JH-inducible Kr-h1 directly binds to the KBS site upstream of the E93 locus to repress its transcription in a cell-autonomous manner, thereby preventing larva from bypassing the pupal stage and progressing to precocious adult development. These findings help to elucidate the molecular mechanisms regulating the metamorphic genetic network, including the functional significance of Kr-h1, BR-C, and E93 in holometabolous insect metamorphosis.

Investigating Behavioral and Psychophysiological Reactions to Conflict-Related and Individualized Stimuli as Potential Correlates of Repression

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Henrik Kessler

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Background: Repression is considered as a central defense mechanism in psychodynamic theory. It refers to the process by which “unbearable” mental contents (e.g., those related to internal conflicts are kept out of consciousness. The process of repression is probably closely related to concepts of emotion regulation derived from a different theoretical background. This relationship is particularly relevant because it relates repression to current research in the affective neurosciences as well as to experimental studies on emotion regulation. Due to its complex and highly individual nature, repression has been notoriously difficult to investigate. We investigated repression with an individualized experiment in healthy subjects in order to establish methods to study repression in clinical populations. To this end we operationalized repression using individualized experimental conditions, and then studied potential behavioral [memory and reaction time (RT] and psychophysiological correlates [skin conductance response (SCR].Method: Twenty-nine healthy female subjects were asked to freely associate to individualized cue sentences. Sentences were generated from individual psychodynamic interviews based on operationlized psychodynamic diagnosis (OPD, and were comprised of three different types: positive, negative non-conflictual, and negative conflict-related sentences. Subjects were asked to name the first three associations coming into their mind. Afterward, the remaining time was used for free association. SCR during each association trial and RT of the first given association were recorded. The memory for the first three associations was subsequently tested in an unexpected recall.Results: Associations to conflict-related cue sentences were associated with longer RTs and increased SCRs. Moreover, the unexpected recall task showed memory for these associations to be reduced.Conclusion: We interpret these findings as possible correlates of

Investigating Behavioral and Psychophysiological Reactions to Conflict-Related and Individualized Stimuli as Potential Correlates of Repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Henrik; Schmidt, Anna Christine; Hildenbrand, Oliver; Scharf, Daniela; Kehyayan, Aram; Axmacher, Nikolai

2017-01-01

Background: Repression is considered as a central defense mechanism in psychodynamic theory. It refers to the process by which "unbearable" mental contents (e.g., those related to internal conflicts) are kept out of consciousness. The process of repression is probably closely related to concepts of emotion regulation derived from a different theoretical background. This relationship is particularly relevant because it relates repression to current research in the affective neurosciences as well as to experimental studies on emotion regulation. Due to its complex and highly individual nature, repression has been notoriously difficult to investigate. We investigated repression with an individualized experiment in healthy subjects in order to establish methods to study repression in clinical populations. To this end we operationalized repression using individualized experimental conditions, and then studied potential behavioral [memory and reaction time (RT)] and psychophysiological correlates [skin conductance response (SCR)]. Method: Twenty-nine healthy female subjects were asked to freely associate to individualized cue sentences. Sentences were generated from individual psychodynamic interviews based on operationlized psychodynamic diagnosis (OPD), and were comprised of three different types: positive, negative non-conflictual, and negative conflict-related sentences. Subjects were asked to name the first three associations coming into their mind. Afterward, the remaining time was used for free association. SCR during each association trial and RT of the first given association were recorded. The memory for the first three associations was subsequently tested in an unexpected recall. Results: Associations to conflict-related cue sentences were associated with longer RTs and increased SCRs. Moreover, the unexpected recall task showed memory for these associations to be reduced. Conclusion: We interpret these findings as possible correlates of repression, in line

Repressive effects of resveratrol on androgen receptor transcriptional activity.

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Wen-feng Shi

2009-10-01

Full Text Available The chemopreventive effects of resveratrol (RSV on prostate cancer have been well established; the androgen receptor (AR plays pivotal roles in prostatic tumorigenesis. However, the exact underlying molecular mechanisms about the effects of RSV on AR have not been fully elucidated. A model system is needed to determine whether and how RSV represses AR transcriptional activity.The AR cDNA was first cloned into the retroviral vector pOZ-N and then integrated into the genome of AR-negative HeLa cells to generate the AR(+ cells. The constitutively expressed AR was characterized by monitoring hormone-stimulated nuclear translocation, DNA binding, and transcriptional activation, with the AR(- cells serving as controls. AR(+ cells were treated with RSV, and both AR protein levels and AR transcriptional activity were measured simultaneously. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP assays were used to detect the effects of RSV on the recruitment of AR to its cognate element (ARE.AR in the AR (+ stable cell line functions in a manner similar to that of endogenously expressed AR. Using this model system we clearly demonstrated that RSV represses AR transcriptional activity independently of any effects on AR protein levels. However, neither the hormone-mediated nucleus translocation nor the AR/ARE interaction was affected by RSV treatment.We demonstrated unambiguously that RSV regulates AR target gene expression, at least in part, by repressing AR transcriptional activity. Repressive effects of RSV on AR activity result from mechanisms other than the affects of AR nuclear translocation or DNA binding.

Transcription and replication result in distinct epigenetic marks following repression of early gene expression

OpenAIRE

Kallestad, Les; Woods, Emily; Christensen, Kendra; Gefroh, Amanda; Balakrishnan, Lata; Milavetz, Barry

2013-01-01

Simian Virus 40 (SV40) early transcription is repressed when the product of early transcription, T-antigen, binds to its cognate regulatory sequence, Site I, in the promoter of the SV40 minichromosome. Because SV40 minichromosomes undergo replication and transcription potentially repression could occur during active transcription or during DNA replication. Since repression is frequently epigenetically marked by the introduction of specific forms of methylated histone H3, we characterized th...

Nitrogen Catabolite Repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hofman-Bang, H Jacob Peider

1999-01-01

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae the expression of all known nitrogen catabolite pathways are regulated by four regulators known as Gln3, Gat1, Da180, and Deh1. This is known as nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR). They bind to motifs in the promoter region to the consensus sequence S' GATAA 3'. Gln3...

Peer Effects on Head Start Children’s Preschool Competency

Science.gov (United States)

DeLay, Dawn; Hanish, Laura D.; Martin, Carol Lynn; Fabes, Richard A.

2015-01-01

The goals of the present study were to investigate whether young children attending Head Start (N=292; Mage=4.3 years) selected peers based on their preschool competency and whether children’s levels of preschool competency were influenced by their peers’ levels of preschool competency. Children’s peer interaction partners were intensively observed several times a week over one academic year. Social network analyses revealed that children selected peer interaction partners with similar levels of preschool competency and were influenced over time by their partners’ levels of preschool competency. These effects held even after controlling for several child (e.g., sex and language) and family factors (e.g., financial strain and parent education). Implications for promoting preschool competency among Head Start children are discussed. PMID:26479545

A Hexose Transporter Homologue Controls Glucose Repression in the Methylotrophic Yeast Hansenula polymorpha

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stasyk, Oleh V.; Stasyk, Olena G.; Komduur, Janet; Veenhuis, Marten; Cregg, James M.; Sibirny, Andrei A.

2004-01-01

Peroxisome biogenesis and synthesis of peroxisomal enzymes in the methylotrophic yeast Hansenula polymorpha are under the strict control of glucose repression. We identified an H. polymorpha glucose catabolite repression gene (HpGCR1) that encodes a hexose transporter homologue. Deficiency in GCR1

Drosophila DNA-Binding Proteins in Polycomb Repression

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Maksim Erokhin

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The formation of individual gene expression patterns in different cell types is required during differentiation and development of multicellular organisms. Polycomb group (PcG proteins are key epigenetic regulators responsible for gene repression, and dysregulation of their activities leads to developmental abnormalities and diseases. PcG proteins were first identified in Drosophila, which still remains the most convenient system for studying PcG-dependent repression. In the Drosophila genome, these proteins bind to DNA regions called Polycomb response elements (PREs. A major role in the recruitment of PcG proteins to PREs is played by DNA-binding factors, several of which have been characterized in detail. However, current knowledge is insufficient for comprehensively describing the mechanism of this process. In this review, we summarize and discuss the available data on the role of DNA-binding proteins in PcG recruitment to chromatin.

miR-200b mediates post-transcriptional repression of ZFHX1B

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christoffersen, Nanna Rønbjerg; Silahtaroglu, Asli; Ørom, Ulf Lupo Andersson

2007-01-01

of E-cadherin. We show that Zfhx1b and miR-200b are regionally coexpressed in the adult mouse brain and that miR-200b represses the expression of Zfhx1b via multiple sequence elements present in the 3'-untranslated region. Overexpression of miR-200b leads to repression of endogenous ZFHX1B...

Revisiting the Master-Signifier, or, Mandela and Repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Hook, Derek; Vanheule, Stijn

2015-01-01

The concept of the master-signifier has been subject to a variety of applications in Lacanian forms of political discourse theory and ideology critique. While there is much to be commended in literature of this sort, it often neglects salient issues pertaining to the role of master signifiers in the clinical domain of (individual) psychical economy. The popularity of the concept of the master (or "empty") signifier in political discourse analysis has thus proved a double-edged sword. On the one hand it demonstrates how crucial psychical processes are performed via the operations of the signifier, extending thus the Lacanian thesis that identification is the outcome of linguistic and symbolic as opposed to merely psychological processes. On the other, the use of the master signifier concept within the political realm to track discursive formations tends to distance the term from the dynamics of the unconscious and operation of repression. Accordingly, this paper revisits the master signifier concept, and does so within the socio-political domain, yet while paying particular attention to the functioning of unconscious processes of fantasy and repression. More specifically, it investigates how Nelson Mandela operates as a master signifier in contemporary South Africa, as a vital means of knitting together diverse elements of post-apartheid society, enabling the fantasy of the post-apartheid nation, and holding at bay a whole series of repressed and negated undercurrents.

Polycomb complexes act redundantly to repress genomic repeats and genes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leeb, Martin; Pasini, Diego; Novatchkova, Maria

2010-01-01

Polycomb complexes establish chromatin modifications for maintaining gene repression and are essential for embryonic development in mice. Here we use pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells to demonstrate an unexpected redundancy between Polycomb-repressive complex 1 (PRC1) and PRC2 during...... the formation of differentiated cells. ES cells lacking the function of either PRC1 or PRC2 can differentiate into cells of the three germ layers, whereas simultaneous loss of PRC1 and PRC2 abrogates differentiation. On the molecular level, the differentiation defect is caused by the derepression of a set...

Induction and catabolite repression of α-glucosidase synthesis in protoplasts of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wijk, R. van; Ouwehand, J.; Bos, T. van den; Koningsberger, V.V.

1969-01-01

1. 1. Kinetic data on the repression, the derepression and the induction of α-glucosidase synthesis in protoplasts of Saccharomyces carlsbergensis suggested that some site other than the stereospecific site for the induction by maltose was involved in the repression by glucose. 2. 2. A study of the

Obacunone Represses Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands 1 and 2 in an envZ-Dependent Fashion

Science.gov (United States)

Vikram, Amit; Jayaprakasha, Guddadarangavvanahally K.; Jesudhasan, Palmy R.

2012-01-01

Obacunone belongs to a class of unique triterpenoids called limonoids, present in Citrus species. Previous studies from our laboratory suggested that obacunone possesses antivirulence activity and demonstrates inhibition of cell-cell signaling in Vibrio harveyi and Escherichia coli O157:H7. The present work sought to determine the effect of obacunone on the food-borne pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium LT2 by using a cDNA microarray. Transcriptomic studies indicated that obacunone represses Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1), the maltose transporter, and the hydrogenase operon. Furthermore, phenotypic data for the Caco-2 infection assay and maltose utilization were in agreement with microarray data suggesting repression of SPI1 and maltose transport. Further studies demonstrated that repression of SPI1 was plausibly mediated through hilA. Additionally, obacunone seems to repress SPI2 under SPI2-inducing conditions as well as in Caco-2 infection models. Furthermore, obacunone seems to repress hilA in an EnvZ-dependent fashion. Altogether, the results of the study seems to suggest that obacunone exerts an antivirulence effect on S. Typhimurium and may serve as a lead compound for development of antivirulence strategies for S. Typhimurium. PMID:22843534

RNAi and heterochromatin repress centromeric meiotic recombination

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ellermeier, Chad; Higuchi, Emily C; Phadnis, Naina

2010-01-01

During meiosis, the formation of viable haploid gametes from diploid precursors requires that each homologous chromosome pair be properly segregated to produce an exact haploid set of chromosomes. Genetic recombination, which provides a physical connection between homologous chromosomes, is essen......During meiosis, the formation of viable haploid gametes from diploid precursors requires that each homologous chromosome pair be properly segregated to produce an exact haploid set of chromosomes. Genetic recombination, which provides a physical connection between homologous chromosomes....... Surprisingly, one mutant derepressed for recombination in the heterochromatic mating-type region during meiosis and several mutants derepressed for centromeric gene expression during mitotic growth are not derepressed for centromeric recombination during meiosis. These results reveal a complex relation between...... types of repression by heterochromatin. Our results also reveal a previously undemonstrated role for RNAi and heterochromatin in the repression of meiotic centromeric recombination and, potentially, in the prevention of birth defects by maintenance of proper chromosome segregation during meiosis....

Interplay between EZH2 and G9a Regulates CXCL10 Gene Repression in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Coward, William R; Brand, Oliver J; Pasini, Alice; Jenkins, Gisli; Knox, Alan J; Pang, Linhua

2018-04-01

Selective repression of the antifibrotic gene CXCL10 contributes to tissue remodeling in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We have previously reported that histone deacetylation and histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methylation are involved in CXCL10 repression. In this study, we explored the role of H3K27 methylation and the interplay between the two histone lysine methyltransferases enhancer of zest homolog 2 (EZH2) and G9a in CXCL10 repression in IPF. By applying chromatin immunoprecipitation, Re-ChIP, and proximity ligation assays, we demonstrated that, like G9a-mediated H3K9 methylation, EZH2-mediated histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) was significantly enriched at the CXCL10 promoter in fibroblasts from IPF lungs (F-IPF) compared with fibroblasts from nonfibrotic lungs, and we also found that EZH2 and G9a physically interacted with each other. EZH2 knockdown reduced not only EZH2 and H3K27me3 but also G9a and H3K9me3, and G9a knockdown reduced not only G9 and H3K9me3 but also EZH2 and H3K27me3. Depletion and inhibition of EZH2 and G9a also reversed histone deacetylation and restored CXCL10 expression in F-IPF. Furthermore, treatment of fibroblasts from nonfibrotic lungs with the profibrotic cytokine transforming growth factor-β1 increased EZH2, G9a, H3K27me3, H3K9me3, and histone deacetylation at the CXCL10 promoter, similar to that observed in F-IPF, which was correlated with CXCL10 repression and was prevented by EZH2 and G9a knockdown. These findings suggest that a novel and functionally interdependent interplay between EZH2 and G9a regulates histone methylation-mediated epigenetic repression of the antifibrotic CXCL10 gene in IPF. This interdependent interplay may prove to be a target for epigenetic intervention to restore the expression of CXCL10 and other antifibrotic genes in IPF.

Natural memory beyond the storage model: Repression, trauma, and the construction of a personal past

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nikolai Axmacher

2010-11-01

Full Text Available Naturally occurring memory processes show features which are difficult to investigate by conventional cognitive neuroscience paradigms. Distortions of memory for problematic contents are described both by psychoanalysis (internal conflicts and research on post-traumatic stress disorder (external traumata. Typically, declarative memory for these contents is impaired – possibly due to repression in the case of internal conflicts or due to dissociation in the case of external traumata – but they continue to exert an unconscious pathological influence: neurotic symptoms or psychosomatic disorders after repression or flashbacks and intrusions in post-traumatic stress disorder after dissociation. Several experimental paradigms aim at investigating repression in healthy control subjects. We argue that these paradigms do not adequately operationalize the clinical process of repression, because they rely on an intentional inhibition of random stimuli (suppression. Furthermore, these paradigms ignore that memory distortions due to repression or dissociation are most accurately characterized by a lack of self-referential processing, resulting in an impaired integration of these contents into the self. This aspect of repression and dissociation cannot be captured by the concept of memory as a storage device which is usually employed in the cognitive neurosciences. It can only be assessed within the framework of a constructivist memory concept, according to which successful memory involves a reconstruction of experiences such that they fit into a representation of the self. We suggest several experimental paradigms that allow for the investigation of the neural correlates of repressed memories and trauma-induced memory distortions based on a constructivist memory concept.

Targeted repression of AXIN2 and MYC gene expression using designer TALEs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rennoll, Sherri A.; Scott, Samantha A.; Yochum, Gregory S.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • We designed TALE–SID fusion proteins to target AXIN2 and MYC. • TALE–SIDs bound the chromosomal AXIN2 and MYC genes and repressed their expression. • TALE–SIDs repress β-catenin S45F -dependent AXIN2 and MYC transcription. - Abstract: Designer TALEs (dTALEs) are chimeric transcription factors that can be engineered to regulate gene expression in mammalian cells. Whether dTALEs can block gene transcription downstream of signal transduction cascades, however, has yet to be fully explored. Here we tested whether dTALEs can be used to target genes whose expression is controlled by Wnt/β-catenin signaling. TALE DNA binding domains were engineered to recognize sequences adjacent to Wnt responsive enhancer elements (WREs) that control expression of axis inhibition protein 2 (AXIN2) and c-MYC (MYC). These custom DNA binding domains were linked to the mSin3A interaction domain (SID) to generate TALE–SID chimeric repressors. The TALE–SIDs repressed luciferase reporter activity, bound their genomic target sites, and repressed AXIN2 and MYC expression in HEK293 cells. We generated a novel HEK293 cell line to determine whether the TALE–SIDs could function downstream of oncogenic Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Treating these cells with doxycycline and tamoxifen stimulates nuclear accumulation of a stabilized form of β-catenin found in a subset of colorectal cancers. The TALE–SIDs repressed AXIN2 and MYC expression in these cells, which suggests that dTALEs could offer an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of colorectal cancer

Targeted repression of AXIN2 and MYC gene expression using designer TALEs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rennoll, Sherri A.; Scott, Samantha A.; Yochum, Gregory S., E-mail: gsy3@psu.edu

2014-04-18

Highlights: • We designed TALE–SID fusion proteins to target AXIN2 and MYC. • TALE–SIDs bound the chromosomal AXIN2 and MYC genes and repressed their expression. • TALE–SIDs repress β-catenin{sup S45F}-dependent AXIN2 and MYC transcription. - Abstract: Designer TALEs (dTALEs) are chimeric transcription factors that can be engineered to regulate gene expression in mammalian cells. Whether dTALEs can block gene transcription downstream of signal transduction cascades, however, has yet to be fully explored. Here we tested whether dTALEs can be used to target genes whose expression is controlled by Wnt/β-catenin signaling. TALE DNA binding domains were engineered to recognize sequences adjacent to Wnt responsive enhancer elements (WREs) that control expression of axis inhibition protein 2 (AXIN2) and c-MYC (MYC). These custom DNA binding domains were linked to the mSin3A interaction domain (SID) to generate TALE–SID chimeric repressors. The TALE–SIDs repressed luciferase reporter activity, bound their genomic target sites, and repressed AXIN2 and MYC expression in HEK293 cells. We generated a novel HEK293 cell line to determine whether the TALE–SIDs could function downstream of oncogenic Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Treating these cells with doxycycline and tamoxifen stimulates nuclear accumulation of a stabilized form of β-catenin found in a subset of colorectal cancers. The TALE–SIDs repressed AXIN2 and MYC expression in these cells, which suggests that dTALEs could offer an effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Revisiting the master-signifier, or, Mandela and repression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Derek eHook

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The concept of the master-signifier has been subject to a variety of applications in Lacanian forms of political discourse theory and ideology critique. While there is much to be commended in literature of this sort, it often neglects salient issues pertaining to the role of master signifiers in the clinical domain of (individual psychical economy. The popularity of the concept of the master (or ‘empty’ signifier in political discourse analysis has thus proved a double-edged sword. On the one hand it demonstrates how crucial psychical processes are performed via the operations of the signifier, extending thus the Lacanian thesis that identification is as much the outcome of linguistic and symbolic as opposed to merely psychological processes. On the other, the use of the master signifier concept within the political realm to track discursive formations tends to distance the term from the dynamics of the unconscious and operation of repression. Accordingly, this paper revisits the master signifier concept, and does so within the socio-political domain, yet while paying particular attention to the functioning of unconscious processes of fantasy and repression. More specifically, it investigates how Nelson Mandela operates as a master signifier in contemporary South Africa, as a vital means of knitting together diverse elements of post-apartheid society, enabling the fantasy of the post-apartheid nation, and holding at bay a whole series of repressed and negated undercurrents.

A practical approach to competency assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Claflin, N

1997-01-01

Assessing clinical performance is difficult. Members of the Nursing Service Clinical Practice Committee at the Carl T. Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix developed a comprehensive program of competency assessment based on performance measures. This article describes the committee's process of developing and implementing the program and includes a blueprint for competency assessment and selected performance measures for all nursing staff who provide patient care. The approach to competency assessment includes performance measures specific to patients' ages.

Financial Repression as a Policy Choice: The Case of Ukraine, 1992—2000

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert S. Kravchuk

2004-10-01

Full Text Available By their nature, instruments of financial repression distort interest rates, foreign exchange rates, patterns of investment, and the economic incentives of both borrowers and lenders. In order to deal with the economic pathologies introduced by the government’s own credit and financial policies, governments inevitably find that they must intervene further, to ration credit and impose controls, generally on prices, wages, interest rates, foreign exchange rates and other transactions. Not only did Ukraine exhibit all of the symptoms of financial repression in the 1990s, but the basic policy instruments of financial repression also became too familiar in Ukraine. In fact, to one extent or another, in the 1990s Ukraine employed several of these measures (often in combination as means to suppress the effects of excessive amounts of state consumption, the resultant inflation, and its own credit policies. In the long run, economic growth will suffer, however, because repression reduces the capacity of the financial system to respond to the needs of firms and households in the real economy.

CcpA-dependent carbon catabolite repression in bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Warner, JB; Lolkema, JS; Warner, Jessica B.

2003-01-01

Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) by transcriptional regulators follows different mechanisms in gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. In gram-positive bacteria, CcpA-dependent CCR is mediated by phosphorylation of the phosphoenolpyruvate:sugar phosphotransferase system intermediate HPr at a

Charting a course to competency: an approach to mapping public health core competencies to existing trainings.

Science.gov (United States)

Neiworth, Latrissa L; Allan, Susan; D'Ambrosio, Luann; Coplen-Abrahamson, Marlene

2014-03-01

Consistent with other professional fields, the goals of public health training have moved from a focus on knowledge transfer to the development of skills or competencies. At least six national competency sets have been developed in the past decade pertaining to public health professionals. State and local public health agencies are increasingly using competency sets as frameworks for staff development and assessment. Mapping competencies to training has potential for enhancing the value of public health training during resource-constrained times by directly linking training content to the desired skills. For existing public health trainings, the challenge is how to identify competencies addressed in those courses in a manner that is not burdensome and that produces valid results. This article describes a process for mapping competencies to the learning objectives, assignments, and assessments of existing trainings. The process presented could be used by any training center or organization that seeks to connect public health workforce competencies to previously developed instruction. Public health practice can be strengthened more effectively if trainings can be selected for the desired practice skills or competencies.

The natural product peiminine represses colorectal carcinoma tumor growth by inducing autophagic cell death

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyu, Qing; Tou, Fangfang; Su, Hong; Wu, Xiaoyong; Chen, Xinyi; Zheng, Zhi

2015-01-01

Autophagy is evolutionarily conservative in eukaryotic cells that engulf cellular long-lived proteins and organelles, and it degrades the contents through fusion with lysosomes, via which the cell acquires recycled building blocks for the synthesis of new molecules. In this study, we revealed that peiminine induces cell death and enhances autophagic flux in colorectal carcinoma HCT-116 cells. We determined that peiminine enhances the autophagic flux by repressing the phosphorylation of mTOR through inhibiting upstream signals. Knocking down ATG5 greatly reduced the peiminine-induced cell death in wild-type HCT-116 cells, while treating Bax/Bak-deficient cells with peiminine resulted in significant cell death. In summary, our discoveries demonstrated that peiminine represses colorectal carcinoma cell proliferation and cell growth by inducing autophagic cell death. - Highlights: • Peiminine induces autophagy and upregulates autophagic flux. • Peiminine represses colorectal carcinoma tumor growth. • Peiminine induces autophagic cell death. • Peiminine represses mTOR phosphorylation by influencing PI3K/Akt and AMPK pathway

The natural product peiminine represses colorectal carcinoma tumor growth by inducing autophagic cell death

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lyu, Qing [School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084 (China); Key Lab in Healthy Science and Technology, Division of Life Science, Graduate School at Shenzhen, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055 (China); Tou, Fangfang [Jiangxi Provincial Key Lab of Oncology Translation Medicine, Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, Nanchang, 330029 (China); Su, Hong; Wu, Xiaoyong [First Affiliated Hospital, Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, 550002 (China); Chen, Xinyi [Department of Hematology and Oncology, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 100029 (China); Zheng, Zhi, E-mail: zheng_sheva@hotmail.com [Jiangxi Provincial Key Lab of Oncology Translation Medicine, Jiangxi Cancer Hospital, Nanchang, 330029 (China)

2015-06-19

Autophagy is evolutionarily conservative in eukaryotic cells that engulf cellular long-lived proteins and organelles, and it degrades the contents through fusion with lysosomes, via which the cell acquires recycled building blocks for the synthesis of new molecules. In this study, we revealed that peiminine induces cell death and enhances autophagic flux in colorectal carcinoma HCT-116 cells. We determined that peiminine enhances the autophagic flux by repressing the phosphorylation of mTOR through inhibiting upstream signals. Knocking down ATG5 greatly reduced the peiminine-induced cell death in wild-type HCT-116 cells, while treating Bax/Bak-deficient cells with peiminine resulted in significant cell death. In summary, our discoveries demonstrated that peiminine represses colorectal carcinoma cell proliferation and cell growth by inducing autophagic cell death. - Highlights: • Peiminine induces autophagy and upregulates autophagic flux. • Peiminine represses colorectal carcinoma tumor growth. • Peiminine induces autophagic cell death. • Peiminine represses mTOR phosphorylation by influencing PI3K/Akt and AMPK pathway.

Derangement of a factor upstream of RARalpha triggers the repression of a pleiotropic epigenetic network.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francesca Corlazzoli

Full Text Available Chromatin adapts and responds to extrinsic and intrinsic cues. We hypothesize that inheritable aberrant chromatin states in cancer and aging are caused by genetic/environmental factors. In previous studies we demonstrated that either genetic mutations, or loss, of retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha, can impair the integration of the retinoic acid (RA signal at the chromatin of RA-responsive genes downstream of RARalpha, and can lead to aberrant repressive chromatin states marked by epigenetic modifications. In this study we tested whether the mere interference with the availability of RA signal at RARalpha, in cells with an otherwise functional RARalpha, can also induce epigenetic repression at RA-responsive genes downstream of RARalpha.To hamper the availability of RA at RARalpha in untransformed human mammary epithelial cells, we targeted the cellular RA-binding protein 2 (CRABP2, which transports RA from the cytoplasm onto the nuclear RARs. Stable ectopic expression of a CRABP2 mutant unable to enter the nucleus, as well as stable knock down of endogenous CRABP2, led to the coordinated transcriptional repression of a few RA-responsive genes downstream of RARalpha. The chromatin at these genes acquired an exacerbated repressed state, or state "of no return". This aberrant state is unresponsive to RA, and therefore differs from the physiologically repressed, yet "poised" state, which is responsive to RA. Consistent with development of homozygosis for epigenetically repressed loci, a significant proportion of cells with a defective CRABP2-mediated RA transport developed heritable phenotypes indicative of loss of function.Derangement/lack of a critical factor necessary for RARalpha function induces epigenetic repression of a RA-regulated gene network downstream of RARalpha, with major pleiotropic biological outcomes.

Repressive coping and alexithymia in ideopathic environmental intolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skovbjerg, Sine; Zachariae, Robert; Rasmussen, Alice

2010-01-01

participated in a general population-based study and reported symptoms of environmental intolerance (n = 787) and patients with IEI (n = 237). The participants completed questionnaires assessing IEI, namely, a measure of repressive coping combining scores on the Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MCSDS...

Competence is Competence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bramming, Pia

2004-01-01

The article will address competence, its' diffusion, application, and the consequence of this application within the field of Human Resource Management (HRM). The concept competence-in-practice will be presented and in conclusion the article will consider implications and possibilities...... of competence-in-practice as an alternative approach to Competence Development within Human Resource Management....

Repressive Tolerance and the Practice of Adult Education

Science.gov (United States)

Brookfield, Stephen D.

2014-01-01

Herbert Marcuse's concept of repressive tolerance argues that behind the justification of tolerance lies the possibility of ideological domination. Tolerance allows intolerable practices to go unchallenged and flattens discussion to assume all viewpoints have equal validity. When alternative, dissenting views are inserted into the curriculum…

Drosophila Pumilio protein contains multiple autonomous repression domains that regulate mRNAs independently of Nanos and brain tumor.

Science.gov (United States)

Weidmann, Chase A; Goldstrohm, Aaron C

2012-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster Pumilio is an RNA-binding protein that potently represses specific mRNAs. In developing embryos, Pumilio regulates a key morphogen, Hunchback, in collaboration with the cofactor Nanos. To investigate repression by Pumilio and Nanos, we created cell-based assays and found that Pumilio inhibits translation and enhances mRNA decay independent of Nanos. Nanos robustly stimulates repression through interactions with the Pumilio RNA-binding domain. We programmed Pumilio to recognize a new binding site, which garners repression of new target mRNAs. We show that cofactors Brain Tumor and eIF4E Homologous Protein are not obligatory for Pumilio and Nanos activity. The conserved RNA-binding domain of Pumilio was thought to be sufficient for its function. Instead, we demonstrate that three unique domains in the N terminus of Pumilio possess the major repressive activity and can function autonomously. The N termini of insect and vertebrate Pumilio and Fem-3 binding factors (PUFs) are related, and we show that corresponding regions of human PUM1 and PUM2 have repressive activity. Other PUF proteins lack these repression domains. Our findings suggest that PUF proteins have evolved new regulatory functions through protein sequences appended to their conserved PUF repeat RNA-binding domains.

Tracking clinical competencies on the web.

Science.gov (United States)

Hobbs, Dan L

2005-01-01

The American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) has defined several core examinations that student radiographers must perform to demonstrate competency. Furthermore, the ARRT has left the method of tracking competency exams to educators. This article describes a Web-based system that can be used to track clinical competencies. The pedagogy employed in designing a meaningful and successful Web site to track competencies can be overwhelming. Considerations include selecting software, the design and implementation process, and providing security to protect confidential information. The Web-based system described in this article is innovative, sensible and relatively easy to adopt. This tracking method provides faculty members with instantaneous access and a quick review of the student's competency examinations. Students' competency information for the entire program is contained in 1 electronic file. With minor modification, the system can be used in a variety of educational and administrative settings.

Nuclear safety and human competence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stefanescu, Petre

2001-01-01

Competence represents a very well defined ensemble of knowledge and skills, behavior modalities, standard procedures and judgement types that can be used in a given situation, without a priori learning. It is obvious that a person competence should fulfill the needs of the company he works for. For a Nuclear Power Plant operator competence is a constitutive part of his individuality. Competence includes: 1. Knowledge that can be classified in three main items: - procedural and declarative knowledge; - practical knowledge and skills; - fundamental knowledge. 2. 'Non cognitive' knowledge components, such as 'social information', team collective competence, safety education, risks perception and management. The last item presents a special interest for nuclear safety. On the other hand, competence level defines the quality of procedures applied in different operational situations. Competence - procedures relations are presented. Competence fundament results from operator activity analysis. The analyst has to take into consideration several phases of activity in which competence is highlighted like: - genesis, during formation; - transformation, during adaptation to a technical modification; - transfer, from expert to probationer. Competence is subject to a continuous transformation process due to technical and organizational evolutions and 'operator ageing'. Cognitive ageing of operators or the technical ageing of competence often appear to be superimposed. Technical progress acceleration increases the ageing effects of competence. Knowledge - skills dynamic relations are discussed. The changing of organizational form determines appearance of new competence gained from others domains or defined by multidisciplinary studies. Ergonomics can help the changing of organizational form through analysis of operators evolution activity which will generate new competence. Ergonomics can contribute to identify means of raising competence starting from learning process

Epigenetic regulation of puberty via Zinc finger protein-mediated transcriptional repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Lomniczi, Alejandro; Wright, Hollis; Castellano, Juan Manuel; Matagne, Valerie; Toro, Carlos A; Ramaswamy, Suresh; Plant, Tony M; Ojeda, Sergio R

2015-12-16

In primates, puberty is unleashed by increased GnRH release from the hypothalamus following an interval of juvenile quiescence. GWAS implicates Zinc finger (ZNF) genes in timing human puberty. Here we show that hypothalamic expression of several ZNFs decreased in agonadal male monkeys in association with the pubertal reactivation of gonadotropin secretion. Expression of two of these ZNFs, GATAD1 and ZNF573, also decreases in peripubertal female monkeys. However, only GATAD1 abundance increases when gonadotropin secretion is suppressed during late infancy. Targeted delivery of GATAD1 or ZNF573 to the rat hypothalamus delays puberty by impairing the transition of a transcriptional network from an immature repressive epigenetic configuration to one of activation. GATAD1 represses transcription of two key puberty-related genes, KISS1 and TAC3, directly, and reduces the activating histone mark H3K4me2 at each promoter via recruitment of histone demethylase KDM1A. We conclude that GATAD1 epitomizes a subset of ZNFs involved in epigenetic repression of primate puberty.

Timing is critical for effective glucocorticoid receptor mediated repression of the cAMP-induced CRH gene.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Siem van der Laan

Full Text Available Glucocorticoid negative feedback of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is mediated in part by direct repression of gene transcription in glucocorticoid receptor (GR expressing cells. We have investigated the cross talk between the two main signaling pathways involved in activation and repression of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH mRNA expression: cyclic AMP (cAMP and GR. We report that in the At-T20 cell-line the glucocorticoid-mediated repression of the cAMP-induced human CRH proximal promoter activity depends on the relative timing of activation of both signaling pathways. Activation of the GR prior to or in conjunction with cAMP signaling results in an effective repression of the cAMP-induced transcription of the CRH gene. In contrast, activation of the GR 10 minutes after onset of cAMP treatment, results in a significant loss of GR-mediated repression. In addition, translocation of ligand-activated GR to the nucleus was found as early as 10 minutes after glucocorticoid treatment. Interestingly, while both signaling cascades counteract each other on the CRH proximal promoter, they synergize on a synthetic promoter containing 'positive' response elements. Since the order of activation of both signaling pathways may vary considerably in vivo, we conclude that a critical time-window exists for effective repression of the CRH gene by glucocorticoids.

Developing a Framework for Communication Management Competencies

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffrey, Lynn Maud; Brunton, Margaret Ann

2011-01-01

Using a hierarchical needs assessment model developed by Hunt we identified the essential competencies of communication management practitioners for the purpose of curriculum development and selection. We found that the underlying values of the profession were embodied in two superordinate goals. Six major competencies were identified, which were…

Clinical events in coronary patients who report low distress: adverse effect of repressive coping.

Science.gov (United States)

Denollet, Johan; Martens, Elisabeth J; Nyklícek, Ivan; Conraads, Viviane M; de Gelder, Beatrice

2008-05-01

Coronary artery disease (CAD) patients who report low distress are considered to be at low psychological risk for clinical events. However, patients with a repressive coping style may fail to detect and report signals of emotional distress. The authors hypothesized that repressive CAD patients are at risk for clinical events, despite low self-rated distress. This was a prospective 5- to 10-year follow-up study, with a mean follow-up of 6.6 years. At baseline, 731 CAD patients filled out Trait-Anxiety (distress), Marlowe-Crowne (defensiveness), and Type D scales; 159 patients were classified as "repressive," 360 as "nonrepressive," and 212 as "Type D." The primary endpoint was a composite of total mortality or myocardial infarction (MI); the secondary endpoint was cardiac mortality/MI. No patients were lost to follow-up; 91 patients had a clinical event (including 35 cardiac death and 32 MI). Repressive patients reported low levels of anxiety, anger and depression at baseline, but were at increased risk for death/MI (21/159 = 13%) compared with nonrepressive patients (22/360 = 6%), p = .009. Poor systolic function, poor exercise tolerance, 3-vessel disease, index MI and Type-D personality--but not depression, anxiety or anger--also independently predicted clinical events. After controlling for these variables, repressive patients still had a twofold increased risk of death/MI, OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.10-4.08, p = .025). These findings were replicated for cardiac mortality/MI. CAD patients who use a repressive coping style are at increased risk for clinical events, despite their claims of low emotional distress. This phenomenon may cause an underestimation of the effect of stress on the heart. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved).

"The Neurosis That Has Possessed Us": Political Repression in the Cold War Medical Profession.

Science.gov (United States)

Chowkwanyun, Merlin

2018-04-27

Political repression played a central role in shaping the political complexion of the American medical profession, the policies it advocated, and those allowed to function comfortably in it. Previous work on the impact of McCarthyism and medicine focuses heavily on the mid-century failure of national health insurance (NHI) and medical reform organizations that suffered from McCarthyist attacks. The focus is national and birds-eye but says less about the impact on day-to-day life of physicians caught in a McCarthyist web; and how exactly the machinery of political repression within the medical profession worked on the ground. This study shifts orientation by using the abrupt dismissal of three Los Angeles physicians from their jobs as a starting point for exploring these dynamics. I argue that the rise of the medical profession and the repressive state in the mid-century, frequently studied apart, worked hand-in-hand, with institutions from each playing symbiotic and mutually reinforcing roles. I also explore tactics of resistance - rhetorical and organizational - to medical repression by physicians who came under attack.

Global transcriptional repression in C. elegans germline precursors by regulated sequestration of TAF-4.

Science.gov (United States)

Guven-Ozkan, Tugba; Nishi, Yuichi; Robertson, Scott M; Lin, Rueyling

2008-10-03

In C. elegans, four asymmetric divisions, beginning with the zygote (P0), generate transcriptionally repressed germline blastomeres (P1-P4) and somatic sisters that become transcriptionally active. The protein PIE-1 represses transcription in the later germline blastomeres but not in the earlier germline blastomeres P0 and P1. We show here that OMA-1 and OMA-2, previously shown to regulate oocyte maturation, repress transcription in P0 and P1 by binding to and sequestering in the cytoplasm TAF-4, a component critical for assembly of TFIID and the pol II preinitiation complex. OMA-1/2 binding to TAF-4 is developmentally regulated, requiring phosphorylation by the DYRK kinase MBK-2, which is activated at meiosis II after fertilization. OMA-1/2 are normally degraded after the first mitosis, but ectopic expression of wild-type OMA-1 is sufficient to repress transcription in both somatic and later germline blastomeres. We propose that phosphorylation by MBK-2 serves as a developmental switch, converting OMA-1/2 from oocyte to embryo regulators.

Real-time PCR analysis of carbon catabolite repression of cellobiose gene transcription in Trametes versicolor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stapleton, P. C.; O' Mahoney, J.; Dobson, A. D. W. [National University of Ireland, Microbiology Department, Cork (Ireland)

2004-02-01

Previous reports indicate that in white rot fungi such as Trametes versicolor, the production of cellobiose dehydrogenase (CDH), an extracellular haemo-flavo-enzyme, is subject to carbon catabolite repression by both glucose and maltose, and that the repression is mediated at the transcriptional level. This paper describes the results of an investigation of CDH gene transcription in cellulolytic cultures of T. versicolor, in the presence of other additional carbon sources such as glucose, arabinose, and xylose. Using real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay methods in the presence of these other additional carbon sources, the levels of repression observed are quantitatively determined in an effort to obtain more accurate measurements of carbon catabolite repression of CDH production in this ligninolytic fungus. Ninety-six hours after addition, results of the analysis showed reduction in CDH transcript levels of 19-fold for galactose, 92-fold for arabinose and 114-fold for xylose. The greatest repressive effect was exhibited by glucose. In this case the reduction in CDH transcript levels was 3400-fold. CDH plays an important role in lignin degradation, and there is also substantial interest in the biotechnological applications of CDH, most particularly in the pulp and paper industry. 24 refs., 4 figs.

Financial repression and high public debt in Europe

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Riet, Ad

2018-01-01

The sharp rise in public debt-to-GDP ratios in the aftermath of the global financial crisis of 2008 posed serious challenges for fiscal policy in euro area countries. This thesis examines whether and to what extent modern financial repression has been applied in Europe to address these challenges.

Selective translational repression of truncated proteins from frameshift mutation-derived mRNAs in tumors.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kwon Tae You

2007-05-01

Full Text Available Frameshift and nonsense mutations are common in tumors with microsatellite instability, and mRNAs from these mutated genes have premature termination codons (PTCs. Abnormal mRNAs containing PTCs are normally degraded by the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD system. However, PTCs located within 50-55 nucleotides of the last exon-exon junction are not recognized by NMD (NMD-irrelevant, and some PTC-containing mRNAs can escape from the NMD system (NMD-escape. We investigated protein expression from NMD-irrelevant and NMD-escape PTC-containing mRNAs by Western blotting and transfection assays. We demonstrated that transfection of NMD-irrelevant PTC-containing genomic DNA of MARCKS generates truncated protein. In contrast, NMD-escape PTC-containing versions of hMSH3 and TGFBR2 generate normal levels of mRNA, but do not generate detectable levels of protein. Transfection of NMD-escape mutant TGFBR2 genomic DNA failed to generate expression of truncated proteins, whereas transfection of wild-type TGFBR2 genomic DNA or mutant PTC-containing TGFBR2 cDNA generated expression of wild-type protein and truncated protein, respectively. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism of gene expression regulation for PTC-containing mRNAs in which the deleterious transcripts are regulated either by NMD or translational repression.

Political Repressions in USSR (Against Speculations, Perversion and Mystifications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viktor N. Zemskov

2012-12-01

Full Text Available In the article the great numbers of political repressions, which were exaggerated by authors: R.A. Medvedev, A.I. Solzhenitsyn, O.G. Shatunovskoy, A.V. Antonov-Ovseenko in 80-90s are criticized. The author characterizes figures given in tens and even in hundreds of millions of victims as a statistical charlatanism.After checking up the KGB archives, and documents of division responsible for NKVD-MVD special settlements, the author spills the light on real numbers of political repressions in USSR. In his view, the total number of political victims does not exceed 2, 6 million people. This number implies over 800 thousand of death sentenced for political reasons, around 600 thousand political prisoners who died in labor camps, and about 1, 2 million people died in exile (including ‘Kulak Exile’ and during transportation (deported ethnic groups and others.

Competency-based continuing professional development.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Craig; Silver, Ivan; Sherbino, Jonathan; Cate, Olle Ten; Holmboe, Eric S

2010-01-01

Competence is traditionally viewed as the attainment of a static set of attributes rather than a dynamic process in which physicians continuously use their practice experiences to "progress in competence" toward the attainment of expertise. A competency-based continuing professional development (CPD) model is premised on a set of learning competencies that include the ability to (a) use practice information to identify learning priorities and to develop and monitor CPD plans; (b) access information sources for innovations in development and new evidence that may potentially be integrated into practice; (c) establish a personal knowledge management system to store and retrieve evidence and to select and manage learning projects; (d) construct questions, search for evidence, and record and track conclusions for practice; and (e) use tools and processes to measure competence and performance and develop action plans to enhance practice. Competency-based CPD emphasizes self-directed learning processes and promotes the role of assessment as a professional expectation and obligation. Various approaches to defining general competencies for practice require the creation of specific performance metrics to be meaningful and relevant to the lifelong learning strategies of physicians. This paper describes the assumptions, advantages, and challenges of establishing a CPD system focused on competencies that improve physician performance and the quality and safety of patient care. Implications for competency-based CPD are discussed from an individual and organizational perspective, and a model to bridge the transition from residency to practice is explored.

Acetate repression of methane oxidation by supplemental Methylocella silvestris in a peat soil microcosm.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, M Tanvir; Crombie, Andrew; Moussard, Hélène; Chen, Yin; Murrell, J Colin

2011-06-01

Methylocella spp. are facultative methanotrophs that grow on methane and multicarbon substrates, such as acetate. Acetate represses transcription of methane monooxygenase of Methylocella silvestris in laboratory culture. DNA stable-isotope probing (DNA-SIP) using (13)C-methane and (12)C-acetate, carried out with Methylocella-spiked peat soil, showed that acetate also repressed methane oxidation by Methylocella in environmental samples.

Glucocorticoid and cytokine crosstalk: Feedback, feedforward, and co-regulatory interactions determine repression or resistance.

Science.gov (United States)

Newton, Robert; Shah, Suharsh; Altonsy, Mohammed O; Gerber, Antony N

2017-04-28

Inflammatory signals induce feedback and feedforward systems that provide temporal control. Although glucocorticoids can repress inflammatory gene expression, glucocorticoid receptor recruitment increases expression of negative feedback and feedforward regulators, including the phosphatase, DUSP1, the ubiquitin-modifying enzyme, TNFAIP3, or the mRNA-destabilizing protein, ZFP36. Moreover, glucocorticoid receptor cooperativity with factors, including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), may enhance regulator expression to promote repression. Conversely, MAPKs, which are inhibited by glucocorticoids, provide feedforward control to limit expression of the transcription factor IRF1, and the chemokine, CXCL10. We propose that modulation of feedback and feedforward control can determine repression or resistance of inflammatory gene expression toglucocorticoid. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Interferon-Stimulated Genes Are Transcriptionally Repressed by PR in Breast Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Walter, Katherine R; Goodman, Merit L; Singhal, Hari; Hall, Jade A; Li, Tianbao; Holloran, Sean M; Trinca, Gloria M; Gibson, Katelin A; Jin, Victor X; Greene, Geoffrey L; Hagan, Christy R

2017-10-01

The progesterone receptor (PR) regulates transcriptional programs that drive proliferation, survival, and stem cell phenotypes. Although the role of native progesterone in the development of breast cancer remains controversial, PR clearly alters the transcriptome in breast tumors. This study identifies a class of genes, Interferon (IFN)-stimulated genes (ISGs), potently downregulated by ligand-activated PR which have not been previously shown to be regulated by PR. Progestin-dependent transcriptional repression of ISGs was observed in breast cancer cell line models and human breast tumors. Ligand-independent regulation of ISGs was also observed, as basal transcript levels were markedly higher in cells with PR knockdown. PR repressed ISG transcription in response to IFN treatment, the canonical mechanism through which these genes are activated. Liganded PR is robustly recruited to enhancer regions of ISGs, and ISG transcriptional repression is dependent upon PR's ability to bind DNA. In response to PR activation, key regulatory transcription factors that are required for IFN-activated ISG transcription, STAT2 and IRF9, exhibit impaired recruitment to ISG promoter regions, correlating with PR/ligand-dependent ISG transcriptional repression. IFN activation is a critical early step in nascent tumor recognition and destruction through immunosurveillance. As the large majority of breast tumors are PR positive at the time of diagnosis, PR-dependent downregulation of IFN signaling may be a mechanism through which early PR-positive breast tumors evade the immune system and develop into clinically relevant tumors. Implications: This study highlights a novel transcriptional mechanism through which PR drives breast cancer development and potentially evades the immune system. Mol Cancer Res; 15(10); 1331-40. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Random survival forests for competing risks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ishwaran, Hemant; Gerds, Thomas A; Kogalur, Udaya B

2014-01-01

We introduce a new approach to competing risks using random forests. Our method is fully non-parametric and can be used for selecting event-specific variables and for estimating the cumulative incidence function. We show that the method is highly effective for both prediction and variable selection...

Distinct Residues Contribute to Motility Repression and Autoregulation in the Proteus mirabilis Fimbria-Associated Transcriptional Regulator AtfJ.

Science.gov (United States)

Bode, Nadine J; Chan, Kun-Wei; Kong, Xiang-Peng; Pearson, Melanie M

2016-08-01

Proteus mirabilis contributes to a significant number of catheter-associated urinary tract infections, where coordinated regulation of adherence and motility is critical for ascending disease progression. Previously, the mannose-resistant Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbria-associated transcriptional regulator MrpJ has been shown to both repress motility and directly induce the transcription of its own operon; in addition, it affects the expression of a wide range of cellular processes. Interestingly, 14 additional mrpJ paralogs are included in the P. mirabilis genome. Looking at a selection of MrpJ paralogs, we discovered that these proteins, which consistently repress motility, also have nonidentical functions that include cross-regulation of fimbrial operons. A subset of paralogs, including AtfJ (encoded by the ambient temperature fimbrial operon), Fim8J, and MrpJ, are capable of autoinduction. We identified an element of the atf promoter extending from 487 to 655 nucleotides upstream of the transcriptional start site that is responsive to AtfJ, and we found that AtfJ directly binds this fragment. Mutational analysis of AtfJ revealed that its two identified functions, autoregulation and motility repression, are not invariably linked. Residues within the DNA-binding helix-turn-helix domain are required for motility repression but not necessarily autoregulation. Likewise, the C-terminal domain is dispensable for motility repression but is essential for autoregulation. Supported by a three-dimensional (3D) structural model, we hypothesize that the C-terminal domain confers unique regulatory capacities on the AtfJ family of regulators. Balancing adherence with motility is essential for uropathogens to successfully establish a foothold in their host. Proteus mirabilis uses a fimbria-associated transcriptional regulator to switch between these antagonistic processes by increasing fimbrial adherence while simultaneously downregulating flagella. The discovery of multiple

Gene Repression in Haloarchaea Using the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-Cas I-B System.

Science.gov (United States)

Stachler, Aris-Edda; Marchfelder, Anita

2016-07-15

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas system is used by bacteria and archaea to fend off foreign genetic elements. Since its discovery it has been developed into numerous applications like genome editing and regulation of transcription in eukaryotes and bacteria. For archaea currently no tools for transcriptional repression exist. Because molecular biology analyses in archaea become more and more widespread such a tool is vital for investigating the biological function of essential genes in archaea. Here we use the model archaeon Haloferax volcanii to demonstrate that its endogenous CRISPR-Cas system I-B can be harnessed to repress gene expression in archaea. Deletion of cas3 and cas6b genes results in efficient repression of transcription. crRNAs targeting the promoter region reduced transcript levels down to 8%. crRNAs targeting the reading frame have only slight impact on transcription. crRNAs that target the coding strand repress expression only down to 88%, whereas crRNAs targeting the template strand repress expression down to 8%. Repression of an essential gene results in reduction of transcription levels down to 22%. Targeting efficiencies can be enhanced by expressing a catalytically inactive Cas3 mutant. Genes can be targeted on plasmids or on the chromosome, they can be monocistronic or part of a polycistronic operon. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Gene Repression in Haloarchaea Using the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats)-Cas I-B System*

Science.gov (United States)

Stachler, Aris-Edda; Marchfelder, Anita

2016-01-01

The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-Cas system is used by bacteria and archaea to fend off foreign genetic elements. Since its discovery it has been developed into numerous applications like genome editing and regulation of transcription in eukaryotes and bacteria. For archaea currently no tools for transcriptional repression exist. Because molecular biology analyses in archaea become more and more widespread such a tool is vital for investigating the biological function of essential genes in archaea. Here we use the model archaeon Haloferax volcanii to demonstrate that its endogenous CRISPR-Cas system I-B can be harnessed to repress gene expression in archaea. Deletion of cas3 and cas6b genes results in efficient repression of transcription. crRNAs targeting the promoter region reduced transcript levels down to 8%. crRNAs targeting the reading frame have only slight impact on transcription. crRNAs that target the coding strand repress expression only down to 88%, whereas crRNAs targeting the template strand repress expression down to 8%. Repression of an essential gene results in reduction of transcription levels down to 22%. Targeting efficiencies can be enhanced by expressing a catalytically inactive Cas3 mutant. Genes can be targeted on plasmids or on the chromosome, they can be monocistronic or part of a polycistronic operon. PMID:27226589

Repressive Tolerance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Morten Jarlbæk

2017-01-01

Consultation of organised interests and others when drafting laws is often seen as an important source of both input and output legitimacy. But whereas the input side of the equation stems from the very process of listening to societal actors, output legitimacy can only be strengthened if consult......Consultation of organised interests and others when drafting laws is often seen as an important source of both input and output legitimacy. But whereas the input side of the equation stems from the very process of listening to societal actors, output legitimacy can only be strengthened...... a substantial effect on the substance of laws – shows that there is a great difference in the amenability of different branches of government but that, in general, authorities do not listen much despite a very strong consultation institution and tradition. A suggestion for an explanation could be pointing...... to an administrative culture of repressive tolerance of organised interests: authorities listen but only reacts in a very limited sense. This bears in it the risk of jeopardising the knowledge transfer from societal actors to administrative ditto thus harming the consultation institutions’ potential for strengthening...

Changes in competence of public authorities in connection with final storage pursuant to the omnibus law on site selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keienburg, Bettina

2012-01-01

The omnibus law on site finding and selection for a repository for radioactive waste generating heat, and with amendments to other laws, of June 13, 2012 is to reshuffle fundamentally the competences of public authorities for final storage. The federal government is to assume more responsibilities from former federal state competences. Moreover, most of the existing competences of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection are to be transferred to a federal agency yet to be founded, which is called Federal Office for Nuclear Safety in the present draft legislation. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection will only retain its responsibility as project agent for repositories, and that only in the phases of site exploration and licensing. Afterwards, the duty of final storage in the draft legislation is transferred to a 3rd party. Again in the version of the draft legislation, and unlike present regulations, this 3rd party may only be a company whose sole owner is the federal government, which also is to strengthen the influence of the federal government under aspects of company law. Legislative efforts seeking to strengthen the federal government and its competences by assigning licensing duties for repositories to federal agencies are understandable under feasibility aspects and may even be in the emotional interest of the states and their competent representatives in public authorities who, merely because their work is connected with the disputed topic of final storage, often face attacks and accusations by the public. Nevertheless, the transfer to federal agencies of administrative duties is subject to constitutional limits which must be observed. These constitutional aspects are highlighted in the publication. It is left to the reader to assess the meaningfulness of establishing another independent high-level federal agency in the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU), i.e. a Federal Office for Nuclear Safety, alongside the

Nitrogen Metabolite Repression of Metabolism and Virulence in the Human Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, I. Russel; Chow, Eve W. L.; Morrow, Carl A.; Djordjevic, Julianne T.; Fraser, James A.

2011-01-01

Proper regulation of metabolism is essential to maximizing fitness of organisms in their chosen environmental niche. Nitrogen metabolite repression is an example of a regulatory mechanism in fungi that enables preferential utilization of easily assimilated nitrogen sources, such as ammonium, to conserve resources. Here we provide genetic, transcriptional, and phenotypic evidence of nitrogen metabolite repression in the human pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans. In addition to loss of transcriptional activation of catabolic enzyme-encoding genes of the uric acid and proline assimilation pathways in the presence of ammonium, nitrogen metabolite repression also regulates the production of the virulence determinants capsule and melanin. Since GATA transcription factors are known to play a key role in nitrogen metabolite repression, bioinformatic analyses of the C. neoformans genome were undertaken and seven predicted GATA-type genes were identified. A screen of these deletion mutants revealed GAT1, encoding the only global transcription factor essential for utilization of a wide range of nitrogen sources, including uric acid, urea, and creatinine—three predominant nitrogen constituents found in the C. neoformans ecological niche. In addition to its evolutionarily conserved role in mediating nitrogen metabolite repression and controlling the expression of catabolic enzyme and permease-encoding genes, Gat1 also negatively regulates virulence traits, including infectious basidiospore production, melanin formation, and growth at high body temperature (39°–40°). Conversely, Gat1 positively regulates capsule production. A murine inhalation model of cryptococcosis revealed that the gat1Δ mutant is slightly more virulent than wild type, indicating that Gat1 plays a complex regulatory role during infection. PMID:21441208

ATF3 represses PPARγ expression and inhibits adipocyte differentiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jang, Min-Kyung; Jung, Myeong Ho, E-mail: jung0603@pusan.ac.kr

2014-11-07

Highlights: • ATF3 decrease the expression of PPARγ and its target gene in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. • ATF3 represses the promoter activity of PPARγ2 gene. • ATF/CRE (−1537/−1530) is critical for ATF3-mediated downregulation of PPARγ. • ATF3 binds to the promoter region containing the ATF/CRE. • ER stress inhibits adipocyte differentiation through downregulation of PPARγ by ATF3. - Abstract: Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) is a stress-adaptive transcription factor that mediates cellular stress response signaling. We previously reported that ATF3 represses CCAAT/enhancer binding protein α (C/EBPα) expression and inhibits 3T3-L1 adipocyte differentiation. In this study, we explored potential role of ATF3 in negatively regulating peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPARγ). ATF3 decreased the expression of PPARγ and its target gene in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. ATF3 also repressed the activity of −2.6 Kb promoter of mouse PPARγ2. Overexpression of PPARγ significantly prevented the ATF3-mediated inhibition of 3T3-L1 differentiation. Transfection studies with 5′ deleted-reporters showed that ATF3 repressed the activity of −2037 bp promoter, whereas it did not affect the activity of −1458 bp promoter, suggesting that ATF3 responsive element is located between the −2037 and −1458. An electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay demonstrated that ATF3 binds to ATF/CRE site (5′-TGACGTTT-3′) between −1537 and −1530. Mutation of the ATF/CRE site abrogated ATF3-mediated transrepression of the PPARγ2 promoter. Treatment with thapsigargin, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress inducer, increased ATF3 expression, whereas it decreased PPARγ expression. ATF3 knockdown significantly blocked the thapsigargin-mediated downregulation of PPARγ expression. Furthermore, overexpression of PPARγ prevented inhibition of 3T3-L1 differentiation by thapsigargin. Collectively, these results suggest that ATF3-mediated

Existential Choice as Repressed Theism: Jean-Paul Sartre and Giorgio Agamben in Conversation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcos Antonio Norris

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This article brings Sartre’s notion of existential authenticity, or sovereign decisionism, into conversation with the work of contemporary political theorist Giorgio Agamben, who argues that sovereign decisionism is the repressed theological foundation of authoritarian governments. As such, the article seeks to accomplish two goals. The first is to show that Sartre’s depiction of sovereign decisionism directly parallels how modern democratic governments conduct themselves during a state of emergency. The second is to show that Sartre’s notion of existential authenticity models, what Agamben calls, secularized theism. Through an ontotheological critique of Sartre’s professed atheism, the article concludes that an existential belief in sovereign decision represses, rather than profanes, the divine origins of authoritarian law. I frame the argument with a reading of Sartre’s 1943 play The Flies, which models the repressed theological underpinnings of Sartre’s theory.

Polycomb-Mediated Repression and Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Interact to Regulate Merkel Cell Specification during Skin Development.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carolina N Perdigoto

2016-07-01

Full Text Available An increasing amount of evidence indicates that developmental programs are tightly regulated by the complex interplay between signaling pathways, as well as transcriptional and epigenetic processes. Here, we have uncovered coordination between transcriptional and morphogen cues to specify Merkel cells, poorly understood skin cells that mediate light touch sensations. In murine dorsal skin, Merkel cells are part of touch domes, which are skin structures consisting of specialized keratinocytes, Merkel cells, and afferent neurons, and are located exclusively around primary hair follicles. We show that the developing primary hair follicle functions as a niche required for Merkel cell specification. We find that intraepidermal Sonic hedgehog (Shh signaling, initiated by the production of Shh ligand in the developing hair follicles, is required for Merkel cell specification. The importance of Shh for Merkel cell formation is further reinforced by the fact that Shh overexpression in embryonic epidermal progenitors leads to ectopic Merkel cells. Interestingly, Shh signaling is common to primary, secondary, and tertiary hair follicles, raising the possibility that there are restrictive mechanisms that regulate Merkel cell specification exclusively around primary hair follicles. Indeed, we find that loss of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2 in the epidermis results in the formation of ectopic Merkel cells that are associated with all hair types. We show that PRC2 loss expands the field of epidermal cells competent to differentiate into Merkel cells through the upregulation of key Merkel-differentiation genes, which are known PRC2 targets. Importantly, PRC2-mediated repression of the Merkel cell differentiation program requires inductive Shh signaling to form mature Merkel cells. Our study exemplifies how the interplay between epigenetic and morphogen cues regulates the complex patterning and formation of the mammalian skin structures.

Polycomb-Mediated Repression and Sonic Hedgehog Signaling Interact to Regulate Merkel Cell Specification during Skin Development.

Science.gov (United States)

Perdigoto, Carolina N; Dauber, Katherine L; Bar, Carmit; Tsai, Pai-Chi; Valdes, Victor J; Cohen, Idan; Santoriello, Francis J; Zhao, Dejian; Zheng, Deyou; Hsu, Ya-Chieh; Ezhkova, Elena

2016-07-01

An increasing amount of evidence indicates that developmental programs are tightly regulated by the complex interplay between signaling pathways, as well as transcriptional and epigenetic processes. Here, we have uncovered coordination between transcriptional and morphogen cues to specify Merkel cells, poorly understood skin cells that mediate light touch sensations. In murine dorsal skin, Merkel cells are part of touch domes, which are skin structures consisting of specialized keratinocytes, Merkel cells, and afferent neurons, and are located exclusively around primary hair follicles. We show that the developing primary hair follicle functions as a niche required for Merkel cell specification. We find that intraepidermal Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling, initiated by the production of Shh ligand in the developing hair follicles, is required for Merkel cell specification. The importance of Shh for Merkel cell formation is further reinforced by the fact that Shh overexpression in embryonic epidermal progenitors leads to ectopic Merkel cells. Interestingly, Shh signaling is common to primary, secondary, and tertiary hair follicles, raising the possibility that there are restrictive mechanisms that regulate Merkel cell specification exclusively around primary hair follicles. Indeed, we find that loss of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) in the epidermis results in the formation of ectopic Merkel cells that are associated with all hair types. We show that PRC2 loss expands the field of epidermal cells competent to differentiate into Merkel cells through the upregulation of key Merkel-differentiation genes, which are known PRC2 targets. Importantly, PRC2-mediated repression of the Merkel cell differentiation program requires inductive Shh signaling to form mature Merkel cells. Our study exemplifies how the interplay between epigenetic and morphogen cues regulates the complex patterning and formation of the mammalian skin structures.

The Transcription Factor STAT6 Mediates Direct Repression of Inflammatory Enhancers and Limits Activation of Alternatively Polarized Macrophages

OpenAIRE

Czimmerer, Zsolt; Daniel, Bence; Horvath, Attila; Rückerl, Dominik; Nagy, Gergely; Kiss, Mate; Peloquin, Matthew; Budai, Marietta M.; Cuaranta-Monroy, Ixchelt; Simandi, Zoltan; Steiner, Laszlo; Nagy, Bela; Poliska, Szilard; Banko, Csaba; Bacso, Zsolt

2018-01-01

Summary The molecular basis of signal-dependent transcriptional activation has been extensively studied in macrophage polarization, but our understanding remains limited regarding the molecular determinants of repression. Here we show that IL-4-activated STAT6 transcription factor is required for the direct transcriptional repression of a large number of genes during in vitro and in vivo alternative macrophage polarization. Repression results in decreased lineage-determining transcription fac...

Repression of competition favours cooperation : experimental evidence from bacteria

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kümmerli, Rolf; van den Berg, Piet; Griffin, Ashleigh S; West, Stuart A; Gardner, Andy

Repression of competition (RC) within social groups has been suggested as a key mechanism driving the evolution of cooperation, because it aligns the individual's proximate interest with the interest of the group. Despite its enormous potential for explaining cooperation across all levels of

Financial repression, money growth, and seignorage: The Polish experience

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aarle, B. van; Budina, N.

1997-01-01

Financial Repression, Money Growth and Seignorage: The Polish Experience. — A small analytical framework is developed to analyze the relation between reserve requirements, base money growth and seignorage revenues. From the analysis, the authors can derive of steady-state seignorage revenues as a

Dopamine signaling leads to loss of Polycomb repression and aberrant gene activation in experimental parkinsonism.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik Södersten

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Polycomb group (PcG proteins bind to and repress genes in embryonic stem cells through lineage commitment to the terminal differentiated state. PcG repressed genes are commonly characterized by the presence of the epigenetic histone mark H3K27me3, catalyzed by the Polycomb repressive complex 2. Here, we present in vivo evidence for a previously unrecognized plasticity of PcG-repressed genes in terminally differentiated brain neurons of parkisonian mice. We show that acute administration of the dopamine precursor, L-DOPA, induces a remarkable increase in H3K27me3S28 phosphorylation. The induction of the H3K27me3S28p histone mark specifically occurs in medium spiny neurons expressing dopamine D1 receptors and is dependent on Msk1 kinase activity and DARPP-32-mediated inhibition of protein phosphatase-1. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP experiments showed that increased H3K27me3S28p was accompanied by reduced PcG binding to regulatory regions of genes. An analysis of the genome wide distribution of L-DOPA-induced H3K27me3S28 phosphorylation by ChIP sequencing (ChIP-seq in combination with expression analysis by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq showed that the induction of H3K27me3S28p correlated with increased expression of a subset of PcG repressed genes. We found that induction of H3K27me3S28p persisted during chronic L-DOPA administration to parkisonian mice and correlated with aberrant gene expression. We propose that dopaminergic transmission can activate PcG repressed genes in the adult brain and thereby contribute to long-term maladaptive responses including the motor complications, or dyskinesia, caused by prolonged administration of L-DOPA in Parkinson's disease.

Geriatric core competencies for family medicine curriculum and enhanced skills: care of elderly.

Science.gov (United States)

Charles, Lesley; Triscott, Jean A C; Dobbs, Bonnie M; McKay, Rhianne

2014-06-01

There is a growing mandate for Family Medicine residency programs to directly assess residents' clinical competence in Care of the Elderly (COE). The objectives of this paper are to describe the development and implementation of incremental core competencies for Postgraduate Year (PGY)-I Integrated Geriatrics Family Medicine, PGY-II Geriatrics Rotation Family Medicine, and PGY-III Enhanced Skills COE for COE Diploma residents at a Canadian University. Iterative expert panel process for the development of the core competencies, with a pre-defined process for implementation of the core competencies. Eighty-five core competencies were selected overall by the Working Group, with 57 core competencies selected for the PGY-I/II Family Medicine residents and an additional 28 selected for the PGY-III COE residents. The core competencies follow the CanMEDS Family Medicine roles. Both sets of core competencies are based on consensus. Due to demographic changes, it is essential that Family Physicians have the required skills and knowledge to care for the frail elderly. The core competencies described were developed for PGY-I/II Family Medicine residents and PGY-III Enhanced Skills COE, with a focus on the development of geriatric expertise for those patients that would most benefit.

Application of competency-based education in laparoscopic training.

Science.gov (United States)

Xue, Dongbo; Bo, Hong; Zhang, Weihui; Zhao, Song; Meng, Xianzhi; Zhang, Donghua

2015-01-01

To induce competency-based education/developing a curriculum in the training of postgraduate students in laparoscopic surgery. This study selected postgraduate students before the implementation of competency-based education (n = 16) or after the implementation of competency-based education (n = 17). On the basis of the 5 competencies of patient care, medical knowledge, practice-based learning and improvement, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism, the research team created a developing a curriculum chart and specific improvement measures that were implemented in the competency-based education group. On the basis of the developing a curriculum chart, the assessment of the 5 comprehensive competencies using the 360° assessment method indicated that the competency-based education group's competencies were significantly improved compared with those of the traditional group (P The improvement in the comprehensive assessment was also significant compared with the traditional group (P The implementation of competency-based education/developing a curriculum teaching helps to improve the comprehensive competencies of postgraduate students and enables them to become qualified clinicians equipped to meet society's needs.

Circuitry Linking the Catabolite Repression and Csr Global Regulatory Systems of Escherichia coli.

Science.gov (United States)

Pannuri, Archana; Vakulskas, Christopher A; Zere, Tesfalem; McGibbon, Louise C; Edwards, Adrianne N; Georgellis, Dimitris; Babitzke, Paul; Romeo, Tony

2016-11-01

Cyclic AMP (cAMP) and the cAMP receptor protein (cAMP-CRP) and CsrA are the principal regulators of the catabolite repression and carbon storage global regulatory systems, respectively. cAMP-CRP controls the transcription of genes for carbohydrate metabolism and other processes in response to carbon nutritional status, while CsrA binds to diverse mRNAs and regulates translation, RNA stability, and/or transcription elongation. CsrA also binds to the regulatory small RNAs (sRNAs) CsrB and CsrC, which antagonize its activity. The BarA-UvrY two-component signal transduction system (TCS) directly activates csrB and csrC (csrB/C) transcription, while CsrA does so indirectly. We show that cAMP-CRP inhibits csrB/C transcription without negatively regulating phosphorylated UvrY (P-UvrY) or CsrA levels. A crp deletion caused an elevation in CsrB/C levels in the stationary phase of growth and increased the expression of csrB-lacZ and csrC-lacZ transcriptional fusions, although modest stimulation of CsrB/C turnover by the crp deletion partially masked the former effects. DNase I footprinting and other studies demonstrated that cAMP-CRP bound specifically to three sites located upstream from the csrC promoter, two of which overlapped the P-UvrY binding site. These two proteins competed for binding at the overlapping sites. In vitro transcription-translation experiments confirmed direct repression of csrC-lacZ expression by cAMP-CRP. In contrast, cAMP-CRP effects on csrB transcription may be mediated indirectly, as it bound nonspecifically to csrB DNA. In the reciprocal direction, CsrA bound to crp mRNA with high affinity and specificity and yet exhibited only modest, conditional effects on expression. Our findings are incorporated into an emerging model for the response of Csr circuitry to carbon nutritional status. Csr (Rsm) noncoding small RNAs (sRNAs) CsrB and CsrC of Escherichia coli use molecular mimicry to sequester the RNA binding protein CsrA (RsmA) away from lower

Telomeric trans-silencing: an epigenetic repression combining RNA silencing and heterochromatin formation.

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Thibaut Josse

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The study of P-element repression in Drosophila melanogaster led to the discovery of the telomeric Trans-Silencing Effect (TSE, a repression mechanism by which a transposon or a transgene inserted in subtelomeric heterochromatin (Telomeric Associated Sequence or TAS has the capacity to repress in trans in the female germline, a homologous transposon, or transgene located in euchromatin. TSE shows variegation among egg chambers in ovaries when silencing is incomplete. Here, we report that TSE displays an epigenetic transmission through meiosis, which involves an extrachromosomal maternally transmitted factor. We show that this silencing is highly sensitive to mutations affecting both heterochromatin formation (Su(var205 encoding Heterochromatin Protein 1 and Su(var3-7 and the repeat-associated small interfering RNA (or rasiRNA silencing pathway (aubergine, homeless, armitage, and piwi. In contrast, TSE is not sensitive to mutations affecting r2d2, which is involved in the small interfering RNA (or siRNA silencing pathway, nor is it sensitive to a mutation in loquacious, which is involved in the micro RNA (or miRNA silencing pathway. These results, taken together with the recent discovery of TAS homologous small RNAs associated to PIWI proteins, support the proposition that TSE involves a repeat-associated small interfering RNA pathway linked to heterochromatin formation, which was co-opted by the P element to establish repression of its own transposition after its recent invasion of the D. melanogaster genome. Therefore, the study of TSE provides insight into the genetic properties of a germline-specific small RNA silencing pathway.

IS FINANCIAL REPRESSION REALLY BAD?

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Eun Young OH

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the relationship between reserve requirements, interest rate taxes, and long-term growth. I present a model which shows that the government might repress the financial sector as this is the easy way of channelling resources to productive sectors. In this endogenous model, I employ the government input in the firm production function. The implications of the model are confirmed in that, an increase in reserve requirements and interest rate controls have two different reverse effects on growth - one is the negative effect on the financial sector. The other is a growth enhancing effect from the effective public spending on the real sectors.

Very low amounts of glucose cause repression of the stress-responsive gene HSP12 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

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de Groot, E; Bebelman, J P; Mager, W H; Planta, R J

2000-02-01

Changing the growth mode of Saccharomyces cerevisiae by adding fermentable amounts of glucose to cells growing on a non-fermentable carbon source leads to rapid repression of general stress-responsive genes like HSP12. Remarkably, glucose repression of HSP12 appeared to occur even at very low glucose concentrations, down to 0.005%. Although these low levels of glucose do not induce fermentative growth, they do act as a growth signal, since upon addition of glucose to a concentration of 0.02%, growth rate increased and ribosomal protein gene transcription was up-regulated. In an attempt to elucidate how this type of glucose signalling may operate, several signalling mutants were examined. Consistent with the low amounts of glucose that elicit HSP12 repression, neither the main glucose-repression pathway nor cAMP-dependent activation of protein kinase A appeared to play a role in this regulation. Using mutants involved in glucose metabolism, evidence was obtained suggesting that glucose 6-phosphate serves as a signalling molecule. To identify the target for glucose repression on the promoter of the HSP12 gene, a promoter deletion series was used. The major transcription factors governing (stress-induced) transcriptional activation of HSP12 are Msn2p and Msn4p, binding to the general stress-responsive promoter elements (STREs). Surprisingly, glucose repression of HSP12 appeared to be independent of Msn2/4p: HSP12 transcription in glycerol-grown cells was unaffected in a deltamsn2deltamsn4 strain. Nevertheless, evidence was obtained that STRE-mediated transcription is the target of repression by low amounts of glucose. These data suggest that an as yet unidentified factor is involved in STRE-mediated transcriptional regulation of HSP12.

EWS/FLI mediates transcriptional repression via NKX2.2 during oncogenic transformation in Ewing's sarcoma.

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Leah A Owen

2008-04-01

Full Text Available EWS/FLI is a master regulator of Ewing's sarcoma formation. Gene expression studies in A673 Ewing's sarcoma cells have demonstrated that EWS/FLI downregulates more genes than it upregulates, suggesting that EWS/FLI, and/or its targets, function as transcriptional repressors. One critical EWS/FLI target, NKX2.2, is a transcription factor that contains both transcriptional activation and transcriptional repression domains, raising the possibility that it mediates portions of the EWS/FLI transcriptional signature. We now report that microarray analysis demonstrated that the transcriptional profile of NKX2.2 consists solely of downregulated genes, and overlaps with the EWS/FLI downregulated signature, suggesting that NKX2.2 mediates oncogenic transformation via transcriptional repression. Structure-function analysis revealed that the DNA binding and repressor domains in NKX2.2 are required for oncogenesis in Ewing's sarcoma cells, while the transcriptional activation domain is completely dispensable. Furthermore, blockade of TLE or HDAC function, two protein families thought to mediate the repressive function of NKX2.2, inhibited the transformed phenotype and reversed the NKX2.2 transcriptional profile in Ewing's sarcoma cells. Whole genome localization studies (ChIP-chip revealed that a significant portion of the NKX2.2-repressed gene expression signature was directly mediated by NKX2.2 binding. These data demonstrate that the transcriptional repressive function of NKX2.2 is necessary, and sufficient, for the oncogenic phenotype of Ewing's sarcoma, and suggest a therapeutic approach to this disease.

Repression of violence at public meetings and sporting events within the European legal space

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Božović Milenko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Violence and unbecoming behaviour at sporting events stand for a most acute problem in numerous European countries. However, the method and modes of its' repression have been determined within the frames of each country, that is its' national legislation. Thus, a wide range of various regulations referring to the distinctions of this type of violence can be spotted in legislative of each European country. Nevertheless, along with the development and maturing of the idea of the necessity of implementation of both international and regional legal instruments, used for setting up national law of individual states, a number of European legal instruments have also come to life. It comes as no surprise, though, the growing need for more both general and separate legal instruments in the repression of violence and unbecoming behaviour at sporting events in the European legislative. Based on the analysis, it is possible to single out the ones to achieve the strongest effect to our national legislative. Consequently, the general frames of the repression of violence and unbecoming behaviour at sporting events are founded on European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (1950, whereas the separated ones lie in the Convention of the European Council on the Repression of Violence and Unbecoming Behaviour at Sporting Events, especially the soccer games, with the Recommendation (1985. The subject of this paper is based on analysis of the legal frames established by the European legal instruments in the field of the repression of violence and unbecoming behaviour at sporting events. The methodological framework throughout the research considers the usage of various methods: historical, linguistic, sociological, logical, normative, analysis of content, etc.

An Alternative Transcript of the FOG-2 Gene Encodes a FOG-2 Isoform lacking the FOG Repression Motif

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Dale, Rodney M.; Remo, Benjamin F.; Svensson, Eric C.

2007-01-01

The FOG family of transcriptional co-factors is composed of two members in mammals: FOG-1 and FOG-2. Both have been shown to bind to GATA factors and function as transcriptional co-repressors in specific cell and promoter contexts. We have previously defined a novel repression domain localized to the N-terminus of each FOG family member, the FOG Repression Motif, which is necessary for FOG-mediated transcriptional repression. In this report, we describe the identification and characterization...

Downplaying Positive Impressions: Compensation Between Warmth and Competence in Impression Management.

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Holoien, Deborah Son; Fiske, Susan T

2013-01-01

The compensation effect demonstrates a negative relationship between the dimensions of warmth and competence in impression formation in comparative contexts. However, does compensation between warmth and competence extend to impression management? Two studies examined whether people actively downplay their warmth in order to appear competent and downplay their competence in order to appear warm. In Studies 1a and 1b, participants selected words pretested to be high or low in warmth and competence to include in an e-mail message to people they wanted to impress. As predicted, participants downplayed their competence when they wanted to appear warm (Study 1a) and downplayed their warmth when they wanted to appear competent (Study 1b). In Studies 2a and 2b, compensation also occurred when participants introduced themselves to another person, as evidenced by the questions they selected to answer about themselves, their self-reported goals, and their open-ended introductions. Compensation occurred uniquely between warmth and competence and not for other dimensions, such as healthiness (Study 2a) and political interest (Study 2b), which suggests that the compensation effect extends beyond a mere zero-sum exchange between dimensions.

Polycomb repressive complex 2 regulates MiR-200b in retinal endothelial cells: potential relevance in diabetic retinopathy.

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Michael Anthony Ruiz

Full Text Available Glucose-induced augmented vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF production is a key event in diabetic retinopathy. We have previously demonstrated that downregulation of miR-200b increases VEGF, mediating structural and functional changes in the retina in diabetes. However, mechanisms regulating miR-200b in diabetes are not known. Histone methyltransferase complex, Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2, has been shown to repress miRNAs in neoplastic process. We hypothesized that, in diabetes, PRC2 represses miR-200b through its histone H3 lysine-27 trimethylation mark. We show that human retinal microvascular endothelial cells exposed to high levels of glucose regulate miR-200b repression through histone methylation and that inhibition of PRC2 increases miR-200b while reducing VEGF. Furthermore, retinal tissue from animal models of diabetes showed increased expression of major PRC2 components, demonstrating in vivo relevance. This research established a repressive relationship between PRC2 and miR-200b, providing evidence of a novel mechanism of miRNA regulation through histone methylation.

Evaluation of competency: ethical considerations for neuropsychologists.

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Moberg, Paul J; Kniele, Kathryn

2006-01-01

The assessment of decision-making capacity is an essential element of competency determinations. As experts in the assessment of human cognitive abilities, neuropsychologists may be the best adjudicators of competency. However, to maximize the contribution of neuropsychology to the courts in the determination of competency, clinicians must be aware of the professional controversies and ethical challenges inherent in the assessment of decision-making capacity and the determination of competence. Professional controversies include the lack of established methodological and procedural guidelines for capacity evaluations and the application of variable criteria to establish impairment. Ethical challenges include balancing the need to respect the individual's freedom of choice and self-determination with the need to promote the individual's safety; attaining professional competence; and selecting, using, and interpreting assessment methods appropriately. The purpose of this article is to examine these issues in the context of neuropsychological practice.

Repression of meiotic genes by antisense transcription and by Fkh2 transcription factor in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

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Chen, Huei-Mei; Rosebrock, Adam P; Khan, Sohail R; Futcher, Bruce; Leatherwood, Janet K

2012-01-01

In S. pombe, about 5% of genes are meiosis-specific and accumulate little or no mRNA during vegetative growth. Here we use Affymetrix tiling arrays to characterize transcripts in vegetative and meiotic cells. In vegetative cells, many meiotic genes, especially those induced in mid-meiosis, have abundant antisense transcripts. Disruption of the antisense transcription of three of these mid-meiotic genes allowed vegetative sense transcription. These results suggest that antisense transcription represses sense transcription of meiotic genes in vegetative cells. Although the mechanism(s) of antisense mediated transcription repression need to be further explored, our data indicates that RNAi machinery is not required for repression. Previously, we and others used non-strand specific methods to study splicing regulation of meiotic genes and concluded that 28 mid-meiotic genes are spliced only in meiosis. We now demonstrate that the "unspliced" signal in vegetative cells comes from the antisense RNA, not from unspliced sense RNA, and we argue against the idea that splicing regulates these mid-meiotic genes. Most of these mid-meiotic genes are induced in mid-meiosis by the forkhead transcription factor Mei4. Interestingly, deletion of a different forkhead transcription factor, Fkh2, allows low levels of sense expression of some mid-meiotic genes in vegetative cells. We propose that vegetative expression of mid-meiotic genes is repressed at least two independent ways: antisense transcription and Fkh2 repression.

Reconstruction and logical modeling of glucose repression signaling pathways in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

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Oliveira Ana

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the presence of high levels of glucose leads to an array of down-regulatory effects known as glucose repression. This process is complex due to the presence of feedback loops and crosstalk between different pathways, complicating the use of intuitive approaches to analyze the system. Results We established a logical model of yeast glucose repression, formalized as a hypergraph. The model was constructed based on verified regulatory interactions and it includes 50 gene transcripts, 22 proteins, 5 metabolites and 118 hyperedges. We computed the logical steady states of all nodes in the network in order to simulate wildtype and deletion mutant responses to different sugar availabilities. Evaluation of the model predictive power was achieved by comparing changes in the logical state of gene nodes with transcriptome data. Overall, we observed 71% true predictions, and analyzed sources of errors and discrepancies for the remaining. Conclusion Though the binary nature of logical (Boolean models entails inherent limitations, our model constitutes a primary tool for storing regulatory knowledge, searching for incoherencies in hypotheses and evaluating the effect of deleting regulatory elements involved in glucose repression.

Inhibition of tumor cell growth by Sigma1 ligand mediated translational repression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Felix J.; Schrock, Joel M.; Spino, Christina M.; Marino, Jacqueline C.; Pasternak, Gavril W.

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Sigma1 ligand treatment mediates decrease in tumor cell mass. ► Identification of a Sigma1 ligand with reversible translational repressor actions. ► Demonstration of a role for Sigma1 in cellular protein synthesis. -- Abstract: Treatment with sigma1 receptor (Sigma1) ligands can inhibit cell proliferation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo. However, the cellular pathways engaged in response to Sigma1 ligand treatment that contribute to these outcomes remain largely undefined. Here, we show that treatment with putative antagonists of Sigma1 decreases cell mass. This effect corresponds with repressed cap-dependent translation initiation in multiple breast and prostate cancer cell lines. Sigma1 antagonist treatment suppresses phosphorylation of translational regulator proteins p70S6K, S6, and 4E-BP1. RNAi-mediated knockdown of Sigma1 also results in translational repression, consistent with the effects of antagonist treatment. Sigma1 antagonist mediated translational repression and decreased cell size are both reversible. Together, these data reveal a role for Sigma1 in tumor cell protein synthesis, and demonstrate that small molecule Sigma1 ligands can be used as modulators of protein translation.

The Perils of Repressive Tolerance in Music Education Curriculum

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Perrine, William M.

2017-01-01

In recent years, philosophers of music education have called for a greater degree of political engagement by music education practitioners. Using Marcuse's discussion of "repressive tolerance" as a conceptual framework, I argue that a politicized curriculum in music education works against the liberal ideas of free speech and a free…

Global transcriptional repression in C. elegans germline precursors by regulated sequestration of TFIID component TAF-4

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Guven-Ozkan, Tugba; Nishi, Yuichi; Robertson, Scott M.; Lin, Rueyling

2008-01-01

In C. elegans, four asymmetric divisions, beginning with the zygote (P0), generate transcriptionally repressed germline blastomeres (P1–P4) and somatic sisters that become transcriptionally active. The protein PIE-1 represses transcription in the later germline blastomeres, but not in the earlier germline blastomeres P0 and P1. We show here that OMA-1 and OMA-2, previously shown to regulate oocyte maturation, repress transcription in P0 and P1 by binding to and sequestering in the cytoplasm TAF-4, a component critical for assembly of TFIID and the pol II preinitiation complex. OMA-1/2 binding to TAF-4 is developmentally regulated, requiring phosphorylation by the DYRK kinase MBK-2, which is activated at meiosis II following fertilization. OMA-1/2 are normally degraded after the first mitosis, but ectopic expression of wildtype OMA-1 is sufficient to repress transcription in both somatic and later germline blastomeres. We propose that phosphorylation by MBK-2 serves as a developmental switch, converting OMA-1/2 from oocyte to embryo regulators. PMID:18854162

Transcriptional Profiling of the Oral Pathogen Streptococcus mutans in Response to Competence Signaling Peptide XIP.

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Wenderska, Iwona B; Latos, Andrew; Pruitt, Benjamin; Palmer, Sara; Spatafora, Grace; Senadheera, Dilani B; Cvitkovitch, Dennis G

2017-01-01

In the cariogenic Streptococcus mutans , competence development is regulated by the ComRS signaling system comprised of the ComR regulator and the ComS prepeptide to the competence signaling peptide XIP (ComX-inducing peptide). Aside from competence development, XIP signaling has been demonstrated to regulate cell lysis, and recently, the expression of bacteriocins, small antimicrobial peptides used by bacteria to inhibit closely related species. Our study further explores the effect of XIP signaling on the S. mutans transcriptome. RNA sequencing revealed that XIP induction resulted in a global change in gene expression that was consistent with a stress response. An increase in several membrane-bound regulators, including HdrRM and BrsRM, involved in bacteriocin production, and the VicRKX system, involved in acid tolerance and biofilm formation, was observed. Furthermore, global changes in gene expression corresponded to changes observed during the stringent response to amino acid starvation. Effects were also observed on genes involved in sugar transport and carbon catabolite repression and included the levQRST and levDEFG operons. Finally, our work identified a novel heat shock-responsive intergenic region, encoding a small RNA, with a potential role in competence shutoff. IMPORTANCE Genetic competence provides bacteria with an opportunity to increase genetic diversity or acquire novel traits conferring a survival advantage. In the cariogenic pathogen Streptococcus mutans , DNA transformation is regulated by the competence stimulating peptide XIP (ComX-inducing peptide). The present study utilizes high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNAseq) to provide a greater understanding of how global gene expression patterns change in response to XIP. Overall, our work demonstrates that in S. mutans , XIP signaling induces a response that resembles the stringent response to amino acid starvation. We further identify a novel heat shock-responsive intergenic region with a

Stability of XIST repression in relation to genomic imprinting following global genome demethylation in a human cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araújo, E.S.S. de; Vasques, L.R.; Stabellini, R.; Krepischi, A.C.V.; Pereira, L.V.

2014-01-01

DNA methylation is essential in X chromosome inactivation and genomic imprinting, maintaining repression of XIST in the active X chromosome and monoallelic repression of imprinted genes. Disruption of the DNA methyltransferase genes DNMT1 and DNMT3B in the HCT116 cell line (DKO cells) leads to global DNA hypomethylation and biallelic expression of the imprinted gene IGF2 but does not lead to reactivation of XIST expression, suggesting that XIST repression is due to a more stable epigenetic mark than imprinting. To test this hypothesis, we induced acute hypomethylation in HCT116 cells by 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) treatment (HCT116-5-aza-CdR) and compared that to DKO cells, evaluating DNA methylation by microarray and monitoring the expression of XIST and imprinted genes IGF2, H19, and PEG10. Whereas imprinted genes showed biallelic expression in HCT116-5-aza-CdR and DKO cells, the XIST locus was hypomethylated and weakly expressed only under acute hypomethylation conditions, indicating the importance of XIST repression in the active X to cell survival. Given that DNMT3A is the only active DNMT in DKO cells, it may be responsible for ensuring the repression of XIST in those cells. Taken together, our data suggest that XIST repression is more tightly controlled than genomic imprinting and, at least in part, is due to DNMT3A

Stability of XIST repression in relation to genomic imprinting following global genome demethylation in a human cell line

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Araújo, E.S.S. de [Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Centro Internacional de Pesquisa, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Vasques, L.R. [Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Stabellini, R.; Krepischi, A.C.V. [Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Centro Internacional de Pesquisa, A.C. Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP (Brazil); Pereira, L.V. [Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2014-10-17

DNA methylation is essential in X chromosome inactivation and genomic imprinting, maintaining repression of XIST in the active X chromosome and monoallelic repression of imprinted genes. Disruption of the DNA methyltransferase genes DNMT1 and DNMT3B in the HCT116 cell line (DKO cells) leads to global DNA hypomethylation and biallelic expression of the imprinted gene IGF2 but does not lead to reactivation of XIST expression, suggesting that XIST repression is due to a more stable epigenetic mark than imprinting. To test this hypothesis, we induced acute hypomethylation in HCT116 cells by 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) treatment (HCT116-5-aza-CdR) and compared that to DKO cells, evaluating DNA methylation by microarray and monitoring the expression of XIST and imprinted genes IGF2, H19, and PEG10. Whereas imprinted genes showed biallelic expression in HCT116-5-aza-CdR and DKO cells, the XIST locus was hypomethylated and weakly expressed only under acute hypomethylation conditions, indicating the importance of XIST repression in the active X to cell survival. Given that DNMT3A is the only active DNMT in DKO cells, it may be responsible for ensuring the repression of XIST in those cells. Taken together, our data suggest that XIST repression is more tightly controlled than genomic imprinting and, at least in part, is due to DNMT3A.

Determinants of RNA binding and translational repression by the Bicaudal-C regulatory protein.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yan; Park, Sookhee; Blaser, Susanne; Sheets, Michael D

2014-03-14

Bicaudal-C (Bic-C) RNA binding proteins function as important translational repressors in multiple biological contexts within metazoans. However, their RNA binding sites are unknown. We recently demonstrated that Bic-C functions in spatially regulated translational repression of the xCR1 mRNA during Xenopus development. This repression contributes to normal development by confining the xCR1 protein, a regulator of key signaling pathways, to specific cells of the embryo. In this report, we combined biochemical approaches with in vivo mRNA reporter assays to define the minimal Bic-C target site within the xCR1 mRNA. This 32-nucleotide Bic-C target site is predicted to fold into a stem-loop secondary structure. Mutational analyses provided evidence that this stem-loop structure is important for Bic-C binding. The Bic-C target site was sufficient for Bic-C mediated repression in vivo. Thus, we describe the first RNA binding site for a Bic-C protein. This identification provides an important step toward understanding the mechanisms by which evolutionarily conserved Bic-C proteins control cellular function in metazoans.

Repression of Meiotic Genes by Antisense Transcription and by Fkh2 Transcription Factor in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Huei-Mei; Rosebrock, Adam P.; Khan, Sohail R.; Futcher, Bruce; Leatherwood, Janet K.

2012-01-01

In S. pombe, about 5% of genes are meiosis-specific and accumulate little or no mRNA during vegetative growth. Here we use Affymetrix tiling arrays to characterize transcripts in vegetative and meiotic cells. In vegetative cells, many meiotic genes, especially those induced in mid-meiosis, have abundant antisense transcripts. Disruption of the antisense transcription of three of these mid-meiotic genes allowed vegetative sense transcription. These results suggest that antisense transcription represses sense transcription of meiotic genes in vegetative cells. Although the mechanism(s) of antisense mediated transcription repression need to be further explored, our data indicates that RNAi machinery is not required for repression. Previously, we and others used non-strand specific methods to study splicing regulation of meiotic genes and concluded that 28 mid-meiotic genes are spliced only in meiosis. We now demonstrate that the “unspliced” signal in vegetative cells comes from the antisense RNA, not from unspliced sense RNA, and we argue against the idea that splicing regulates these mid-meiotic genes. Most of these mid-meiotic genes are induced in mid-meiosis by the forkhead transcription factor Mei4. Interestingly, deletion of a different forkhead transcription factor, Fkh2, allows low levels of sense expression of some mid-meiotic genes in vegetative cells. We propose that vegetative expression of mid-meiotic genes is repressed at least two independent ways: antisense transcription and Fkh2 repression. PMID:22238674

Repression of meiotic genes by antisense transcription and by Fkh2 transcription factor in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

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Huei-Mei Chen

Full Text Available In S. pombe, about 5% of genes are meiosis-specific and accumulate little or no mRNA during vegetative growth. Here we use Affymetrix tiling arrays to characterize transcripts in vegetative and meiotic cells. In vegetative cells, many meiotic genes, especially those induced in mid-meiosis, have abundant antisense transcripts. Disruption of the antisense transcription of three of these mid-meiotic genes allowed vegetative sense transcription. These results suggest that antisense transcription represses sense transcription of meiotic genes in vegetative cells. Although the mechanism(s of antisense mediated transcription repression need to be further explored, our data indicates that RNAi machinery is not required for repression. Previously, we and others used non-strand specific methods to study splicing regulation of meiotic genes and concluded that 28 mid-meiotic genes are spliced only in meiosis. We now demonstrate that the "unspliced" signal in vegetative cells comes from the antisense RNA, not from unspliced sense RNA, and we argue against the idea that splicing regulates these mid-meiotic genes. Most of these mid-meiotic genes are induced in mid-meiosis by the forkhead transcription factor Mei4. Interestingly, deletion of a different forkhead transcription factor, Fkh2, allows low levels of sense expression of some mid-meiotic genes in vegetative cells. We propose that vegetative expression of mid-meiotic genes is repressed at least two independent ways: antisense transcription and Fkh2 repression.

Repression of death consciousness and the psychedelic trip

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Varsha Dutta

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Death is our most repressed consciousness, it inheres our condition as the primordial fear. Perhaps it was necessary that this angst be repressed in man or he would be hurled against the dark forces of nature. Modern ethos was built on this edifice, where the ′denial of death′ while ′embracing one′s symbolic immortality′ would be worshipped, so this ideology simply overturned and repressed looking into the morass of the inevitable when it finally announced itself. Once this slowly pieced its way into all of life, ′death′ would soon become a terminology in medicine too and assert its position, by giving a push to those directly dealing with the dying to shy away from its emotional and spiritual affliction. The need to put off death and prolong one′s life would become ever more urgent. Research using psychedelics on the terminally ill which had begun in the 1950s and 1960s would coerce into another realm and alter the face of medicine; but the aggression with which it forced itself in the 1960s would soon be politically maimed, and what remained would be sporadic outpours that trickled its way from European labs and underground boot camps. Now, with the curtain rising, the question has etched itself again, about the use of psychedelic drugs in medicine, particularly psychedelic psychotherapy with the terminally ill. This study is an attempt to philosophically explore death anxiety from its existential context and how something that is innate in our condition cannot be therapeutically cured. Psychedelic use was immutably linked with ancient cultures and only recently has it seen its scientific revival, from which a scientific culture grew around psychedelic therapy. How much of what was threaded in the ritual and spiritual mores can be extricated and be interpreted in our own mechanized language of medicine is the question that nudges many.

Fate of the H-NS-repressed bgl operon in evolution of Escherichia coli.

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T Sabari Sankar

2009-03-01

Full Text Available In the enterobacterial species Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica, expression of horizontally acquired genes with a higher than average AT content is repressed by the nucleoid-associated protein H-NS. A classical example of an H-NS-repressed locus is the bgl (aryl-beta,D-glucoside operon of E. coli. This locus is "cryptic," as no laboratory growth conditions are known to relieve repression of bgl by H-NS in E. coli K12. However, repression can be relieved by spontaneous mutations. Here, we investigated the phylogeny of the bgl operon. Typing of bgl in a representative collection of E. coli demonstrated that it evolved clonally and that it is present in strains of the phylogenetic groups A, B1, and B2, while it is presumably replaced by a cluster of ORFans in the phylogenetic group D. Interestingly, the bgl operon is mutated in 20% of the strains of phylogenetic groups A and B1, suggesting erosion of bgl in these groups. However, bgl is functional in almost all B2 isolates and, in approximately 50% of them, it is weakly expressed at laboratory growth conditions. Homologs of bgl genes exist in Klebsiella, Enterobacter, and Erwinia species and also in low GC-content Gram-positive bacteria, while absent in E. albertii and Salmonella sp. This suggests horizontal transfer of bgl genes to an ancestral Enterobacterium. Conservation and weak expression of bgl in isolates of phylogenetic group B2 may indicate a functional role of bgl in extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli.

Professional training or competencies for the future?

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Yluska Bambirra Assunção

2016-04-01

Full Text Available The changes in the labor market since the second half of the twentieth century have forced managers to define new ways of selecting and developing employees. In this context, they gained ground discussions on occupational training and competencies identification. This article is a theoretical study, which contributes to the academic conceptual understanding of the constructs professional qualification and competence and stimulates debate and research about which competencies will be most relevant to companies in the future. From the historical analysis and the evolution of these concepts, it becomes clearer the distinction between them, both in French and in American perspective. Interfaces are discussed with the contemporary setting and gives priority to American approach of competence, most widely used model in Brazil. The text aims to identify aspects of competence that address the contemporary setting of the working world and, given the characteristics of the future companies, mentioned in the literature, comments on the convergence of individual competencies (knowledge, skills and attitudes and meeting future demands labor market.

The transcription factor Mlc promotes Vibrio cholerae biofilm formation through repression of phosphotransferase system components.

Science.gov (United States)

Pickering, Bradley S; Lopilato, Jane E; Smith, Daniel R; Watnick, Paula I

2014-07-01

The phosphoenol phosphotransferase system (PTS) is a multicomponent signal transduction cascade that regulates diverse aspects of bacterial cellular physiology in response to the availability of high-energy sugars in the environment. Many PTS components are repressed at the transcriptional level when the substrates they transport are not available. In Escherichia coli, the transcription factor Mlc (for makes large colonies) represses transcription of the genes encoding enzyme I (EI), histidine protein (HPr), and the glucose-specific enzyme IIBC (EIIBC(Glc)) in defined media that lack PTS substrates. When glucose is present, the unphosphorylated form of EIIBC(Glc) sequesters Mlc to the cell membrane, preventing its interaction with DNA. Very little is known about Vibrio cholerae Mlc. We found that V. cholerae Mlc activates biofilm formation in LB broth but not in defined medium supplemented with either pyruvate or glucose. Therefore, we questioned whether V. cholerae Mlc functions differently than E. coli Mlc. Here we have shown that, like E. coli Mlc, V. cholerae Mlc represses transcription of PTS components in both defined medium and LB broth and that E. coli Mlc is able to rescue the biofilm defect of a V. cholerae Δmlc mutant. Furthermore, we provide evidence that Mlc indirectly activates transcription of the vps genes by repressing expression of EI. Because activation of the vps genes by Mlc occurs under only a subset of the conditions in which repression of PTS components is observed, we conclude that additional inputs present in LB broth are required for activation of vps gene transcription by Mlc. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Events Associated with Early Age-Related Decline in Adventitious Rooting Competence of Eucalyptus globulus Labill.

Science.gov (United States)

Aumond, Márcio L; de Araujo, Artur T; de Oliveira Junkes, Camila F; de Almeida, Márcia R; Matsuura, Hélio N; de Costa, Fernanda; Fett-Neto, Arthur G

2017-01-01

The development of adventitious roots is affected by several factors, including the age of the cutting donor plant, which negatively affects rooting capacity. Eucalyptus globulus quickly loses rooting capacity of cuttings as the donor plant ages, although the molecular and biochemical mechanisms behind this process are still unclear. To better understand the bases of rooting competence loss in E. globulus , the time required for a significant decline in rhizogenic ability without exogenous auxin was determined in microcuttings derived from donor plants of different ages after sowing. Tip cuttings of donor plants were severed before and after loss of rooting competence of microcuttings to test the hypothesis that auxin and carbohydrate homeostasis regulate rooting competence decline. There were no significant changes in concentration of carbohydrates, flavonoids, or proteins before and after the loss of rooting capacity. Peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) total activity increased with loss of rooting competence. Auxin concentration showed the opposite pattern. In good agreement, TAA1 , a key gene in auxin biosynthesis, had lower expression after loss of rooting capacity. The same applied to the auxin receptor gene TIR1 , suggesting reduced auxin sensitivity. On the other hand, genes associated with auxin response repression ( TPL , IAA12 ) or with the action of cytokinins, the rhizogenesis inhibitor-related ARR1 , showed higher expression in plants with lower rooting competence. Taken together, data suggest that age negatively affects E. globulus rooting by a combination of factors. Decreased endogenous auxin concentration, possibly caused by less biosynthesis, lower auxin sensitivity, higher expression of genes inhibiting auxin action, as well as of genes related to the action of cytokinins, appear to play roles in this process.

Events Associated with Early Age-Related Decline in Adventitious Rooting Competence of Eucalyptus globulus Labill

Science.gov (United States)

Aumond, Márcio L.; de Araujo, Artur T.; de Oliveira Junkes, Camila F.; de Almeida, Márcia R.; Matsuura, Hélio N.; de Costa, Fernanda; Fett-Neto, Arthur G.

2017-01-01

The development of adventitious roots is affected by several factors, including the age of the cutting donor plant, which negatively affects rooting capacity. Eucalyptus globulus quickly loses rooting capacity of cuttings as the donor plant ages, although the molecular and biochemical mechanisms behind this process are still unclear. To better understand the bases of rooting competence loss in E. globulus, the time required for a significant decline in rhizogenic ability without exogenous auxin was determined in microcuttings derived from donor plants of different ages after sowing. Tip cuttings of donor plants were severed before and after loss of rooting competence of microcuttings to test the hypothesis that auxin and carbohydrate homeostasis regulate rooting competence decline. There were no significant changes in concentration of carbohydrates, flavonoids, or proteins before and after the loss of rooting capacity. Peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) total activity increased with loss of rooting competence. Auxin concentration showed the opposite pattern. In good agreement, TAA1, a key gene in auxin biosynthesis, had lower expression after loss of rooting capacity. The same applied to the auxin receptor gene TIR1, suggesting reduced auxin sensitivity. On the other hand, genes associated with auxin response repression (TPL, IAA12) or with the action of cytokinins, the rhizogenesis inhibitor-related ARR1, showed higher expression in plants with lower rooting competence. Taken together, data suggest that age negatively affects E. globulus rooting by a combination of factors. Decreased endogenous auxin concentration, possibly caused by less biosynthesis, lower auxin sensitivity, higher expression of genes inhibiting auxin action, as well as of genes related to the action of cytokinins, appear to play roles in this process. PMID:29067033

From sensorimotor inhibition to Freudian repression: insights from psychosis applied to neurosis

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Ariane eBazan

2012-11-01

Full Text Available First, three case studies are presented of psychotic patients having in common an inability to hold something down or out. In line with other theories on psychosis, we propose that a key change is at the efference copy system. Going back to Freud’s mental apparatus, we propose that the messages of discharge of the motor neurones, mobilised to direct perception, also called indications of reality, are equivalent to the modern efference copies. With this key, the reading of the cases is coherent with the psychodynamic understanding of psychosis, being a downplay of secondary processes, and consequently, a dominance of primary processes. Moreover, putting together the sensorimotor idea of a failure of efference copy-mediated inhibition with the psychoanalytic idea of a failing repression in psychosis, the hypothesis emerges that the attenuation enabled by the efference copy dynamics is, in some instances, the physiological instantiation of repression. Second, we applied this idea to the mental organisation in neurosis. Indeed, the efference copy-mediated attenuation is thought to be the mechanism through which sustained activation of an intention, without reaching it – i.e. inhibition of an action – gives rise to mental imagery. Therefore, as inhibition is needed for any targeted action or for normal language understanding, acting in the world or processing language structurally induces mental imagery, constituting a subjective unconscious mental reality. Repression is a special instance of inhibition for emotionally threatening stimuli. These stimuli require stronger inhibition, leaving (the attenuation of the motor intentions totally unanswered, in order to radically prevent execution which would lead to development of excess affect. This inhibition, then, yields a specific type of motor imagery, called phantoms, which induce mental preoccupation, as well as symptoms which, especially through their form, refer to the repressed motor

CORPORATE STANDARD OF ICT COMPETENCE OF MASTERS

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N. Morze

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Current labor market demand determines the modification of the system of higher education, including the transfer of emphasis on the educational process in its final qualitative result, a paradigm shift from knowledge education to competency. Student should must possess ICT competence that today has become a part of professional competence of professionals of any type. The purpose of the study is to develop standards in the ICT competence of all members of the educational process to ensure the quality of university education and the creation and subsequent implementation of educational policies of the University. The paper highlights the need to develop a corporate standard of ICT competence of masters based on UNESCO scientific approaches. It describes model, the level of ICT competence and tools for monitoring its formation in the future for today's professionals. For each of the selected three levels of ICT competence (basic, advanced and professional determined necessary knowledge and skills, talents and ideas to master. The necessary and sufficient conditions are determined for the formation of the ICT competence of masters in modern university, proffered examples of tasks and competency requirements for the personal educational electronic space for student and educational electronic space of university. Developed and approved corporate standard provides appropriate expertise contemporary specialist who meets the requirements of the labor market and will allow the graduate to be successful in today's information society.

Acetate Repression of Methane Oxidation by Supplemental Methylocella silvestris in a Peat Soil Microcosm ▿ †

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, M. Tanvir; Crombie, Andrew; Moussard, Hélène; Chen, Yin; Murrell, J. Colin

2011-01-01

Methylocella spp. are facultative methanotrophs that grow on methane and multicarbon substrates, such as acetate. Acetate represses transcription of methane monooxygenase of Methylocella silvestris in laboratory culture. DNA stable-isotope probing (DNA-SIP) using 13C-methane and 12C-acetate, carried out with Methylocella-spiked peat soil, showed that acetate also repressed methane oxidation by Methylocella in environmental samples. PMID:21515721

Acetate Repression of Methane Oxidation by Supplemental Methylocella silvestris in a Peat Soil Microcosm ▿ †

OpenAIRE

Rahman, M. Tanvir; Crombie, Andrew; Moussard, Hélène; Chen, Yin; Murrell, J. Colin

2011-01-01

Methylocella spp. are facultative methanotrophs that grow on methane and multicarbon substrates, such as acetate. Acetate represses transcription of methane monooxygenase of Methylocella silvestris in laboratory culture. DNA stable-isotope probing (DNA-SIP) using 13C-methane and 12C-acetate, carried out with Methylocella-spiked peat soil, showed that acetate also repressed methane oxidation by Methylocella in environmental samples.

Use of Both Cumulus Cells’ Transcriptomic Markers and Zona Pellucida Birefringence to Select Developmentally Competent Oocytes in Human Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Background Selection of the best oocyte for subsequent steps of fertilization and embryo transfer was shown to be the crucial step in human infertility treatment procedure. Oocyte selection using morphological criteria mainly Zona pellucida (ZP) has been the gold standard method in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) clinics, but this selection approach has limitations in terms of accuracy, objectivity and constancy. Recent studies using OMICs-based approaches have allowed the identification of key molecular markers that quantitatively and non-invasively predict the oocyte quality for higher pregnancy rates and efficient infertility treatment. These biomarkers are a valuable reinforcement of the morphological selection criteria widely used in in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics. In this context, this study was designed to investigate the relationship between transcriptomic predictors of oocyte quality found by our group and the conventional morphological parameters of oocyte quality mainly the ZP birefringence. Results Microarray data revealed that 48 and 27 differentially expressed candidate genes in cumulus cells (CCs) were respectively overexpressed and underexpressed in the ZGP (Zona Good Pregnant) versus ZBNP (Zona Bad Non Pregnant) groups. More than 70% of previously reported transcriptomic biomarkers of oocyte developmental competence were confirmed in this study. The analysis of possible association between ZP birefringence versus molecular markers approach showed an absence of correlation between them using the current set of markers. Conclusions This study suggested a new integrative approach that matches morphological and molecular approaches used to select developmentally competent oocytes able to lead to successful pregnancy and the delivery of healthy baby. For each ZP birefringence score, oocytes displayed a particular CCs' gene expression pattern. However, no correlations were found between the 7 gene biomarkers of oocyte developmental

Regulation of the cellulolytic system in Trichoderma reesei by sophorose: induction of cellulase and repression of beta-glucosidase.

OpenAIRE

Sternberg, D; Mandels, G R

1980-01-01

Sophorose has two regulatory roles in the production of cellulase enzymes in Trichoderma reesei: beta-glucosidase repression and cellulase induction. Sophorose also is hydrolyzed by the mycelial-associated beta-glucosidase. Repression of beta-glucosidase reduces sophorose hydrolysis and thus may increase cellulase induction.

Repression of both isoforms of disproportionating enzyme leads to higher malto-oligosaccharide content and reduced growth in potato

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mogensen, Henrik Lütken; Lloyd, James Richard; Glaring, Mikkel A.

2010-01-01

Two glucanotransferases, disproportionating enzyme 1 (StDPE1) and disproportionating enzyme 2 (StDPE2), were repressed using RNA interference technology in potato, leading to plants repressed in either isoform individually, or both simultaneously. This is the first detailed report of their combin...

Technical Competencies Applied in Experimental Fluid Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Tagg, Randall

2017-11-01

The practical design, construction, and operation of fluid dynamics experiments require a broad range of competencies. Three types are instrumental, procedural, and design. Respective examples would be operation of a spectrum analyzer, soft-soldering or brazing flow plumbing, and design of a small wind tunnel. Some competencies, such as the selection and installation of pumping systems, are unique to fluid dynamics and fluids engineering. Others, such as the design and construction of electronic amplifiers or optical imaging systems, overlap with other fields. Thus the identification and development of learning materials and methods for instruction are part of a larger effort to identify competencies needed in active research and technical innovation.

EBNA3C Directs Recruitment of RBPJ (CBF1) to Chromatin during the Process of Gene Repression in EBV Infected B Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalchschmidt, Jens S; Gillman, Adam C T; Paschos, Kostas; Bazot, Quentin; Kempkes, Bettina; Allday, Martin J

2016-01-01

It is well established that Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 3C (EBNA3C) can act as a potent repressor of gene expression, but little is known about the sequence of events occurring during the repression process. To explore further the role of EBNA3C in gene repression-particularly in relation to histone modifications and cell factors involved-the three host genes previously reported as most robustly repressed by EBNA3C were investigated. COBLL1, a gene of unknown function, is regulated by EBNA3C alone and the two co-regulated disintegrin/metalloproteases, ADAM28 and ADAMDEC1 have been described previously as targets of both EBNA3A and EBNA3C. For the first time, EBNA3C was here shown to be the main regulator of all three genes early after infection of primary B cells. Using various EBV-recombinants, repression over orders of magnitude was seen only when EBNA3C was expressed. Unexpectedly, full repression was not achieved until 30 days after infection. This was accurately reproduced in established LCLs carrying EBV-recombinants conditional for EBNA3C function, demonstrating the utility of the conditional system to replicate events early after infection. Using this system, detailed chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis revealed that the initial repression was associated with loss of activation-associated histone modifications (H3K9ac, H3K27ac and H3K4me3) and was independent of recruitment of polycomb proteins and deposition of the repressive H3K27me3 modification, which were only observed later in repression. Most remarkable, and in contrast to current models of RBPJ in repression, was the observation that this DNA-binding factor accumulated at the EBNA3C-binding sites only when EBNA3C was functional. Transient reporter assays indicated that repression of these genes was dependent on the interaction between EBNA3C and RBPJ. This was confirmed with a novel EBV-recombinant encoding a mutant of EBNA3C unable to bind RBPJ, by showing this virus was incapable of

Teacher Competencies through the Prism of Educational Research

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Cirila Peklaj

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The present article focuses on teacher competencies as a major factor that impacts student learning. Ultimately, all attempts to improve education converge in the teacher and the quality of his/her work with students. With their teaching methods, their communication and their classroom management, teachers can structure the kind of learning environment that will either promote or hinder learning. The purpose of the article is to analyse research on educational productivity in order to select the most important teacher competencies that are related to student achievement. A model of teacher competencies is developed that serves as a framework for understanding the synergetic effects of teacher competencies on achievement thorough promoting students’ cognitive, affective and social processes. The teacher competencies that impact each of the processes are described and their impact on student achievement is explained.

Estradiol represses Insulin-like 3 expression and promoter activity in MA-10 Leydig cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lague, Eric; Tremblay, Jacques J.

2009-01-01

There are increasing evidence in the literature reporting the detrimental effects of endocrine disruptors on the development and function of the male reproductive system. One example is cryptorchidism, or undescended testis, caused by exposure to excessive estrogens. Estrogens, acting through the estrogen receptor α (ERα), have been shown to repress expression of the gene encoding insulin-like 3 (INSL3), a small peptide produced by testicular Leydig cells that is essential for normal testis descent. The molecular mechanism of estrogen/ER action on Insl3 expression, however, remains poorly understood. Here we report estradiol (E 2 ) represses Insl3 mRNA levels in MA-10 cells, a Leydig cell line model. We also found that E 2 represses the activity of the human and mouse Insl3 promoter in these cells. The E 2 -responsive region of the human INSL3 promoter was located to the proximal INSL3 promoter. This region does not contain a consensus estrogen response element indicating an indirect mechanism of action. In agreement with this, we found that E 2 -responsiveness was lost when two previously characterized binding sites for the nuclear receptors NUR77 and SF1 were mutated. Finally we show that the E 2 repressive effect could be overcome by cotreatment with testosterone, a positive regulator of Insl3 transcription. Collectively our data provide important new insights into the molecular mechanism of estrogen action in Insl3 transcription in Leydig cells

Msx1 Homeodomain Protein Represses the αGSU and GnRH Receptor Genes During Gonadotrope Development

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Huimin; Cherrington, Brian D.; Meadows, Jason D.; Witham, Emily A.

2013-01-01

Multiple homeodomain transcription factors are crucial for pituitary organogenesis and cellular differentiation. A homeodomain repressor, Msx1, is expressed from the ventral aspect of the developing anterior pituitary and implicated in gonadotrope differentiation. Here, we find that Msx1 represses transcription of lineage-specific pituitary genes such as the common α-glycoprotein subunit (αGSU) and GnRH receptor (GnRHR) promoters in the mouse gonadotrope-derived cell lines, αT3-1 and LβT2. Repression of the mouse GnRHR promoter by Msx1 is mediated through a consensus-binding motif in the downstream activin regulatory element (DARE). Truncation and mutation analyses of the human αGSU promoter map Msx1 repression to a site at −114, located at the junctional regulatory element (JRE). Dlx activators are closely related to the Msx repressors, acting through the same elements, and Dlx3 and Dlx2 act as transcriptional activators for GnRHR and αGSU, respectively. Small interfering RNA knockdown of Msx1 in αT3-1 cells increases endogenous αGSU and GnRHR mRNA expression. Msx1 gene expression reaches its maximal expression at the rostral edge at e13.5. The subsequent decline in Msx1 expression specifically coincides with the onset of expression of both αGSU and GnRHR. The expression levels of both αGSU and GnRHR in Msx1-null mice at e18.5 are higher compared with wild type, further confirming a role for Msx1 in the repression of αGSU and GnRHR. In summary, Msx1 functions as a negative regulator early in pituitary development by repressing the gonadotrope-specific αGSU and GnRHR genes, but a temporal decline in Msx1 expression alleviates this repression allowing induction of GnRHR and αGSU, thus serving to time the onset of gonadotrope-specific gene program. PMID:23371388

Msx1 homeodomain protein represses the αGSU and GnRH receptor genes during gonadotrope development.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Huimin; Cherrington, Brian D; Meadows, Jason D; Witham, Emily A; Mellon, Pamela L

2013-03-01

Multiple homeodomain transcription factors are crucial for pituitary organogenesis and cellular differentiation. A homeodomain repressor, Msx1, is expressed from the ventral aspect of the developing anterior pituitary and implicated in gonadotrope differentiation. Here, we find that Msx1 represses transcription of lineage-specific pituitary genes such as the common α-glycoprotein subunit (αGSU) and GnRH receptor (GnRHR) promoters in the mouse gonadotrope-derived cell lines, αT3-1 and LβT2. Repression of the mouse GnRHR promoter by Msx1 is mediated through a consensus-binding motif in the downstream activin regulatory element (DARE). Truncation and mutation analyses of the human αGSU promoter map Msx1 repression to a site at -114, located at the junctional regulatory element (JRE). Dlx activators are closely related to the Msx repressors, acting through the same elements, and Dlx3 and Dlx2 act as transcriptional activators for GnRHR and αGSU, respectively. Small interfering RNA knockdown of Msx1 in αT3-1 cells increases endogenous αGSU and GnRHR mRNA expression. Msx1 gene expression reaches its maximal expression at the rostral edge at e13.5. The subsequent decline in Msx1 expression specifically coincides with the onset of expression of both αGSU and GnRHR. The expression levels of both αGSU and GnRHR in Msx1-null mice at e18.5 are higher compared with wild type, further confirming a role for Msx1 in the repression of αGSU and GnRHR. In summary, Msx1 functions as a negative regulator early in pituitary development by repressing the gonadotrope-specific αGSU and GnRHR genes, but a temporal decline in Msx1 expression alleviates this repression allowing induction of GnRHR and αGSU, thus serving to time the onset of gonadotrope-specific gene program.

RNAi mediates post-transcriptional repression of gene expression in fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smialowska, Agata; Djupedal, Ingela; Wang, Jingwen; Kylsten, Per; Swoboda, Peter; Ekwall, Karl

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Protein coding genes accumulate anti-sense sRNAs in fission yeast S. pombe. • RNAi represses protein-coding genes in S. pombe. • RNAi-mediated gene repression is post-transcriptional. - Abstract: RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene silencing mechanism conserved from fungi to mammals. Small interfering RNAs are products and mediators of the RNAi pathway and act as specificity factors in recruiting effector complexes. The Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome encodes one of each of the core RNAi proteins, Dicer, Argonaute and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (dcr1, ago1, rdp1). Even though the function of RNAi in heterochromatin assembly in S. pombe is established, its role in controlling gene expression is elusive. Here, we report the identification of small RNAs mapped anti-sense to protein coding genes in fission yeast. We demonstrate that these genes are up-regulated at the protein level in RNAi mutants, while their mRNA levels are not significantly changed. We show that the repression by RNAi is not a result of heterochromatin formation. Thus, we conclude that RNAi is involved in post-transcriptional gene silencing in S. pombe

Functional improvement of dystrophic muscle by repression of utrophin: let-7c interaction.

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Manoj K Mishra

Full Text Available Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD is a fatal genetic disease caused by an absence of the 427kD muscle-specific dystrophin isoform. Utrophin is the autosomal homolog of dystrophin and when overexpressed, can compensate for the absence of dystrophin and rescue the dystrophic phenotype of the mdx mouse model of DMD. Utrophin is subject to miRNA mediated repression by several miRNAs including let-7c. Inhibition of utrophin: let-7c interaction is predicted to 'repress the repression' and increase utrophin expression. We developed and tested the ability of an oligonucleotide, composed of 2'-O-methyl modified bases on a phosphorothioate backbone, to anneal to the utrophin 3'UTR and prevent let-7c miRNA binding, thereby upregulating utrophin expression and improving the dystrophic phenotype in vivo. Suppression of utrophin: let-7c interaction using bi-weekly intraperitoneal injections of let7 site blocking oligonucleotides (SBOs for 1 month in the mdx mouse model for DMD, led to increased utrophin expression along with improved muscle histology, decreased fibrosis and increased specific force. The functional improvement of dystrophic muscle achieved using let7-SBOs suggests a novel utrophin upregulation-based therapeutic strategy for DMD.

TSA-induced DNMT1 down-regulation represses hTERT expression via recruiting CTCF into demethylated core promoter region of hTERT in HCT116.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jee-Hye; Min, Na Young; Park, Jina; Kim, Jin Hong; Park, Soo Hyun; Ko, Young Jong; Kang, Yoonsung; Moon, Young Joon; Rhee, Sangmyung; Ham, Seung Wook; Park, Ae Ja; Lee, Kwang-Ho

2010-01-01

Trichostatin A (TSA), an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, is a well-known antitumor agent that effectively and selectively induces tumor growth arrest and apoptosis. Recently, it was reported that hTERT is one of the primary targets for TSA-induced apoptosis in cancer cells but the mechanism of which has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, to better understand the epigenetic regulation mechanism responsible for the repression of hTERT by TSA, we examined expression of hTERT in the HCT116 colon cancer cell line after treatment with TSA and performed site-specific CpG methylation analysis of the hTERT promoter. We found that TSA-induced the demethylation of site-specific CpGs on the promoter of hTERT, which was caused by down-regulation of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). Among the demethylated region, the 31st-33rd CpGs contained a binding site for CTCF, an inhibitor of hTERT transcription. ChIP analysis revealed that TSA-induced demethylation of the 31st-33rd CpGs promoted CTCF binding on hTERT promoter, leading to repression of hTERT. Taken together, down-regulation of DNMT1 by TSA caused demethylation of a CTCF binding site on the hTERT promoter, the result of which was repression of hTERT via recruitment of CTCF to the promoter. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Arabinoxylans, inulin and Lactobacillus reuteri 1063 repress the adherent-invasive Escherichia coli from mucus in a mucosa-comprising gut model.

Science.gov (United States)

Van den Abbeele, Pieter; Marzorati, Massimo; Derde, Melanie; De Weirdt, Rosemarie; Joan, Vermeiren; Possemiers, Sam; Van de Wiele, Tom

2016-01-01

The microbiota that colonises the intestinal mucus may particularly affect human health given its proximity to the epithelium. For instance, the presence of the adherent-invasive Escherichia coli (AIEC) in this mucosal microbiota has been correlated with Crohn's disease. Using short-term screening assays and a novel long-term dynamic gut model, which comprises a simulated mucosal environment (M-SHIME), we investigated how (potential) pro- and prebiotics may repress colonisation of AIEC from mucus. Despite that during the short-term screening assays, some of the investigated Lactobacillus strains adhered strongly to mucins, none of them competed with AIEC for mucin-adhesion. In contrast, AIEC survival and growth during co-culture batch incubations was decreased by Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and L. reuteri 1063, which correlated with (undissociated) lactic acid and reuterin levels. Regarding the prebiotics, long-chain arabinoxylans (LC-AX) lowered the initial mucin-adhesion of AIEC, while both inulin (IN) and galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) limited AIEC survival and growth during batch incubations. L. reuteri 1063, LC-AX and IN were thus retained for a long-term study with the M-SHIME. All treatments repressed AIEC from mucus without affecting AIEC numbers in the luminal content. As a possible explanation, L. reuteri 1063 treatment increased lactobacilli levels in mucus, while LC-AX and IN additionally increased mucosal bifidobacteria levels, thus leading to antimicrobial effects against AIEC in mucus. Overall, this study shows that pro- and prebiotics can beneficially modulate the in vitro mucosal microbiota, thus limiting occurrence of opportunistic pathogens among those mucosal microbes which may directly interact with the host given their proximity to the epithelium.

Rapid Automatic Motor Encoding of Competing Reach Options

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Jason P. Gallivan

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Mounting neural evidence suggests that, in situations in which there are multiple potential targets for action, the brain prepares, in parallel, competing movements associated with these targets, prior to implementing one of them. Central to this interpretation is the idea that competing viewed targets, prior to selection, are rapidly and automatically transformed into corresponding motor representations. Here, by applying target-specific, gradual visuomotor rotations and dissociating, unbeknownst to participants, the visual direction of potential targets from the direction of the movements required to reach the same targets, we provide direct evidence for this provocative idea. Our results offer strong empirical support for theories suggesting that competing action options are automatically represented in terms of the movements required to attain them. The rapid motor encoding of potential targets may support the fast optimization of motor costs under conditions of target uncertainty and allow the motor system to inform decisions about target selection.

I-mfa domain proteins specifically interact with HTLV-1 Tax and repress its transactivating functions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusano, Shuichi; Yoshimitsu, Makoto; Hachiman, Miho; Ikeda, Masanori

2015-01-01

The I-mfa domain proteins HIC (also known as MDFIC) and I-mfa (also known as MDFI) are candidate tumor suppressor genes that are involved in cellular and viral transcriptional regulation. Here, we show that HIC and I-mfa directly interact with human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein in vitro. In addition, HIC and I-mfa repress Tax-dependent transactivation of an HTLV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) reporter construct in COS-1, Jurkat and high-Tax-producing HTLV-1-infected T cells. HIC also interacts with Tax through its I-mfa domain in vivo and represses Tax-dependent transactivation of HTLV-1 LTR and NF-κB reporter constructs in an interaction-dependent manner. Furthermore, we show that HIC decreases the nuclear distribution and stimulates the proteasomal degradation of Tax. These data reveal that HIC specifically interacts with HTLV-1 Tax and negatively regulates Tax transactivational activity by altering its subcellular distribution and stability. - Highlights: • I-mfa domain proteins, HIC and I-mfa, specifically interact with HTLV-1 Tax. • HIC and I-mfa repress the Tax-dependent transactivation of HTLV-1 LTR. • HIC represses the Tax-dependent transactivation of NF-κΒ. • HIC decreases the nuclear distribution of Tax. • HIC stimulates the proteasomal degradation of Tax.

Direct Repression of Evening Genes by CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED1 in the Arabidopsis Circadian Clock.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamioka, Mari; Takao, Saori; Suzuki, Takamasa; Taki, Kyomi; Higashiyama, Tetsuya; Kinoshita, Toshinori; Nakamichi, Norihito

2016-03-01

The circadian clock is a biological timekeeping system that provides organisms with the ability to adapt to day-night cycles. Timing of the expression of four members of the Arabidopsis thaliana PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR(PRR) family is crucial for proper clock function, and transcriptional control of PRRs remains incompletely defined. Here, we demonstrate that direct regulation of PRR5 by CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED1 (CCA1) determines the repression state of PRR5 in the morning. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by deep sequencing (ChIP-seq) analyses indicated that CCA1 associates with three separate regions upstream of PRR5 CCA1 and its homolog LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY) suppressed PRR5 promoter activity in a transient assay. The regions bound by CCA1 in the PRR5 promoter gave rhythmic patterns with troughs in the morning, when CCA1 and LHY are at high levels. Furthermore,ChIP-seq revealed that CCA1 associates with at least 449 loci with 863 adjacent genes. Importantly, this gene set contains genes that are repressed but upregulated incca1 lhy double mutants in the morning. This study shows that direct binding by CCA1 in the morning provides strong repression of PRR5, and repression by CCA1 also temporally regulates an evening-expressed gene set that includes PRR5. © 2016 American Society of Plant Biologists. All rights reserved.

I-mfa domain proteins specifically interact with HTLV-1 Tax and repress its transactivating functions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kusano, Shuichi, E-mail: skusano@m2.kufm.kagoshima-u.ac.jp [Division of Persistent and Oncogenic Viruses, Center for Chronic Viral Diseases, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544 (Japan); Yoshimitsu, Makoto; Hachiman, Miho [Division of Hematology and Immunology, Center for Chronic Viral Diseases, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544 (Japan); Ikeda, Masanori [Division of Persistent and Oncogenic Viruses, Center for Chronic Viral Diseases, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima University, 8-35-1 Sakuragaoka, Kagoshima 890-8544 (Japan)

2015-12-15

The I-mfa domain proteins HIC (also known as MDFIC) and I-mfa (also known as MDFI) are candidate tumor suppressor genes that are involved in cellular and viral transcriptional regulation. Here, we show that HIC and I-mfa directly interact with human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein in vitro. In addition, HIC and I-mfa repress Tax-dependent transactivation of an HTLV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) reporter construct in COS-1, Jurkat and high-Tax-producing HTLV-1-infected T cells. HIC also interacts with Tax through its I-mfa domain in vivo and represses Tax-dependent transactivation of HTLV-1 LTR and NF-κB reporter constructs in an interaction-dependent manner. Furthermore, we show that HIC decreases the nuclear distribution and stimulates the proteasomal degradation of Tax. These data reveal that HIC specifically interacts with HTLV-1 Tax and negatively regulates Tax transactivational activity by altering its subcellular distribution and stability. - Highlights: • I-mfa domain proteins, HIC and I-mfa, specifically interact with HTLV-1 Tax. • HIC and I-mfa repress the Tax-dependent transactivation of HTLV-1 LTR. • HIC represses the Tax-dependent transactivation of NF-κΒ. • HIC decreases the nuclear distribution of Tax. • HIC stimulates the proteasomal degradation of Tax.

New engineering: from knowledge to competences

Science.gov (United States)

Cartagena, M. C.; Tarquis, A. M.; Arce, A.

2009-04-01

One of the main innovations of Bologna system has been to link learning outcomes, ECTS workload based credits and competences. Competences represent a dynamic combination of knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities. Competences can be distinguished in subject specific and generic ones (instrumental, interpersonal and systemic competences). Actually in Spain Engineering degrees are changing to the new University educational system and should aim to satisfy the real needs of European society. This change has been long and complex, particularly. on the issue that have influenced curricular change Consultation with "actors" and "stakeholders", the definition of academic and professionals profiles and the translation of these into desired learning outcomes. Generic competences or transferable skills are relevant for preparing students well for their future role in society in terms of employability and citizenship. The criteria used by the companies to select their engineers are based in a good background and capacity to adapt and to acquire new knowledge, better than specific education, even postgraduate. It was interesting to note the great importance of generic competences However, Spanish government has regulated conditions of core curriculum need for to guarantee the acquisition of the competences needs to exercise the correspondent professional activities. The new degrees should comply with the core curriculum if the graduates want maintain the legal attributions guaranteed actually by the Spanish Professional Associations. After these degrees, students can access to professional master with actually horizontal attributions of regulated professions.

Bureau-repression: Administrative Sanction and Social Control in Modern Spain

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Pedro Oliver Olmo

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This paper explains the creation of an intelligible suggestion for better understanding the administrative sanction in many disciplines in social sciences: the bureau-repression. The coining of this concept is due especially to the repression to which social protestors and demonstrators have been subject since the birth of the 15-M movement in Spain. However, bureau-repression had already begun being exercised in the years following the Transition, and it has developed in parallel to the stage of Security State that characterizes the state system of social control. A detailed analysis of the administrative sanction is performed for many benefits which such sanction provides for those in power, who use it both to silence voices from the street and to dispose of elements which are harmful for the neoliberal system (disadvantaged groups or immigrants. In short, the reader will find the underlying political and repressive background which, at first glance, is usually a monetary fine, and will discover that there are ways to avoid this dense surveillance exercised over the governed people (bureau-resistance. Este artículo explica la creación de una sugerencia inteligible para una mejor comprensión de la sanción administrativa en muchas disciplinas de las ciencias sociales: la burorrepresión. Este término nació especialmente a raíz de la represión que han sufrido los manifestantes de las protestas sociales desde el nacimiento del movimiento 15-M en España. Sin embargo, la burorrepresión ya había comenzado a ejercerse en los años que siguieron a la Transición, y se ha desarrollado de forma paralela al estado de seguridad que caracteriza el sistema estatal de control social. Se realiza un análisis detallado de la sanción administrativa, desarrollada en beneficio de los que están en el poder, quienes la usan tanto para silenciar las voces de la calle como para deshacerse de elementos que sean perjudiciales para el sistema neoliberal

Gene activation by UV light, fungal elicitor or fungal infection in Petroselinum crispum is correlated with repression of cell cycle-related genes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Logemann, E.; Wu ShengCheng; Schröder, J.; Schmelzer, E.; Somssich, I.E.; Hahlbrock, K.

1995-01-01

The effects of UV light or fungal elicitors on plant cells have so far been studied mostly with respect to defense-related gene activation. Here, an inverse correlation of these stimulatory effects with the activities of several cell cycle-related genes is demonstrated. Concomitant with the induction of flavonoid biosynthetic enzymes in UV-irradiated cell suspension cultures of parsley (Petroselinum crispum), total histone synthesis declined to about half the initial rate. A subclass of the histone H3 gene family was selected to demonstrate the close correlation of its expression with cell division, both in intact plants and cultured cells. Using RNA-blot and run-on transcription assays, it was shown that one arbitrarily selected subclass of each of the histone H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 gene families and of the genes encoding a p34cdc2 protein kinase and a mitotic cyclin were transcriptionally repressed in UV-irradiated as well as fungal elicitor-treated parsley cells. The timing and extent of repression differed between the two stimuli; the response to light was more transient and smaller in magnitude. These differential responses to light and elicitor were inversely correlated with the induction of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase, a key enzyme of phenylpropanoid metabolism. Essentially the same result was obtained with a defined oligopeptide elicitor, indicating that the same signaling pathway is responsible for defense-related gene activation and cell cycle-related gene repression. A temporary (UV light) or long-lasting (fungal elicitor) cessation of cell culture growth is most likely due to an arrest of cell division which may be a prerequisite for full commitment of the cells to transcriptional activation of full commitment of the cells to transcriptional activation of pathways involved in UV protection or pathogen defense. This conclusion is corroborated by the observation that the histone H3 mRNA level greatly declined around fungal infection sites in young parsley

Pluripotency factors and Polycomb Group proteins repress aryl hydrocarbon receptor expression in murine embryonic stem cells

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Chia-I Ko

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR is a transcription factor and environmental sensor that regulates expression of genes involved in drug-metabolism and cell cycle regulation. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses, Ahr ablation in mice and studies with orthologous genes in invertebrates suggest that AHR may also play a significant role in embryonic development. To address this hypothesis, we studied the regulation of Ahr expression in mouse embryonic stem cells and their differentiated progeny. In ES cells, interactions between OCT3/4, NANOG, SOX2 and Polycomb Group proteins at the Ahr promoter repress AHR expression, which can also be repressed by ectopic expression of reprogramming factors in hepatoma cells. In ES cells, unproductive RNA polymerase II binds at the Ahr transcription start site and drives the synthesis of short abortive transcripts. Activation of Ahr expression during differentiation follows from reversal of repressive marks in Ahr promoter chromatin, release of pluripotency factors and PcG proteins, binding of Sp factors, establishment of histone marks of open chromatin, and engagement of active RNAPII to drive full-length RNA transcript elongation. Our results suggest that reversible Ahr repression in ES cells holds the gene poised for expression and allows for a quick switch to activation during embryonic development.

The MSX1 homeoprotein recruits G9a methyltransferase to repressed target genes in myoblast cells.

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Jingqiang Wang

Full Text Available Although the significance of lysine modifications of core histones for regulating gene expression is widely appreciated, the mechanisms by which these modifications are incorporated at specific regulatory elements during cellular differentiation remains largely unknown. In our previous studies, we have shown that in developing myoblasts the Msx1 homeoprotein represses gene expression by influencing the modification status of chromatin at its target genes. We now show that genomic binding by Msx1 promotes enrichment of the H3K9me2 mark on repressed target genes via recruitment of G9a histone methyltransferase, the enzyme responsible for catalyzing this histone mark. Interaction of Msx1 with G9a is mediated via the homeodomain and is required for transcriptional repression and regulation of cellular differentiation, as well as enrichment of the H3K9me2 mark in proximity to Msx1 binding sites on repressed target genes in myoblast cells as well as the developing limb. We propose that regulation of chromatin status by Msx1 recruitment of G9a and other histone modifying enzymes to regulatory regions of target genes represents an important means of regulating the gene expression during development.

Cyclin D1 represses p300 transactivation through a cyclin-dependent kinase-independent mechanism.

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Fu, Maofu; Wang, Chenguang; Rao, Mahadev; Wu, Xiaofang; Bouras, Toula; Zhang, Xueping; Li, Zhiping; Jiao, Xuanmao; Yang, Jianguo; Li, Anping; Perkins, Neil D; Thimmapaya, Bayar; Kung, Andrew L; Munoz, Alberto; Giordano, Antonio; Lisanti, Michael P; Pestell, Richard G

2005-08-19

Cyclin D1 encodes a regulatory subunit, which with its cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk)-binding partner forms a holoenzyme that phosphorylates and inactivates the retinoblastoma protein. In addition to its Cdk binding-dependent functions, cyclin D1 regulates cellular differentiation in part by modifying several transcription factors and nuclear receptors. The molecular mechanism through which cyclin D1 regulates the function of transcription factors involved in cellular differentiation remains to be clarified. The histone acetyltransferase protein p300 is a co-integrator required for regulation of multiple transcription factors. Here we show that cyclin D1 physically interacts with p300 and represses p300 transactivation. We demonstrated further that the interaction of the two proteins occurs at the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma-responsive element of the lipoprotein lipase promoter in the context of the local chromatin structure. We have mapped the domains in p300 and cyclin D1 involved in this interaction. The bromo domain and cysteine- and histidine-rich domains of p300 were required for repression by cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 repression of p300 was independent of the Cdk- and retinoblastoma protein-binding domains of cyclin D1. Cyclin D1 inhibits histone acetyltransferase activity of p300 in vitro. Microarray analysis identified a signature of genes repressed by cyclin D1 and induced by p300 that promotes cellular differentiation and induces cell cycle arrest. Together, our results suggest that cyclin D1 plays an important role in cellular proliferation and differentiation through regulation of p300.

Death Competence: An Ethical Imperative

Science.gov (United States)

Gamino, Louis A.; Ritter, R. Hal, Jr.

2012-01-01

The authors argued that death competence, defined as specialized skill in tolerating and managing clients' problems related to dying, death, and bereavement, is a necessary prerequisite for ethical practice in grief counseling. A selected review of the literature tracing the underpinnings of this concept reveals how a robust construct of death…

Conceptual framework for performance assessment: competency, competence and performance in the context of assessments in healthcare--deciphering the terminology.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Kamran; Ramachandran, Sankaranarayanan

2012-01-01

The definitions of performance, competence and competency are not very clear in the literature. The assessment of performance and the selection of tools for this purpose depend upon a deep understanding of each of the above terms and the factors influencing performance. In this article, we distinguish between competence and competency and explain the relationship of competence and performance in the light of the Dreyfus model of skills acquisition. We briefly critique the application of the principles described by Miller to the modern assessment tools and distinguish between assessment of actual performance in workplace settings and the observed performance, demonstrated by the candidates in the workplace or simulated settings. We describe a modification of the Dreyfus model applicable to assessments in healthcare and propose a new model for the assessment of performance and performance rating scale (PRS) based on this model. We propose that the use of adapted versions of this PRS will result in benchmarking of performance and allowing the candidates to track their progression of skills in various areas of clinical practice.

A molecular doorstop ensures a trickle through translational repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Brook, Matthew; Smith, Richard W P; Gray, Nicola K

2012-03-30

Switching mRNA translation off and on is central to regulated gene expression, but what mechanisms moderate the extent of switch-off? Yao et al. describe how basal expression from interferon-gamma-induced transcripts is maintained during mRNA-specific translational repression. This antagonistic mechanism utilizes a truncated RNA-binding factor generated by a unique alternative polyadenylation event. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

ME31B globally represses maternal mRNAs by two distinct mechanisms during the Drosophila maternal-to-zygotic transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Miranda; Ly, Michael; Lugowski, Andrew; Laver, John D; Lipshitz, Howard D; Smibert, Craig A; Rissland, Olivia S

2017-09-06

In animal embryos, control of development is passed from exclusively maternal gene products to those encoded by the embryonic genome in a process referred to as the maternal-to-zygotic transition (MZT). We show that the RNA-binding protein, ME31B, binds to and represses the expression of thousands of maternal mRNAs during the Drosophila MZT. However, ME31B carries out repression in different ways during different phases of the MZT. Early, it represses translation while, later, its binding leads to mRNA destruction, most likely as a consequence of translational repression in the context of robust mRNA decay. In a process dependent on the PNG kinase, levels of ME31B and its partners, Cup and Trailer Hitch (TRAL), decrease by over 10-fold during the MZT, leading to a change in the composition of mRNA-protein complexes. We propose that ME31B is a global repressor whose regulatory impact changes based on its biological context.

Trichostatin A enhances estrogen receptor-alpha repression in MCF-7 breast cancer cells under hypoxia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noh, Hyunggyun; Park, Joonwoo; Shim, Myeongguk; Lee, YoungJoo

2016-01-01

Estrogen receptor (ER) is a crucial determinant of resistance to endocrine therapy, which may change during the progression of breast cancer. We previously showed that hypoxia induces ESR1 gene repression and ERα protein degradation via proteasome-mediated pathway in breast cancer cells. HDAC plays important roles in the regulation of histone and non-histone protein post-translational modification. HDAC inhibitors can induce epigenetic changes and have therapeutic potential for targeting various cancers. Trichostatin A exerts potent antitumor activities against breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In this report, we show that TSA augments ESR1 gene repression at the transcriptional level and downregulates ERα protein expression under hypoxic conditions through a proteasome-mediated pathway. TSA-induced estrogen response element-driven reporter activity in the absence of estrogen was synergistically enhanced under hypoxia; however, TSA inhibited cell proliferation under both normoxia and hypoxia. Our data show that the hypoxia-induced repression of ESR1 and degradation of ERα are enhanced by concomitant treatment with TSA. These findings expand our understanding of hormone responsiveness in the tumor microenvironment; however, additional in-depth studies are required to elucidate the detailed mechanisms of TSA-induced ERα regulation under hypoxia. - Highlights: • TSA augments ESR1 gene repression at the transcriptional level under hypoxia. • TSA downregulates ERα protein expression under hypoxia. • TSA-induced ERα regulation under hypoxia is essential for understanding the behavior and progression of breast cancer.

Trichostatin A enhances estrogen receptor-alpha repression in MCF-7 breast cancer cells under hypoxia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noh, Hyunggyun; Park, Joonwoo; Shim, Myeongguk; Lee, YoungJoo, E-mail: yjlee@sejong.ac.kr

2016-02-12

Estrogen receptor (ER) is a crucial determinant of resistance to endocrine therapy, which may change during the progression of breast cancer. We previously showed that hypoxia induces ESR1 gene repression and ERα protein degradation via proteasome-mediated pathway in breast cancer cells. HDAC plays important roles in the regulation of histone and non-histone protein post-translational modification. HDAC inhibitors can induce epigenetic changes and have therapeutic potential for targeting various cancers. Trichostatin A exerts potent antitumor activities against breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In this report, we show that TSA augments ESR1 gene repression at the transcriptional level and downregulates ERα protein expression under hypoxic conditions through a proteasome-mediated pathway. TSA-induced estrogen response element-driven reporter activity in the absence of estrogen was synergistically enhanced under hypoxia; however, TSA inhibited cell proliferation under both normoxia and hypoxia. Our data show that the hypoxia-induced repression of ESR1 and degradation of ERα are enhanced by concomitant treatment with TSA. These findings expand our understanding of hormone responsiveness in the tumor microenvironment; however, additional in-depth studies are required to elucidate the detailed mechanisms of TSA-induced ERα regulation under hypoxia. - Highlights: • TSA augments ESR1 gene repression at the transcriptional level under hypoxia. • TSA downregulates ERα protein expression under hypoxia. • TSA-induced ERα regulation under hypoxia is essential for understanding the behavior and progression of breast cancer.

Oncolytic adenovirus targeting cyclin E overexpression repressed tumor growth in syngeneic immunocompetent mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Pei-Hsin; Rao, Xiao-Mei; Wechman, Stephen L.; Li, Xiao-Feng; McMasters, Kelly M.; Zhou, Heshan Sam

2015-01-01

Clinical trials have indicated that preclinical results obtained with human tumor xenografts in mouse models may overstate the potential of adenovirus (Ad)-mediated oncolytic therapies. We have previously demonstrated that the replication of human Ads depends on cyclin E dysregulation or overexpression in cancer cells. ED-1 cell derived from mouse lung adenocarcinomas triggered by transgenic overexpression of human cyclin E may be applied to investigate the antitumor efficacy of oncolytic Ads. Ad-cycE was used to target cyclin E overexpression in ED-1 cells and repress tumor growth in a syngeneic mouse model for investigation of oncolytic virotherapies. Murine ED-1 cells were permissive for human Ad replication and Ad-cycE repressed ED-1 tumor growth in immunocompetent FVB mice. ED-1 cells destroyed by oncolytic Ads in tumors were encircled in capsule-like structures, while cells outside the capsules were not infected and survived the treatment. Ad-cycE can target cyclin E overexpression in cancer cells and repress tumor growth in syngeneic mouse models. The capsule structures formed after Ad intratumoral injection may prevent viral particles from spreading to the entire tumor. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-015-1731-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

A central regulatory system largely controls transcriptional activation and repression responses to phosphate starvation in Arabidopsis.

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Regla Bustos

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Plants respond to different stresses by inducing or repressing transcription of partially overlapping sets of genes. In Arabidopsis, the PHR1 transcription factor (TF has an important role in the control of phosphate (Pi starvation stress responses. Using transcriptomic analysis of Pi starvation in phr1, and phr1 phr1-like (phl1 mutants and in wild type plants, we show that PHR1 in conjunction with PHL1 controls most transcriptional activation and repression responses to phosphate starvation, regardless of the Pi starvation specificity of these responses. Induced genes are enriched in PHR1 binding sequences (P1BS in their promoters, whereas repressed genes do not show such enrichment, suggesting that PHR1(-like control of transcriptional repression responses is indirect. In agreement with this, transcriptomic analysis of a transgenic plant expressing PHR1 fused to the hormone ligand domain of the glucocorticoid receptor showed that PHR1 direct targets (i.e., displaying altered expression after GR:PHR1 activation by dexamethasone in the presence of cycloheximide corresponded largely to Pi starvation-induced genes that are highly enriched in P1BS. A minimal promoter containing a multimerised P1BS recapitulates Pi starvation-specific responsiveness. Likewise, mutation of P1BS in the promoter of two Pi starvation-responsive genes impaired their responsiveness to Pi starvation, but not to other stress types. Phylogenetic footprinting confirmed the importance of P1BS and PHR1 in Pi starvation responsiveness and indicated that P1BS acts in concert with other cis motifs. All together, our data show that PHR1 and PHL1 are partially redundant TF acting as central integrators of Pi starvation responses, both specific and generic. In addition, they indicate that transcriptional repression responses are an integral part of adaptive responses to stress.

E2F repression by C/EBPalpha is required for adipogenesis and granulopoiesis in vivo

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Porse, B T; Pedersen TA; Xu, X

2001-01-01

-dependent transcription and found them to be impaired in their ability to suppress cellular proliferation, and to induce adipocyte differentiation in vitro. Using targeted mutagenesis of the mouse germline, we show that E2F repression-deficient C/EBPalpha alleles failed to support adipocyte and granulocyte...... differentiation in vivo. These results indicate that E2F repression by C/EBPalpha is critical for its ability to induce terminal differentiation, and thus provide genetic evidence that direct cell cycle control by a mammalian lineage-instructive transcription factor couples cellular growth arrest...

Implementation of Competency-Based Pharmacy Education (CBPE

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Andries Koster

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Implementation of competency-based pharmacy education (CBPE is a time-consuming, complicated process, which requires agreement on the tasks of a pharmacist, commitment, institutional stability, and a goal-directed developmental perspective of all stakeholders involved. In this article the main steps in the development of a fully-developed competency-based pharmacy curriculum (bachelor, master are described and tips are given for a successful implementation. After the choice for entering into CBPE is made and a competency framework is adopted (step 1, intended learning outcomes are defined (step 2, followed by analyzing the required developmental trajectory (step 3 and the selection of appropriate assessment methods (step 4. Designing the teaching-learning environment involves the selection of learning activities, student experiences, and instructional methods (step 5. Finally, an iterative process of evaluation and adjustment of individual courses, and the curriculum as a whole, is entered (step 6. Successful implementation of CBPE requires a system of effective quality management and continuous professional development as a teacher. In this article suggestions for the organization of CBPE and references to more detailed literature are given, hoping to facilitate the implementation of CBPE.

Benefits/problems of enhancing students' intercultural competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Koskinen, Liisa; Tossavainen, Kerttu

European nursing has responded to the challenges of multicultural society by integrating student exchange programmes into nursing education since the 1990s. For students, these programmes provide opportunities to study in another EU member state and to develop intercultural competence as part of the training. The aim of this study was to describe the process of gaining intercultural competence among British undergraduate nursing students during their study abroad in Finland. Fifteen British students participated in this study. Data were obtained from interviews, observations, background questionnaires and research diary notes. The data were analysed with Spradley's developmental research sequence (DRS) method. Campinha-Bacotes' model of cultural competence was used as a framework of rendering the results. Students' intercultural desire, i.e. their effort to become interculturally competent, turned out to be the foundation of the entire process. Study abroad is an intensive experience, and therefore the preparation, the selection of exchange students, the design of the programme and intercultural tutoring warrant careful attention.

COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT: BEST PRACTICES IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

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Magdalena VELCIU

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In the current changing environment of work, the process of competence assessment is increasingly relevant as workers gain knowledge and practical skills through fulfilling different and new working tasks and through self-education. In this context, innovative tools for competence assessment and validation are very useful for encouraging movement of individuals between jobs and from unemployment or inactivity to employment and for increasing the capacity of companies to respond and adapt to changing and challenging environments. This article presents an overview of best practices for competence assessment and validation in order to identify and select methods that have been effective in various European countries including Romania. The article concludes with a set of „learned lessons” and short recommendations in order to improve the framework of competence assessment in Romanian context. Our findings are useful for the new human resources management that aims toward efficiently usage of the workforce, inside companies and in a global labour market, encouraging flexibility and adaptability.

SIRT1 deacetylates RFX5 and antagonizes repression of collagen type I (COL1A2) transcription in smooth muscle cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xia, Jun [Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (China); Department of Respiratory Medicine, Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Chinese Traditional Medicine (China); Wu, Xiaoyan; Yang, Yuyu; Zhao, Yuhao [Atherosclerosis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease and Molecular Intervention, Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University (China); Fang, Mingming [Jiangsu Jiankang Vocational Institute (China); Xie, Weiping, E-mail: wpxienjmu@gmail.com [Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (China); Wang, Hong, E-mail: hwangnjmu@gmail.com [Department of Respiratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (China); Xu, Yong [Atherosclerosis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease and Molecular Intervention, Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University (China)

2012-11-16

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 interacts with and deacetylates RFX5. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 activation attenuates whereas SIRT1 inhibition enhances collagen repression by RFX5 in vascular smooth muscle cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 promotes cytoplasmic localization and proteasomal degradation of RFX5 and cripples promoter recruitment of RFX5. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer IFN-{gamma} represses SIRT1 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer SIRT1 agonist alleviates collagen repression by IFN-{gamma} in vascular smooth muscle cells. -- Abstract: Decreased expression of collagen by vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) within the atherosclerotic plaque contributes to the thinning of the fibrous cap and poses a great threat to plaque rupture. Elucidation of the mechanism underlying repressed collagen type I (COL1A2) gene would potentially provide novel solutions that can prevent rupture-induced complications. We have previously shown that regulatory factor for X-box (RFX5) binds to the COL1A2 transcription start site and represses its transcription. Here we report that SIRT1, an NAD-dependent, class III deacetylase, forms a complex with RFX5. Over-expression of SIRT1 or NAMPT, which synthesizes NAD+ to activate SIRT1, or treatment with the SIRT1 agonist resveratrol decreases RFX5 acetylation and disrupts repression of the COL1A2 promoter activity by RFX5. On the contrary, knockdown of SIRT1 or treatment with SIRT1 inhibitors induces RFX5 acetylation and enhances the repression of collagen transcription. SIRT1 antagonizes RFX5 activity by promoting its nuclear expulsion and proteasomal degradation hence dampening its binding to the COL1A2 promoter. The pro-inflammatory cytokine IFN-{gamma} represses COL1A2 transcription by down-regulating SIRT1 expression in SMCs. Therefore, our data have identified as novel pathway whereby SIRT1 maintains collagen synthesis in SMCs by modulating RFX5 activity.

Military westernization and state repression in the post-Cold War era.

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Swed, Ori; Weinreb, Alexander

2015-09-01

The waves of unrest that have shaken the Arab world since December 2010 have highlighted significant differences in the readiness of the military to intervene in political unrest by forcefully suppressing dissent. We suggest that in the post-Cold War period, this readiness is inversely associated with the level of military westernization, which is a product of the acquisition of arms from western countries. We identify two mechanisms linking the acquisition of arms from western countries to less repressive responses: dependence and conditionality; and a longer-term diffusion of ideologies regarding the proper form of civil-military relations. Empirical support for our hypothesis is found in an analysis of 2523 cases of government response to political unrest in 138 countries in the 1996-2005 period. We find that military westernization mitigates state repression in general, with more pronounced effects in the poorest countries. However, we also identify substantial differences between the pre- and post-9/11 periods. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Repressive coping among British college women: A potential protective factor against body image concerns, drive for thinness, and bulimia symptoms.

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Mohiyeddini, Changiz

2017-09-01

Repressive coping, as a means of preserving a positive self-image, has been widely explored in the context of dealing with self-evaluative cues. The current study extends this research by exploring whether repressive coping is associated with lower levels of body image concerns, drive for thinness, bulimic symptoms, and higher positive rational acceptance. A sample of 229 female college students was recruited in South London. Repressive coping was measured via the interaction between trait anxiety and defensiveness. The results of moderated regression analysis with simple slope analysis show that compared to non-repressors, repressors reported lower levels of body image concerns, drive for thinness, and bulimic symptoms while exhibiting a higher use of positive rational acceptance. These findings, in line with previous evidence, suggest that repressive coping may be adaptive particularly in the context of body image. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interpreting suffering from illness: The role of culture and repressive suffering construal.

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Yang, Qian; Liu, Shi; Sullivan, Daniel; Pan, Shengdong

2016-07-01

Mental and physical illnesses are among the most prominent forms of suffering. Cultural worldviews provide tools for making sense of and coping with suffering. In this research, we examine how culture influences both experts' and laypeople's interpretation of suffering from illness. We focus on one type of interpretation of suffering- repressive suffering construal-an interpretation that frames suffering both as the result of immorality on the part of the sufferer and as having the function of maintaining social order by curtailing deviance. We sought to test whether this type of suffering interpretation is more common in cultural ecologies (e.g., urban vs. rural; higher vs. lower status) traditionally associated with collectivist values. Study 1 used data from the General Social Survey to examine variation in suffering interpretation in a representative sample of the U.S. Study 2 examined variation in suffering interpretation with a survey completed by a subsample of Chinese health-care professionals. Study 1 found that U.S. citizens living in a rural environment are more likely to interpret illnesses as being the fault of the sufferer. Study 2 found that those from a lower-SES background are more likely to interpret illnesses in a repressive fashion. In these studies, family size mediates the effect of ecological conditions on RSC. Our research highlights how ecological variables associated with collectivism may bias both laypeople and professionals to interpret suffering from illness in a more repressive way. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Genomic Analysis Reveals Contrasting PIFq Contribution to Diurnal Rhythmic Gene Expression in PIF-Induced and -Repressed Genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Guiomar; Soy, Judit; Monte, Elena

2016-01-01

Members of the PIF quartet (PIFq; PIF1, PIF3, PIF4, and PIF5) collectively contribute to induce growth in Arabidopsis seedlings under short day (SD) conditions, specifically promoting elongation at dawn. Their action involves the direct regulation of growth-related and hormone-associated genes. However, a comprehensive definition of the PIFq-regulated transcriptome under SD is still lacking. We have recently shown that SD and free-running (LL) conditions correspond to "growth" and "no growth" conditions, respectively, correlating with greater abundance of PIF protein in SD. Here, we present a genomic analysis whereby we first define SD-regulated genes at dawn compared to LL in the wild type, followed by identification of those SD-regulated genes whose expression depends on the presence of PIFq. By using this sequential strategy, we have identified 349 PIF/SD-regulated genes, approximately 55% induced and 42% repressed by both SD and PIFq. Comparison with available databases indicates that PIF/SD-induced and PIF/SD-repressed sets are differently phased at dawn and mid-morning, respectively. In addition, we found that whereas rhythmicity of the PIF/SD-induced gene set is lost in LL, most PIF/SD-repressed genes keep their rhythmicity in LL, suggesting differential regulation of both gene sets by the circadian clock. Moreover, we also uncovered distinct overrepresented functions in the induced and repressed gene sets, in accord with previous studies in other examined PIF-regulated processes. Interestingly, promoter analyses showed that, whereas PIF/SD-induced genes are enriched in direct PIF targets, PIF/SD-repressed genes are mostly indirectly regulated by the PIFs and might be more enriched in ABA-regulated genes.

Competencies that managers should possess - a case study at IPEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gimenes, Celso Huerta; Barroso, Antonio Carlos de Oliveira; Imakuma, Kengo

2009-01-01

To guide human resources selection and development, organizations usually have a list of the competencies they consider crucial for the various segments of their endeavor. At IPEN, a R and D institute with graduate teaching (within USP framework) and some production facilities, the elaboration of a list of the highly appraised competencies for IPEN's managers become a research theme in itself. This work has produced: a methodology to generate, validate and recycle periodically the list and descriptions of managers' competencies; and the first version of the list. Delphi questionnaires were applied via web using 'Lime Survey', a freeware that enables import and export the data as csv files and has a simple and workable language for database access. The consistency of the numerical results, as well as the consensus preferences manifested by the sample is discussed in the paper. Also a segmentation and multivariate statistical analysis to reveal differences and similarities among the various subgroups of the sample is presented providing a lot of insightful information. The merit of structuring the pertinence of the competencies according to seven BNQA's criteria is discussed. Combining the manifested preference of the sample with a factor analysis to check the most significant loads in each construct a reduced set of competencies is proposed. This reduced set can be the base for IPEN's directors to select the crucial set of managers' competence. The methodology here explained can be used each two years to co-validate and update this reduced set. (author)

A Saccharomyces cerevisiae mitochondrial DNA fragment activates Reg1p-dependent glucose-repressible transcription in the nucleus.

Science.gov (United States)

Santangelo, G M; Tornow, J

1997-12-01

As part of an effort to identify random carbon-source-regulated promoters in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome, we discovered that a mitochondrial DNA fragment is capable of directing glucose-repressible expression of a reporter gene. This fragment (CR24) originated from the mitochondrial genome adjacent to a transcription initiation site. Mutational analyses identified a GC cluster within the fragment that is required for transcriptional induction. Repression of nuclear CR24-driven transcription required Reg1p, indicating that this mitochondrially derived promoter is a member of a large group of glucose-repressible nuclear promoters that are similarly regulated by Reg1p. In vivo and in vitro binding assays indicated the presence of factors, located within the nucleus and the mitochondria, that bind to the GC cluster. One or more of these factors may provide a regulatory link between the nucleus and mitochondria.

An Exploration of the Professional Competencies Required in Engineering Asset Management

Science.gov (United States)

Bish, Adelle J.; Newton, Cameron J.; Browning, Vicky; O'Connor, Peter; Anibaldi, Renata

2014-01-01

Engineering asset management (EAM) is a rapidly growing and developing field. However, efforts to select and develop engineers in this area are complicated by our lack of understanding of the full range of competencies required to perform. This exploratory study sought to clarify and categorise the professional competencies required of individuals…

Nursing at its best: competent and caring.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Marilyn K; Morris, Arlene H; Lazenby, Ramona Browder

2011-02-23

An award-winning journalist spoke to a group of students during their first month in a baccalaureate nursing program, challenging the nursing profession to abandon its image of nurses as angels and promote an image of nurses as competent professionals who are both knowledgeable and caring. This presentation elicited an unanticipated level of emotion, primarily anger, on the part of the students. This unexpected reaction prompted faculty to explore the students' motivations for entering the nursing profession and their perceptions of the relative importance of competence and caring in nursing. The authors begin this article by reviewing the literature related to motivations for selecting a profession and the contributions of competence and caring to nursing care. Next they describe their survey method and analysis and report their findings regarding student motivations and perceptions of competence and caring in nursing. Emerging themes for motivation reflected nursing values, especially altruism, and coincided with students' beliefs of self-efficacy and goal attainment. Student responses indicated their understanding of the need for competence and revealed idealistic perceptions of caring. The authors conclude with a discussion of these themes and recommendations for student recruitment, curricular emphasis, and future research in this area.

Epigenetic involvement of Alien/ESET complex in thyroid hormone-mediated repression of E2F1 gene expression and cell proliferation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong, Wei; Li, Jinru; Wang, Bo; Chen, Linfeng; Niu, Wenyan; Yao, Zhi; Baniahmad, Aria

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► Corepressor Alien interacts with histone methyltransferase ESET in vivo. ► Alien/ESET complex is recruited to nTRE of T3-responsive gene by liganded TRβ1. ► ESET-mediated H3K9 methylation is required for liganded TRβ1-repressed transcription. ► ESET is involved in T3-repressed G1/S phase transition and proliferation. -- Abstract: The ligand-bound thyroid hormone receptor (TR) is known to repress via a negative TRE (nTRE) the expression of E2F1, a key transcription factor that controls the G1/S phase transition. Alien has been identified as a novel interacting factor of E2F1 and acts as a corepressor of E2F1. The detailed molecular mechanism by which Alien inhibits E2F1 gene expression remains unclear. Here, we report that the histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methyltransferase (HMT) ESET is an integral component of the corepressor Alien complex and the Alien/ESET complex is recruited to both sites, the E2F1 and the nTRE site of the E2F1 gene while the recruitment to the negative thyroid hormone response element (nTRE) is induced by the ligand-bound TRβ1 within the E2F1 gene promoter. We show that, overexpression of ESET promotes, whereas knockdown of ESET releases, the inhibition of TRβ1-regulated gene transcription upon T3 stimulation; and H3K9 methylation is required for TRβ1-repressed transcription. Furthermore, depletion of ESET impairs thyroid hormone-repressed proliferation as well as the G1/S transition of the cell cycle. Taken together, our data indicate that ESET is involved in TRβ1-mediated transcription repression and provide a molecular basis of thyroid hormone-induced repression of proliferation.

SUMO modification of Stra13 is required for repression of cyclin D1 expression and cellular growth arrest.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yaju Wang

Full Text Available Stra13, a basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH transcription factor is involved in myriad biological functions including cellular growth arrest, differentiation and senescence. However, the mechanisms by which its transcriptional activity and function are regulated remain unclear. In this study, we provide evidence that post-translational modification of Stra13 by Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO dramatically potentiates its ability to transcriptionally repress cyclin D1 and mediate G(1 cell cycle arrest in fibroblast cells. Mutation of SUMO acceptor lysines 159 and 279 located in the C-terminal repression domain has no impact on nuclear localization; however, it abrogates association with the co-repressor histone deacetylase 1 (HDAC1, attenuates repression of cyclin D1, and prevents Stra13-mediated growth suppression. HDAC1, which promotes cellular proliferation and cell cycle progression, antagonizes Stra13 sumoylation-dependent growth arrest. Our results uncover an unidentified regulatory axis between Stra13 and HDAC1 in progression through the G(1/S phase of the cell cycle, and provide new mechanistic insights into regulation of Stra13-mediated transcriptional repression by sumoylation.

Catabolite repression and nitrogen control of allantoin-degrading enzymes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Janssen, D.B.; Drift, C. van der

1983-01-01

The formation of the allantoin-degrading enzymes allantoinase, allantoicase and ureidoglycolase in Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found to be regulated by induction, catabolite repression and nitrogen control. Induction was observed when urate, allantoin or allantoate were included in the growth medium,

Interplay between the catabolite repression control protein Crc, Hfq and RNA in Hfq-dependent translational regulation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Science.gov (United States)

Sonnleitner, Elisabeth; Wulf, Alexander; Campagne, Sébastien; Pei, Xue-Yuan; Wolfinger, Michael T; Forlani, Giada; Prindl, Konstantin; Abdou, Laetitia; Resch, Armin; Allain, Frederic H-T; Luisi, Ben F; Urlaub, Henning; Bläsi, Udo

2018-02-16

In Pseudomonas aeruginosa the RNA chaperone Hfq and the catabolite repression control protein (Crc) act as post-transcriptional regulators during carbon catabolite repression (CCR). In this regard Crc is required for full-fledged Hfq-mediated translational repression of catabolic genes. RNAseq based transcriptome analyses revealed a significant overlap between the Crc and Hfq regulons, which in conjunction with genetic data supported a concerted action of both proteins. Biochemical and biophysical approaches further suggest that Crc and Hfq form an assembly in the presence of RNAs containing A-rich motifs, and that Crc interacts with both, Hfq and RNA. Through these interactions, Crc enhances the stability of Hfq/Crc/RNA complexes, which can explain its facilitating role in Hfq-mediated translational repression. Hence, these studies revealed for the first time insights into how an interacting protein can modulate Hfq function. Moreover, Crc is shown to interfere with binding of a regulatory RNA to Hfq, which bears implications for riboregulation. These results are discussed in terms of a working model, wherein Crc prioritizes the function of Hfq toward utilization of favored carbon sources.

The Reg1-interacting proteins, Bmh1, Bmh2, Ssb1, and Ssb2, have roles in maintaining glucose repression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Dombek, Kenneth M; Kacherovsky, Nataly; Young, Elton T

2004-09-10

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a type 1 protein phosphatase complex composed of the Glc7 catalytic subunit and the Reg1 regulatory subunit represses expression of many glucose-regulated genes. Here we show that the Reg1-interacting proteins Bmh1, Bmh2, Ssb1, and Ssb2 have roles in glucose repression. Deleting both BMH genes causes partially constitutive ADH2 expression without significantly increasing the level of Adr1 protein, the major activator of ADH2 expression. Adr1 and Bcy1, the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, are both required for this effect indicating that constitutive expression in Deltabmh1Deltabmh2 cells uses the same activation pathway that operates in Deltareg1 cells. Deletion of both BMH genes and REG1 causes a synergistic relief from repression, suggesting that Bmh proteins also act independently of Reg1 during glucose repression. A two-hybrid interaction with the Bmh proteins was mapped to amino acids 187-232, a region of Reg1 that is conserved in different classes of fungi. Deleting this region partially releases SUC2 from glucose repression. This indicates a role for the Reg1-Bmh interaction in glucose repression and also suggests a broad role for Bmh proteins in this process. An in vivo Reg1-Bmh interaction was confirmed by copurification of Bmh proteins with HA(3)-TAP-tagged Reg1. The nonconventional heat shock proteins Ssb1 and Ssb2 are also copurified with HA(3)-TAP-tagged Reg1. Deletion of both SSB genes modestly decreases repression of ADH2 expression in the presence of glucose, suggesting that Ssb proteins, perhaps through their interaction with Reg1, play a minor role in glucose repression.

A survey of cultural competence of critical care nurses in KwaZuluNatal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jennifer de Beer

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Background. Nurses are primary caregivers and have a key role in providing care in a culturally diverse healthcare system, such as in South Africa (SA. Nurses need cultural competence in the management of patients within this cultural context. A healthcare system staffed by a culturally competent workforce can provide high-quality care to diverse population groups, contributing to the elimination of health disparities.Objective. To describe the self-rated levels of cultural competence of nurses working in critical care settings in a selected public hospital in SA.Methods. A quantitative descriptive survey was conducted with nurses from eight critical care units in a selected public hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, using the Inventory to Access the Process of Cultural Competency - Revised (IAPCC-R cultural competence questionnaire. Results. The overall cultural competence score for the respondents was 70.2 (standard deviation 7.2 out of a possible 100, with 77 (74% of the respondents scoring in the awareness range, 26 (25% in the competent range, and only 1 in the proficient range. Nurses from non-English-speaking backgrounds scored significantly higher in cultural competence than English-speaking nurses.Conclusion. In addressing the many faces of cultural diversity, healthcare professionals must realise that these faces share a common vision: to obtain quality healthcare services that are culturally responsive and culturally relevant to the specific cultural group.

Assuring Competency in Nuclear Power Plants: Regulatory Policy and Practice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durbin, Nancy E.; Melber, Barbara

2004-06-01

This report provides descriptive and comparative information on competency regulation and oversight in selected countries and identifies issues concerning competency. Interviews with competency experts in five countries: Sweden, Finland, Spain, Canada, and the United Kingdom were conducted and analyzed. The report provides a summary and comparison of the regulations used in these five countries. Regulations and policies in four areas are discussed: Licensing, certification and approvals; Educational qualifications; Training; Experience. Methods and tools used by regulators in the five countries are discussed with regard to how regulators: Assure that licensees determine the competencies needed for the safe operation of nuclear facilities and fill positions with competent staff; Oversee training and examinations in the areas of operations, engineering and maintenance; Assure competence of contractors; Oversee work group performance; Assure competency of managers; Assure competency of other personnel; Assure competency when modifications and other changes occur. Competency experts identified the following as the biggest challenges in regulating competency: The continued availability of qualified personnel; Determining appropriate criteria for competency and assuring those criteria are met. Determining whether licensees have adequately identified and met training needs, especially evaluating systematic approaches to training (SAT); Overseeing contractors. The following issues related to competency are discussed in the report: The sufficiency of qualified personnel; The evaluation of personnel requirements (determining appropriate criteria for competency and assuring those criteria are met); The effects of major organizational changes, including downsizing; Assurance of competency of contractors; International competency issues; The historical and current focus on technical and hardware issues over human factors issues; Selected examples illustrate regulatory

Regulating repression: roles for the sir4 N-terminus in linker DNA protection and stabilization of epigenetic states.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Kueng

Full Text Available Silent information regulator proteins Sir2, Sir3, and Sir4 form a heterotrimeric complex that represses transcription at subtelomeric regions and homothallic mating type (HM loci in budding yeast. We have performed a detailed biochemical and genetic analysis of the largest Sir protein, Sir4. The N-terminal half of Sir4 is dispensable for SIR-mediated repression of HM loci in vivo, except in strains that lack Yku70 or have weak silencer elements. For HM silencing in these cells, the C-terminal domain (Sir4C, residues 747-1,358 must be complemented with an N-terminal domain (Sir4N; residues 1-270, expressed either independently or as a fusion with Sir4C. Nonetheless, recombinant Sir4C can form a complex with Sir2 and Sir3 in vitro, is catalytically active, and has sedimentation properties similar to a full-length Sir4-containing SIR complex. Sir4C-containing SIR complexes bind nucleosomal arrays and protect linker DNA from nucleolytic digestion, but less effectively than wild-type SIR complexes. Consistently, full-length Sir4 is required for the complete repression of subtelomeric genes. Supporting the notion that the Sir4 N-terminus is a regulatory domain, we find it extensively phosphorylated on cyclin-dependent kinase consensus sites, some being hyperphosphorylated during mitosis. Mutation of two major phosphoacceptor sites (S63 and S84 derepresses natural subtelomeric genes when combined with a serendipitous mutation (P2A, which alone can enhance the stability of either the repressed or active state. The triple mutation confers resistance to rapamycin-induced stress and a loss of subtelomeric repression. We conclude that the Sir4 N-terminus plays two roles in SIR-mediated silencing: it contributes to epigenetic repression by stabilizing the SIR-mediated protection of linker DNA; and, as a target of phosphorylation, it can destabilize silencing in a regulated manner.

The Transcriptional Repressive Activity of KRAB Zinc Finger Proteins Does Not Correlate with Their Ability to Recruit TRIM28.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristin E Murphy

Full Text Available KRAB domain Zinc finger proteins are one of the most abundant families of transcriptional regulators in higher vertebrates. The prevailing view is that KRAB domain proteins function as potent transcriptional repressors by recruiting TRIM28 and promoting heterochromatin spreading. However, the extent to which all KRAB domain proteins are TRIM28-dependent transcriptional repressors is currently unclear. Our studies on mouse ZFP568 revealed that TRIM28 recruitment by KRAB domain proteins is not sufficient to warrant transcriptional repressive activity. By using luciferase reporter assays and yeast two-hybrid experiments, we tested the ability of ZFP568 and other mouse KRAB domain proteins to repress transcription and bind TRIM28. We found that some mouse KRAB domain proteins are poor transcriptional repressors despite their ability to recruit TRIM28, while others showed strong KRAB-dependent transcriptional repression, but no TRIM28 binding. Together, our results show that the transcriptional repressive activity of KRAB-ZNF proteins does not correlate with their ability to recruit TRIM28, and provide evidence that KRAB domains can regulate transcription in a TRIM28-independent fashion. Our findings challenge the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms used by KRAB domain proteins to control gene expression and highlight that a high percentage of KRAB domain proteins in the mouse genome differ from the consensus KRAB sequence at amino acid residues that are critical for TRIM28 binding and/or repressive activity.

SUN2 Modulates HIV-1 Infection and Latency through Association with Lamin A/C To Maintain the Repressive Chromatin.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Wei-Wei; Jiao, Shi; Sun, Li; Zhou, Zhaocai; Jin, Xia; Wang, Jian-Hua

2018-05-01

The postintegrational latency of HIV-1 is characterized by reversible silencing of long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven transcription of the HIV genome. It is known that the formation of repressive chromatin at the 5'-LTR of HIV-1 proviral DNA impedes viral transcription by blocking the recruitment of positive transcription factors. How the repressive chromatin is formed and modulated during HIV-1 infection remains elusive. Elucidation of which chromatin reassembly factor mediates the reorganization of chromatin is likely to facilitate the understanding of the host's modulation of HIV-1 transcription and latency. Here we revealed that "Sad1 and UNC84 domain containing 2" (SUN2), an inner nuclear membrane protein, maintained the repressive chromatin and inhibited HIV LTR-driven transcription of proviral DNA through an association with lamin A/C. Specifically, lamin A/C tethered SUN2 to the nucleosomes 1 and 2 of the HIV-1 5'-LTR to block the initiation and elongation of HIV-1 transcription. SUN2 knockdown converted chromatin to an active form and thus enhanced the phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II and its recruitment to the 5'-LTR HIV-1 proviral DNA, leading to reactivation of HIV-1 from latency. Conversely, the exogenous factors such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) induced reactivation, and the replication of HIV-1 led to the disassociation between SUN2 and lamin A/C, suggesting that disruption of the association between SUN2 and lamin A/C to convert the repressive chromatin to the active form might be a prerequisite for the initiation of HIV-1 transcription and replication. Together, our findings indicate that SUN2 is a novel chromatin reassembly factor that helps to maintain chromatin in a repressive state and consequently inhibits HIV-1 transcription. IMPORTANCE Despite the successful use of scores of antiretroviral drugs, HIV latency poses a major impediment to virus eradication. Elucidation of the mechanism of latency facilitates the discovery of new

Competence for Contract and Competence to Consent to Treatment

OpenAIRE

前田, 泰

2008-01-01

This paper analyzes assessing competence to consent to treatment. It focuses on problems of competence for contract and competence to consent to treatment. Finally, it discusses the degree of assessing competence to consent to treatment.

Insomnia symptoms and repressive coping in a sample of older Black and White women

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pierre-Louis Jessy

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background This study examined whether ethnic differences in insomnia symptoms are mediated by differences in repressive coping styles. Methods A total of 1274 women (average age = 59.36 ± 6.53 years participated in the study; 28% were White and 72% were Black. Older women in Brooklyn, NY were recruited using a stratified, cluster-sampling technique. Trained staff conducted face-to-face interviews lasting 1.5 hours acquiring sociodemographic data, health characteristics, and risk factors. A sleep questionnaire was administered and individual repressive coping styles were assessed. Fisher's exact test and Spearman and Pearson analyses were used to analyze the data. Results The rate of insomnia symptoms was greater among White women [74% vs. 46%; χ2 = 87.67, p 1,1272 = 304.75, p s = -0.43, p s = -0.18, p Conclusion Relationships between ethnicity and insomnia symptoms are jointly dependent on the degree of repressive coping, suggesting that Black women may be reporting fewer insomnia symptoms because of a greater ability to route negative emotions from consciousness. It may be that Blacks cope with sleep problems within a positive self-regulatory framework, which allows them to deal more effectively with sleep-interfering psychological processes to stressful life events and to curtail dysfunctional sleep-interpreting processes.

Personnel Selection Based on Fuzzy Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lourdes Cañós

2011-03-01

Full Text Available The decisions of managers regarding the selection of staff strongly determine the success of the company. A correct choice of employees is a source of competitive advantage. We propose a fuzzy method for staff selection, based on competence management and the comparison with the valuation that the company considers the best in each competence (ideal candidate. Our method is based on the Hamming distance and a Matching Level Index. The algorithms, implemented in the software StaffDesigner, allow us to rank the candidates, even when the competences of the ideal candidate have been evaluated only in part. Our approach is applied in a numerical example.

The role of experience in the development of social competencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lynette Louw

2012-10-01

Research purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the process through which experience contributed towards the development of service-oriented managers’ social competencies. Motivation for the study: Understanding the contribution of experiences to the development of competencies may have important implications for the selection and development of managers within service industries. Research design, approach and method: Following a multiple case study design, face-to-face interviews with service-oriented managers were held, based on the critical incident technique. Data were analysed using the open coding procedures of grounded theory. Main findings: Experience was found to contribute to the development of service-oriented managers’ social competencies, through a process that established an awareness of unfamiliar social competencies, or a reinforcement of the effects of familiar effective social competencies. Practical/managerial implications: The proposed process, the Social Competency Cache Development (SCCD Process, is the practical outcome of the research which offers a tool to facilitate the development of social competencies through conscious leveraging of an individual’s experiences. Contribution/value add: The SCCD Process is recommended as a new avenue to leverage and thereby develop social competencies.

MicroRNA-22 promotes cell survival upon UV radiation by repressing PTEN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tan, Guangyun; Shi, Yuling; Wu, Zhao-Hui

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► miR-22 is induced in cells treated with UV radiation. ► ATM is required for miR-22 induction in response to UV. ► miR-22 targets 3′-UTR of PTEN to repress its expression in UV-treated cells. ► Upregulated miR-22 inhibits apoptosis in cells exposed to UV. -- Abstract: DNA damage response upon UV radiation involves a complex network of cellular events required for maintaining the homeostasis and restoring genomic stability of the cells. As a new class of players involved in DNA damage response, the regulation and function of microRNAs in response to UV remain poorly understood. Here we show that UV radiation induces a significant increase of miR-22 expression, which appears to be dependent on the activation of DNA damage responding kinase ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated). Increased miR-22 expression may result from enhanced miR-22 maturation in cells exposed to UV. We further found that tumor suppressor gene phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) expression was inversely correlated with miR-22 induction and UV-induced PTEN repression was attenuated by overexpression of a miR-22 inhibitor. Moreover, increased miR-22 expression significantly inhibited the activation of caspase signaling cascade, leading to enhanced cell survival upon UV radiation. Collectively, these results indicate that miR-22 is an important player in the cellular stress response upon UV radiation, which may promote cell survival via the repression of PTEN expression.

Competing reactions of selected atmospheric gases on Fe3O4 nanoparticles surfaces.

Science.gov (United States)

Eltouny, N; Ariya, Parisa A

2014-11-14

Heterogeneous reactions on atmospheric aerosol surfaces are increasingly considered important in understanding aerosol-cloud nucleation and climate change. To understand potential reactions in polluted atmospheres, the co-adsorption of NO2 and toluene to magnetite (Fe3O4i.e. FeO·Fe2O3) nanoparticles at ambient conditions was investigated for the first time. The surface area, size distribution, and morphology of Fe3O4 nanoparticles were characterized by BET method and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Adsorption isotherms, collected by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection, showed that the presence of NO2 decreased the adsorption of toluene. The analyses of the surface chemical composition of Fe3O4 by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveal that, upon the addition of NO2, the surface is oxidized and a contribution at 532.5 ± 0.4 eV in the O1s spectrum appears, showing that NO2 likely competes with toluene by dissociating on Fe(2+) sites and forming NO3(-). Different competing effects were observed for oxidized Fe3O4; oxidation occurred when exposed solely to NO2, whereas, the mixture of toluene and NO2 resulted in a reduction of the surface i.e. increased Fe(2+)/Fe(3+). Analyses by time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry further suggest toluene reacts with Fe(3+) sites forming oxygenated organics. Our results indicate that on reduced magnetite, NO2 is more reactive and competes with toluene; in contrast, on oxidized Fe3O4, toluene is more reactive. Because magnetite can assume a range of oxidation ratios in the environment, different competing interactions between pollutants like NO2 and toluene could influence atmospheric processes, namely, the formation of Fe(2+) and the formation of atmospheric oxidants.

Repression of RNA polymerase by the archaeo-viral regulator ORF145/RIP

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sheppard, Carol; Blombach, Fabian; Belsom, Adam

2016-01-01

Little is known about how archaeal viruses perturb the transcription machinery of their hosts. Here we provide the first example of an archaeo-viral transcription factor that directly targets the host RNA polymerase (RNAP) and efficiently represses its activity. ORF145 from the temperate Acidianus...

The role of experience in the development of social competencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lynette Louw

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Orientation: The role of experience in the development of managers’ social competencies has been analysed in this research.Research purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the process through which experience contributed towards the development of service-oriented managers’ social competencies.Motivation for the study: Understanding the contribution of experiences to the development of competencies may have important implications for the selection and development of managers within service industries.Research design, approach and method: Following a multiple case study design, face-to-face interviews with service-oriented managers were held, based on the critical incident technique. Data were analysed using the open coding procedures of grounded theory.Main findings: Experience was found to contribute to the development of service-oriented managers’ social competencies, through a process that established an awareness of unfamiliar social competencies, or a reinforcement of the effects of familiar effective social competencies.Practical/managerial implications: The proposed process, the Social Competency Cache Development (SCCD Process, is the practical outcome of the research which offers a tool to facilitate the development of social competencies through conscious leveraging of an individual’s experiences.Contribution/value add: The SCCD Process is recommended as a new avenue to leverage and thereby develop social competencies.

VDAC electronics: 4. Novel electrical mechanism and thermodynamic estimations of glucose repression of yeast respiration.

Science.gov (United States)

Lemeshko, Victor V

2017-11-01

Inhibition of cell respiration by high concentrations of glucose (glucose repression), known as "Crabtree effect", has been demonstrated for various cancerous strains, highly proliferating cells and yeast lines. Although significant progress in understanding metabolic events associated with the glucose repression of cell respiration has been achieved, it is not yet clear whether the Crabtree effect is the result of a limited activity of the respiratory chain, or of some glucose-mediated regulation of mitochondrial metabolic state. In this work we propose an electrical mechanism of glucose repression of the yeast S. cerevisiae, resulting from generation of the mitochondrial outer membrane potential (OMP) coupled to the direct oxidation of cytosolic NADH in mitochondria. This yeast-type mechanism of OMP generation is different from the earlier proposed VDAC-hexokinase-mediated voltage generation of cancer-type, associated with the mitochondrial outer membrane. The model was developed assuming that VDAC is more permeable to NADH than to NAD + . Thermodynamic estimations of OMP, generated as a result of NADH(2-)/NAD + (1-) turnover through the outer membrane, demonstrated that the values of calculated negative OMP match the known range of VDAC voltage sensitivity, thus suggesting a possibility of OMP-dependent VDAC-mediated regulation of cell energy metabolism. According to the proposed mechanism, we suggest that the yeast-type Crabtree effect is the result of a fast VDAC-mediated electrical repression of mitochondria due to a decrease in the outer membrane permeability to charged metabolites and owing their redistribution between the mitochondrial intermembrane space and the cytosol, both controlled by metabolically-derived OMP. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Malondialdehyde inhibits an AMPK-mediated nuclear translocation and repression activity of ALDH2 in transcription

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Ji-Woong; Kim, Jae-Hwan; Cho, Sung-Chun; Ha, Moon-Kyung; Song, Kye-Yong; Youn, Hong-Duk; Park, Sang Chul

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → ALDH2 is an MDA-modified protein in old rat kidney tissues. → AMPK associates with ALDH2 and triggers the nuclear localization of ALDH2. → ALDH2 serves as a general transcriptional repressor by associating with HDACs. → MDA inhibits the AMPK-mediated translocation of ALDH2 and its repression activity. -- Abstract: Aging process results from deleterious damages by reactive oxygen species, in particular, various metabolic aldehydes. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is one of metabolic enzymes detoxifying various aldehydes under oxidative conditions. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a key role in controlling metabolic process. However, little was known about the relationship of ALDH2 with AMPK under oxidative conditions. Here, we, by using MDA-specific monoclonal antibody, screened the tissues of young and old rats for MDA-modified proteins and identified an ALDH2 as a prominent MDA-modified protein band in the old rat kidney tissue. ALDH2 associates with AMPK and is phosphorylated by AMPK. In addition, AICAR, an activator of AMP-activated protein kinase, induces the nuclear translocation of ALDH2. ALDH2 in nucleus is involved in general transcription repression by association with histone deacetylases. Furthermore, MDA modification inhibited the translocation of ALDH2 and the association with AMPK, and ultimately led to de-repression of transcription in the reporter system analysis. In this study, we have demonstrated that ALDH2 acts as a transcriptional repressor in response to AMPK activation, and MDA modifies ALDH2 and inhibits repressive activity of ALDH2 in general transcription. We thus suggest that increasing amount of MDA during aging process may interrupt the nuclear function of ALDH2, modulated by AMPK.

Malondialdehyde inhibits an AMPK-mediated nuclear translocation and repression activity of ALDH2 in transcription

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Ji-Woong [Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799 (Korea, Republic of); Aging and Apoptosis Research Center (AARC), Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799, (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jae-Hwan [Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, Sung-Chun; Ha, Moon-Kyung [Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799 (Korea, Republic of); Aging and Apoptosis Research Center (AARC), Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799, (Korea, Republic of); Song, Kye-Yong [Department of Pathology, Chung-Ang University College of Medicine, Seoul 156-756 (Korea, Republic of); Youn, Hong-Duk, E-mail: hdyoun@snu.ac.kr [Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Sang Chul, E-mail: scpark@snu.ac.kr [Department of Biomedical Sciences and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799 (Korea, Republic of); Aging and Apoptosis Research Center (AARC), Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongon-dong, Chongro-gu, Seoul 110-799, (Korea, Republic of)

2011-01-07

Research highlights: {yields} ALDH2 is an MDA-modified protein in old rat kidney tissues. {yields} AMPK associates with ALDH2 and triggers the nuclear localization of ALDH2. {yields} ALDH2 serves as a general transcriptional repressor by associating with HDACs. {yields} MDA inhibits the AMPK-mediated translocation of ALDH2 and its repression activity. -- Abstract: Aging process results from deleterious damages by reactive oxygen species, in particular, various metabolic aldehydes. Aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) is one of metabolic enzymes detoxifying various aldehydes under oxidative conditions. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a key role in controlling metabolic process. However, little was known about the relationship of ALDH2 with AMPK under oxidative conditions. Here, we, by using MDA-specific monoclonal antibody, screened the tissues of young and old rats for MDA-modified proteins and identified an ALDH2 as a prominent MDA-modified protein band in the old rat kidney tissue. ALDH2 associates with AMPK and is phosphorylated by AMPK. In addition, AICAR, an activator of AMP-activated protein kinase, induces the nuclear translocation of ALDH2. ALDH2 in nucleus is involved in general transcription repression by association with histone deacetylases. Furthermore, MDA modification inhibited the translocation of ALDH2 and the association with AMPK, and ultimately led to de-repression of transcription in the reporter system analysis. In this study, we have demonstrated that ALDH2 acts as a transcriptional repressor in response to AMPK activation, and MDA modifies ALDH2 and inhibits repressive activity of ALDH2 in general transcription. We thus suggest that increasing amount of MDA during aging process may interrupt the nuclear function of ALDH2, modulated by AMPK.

pH-Dependent DNA Distortion and Repression of Gene Expression by Pectobacterium atrosepticum PecS.

Science.gov (United States)

Deochand, Dinesh K; Meariman, Jacob K; Grove, Anne

2016-07-15

Transcriptional activity is exquisitely sensitive to changes in promoter DNA topology. Transcription factors may therefore control gene activity by modulating the relative positioning of -10 and -35 promoter elements. The plant pathogen Pectobacterium atrosepticum, which causes soft rot in potatoes, must alter gene expression patterns to ensure growth in planta. In the related soft-rot enterobacterium Dickeya dadantii, PecS functions as a master regulator of virulence gene expression. Here, we report that P. atrosepticum PecS controls gene activity by altering promoter DNA topology in response to pH. While PecS binds the pecS promoter with high affinity regardless of pH, it induces significant DNA distortion only at neutral pH, the pH at which the pecS promoter is repressed in vivo. At pH ∼8, DNA distortions are attenuated, and PecS no longer represses the pecS promoter. A specific histidine (H142) located in a crevice between the dimerization- and DNA-binding regions is required for pH-dependent changes in DNA distortion and repression of gene activity, and mutation of this histidine renders the mutant protein incapable of repressing the pecS promoter. We propose that protonated PecS induces a DNA conformation at neutral pH in which -10 and -35 promoter elements are suboptimally positioned for RNA polymerase binding; on deprotonation of PecS, binding is no longer associated with significant changes in DNA conformation, allowing gene expression. We suggest that this mode of gene regulation leads to differential expression of the PecS regulon in response to alkalinization of the plant apoplast.

Ten-Competence: Life-Long Competence Development and Learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Koper, Rob; Specht, Marcus

2006-01-01

Koper, R., & Specht, M. (2008). Ten-Competence: Life-Long Competence Development and Learning. In M-A. Cicilia (Ed.), Competencies in Organizational e-learning: concepts and tools (pp. 234-252). Hershey: IGI-Global.

Salt Sensitive Tet-Off-Like Systems to Knockdown Primordial Germ Cell Genes for Repressible Transgenic Sterilization in Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hanbo; Su, Baofeng; Qin, Guyu; Ye, Zhi; Alsaqufi, Ahmed; Perera, Dayan A; Shang, Mei; Odin, Ramjie; Vo, Khoi; Drescher, David; Robinson, Dalton; Zhang, Dan; Abass, Nermeen; Dunham, Rex A

2017-05-31

Repressible knockdown approaches were investigated for transgenic sterilization in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus . Two primordial germ cell (PGC) marker genes, nanos and dead end , were targeted for knockdown, and an off-target gene, vasa , was monitored. Two potentially salt sensitive repressible promoters, zebrafish adenylosuccinate synthase 2 (ADSS) and zebrafish racemase (Rm), were each coupled with four knockdown strategies: ds-sh RNA targeting the 5' end (N1) or 3' end (N2) of channel catfish nanos , full-length cDNA sequence of channel catfish nanos for overexpression (cDNA) and ds-sh RNA targeting channel catfish dead end (DND). Each construct had an untreated group and treated group with sodium chloride as the repressor compound. Spawning rates of full-sibling P₁ fish exposed or not exposed to the constructs as treated and untreated embryos were 93% and 59%, respectively, indicating potential sterilization of fish and repression of the constructs. Although the mRNA expression data of PGC marker genes were inconsistent in P₁ fish, most F₁ individuals were able to downregulate the target genes in untreated groups and repress the knockdown process in treated groups. The results indicate that repressible transgenic sterilization is feasible for reproductive control of fish, but more data from F₂ or F₃ are needed for evaluation.

Competence Description for Personal Recommendations: The Importance of Identifying the Complexity of Learning and Performance Situations

Science.gov (United States)

Prins, Frans J.; Nadolski, Rob J.; Berlanga, Adriana J.; Drachsler, Hendrik; Hummel, Hans G. K.; Koper, Rob

2008-01-01

For competences development of learners and professionals, target competences and corresponding competence development opportunities have to be identified. Personal Recommender Systems (PRS) provide personal recommendations for learners aimed at finding and selecting learning activities that best match their needs. This article argues that a…

Managing globally distributed expertise with new competence management solutions a big-science collaboration as a pilot case.

CERN Document Server

Ferguson, J; Livan, M; Nordberg, M; Salmia, T; Vuola, O

2003-01-01

In today's global organisations and networks, a critical factor for effective innovation and project execution is appropriate competence and skills management. The challenges include selection of strategic competences, competence development, and leveraging the competences and skills to drive innovation and collaboration for shared goals. This paper presents a new industrial web-enabled competence management and networking solution and its implementation and piloting in a complex big-science environment of globally distributed competences.

Leadership Competencies Desired by Employers of Business ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

One hundred and sixty top management and senior administrative staff of selected business organizations in Anambra State, Nigeria were surveyed to ascertain the leadership competencies they desire of business education graduates for effective job performance. The survey made use of a 15 item structured ...

Managing globally distributed expertise with new competence management solutions: a big-science collaboration as a pilot case.

OpenAIRE

Ferguson, J; Koivula, T; Livan, M; Nordberg, M; Salmia, T; Vuola, O

2003-01-01

In today's global organisations and networks, a critical factor for effective innovation and project execution is appropriate competence and skills management. The challenges include selection of strategic competences, competence development, and leveraging the competences and skills to drive innovation and collaboration for shared goals. This paper presents a new industrial web-enabled competence management and networking solution and its implementation and piloting in a complex big-science ...

Arabidopsis ETR1 and ERS1 Differentially Repress the Ethylene Response in Combination with Other Ethylene Receptor Genes1[W

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qian; Wen, Chi-Kuang

2012-01-01

The ethylene response is negatively regulated by a family of five ethylene receptor genes in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The five members of the ethylene receptor family can physically interact and form complexes, which implies that cooperativity for signaling may exist among the receptors. The ethylene receptor gene mutations etr1-1(C65Y)(for ethylene response1-1), ers1-1(I62P) (for ethylene response sensor1-1), and ers1C65Y are dominant, and each confers ethylene insensitivity. In this study, the repression of the ethylene response by these dominant mutant receptor genes was examined in receptor-defective mutants to investigate the functional significance of receptor cooperativity in ethylene signaling. We showed that etr1-1(C65Y), but not ers1-1(I62P), substantially repressed various ethylene responses independent of other receptor genes. In contrast, wild-type receptor genes differentially supported the repression of ethylene responses by ers1-1(I62P); ETR1 and ETHYLENE INSENSITIVE4 (EIN4) supported ers1-1(I62P) functions to a greater extent than did ERS2, ETR2, and ERS1. The lack of both ETR1 and EIN4 almost abolished the repression of ethylene responses by ers1C65Y, which implied that ETR1 and EIN4 have synergistic effects on ers1C65Y functions. Our data indicated that a dominant ethylene-insensitive receptor differentially repressed ethylene responses when coupled with a wild-type ethylene receptor, which supported the hypothesis that the formation of a variety of receptor complexes may facilitate differential receptor signal output, by which ethylene responses can be repressed to different extents. We hypothesize that plants can respond to a broad ethylene concentration range and exhibit tissue-specific ethylene responsiveness with differential cooperation of the multiple ethylene receptors. PMID:22227969

Two small RNAs, CrcY and CrcZ, act in concert to sequester the Crc global regulator in Pseudomonas putida, modulating catabolite repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno, Renata; Fonseca, Pilar; Rojo, Fernando

2012-01-01

The Crc protein is a translational repressor that recognizes a specific target at some mRNAs, controlling catabolite repression and co-ordinating carbon metabolism in pseudomonads. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the levels of free Crc protein are controlled by CrcZ, a sRNA that sequesters Crc, acting as an antagonist. We show that, in Pseudomonas putida, the levels of free Crc are controlled by CrcZ and by a novel 368 nt sRNA named CrcY. CrcZ and CrcY, which contain six potential targets for Crc, were able to bind Crc specifically in vitro. The levels of CrcZ and CrcY were low under conditions generating a strong catabolite repression, and increased strongly when catabolite repression was absent. Deletion of either crcZ or crcY had no effect on catabolite repression, but the simultaneous absence of both sRNAs led to constitutive catabolite repression that compromised growth on some carbon sources. Overproduction of CrcZ or CrcY significantly reduced repression. We propose that CrcZ and CrcY act in concert, sequestering and modulating the levels of free Crc according to metabolic conditions. The CbrA/CbrB two-component system activated crcZ transcription, but had little effect on crcY. CrcY was detected in P. putida, Pseudomonas fluorescens and Pseudomonas syringae, but not in P. aeruginosa. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Repressive Adaptive Style and Self-Reported Psychological Functioning in Adolescent Cancer Survivors

Science.gov (United States)

Erickson, Sarah J.; Gerstle, Melissa; Montague, Erica Q.

2008-01-01

Low levels of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and psychosocial distress have been reported in pediatric cancer survivors. One explanation is the relatively high prevalence of the repressive adaptive style (low distress, high restraint) in this population. We investigated the relationship between this…

Epigenetic involvement of Alien/ESET complex in thyroid hormone-mediated repression of E2F1 gene expression and cell proliferation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hong, Wei, E-mail: hongwei@tijmu.edu.cn [Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, 300070 Tianjin (China); College of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, 300070 Tianjin (China); Li, Jinru; Wang, Bo [College of Basic Medicine, Tianjin Medical University, 300070 Tianjin (China); Chen, Linfeng [Department of Medical Oncology, Harvard Medical School, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, 02115 MA (United States); Niu, Wenyan; Yao, Zhi [Department of Immunology, Tianjin Medical University, 300070 Tianjin (China); Baniahmad, Aria, E-mail: aban@mti.uni-jena.de [Institute for Human Genetics, Jena University Hospital, 07740 Jena (Germany)

2011-12-02

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Corepressor Alien interacts with histone methyltransferase ESET in vivo. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Alien/ESET complex is recruited to nTRE of T3-responsive gene by liganded TR{beta}1. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ESET-mediated H3K9 methylation is required for liganded TR{beta}1-repressed transcription. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer ESET is involved in T3-repressed G1/S phase transition and proliferation. -- Abstract: The ligand-bound thyroid hormone receptor (TR) is known to repress via a negative TRE (nTRE) the expression of E2F1, a key transcription factor that controls the G1/S phase transition. Alien has been identified as a novel interacting factor of E2F1 and acts as a corepressor of E2F1. The detailed molecular mechanism by which Alien inhibits E2F1 gene expression remains unclear. Here, we report that the histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) methyltransferase (HMT) ESET is an integral component of the corepressor Alien complex and the Alien/ESET complex is recruited to both sites, the E2F1 and the nTRE site of the E2F1 gene while the recruitment to the negative thyroid hormone response element (nTRE) is induced by the ligand-bound TR{beta}1 within the E2F1 gene promoter. We show that, overexpression of ESET promotes, whereas knockdown of ESET releases, the inhibition of TR{beta}1-regulated gene transcription upon T3 stimulation; and H3K9 methylation is required for TR{beta}1-repressed transcription. Furthermore, depletion of ESET impairs thyroid hormone-repressed proliferation as well as the G1/S transition of the cell cycle. Taken together, our data indicate that ESET is involved in TR{beta}1-mediated transcription repression and provide a molecular basis of thyroid hormone-induced repression of proliferation.

NFE2 Induces miR-423-5p to Promote Gluconeogenesis and Hyperglycemia by Repressing the Hepatic FAM3A-ATP-Akt Pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Weili; Wang, Junpei; Chen, Zhenzhen; Chen, Ji; Meng, Yuhong; Chen, Liming; Chang, Yongsheng; Geng, Bin; Sun, Libo; Dou, Lin; Li, Jian; Guan, Youfei; Cui, Qinghua; Yang, Jichun

2017-07-01

Hepatic FAM3A expression is repressed under obese conditions, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. This study determined the role and mechanism of miR-423-5p in hepatic glucose and lipid metabolism by repressing FAM3A expression. miR-423-5p expression was increased in the livers of obese diabetic mice and in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) with decreased FAM3A expression. miR-423-5p directly targeted FAM3A mRNA to repress its expression and the FAM3A-ATP-Akt pathway in cultured hepatocytes. Hepatic miR-423-5p inhibition suppressed gluconeogenesis and improved insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, and fatty liver in obese diabetic mice. In contrast, hepatic miR-423-5p overexpression promoted gluconeogenesis and hyperglycemia and increased lipid deposition in normal mice. miR-423-5p inhibition activated the FAM3A-ATP-Akt pathway and repressed gluconeogenic and lipogenic gene expression in diabetic mouse livers. The miR-423 precursor gene was further shown to be a target gene of NFE2, which induced miR-423-5p expression to repress the FAM3A-ATP-Akt pathway in cultured hepatocytes. Hepatic NFE2 overexpression upregulated miR-423-5p to repress the FAM3A-ATP-Akt pathway, promoting gluconeogenesis and lipid deposition and causing hyperglycemia in normal mice. In conclusion, under the obese condition, activation of the hepatic NFE2/miR-423-5p axis plays important roles in the progression of type 2 diabetes and NAFLD by repressing the FAM3A-ATP-Akt signaling pathway. © 2017 by the American Diabetes Association.

Revisiting progesterone receptor (PR) actions in breast cancer: Insights into PR repressive functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Proietti, Cecilia J; Cenciarini, Mauro E; Elizalde, Patricia V

2018-05-01

Progesterone receptor (PR) is a master regulator in female reproductive tissues that controls developmental processes and proliferation and differentiation during the reproductive cycle and pregnancy. PR also plays a role in progression of endocrine-dependent breast cancer. As a member of the nuclear receptor family of ligand-dependent transcription factors, the main action of PR is to regulate networks of target gene expression in response to binding its cognate steroid hormone, progesterone. Liganded-PR transcriptional activation has been thoroughly studied and associated mechanisms have been described while progesterone-mediated repression has remained less explored. The present work summarizes recent advances in the understanding of how PR-mediated repression is accomplished in breast cancer cells and highlights the significance of fully understanding the determinants of context-dependent PR action. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prediction of Selected Fitness Indicators by Gender, Age, Alienation, and Perceived Competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Burkhalter, Nancy A.; Wendt, Janice C.

2001-01-01

Examined relationships between physical factors, psychological factors, gender, and age in middle school physical education (PE) students. Data on PE alienation, perceived competency toward physical fitness (PCf) and physical activity (PCp), and various fitness and strength measures indicated that gender and PCf significantly predicted fitness.…

Design of a Competency-Based Assessment Model in the Field of Accounting

Science.gov (United States)

Ciudad-Gómez, Adelaida; Valverde-Berrocoso, Jesús

2012-01-01

This paper presents the phases involved in the design of a methodology to contribute both to the acquisition of competencies and to their assessment in the field of Financial Accounting, within the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) framework, which we call MANagement of COMpetence in the areas of Accounting (MANCOMA). Having selected and…

Blood-Brain Glucose Transfer: Repression in Chronic Hyperglycemia

Science.gov (United States)

Gjedde, Albert; Crone, Christian

1981-10-01

Diabetic patients with increased plasma glucose concentrations may develop cerebral symptoms of hypoglycemia when their plasma glucose is rapidly lowered to normal concentrations. The symptoms may indicate insufficient transport of glucose from blood to brain. In rats with chronic hyperglycemia the maximum glucose transport capacity of the blood-brain barrier decreased from 400 to 290 micromoles per 100 grams per minute. When plasma glucose was lowered to normal values, the glucose transport rate into brain was 20 percent below normal. This suggests that repressive changes of the glucose transport mechanism occur in brain endothelial cells in response to increased plasma glucose.

Transcription of lncRNA prt, clustered prt RNA sites for Mmi1 binding, and RNA polymerase II CTD phospho-sites govern the repression of pho1 gene expression under phosphate-replete conditions in fission yeast.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatterjee, Debashree; Sanchez, Ana M; Goldgur, Yehuda; Shuman, Stewart; Schwer, Beate

2016-07-01

Expression of fission yeast Pho1 acid phosphatase is repressed during growth in phosphate-rich medium. Repression is mediated by transcription of the prt locus upstream of pho1 to produce a long noncoding (lnc) prt RNA. Repression is also governed by RNA polymerase II CTD phosphorylation status, whereby inability to place a Ser7-PO4 mark (as in S7A) derepresses Pho1 expression, and inability to place a Thr4-PO4 mark (as in T4A) hyper-represses Pho1 in phosphate replete cells. Here we find that basal pho1 expression from the prt-pho1 locus is inversely correlated with the activity of the prt promoter, which resides in a 110-nucleotide DNA segment preceding the prt transcription start site. CTD mutations S7A and T4A had no effect on the activity of the prt promoter or the pho1 promoter, suggesting that S7A and T4A affect post-initiation events in prt lncRNA synthesis that make it less and more repressive of pho1, respectively. prt lncRNA contains clusters of DSR (determinant of selective removal) sequences recognized by the YTH-domain-containing protein Mmi1. Altering the nucleobase sequence of two DSR clusters in the prt lncRNA caused hyper-repression of pho1 in phosphate replete cells, concomitant with increased levels of the prt transcript. The isolated Mmi1 YTH domain binds to RNAs with single or tandem DSR elements, to the latter in a noncooperative fashion. We report the 1.75 Å crystal structure of the Mmi1 YTH domain and provide evidence that Mmi1 recognizes DSR RNA via a binding mode distinct from that of structurally homologous YTH proteins that recognize m(6)A-modified RNA. © 2016 Chatterjee et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

SMRT repression of nuclear receptors controls the adipogenic set point and metabolic homeostasis

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nofsinger, Russell R.; Li, Pingping; Hong, Suk-Hyun; Jonker, Johan W.; Barish, Grant D.; Ying, Hao; Cheng, Sheue-Yann; LeBlanc, Mathias; Xu, Wei; Pei, Liming; Kang, Yeon-Joo; Nelson, Michael; Downes, Michael; Yu, Ruth T.; Olefsky, Jerrold M.; Lee, Chih-Hao; Evans, Ronald M.

2008-01-01

The nuclear receptor corepressor, silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid hormone receptors (SMRT), is recruited by a plethora of transcription factors to mediate lineage and signal-dependent transcriptional repression. We generated a knockin mutation in the receptor interaction domain (RID) of

Business education and social skills to leadership competencies

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Čukanović-Karavidić Marija

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Encouraged by the fact that the leadership has become sought and highly valued ability in this paper we want to show the importance of education in developing leadership competencies. The creative power of the leaders is in the knowledge-intellectual potential, which have become a key factor of productivity, competitiveness and economic success. Leadership is a process of selection, and then transform those choices into actions - creative thinking through the acquisition of knowledge, values and build social skills. Personality traits and abilities may be to some extent inherited, but only with the education and continuous learning is possible to develop the necessary competencies of a true leader. The paper proves that the structure of leadership competence consists of numerous knowledge, skills, social skills and personality traits which are unavoidable.

Light represses transcription of asparagine synthetase genes in photosynthetic and nonphotosynthetic organs of plants

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tsai, Fongying; Coruzzi, G. (Rockefeller Univ., New York, NY (United States))

1991-10-01

Asparagine synthetase (AS) mRNA in Pisum sativum accumulates preferentially in plants grown in the dark. Nuclear run-on experiments demonstrate that expression of both the AS1 and AS2 genes is negatively regulated by light at the level of transcription. A decrease in the transcriptional rate of the AS1 gene can be detected as early as 20 min after exposure to light. Time course experiments reveal that the levels of AS mRNA fluctuate dramatically during a normal light/dark cycle. This is due to a direct effect of light and not to changes associated with circadian rhythm. A novel finding is that the light-repressed expression of the AS1 gene is as dramatic nonphotosynthetic organs such as roots as it is in leaves. Experiments demonstrate that the small amount of light which passes through the soil is sufficient to repress AS1 expression in roots, indicating that light has a direct effect on AS1 gene expression in roots. The negative regulation of AS gene expression by light was shown to be a general phenomenon in plants which also occurs in nonlegumes such as Nicotiana plumbaginifolia and Nicotiana tabacum. Thus, the AS genes can serve as a model with which to dissect the molecular basis for light-regulated transcriptional repression in plants.

Salt Sensitive Tet-Off-Like Systems to Knockdown Primordial Germ Cell Genes for Repressible Transgenic Sterilization in Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hanbo Li

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Repressible knockdown approaches were investigated for transgenic sterilization in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Two primordial germ cell (PGC marker genes, nanos and dead end, were targeted for knockdown, and an off-target gene, vasa, was monitored. Two potentially salt sensitive repressible promoters, zebrafish adenylosuccinate synthase 2 (ADSS and zebrafish racemase (Rm, were each coupled with four knockdown strategies: ds-sh RNA targeting the 5′ end (N1 or 3′ end (N2 of channel catfish nanos, full-length cDNA sequence of channel catfish nanos for overexpression (cDNA and ds-sh RNA targeting channel catfish dead end (DND. Each construct had an untreated group and treated group with sodium chloride as the repressor compound. Spawning rates of full-sibling P1 fish exposed or not exposed to the constructs as treated and untreated embryos were 93% and 59%, respectively, indicating potential sterilization of fish and repression of the constructs. Although the mRNA expression data of PGC marker genes were inconsistent in P1 fish, most F1 individuals were able to downregulate the target genes in untreated groups and repress the knockdown process in treated groups. The results indicate that repressible transgenic sterilization is feasible for reproductive control of fish, but more data from F2 or F3 are needed for evaluation.

Generic vs. Modality-Specific Competencies for K-12 Online and Blended Teaching

Science.gov (United States)

Pulham, Emily B.; Graham, Charles R.; Short, Cecil R.

2018-01-01

Although research has explored teacher competencies in K-12 blended and online learning, it has not specified which competencies are appropriate to an online or digital medium, which refer to blending in-person with online experiences, or which are generic--applicable in any teaching modality. This article explores selected K-12 online and blended…

Risk sharing between competing health plans and sponsors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

E.M. van Barneveld (Erik); W.P.M.M. van de Ven (Wynand); R.C.J.A. van Vliet (René)

2001-01-01

textabstractIn many countries, competing health plans receive capitation payments from a sponsor, whether government or a private employer. All capitation payment methods are far from perfect and have raised concerns about risk selection. Paying health plans partly on the basis

Teachers' Competence and Students' Academic Performance in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the influence of teacher's competence on students; academic performance in senior secondary chemistry. A random sampling technique was used to select 6 secondary schools out of 10 secondary schools in Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State. 200 students, 20 teachers and 6 principals ...

Influence of teachers' competence on students academic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the influence of teachers' competence on students; academic performance in senior secondary school chemistry. A random sampling technique was used to select 6 secondary schools out of 12 secondary schools in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. 200 students, 20 teachers and 6 ...

influence of teachers' competence on students academic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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This study investigated the influence of teachers' competence on students; academic performance in senior secondary school chemistry. A random sampling technique was used to select 6 secondary schools out of 12 secondary schools in Yala Local Government Area of Cross River State. 200 students, 20 teachers and 6 ...

ASSESSMENT OF STUDENTS’ PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCIES – THE FUTURE TEACHERS OF MATHEMATICS

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Mariya B. Shashkina

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the investigation is to describe the authors’ approach to the assessment of the professional competence of the future teacher of mathematics.Methods. The methods involve comparative analysis of the Professional Standard of the teacher and the Federal State Educational Standards in teacher education, as well as the method of predictive analysis of modern educational situation.Results. Qualimetric approach to the structuring of the professional competencies of students is described; it allows concretizing the assessment object, to select the criteria and levels of its formedness, to trace the dynamics of development in the medium of profile preparation of a bachelor. The methodology of assessment a professional-profile competence of the future mathematics teachers is proposed; examples of the competence-assessment tools are provided.Scientific novelty. The study gives a detailed analysis of developing the innovative approach to competencies assessment as metasubject learning outcomes.Practical significance. The proposed method of competencies assessment can be used in the mathematical preparation of the future mathematics teacher, and can serve as a basis for monitoring the professional competencies of students.

Induction and catabolite repression of cellulase and xylanase synthesis in the selected white-rot basidiomycetes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aza Kobakhidze

2016-09-01

Full Text Available This paper reports regulation of endoglucanase (EC 3.2.1.4 and xylanase (EC 3.2.1.8 production in submerged cultivation of four white-rot basidiomycetes. Among carbon sources tested, the Avicel-based medium provided the highest levels of both hydrolases activities in all fungal cultures. However, the maximum endoglucanase and xylanase activities of the tested basidiomycetes varied from 3.9 U/ml and 7.4 U/ml in Fomes fomentarius to 34.2 U/ml and 29.5 U/ml in Pseudotrametes gibbosa, respectively (P. gibbosa specific cellulase and xylanase activities achieved 8.55 and 7.38 U/mg, respectively. Replacement of Avicel in the medium with carboxymethyl cellulose or xylan significantly lowered the enzyme yield of the tested fungi. Moreover, xylan did not ensure high xylanase activity of these fungi. Lignocellulosic substrates used as a carbon source provided poorer productivity (the specific CMCase activity was 1.12–3.62 U/mg and the specific xylanase activity was 1.95–3.32 U/mg. Expression of endoglucanase and xylanase synthesis in Panus lecometei and P. gibbosa was inducible; supplementation of the glycerol-containing medium with Avicel accompanied with a sharp increase of the fungal specific CMCase and xylanase activities from 0.02–0.04 U/mg to 1.30–8.55 U/mg. Supplementation of the Avicel-induced cultures with glucose or glycerol caused a catabolite repression of the cellulase and xylanase formation by P. gibbosa and P. lecometei. The enzyme synthesis resumed only after depletion of easily metabolizable carbon source, glucose or glycerol, from the medium. The data received suggest that in the tested fungi endoglucanase and xylanase synthesis is under control by a common regulatory mechanism.

DNA residence time is a regulatory factor of transcription repression

Science.gov (United States)

Clauß, Karen; Popp, Achim P.; Schulze, Lena; Hettich, Johannes; Reisser, Matthias; Escoter Torres, Laura; Uhlenhaut, N. Henriette

2017-01-01

Abstract Transcription comprises a highly regulated sequence of intrinsically stochastic processes, resulting in bursts of transcription intermitted by quiescence. In transcription activation or repression, a transcription factor binds dynamically to DNA, with a residence time unique to each factor. Whether the DNA residence time is important in the transcription process is unclear. Here, we designed a series of transcription repressors differing in their DNA residence time by utilizing the modular DNA binding domain of transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) and varying the number of nucleotide-recognizing repeat domains. We characterized the DNA residence times of our repressors in living cells using single molecule tracking. The residence times depended non-linearly on the number of repeat domains and differed by more than a factor of six. The factors provoked a residence time-dependent decrease in transcript level of the glucocorticoid receptor-activated gene SGK1. Down regulation of transcription was due to a lower burst frequency in the presence of long binding repressors and is in accordance with a model of competitive inhibition of endogenous activator binding. Our single molecule experiments reveal transcription factor DNA residence time as a regulatory factor controlling transcription repression and establish TALE-DNA binding domains as tools for the temporal dissection of transcription regulation. PMID:28977492

Intercultural Competence – Key Competence of Multicultural Teams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Diana Bebenova - Nikolova

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The article deals with intercultural competence of multicultural teams elaborating European projects. Firstly, it discusses basic theoretical aspects of the related concepts: culture and intercultural competence, then presents its impact on multicultural team effectiveness and models for improving it. The article finds ground on studies of intercultural competence as a set of strategic, personal, social and professional competences. The paper uses the project cycle management theory and proves that in multi-ethnic surroundings, the project membersř communication skills might not be sufficient to generate mutual understanding. Provisionally, the study performed a standardized Internet survey on self-assessment of intercultural competence among 50 experts on European projects. Another applied approach is field observation (attendance and note-taking of the 5- day training "To become diplomats between cultures", based on Bennettřs theoretical model for "Development of Intercultural Sensitivity". A training model for improving intercultural competence of multicultural team members. Possible approach for improvement of project management of crossborder or trans-border funding programs. Building intercultural competence in European project management is important, timely and necessity-driven, especially under the framework of the Danube Region Strategy.

Analysis Influence of Managerial Competence, Technical Competence, and Strategic Competence on Firm Performance in Electrical Engineering Company in Bandung

Science.gov (United States)

Wijaya, E. R.; Irianto, D.

2018-03-01

The industry sectors that have an important role in the era of globalization is the electro engineering sector. The era of globalization led to intense competition. One of the negative effects of the intense competition is declining profits. Drop in profits caused many firms reduces their employees without seeking the root cause of declining profits in detail. Whereas, employee is the important resources to maintain competitive advantage. Competitive advantage can be measured by the performance of which is owned by the firm. The firm's performance can be formed of competencies that is unique, rare, irreplaceable, and difficult to imitate within the firm, one of them is the competence of the individual. According to a competency-based approach and the resource- based approach, individual competence that affect the performance of the firm is managerial competence, technical competence, and strategic competence. Questionnaire is built based on the dimensions of the firm's performance, managerial competence, technical competence, and strategic competence, are processed using partial least squares application. The results indicate that managerial competence negatively impact firm’s performance with weak ties. The technical competence and strategic competence positively affect firm’s performance with moderate ties.

Histone deacetylase 3 represses p15INK4b and p21WAF1/cip1 transcription by interacting with Sp1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huang Weifeng; Tan Dapeng; Wang Xiuli; Han Songyan; Tan Jiang; Zhao Yanmei; Lu Jun; Huang Baiqu

2006-01-01

Histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) has been implicated to play roles in governing cell proliferation. Here we demonstrated that the overexpression of HDAC3 repressed transcription of p15 INK4b and p21 WAF1/cip1 genes in 293T cells, and that the recruitment of HDAC3 to the promoter regions of these genes was critical to this repression. We also showed that HDAC3 repressed GAL4-Sp1 transcriptional activity, and that Sp1 was co-immunoprecipitated with FLAG-tagged HDAC3. We conclude that HDAC3 can repress p15 INK4b and p21 WAF1/cip1 transcription by interacting with Sp1. Furthermore, knockdown of HDAC3 by RNAi up-regulated the transcriptional expression of p15 INK4b , but not that of p21 WAF1/cip1 , implicating the different roles of HDAC3 in repression of p15 INK4b and p21 WAF1/cip1 transcription. Data from this study indicate that the inhibition of p15 INK4b and p21 WAF1/cip1 may be one of the mechanisms by which HDAC3 participates in cell cycle regulation and oncogenesis

Histone acetyltransferase (HAT) activity of p300 modulates human T lymphotropic virus type 1 p30II-mediated repression of LTR transcriptional activity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michael, Bindhu; Nair, Amrithraj M.; Datta, Antara; Hiraragi, Hajime; Ratner, Lee; Lairmore, Michael D.

2006-01-01

Human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-1) is a deltaretrovirus that causes adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma, and is implicated in a variety of lymphocyte-mediated inflammatory disorders. HTLV-1 provirus has regulatory and accessory genes in four pX open reading frames. HTLV-1 pX ORF-II encodes two proteins, p13 II and p30 II , which are incompletely defined in virus replication or pathogenesis. We have demonstrated that pX ORF-II mutations block virus replication in vivo and that ORF-II encoded p30 II , a nuclear-localizing protein that binds with CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300, represses CREB and Tax responsive element (TRE)-mediated transcription. Herein, we have identified p30 II motifs important for p300 binding and in regulating TRE-mediated transcription in the absence and presence of HTLV-1 provirus. Within amino acids 100-179 of p30 II , a region important for repression of LTR-mediated transcription, we identified a single lysine residue at amino acid 106 (K3) that significantly modulates the ability of p30 II to repress TRE-mediated transcription. Exogenous p300, in a dose-responsive manner, reverses p30 II -dependent repression of TRE-mediated transcription, in the absence or presence of the provirus, In contrast to wild type p300, p300 HAT mutants (defective in histone acetyltransferase activity) only partially rescued p30 II -mediated LTR repression. Deacetylation by histone deacetylase-1 (HDAC-1) enhanced p30 II -mediated LTR repression, while inhibition of deacetylation by trichostatin A decreases p30 II -mediated LTR repression. Collectively, our data indicate that HTLV-1 p30 II modulates viral gene expression in a cooperative manner with p300-mediated acetylation

Development of the Knowledge of Dementia Competencies Self-Assessment Tool.

Science.gov (United States)

Curyto, Kimberly J; Vriesman, Deedre K

2016-02-01

Competent dementia care requires caregivers with specialized knowledge and skills. The Knowledge of Dementia Competencies Self-Assessment Tool was developed to help direct care workers (DCWs) assess their knowledge of 7 dementia competencies identified by the Michigan Dementia Coalition. Item selection was guided by literature review and expert panel consultation. It was given to 159 DCWs and readministered to 57 DCWs in a range of long-term care settings and revised based on qualitative feedback and statistical item analyses, resulting in 82 items demonstrating good internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Performance on items assessing competencies rated as most important was significantly related to training in these competencies. The DCWs in day care obtained higher scores than those in home care settings, and their sites reported a greater number of hours of dementia training. Validation in a more diverse group of DCWs and assessing its relationship to other measures of knowledge and skill is needed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Engineering of carbon catabolite repression in recombinant xylose fermenting Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roca, Christophe Francois Aime; Haack, Martin Brian; Olsson, Lisbeth

2004-01-01

analysed for changes in xylose consumption rate and ethanol production rate during anaerobic batch and chemostat cultivations on a mixture of 20 g l(-1) glucose and 50 g l(-1) xylose, and their characteristics were compared to the parental strain S. cerevisiae TMB3001 (XYL1, XYL2, XKS1). Improvement...... that xylose is a repressive sugar for S. cerevisiae....

Competency Analytics Tool: Analyzing Curriculum Using Course Competencies

Science.gov (United States)

Gottipati, Swapna; Shankararaman, Venky

2018-01-01

The applications of learning outcomes and competency frameworks have brought better clarity to engineering programs in many universities. Several frameworks have been proposed to integrate outcomes and competencies into course design, delivery and assessment. However, in many cases, competencies are course-specific and their overall impact on the…

The role of the concentration camps in the Nazi repression of prostitutes, 1933-9.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Victoria

2010-01-01

This article uses prostitutes as a case study in order to investigate the role of the early concentration camps as centres of detention for social deviants. In contrasting the intensification of repressive policies towards prostitutes against narratives which demonstrate the unexpectedly lax treatment of these women, it explores what the reasons behind these contradictions might have been, and what this demonstrates about the development of these institutions. It asks the following questions. How and why were prostitutes interned? Which bureaucrats were responsible for incarcerating these women and what did they view the role of the camp to be? Were such policies centrally directed or the product of local decision-making? Through asking these questions, the article explores to what extent these camps were unique as mechanisms for the repression and marginalization of prostitutes.

A Comparative Analysis of International Frameworks for 21st Century Competences: Implications for National Curriculum Policies

Science.gov (United States)

Voogt, Joke; Roblin, Natalie Pareja

2012-01-01

National curricula need to change drastically to comply with the competences needed for the 21st century. In this paper eight frameworks describing 21st century competences were analysed. A comprehensive search for information about 21st century competences was conducted across the official websites of the selected frameworks, resulting in 32…

MYC association with cancer risk and a new model of MYC-mediated repression.

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Michael D

2014-07-01

MYC is one of the most frequently mutated and overexpressed genes in human cancer but the regulation of MYC expression and the ability of MYC protein to repress cellular genes (including itself) have remained mysterious. Recent genome-wide association studies show that many genetic polymorphisms associated with disease risk map to distal regulatory elements that regulate the MYC promoter through large chromatin loops. Cancer risk-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) contain more potent enhancer activity, promoting higher MYC levels and a greater risk of disease. The MYC promoter is also subject to complex regulatory circuits and limits its own expression by a feedback loop. A model for MYC autoregulation is discussed which involves a signaling pathway between the PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) tumor suppressor and repressive histone modifications laid down by the EZH2 methyltransferase. Copyright © 2014 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Teacher competencies

OpenAIRE

Svatošová, Kateřina

2012-01-01

This diploma thesis deals with adult teacher competencies. It describes current situation in adult education and it focuses on measuring quality level of teacher competencies. There is given the main overview of adult education specifics. These are the prerequisites for defining adult teacher competencies. There is given specific adult teacher competencies and related roles which are generally based on teacher's activities during educational courses. Next part describes present conception of ...

The concept of competence in the development of vocational education and training in selected EU member states.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Weigel, T.M.; Mulder, M.; Collins, K.M.

2007-01-01

This contribution reviews how four European countries - England, Germany, France and the Netherlands - use the concept of competence in the process of developing vocational education and training. Competence in England is set in the context of the National Vocational Qualifications; in Germany

Adjudicative Competence

Science.gov (United States)

Dawes, Sharron E.; Palmer, Barton W.; Jeste, Dilip V.

2008-01-01

Purpose of review Although the basic standards of adjudicative competence were specified by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1960, there remain a number of complex conceptual and practical issues in interpreting and applying these standards. In this report we provide a brief overview regarding the general concept of adjudicative competence and its assessment, as well as some highlights of recent empirical studies on this topic. Findings Most adjudicative competence assessments are conducted by psychiatrists or psychologists. There are no universal certification requirements, but some states are moving toward required certification of forensic expertise for those conducting such assessments. Recent data indicate inconsistencies in application of the existing standards even among forensic experts, but the recent publication of consensus guidelines may foster improvements in this arena. There are also ongoing efforts to develop and validate structured instruments to aid competency evaluations. Telemedicine-based competency interviews may facilitate evaluation by those with specific expertise for evaluation of complex cases. There is also interest in empirical development of educational methods to enhance adjudicative competence. Summary Adjudicative competence may be difficult to measure accurately, but the assessments and tools available are advancing. More research is needed on methods of enhancing decisional capacity among those with impaired competence. PMID:18650693

forming bases of health-improvement competence of students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muntian V.S.

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The questions of optimization of educational process are considered on the basis of forming to health-improvement competence of student young people. Basic factors, influencing on the confidence of man in the capabilities, are selected: successful experience in the past; vicariation teaching; verbal persuasion; interiorization of motivation; succession of the teaching programs. It is marked that at forming of competence it is necessary to take into account the role of motivation, degree of estimation of the capabilities and confidence in the possibilities. Forming cognitive activity, positive motivation and steady interest to employments are the basic constituents of successful development of personality. It is marked that forming of competence foresees: providing knowledge about the methods of activity; the real application of knowledge is in practical activity; interiorization of motivation and individual approach; it is providing of succession of the teaching programs.

AAOHN Competencies.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-11-01

The AAOHN Competency document is one of the core documents that define occupational health nursing practice. This article provides a description of the process used to update the competencies, as well as a description of the new competencies. © 2015 The Author(s).

MicroRNA MiR-17 retards tissue growth and represses fibronectin expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Shan, Sze Wan; Lee, Daniel Y; Deng, Zhaoqun; Shatseva, Tatiana; Jeyapalan, Zina; Du, William W; Zhang, Yaou; Xuan, Jim W; Yee, Siu-Pok; Siragam, Vinayakumar; Yang, Burton B

2009-08-01

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded regulatory RNAs, frequently expressed as clusters. Previous studies have demonstrated that the six-miRNA cluster miR-17~92 has important roles in tissue development and cancers. However, the precise role of each miRNA in the cluster is unknown. Here we show that overexpression of miR-17 results in decreased cell adhesion, migration and proliferation. Transgenic mice overexpressing miR-17 showed overall growth retardation, smaller organs and greatly reduced haematopoietic cell lineages. We found that fibronectin and the fibronectin type-III domain containing 3A (FNDC3A) are two targets that have their expression repressed by miR-17, both in vitro and in transgenic mice. Several lines of evidence support the notion that miR-17 causes cellular defects through its repression of fibronectin expression. Our single miRNA expression assay may be evolved to allow the manipulation of individual miRNA functions in vitro and in vivo. We anticipate that this could serve as a model for studying gene regulation by miRNAs in the development of gene therapy.

Alleviation of glucose repression of maltose metabolism by MIG1 disruption in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klein, Christopher; Olsson, Lisbeth; Rønnow, B.

1996-01-01

The MIG1 gene was disrupted in a haploid laboratory strain (B224) and in an industrial polyploid strain (DGI 342) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The alleviation of glucose repression of the expression of MAL genes and alleviation of glucose control of maltose metabolism were investigated in batch...... cultivations on glucose-maltose mixtures. In the MIG1-disrupted haploid strain, glucose repression was partly alleviated; i.e., maltose metabolism was initiated at higher glucose concentrations than in the corresponding wild-type strain. In contrast, the polyploid Delta mig1 strain exhibited an even more...... stringent glucose control of maltose metabolism than the corresponding wild-type strain, which could be explained by a more rigid catabolite inactivation of maltose permease, affecting the uptake of maltose. Growth on the glucose-sucrose mixture showed that the polyploid Delta mig1 strain was relieved...

Competence articulation: Alignment of competences and responsibilities in synchronous telemedical collaboration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Simon Bo; Bardram, Jakob Eyvind

2008-01-01

. In particular, we want to look at the dynamic quality of competences, and investigate how competence is mutually developed in coordinated work. We have termed this process competence articulation, a concept which tries to emphasize competence as well as social development of competence as part of cooperation......Many studies and concepts within CSCW deal with the temporal, spatial, social, and computational aspects of supporting collaborative work. In this paper we want to pay attention to another central aspect to the achievement of collaborative work, namely the competence of the people involved...... communication options for competence articulation, which again improve collaboration and thus the quality of the treatment....

[Civil competence assessment of the mental disorders involved in contract dispute].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Qin-Ting; Pang, Yan-Xia; Cai, Wei-Xiong; Tang, Tao; Wang, Jian-Jun

2009-04-01

To search the criteria for evaluating the civil competence of the mental disorders involved in contract dispute. Data on the interviewee's mental status and the forensic expertise were collected retrospectively. And 6 indexes were selected and graded: awareness of situation, factual understanding of issues, appreciation of likely consequences, rational manipulation of information, functioning in one's own environment and communication of choice. All of the data were analyzed by SPSS. Fifty six cases were included and interviewee's civil competence was graded to three levels: full civil competence, diminished civil competence, and no civil competence. These cases included two types of contract: the real estate related contract (38 cases) and the labor related contract (14 cases). All of the 6 indexes were well correlated to the forensic expertise. The related coefficient was from 0.703 to 0.834, and the interrelated coefficient of the 6 items was also high, from 0.712 to 0.877. It is feasible to divide the civil competence of the mental disorders into three grades. As the basis, these 6 indexes mentioned above are representative and can be applied in further standardized and quantified assessment of civil competence.

THE CRITERIA, INDEXES AND LEVELS OF TEACHER'S OF NATURAL AND MATHEMATICS SUBJECTS INFORMATION COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petro Grabovskiy

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Submitted research depends on an actual problem – how is necessary to identify means of teacher's of general education information competence evaluation. In particular, there developed on an evaluation criteria of teacher's of Natural and Mathematics subjects information competence – motivational, cognitive-operating, reflexive; and decomposition to appropriated performance criterion made in this research too. With the help of empirical research methods, in particular the method of expert evaluations, using methods of relative frequency selection, determing by an expert's performance and relevant criteria, proved significance when evaluation of teacher's of Natural and Mathematics subjects information competence development is appropriated. Based on the grounded and developed criteria and relevant indicators where four levels of studing teacher's information competence development were describing – low, middle, sufficient and high levels. According to an author opinion, the further research may be concern with the help of mathematical tools development to determine the level of teacher's of Natural and Mathematics subjects information competence development based on the selected criteria and relevant indicators

How do early career health sciences information professionals gain competencies?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bethany A. Myers, MSLIS, AHIP

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe early career health sciences information professionals’ self-reported attainment of the Medical Library Association (MLA Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success and to investigate the various methods by which participants developed these competencies. Methods: A SurveyMonkey survey was designed to ascertain participants’demographic information and their competency attainment. ‘‘Early career’’ health information professionals were defined as those with less than five years of professional experience. Participants were asked to rate each of the seven competencies on a five-point Likert scale regarding their level of agreement with the statement, ‘‘I have demonstrated this competency.’’ Participants who responded positively were then asked to indicate how they acquired the competency on a multiple-choice, multiple-answer list. Free-text fields were provided for general comments and for participants to elaborate on their answers. The survey was distributed through the MLA email discussion list and other related email discussion lists. Participation was anonymous. Results: One hundred eighty-seven responses were received. Out of those 187 respondents, 95 completed the entire survey. The majority of early career health sciences information professionals agreed that they had attained all 7 competencies. Of the various methods used to develop competencies, the most selected method was formal library and information studies education. Participants were least likely to report attaining competencies via mentoring, volunteering, or internships. Participants reported the highest level of confidence in having attained the ‘‘Health Sciences Information Services’’ competency, and the lowest level of confidence in having attained the ‘‘Research, Analysis, and Interpretation’’ competency. Conclusions: These results contribute to the ongoing discussions

How do early career health sciences information professionals gain competencies?

Science.gov (United States)

Myers, Bethany A; Rodriguez, Bredny

2016-07-01

The purpose of this study was to describe early career health sciences information professionals' self-reported attainment of the Medical Library Association (MLA) Competencies for Lifelong Learning and Professional Success and to investigate the various methods by which participants developed these competencies. A SurveyMonkey survey was designed to ascertain participants' demographic information and their competency attainment. "Early career" health information professionals were defined as those with less than five years of professional experience. Participants were asked to rate each of the seven competencies on a five-point Likert scale regarding their level of agreement with the statement, "I have demonstrated this competency." Participants who responded positively were then asked to indicate how they acquired the competency on a multiple-choice, multiple-answer list. Free-text fields were provided for general comments and for participants to elaborate on their answers. The survey was distributed through the MLA email discussion list and other related email discussion lists. Participation was anonymous. One hundred eighty-seven responses were received. Out of those 187 respondents, 95 completed the entire survey. The majority of early career health sciences information professionals agreed that they had attained all 7 competencies. Of the various methods used to develop competencies, the most selected method was formal library and information studies education. Participants were least likely to report attaining competencies via mentoring, volunteering, or internships. Participants reported the highest level of confidence in having attained the "Health Sciences Information Services" competency, and the lowest level of confidence in having attained the "Research, Analysis, and Interpretation" competency. These results contribute to the ongoing discussions regarding proposed changes to the MLA competencies. The results may also inform the development of

Dissecting miRNA gene repression on single cell level with an advanced fluorescent reporter system

Science.gov (United States)

Lemus-Diaz, Nicolas; Böker, Kai O.; Rodriguez-Polo, Ignacio; Mitter, Michael; Preis, Jasmin; Arlt, Maximilian; Gruber, Jens

2017-01-01

Despite major advances on miRNA profiling and target predictions, functional readouts for endogenous miRNAs are limited and frequently lead to contradicting conclusions. Numerous approaches including functional high-throughput and miRISC complex evaluations suggest that the functional miRNAome differs from the predictions based on quantitative sRNA profiling. To resolve the apparent contradiction of expression versus function, we generated and applied a fluorescence reporter gene assay enabling single cell analysis. This approach integrates and adapts a mathematical model for miRNA-driven gene repression. This model predicts three distinct miRNA-groups with unique repression activities (low, mid and high) governed not just by expression levels but also by miRNA/target-binding capability. Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of the system by applying controlled concentrations of synthetic siRNAs and in parallel, altering target-binding capability on corresponding reporter-constructs. Furthermore, we compared miRNA-profiles with the modeled predictions of 29 individual candidates. We demonstrate that expression levels only partially reflect the miRNA function, fitting to the model-projected groups of different activities. Furthermore, we demonstrate that subcellular localization of miRNAs impacts functionality. Our results imply that miRNA profiling alone cannot define their repression activity. The gene regulatory function is a dynamic and complex process beyond a minimalistic conception of “highly expressed equals high repression”. PMID:28338079

Hes1 Directly Controls Cell Proliferation through the Transcriptional Repression of p27Kip1

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Kaoru; Hattori, Masakazu; Hirai, Norihito; Shinozuka, Yoriko; Hirata, Hiromi; Kageyama, Ryoichiro; Sakai, Toshiyuki; Minato, Nagahiro

2005-01-01

A transcriptional regulator, Hes1, plays crucial roles in the control of differentiation and proliferation of neuronal, endocrine, and T-lymphocyte progenitors during development. Mechanisms for the regulation of cell proliferation by Hes1, however, remain to be verified. In embryonic carcinoma cells, endogenous Hes1 expression was repressed by retinoic acid in concord with enhanced p27Kip1 expression and cell cycle arrest. Conversely, conditional expression of a moderate but not maximal level of Hes1 in HeLa cells by a tetracycline-inducible system resulted in reduced p27Kip1 expression, which was attributed to decreased basal transcript rather than enhanced proteasomal degradation, with concomitant increases in the growth rate and saturation density. Hes1 induction repressed the promoter activity of a 5′ flanking basal enhancer region of p27Kip1 gene in a manner dependent on Hes1 expression levels, and this was mediated by its binding to class C sites in the promoter region. Finally, hypoplastic fetal thymi, as well as livers and brains of Hes1-deficient mice, showed significantly increased p27Kip1 transcripts compared with those of control littermates. These results have suggested that Hes1 directly contributes to the promotion of progenitor cell proliferation through transcriptional repression of a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p27Kip1. PMID:15870295

Competency champions in the clinical competency committee: a successful strategy to implement milestone evaluations and competency coaching.

Science.gov (United States)

Ketteler, Erika R; Auyang, Edward D; Beard, Kathy E; McBride, Erica L; McKee, Rohini; Russell, John C; Szoka, Nova L; Nelson, M Timothy

2014-01-01

To create a clinical competency committee (CCC) that (1) centers on the competency-based milestones, (2) is simple to implement, (3) creates competency expertise, and (4) guides remediation and coaching of residents who are not progressing in milestone performance evaluations. We created a CCC that meets monthly and at each meeting reviews a resident class for milestone performance, a competency (by a faculty competency champion), a resident rotation service, and any other resident or issue of concern. University surgical residency program. The CCC members include the program director, associate program directors, director of surgical curriculum, competency champions, departmental chair, 2 at-large faculty members, and the administrative chief residents. Seven residents were placed on remediation (later renamed as coaching) during the academic year after falling behind on milestone progression in one or more competencies. An additional 4 residents voluntarily placed themselves on remediation for medical knowledge after receiving in-training examination scores that the residents (not the CCC membership) considered substandard. All but 2 of the remediated/coached residents successfully completed all area milestone performance but some chose to stay on the medical knowledge competency strategy. Monthly meetings of the CCC make milestone evaluation less burdensome. In addition, the expectations of the residents are clearer and more tangible. "Competency champions" who are familiar with the milestones allow effective coaching strategies and documentation of clear performance improvements in competencies for successful completion of residency training. Residents who do not reach appropriate milestone performance can then be placed in remediation for more formal performance evaluation. The function of our CCC has also allowed us opportunity to evaluate the required rotations to ensure that they offer experiences that help residents achieve competency performance necessary

Analytical, Practical and Emotional Intelligence and Line Manager Competencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Baczyńska

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The research objective was to examine to what extent line manager competencies are linked to intelligence, and more specifically, three types of intelligence: analytical (fluid, practical and emotional. Methodology: The research was carried out with line managers (N=98 who took part in 12 Assessment Centre sessions and completed tests measuring analytical, practical and emotional intelligence. The adopted hypotheses were tested using a multiple regression. In the regression model, the dependent variable was a managerial competency (management and striving for results, social skills, openness to change, problem solving, employee development and the explanatory variables were the three types of intelligence. Five models, each for a separate management competency, were tested in this way. Findings: In the study, it was hypothesized that practical intelligence relates to procedural tacit knowledge and is the strongest indicator of managerial competency. Analysis of the study results testing this hypothesis indicated that practical intelligence largely accounts for the level of competency used in managerial work (from 21% to 38%. The study findings suggest that practical intelligence is a better indicator of managerial competencies among line managers than traditionally measured IQ or emotional intelligence. Originality: This research fills an important gap in the literature on the subject, indicating the links between major contemporary selection indicators (i.e., analytical, practical and emotional intelligence and managerial competencies presented in realistic work simulations measured using the Assessment Centre process.

The primary school teachers’ competence in implementing the 2013 curriculum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maba Wayan

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This study was conducted to analyze the competence of primary school teachers in implementing the 2013 curriculum. The 2013 curriculum has been implemented in almost all schools and there are still many unsuccessful implementations in several Indonesian schools. Therefore it is important to study the teachers’ competence in implementing the 2013 curriculum. A qualitative research design was carried out in this study by utilizing argumentative descriptive analysis. The data was collected by carrying out in depth interviews to the primary schools teachers who were selected by random sampling techniques. The results of this study indicated that primary school teachers have insufficient competence in implementing the 2013 curriculum especially in designing lesson plan, lesson plan implementation and assessment practices. Consequently, it is recommended that further intensive training and focus group discussion should be held to improve the teachers’ competence in implementing the 2013 curriculum.

Timespacing competence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Laursen, Helle Pia; Mogensen, Naja Dahlstrup

2016-01-01

-generated activity My linguistic world 2014, they are invited to map and talk about their lived experiences as multiple language users seen in the light of place and movement. By demythifying themselves and their linguistic worlds, the children also raise important questions about the notion of linguistic competence....... By perceiving competences from a subjective child perspective, we learn how children do what we call timespacing competence. On that basis, we suggest paying attention to how children themselves timespace competence by focusing (more consistently) on the subjective, social, spatial and temporal dimensions...

An integrative review of the literature on registered nurses' medication competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Sulosaari, Virpi; Suhonen, Riitta; Leino-Kilpi, Helena

2011-02-01

The aim of this integrative literature review was to describe registered nurses' medication competence. The objectives of the literature review were to chart the need for future studies and use the results for instrument development. Nurses play a vital role in different phases of a patient's medication process and thus need adequate competence to fulfil their role. Research on nurses' level of medication competence in different competency areas has been published. However, previous studies have lacked a comprehensive or integrated definition or description of medication competence in nursing. Integrative literature review. The integrative literature review followed five stages: (1) problem identification, (2) literature search, (3) data evaluation, (4) data analysis and (5) presentation. Eligible articles were identified via systematic literature search of research and evidence-based--databases. Twenty-one studies met the selection criteria. Eleven competency areas that constitute nurses' medication competence were identified: (1) anatomy and physiology, (2) pharmacology, (3) communication, (4) interdisciplinary collaboration, (5) information seeking, (6) mathematical and medication calculation, (7) medication administration, (8) medication education, (9) assessment and evaluation, (10) documentation and (11) promoting medication safety as part of patient safety. The analysis revealed three major categories which integrate these competency areas: (1) decision making competence, (2) theoretical competence and (3) practical competence. Medication competence requires a solid knowledge base and the ability to apply that knowledge in real-life situations during often complex and dynamic patient medication processes. Decision making competence was found to be an important and integral part of a nurses' theoretical and practical competence. These main competence categories integrated all of the 11 competency areas identified in this review. It is important to determine

A arqueologia da repressão no contexto das ditaduras militares da Argentina, Uruguai e Brasil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giullia Caldas dos Anjos

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Este artigo propõe-se a analisar a chamada “arqueologia da repressão” no Uruguai, na Argentina e no Brasil, a partir de obra de alguns autores que elegeram esse tema enquanto objeto de estudo, como, por exemplo, a de Pedro Paulo Abreu Funari, Andrés Zarankin e José Alberioni dos Reis, “Arqueologia da repressão e da resistência: América Latina na era das ditaduras (décadas de 1960-1980”. Este artigo estrutura-se em quatro partes, abrangendo delimitação conceitual; breve histórico a respeito do período ditatorial nos três países tratados; como é trabalhada a arqueologia da repressão nos países em questão; e, por fim traçarei um paralelo entre a forma pela qual é visto este tipo de arqueologia em cada país, de que forma o seu estudo afeta as sociedades e qual é a importância que assumem tais evidências para estes países, que só muito recentemente, retomaram o estado de direito.

Comparative Analysis of Administrative Competencies of Male and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study aimed at comparing male and female secondary school principals\\' administrative competencies in supervision. The sample was made up of 60 male and 60 female principals totaling 120 randomly selected from 10 existing educational zones in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Two hypotheses formed the basis of the ...

SRSF3 represses the expression of PDCD4 protein by coordinated regulation of alternative splicing, export and translation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Seung Kuk; Jeong, Sunjoo, E-mail: sjsj@dankook.ac.kr

2016-02-05

Gene expression is regulated at multiple steps, such as transcription, splicing, export, degradation and translation. Considering diverse roles of SR proteins, we determined whether the tumor-related splicing factor SRSF3 regulates the expression of the tumor-suppressor protein, PDCD4, at multiple steps. As we have reported previously, knockdown of SRSF3 increased the PDCD4 protein level in SW480 colon cancer cells. More interestingly, here we showed that the alternative splicing and the nuclear export of minor isoforms of pdcd4 mRNA were repressed by SRSF3, but the translation step was unaffected. In contrast, only the translation step of the major isoform of pdcd4 mRNA was repressed by SRSF3. Therefore, overexpression of SRSF3 might be relevant to the repression of all isoforms of PDCD4 protein levels in most types of cancer cell. We propose that SRSF3 could act as a coordinator of the expression of PDCD4 protein via two mechanisms on two alternatively spliced mRNA isoforms.

Bullying the media : Cultural and climato-economic readings of press repression versus press freedom

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van de Vliert, E.

Journalists and media assistants in many places are murdered, imprisoned, censored, threatened, and similarly harrassed. Here I document that, and explain why, there are three climato-economic niches of press repression versus press freedom as part of broader syndromes of national culture. A

Competencies required for nursing telehealth activities: A Delphi-study.

Science.gov (United States)

van Houwelingen, Cornelis T M; Moerman, Anna H; Ettema, Roelof G A; Kort, Helianthe S M; Ten Cate, Olle

2016-04-01

Telehealth is viewed as a major strategy to address the increasing demand for care and a shrinking care professional population. However, most nurses are not trained or are insufficiently trained to use these technologies effectively. Therefore, the potential of telehealth fails to reach full utilization. A better understanding of nursing telehealth entrustable professional activities (NT-EPAs) and the required competencies can contribute to the development of nursing telehealth education. In a four-round Delphi-study, a panel of experts discussed which NT-EPAs are relevant for nurses and which competencies nurses need to possess to execute these activities effectively. The 51 experts, including nurses, nursing faculty, clients and technicians all familiar with telehealth, were asked to select items from a list of 52 competencies based on the literature and on a previous study. Additionally, the panelists could add competencies based on their experience in practice. The threshold used for consensus was set at 80%. Consensus was achieved on the importance of fourteen NT-EPAs, requiring one or more of the following core competencies; coaching skills, the ability to combine clinical experience with telehealth, communication skills, clinical knowledge, ethical awareness, and a supportive attitude. Each NT-EPA requires a specific set of competencies (at least ten). In total, 52 competencies were identified as essential in telehealth. Many competencies for telehealth, including clinical knowledge and communication skills, are not novel competencies. They are fundamental to nursing care as a whole and therefore are also indispensable for telehealth. Additionally, the fourteen NT-EPAs appeared to require additional subject specific competencies, such as the ability to put patients at ease when they feel insecure about using technology. The NT-EPAs and related competencies presented in this study can be used by nursing schools that are considering including or expanding

Cinema e contraluz: limiares da repressão na cultura midiática argentina

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Márcio Serelle

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the backlighting technique used in Argentine movies (mainly Valentín, Kamchatka, and The Secret in Their Eyes, seen as a kind of narrative composition in which events related to dictatorships and other forms of repression operate in the dark, but strongly affect the fate of the characters. Starting from a brief overview of the internationalization of the Argentine film industry, which, as early as the mid-1980s, had already articulated conventional dramatic structures and political denunciation, this study analyzes how part of the cinema of this century represents the violence of authoritarian states. Be it through imaginative investment, metalanguage, or allegory, these narratives renounce graphic images of the violence of repressive apparatuses and create dramaturgical compositions of highly effective communication. Thus, this work discusses the reflective capacity of these films as it pertains to the relationship between the fictional, mediatic and social contexts.

EVEN-SKIPPED HOMEOBOX 1 controls human ES cell differentiation by directly repressing GOOSECOID expression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kalisz, Mark; Winzi, Maria Karin; Bisgaard, Hanne Cathrine

2012-01-01

(EVX1) and GOOSECOID (GSC) regulate cell fate decisions in streak-like progenitors derived from human ES cells exposed to BMP4 and/or activin. We found that EVX1 repressed GSC expression and promoted formation of posterior streak-like progeny in response to BMP4, and conversely that GSC repressed EVX1...... expression and was required for development of anterior streak-like progeny in response to activin. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that EVX1 bound to the GSC 5'-flanking region in BMP4 treated human ES cells, and band shift assays identified two EVX1 binding sites in the GSC 5'-region......TGFß signaling patterns the primitive streak, yet little is known about transcriptional effectors that mediate the cell fate choices during streak-like development in mammalian embryos and in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Here we demonstrate that cross-antagonistic actions of EVEN-SKIPPED HOMEOBOX 1...

Competence Building

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Borrás, Susana; Edquist, Charles

The main question that guides this paper is how governments are focusing (and must focus) on competence building (education and training) when designing and implementing innovation policies. With this approach, the paper aims at filling the gap between the existing literature on competences...... on the one hand, and the real world of innovation policy-making on the other, typically not speaking to each other. With this purpose in mind, this paper discusses the role of competences and competence-building in the innovation process from a perspective of innovation systems; it examines how governments...... and public agencies in different countries and different times have actually approached the issue of building, maintaining and using competences in their innovation systems; it examines what are the critical and most important issues at stake from the point of view of innovation policy, looking particularly...

Competence-based education to develop digital competence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wesselink, R.; Giaffredo, Silvio

2015-01-01

The competence approach to learning and teaching has been described by several theoretical models. These formal models are often not integrated with concrete educational activity. On the contrary, this article proposes a practical implementation of the competence approach in education. The model of

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa catabolite repression control protein Crc is devoid of RNA binding activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Milojevic, Tetyana; Grishkovskaya, Irina; Sonnleitner, Elisabeth; Djinovic-Carugo, Kristina; Bläsi, Udo

2013-01-01

The Crc protein has been shown to mediate catabolite repression control in Pseudomonas, leading to a preferential assimilation of carbon sources. It has been suggested that Crc acts as a translational repressor of mRNAs, encoding functions involved in uptake and breakdown of different carbon sources. Moreover, the regulatory RNA CrcZ, the level of which is increased in the presence of less preferred carbon sources, was suggested to bind to and sequester Crc, resulting in a relief of catabolite repression. Here, we determined the crystal structure of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Crc, a member of apurinic/apyrimidinic (AP) endonuclease family, at 1.8 Å. Although Crc displays high sequence similarity with its orthologs, there are amino acid alterations in the area corresponding to the active site in AP proteins. Unlike typical AP endonuclease family proteins, Crc has a reduced overall positive charge and the conserved positively charged amino-acid residues of the DNA-binding surface of AP proteins are partially substituted by negatively charged, polar and hydrophobic residues. Crc protein purified to homogeneity from P. aeruginosa did neither display DNase activity, nor did it bind to previously identified RNA substrates. Rather, the RNA chaperone Hfq was identified as a contaminant in His-tagged Crc preparations purified by one step Ni-affinity chromatography from Escherichia coli, and was shown to account for the RNA binding activity observed with the His-Crc preparations. Taken together, these data challenge a role of Crc as a direct translational repressor in carbon catabolite repression in P. aeruginosa.

CRITERIA OF FORMATION OF SOCIAL-PEDAGOGICAL COMPETENCE OF FUTURE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN INCLUSIVE SECONDARY SCHOOL

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Zoia Shevtsiv

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The article aims to justify the formation of criteria and indicators of social-pedagogical competence of the future teachers of primary school of inclusive comprehensive school and to determine its level of development. The objectives are to determine the status of the development problems of professional competence of teachers in inclusive education; essence and structural components of social-pedagogical competence of future primary school teacher of inclusive comprehensive school; criteria, indicators and levels of social-pedagogical competence of future primary school teacher of inclusive comprehensive schools. The education system in Ukraine is gradually transition to inclusive education. Inclusive comprehensive school is being created. It requires a highly qualified primary school teacher who co-teaches regulatory children and children with disability. The article is grounded the necessity of social-pedagogical competence of future teachers of primary school of inclusive comprehensive schools. The essence of social-pedagogical competence of future primary school teacher of inclusive comprehensive schools is defined. The structural components of social-pedagogical competence are characterized. Scientific papers on the issue of formation of competence of experts in various fields are analyzed. The pronunciation for selection and justification criteria and parameters of formation of professional competence is overviewed. The group of the criteria suggested by various scientists from the evaluation of the formation of professional competence of specialists in different fields is considered. The criteria and parameters of evaluating the levels of social-pedagogical competence of future teachers of primary school in inclusive comprehensive schools are selected on the base of the analysis of modern achievements of scientists. Future prospects of research is in developing of a method of diagnosing the levels of social-pedagogical competence of

Assessing Technical Competence in Surgical Trainees: A Systematic Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Szasz, Peter; Louridas, Marisa; Harris, Kenneth A; Aggarwal, Rajesh; Grantcharov, Teodor P

2015-06-01

To systematically examine the literature describing the methods by which technical competence is assessed in surgical trainees. The last decade has witnessed an evolution away from time-based surgical education. In response, governing bodies worldwide have implemented competency-based education paradigms. The definition of competence, however, remains elusive, and the impact of these education initiatives in terms of assessment methods remains unclear. A systematic review examining the methods by which technical competence is assessed was conducted by searching MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsychINFO, and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews. Abstracts of retrieved studies were reviewed and those meeting inclusion criteria were selected for full review. Data were retrieved in a systematic manner, the validity and reliability of the assessment methods was evaluated, and quality was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation classification. Of the 6814 studies identified, 85 studies involving 2369 surgical residents were included in this review. The methods used to assess technical competence were categorized into 5 groups; Likert scales (37), benchmarks (31), binary outcomes (11), novel tools (4), and surrogate outcomes (2). Their validity and reliability were mostly previously established. The overall Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation for randomized controlled trials was high and low for the observational studies. The definition of technical competence continues to be debated within the medical literature. The methods used to evaluate technical competence predominantly include instruments that were originally created to assess technical skill. Very few studies identify standard setting approaches that differentiate competent versus noncompetent performers; subsequently, this has been identified as an area with great research potential.

Red Light Represses the Photophysiology of the Scleractinian Coral Stylophora pistillata

OpenAIRE

Wijgerde, Tim; van Melis, Anne; Silva, Catarina I. F.; Leal, Miguel C.; Vogels, Luc; Mutter, Claudia; Osinga, Ronald

2014-01-01

Light spectrum plays a key role in the biology of symbiotic corals, with blue light resulting in higher coral growth, zooxanthellae density, chlorophyll a content and photosynthesis rates as compared to red light. However, it is still unclear whether these physiological processes are blue-enhanced or red-repressed. This study investigated the individual and combined effects of blue and red light on the health, zooxanthellae density, photophysiology and colouration of the scleractinian coral S...

Competence, competency-based education, and undergraduate dental education: a discussion paper.

Science.gov (United States)

Chuenjitwongsa, S; Oliver, R G; Bullock, A D

2018-02-01

The aim of undergraduate dental education is to provide competent dentists to serve societal needs and improve population oral healthcare. Competency-based education has influenced the development of dental education for decades but this term is problematic. This article explores components of competency-based undergraduate health professional education in order to help the dental profession have a better understanding of the context and purposes of undergraduate dental education. This is a discussion paper based on a wide reading of the literature on the education of health professionals with a specific focus on competency-based undergraduate education. Competence comprises an integration of knowledge, skills and attitudes indicating a capability to perform professional tasks safely and ethically. The process of becoming a competent practitioner is complex. Four characteristics of competency-based education are: curriculum components and content shaped by societal needs; focused on student-centred learning; learning achievement; and limited attention to time-based training and numerical targets. Alongside a competency-based approach, undergraduate dental education can be influenced by institutional features and external factors but these receive little consideration in the literature. Understanding competence, competency-based education, and institutional and external factors will help to improve educational quality, define roles and professional development for the dental educator, and inform further research. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The transcription factor Slug represses E-cadherin expression and induces epithelial to mesenchymal transitions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bolós, Victoria; Peinado, Hector; Pérez-Moreno, Mirna A

2003-01-01

Transcriptional repression mechanisms have emerged as one of the crucial processes for the downregulation of E-cadherin expression during development and tumour progression. Recently, several E-cadherin transcriptional repressors have been characterized (Snail, E12/E47, ZEB-1 and SIP-1) and shown...

Increasing STEM Competence in Urban, High Poverty Elementary School Populations

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Sueanne McKinney

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Enhancing STEM competence (e.g., interests, knowledge, skills, and dispositions among urban, high poverty, elementary school populations in the United States (U.S. is and remains a growing national concern, especially since Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM competence is and will continue to be a necessary requisite for gainful employment in the future, according to workforce development experts. In an attempt to address this gap, many urban elementary schools have begun to offer STEM-related programs to increase STEM learning at an early age. STEM competence (interest, knowledge, skills, and dispositions, however, remains low. This paper results in a matrix used to analyze children's fictional literary selections and a model that argues that elementary teachers, as the first point of contact with young students, can affect STEM competence. By adopting a more culturally responsive pedagogy that attends to the 21st Century Learning Skills and the Next Generation Science Standards, teachers can choose literature that serves to excite and reinforce STEM learning.

CBT competence in novice therapists improves anxiety outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Lily A; Craske, Michelle G; Glenn, Daniel E; Stein, Murray B; Sullivan, Greer; Sherbourne, Cathy; Bystritsky, Alexander; Welch, Stacy S; Campbell-Sills, Laura; Lang, Ariel; Roy-Byrne, Peter; Rose, Raphael D

2013-02-01

This study explores the relationships between therapist variables (cognitive behavioral therapy [CBT] competence, and CBT adherence) and clinical outcomes of computer-assisted CBT for anxiety disorders delivered by novice therapists in a primary care setting. Participants were recruited for a randomized controlled trial of evidence-based treatment, including computer-assisted CBT, versus treatment as usual. Therapists (anxiety clinical specialists; ACSs) were nonexpert clinicians, many of whom had no prior experience in delivering psychotherapy (and in particular, very little experience with CBT). Trained raters reviewed randomly selected treatment sessions from 176 participants and rated therapists on measures of CBT competence and CBT adherence. Patients were assessed at baseline and at 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-ups on measures of anxiety, depression, and functioning, and an average Reliable Change Index was calculated as a composite measure of outcome. CBT competence and CBT adherence were entered as predictors of outcome, after controlling for baseline covariates. Higher CBT competence was associated with better clinical outcomes whereas CBT adherence was not. Also, CBT competence was inversely correlated with years of clinical experience and trended (not significantly, though) down as the study progressed. CBT adherence was inversely correlated with therapist tenure in the study. Therapist competence was related to improved clinical outcomes when CBT for anxiety disorders was delivered by novice clinicians with technology assistance. The results highlight the value of the initial training for novice therapists as well as booster training to limit declines in therapist adherence. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Melanie Klein and Repression: an examination of some unpublished Notes of 1934.

Science.gov (United States)

Hinshelwood, R D

2006-01-01

Fifteen pages of unpublished Notes were found in the Melanie Klein Archives dating from early 1934, a crucial moment in Klein's development. She was at this time, 1934, moving away from child analysis, whilst also rethinking and revising her allegiance to Karl Abraham's theory of the phases of libidinal development. These Notes, entitled "Early Repression Mechanism," show Klein struggling to develop what became her characteristic theories of the depressive position and the paranoid-schizoid position. Although these Notes are precursors of the paper Klein gave later to the IPA Congress in 1934, they also show the origins of the emphasis she and her followers eventually gave to "splitting" rather than repression. The Notes give us an insight into the way that she worked clinically at the time. We see Klein's confidence develop as she diverged from the classical theories and technique. Her ideas were based on close attention to the detail of her clinical material, rather than attacking theoretical problems directly. The Notes show her method of struggling to her own conclusions, and they offer us a chance to grasp the roots of the subsequent controversy over Kleinian thought.

Can One Portfolio Measure the Six ACGME General Competencies?

Science.gov (United States)

Jarvis, Robert M.; O'Sullivan, Patricia S.; McClain, Tina; Clardy, James A.

2004-01-01

Objective: To determine that portfolios, useable by any program, can provide needed evidence of resident performance within the ACGME general competencies. Methods: Eighteen residents constructed portfolios with selected entries from thirteen psychiatric skills. Two raters assessed whether entries reflected resident performance within the general…

Identification of phlebovirus and arenavirus RNA sequences that stall and repress the exoribonuclease XRN1.

Science.gov (United States)

Charley, Phillida A; Wilusz, Carol J; Wilusz, Jeffrey

2018-01-05

Regulated mRNA decay plays a vital role in determining both the level and quality of cellular gene expression. Viral RNAs must successfully evade this host RNA decay machinery to establish a productive infection. One way for RNA viruses to accomplish this is to target the cellular exoribonuclease XRN1, because this enzyme is accessible in the cytoplasm and plays a major role in mRNA decay. Members of the Flaviviridae use RNA structures in their 5'- or 3'-untranslated regions to stall and repress XRN1, effectively stabilizing viral RNAs while also causing significant dysregulation of host cell mRNA stability. Here, we use a series of biochemical assays to demonstrate that the 3'-terminal portion of the nucleocapsid (N) mRNA of Rift Valley fever virus, a phlebovirus of the Bunyaviridae family, also can effectively stall and repress XRN1. The region responsible for impeding XRN1 includes a G-rich portion that likely forms a G-quadruplex structure. The 3'-terminal portions of ambisense-derived transcripts of multiple arenaviruses also stalled XRN1. Therefore, we conclude that RNAs from two additional families of mammalian RNA viruses stall and repress XRN1. This observation. emphasizes the importance and commonality of this viral strategy to interfere with the 5'-to-3'-exoribonuclease component of the cytoplasmic RNA decay machinery. © 2018 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Repression of calcitonin gene-related peptide expression in trigeminal neurons by a Theobroma cacao extract.

Science.gov (United States)

Abbey, Marcie J; Patil, Vinit V; Vause, Carrie V; Durham, Paul L

2008-01-17

Cocoa bean preparations were first used by the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations of South America to treat a variety of medical ailments involving the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Diets rich in foods containing abundant polyphenols, as found in cocoa, underlie the protective effects reported in chronic inflammatory diseases. Release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from trigeminal nerves promotes inflammation in peripheral tissues and nociception. To determine whether a methanol extract of Theobroma cacao L. (Sterculiaceae) beans enriched for polyphenols could inhibit CGRP expression, both an in vitro and an in vivo approach was taken. Treatment of rat trigeminal ganglia cultures with depolarizing stimuli caused a significant increase in CGRP release that was repressed by pretreatment with Theobroma cacao extract. Pretreatment with Theobroma cacao was also shown to block the KCl- and capsaicin-stimulated increases in intracellular calcium. Next, the effects of Theobroma cacao on CGRP levels were determined using an in vivo model of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) inflammation. Capsaicin injection into the TMJ capsule caused an ipsilateral decrease in CGRP levels. Theobroma cacao extract injected into the TMJ capsule 24h prior to capsaicin treatment repressed the stimulatory effects of capsaicin. Our results demonstrate that Theobroma cacao extract can repress stimulated CGRP release by a mechanism that likely involves blockage of calcium channel activity. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the beneficial effects of diets rich in cocoa may include suppression of sensory trigeminal nerve activation.

On Verbal Competence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongxin Dai

2014-04-01

Full Text Available This paper explored a new concept, verbal competence, to present a challenge to Chomsky’s linguistic competence and Hymes’ communicative competence. It is generally acknowledged that Chomsky concerned himself only with the syntactic/grammatical structures, and viewed the speaker’s generation and transformation of syntactic structures as the production of language. Hymes challenged Chomsky’s conception of linguistic competence and argued for an ethnographic or sociolinguistic concept, communicative competence, but his concept is too broad to be adequately grasped and followed in such fields as linguistics and second language acquisition. Communicative competence can include abilities to communicate with nonverbal behaviors, e.g. gestures, postures or even silence. The concept of verbal competence concerns itself with the mental and psychological processes of verbal production in communication. These processes originate from the speaker’s personal experience, in a certain situation of human communication, and with the sudden appearance of the intentional notion, shape up as the meaning images and end up in the verbal expression.

Library and Information Science (LIS Transferable Competencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Fraser-Arnott

2013-09-01

Full Text Available This article uses data obtained from a content analysis of job advertisements to explore the questions of (1 what types of non-traditional jobs are available for library and information science (LIS professionals and (2 how can LIS students and professionals take advantage of non-traditional job opportunities. Two groups of job advertisements were used in this investigation: advertisements from LIS-targeted job boards (two library school job boards and two library association job boards and Government of Canada internal job postings. These two sets of job postings were selected to compare the competencies in job postings targeted to LIS graduates (the LIS job board advertisements and job postings that were not targeted to the LIS community (the Government of Canada job advertisements. An analysis of these groups of job advertisements demonstrated that both samples focused mainly on transferable competencies. Due to the emphasis on transferable competencies, the analysis of job postings from the Government of Canada job list revealed that there are many non-traditional opportunities for LIS graduates. A typical LIS professional could apply for 51 (or 25.8% of the job advertisements in this set, having met all of the listed criteria. This individual may be able to apply for an additional 40 (or 21.2% of the jobs listed if they had certain additional competencies or knowledge obtained through prior experience working in the Government of Canada but not necessarily obtained by the average LIS professional. This supports the argument that there are numerous opportunities for LIS professionals in non-traditional jobs. The exploration of commonly requested competencies can be used to guide LIS job seekers to craft their resumes and CVs to address the competencies requested by potential employers.

The role of the negative selection activities in securing the competence of an organization belonging to SEN units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boruga, Carmen

2008-01-01

The transformation and the accommodation of National Power System (SEN) units to a new management system, own to a decentralized economy and having financial support from both native capital and foreign capital, in uncertain proportion at the moment and being in a continuous adjustment determined by the reasons and the motivations first of all political, generated conceptual changes in the so-called modern management theory. The accommodation of this theory to the concrete situation from SEN units imposed the concept of negative selection. It is a concept which represents author's desire to be created as an original contribution to the contemporary management theory. Unlike the selection at the hiring (or positive selection), the negative selection is achieved on personal already employed, in the conditions of activities of a decreased number of personnel and also of a redistribution of personnel on the other side. The negative selection, much more than the positive selection activity in this period in the SEN units (recording a drastic decrease from 90.000 employees counted by the energetic system at the end of 9th decade of the past century, to a little over 30.000 who at the moment work in the societies became independent), determines the specialist in human resources to ensure a judicious training and high competence. It concerns the knowledge of the standard systems and is also related to the method of knowledge and valuation of behavior of the organizational employees. This subject was developed on basis of the documentation and the analyses of documents but also on the basis of a set of studies and researches that were made during 1996-2006 in the SEN units. The work methods and models of negative selection used in the SEN units were analysed. This work concerns four companies which constitute currently the SEN nucleus at present at which the nuclear units with a particular status were added. One finds out that these methods and models of negative selection

Assessment of provider competence and quality of maternal/newborn care in selected Latin American and Caribbean countries

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Joyce E Thompson

2015-05-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To obtain a snapshot of the maternal and newborn care provided by different types of maternal and child health providers in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC to 1 better inform advocacy and programmatic strategies and interventions to improve the quality of those services in the region, and 2 determine the need for more rigorous study of the issues. METHODS: A rapid assessment of 83 health workers providing antepartum, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum and newborn care (within two hours of birth in eight LAC countries was conducted in November and December of 2011. Health workers were observed by two-person expert maternal/newborn clinician teams using pretested forms based on international quality-of-care standards. A total of 105 care encounters were observed, primarily in urban, public, referral-level settings. Providers of care included obstetricians, midwives, generalist physicians, medical residents, registered nurses, auxiliary nurses, and students of medicine, midwifery, and nursing. RESULTS: Hand washing, as an indicator of quality of antepartum care, was observed in only 41% of the observed encounters. Labor management often lacked certain elements of respectful maternity care across all provider groups. Several clinical tasks of high importance in the identification and prevention of common complications of antepartum, intrapartum, and immediate postpartum/newborn care were not documented as performed during the observation periods. Providers self-reported limited competence (ability to perform to a defined level of proficiency in manual removal of the placenta, bimanual compression of the uterus, and newborn resuscitation. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that 1 the quality of maternal and newborn care and 2 the competence of maternal and child health providers in the diverse selection of LAC countries that were studied require substantial attention.

The Interrelations between Competences for Sustainable Development and Research Competences

Science.gov (United States)

Lambrechts, Wim; Van Petegem, Peter

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore how competences for sustainable development and research interrelate within a context of competence-based higher education. Specific focus is oriented towards strengthening research competences for sustainability. Design/methodology/approach: Following a hermeneutic-interpretive methodology, this…

Arctigenin represses TGF-β-induced epithelial mesenchymal transition in human lung cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Yanrui; Lou, Zhiyuan; Lee, Seong-Ho

2017-11-18

Arctigenin (ARC) is a lignan that is abundant in Asteraceae plants, which show anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. The current study investigated whether ARC affects cancer progression and metastasis, focusing on EMT using invasive human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. No toxicity was observed in the cells treated with different doses of ARC (12-100 μM). The treatment of ARC repressed TGF-β-stimulated changes of metastatic morphology and cell invasion and migration. ARC inhibited TGF-β-induced phosphorylation and transcriptional activity of smad2/3, and expression of snail. ARC also decreased expression of N-cadherin and increased expression of E-cadherin in dose-dependent and time-dependent manners. These changes were accompanied by decreased amount of phospho-smad2/3 in nucleus and nuclear translocation of smad2/3. Moreover, ARC repressed TGF-β-induced phosphorylation of ERK and transcriptional activity of β-catenin. Our data demonstrate anti-metastatic activity of ARC in lung cancer model. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A study of the evolution of human microRNAs by their apparent repression effectiveness on target genes.

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Yong Huang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Even though the genomes of many model species have already been sequenced, our knowledge of gene regulation in evolution is still very limited. One big obstacle is that it is hard to predict the target genes of transcriptional factors accurately from sequences. In this respect, microRNAs (miRNAs are different from transcriptional factors, as target genes of miRNAs can be readily predicted from sequences. This feature of miRNAs offers an unprecedented vantage point for evolutionary analysis of gene regulation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we analyzed a particular aspect of miRNA evolution, the differences in the "apparent repression effectiveness (ARE" between human miRNAs of different conservational levels. ARE is a measure we designed to evaluate the repression effect of miRNAs on target genes based on publicly available gene expression data in normal tissues and miRNA targeting and expression data. We found that ARE values of more conserved miRNAs are significantly higher than those of less conserved miRNAs in general. We also found the gain in expression abundance and broadness of miRNAs in evolution contributed to the gain in ARE. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The ARE measure quantifies the repressive effects of miRNAs and enables us to study the influences of many factors on miRNA-mediated repression, such as conservational levels and expression levels of miRNAs. The gain in ARE can be explained by the existence of a trend of miRNAs in evolution to effectively control more target genes, which is beneficial to the miRNAs but not necessarily to the organism at all times. Our results from miRNAs gave us an insight of the complex interplay between regulators and target genes in evolution.

Repression of multiple CYP2D genes in mouse primary hepatocytes with a single siRNA construct.

Science.gov (United States)

Elraghy, Omaima; Baldwin, William S

2015-01-01

The Cyp2d subfamily is the second most abun-dant subfamily of hepatic drug-metabolizing CYPs. In mice, there are nine Cyp2d members that are believed to have redundant catalytic activity. We are testing and optimizing the ability of one short interfering RNA (siRNA) construct to knockdown the expression of multiple mouse Cyp2ds in primary hepatocytes. Expression of Cyp2d10, Cyp2d11, Cyp2d22, and Cyp2d26 was observed in the primary male mouse hepatocytes. Cyp2d9, which is male-specific and growth hormone-dependent, was not expressed in male primary hepatocytes, potentially because of its dependence on pulsatile growth hormone release from the anterior pituitary. Several different siRNAs at different concentrations and with different reagents were used to knockdown Cyp2d expression. siRNA constructs designed to repress only one construct often mildly repressed several Cyp2d isoforms. A construct designed to knockdown every Cyp2d isoform provided the best results, especially when incubated with transfection reagents designed specifically for primary cell culture. Interestingly, a construct designed to knockdown all Cyp2d isoforms, except Cyp2d10, caused a 2.5× increase in Cyp2d10 expression, presumably because of a compensatory response. However, while RNA expression is repressed 24 h after siRNA treatment, associated changes in Cyp2d-mediated metabolism are tenuous. Overall, this study provides data on the expression of murine Cyp2ds in primary cell lines, valuable information on designing siRNAs for silencing multiple murine CYPs, and potential pros and cons of using siRNA as a tool for repressing Cyp2d and estimating Cyp2d's role in murine xenobiotic metabolism.

Model of teaching competence in teachers of medicine at UNAM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Flores-Hernández, Fernando

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The study presents a model of teaching competence in teachers of medicine. It was generated from an existing conceptual model: a it was referred to the opinion of experts who selected the competencies of greater impact; b a reference profile was constructed; c an instrument was generated based on student opinion, and another for self-assessment; d the instruments were validated by 18 experts in evaluation; e they were applied to 2,281 students and 107 teachers, obtaining adequate psychometric characteristics, establishing a model according to current trends in teacher performance assessment.

To Explore the Research and Development Competence and School-to-Work Transition for Hospitality Students

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, Wen-Hwa; Chen, Chieh-Ying

2017-01-01

This research focuses on the research and development competence and school-to-work transition on occupation selection for hospitality students with the use of social cognitive career theory. The positive attitude construct is the most identifiable for the research and development competences. For the school-to-work constructs, the most…

REST represses a subset of the pancreatic endocrine differentiation program

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Martin, David; Kim, Yung-Hae; Sever, Dror

2015-01-01

in neurons and in endocrine cells, which is necessary for their normal function. During development, REST represses a subset of genes in the neuronal differentiation program and Rest is down-regulated as neurons differentiate. Here, we investigate the role of REST in the differentiation of pancreatic...... endocrine cells, which are molecularly close to neurons. We show that Rest is widely expressed in pancreas progenitors and that it is down-regulated in differentiated endocrine cells. Sustained expression of REST in Pdx1(+) progenitors impairs the differentiation of endocrine-committed Neurog3...

Snail recruits Ring1B to mediate transcriptional repression and cell migration in pancreatic cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Jiangzhi; Xu, Hong; Zou, Xiuqun; Wang, Jiamin; Zhu, Yi; Chen, Hao; Shen, Baiyong; Deng, Xiaxing; Zhou, Aiwu; Chin, Y Eugene; Rauscher, Frank J; Peng, Chenghong; Hou, Zhaoyuan

2014-08-15

Transcriptional repressor Snail is a master regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), yet the epigenetic mechanism governing Snail to induce EMT is not well understood. Here, we report that in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), elevated levels of the ubiquitin E3 ligase Ring1B and Snail, along with elevated monoubiquitination of H2A at K119 (H2AK119Ub1), are highly correlated with poor survival. Mechanistic investigations identified Ring1B as a Snail-interacting protein and showed that the carboxyl zinc fingers of Snail recruit Ring1B and its paralog Ring1A to repress its target promoters. Simultaneous depletion of Ring1A and Ring1B in pancreatic cancer cells decreased Snail binding to the target chromatin, abolished H2AK119Ub1 modification, and thereby compromised Snail-mediated transcriptional repression and cell migration. We found that Ring1B and the SNAG-associated chromatin modifier EZH2 formed distinct protein complexes with Snail and that EZH2 was required for Snail-Ring1A/B recruitment to the target promoter. Collectively, our results unravel an epigenetic mechanism underlying transcriptional repression by Snail, suggest Ring1A/B as a candidate therapeutic target, and identify H2AK119Ub1 as a potential biomarker for PDAC diagnosis and prognosis. ©2014 American Association for Cancer Research.

Current Parental Depression and Offspring Perceived Self-Competence: A Quasi-Experimental Examination

Science.gov (United States)

Class, Quetzal A.; D’Onofrio, Brian M.; Singh, Amber L.; Ganiban, Jody M.; Spotts, E. L.; Lichtenstein, Paul; Reiss, David; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.

2013-01-01

A genetically-informed, quasi-experimental design was used to examine the genetic and environmental processes underlying associations between current parental depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence. Participants, drawn from a population-based Swedish sample, were 852 twin pairs and their male (52%) and female offspring aged 15.7 ± 2.4 years. Parental depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Offspring perceived self-competence was measured using a modified Harter Perceived Competence Scale. Cousin comparisons and Children of Twins (CoT) designs suggested that associations between maternal depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence were due to shared genetic/environmental liability. The mechanism responsible for father-offspring associations, however, was independent of genetic factors and of extended-family environmental factors, supporting a causal inference. Thus, mothers and fathers may impact offspring perceived self-competence via different mechanisms and unmeasured genetic and environmental selection factors must be considered when studying the intergenerational transmission of cognitive vulnerabilities for depression. PMID:22692226

Current parental depression and offspring perceived self-competence: a quasi-experimental examination.

Science.gov (United States)

Class, Quetzal A; D'Onofrio, Brian M; Singh, Amber L; Ganiban, Jody M; Spotts, E L; Lichtenstein, Paul; Reiss, David; Neiderhiser, Jenae M

2012-09-01

A genetically-informed, quasi-experimental design was used to examine the genetic and environmental processes underlying associations between current parental depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence. Participants, drawn from a population-based Swedish sample, were 852 twin pairs and their male (52 %) and female offspring aged 15.7 ± 2.4 years. Parental depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale. Offspring perceived self-competence was measured using a modified Harter Perceived Competence Scale. Cousin comparisons and Children of Twins designs suggested that associations between maternal depressive symptoms and offspring perceived self-competence were due to shared genetic/environmental liability. The mechanism responsible for father-offspring associations, however, was independent of genetic factors and of extended family environmental factors, supporting a causal inference. Thus, mothers and fathers may impact offspring perceived self-competence via different mechanisms and unmeasured genetic and environmental selection factors must be considered when studying the intergenerational transmission of cognitive vulnerabilities for depression.

An upstream open reading frame represses expression of Lc, a member of the R/B family of maize transcriptional activators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Damiani, R.D. Jr.; Wessler, S.R. (Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA (United States))

1993-09-01

The R/B genes of maize encode a family of basic helix-loop-helix proteins that determine where and when the anthocyanin-pigment pathway will be expressed in the plant. Previous studies showed that allelic diversity among family members reflects differences in gene expression, specifically in transcription initiation. The authors present evidence that the R gene Lc is under translational control. They demonstrate that the 235-nt transcript leader of Lc represses expression 25- to 30-fold in an in vivo assay. Repression is mediated by the presence in cis of a 38-codon upstream open reading frame. Furthermore, the coding capacity of the upstream open reading frame influences the magnitude of repression. It is proposed that translational control does not contribute to tissue specificity but prevents overexpression of the Lc protein. The diversity of promoter and 5' untranslated leader sequences among the R/B genes provides an opportunity to study the coevolution of transcriptional and translational mechanisms of gene regulation. 36 refs., 5 figs.

Viral MicroRNAs Repress the Cholesterol Pathway, and 25-Hydroxycholesterol Inhibits Infection.

Science.gov (United States)

Serquiña, Anna K P; Kambach, Diane M; Sarker, Ontara; Ziegelbauer, Joseph M

2017-07-11

From various screens, we found that Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) viral microRNAs (miRNAs) target several enzymes in the mevalonate/cholesterol pathway. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthase 1 (HMGCS1), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR [a rate-limiting step in the mevalonate pathway]), and farnesyl-diphosphate farnesyltransferase 1 (FDFT1 [a committed step in the cholesterol branch]) are repressed by multiple KSHV miRNAs. Transfection of viral miRNA mimics in primary endothelial cells (human umbilical vein endothelial cells [HUVECs]) is sufficient to reduce intracellular cholesterol levels; however, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting only HMGCS1 did not reduce cholesterol levels. This suggests that multiple targets are needed to perturb this tightly regulated pathway. We also report here that cholesterol levels were decreased in de novo -infected HUVECs after 7 days. This reduction is at least partially due to viral miRNAs, since the mutant form of KSHV lacking 10 of the 12 miRNA genes had increased cholesterol compared to wild-type infections. We hypothesized that KSHV is downregulating cholesterol to suppress the antiviral response by a modified form of cholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol (25HC). We found that the cholesterol 25-hydroxylase (CH25H) gene, which is responsible for generating 25HC, had increased expression in de novo -infected HUVECs but was strongly suppressed in long-term latently infected cell lines. We found that 25HC inhibits KSHV infection when added exogenously prior to de novo infection. In conclusion, we found that multiple KSHV viral miRNAs target enzymes in the mevalonate pathway to modulate cholesterol in infected cells during latency. This repression of cholesterol levels could potentially be beneficial to viral infection by decreasing the levels of 25HC. IMPORTANCE A subset of viruses express unique microRNAs (miRNAs), which act like cellular miRNAs to generally repress host gene

The Engineering Graphics Olimpiad as a Means for Students’ Creative Professional Competence Formation in the Technical Higher School

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N. S. Bushmakina

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The paper is devoted to the creative professional competence development by the technical high school students – the prospective building engineers – by means of the Engineering Graphics Olympiad. The authors in- vestigate the concepts of the creative competences, creative abilities, creative professional competences, and denote the structure of the engineering- graphic competence. Its main components, singled out by the group expert assessment, form the basis for the Olympiad content regarding its selection and major rounds. For the more argumentative selection it is recommended to provide the pedagogic expertise corresponding with the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standards and considering the students’ level. The formation levels of the competence in question are discussed along with the corresponding knowledge and skills. The authors present the brief analysis of the research outcomes and make a conclusion about the necessity of stu- dents’ additional preparatory work regarding the specificity of the engineering graphics training in the technical higher school. 

Nature, nurture and evolution of intra-species variation in mosquito arbovirus transmission competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Tabachnick, Walter J

2013-01-11

Mosquitoes vary in their competence or ability to transmit arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). Many arboviruses cause disease in humans and animals. Identifying the environmental and genetic causes of variation in mosquito competence for arboviruses is one of the great challenges in public health. Progress identifying genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) factors influencing mosquito competence for arboviruses is reviewed. There is great complexity in the various traits that comprise mosquito competence. The complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors controlling these traits and the factors shaping variation in Nature are largely unknown. The norms of reaction of specific genes influencing competence, their distributions in natural populations and the effects of genetic polymorphism on phenotypic variation need to be determined. Mechanisms influencing competence are not likely due to natural selection because of the direct effects of the arbovirus on mosquito fitness. More likely the traits for mosquito competence for arboviruses are the effects of adaptations for other functions of these competence mechanisms. Determining these other functions is essential to understand the evolution and distributions of competence for arboviruses. This information is needed to assess risk from mosquito-borne disease, predict new mosquito-arbovirus systems, and provide novel strategies to mitigate mosquito-borne arbovirus transmission.

Nature, Nurture and Evolution of Intra-Species Variation in Mosquito Arbovirus Transmission Competence

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Walter J. Tabachnick

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Mosquitoes vary in their competence or ability to transmit arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses. Many arboviruses cause disease in humans and animals. Identifying the environmental and genetic causes of variation in mosquito competence for arboviruses is one of the great challenges in public health. Progress identifying genetic (nature and environmental (nurture factors influencing mosquito competence for arboviruses is reviewed. There is great complexity in the various traits that comprise mosquito competence. The complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors controlling these traits and the factors shaping variation in Nature are largely unknown. The norms of reaction of specific genes influencing competence, their distributions in natural populations and the effects of genetic polymorphism on phenotypic variation need to be determined. Mechanisms influencing competence are not likely due to natural selection because of the direct effects of the arbovirus on mosquito fitness. More likely the traits for mosquito competence for arboviruses are the effects of adaptations for other functions of these competence mechanisms. Determining these other functions is essential to understand the evolution and distributions of competence for arboviruses. This information is needed to assess risk from mosquito-borne disease, predict new mosquito-arbovirus systems, and provide novel strategies to mitigate mosquito-borne arbovirus transmission.

Nature, Nurture and Evolution of Intra-Species Variation in Mosquito Arbovirus Transmission Competence

Science.gov (United States)

Tabachnick, Walter J.

2013-01-01

Mosquitoes vary in their competence or ability to transmit arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses). Many arboviruses cause disease in humans and animals. Identifying the environmental and genetic causes of variation in mosquito competence for arboviruses is one of the great challenges in public health. Progress identifying genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) factors influencing mosquito competence for arboviruses is reviewed. There is great complexity in the various traits that comprise mosquito competence. The complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors controlling these traits and the factors shaping variation in Nature are largely unknown. The norms of reaction of specific genes influencing competence, their distributions in natural populations and the effects of genetic polymorphism on phenotypic variation need to be determined. Mechanisms influencing competence are not likely due to natural selection because of the direct effects of the arbovirus on mosquito fitness. More likely the traits for mosquito competence for arboviruses are the effects of adaptations for other functions of these competence mechanisms. Determining these other functions is essential to understand the evolution and distributions of competence for arboviruses. This information is needed to assess risk from mosquito-borne disease, predict new mosquito-arbovirus systems, and provide novel strategies to mitigate mosquito-borne arbovirus transmission. PMID:23343982

Management and leadership competence in hospitals: a systematic literature review.

Science.gov (United States)

Pihlainen, Vuokko; Kivinen, Tuula; Lammintakanen, Johanna

2016-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of management and leadership competence of health-care leaders and managers, especially in the hospital environment. Health-care leaders and managers in this study were both nursing and physician managers. Competence was assessed by evaluating the knowledge, skills, attitudes and abilities that enable management and leadership tasks. Design/methodology/approach - A systematic literature review was performed to find articles that identify and describe the characteristics of management and leadership competence. Searches of electronic databases were conducted using set criteria for article selection. Altogether, 13 papers underwent an inductive content analysis. Findings - The characteristics of management and leadership competence were categorized into the following groups: health-care-context-related, operational and general. Research limitations/implications - One limitation of the study is that only 13 articles were found in the literature regarding the characteristics of management and leadership competence. However, the search terms were relevant, and the search process was endorsed by an information specialist. The study findings imply the need to shift away from the individual approach to leadership and management competence. Management and leadership need to be assessed more frequently from a holistic perspective, and not merely on the basis of position in the organizational hierarchy or of profession in health care. Originality/value - The authors' evaluation of the characteristics of management and leadership competence without a concentrated profession-based approach is original.

Examining the Influence of Trait Anxiety/Repression-Sensitization on Individuals' Reactions to Fear Appeals.

Science.gov (United States)

Witte, Kim; Morrison, Kelly

2000-01-01

Examines the impact of persuasive fear appeals promoting condom usage to prevent AIDS. Indicates that inherent level of anxiety influences how both the threat and the efficacy of recommended responses are perceived, but that trait anxiety/repression-sensitization has no influence on attitudes, intentions, behaviors, perceived manipulation, or…

Introducing a Framework for competency based Selection of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE Managers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Mohammadfam

2013-05-01

Conclusion: HSE managers in various level should have different competencies which can be evaluated by presented model in the current study, before employment and also it can be used as a basis for monitoring individuals during specific period of time.

Iranian nurses' professional competence in spiritual care in 2014.

Science.gov (United States)

Adib-Hajbaghery, Mohsen; Zehtabchi, Samira; Fini, Ismail Azizi

2017-06-01

The holistic approach views the human as a bio-psycho-socio-spiritual being. Evidence suggests that among these dimensions, the spiritual one is largely ignored in healthcare settings. This study aimed to evaluate Iranian nurses' perceived professional competence in spiritual care, the relationship between perceived competence and nurses' personal characteristics, and barriers to provide spiritual care. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the year 2014. Participants and research context: The study population consisted of nurses working in teaching hospitals in Kashan city. Using a stratified, systematic random method, 250 samples were selected from a total of 1400 nurses. An indigenous instrument was used to assess the nurses' competencies in spiritual care. Ethical considerations: A research ethics committee approved the study. All the participants were briefed on the study aims, were assured of the confidentiality of their personal information, and signed a written informed consent. Among a total of 250 nurses, 239 answered the questionnaire completely, and in total, 23%, 51%, and 26% had poor, moderate, and favorable competence in spiritual care, respectively. No significant differences were found between the mean competence scores of spiritual care in terms of gender, marital status, employment status, and level of qualification. Significant difference was found between nurses' overall score of competence in spiritual care and receiving training on spiritual care, nurses' position, and the ward they worked in. Confirming the findings of the international literature, this study puts light on the situation of nurses' perceived competence and barriers to providing spiritual care in Iran as an eastern and Islamic context. Three-quarters of the nurses had moderate or unfavorable competence in spiritual care. Due to the crucial role of spiritual care in quality of care and patient satisfaction, nurses should be trained and supported to provide spiritual care.

Decree of the State Office for Nuclear Safety No. 146/1997 of 18 June 1997 specifying activities which have an immediate impact on nuclear safety, and activities which are particularly important with respect to radiation protection, requirements for qualification and professional training, procedures for examining special professional competence and for granting certificates to selected personnel, and the scope and structure of documentation to be approved for permitting the training of selected personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The Decree specifies requirements in the following fields: (a) activities which have an immediate impact on nuclear safety and activities which are particularly important with respect to radiation protection; (b) requirements for the qualification of selected personnel; (c) requirements for professional training of selected personnel of nuclear facilities and selected personnel handling ionizing radiation sources who are to gain special professional competence; (d) examination commission; (e) examination of special professional competence of selected personnel of nuclear facilities and selected personnel handling ionizing radiation sources; (f) granting permission to perform activities of selected personnel; and (g) scope and structure of documentation required to permit professional training of selected personnel of nuclear facilities and selected personnel handling ionizing radiation sources. (P.A.)

Repressing the Foreign Fighters Phenomenon in Western Europe: Towards an Effective Response Based on Human Rights

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christophe Paulussen

2016-11-01

Full Text Available This Research Paper explores how the foreign fighters phenomenon and terrorism more generally is repressed in Western Europe. It looks at a few specific repressive measures announced or adopted by France and the Netherlands, as well as criticism expressed against these proposals and measures. In addition to these two detailed analyses, references will also be made to other developments in Western Europe which appear to be indicative of a more general trend in which human rights increasingly seem to be put on the back seat when countering the phenomenon of foreign fighters and terrorism more generally. In the final section, a number of concluding thoughts and recommendations will be offered which explain why only a response based on human rights will be effective in countering this global problem in the long run.

The Chistopol Prison as a Space of Political Repression (1978-1990

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Elena A. Gerasimova

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The importance of the problem lies in the need for a deep, consistent and comprehensive study of the history of political repressions in the USSR as an integral part of the Soviet past. Although the history of political repression of the Stalinist period has been studied in-depth in Russian and foreign historiography, it does not cover the late Soviet period. The article discusses the history of the infamous "special" prison in Chistopol (Tatarstan, which functioned as a prison for political prisoners in 1978−1990. There has been performed the analysis of the prison’s social composition, detention regime, and daily practices of subsistence and survival. The basic approach to the problem was the method of complex analysis of different types of sources of official and personal origin and their comparative analysis. The results of the study include the characteristics of such an unexplored form of punishment of dissidents in the late Soviet Russia as imprisonment of "special purpose." It is proved that the regulatory "corrective" practices of the government and the actual practice of the prisoners’ everyday life were at times directly contrary to each other, which resulted not only in the lack of "re-education" of the "political" prisoners, but also in the growth of their number through joining of former criminal elements.

Developing mathematical modelling competence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blomhøj, Morten; Jensen, Tomas Højgaard

2003-01-01

In this paper we introduce the concept of mathematical modelling competence, by which we mean being able to carry through a whole mathematical modelling process in a certain context. Analysing the structure of this process, six sub-competences are identified. Mathematical modelling competence...... cannot be reduced to these six sub-competences, but they are necessary elements in the development of mathematical modelling competence. Experience from the development of a modelling course is used to illustrate how the different nature of the sub-competences can be used as a tool for finding...... the balance between different kinds of activities in a particular educational setting. Obstacles of social, cognitive and affective nature for the students' development of mathematical modelling competence are reported and discussed in relation to the sub-competences....

Athletic Coaching Competencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Nathanson, Stephen J.

1979-01-01

This article describes a study conducted to identify the competencies appropriate for an athletic coach and to incorporate those competencies into a competency based coaching education program for the four-year colleges and universities within the New York state systems. (JMF)

CTCF and CohesinSA-1 Mark Active Promoters and Boundaries of Repressive Chromatin Domains in Primary Human Erythroid Cells.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurie A Steiner

Full Text Available CTCF and cohesinSA-1 are regulatory proteins involved in a number of critical cellular processes including transcription, maintenance of chromatin domain architecture, and insulator function. To assess changes in the CTCF and cohesinSA-1 interactomes during erythropoiesis, chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high throughput sequencing and mRNA transcriptome analyses via RNA-seq were performed in primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC and primary human erythroid cells from single donors.Sites of CTCF and cohesinSA-1 co-occupancy were enriched in gene promoters in HSPC and erythroid cells compared to single CTCF or cohesin sites. Cell type-specific CTCF sites in erythroid cells were linked to highly expressed genes, with the opposite pattern observed in HSPCs. Chromatin domains were identified by ChIP-seq with antibodies against trimethylated lysine 27 histone H3, a modification associated with repressive chromatin. Repressive chromatin domains increased in both number and size during hematopoiesis, with many more repressive domains in erythroid cells than HSPCs. CTCF and cohesinSA-1 marked the boundaries of these repressive chromatin domains in a cell-type specific manner.These genome wide data, changes in sites of protein occupancy, chromatin architecture, and related gene expression, support the hypothesis that CTCF and cohesinSA-1 have multiple roles in the regulation of gene expression during erythropoiesis including transcriptional regulation at gene promoters and maintenance of chromatin architecture. These data from primary human erythroid cells provide a resource for studies of normal and perturbed erythropoiesis.

Competence development: Key issues and trends in European competence policies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Milana, Marcella

  In recent years there has been a rising political attention on competence development both at national and international level. At European level in particular, since 2000, with the set of the Lisbon Agenda, different bodies representing the Union have been very productive in generating working...... papers, reports, and communications that led to directives and resolutions concerning the development and recognition of skills and competences in a lifelong learning perspective. In 2005 this process led to the definition of a European Framework on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning - covering those...... competences that are given priority within the Union - as well as a European Qualification Framework, a reference tool for making qualifications - here described in terms of progressive levels of competence - transparent and transferable within the European borders. The aim of the paper is to investigate...

Lifelong Competence Development: On the Advantages of Formal Competence-Performance Modeling

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kickmeier-Rust, Michael D.; Albert, Dietrich; Steiner, Christina

2006-01-01

Please, cite this publication as: Kickmeier-Rust, M.D., Albert, D., & Steiner, C. (2006). Lifelong Competence Development: On the Advantages of Formal Competence-Performance Modeling. Proceedings of International Workshop in Learning Networks for Lifelong Competence Development, TENCompetence

The crystal structure of the AhRR-ARNT heterodimer reveals the structural basis of the repression of AhR-mediated transcription.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakurai, Shunya; Shimizu, Toshiyuki; Ohto, Umeharu

2017-10-27

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin and related compounds are extraordinarily potent environmental toxic pollutants. Most of the 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo- p -dioxin toxicities are mediated by aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-dependent transcription factor belonging to the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) Per-ARNT-Sim (PAS) family. Upon ligand binding, AhR forms a heterodimer with AhR nuclear translocator (ARNT) and induces the expression of genes involved in various biological responses. One of the genes induced by AhR encodes AhR repressor (AhRR), which also forms a heterodimer with ARNT and represses the activation of AhR-dependent transcription. The control of AhR activation is critical for managing AhR-mediated diseases, but the mechanisms by which AhRR represses AhR activation remain poorly understood, because of the lack of structural information. Here, we determined the structure of the AhRR-ARNT heterodimer by X-ray crystallography, which revealed an asymmetric intertwined domain organization presenting structural features that are both conserved and distinct among bHLH-PAS family members. The structures of AhRR-ARNT and AhR-ARNT were similar in the bHLH-PAS-A region, whereas the PAS-B of ARNT in the AhRR-ARNT complex exhibited a different domain arrangement in this family reported so far. The structure clearly disclosed that AhRR competitively represses AhR binding to ARNT and target DNA and further suggested the existence of an AhRR-ARNT-specific repression mechanism. This study provides a structural basis for understanding the mechanism by which AhRR represses AhR-mediated gene transcription. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Motor Skill Competence and Perceived Motor Competence: Which Best Predicts Physical Activity among Girls?

Science.gov (United States)

Khodaverdi, Zeinab; Bahram, Abbas; Khalaji, Hassan; Kazemnejad, Anoshirvan

2013-10-01

The main purpose of this study was to determine which correlate, perceived motor competence or motor skill competence, best predicts girls' physical activity behavior. A sample of 352 girls (mean age=8.7, SD=0.3 yr) participated in this study. To assess motor skill competence and perceived motor competence, each child completed the Test of Gross Motor Development-2 and Physical Ability sub-scale of Marsh's Self-Description Questionnaire. Children's physical activity was assessed by the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children. Multiple linear regression model was used to determine whether perceived motor competence or motor skill competence best predicts moderate-to-vigorous self-report physical activity. Multiple regression analysis indicated that motor skill competence and perceived motor competence predicted 21% variance in physical activity (R(2)=0.21, F=48.9, P=0.001), and motor skill competence (R(2)=0.15, ᵝ=0.33, P= 0.001) resulted in more variance than perceived motor competence (R(2)=0.06, ᵝ=0.25, P=0.001) in physical activity. Results revealed motor skill competence had more influence in comparison with perceived motor competence on physical activity level. We suggest interventional programs based on motor skill competence and perceived motor competence should be administered or implemented to promote physical activity in young girls.

Assessment of Innovation Competency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Jan Alexis

2015-01-01

competency, and communication competency) as well as assessment criteria for a number of skills relevant to these subcompetencies. These assessment criteria, it is argued, largely resonate with existing literature and they provide a detailed glimpse into how assessment of innovation competency could...... of the recorded talk in interaction that occurred in teacher group discussion sessions at 5 upper secondary schools. Based on the analysis, it was possible to extrapolate assessment criteria for 5 subcompetencies relevant to innovation (creative competency, collaboration competency, navigation competency, action...

Identification and assessment of professional competencies for implementation of nanotechnology in engineering education

Science.gov (United States)

Jean, Ming-Der; Jiang, Ji-Bin; Chien, Jia-Yi

2017-11-01

The purpose of this study was to construct the indicators of professional competencies of the nanotechnology-based sputtering system industry based on industry requirements and analyse the core competencies of the industry for promoting the human resource of physical vapour deposition technology. The document analysis, expert interview, and Delphi technique surveys were considered and the survey items with 32 items divided into 7 domains were selected according to consensus opinions of 10 experts by the Delphi survey technique. Through three questionnaire surveys' analysis, the professional competence scales for the K-S tests showed a good internal consistency. The findings of this study provide guidelines for professional competence for nanotechnology-based sputtering technology by applying surface heat-treatment industry. These guidelines can also reveal the practical competency requirements of nanotechnology-based sputtering technology to deal with any subsequent challenges, future developments, and invisible services for students in a technology institute programme.

Cultural competence in healthcare in the community: A concept analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Henderson, Saras; Horne, Maria; Hills, Ruth; Kendall, Elizabeth

2018-03-07

This study aims to conduct a concept analysis on cultural competence in community healthcare. Clarification of the concept of cultural competence is needed to enable clarity in the definition and operation, research and theory development to assist healthcare providers to better understand this evolving concept. Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis method was used to clarify the concept's context, surrogate terms, antecedents, attributes and consequences and to determine implications for further research. Articles from 2004 to 2015 were sought from Medline, PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus using the terms "cultural competency" AND "health," "cultural competence" OR "cultural safety" OR "cultural knowledge" OR "cultural awareness" OR cultural sensitivity OR "cultural skill" AND "Health." Articles with antecedents, attributes and consequences of cultural competence in community health were included. The 26 articles selected included nursing (n = 8), health (n = 8), psychology (n = 2), social work (n = 1), mental health (n = 3), medicine (n = 3) and occupational therapy (n = 1). Findings identify cultural openness, awareness, desire, knowledge and sensitivity and encounter as antecedents of cultural competence. Defining attributes are respecting and tailoring care aligned with clients' values, needs, practices and expectations, providing equitable and ethical care, and understanding. Consequences of cultural competence are satisfaction with care, the perception of quality healthcare, better adherence to treatments, effective interaction and improved health outcomes. An interesting finding is that the antecedents and attributes of cultural competence appear to represent a superficial level of understanding, sometimes only manifested through the need for social desirability. What is reported as critical in sustaining competence is the carers' capacity for a higher level of moral reasoning attainable through formal education in cultural and ethics knowledge. Our

Soft Skill Competencies, Hard Skill Competencies, and Intention to Become Entrepreneur of Vocational Graduates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benedicta Prihatin Dwi Riyanti

2016-08-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to determine the effect of soft skill competencies and hard skill competencies to the intention to become entrepreneur in the vocational school graduates. Hard skill entrepreneurial competencies are competencies that are needed to running business. Meanwhile for soft skill competencies are competencies related to aspects of personality and cognitive style. Population in this research is vocational graduates in Jakarta and Jogjakarta. The sampling technique used is incidental sampling. We used measuring instruments as follow: the intention to become entrepreneur of Shapero & Sokol (in Riyanti, 2009. soft skill competencies of Spencer & Spencer (1993 and hard skill competencies of Chou. Shen. Hsiou & Chen. 2010. The regression analysis of the 258 respondents showed significant effect of soft skill competencies (initiative. self-confidence and assertiveness to the intention to become entrepreneur in the vocational school graduates. There are significant effect hard skill competencies (human resources capability competency and production capability competency to the intention to be entrepreneur. Based on the results. we suggested that the learning process should be more emphasis on direct practice so that more competencies can be formed on vocational school graduates.

THE INFLUENCE OF LANGUAGE COMPETENCE, WRITING COMPETENCE, AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE ON PRODUCING A SUCCESSFUL WRITING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hermanto Hermanto

2008-11-01

Full Text Available Writing is a skill derived from a long way of learning and exercises. Different from other language skills, writing is considered the difficult language skill to acquire since it involves many aspects of linguistics, social, and writing knowledge and conventions. There are at least three important elements of writing useful to produce a good piece of composition, language competence, writing competence and cultural competence. This paper shows the influence of these three elements in order to produce good, readable, communicative, and successful writing

Competence Models in Technology-enhanced Competence-based Learning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sampson, Demetrios; Fytros, Demetrios

2008-01-01

Please cite as: Sampson, D., & Fytros, D. (2008). Competence Models in Technology-enhanced Competence-based Learning. In H. H. Adelsberger, Kinshuk, J. M. Pawlowski & D. Sampson (Eds.), International Handbook on Information Technologies for Education and Training, 2nd Edition, Springer, June 2008

Extremadura: Behind the material traces of Franco’s repression

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muñoz Encinar, Laura

2014-12-01

Full Text Available After the failed coup d’état of July 17th, 1936 and after the start of the Spanish Civil War that followed it, rebels carried out a repressive strategy based on the execution of thousands of people as a key tool of social control. The socialization of fear and terror through humiliation, killing and disappearance would become the main strategy employed throughout the war and the post-war period. In this context, perpetrators would exercise repressive practices on victims and their bodies. As a result, countless mass graves were opened in order to hide the bodies of victims. In the region of Extremadura, these mass graves have been investigated through the application of archeology and physical anthropology as disciplines of research and historical knowledge production. The exhumations, have given us a diachronic point of view of the repressive strategies developed, associated with different contexts between 1936 and 1946. Analyses of mass executions linked to rebels’ occupation of territories in this region, systematic rearguard killings in occupied areas, elimination procedures carried out in concentration camps and prisons and the fight against the armed guerrilla during the dictatorship, are the main contributions of this article.Tras el fracaso del golpe de Estado del 17 de julio de 1936 y el inicio de la Guerra Civil en España, se llevó a cabo, por parte de los sublevados, una estrategia represiva basada en la ejecución de miles de personas como principal herramienta de control social. La socialización del miedo y el terror a través de las vejaciones, ejecuciones y desapariciones será la principal estrategia utilizada, donde el uso de las víctimas y los cuerpos formará también parte de las prácticas represivas ideadas por los perpetradores. Como consecuencia, se abrieron incontables fosas comunes con el objetivo de ocultar los cadáveres de los represaliados. Estas fosas han sido investigadas en la Comunidad Autónoma de

Self-assessment of competencies in dental education in Germany - a multicentred survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitter, K; Rüttermann, S; Lippmann, M; Hahn, P; Giesler, M

2016-11-01

The aim was to assess the competencies of undergraduate dental students in Germany in the domains team competence, communicative competence, learning competence and scholarship. The survey was conducted at 11 dental schools that are equally distributed all over Germany. Competencies were assessed with the Freiburg Questionnaire to Assess Competencies in Medicine (FCM). A short version of the FCM was used in this study. This short form included the four domains: team competence (three items), communicative competence (eight items), learning competence (five items) and scholarship (four items). Students had to rate each item twice: first with regard to the respondent's current level of competence and second with regard to the level of competence that respondents think is required by their job. All items were rated on a five-point Likert scale (1 'very much' and 5 'not at all'). Responsible lecturers from all selected dental schools received another questionnaire to answer the questions whether the FCM domain corresponding learning objectives were taught at the respective dental school. A total of 317 undergraduate students from 11 dental schools in their last clinical year participated. The response rate varied between 48% and 92%. Cronbach's α for the FCM scales addressing the current level of competencies ranged from 0.70 to 0.89 and for the scales measuring the presumed level of competencies demanded by their job ranged from 0.72 to 0.82. The mean values of the scales for the assessment of the presumed level of competencies demanded by the job were significantly lower compared to the mean values of the scales for the current level of competencies (P competence (SRM 1.34), learning competence (SRM 1.27) and communicative competence (SRM 1.18). Overall, the learning objectives that correspond to the assessed domains of competencies were taught to 19.6% completely, to 55.4% partially and to 25% not at all at the participating dental schools. The results of the

Translational repression of the Drosophila nanos mRNA involves the RNA helicase Belle and RNA coating by Me31B and Trailer hitch.

Science.gov (United States)

Götze, Michael; Dufourt, Jérémy; Ihling, Christian; Rammelt, Christiane; Pierson, Stephanie; Sambrani, Nagraj; Temme, Claudia; Sinz, Andrea; Simonelig, Martine; Wahle, Elmar

2017-10-01

Translational repression of maternal mRNAs is an essential regulatory mechanism during early embryonic development. Repression of the Drosophila nanos mRNA, required for the formation of the anterior-posterior body axis, depends on the protein Smaug binding to two Smaug recognition elements (SREs) in the nanos 3' UTR. In a comprehensive mass spectrometric analysis of the SRE-dependent repressor complex, we identified Smaug, Cup, Me31B, Trailer hitch, eIF4E, and PABPC, in agreement with earlier data. As a novel component, the RNA-dependent ATPase Belle (DDX3) was found, and its involvement in deadenylation and repression of nanos was confirmed in vivo. Smaug, Cup, and Belle bound stoichiometrically to the SREs, independently of RNA length. Binding of Me31B and Tral was also SRE-dependent, but their amounts were proportional to the length of the RNA and equimolar to each other. We suggest that "coating" of the RNA by a Me31B•Tral complex may be at the core of repression. © 2017 Götze et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press for the RNA Society.

Repression of calcitonin gene-related peptide expression in trigeminal neurons by a Theobroma cacao extract☆

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Abbey, Marcie J.; Patil, Vinit V.; Vause, Carrie V.; Durham, Paul L.

2008-01-01

Ethnopharmacological relevance Cocoa bean preparations were first used by the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations of South America to treat a variety of medical ailments involving the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. Diets rich in foods containing abundant polyphenols, as found in cocoa, underlie the protective effects reported in chronic inflammatory diseases. Release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from trigeminal nerves promotes inflammation in peripheral tissues and nociception. Aim of the study To determine whether a methanol extract of Theobroma cacao L. (Sterculiaceae) beans enriched for polyphenols could inhibit CGRP expression, both an in vitro and an in vivo approach was taken. Results Treatment of rat trigeminal ganglia cultures with depolarizing stimuli caused a significant increase in CGRP release that was repressed by pretreatment with Theobroma cacao extract. Pretreatment with Theobroma cacao was also shown to block the KCl- and capsaicin-stimulated increases in intracellular calcium. Next, the effects of Theobroma cacao on CGRP levels were determined using an in vivo model of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) inflammation. Capsaicin injection into the TMJ capsule caused an ipsilateral decrease in CGRP levels. Theobroma cacao extract injected into the TMJ capsule 24 h prior to capsaicin treatment repressed the stimulatory effects of capsaicin. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that Theobroma cacao extract can repress stimulated CGRP release by a mechanism that likely involves blockage of calcium channel activity. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the beneficial effects of diets rich in cocoa may include suppression of sensory trigeminal nerve activation. PMID:17997062

Motivation of medical students: selection by motivation or motivation by selection.

Science.gov (United States)

Wouters, Anouk; Croiset, Gerda; Galindo-Garre, Francisca; Kusurkar, Rashmi A

2016-01-29

Medical schools try to implement selection procedures that will allow them to select the most motivated students for their programs. Though there is a general feeling that selection stimulates student motivation, conclusive evidence for this is lacking. The current study aims to use the perspective of Self-determination Theory (SDT) of motivation as a lens to examine how medical students' motivation differs in relation to different selection procedures. The hypotheses were that 1) selected students report higher strength and autonomous motivation than non-selected students, and 2) recently selected students report higher strength and autonomous motivation than non-selected students and students who were selected longer ago. First- (Y1) and fourth-year (Y4) medical students in the six-year regular programme and first-year students in the four-year graduate entry programme (GE) completed questionnaires measuring motivation strength and type (autonomous-AM, controlled-CM). Scores were compared between students admitted based on selection, lottery or top pre-university GPA (top GPA) using ANCOVAs. Selected students' answers on open-ended questions were analysed using inductive thematic analysis to identify reasons for changes in motivation. The response rate was 61.4 % (n = 357). Selected students (Y1, Y4 and GE) reported a significantly higher strength of motivation than non-selected students (Y1 and Y4 lottery and top GPA) (p motivation as they felt autonomous, competent and that they belonged to a special group. These reported reasons are in alignment with the basic psychological needs described by Self-Determination Theory as important in enhancing autonomous motivation. A comprehensive selection procedure, compared to less demanding admission procedures, does not seem to yield a student population which stands out in terms of autonomous motivation. The current findings indicate that selection might temporarily enhance students' motivation. The mechanism

Patient Safety Based Knowledge Management SECI to Improve Nusrsing Students Competency

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Joanggi Wiriatarina Harianto

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Patient safety is an important component of health services quality,and  basic principles of patient care. Nursing students also have a great potential to make an action that could endanger the patient, because hospital is one of student practice area. The purpose of this study was to improve the nursing students competency in patient safety by using knowledge management SECI approached. Method: The study used exploratory survey, and quasy experiment. The samples were some of nursing students of STIKes Muhammadiyah Samarinda who were on internship programme that selected using simple random sampling technique, in total of 54 students. This research’s variables were the knowledge management SECI based-patient safety and nursing student’s competency. The data were collected by using questionnaires and observation. The data were analyze by using Partial Least Square (PLS. Result: The result showed that there were significant influence the implementation of a model patient safety based knowledge management seci on increased competence nursing students. Discussion: Improved student competency in patient safety using SECI knowledge management was carried out in four phases, that is Socialization, Externalization, Combination, and Internalization. The result was a new knowledge related to patient safety that able to improve the student’s competency.. Keywords: Patient safety, Knowledge management, SECI, competency

Building Project Competence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pemsel, Sofia; Wiewiora, Anna

This research investigates the development of project competence, and particularly, three related dynamic capabilities (shifting, adapting, leveraging) that contribute to project competence development. In doing so, we make use of the emerging literature on knowledge governance and theorize how...... of dynamic capability building promoting project competence development....

The Ku Protein Complex Interacts with YY1, Is Up-Regulated in Human Heart Failure, and Represses α Myosin Heavy-Chain Gene Expression

Science.gov (United States)

Sucharov, Carmen C.; Helmke, Steve M.; Langer, Stephen J.; Perryman, M. Benjamin; Bristow, Michael; Leinwand, Leslie

2004-01-01

Human heart failure is accompanied by repression of genes such as α myosin heavy chain (αMyHC) and SERCA2A and the induction of fetal genes such as βMyHC and atrial natriuretic factor. It seems likely that changes in MyHC isoforms contribute to the poor contractility seen in heart failure, because small changes in isoform composition can have a major effect on the contractility of cardiac myocytes and the heart. Our laboratory has recently shown that YY1 protein levels are increased in human heart failure and that YY1 represses the activity of the human αMyHC promoter. We have now identified a region of the αMyHC promoter that binds a factor whose expression is increased sixfold in failing human hearts. Through peptide mass spectrometry, we identified this binding activity to be a heterodimer of Ku70 and Ku80. Expression of Ku represses the human αMyHC promoter in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. Moreover, overexpression of Ku70/80 decreases αMyHC mRNA expression and increases skeletal α-actin. Interestingly, YY1 interacts with Ku70 and Ku80 in HeLa cells. Together, YY1, Ku70, and Ku80 repress the αMyHC promoter to an extent that is greater than that with YY1 or Ku70/80 alone. Our results suggest that Ku is an important factor in the repression of the human αMyHC promoter during heart failure. PMID:15367688

Future orientation and competence to stand trial: the fragility of competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Kivisto, Aaron J; Moore, Todd M; Fite, Paula A; Seidner, Bruce G

2011-01-01

The current study examined the direct, indirect, and interactive effects of age, intellectual ability, psychiatric symptomatology, and future orientation on juvenile adjudicative competence utilizing a secondary sample of 927 youth from the MacArthur Juvenile Adjudicative Competence Study. Consistent with previous research, age, intellectual ability, and future orientation were found to be positively associated with competence, and psychiatric symptomatology was weakly negatively related to competence. Tests of indirect effects revealed that the development of an orientation toward future consequences partially explains the relationship between age and the capacity to reason about legal decision-making. Further, tests of invariance revealed that the competence of immature adolescents is particularly "fragile," in that smaller deficits in cognitive abilities appear to pose greater problems in youths regarding their adjudicative competence than in their more mature peers. Findings are discussed in regard to forensic practice as well as for future research.

Defect in the GTPase activating protein (GAP) function of eIF5 causes repression of GCN4 translation.

Science.gov (United States)

Antony A, Charles; Alone, Pankaj V

2017-05-13

In eukaryotes, the eIF5 protein plays an important role in translation start site selection by providing the GAP (GTPase activating protein) function. However, in yeast translation initiation fidelity defective eIF5 G31R mutant causes preferential utilization of UUG as initiation codon and is termed as Suppressor of initiation codon (Sui - ) phenotype due to its hyper GTPase activity. The eIF5 G31R mutant dominantly represses GCN4 expression and confers sensitivity to 3-Amino-1,2,4-Trizole (3AT) induced starvation. The down-regulation of the GCN4 expression (Gcn - phenotype) in the eIF5 G31R mutant was not because of leaky scanning defects; rather was due to the utilization of upUUG initiation codons at the 5' regulatory region present between uORF1 and the main GCN4 ORF. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-assessment on the competencies and reported improvement priorities for pediatrics residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Su-Ting T; Tancredi, Daniel J; Burke, Ann E; Guillot, Ann; Guralnick, Susan; Trimm, R Franklin; Mahan, John D

2012-12-01

Self-assessment and self-directed learning are essential to becoming an effective physician. To identify factors associated with resident self-assessment on the competencies, and to determine whether residents chose areas of self-assessed relative weakness as areas for improvement in their Individualized Learning Plan (ILP). We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the American Academy of Pediatrics' PediaLink ILP database. Pediatrics residents self-assessed their competency in the 6 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education competencies using a color-coded slider scale with end anchors "novice" and "proficient" (0-100), and then chose at least 1 competency to improve. Multivariate regression explored the relationship between overall confidence in core competencies, sex, level of training, and degree (MD or DO) status. Correlation examined whether residents chose to improve competencies in which they rated themselves as lower. A total of 4167 residents completed an ILP in academic year 2009-2010, with residents' ratings improving from advanced beginner (48 on a 0-100 scale) in postgraduate year-1 residents (PGY-1s) to competent (75) in PGY-3s. Residents rated themselves as most competent in professionalism (mean, 75.3) and least competent in medical knowledge (mean, 55.8) and systems-based practice (mean, 55.2). In the adjusted regression model, residents' competency ratings increased by level of training and whether they were men. In PGY-3s, there was no difference between men and women. Residents selected areas for improvement that correlated to competencies where they had rated themselves lower (P knowledge and systems-based practice, even as PGY-3s. Residents tended to choose subcompetencies, which they rated as lower to focus on improving.

Vertebrate-like CRYPTOCHROME 2 from monarch regulates circadian transcription via independent repression of CLOCK and BMAL1 activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Ying; Markert, Matthew J; Groves, Shayna C; Hardin, Paul E; Merlin, Christine

2017-09-05

Circadian repression of CLOCK-BMAL1 by PERIOD and CRYPTOCHROME (CRY) in mammals lies at the core of the circadian timekeeping mechanism. CRY repression of CLOCK-BMAL1 and regulation of circadian period are proposed to rely primarily on competition for binding with coactivators on an α-helix located within the transactivation domain (TAD) of the BMAL1 C terminus. This model has, however, not been tested in vivo. Here, we applied CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis in the monarch butterfly ( Danaus plexippus ), which possesses a vertebrate-like CRY (dpCRY2) and an ortholog of BMAL1, to show that insect CRY2 regulates circadian repression through TAD α-helix-dependent and -independent mechanisms. Monarch mutants lacking the BMAL1 C terminus including the TAD exhibited arrhythmic eclosion behavior. In contrast, mutants lacking the TAD α-helix but retaining the most distal C-terminal residues exhibited robust rhythms during the first day of constant darkness (DD1), albeit with a delayed peak of eclosion. Phase delay in this mutant on DD1 was exacerbated in the presence of a single functional allele of dpCry2 , and rhythmicity was abolished in the absence of dpCRY2. Reporter assays in Drosophila S2 cells further revealed that dpCRY2 represses through two distinct mechanisms: a TAD-dependent mechanism that involves the dpBMAL1 TAD α-helix and dpCLK W328 and a TAD-independent mechanism involving dpCLK E333. Together, our results provide evidence for independent mechanisms of vertebrate-like CRY circadian regulation on the BMAL1 C terminus and the CLK PAS-B domain and demonstrate the importance of a BMAL1 TAD-independent mechanism for generating circadian rhythms in vivo.

A WUSCHEL-Independent Stem Cell Specification Pathway Is Repressed by PHB, PHV and CNA in Arabidopsis

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Chunghee; Clark, Steven E.

2015-01-01

The homeostatic maintenance of stem cells that carry out continuous organogenesis at the shoot meristem is crucial for plant development. Key known factors act to signal between the stem cells and an underlying group of cells thought to act as the stem cell niche. In Arabidopsis thaliana the homeodomain transcription factor WUSCHEL (WUS) is essential for stem cell initiation and maintenance at shoot and flower meristems. Recent data suggest that the WUS protein may move from the niche cells directly into the stem cells to maintain stem cell identity. Here we provide evidence for a second, previously unknown, pathway for stem cell specification at shoot and flower meristems that bypasses the requirement for WUS. We demonstrate that this novel stem cell specification pathway is normally repressed by the activity of the HD-zip III transcription factors PHABULOSA (PHB), PHAVOLUTA (PHV) and CORONA (CNA). When de-repressed, this second stem cell pathway leads to an accumulation of stem cells and an enlargement of the stem cell niche. When de-repressed in a wus mutant background, this second stem cell pathway leads to functional meristems with largely normal cell layering and meristem morphology, activation of WUS cis regulatory elements, and extensive, but not indeterminate, organogenesis. Thus, WUS is largely dispensable for stem cell specification and meristem function, suggesting a set of key stem cell specification factors, competitively regulated by WUS and PHB/PHV/CNA, remain unidentified. PMID:26011610

E2F-Rb complexes assemble and inhibit cdc25A transcription in cervical carcinoma cells following repression of human papillomavirus oncogene expression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, L; Goodwin, E C; Naeger, L K

2000-01-01

in the absence of E2 expression. Expression of the E2 protein also led to posttranscriptional increase in the level of E2F4, p105(Rb), and p130 and induced the formation of nuclear E2F4-p130 and E2F4-p105(Rb) complexes. This resulted in marked rearrangement of the protein complexes that formed at the distal E2F...... site in the cdc25A promoter, including the replacement of free E2F complexes with E2F4-p105(Rb) complexes. These experiments indicated that repression of E2F-responsive promoters following HPV E6/E7 repression was mediated by activation of the Rb tumor suppressor pathway and the assembly of repressing...

Zinc-fingers and homeoboxes 1 (ZHX1) binds DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) 3B to enhance DNMT3B-mediated transcriptional repression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Sung-Hak; Park, Jinah; Choi, Moon-Chang; Kim, Hwang-Phill; Park, Jung-Hyun; Jung, Yeonjoo; Lee, Ju-Hee; Oh, Do-Youn; Im, Seock-Ah; Bang, Yung-Jue; Kim, Tae-You

2007-01-01

DNA methyltransferases (DNMT) 3B is a de novo DNMT that represses transcription independent of DNMT activity. In order to gain a better insight into DNMT3B-mediated transcriptional repression, we performed a yeast two-hybrid analysis using DNMT3B as a bait. Of the various binding candidates, ZHX1, a member of zinc-finger and homeobox protein, was found to interact with DNMT3B in vivo and in vitro. N-terminal PWWP domain of DNMT3B was required for its interaction with homeobox motifs of ZHX1. ZHX1 contains nuclear localization signal at C-terminal homeobox motif, and both ZHX1 and DNMT3B were co-localized in nucleus. Furthermore, we found that ZHX1 enhanced the transcriptional repression mediated by DNMT3B when DNMT3B is directly targeted to DNA. These results showed for First the direct linkage between DNMT and zinc-fingers homeoboxes protein, leading to enhanced gene silencing by DNMT3B

Competences for All: Recognizing and Developing Competences of Young People with Fewer Opportunities

Science.gov (United States)

Usakli, Hakan

2016-01-01

This qualitative study clarifies opinion of 32 European volunteer youth leaders on concepts of competence, fewer opportunities and enlargement strategies on competence of fewer opportunities. Leaders underline main competencies as follows: tongue, languages, mathematical, digital, learning, social, entrepreneurship, cultural. Key competences are…

Competencies for the 21st Century Information Professional: Translating the SLA Competencies into Business Competencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Henczel, Sue

This paper examines how the Special Libraries Association competencies can be mapped to the broader business competencies of marketing (promoting), packaging (product development), persuading and performing (sales/customer service), and positioning (strategic maneuvering). It introduces a process whereby the skills, knowledge, understandings, and…

Soft Skill Competencies, Hard Skill Competencies, and Intention to Become Entrepreneur of Vocational Graduates

OpenAIRE

Benedicta Prihatin Dwi Riyanti; Christine Winstinindah Sandroto; M. Tri Warmiyati D.W

2016-01-01

This study aimed to determine the effect of soft skill competencies and hard skill competencies to the intention to become entrepreneur in the vocational school graduates. Hard skill entrepreneurial competencies are competencies that are needed to running business. Meanwhile for soft skill competencies are competencies related to aspects of personality and cognitive style. Population in this research is vocational graduates in Jakarta and Jogjakarta. The sampling technique used is incidental ...

Mycobacterium leprae induces NF-κB-dependent transcription repression in human Schwann cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pereira, Renata M.S.; Calegari-Silva, Teresa Cristina; Hernandez, Maristela O.; Saliba, Alessandra M.; Redner, Paulo; Pessolani, Maria Cristina V.; Sarno, Euzenir N.; Sampaio, Elizabeth P.; Lopes, Ulisses G.

2005-01-01

Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy, invades peripheral nerve Schwann cells, resulting in deformities associated with this disease. NF-κB is an important transcription factor involved in the regulation of host immune antimicrobial responses. We aimed in this work to investigate NF-κB signaling pathways in the human ST88-14 Schwannoma cell line infected with M. leprae. Gel shift and supershift assays indicate that two NF-κB dimers, p65/p50 and p50/p50, translocate to the nucleus in Schwann cells treated with lethally irradiated M. leprae. Consistent with p65/p50 and p50/p50 activation, we observed IκB-α degradation and reduction of p105 levels. The nuclear translocation of p50/p50 complex due to M. leprae treatment correlated with repression of NF-κB-driven transcription induced by TNF-α. Moreover, thalidomide inhibited p50 homodimer nuclear translocation induced by M. leprae and consequently rescues Schwann cells from NF-κB-dependent transcriptional repression. Here, we report for the first time that M. leprae induces NF-κB activation in Schwann cells and thalidomide is able to modulate this activation

COACHES' PERCEPTIONS OF COMPETENCE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TRAINING NEEDS RELATED TO PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sofia Santos

2010-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study was to examine coaches' perceptions of competence and acknowledgement of training needs related to professional competences according to the professional experience and academic education. The participants were 343 coaches from several sports, who answered to a questionnaire that includes a scale focused on perceptions of competence and another scale on acknowledgment of training needs. An exploratory factor analysis with Maximum Likelihood Factoring was used with Oblimin rotation for the identification of emergent factors. Comparison on coaches' perceptions in function of coaching experience and coaches' academic background were made applying One-way ANOVA and Tukey's post hoc multiple comparisons. Factor analysis on coaches' perceptions of competence and acknowledgement of training needs made apparent three main areas of competences, i.e. competences related to annual and multi-annual planning; competences related to orientation towards practice and competition; and personal and coaching education competences. Coaches' perceptions were influenced by their experience, as low experienced coaches rated themselves at lower levels of competence and with more training needs; also coaches with high education, in Physical Education or others, perceived themselves as more competent than coaches with no higher education. Finally, the majority of the coaches perceived themselves to be competent but, nevertheless, they indicated to have training needs, which brings an important feedback to coach education. This suggests that coaches are interested in increasing their knowledge and competence in a broad range of areas which should be considered in future coach education programs

Scaffold protein enigma homolog 1 overcomes the repression of myogenesis activation by inhibitor of DNA binding 2

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakatani, Miyuki [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Ito, Jumpei [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, 102-0083 (Japan); Koyama, Riko [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Iijima, Masumi; Yoshimoto, Nobuo [The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0047 (Japan); Niimi, Tomoaki [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); Kuroda, Shun' ichi [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan); The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, 8-1 Mihogaoka, Ibaraki, Osaka, 567-0047 (Japan); Maturana, Andrés D., E-mail: maturana@agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp [Graduate School of Bioagricultural Sciences, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Nagoya, 464-8106 (Japan)

2016-05-27

Enigma Homolog 1 (ENH1) is a scaffold protein for signaling proteins and transcription factors. Previously, we reported that ENH1 overexpression promotes the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the role of ENH1 in the C2C12 cells differentiation remains elusive. ENH1 was shown to inhibit the proliferation of neuroblastoma cells by sequestering Inhibitor of DNA binding protein 2 (Id2) in the cytosol. Id2 is a repressor of basic Helix-Loop-Helix transcription factors activity and prevents myogenesis. Here, we found that ENH1 overcome the Id2 repression of C2C12 cells myogenic differentiation and that ENH1 overexpression promotes mice satellite cells activation, the first step toward myogenic differentiation. In addition, we show that ENH1 interacted with Id2 in C2C12 cells and mice satellite cells. Collectively, our results suggest that ENH1 plays an important role in the activation of myogenesis through the repression of Id2 activity. -- Highlights: •Enigma Homolog 1 (ENH1) is a scaffold protein. •ENH1 binds to inhibitor of DNA binding 2 (Id2) in myoblasts. •ENH1 overexpression overcomes the Id2's repression of myogenesis. •The Id2-ENH1 complex play an important role in the activation of myogenesis.

The contentious fans: the impact of repression, media coverage, grievances and aggressive play on supporters’ violence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Braun, R.; Vliegenthart, R.

2008-01-01

This article poses the question of which macro-sociological explanations best predict the level of soccer supporters’ violence. By conceptualizing supporters’ violence as a form of contentious violence, four possible explanations are proposed: repression, media attention, unemployment and aggressive

SAP Nuclear Competence Centre

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andrlova, Z.

2009-01-01

In this issue we continue and introduce the SAP Nuclear Competence Centre and its head Mr. Igor Dzama. SAP Nuclear Competence Centrum is one of the fi rst competence centres outside ENEL headquarters. It should operate in Slovakia and should have competencies within the whole Enel group. We are currently dealing with the issues of organisation and funding. We are trying to balance the accountability to the NPP directors and to the management of the competence centres at Enel headquarters; we are looking at the relations between the competence centres within the group and defining the services that we will provide for the NPPs. author)

Population Level Purifying Selection and Gene Expression Shape Subgenome Evolution in Maize.

Science.gov (United States)

Pophaly, Saurabh D; Tellier, Aurélien

2015-12-01

The maize ancestor experienced a recent whole-genome duplication (WGD) followed by gene erosion which generated two subgenomes, the dominant subgenome (maize1) experiencing fewer deletions than maize2. We take advantage of available extensive polymorphism and gene expression data in maize to study purifying selection and gene expression divergence between WGD retained paralog pairs. We first report a strong correlation in nucleotide diversity between duplicate pairs, except for upstream regions. We then show that maize1 genes are under stronger purifying selection than maize2. WGD retained genes have higher gene dosage and biased Gene Ontologies consistent with previous studies. The relative gene expression of paralogs across tissues demonstrates that 98% of duplicate pairs have either subfunctionalized in a tissuewise manner or have diverged consistently in their expression thereby preventing functional complementation. Tissuewise subfunctionalization seems to be a hallmark of transcription factors, whereas consistent repression occurs for macromolecular complexes. We show that dominant gene expression is a strong determinant of the strength of purifying selection, explaining the inferred stronger negative selection on maize1 genes. We propose a novel expression-based classification of duplicates which is more robust to explain observed polymorphism patterns than the subgenome location. Finally, upstream regions of repressed genes exhibit an enrichment in transposable elements which indicates a possible mechanism for expression divergence. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Beyond NAVMEC: competency-based veterinary education and assessment of the professional competencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hodgson, Jennifer L; Pelzer, Jacquelyn M; Inzana, Karen D

2013-01-01

The implementation of competency-based curricula within the health sciences has been an important paradigm shift over the past 30 years. As a result, one of the five strategic goals recommended by the North American Veterinary Medical Education Consortium (NAVMEC) report was to graduate career-ready veterinarians who are proficient in, and have the confidence to use, an agreed-upon set of core competencies. Of the nine competencies identified as essential for veterinary graduates, seven could be classified as professional or non-technical competencies: communication; collaboration; management (self, team, system); lifelong learning, scholarship, value of research; leadership; diversity and multicultural awareness; and adaptation to changing environments. Traditionally, the professional competencies have received less attention in veterinary curricula and their assessment is often sporadic or inconsistent. In contrast, the same or similar competencies are being increasingly recognized in other health professions as essential skills and abilities, and their assessment is being undertaken with enhanced scrutiny and critical appraisal. Several challenges have been associated with the assessment of professional competencies, including agreement as to their definition and therefore their evaluation, the fact that they are frequently complex and require multiple integrative assessments, and the ability and/or desire of faculty to teach and assess these competencies. To provide an improved context for assessment of the seven professional competencies identified in the NAVMEC report, this article describes a broad framework for their evaluation as well as specific examples of how these or similar competencies are currently being measured in medical and veterinary curricula.

Competency Maps: an Effective Model to Integrate Professional Competencies Across a STEM Curriculum

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez Carracedo, Fermín; Soler, Antonia; Martín, Carme; López, David; Ageno, Alicia; Cabré, Jose; Garcia, Jordi; Aranda, Joan; Gibert, Karina

2018-05-01

Curricula designed in the context of the European Higher Education Area need to be based on both domain-specific and professional competencies. Whereas universities have had extensive experience in developing students' domain-specific competencies, fostering professional competencies poses a new challenge we need to face. This paper presents a model to globally develop professional competencies in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree program, and assesses the results of its implementation after 4 years. The model is based on the use of competency maps, in which each competency is defined in terms of competency units. Each competency unit is described by a set of expected learning outcomes at three domain levels. This model allows careful analysis, revision, and iteration for an effective integration of professional competencies in domain-specific subjects. A global competency map is also designed, including all the professional competency learning outcomes to be achieved throughout the degree. This map becomes a useful tool for curriculum designers and coordinators. The results were obtained from four sources: (1) students' grades (classes graduated from 2013 to 2016, the first 4 years of the new Bachelor's Degree in Informatics Engineering at the Barcelona School of Informatics); (2) students' surveys (answered by students when they finished the degree); (3) the government employment survey, where former students evaluate their satisfaction of the received training in the light of their work experience; and (4) the Everis Foundation University-Enterprise Ranking, answered by over 2000 employers evaluating their satisfaction regarding their employees' university training, where the Barcelona School of Informatics scores first in the national ranking. The results show that competency maps are a good tool for developing professional competencies in a STEM degree.

Secularization versus religious revival in Eastern Europe: Church institutional resilience, state repression and divergent paths.

Science.gov (United States)

Northmore-Ball, Ksenia; Evans, Geoffrey

2016-05-01

Despite continuing for over two decades, the debate about the nature of the trends in religiosity in post-Communist Eastern Europe remains unresolved: some arguing that these countries are undergoing the same process of secularization as the West, while others insist that the entire region is experiencing a religious revival. Using national sample surveys from the early 1990s to 2007 to examine the change in demographic predictors of religiosity, we show that Catholic and Orthodox countries are experiencing different trends, the first group displaying evidence of secularization and the second of revival, and that these two different trends are likely to derive from the legacies of state repression and the differing abilities of the churches to resist such repression. We argue that the current literature has thus taken a mistakenly general approach, and that the post-Communist region consists of at least two distinct groups of societies with different trends in religiosity. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Improvement of Iranian nurses' competence through professional portfolio: a quasi-experimental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bahreini, Masoud; Moattari, Marzieh; Shahamat, Shohreh; Dobaradaran, Sina; Ravanipour, Mariam

2013-03-01

The aim of the study was to determine the effect of a portfolio-based professional development program on nurses' competence in a university hospital in Iran. A pre-test/post-test, controlled, quasi-experimental design was used. From the university hospital's 18 general wards, four wards were randomly selected. Two wards were randomly allocated as the experimental group (35 subjects) and two wards as the control group (38 subjects). Nurses in the experimental group participated in a 12-month portfolio-based professional development program and nurses in the control group participated in the routine professional development programs of their wards. The data were collected by the Nurse Competence Scale and were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent and paired t-tests. After intervention, the average nurses' competence in the experimental group increased significantly (P professional portfolio is an effective tool for improving nurses' competence. The professional portfolios help nurses update their knowledge, skills, and competence towards their full role as nurses. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

L1 retrotransposition is activated by Ten-eleven-translocation protein 1 and repressed by methyl-CpG binding proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Peng; Ludwig, Anne K; Hastert, Florian D; Rausch, Cathia; Lehmkuhl, Anne; Hellmann, Ines; Smets, Martha; Leonhardt, Heinrich; Cardoso, M Cristina

2017-09-03

One of the major functions of DNA methylation is the repression of transposable elements, such as the long-interspersed nuclear element 1 (L1). The underlying mechanism(s), however, are unclear. Here, we addressed how retrotransposon activation and mobilization are regulated by methyl-cytosine modifying ten-eleven-translocation (Tet) proteins and how this is modulated by methyl-CpG binding domain (MBD) proteins. We show that Tet1 activates both, endogenous and engineered L1 retrotransposons. Furthermore, we found that Mecp2 and Mbd2 repress Tet1-mediated activation of L1 by preventing 5hmC formation at the L1 promoter. Finally, we demonstrate that the methyl-CpG binding domain, as well as the adjacent non-sequence specific DNA binding domain of Mecp2 are each sufficient to mediate repression of Tet1-induced L1 mobilization. Our study reveals a mechanism how L1 elements get activated in the absence of Mecp2 and suggests that Tet1 may contribute to Mecp2/Mbd2-deficiency phenotypes, such as the Rett syndrome. We propose that the balance between methylation "reader" and "eraser/writer" controls L1 retrotransposition.

Toward the Question of the Victims' Number of Political Repressions for Orthodox Belief in Russia in ХХ century

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Somin Nikolai

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Toward the Question of the Victims’ Number of Political Repressions for Orthodox Belief in Russia in ХХ century Somin Nikolay Vladimirovich The author off ers the technique of the approximate estimate of the general number of orthodox believers suffering for the Christ during XX century in Russia. The technique is based on the process’s analysis of the data input of new persons to the Database of New Russian martyrs and Confessors which has been developed in PSTGU. The feature of it is the number of «twins» in the Database, i.e. persons who already are in the Base. It assists making the conclusion concerning the general number of victims. For experiments the author used the incoming stream received from Base of the subjected to repression persons, developed by the Society the Memorial. The author brings results of calculations and necessary historical inquiries. As a result he makes the conclusion, that the general number of the Victims of Political Repression for Orthodox Belief in Russia during XX c. was about 100 thousand persons (with a margin error in 40 %.

Using e-learning for maintenance of ALS competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Jensen, Morten Lind; Mondrup, Frederik; Lippert, Freddy; Ringsted, Charlotte

2009-08-01

A well-suited e-learning program might be a feasible strategy to maintain competence following a resuscitation course. This study had 2 aims: (1) to examine the effect of an e-learning program as a booster of competence acquired from an Advanced Life Support (ALS) course. (2) To identify factors related to the use of the e-learning program. The study contained two parts pertaining to the two aims. The first part was a prospective single blinded randomised controlled study on junior doctors. The intervention was the monthly use of an e-learning program during one year and effect was measured as ALS-competence, a composite of a knowledge and skills test. The second part was a telephone interview of the intervention group. An interview guide was constructed based on existing knowledge of e-learning. In order to identify factors explaining the use of e-learning a univariate correlation was used to select significant variables to be included in a multiple regression analysis. Of the 134 invited to participate, 103 accepted the invitation. There were 79/103 (77%) participants, 40/51 in the intervention group and 39/52 in the control group. There was no difference between the groups with regards to ALS competence. Only 'social interaction' was an individually significant factor influencing the use of the e-learning program. This study did not demonstrate an effect of an e-learning program as a booster of competence acquired from an ALS course. The primary factor influencing the use of e-learning was the lack of social interaction.

Functional microarray analysis suggests repressed cell-cell signaling and cell survival-related modules inhibit progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soares Fernando A

2011-04-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Cancer shows a great diversity in its clinical behavior which cannot be easily predicted using the currently available clinical or pathological markers. The identification of pathways associated with lymph node metastasis (N+ and recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC may increase our understanding of the complex biology of this disease. Methods Tumor samples were obtained from untreated HNSCC patients undergoing surgery. Patients were classified according to pathologic lymph node status (positive or negative or tumor recurrence (recurrent or non-recurrent tumor after treatment (surgery with neck dissection followed by radiotherapy. Using microarray gene expression, we screened tumor samples according to modules comprised by genes in the same pathway or functional category. Results The most frequent alterations were the repression of modules in negative lymph node (N0 and in non-recurrent tumors rather than induction of modules in N+ or in recurrent tumors. N0 tumors showed repression of modules that contain cell survival genes and in non-recurrent tumors cell-cell signaling and extracellular region modules were repressed. Conclusions The repression of modules that contain cell survival genes in N0 tumors reinforces the important role that apoptosis plays in the regulation of metastasis. In addition, because tumor samples used here were not microdissected, tumor gene expression data are represented together with the stroma, which may reveal signaling between the microenvironment and tumor cells. For instance, in non-recurrent tumors, extracellular region module was repressed, indicating that the stroma and tumor cells may have fewer interactions, which disable metastasis development. Finally, the genes highlighted in our analysis can be implicated in more than one pathway or characteristic, suggesting that therapeutic approaches to prevent tumor progression should target more than one gene or pathway

Resveratrol represses YKL-40 expression in human glioma U87 cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Wei; Tamiya, Takashi; Murao, Koji; Zhang, Xiang; Matsumoto, Kensuke; Diah, Suwarni; Okada, Masaki; Miyake, Keisuke; Kawai, Nobuyuki; Fei, Zhou

2010-01-01

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most malignant intracranial tumour that develops in both adults and children. Microarray gene analyses have confirmed that the human YKL-40 gene is one of the most over-expressed genes in these tumours but not in normal brain tissue. Clinical studies have shown that serum YKL-40 levels are positively correlated with tumour burden in addition to being an independent prognostic factor of a short relapse-free interval as well as short overall survival in patients with various cancers. Our previous study revealed that YKL-40 was closely correlated with the pathological grades of human primary astrocytomas and played a crucial role in glioma cell proliferation. Hence, YKL-40 could be an attractive target in the design of anti-cancer therapies. Cell viability and invasion assays were performed to detect the cell proliferation and invasive ability of U87 cells induced by resveratrol (3, 5, 4'-trihydroxystilbene; Res) or YKL-40 small-interfering RNAs (siRNAs). In addition, the luciferase assay, real-time RT-PCR, western blotting, and ELISA were used to measure YKL-40 promoter activity, mRNA, and protein expression, respectively. The expressions of phosphor-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2 were determined by western blotting. Res inhibited U87 cell proliferation and invasion in vitro and repressed YKL-40 in U87 cells by decreasing the activity of its promoter and reducing mRNA transcription and protein expression in vitro. YKL-40 siRNA treatment also impaired the invasiveness of U87 cells. When U87 cells were cultured with 20 μM PD98059 (an ERK1/2 inhibitor) alone, with 20 μM PD98059 and 100 μM Res, or with 100 μM Res alone for 48 h, YKL-40 protein expression decreased most significantly in the Res-treated group. PD98059 partially reversed the decrease of YKL-40 protein expression induced by Res. Furthermore, phosphor-ERK1/2 expression was reduced by Res treatment in a time-dependent manner. We demonstrated for the first time that Res

Critical thinking competence and disposition of clinical nurses in a medical center.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Rung-Chuang; Chen, Mei-Jung; Chen, Mei-Chuan; Pai, Yu-Chu

2010-06-01

Critical thinking is essential in nursing practice. Promoting critical thinking competence in clinical nurses is an important way to improve problem solving and decision-making competence to further improve the quality of patient care. However, using an adequate tool to test nurses' critical thinking competence and disposition may provide the reference criteria for clinical nurse characterization, training planning, and resource allocation for human resource management. The purpose of this study was to measure the critical thinking competence and critical thinking disposition of clinical nurses as well as to explore the related factors of critical thinking competence. Clinical nurses from four different clinical ladders selected from one medical center were stratified randomly. All qualified subjects who submitted valid questionnaires were included in the study. A Taiwan version of the modified Watson-Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal and Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory was developed to measure the critical thinking competence and critical thinking disposition of clinical nurses. Validity was evaluated using the professional content test (content validity index = .93). Reliability was assessed with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of .85. Data were analyzed using the SPSS for Windows (Version 12.0; SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL). Results showed that competence of interpretation was the highest critical thinking competence factor. Inference was the lowest, and reflective thinking as a critical thinking disposition was more positive. In addition, age, years of nursing experience, and experiences in other hospitals significantly influenced critical thinking competence (p critical thinking disposition scores. Clinical ladder N4 nurses had the highest scores in both competence and disposition. A significant relationship was found between critical thinking competence and disposition scores, with 29.3% of the variance in critical thinking competence potentially explained

Competency remodelling and application plans for development of job competency in RI-biomics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shin, Woo Ho; Park, Tai Jin [Korean Association for Radiation Application, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-15

RI-Biomics technology is advanced convergence technologies that can be measured in real time and track in vivo behavior and metabolism of substances using characteristics of the radioactive isotope. Its application fields are increasing such as drug development, agriculture, development of new materials and their utilization, etc. In addition, according to domestic and international developments and changes in the RI-Biomics environment, RI-Biomics professionals are needed to train continuously. To develop systematic human resources basement and competency-based curriculum, we perform competency modeling of pedagogical perspective to targeted at high-performance on RI-Biomics. Furthermore, we redefine the competency model and verified by industry experts with focus group interviews. In the result, two general competencies and three professional competencies were extracted by interview. Each competencies are organized six sub-competencies and nine sub-competencies. In the final steps, the same procedures were repeated to obtain the consensus of experts on derived competencies and behavioral objectives. The results of the study are applicable to enhance human resource management and to develop the curriculum for RI-Biomics expert training. It is expected to be used as reference material of long term-planning for RI-Biomics professional.

Competency remodelling and application plans for development of job competency in RI-biomics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shin, Woo Ho; Park, Tai Jin

2017-01-01

RI-Biomics technology is advanced convergence technologies that can be measured in real time and track in vivo behavior and metabolism of substances using characteristics of the radioactive isotope. Its application fields are increasing such as drug development, agriculture, development of new materials and their utilization, etc. In addition, according to domestic and international developments and changes in the RI-Biomics environment, RI-Biomics professionals are needed to train continuously. To develop systematic human resources basement and competency-based curriculum, we perform competency modeling of pedagogical perspective to targeted at high-performance on RI-Biomics. Furthermore, we redefine the competency model and verified by industry experts with focus group interviews. In the result, two general competencies and three professional competencies were extracted by interview. Each competencies are organized six sub-competencies and nine sub-competencies. In the final steps, the same procedures were repeated to obtain the consensus of experts on derived competencies and behavioral objectives. The results of the study are applicable to enhance human resource management and to develop the curriculum for RI-Biomics expert training. It is expected to be used as reference material of long term-planning for RI-Biomics professional

[Common competencies and contents in public health in graduate programs].

Science.gov (United States)

Davó, M A Carmen; Vives-Cases, Carmen; Benavides, Fernando García; Alvarez-Dardet, Carlos; Segura-Benedicto, Andreu; Icart, Teresa; Astasio, Paloma; Gil, Angel; Ortiz, M Del Rocío; García, Angel; Ronda, Elena; Bosch, Félix

2011-01-01

To identify fundamental public health competencies and contents in nursing, pharmacy, teaching, medicine, human nutrition and dietetics, optics and optometry, labor relations and human resources, and social work in graduate programs and to formulate proposals for their improvement. The workshop on Public health contents in graduate programs in the XXI Menorca Public Health School was organized as follows: eight groups were set up, coordinated by 37 Spanish university teachers participating in the workshop and selected through key informants and snowball techniques. Two studies on public health professional competencies and the participants' own graduate programs were used to discuss public health professional competencies and contents and establish recommendations to improve public health programs. Each group worked on a particular degree course and the results were shared in plenary. Professional competencies for the three essential public health functions were indentified in all the degrees, except teaching, optics and optometry, and social work. Some of the competencies included in degrees in nursing, teaching, human nutrition and dietetics, and social work were rewritten to highlight the role of each type of professional in public health functions. The groups agreed on the introductory topics (basic concepts and health determinants) and intervention strategies. Common competencies and contents were identified in graduate programs. Updating public health contents in graduate programs would help to define and promote the profile of public health professionals. Copyright © 2011 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

The Relationship between Counselors' Multicultural Counseling Competence and Poverty Beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Madeline; Moe, Jeff; Hays, Danica G.

2017-01-01

The authors explored the relationship between counselors' multicultural counseling competence (MCC), poverty beliefs, and select demographic factors. Results of hierarchical linear regressions indicate that MCC is predictive of counselor individualistic and structural poverty beliefs. Implications for counselor multicultural training and immersion…

Identification of HDA15-PIF1 as a key repression module directing the transcriptional network of seed germination in the dark.

Science.gov (United States)

Gu, Dachuan; Chen, Chia-Yang; Zhao, Minglei; Zhao, Linmao; Duan, Xuewu; Duan, Jun; Wu, Keqiang; Liu, Xuncheng

2017-07-07

Light is a major external factor in regulating seed germination. Photoreceptor phytochrome B (PHYB) plays a predominant role in promoting seed germination in the initial phase after imbibition, partially by repressing phytochrome-interacting factor1 (PIF1). However, the mechanism underlying the PHYB-PIF1-mediated transcription regulation remains largely unclear. Here, we identified that histone deacetylase15 (HDA15) is a negative component of PHYB-dependent seed germination. Overexpression of HDA15 in Arabidopsis inhibits PHYB-dependent seed germination, whereas loss of function of HDA15 increases PHYB-dependent seed germination. Genetic evidence indicated that HDA15 acts downstream of PHYB and represses seed germination dependent on PIF1. Furthermore, HDA15 interacts with PIF1 both in vitro and in vivo. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis revealed that HDA15 and PIF1 co-regulate the transcription of the light-responsive genes involved in multiple hormonal signaling pathways and cellular processes in germinating seeds in the dark. In addition, PIF1 recruits HDA15 to the promoter regions of target genes and represses their expression by decreasing the histone H3 acetylation levels in the dark. Taken together, our analysis uncovered the role of histone deacetylation in the light-regulated seed germination process and identified that HDA15-PIF1 acts as a key repression module directing the transcription network of seed germination. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Contextualizing Competence: Language and LGBT-Based Competency in Health Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossi, Alexis L; Lopez, Eliot J

2017-01-01

Changes in the language and terminology used to refer to individuals identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), as well as how best to discuss issues of sexual and gender identity, can prove challenging for health care providers due to (1) lack of training; (2) interdisciplinary issues; and (3) prejudices on personal and institutional levels. Given the importance of language in the relationship between health care provider and patient as well as the myriad ways in which language can reflect knowledge, skills, and attitudes, we contend that language is both a facilitator and inhibitor of competence. In this article, we discuss language as a means of exhibiting cultural competence as well as the barriers to facilitating this degree of competence. Communicative competence, a concept traditionally used in linguistics, is discussed as a framework for contextualizing LGBT-specific cultural competence in health care. Ideally, a professional will be considered competent once they (1) acquire a foundation in issues associated with LGBT individuals, as well as a basic understanding of appropriate vocabulary' (2) reconcile personal beliefs with their professional role; (3) create an inclusive healthcare environment such that the influence of personal biases does not negatively impact care; and (4) use identifiers suggested by the patient.

Outsourcing competence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bergstra, J.; Delen, G.; van Vlijmen, B.

2011-01-01

The topic of this paper, competences needed for outsourcing, is organized by first providing a generic competence scheme, which is subsequently instantiated to the area of sourcing and outsourcing. Sourcing and outsourcing are positioned as different areas of activity, neither one of which is

Dictyostelium cells bind a secreted autocrine factor that represses cell proliferation

OpenAIRE

Choe, Jonathan M; Bakthavatsalam, Deenadayalan; Phillips, Jonathan E; Gomer, Richard H

2009-01-01

Abstract Background Dictyostelium cells secrete the proteins AprA and CfaD. Cells lacking either AprA or CfaD proliferate faster than wild type, while AprA or CfaD overexpressor cells proliferate slowly, indicating that AprA and CfaD are autocrine factors that repress proliferation. CfaD interacts with AprA and requires the presence of AprA to slow proliferation. To determine if CfaD is necessary for the ability of AprA to slow proliferation, whether AprA binds to cells, and if so whether the...

Epigenetic repression of male gametophyte-specific genes in the Arabidopsis sporophyte

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hoffmann, Robert D; Palmgren, Michael Broberg

2013-01-01

Tissue formation, the identity of cells, and the functions they fulfill, are results of gene regulation. The male gametophyte of plants, pollen, is outstanding in this respect as several hundred genes expressed in pollen are not expressed in the sporophyte. How pollen-specific genes are down......-regulated in the sporophyte has yet to be established. In this study, we have performed a bioinformatics analysis of publicly available genome-wide epigenetics data of several sporophytic tissues. By combining this analysis with DNase I footprinting data, we assessed means by which the repression of pollen-specific genes...

Optimizing sgRNA position markedly improves the efficiency of CRISPR/dCas9-mediated transcriptional repression

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Radzisheuskaya, Aliaksandra; Shlyueva, Daria; Müller, Iris

2016-01-01

CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) represents a newly developed tool for targeted gene repression. It has great application potential for studying gene function and mapping gene regulatory elements. However, the optimal parameters for efficient single guide RNA (sgRNA) design for CRISPRi are not fully...

Informational interference from a competing talker: a thought-provoking but elusive construct

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Valdés-Laribi, Huarda; Wendt, Dorothea; MacDonald, Ewen

. a matched energetic mask, at various signal-tonoise ratios (SNRs). Although object-relative sentences were more demanding than subject-relative sentences, the competing talker did not affect performance more than did energetic mask controls. This pattern was comparable for native and non-native listeners......, and across SNRs. Moreover, individual differences in working memory were not related to differences in the speeded-selection task, regardless of the mask. Eye-tracking and pupillometric versions of this experiment also yielded similar results. Thus, contrary to prior research, we found no evidence...... that a competing talker requires greater processing resources than energetic masking alone. To address this discrepancy, an ongoing study aims to determine whether the semantic content of the competing talker’s utterances modulates attention to the target....

Metaphorical Competence: A Neglected Component of Communicative Competence

Science.gov (United States)

Sabet, Masoud Khalili; Tavakoli, Marjaneh

2016-01-01

The ability to comprehend and use metaphors in L2 which is referred to as metaphorical competence is an important issue in second language acquisition. Metaphors are so pervasive in our life that we might not realize their presence and simply neglect them even in our first language. Different models of communicative competence have been suggested…

Competence feedback improves CBT competence in trainee therapists: A randomized controlled pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Weck, Florian; Kaufmann, Yvonne M; Höfling, Volkmar

2017-07-01

The development and improvement of therapeutic competencies are central aims in psychotherapy training; however, little is known about which training interventions are suitable for the improvement of competencies. In the current pilot study, the efficacy of feedback regarding therapeutic competencies was investigated in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Totally 19 trainee therapists and 19 patients were allocated randomly to a competence feedback group (CFG) or control group (CG). Two experienced clinicians and feedback providers who were blind to the treatment conditions independently evaluated therapeutic competencies on the Cognitive Therapy Scale at five treatment times (i.e., at Sessions 1, 5, 9, 13, and 17). Whereas CFG and CG included regular supervision, only therapists in the CFG additionally received written qualitative and quantitative feedback regarding their demonstrated competencies in conducting CBT during treatment. We found a significant Time × Group interaction effect (η² = .09), which indicates a larger competence increase in the CFG in comparison to the CG. Competence feedback was demonstrated to be suitable for the improvement of therapeutic competencies in CBT. These findings may have important implications for psychotherapy training, clinical practice, and psychotherapy research. However, further research is necessary to ensure the replicability and generalizability of the findings.

32 CFR 776.20 - Competence.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Competence. 776.20 Section 776.20 National... Professional Conduct § 776.20 Competence. (a) Competence. A covered attorney shall provide competent, diligent.... Initial determinations as to competence of a covered USG attorney for a particular assignment shall be...

The Relationship between Clinical Competence and Clinical Self-efficacy among Nursing and Midwifery Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shahla Mohamadirizi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction  Self-efficacy in clinical performance had an important role in applying competencies; also competencies and self-efficacy in clinical performance influenced to quality care of nursing and midwifery students. So the present study aimed to define the relationship between clinical competencies and clinical self-efficacy among nursing and midwifery students. Materials and Methods  This is a cross-sectional study conducted on 150 of nursing and midwifery students in Isfahan University of Medical Science, selected through two stage sampling in 2014. The participant completed questionnaires about personal/ educational characteristics and nursing competencies questionnaire (18 items and clinical self-efficacy scale (37 items. The data were analyzed by, Pearson statistical test, t-test, variance analysis through SPSS version16. Results The results showed that 50% (n=75 and 37.4% (n=56 of nursing and midwifery students had good clinical competence and clinical Self-Efficacy, respectively. Also the mean competencies and self-efficacy in clinical performance scores were 35.05± 1.2 and 76.03± 0.4 respectively. Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there was a positive linear correlation between the score of clinical competence and clinical self-efficacy (P

Midwives’ Professional Competency for Preventing Neonatal Mortality in Disasters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziba Taghizadeh

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Infants are the most vulnerable people with special needs in natural disasters. Since midwives are responsible for providing reproductive health services to infants in disastrous situations, assessing their professional competence is of great importance. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehran, Iran. A total of 361 midwives were selected by cluster sampling method. After giving their informed consents, they participated in the study and completed the researcher-made questionnaire about providing health services to infants in natural disasters. Midwives’ professional competence was investigated through self-assessment in terms of their perceived importance, knowledge, and skill. Then, the data were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Mean(SD total score of professional competency of midwives in providing services to infants in disasters was 91.95(20.2 obtained from 3 subcategories: perceived importance, 39.83(9.55; knowledge, 22.5(5.06; and skill 30.16(6.86. There were significant relationships between the scores of professional competency of midwives with age (P=0.053, degree of education (P=0.028, the workplace (P=0.053, and experience in disaster (P=0.047. About 49.86% of midwives demonstrated middle level of professional competency. The lowest knowledge and skill score were reported in managing common neonatal problems such as asphyxia, sepsis, physical trauma, which requires referral and stability. Conclusion: The average scores of professional competency of midwives to deliver reproductive health service to infants in disasters shows the necessity of related and integrated education. It is recommended that by holding training exercises and simulations, midwives be educated with regard to disasters and how to respond in these situations.

Identifying Factors Associated with Risk Assessment Competencies of Public Health Emergency Responders.

Science.gov (United States)

Hao, Jiejing; Ren, Jiaojiao; Wu, Qunhong; Hao, Yanhua; Sun, Hong; Ning, Ning; Ding, Ding

2017-06-04

This study aimed to better understand the current situation of risk assessment and identify the factors associated with competence of emergency responders in public health risk assessment. The participants were selected by a multi-stage, stratified cluster sampling method in Heilongjiang Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The questionnaires that measured their perceptions on risk assessment competences were administered through the face-to-face survey. A final sample of 1889 staff was obtained. Of this sample, 78.6% of respondents rated their own risk assessment competences as "relatively low", contrasting with 21.4% rated as "relatively high". Most of the respondents (62.7%) did not participate in any risk assessment work. Only 13.7% and 42.7% of respondents reported participating in risk assessment training and were familiar with risk assessment tools. There existed statistical significance between risk assessment-related characteristics of respondents and their self-rated competences scores. Financial support from the government and administrative attention were regarded as the important factors contributing to risk assessment competences of CDC responders. Higher attention should be given to risk assessment training and enhancing the availability of surveillance data. Continuous efforts should be made to remove the financial and technical obstacles to improve the competences of risk assessment for public health emergency responders.

Field-based generation and social validation managers and staff competencies for small community residences.

Science.gov (United States)

Thousand, J S; Burchard, S N; Hasazi, J E

1986-01-01

Characteristics and competencies for four staff positions in community residences for individuals with mental retardation were identified utilizing multiple empirical and deductive methods with field-based practitioners and field-based experts. The more commonly used competency generation methods of expert opinion and job performance analysis generated a high degree of knowledge and skill-based competencies similar to course curricula. Competencies generated by incumbent practitioners through open-ended methods of personal structured interview and critical incident analysis were ones which related to personal style, interpersonal interaction, and humanistic orientation. Although seldom included in staff, paraprofessional, or professional training curricula, these latter competencies include those identified by Carl Rogers as essential for developing an effective helping relationship in a therapeutic situation (i.e., showing liking, interest, and respect for the clients; being able to communicate positive regard to the client). Of 21 core competency statements selected as prerequisites to employment for all four staff positions, the majority (17 of 21) represented interpersonal skills important to working with others, including responsiveness to resident needs, personal valuation of persons with mental retardation, and normalization principles.

Orphan nuclear receptor TLX recruits histone deacetylases to repress transcription and regulate neural stem cell proliferation.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, Guoqiang; Yu, Ruth T; Evans, Ronald M; Shi, Yanhong

2007-09-25

TLX is a transcription factor that is essential for neural stem cell proliferation and self-renewal. However, the molecular mechanism of TLX-mediated neural stem cell proliferation and self-renewal is largely unknown. We show here that TLX recruits histone deacetylases (HDACs) to its downstream target genes to repress their transcription, which in turn regulates neural stem cell proliferation. TLX interacts with HDAC3 and HDAC5 in neural stem cells. The HDAC5-interaction domain was mapped to TLX residues 359-385, which contains a conserved nuclear receptor-coregulator interaction motif IXXLL. Both HDAC3 and HDAC5 have been shown to be recruited to the promoters of TLX target genes along with TLX in neural stem cells. Recruitment of HDACs led to transcriptional repression of TLX target genes, the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, p21(CIP1/WAF1)(p21), and the tumor suppressor gene, pten. Either inhibition of HDAC activity or knockdown of HDAC expression led to marked induction of p21 and pten gene expression and dramatically reduced neural stem cell proliferation, suggesting that the TLX-interacting HDACs play an important role in neural stem cell proliferation. Moreover, expression of a TLX peptide containing the minimal HDAC5 interaction domain disrupted the TLX-HDAC5 interaction. Disruption of this interaction led to significant induction of p21 and pten gene expression and to dramatic inhibition of neural stem cell proliferation. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a mechanism for neural stem cell proliferation through transcriptional repression of p21 and pten gene expression by TLX-HDAC interactions.

Role of the BAHD1 Chromatin-Repressive Complex in Placental Development and Regulation of Steroid Metabolism.

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Goran Lakisic

2016-03-01

Full Text Available BAHD1 is a vertebrate protein that promotes heterochromatin formation and gene repression in association with several epigenetic regulators. However, its physiological roles remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that ablation of the Bahd1 gene results in hypocholesterolemia, hypoglycemia and decreased body fat in mice. It also causes placental growth restriction with a drop of trophoblast glycogen cells, a reduction of fetal weight and a high neonatal mortality rate. By intersecting transcriptome data from murine Bahd1 knockout (KO placentas at stages E16.5 and E18.5 of gestation, Bahd1-KO embryonic fibroblasts, and human cells stably expressing BAHD1, we also show that changes in BAHD1 levels alter expression of steroid/lipid metabolism genes. Biochemical analysis of the BAHD1-associated multiprotein complex identifies MIER proteins as novel partners of BAHD1 and suggests that BAHD1-MIER interaction forms a hub for histone deacetylases and methyltransferases, chromatin readers and transcription factors. We further show that overexpression of BAHD1 leads to an increase of MIER1 enrichment on the inactive X chromosome (Xi. In addition, BAHD1 and MIER1/3 repress expression of the steroid hormone receptor genes ESR1 and PGR, both playing important roles in placental development and energy metabolism. Moreover, modulation of BAHD1 expression in HEK293 cells triggers epigenetic changes at the ESR1 locus. Together, these results identify BAHD1 as a core component of a chromatin-repressive complex regulating placental morphogenesis and body fat storage and suggest that its dysfunction may contribute to several human diseases.

Dominant Repression by Arabidopsis Transcription Factor MYB44 Causes Oxidative Damage and Hypersensitivity to Abiotic Stress

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Helene Persak

2014-02-01

Full Text Available In any living species, stress adaptation is closely linked with major changes of the gene expression profile. As a substrate protein of the rapidly stress-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase MPK3, Arabidopsis transcription factor MYB44 likely acts at the front line of stress-induced re-programming. We recently characterized MYB44 as phosphorylation-dependent positive regulator of salt stress signaling. Molecular events downstream of MYB44 are largely unknown. Although MYB44 binds to the MBSII element in vitro, it has no discernible effect on MBSII-driven reporter gene expression in plant co-transfection assays. This may suggest limited abundance of a synergistic co-regulator. MYB44 carries a putative transcriptional repression (Ethylene responsive element binding factor-associated Amphiphilic Repression, EAR motif. We employed a dominant repressor strategy to gain insights into MYB44-conferred stress resistance. Overexpression of a MYB44-REP fusion markedly compromised salt and drought stress tolerance—the opposite was seen in MYB44 overexpression lines. MYB44-mediated resistance likely results from induction of tolerance-enhancing, rather than from repression of tolerance-diminishing factors. Salt stress-induced accumulation of destructive reactive oxygen species is efficiently prevented in transgenic MYB44, but accelerated in MYB44-REP lines. Furthermore, heterologous overexpression of MYB44-REP caused tissue collapse in Nicotiana. A mechanistic model of MAPK-MYB-mediated enhancement in the antioxidative capacity and stress tolerance is proposed. Genetic engineering of MYB44 variants with higher trans-activating capacity may be a means to further raise stress resistance in crops.

Tcf3 represses Wnt-β-catenin signaling and maintains neural stem cell population during neocortical development.

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Atsushi Kuwahara

Full Text Available During mouse neocortical development, the Wnt-β-catenin signaling pathway plays essential roles in various phenomena including neuronal differentiation and proliferation of neural precursor cells (NPCs. Production of the appropriate number of neurons without depletion of the NPC population requires precise regulation of the balance between differentiation and maintenance of NPCs. However, the mechanism that suppresses Wnt signaling to prevent premature neuronal differentiation of NPCs is poorly understood. We now show that the HMG box transcription factor Tcf3 (also known as Tcf7l1 contributes to this mechanism. Tcf3 is highly expressed in undifferentiated NPCs in the mouse neocortex, and its expression is reduced in intermediate neuronal progenitors (INPs committed to the neuronal fate. We found Tcf3 to be a repressor of Wnt signaling in neocortical NPCs in a reporter gene assay. Tcf3 bound to the promoter of the proneural bHLH gene Neurogenin1 (Neurog1 and repressed its expression. Consistent with this, Tcf3 repressed neuronal differentiation and increased the self-renewal activity of NPCs. We also found that Wnt signal stimulation reduces the level of Tcf3, and increases those of Tcf1 (also known as Tcf7 and Lef1, positive mediators of Wnt signaling, in NPCs. Together, these results suggest that Tcf3 antagonizes Wnt signaling in NPCs, thereby maintaining their undifferentiated state in the neocortex and that Wnt signaling promotes the transition from Tcf3-mediated repression to Tcf1/Lef1-mediated enhancement of Wnt signaling, constituting a positive feedback loop that facilitates neuronal differentiation.

Socialization of Perceived Academic Competence among Highly Competent Children.

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Phillips, Deborah A.

1987-01-01

Academically competent third-graders and their parents were studied to (1) determine whether the illusion of incompetence documented in fifth graders appears in younger children; and (2) examine the influence that parents exert on their children's development of self-perceptions of academic competence. (PCB)

Cell type-specific translational repression of Cyclin B during meiosis in males.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Catherine Craig; Gim, Byung Soo; Fuller, Margaret T

2015-10-01

The unique cell cycle dynamics of meiosis are controlled by layers of regulation imposed on core mitotic cell cycle machinery components by the program of germ cell development. Although the mechanisms that regulate Cdk1/Cyclin B activity in meiosis in oocytes have been well studied, little is known about the trans-acting factors responsible for developmental control of these factors in male gametogenesis. During meiotic prophase in Drosophila males, transcript for the core cell cycle protein Cyclin B1 (CycB) is expressed in spermatocytes, but the protein does not accumulate in spermatocytes until just before the meiotic divisions. Here, we show that two interacting proteins, Rbp4 and Fest, expressed at the onset of spermatocyte differentiation under control of the developmental program of male gametogenesis, function to direct cell type- and stage-specific repression of translation of the core G2/M cell cycle component cycB during the specialized cell cycle of male meiosis. Binding of Fest to Rbp4 requires a 31-amino acid region within Rbp4. Rbp4 and Fest are required for translational repression of cycB in immature spermatocytes, with Rbp4 binding sequences in a cell type-specific shortened form of the cycB 3' UTR. Finally, we show that Fest is required for proper execution of meiosis I. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Ultrasonography for rheumatologists: the development of specific competency based educational outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, A K; O'Connor, P J; Roberts, T E; Wakefield, R J; Karim, Z; Emery, P

2006-05-01

A competency based approach to the education of rheumatologists in musculoskeletal ultrasonography (MSK US) ensures standards are documented, transparent, accountable, and defensible, with clear benefit to all stakeholders. Specific competency outcomes will facilitate informed development of a common curriculum and structured programme of training and assessment. To determine explicit competency based learning outcomes for rheumatologists undertaking MSK US. International experts in MSK US, satisfying specific selection criteria, were asked to define the minimum standards required by a rheumatologist to be judged competent in MSK US. They reviewed 115 MSK US skills, comprising bone and soft tissue pathology, in seven joints regions of the upper and lower limbs, and rated their relative importance according to specific criteria. These data are presented as specific educational outcomes within designated competency categories. 57 expert MSK US practitioners were identified and 35 took part in this study. Ten generic core competency outcomes were recognised including physics, anatomy, technique, and interpretation. Regarding specific regional competencies, 53% (61/115) were considered "must know" core learning outcomes, largely comprising inflammatory joint/tendon/bone pathology and guided procedures; 45% (52/115) were required at an intermediate/advanced level (18/115 "should know", 34/115 "could know"), and 2% (2/115) were deemed inappropriate/unnecessary for rheumatologist ultrasonographers. This is the first study to developing a competency model for the education of rheumatologists in MSK US based on the evidence of international experts. A specific set of learning outcomes has been defined, which will facilitate future informed education and practice development and provide a blueprint for a structured rheumatology MSK US curriculum and assessment process.

Competing intelligent search agents in global optimization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Streltsov, S.; Vakili, P. [Boston Univ., MA (United States); Muchnik, I. [Rutgers Univ., Piscataway, NJ (United States)

1996-12-31

In this paper we present a new search methodology that we view as a development of intelligent agent approach to the analysis of complex system. The main idea is to consider search process as a competition mechanism between concurrent adaptive intelligent agents. Agents cooperate in achieving a common search goal and at the same time compete with each other for computational resources. We propose a statistical selection approach to resource allocation between agents that leads to simple and efficient on average index allocation policies. We use global optimization as the most general setting that encompasses many types of search problems, and show how proposed selection policies can be used to improve and combine various global optimization methods.

Competency profile of Fitness Instructor

OpenAIRE

Peterová, Marta

2011-01-01

Title: COMPETENCY PROFILE OF FITNESS INSTRUCTOR Objectives: The aim of this work is to find out competencies of fitness instructor and make a competency profile, containing competencies, which are important for excellent fitness instructor. Methods: I applied the method of interview and the method of research in my thesis. The interview was used to make a list of competencies of fitness instructor. The research was applied in the final part of making competency profile, for an attestation of ...

Competing risk bias was common in Kaplan-Meier risk estimates published in prominent medical journals.

Science.gov (United States)

van Walraven, Carl; McAlister, Finlay A

2016-01-01

Risk estimates from Kaplan-Meier curves are well known to medical researchers, reviewers, and editors. In this study, we determined the proportion of Kaplan-Meier analyses published in prominent medical journals that are potentially biased because of competing events ("competing risk bias"). We randomly selected 100 studies that had at least one Kaplan-Meier analysis and were recently published in prominent medical journals. Susceptibility to competing risk bias was determined by examining the outcome and potential competing events. In susceptible studies, bias was quantified using a previously validated prediction model when the number of outcomes and competing events were given. Forty-six studies (46%) contained Kaplan-Meier analyses susceptible to competing risk bias. Sixteen studies (34.8%) susceptible to competing risk cited the number of outcomes and competing events; in six of these studies (6/16, 37.5%), the outcome risk from the Kaplan-Meier estimate (relative to the true risk) was biased upward by 10% or more. Almost half of Kaplan-Meier analyses published in medical journals are susceptible to competing risk bias and may overestimate event risk. This bias was found to be quantitatively important in a third of such studies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

HRD Interventions, Employee Competencies and Organizational Effectiveness: An Empirical Study

Science.gov (United States)

Potnuru, Rama Krishna Gupta; Sahoo, Chandan Kumar

2016-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine the impact of human resource development (HRD) interventions on organizational effectiveness by means of employee competencies which are built by some of the selected HRD interventions. Design/methodology/approach: An integrated research model has been developed by combining the principal factors…

Competency assessments for nuclear industry personnel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-04-01

In 1996, the IAEA published Technical Reports Series No. 380, Nuclear Power Plant Personnel Training and its Evaluation: A Guidebook. This publication provides guidance for the development, implementation and evaluation of training programmes for all nuclear power plant personnel using the systematic approach to training (SAT) methodology. The SAT methodology has since been adopted and used for the development and implementation of training programmes for all types of nuclear facility and activities in the nuclear industry. The IAEA Technical Working Group on Training and Qualification of Nuclear Power Plant Personnel recommended that an additional publication be prepared to provide further guidance concerning competency assessments used for measuring the knowledge, skills and attitudes of personnel as the result of training. This publication has been prepared in response to that recommendation. A critical component of SAT (as part of the implementation phase) is the assessment of whether personnel have achieved the standards identified in the training objectives. The nuclear industry spends a significant amount of resources conducting competency assessments. Competency assessments are used for employee selection, trainee assessment, qualification, requalification and authorization (in some Member States the terminology may be 'certification' or 'licensing'), and job advancement and promotion. Ineffective testing methods and procedures, or inappropriate interpretation of test results, can have significant effects on both human performance and nuclear safety. Test development requires unique skills and, as with any skill, training and experience are needed to develop and improve them. Test item and examination development, use, interpretation of results and examination refinement, like all other aspects of SAT, should be part of an ongoing, systematic process. This publication is primarily intended for use by personnel responsible for developing and administering

Competency Standards for Bachelor of Industrial Technology Graduates for the Construction Industry in Region IV-A: Inputs For Curriculum Enhancement

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George P. Compasivo

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study was to develop competency standards for Industrial Technology graduates for employment in the construction industry in Region IV-A, Philippines. It specifically identified the basic and core competency standards for industrial technology and determined the degree of importance of competencies needed in the construction industry sector. The study identified 28 common competencies for three areas of specializations in industrial technology namely: electrical, civil and drafting technology. There were 39 core competencies for electrical, 31 for drafting and 38 items for civil technology. A total of 50 panel of experts were carefully selected using the purposive sampling as respondents in the study. Experts are selected based on their technical know-how or proficiency and currently practicing their line of profession in the construction industry. The study used the descriptive-developmental method of research. The Delphi technique was applied to determine if the competency under investigation reached the general agreement of opinions by the panel of experts involved. The findings implied that the newly developed competency standards were good input for curriculum enhancement in the area of civil, drafting and electrical technology. The study recommended the newly developed competencies may be followed by the faculty in the course they teach and the new competency items suggested by the panel of experts for inclusion in the curriculum for the three areas of specializations may be considered during the curriculum revision.

Andrei Sakharov Prize Talk: Supporting Repressed Scientists: Continuing Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Birman, Joseph L.

2010-02-01

Some years ago, Max Perutz asked ``By What Right Do We Scientists Invoke Human Rights?" My presentation will start with mentioning actions of the international community which relate to this question. Such action as the creation in 1919 of the International Research Council, and continuing on to the present with the UN sanctioned International Council of Scientific Unions [ICSU], and other Committees such as those formed by APS, CCS, NYAS, AAAS which give support to repressed scientists around the world now. My own work has attempted to combine my individual initiatives with work as a member and officer of these groups. Together with like minded colleagues who are deeply affected when colleagues are discharged from their positions, exiled, imprisoned and subject to brutal treatment, often after mock ``trials", we react. On visits in 1968 to conferences in Budapest, and then in 1969 to Moscow, Tallin and Leningrad I became personally and deeply touched by the lives of colleagues who were seriously constrained by living under dictatorships. I could move freely into and out of their countries,speak openly about my work or any other matter. They could not, under penalty of possibly serious punishment. Yet, I felt these people were like my extended family. If my grandparents had not left Eastern Europe for the USA in the late 189Os our situations could have been reversed. A little later in the 197O's, ``refusenik" and ``dissident" scientists in the USSR needed support. Colleagues like Andrei Sakharov, Naum Meiman, Mark Azbel, Yakov Alpert, Yuri Orlov and others were being punished for exercising their rights under the UN sanctioned international protocals on ``Universality of Science and Free Circulation of Scientists". Their own governments [which signed these agreements] ignored the very protections they had supported. On frequent trips to the USSR during the 7Os,and 8Os I also seized the opportunity for ``individual initiative" to help these colleagues. I asked for

Strategies for developing competency models.

Science.gov (United States)

Marrelli, Anne F; Tondora, Janis; Hoge, Michael A

2005-01-01

There is an emerging trend within healthcare to introduce competency-based approaches in the training, assessment, and development of the workforce. The trend is evident in various disciplines and specialty areas within the field of behavioral health. This article is designed to inform those efforts by presenting a step-by-step process for developing a competency model. An introductory overview of competencies, competency models, and the legal implications of competency development is followed by a description of the seven steps involved in creating a competency model for a specific function, role, or position. This modeling process is drawn from advanced work on competencies in business and industry.

Prediction of nurses\\' job satisfaction by their emotional intelligence and competence

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Azarmidokht Rezaie

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Nurses play a crucial role in providing health care services in hospitals. Therefore, factors affecting job satisfaction of nurses are critical and important issues for study. The purpose of this research was to predict job satisfaction by emotional intelligence and competence among nurses working in central hospital of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences. Material and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 132 nurses working in main hospital of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences were selected and studied using census sampling. For data collection, a set of valid and reliable instruments including Shiberiyashring’s Emotional Intelligence Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale and Nurse Competence Scale were administered. The hypotheses were tested using linear Regression and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The findings of linear regression analysis showed that emotional intelligence component of empathy and social skills predicted the job satisfaction changes but none of competence domains had predictive power of job satisfaction. The results showed that there was a significant relationship between emotional intelligence and Job satisfaction but there was no significant relationship between competence and job satisfaction. Conclusion: Results indicated that component of emotional intelligence like empathy and social skills are good predictors for nurses' job satisfaction but competence cannot predict job satisfaction.

EFFECT OF LEARNING CULTURE, EMPOWERMENT, AND CYBER SKILL COMPETENCY ON SELF-ENGAGEMENT EMPLOYEES

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S.R.M. Indah Permata Sari

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this research is to comprehensively about the effect of learning culture, empowerment, and cyber skill competence on self engagement of the employee in Directorate General of Potential for Defense Ministry of Defense Republic of Indonesia. The research methodology was survey with path analysis applied in testing hypothesis. It was conducted to 150 employees from population 241 employee who was selected in simple random way.Analysis and interpretation of data indicate that (1 learning culture has a positive direct effect in self engagement, (2 empowerment has a positive direct effect in self engagement, (3 cyber skill competence has a positive direct effect in self engagement, (4 learning culture has a positive direct effect in cyber skill competence, (5 empowerment has a positive direct effect in cyber skill competence, and (6 learning culture has a positive direct effect in empowerment

Intercultural Communication Ethics and Communication Competence%Intercultural Communication Ethics and Communication Competence

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

时婷洁

2012-01-01

This paper investigates intercultural communication ethics is a vital element to promote intercultural communication competence. Firstly, it defines the concept of intercultural communication ethics; Secondly, it illustrates the relation between ethics and the key point of intercultural communication competence; and finally addresses how intercultural communication ethics can improve intercultural communication competence.

Competencies required for occupational health nurses.

Science.gov (United States)

Kono, Keiko; Goto, Yuki; Hatanaka, Junko; Yoshikawa, Etsuko

2017-11-25

For occupational health (OH) nurses to perform activities effectively, not only skills and knowledge but also competencies proposed by Dr. McClelland are indispensable. This study aimed to identify competencies required for OH nurses and to show their structure diagram. Qualitative descriptive research was conducted from October 2010 to August 2011. Eight high-performing OH nurses participated, and data were collected from semi-structured interviews held for each nurse. Data were qualitatively and inductively analyzed using the KJ method. Seven competencies were identified: "self-growth competency," "OH nursing essence perpetuation competency," "strategic planning and duty fulfillment competency," "coordination competency," "client growth support competency," "team empowerment competency," and "creative competency." A structure diagram of the seven competencies was clarified. As the definitions of the competencies were different, the findings of competencies for OH nursing in the United States of America (USA) could not simply be compared with the findings of our study; however, all seven competencies were compatible with those in AAOHN model 1 and AAOHN model 2 in the USA. Our seven competencies are essential for OH nurses to perform activities that meet the expectations of employees and the employer.

Assessing the critical behavioral competencies of outstanding managed care primary care physicians.

Science.gov (United States)

Duberman, T L

1999-03-01

This study used job competence assessment to identify the behavioral characteristics that distinguish outstanding job performances of primary care physicians (PCPs) within a network-model HMO. Primary care physicians were chosen for the study based on six standard performance measures: (1) member satisfaction, (2) utilization, (3) patient complaints, (4) emergency room referrals, (5) out-of-network referrals, and (6) medical record completeness. Outstanding PCPs (N = 16) were identified as those performing within one standard deviation above the mean on all six of the performance measures. A control group of typical PCPs (N = 10) was selected from those performing outside the peer group mean on at least two performance measures. Subjects were administered the Behavioral Event Interview and the Picture Story Exercise. Higher overall competency levels of achievement orientation, concern for personal influence, empathic caregiving, and empowerment drive distinguished outstanding from typical PCPs. Outstanding PCPs also had higher overall frequency of competency in building team effectiveness and interpersonal understanding when compared with typical PCPs. This study suggests that PCP performance is the product of measurable competencies that are potentially amenable to improvement. Competency assessment and development of PCPs may benefit both organizational efficiency and physician and patient satisfaction.

Recovery of Repressed Memories in Fibromyalgia Patients Treated With Hyperbaric Oxygen – Case Series Presentation and Suggested Bio-Psycho-Social Mechanism

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Shai Efrati

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS is a condition considered to represent a prototype of central sensitization syndrome, characterized by chronic widespread pain and along with symptoms of fatigue, non-restorative sleep and cognitive difficulties. FMS can be induced by trauma, infection or emotional stress with cumulative evidence that dissociation is relatively frequent in FMS patients. Two randomized controlled trials have shown that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT can induce neuroplasticity and be effective in patients suffering from FMS. In this paper we present, for the first time, case series of female fibromyalgia patients who, in the course of HBOT, suddenly recalled repressed traumatic memories of childhood sexual abuse (CSA. The surfacing of the repressed (dissociative memories decades after the sexual abuse events was sudden and utterly surprising. No psychological intervention was involved. As the memories surfaced, the physical pain related to FMS subsided. In one patient who had brain single photon emission CT (SPECT before and after HBOT, the prefrontal cortex appeared suppressed before and reactivated after. The 3 cases reported in this article are representative of a total of nine fibromyalgia patients who experienced a retrieval of repressed memory during HBOT. These cases provide insights on dissociative amnesia and suggested mechanism hypothesis that is further discussed in the article. Obviously, prospective studies cannot be planned since patients are not aware of their repressed memories. However, it is very important to keep in mind the possibility of surfacing memories when treating fibromyalgia patients with HBOT or other interventions capable of awakening dormant brain regions.

Developing cultural competence and social responsibility in preclinical dental students.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubin, Richard W

2004-04-01

Dental student development of cultural competence and social responsibility is recognized by educators as an important element in the overall shaping of minds and attitudes of modem dental practitioners. Yet training modalities to achieve these competencies are not clearly defined, and outcome measurements are elusive. This article shows an effective method to meet these desired outcomes. Sixty-one freshmen (class of 2005) participated in forty hours of nondental community service, and reflective journals were completed by the end of second year. Competency outcomes were measured by selecting key words and phrases found in the individual journals. Key phrases were related to compassion, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom. Also, phrases had to be accompanied by written indications of direct program causation. The combination of active-learning (based upon service learning models) in public health settings outside of the dental realm, accompanied by reflective journaling, enhanced cultural understanding and community spirit in the majority of students.

A feedback regulatory model for RifQ-mediated repression of rifamycin export in Amycolatopsis mediterranei.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei, Chao; Wang, Jingzhi; Liu, Yuanyuan; Liu, Xinqiang; Zhao, Guoping; Wang, Jin

2018-01-29

Due to the important role of rifamycin in curing tuberculosis infection, the study on rifamycin has never been stopped. Although RifZ, which locates within the rifamycin biosynthetic cluster, has recently been characterized as a pathway-specific regulator for rifamycin biosynthesis, little is known about the regulation of rifamycin export. In this work, we proved that the expression of the rifamycin efflux pump (RifP) was regulated by RifQ, a TetR-family transcriptional regulator. Deletion of rifQ had little impact on bacterial growth, but resulted in improved rifamycin production, which was consistent with the reverse transcription PCR results that RifQ negatively regulated rifP's transcription. With electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I Footprinting assay, RifQ was found to directly bind to the promoter region of rifP, and a typical inverted repeat was identified within the RifQ-protected sequences. The transcription initiation site of rifP was further characterized and found to be upstream of the RifQ binding sites, well explaining the RifQ-mediated repression of rifP's transcription in vivo. Moreover, rifamycin B (the end product of rifamycin biosynthesis) remarkably decreased the DNA binding affinity of RifQ, which led to derepression of rifamycin export, reducing the intracellular concentration of rifamycin B as well as its toxicity against the host. Here, we proved that the export of rifamycin B was repressed by RifQ in Amycolatopsis mediterranei, and the RifQ-mediated repression could be specifically relieved by rifamycin B, the end product of rifamycin biosynthesis, based on which a feedback model was proposed for regulation of rifamycin export. With the findings here, one could improve the antibiotic yield by simply inactivating the negative regulator of the antibiotic transporter.

H-NS represses transcription of the flagellin gene lafA of lateral flagella in Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yan; Zhang, Yiquan; Yin, Zhe; Wang, Jie; Zhu, Yongzhe; Peng, Haoran; Zhou, Dongsheng; Qi, Zhongtian; Yang, Wenhui

2018-01-01

Swarming motility is ultimately mediated by the proton-powered lateral flagellar (laf) system in Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Expression of laf genes is tightly regulated by a number of environmental conditions and regulatory factors. The nucleoid-associated DNA-binding protein H-NS is a small and abundant protein that is widely distributed in bacteria, and H-NS-like protein-dependent expression of laf genes has been identified in Vibrio cholerae and V. parahaemolyticus. The data presented here show that H-NS acts as a repressor of the swarming motility in V. parahaemolyticus. A single σ 28 -dependent promoter was detected for lafA encoding the flagellin of the lateral flagella, and its activity was directly repressed by H-NS. Thus, H-NS represses swarming motility by directly acting on lafA. Briefly, this work revealed a novel function for H-NS as a repressor of the expression of lafA and swarming motility in V. parahaemolyticus.

Allele-Specific DNA Methylation and Its Interplay with Repressive Histone Marks at Promoter-Mutant TERT Genes

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Josh Lewis Stern

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A mutation in the promoter of the Telomerase Reverse Transcriptase (TERT gene is the most frequent noncoding mutation in cancer. The mutation drives unusual monoallelic expression of TERT, allowing immortalization. Here, we find that DNA methylation of the TERT CpG island (CGI is also allele-specific in multiple cancers. The expressed allele is hypomethylated, which is opposite to cancers without TERT promoter mutations. The continued presence of Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2 on the inactive allele suggests that histone marks of repressed chromatin may be causally linked to high DNA methylation. Consistent with this hypothesis, TERT promoter DNA containing 5-methyl-CpG has much increased affinity for PRC2 in vitro. Thus, CpG methylation and histone marks appear to collaborate to maintain the two TERT alleles in different epigenetic states in TERT promoter mutant cancers. Finally, in several cancers, DNA methylation levels at the TERT CGI correlate with altered patient survival.

Core principles of assessment in competency-based medical education.

Science.gov (United States)

Lockyer, Jocelyn; Carraccio, Carol; Chan, Ming-Ka; Hart, Danielle; Smee, Sydney; Touchie, Claire; Holmboe, Eric S; Frank, Jason R

2017-06-01

The meaningful assessment of competence is critical for the implementation of effective competency-based medical education (CBME). Timely ongoing assessments are needed along with comprehensive periodic reviews to ensure that trainees continue to progress. New approaches are needed to optimize the use of multiple assessors and assessments; to synthesize the data collected from multiple assessors and multiple types of assessments; to develop faculty competence in assessment; and to ensure that relationships between the givers and receivers of feedback are appropriate. This paper describes the core principles of assessment for learning and assessment of learning. It addresses several ways to ensure the effectiveness of assessment programs, including using the right combination of assessment methods and conducting careful assessor selection and training. It provides a reconceptualization of the role of psychometrics and articulates the importance of a group process in determining trainees' progress. In addition, it notes that, to reach its potential as a driver in trainee development, quality care, and patient safety, CBME requires effective information management and documentation as well as ongoing consideration of ways to improve the assessment system.

Retinoids repress Ah receptor CYP1A1 induction pathway through the SMRT corepressor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fallone, Frederique; Villard, Pierre-Henri; Seree, Eric; Rimet, Odile; Nguyen, Quock Binh; Bourgarel-Rey, Veronique; Fouchier, Francis; Barra, Yves; Durand, Alain; Lacarelle, Bruno

2004-01-01

CYP1A1 isoform is mainly regulated by the transcription factor AhR and to a lesser extent by the nuclear receptor RAR. The effect of a coexposure with 3MC, a AhR ligand, and RA, a RAR ligand, which are, respectively, strong and weak CYP1A1 inducers, is poorly known. We showed in Caco-2 cells that addition of RA significantly decreased 3MC-induced CYP1A1 expression by -55% for mRNA level and -30% for promoter and enzymatic activities. We further showed that RA decreased AhR protein level. Moreover, a physical interaction between AhR and the RAR-corepressor SMRT has been described in vitro. Using the corepressor inhibitor TSA, transfected-cells with SMRT cDNA, and coimmunoprecipitation experiments, we demonstrated that RA addition repressed AhR function through a marked AhR/SMRT physical interaction. This interaction explains the decrease of 3MC-induced CYP1A1 expression. This new mechanism involving the repression of AhR-induced CYP1A1 expression by retinoids allows better knowledge of the CYP1A1 regulation

Functional Analysis of the Nitrogen Metabolite Repression Regulator Gene nmrA in Aspergillus flavus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoyun Han

2016-11-01

Full Text Available In Aspergillus nidulans, the nitrogen metabolite repression regulator NmrA plays a major role in regulating the activity of the GATA transcription factor AreA during nitrogen metabolism. However, the function of nmrA in Aspergillus flavus has notbeen previously studied. Here, we report the identification and functional analysis of nmrA in A. flavus. Our work showed that the amino acid sequences of NmrA are highly conserved among Aspergillus species and that A. flavus NmrA protein contains a canonical Rossmann fold motif. Deletion of nmrA slowed the growth of A. flavus but significantly increased conidiation and sclerotia production. Moreover, seed infection experiments indicated that nmrA is required for the invasive virulence of A. flavus. In addition, the ΔnmrA mutant showed increased sensitivity to rapamycin and methyl methanesulfonate, suggesting that nmrA could be responsive to target of rapamycin signaling and DNA damage. Furthermore, quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis suggested that nmrA might interact with other nitrogen regulatory and catabolic genes. Our study provides a better understanding of nitrogen metabolite repression and the nitrogen metabolism network in fungi.

Competence without a competence pheromone in a natural isolate of Streptococcus infantis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ween, O; Teigen, S; Gaustad, P

2002-01-01

C and a two-component regulatory system encoded by comDE. Here we report that a natural isolate of a mitis group streptococcus (Atu-4) is competent for genetic transformation even though it has lost the gene encoding the competence pheromone. In contrast to other strains, induction of competence in Atu-4...

Nitric oxide inhibits larval settlement in Amphibalanus amphitrite cyprids by repressing muscle locomotion and molting

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Gen

2015-08-28

Nitric oxide (NO) is a universal signaling molecule and plays a negative role in the metamorphosis of many biphasic organisms. Recently, the NO/NO (cyclic guanosine monophosphate) signaling pathway was reported to repress larval settlement in the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite. To understand the underlying molecular mechanism, we analyzed changes in the proteome of A. amphitrite cyprids in response to different concentrations of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 62.5, 250 and 1000 μM) using a label-free proteomics method. Compared with the control, the expression of 106 proteins differed in all three treatments. These differentially expressed proteins were assigned to 13 pathways based on KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. SNP treatment stimulated the expression of heat shock proteins and arginine kinase, which are functionally related to NO synthases, increased the expression levels of glutathione transferases for detoxification, and activated the iron-mediated fatty acid degradation pathway and the citrate cycle through ferritin. Moreover, NO repressed the level of myosins and cuticular proteins, which indicated that NO might inhibit larval settlement in A. amphitrite by modulating the process of muscle locomotion and molting.

Nitric oxide inhibits larval settlement in Amphibalanus amphitrite cyprids by repressing muscle locomotion and molting

KAUST Repository

Zhang, Gen; Wong, Yue-Him; Zhang, Yu; He, Li-sheng; Xu, Ying; Qian, Pei-Yuan

2015-01-01

Nitric oxide (NO) is a universal signaling molecule and plays a negative role in the metamorphosis of many biphasic organisms. Recently, the NO/NO (cyclic guanosine monophosphate) signaling pathway was reported to repress larval settlement in the barnacle Amphibalanus amphitrite. To understand the underlying molecular mechanism, we analyzed changes in the proteome of A. amphitrite cyprids in response to different concentrations of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 62.5, 250 and 1000 μM) using a label-free proteomics method. Compared with the control, the expression of 106 proteins differed in all three treatments. These differentially expressed proteins were assigned to 13 pathways based on KEGG pathway enrichment analysis. SNP treatment stimulated the expression of heat shock proteins and arginine kinase, which are functionally related to NO synthases, increased the expression levels of glutathione transferases for detoxification, and activated the iron-mediated fatty acid degradation pathway and the citrate cycle through ferritin. Moreover, NO repressed the level of myosins and cuticular proteins, which indicated that NO might inhibit larval settlement in A. amphitrite by modulating the process of muscle locomotion and molting.

Exploration of a leadership competency model for medical school faculties in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Yong Seok; Oh, Dong Keun; Kim, Myungun; Lee, Yoon Seong; Shin, Jwa Seop

2010-12-01

To adapt to rapid and turbulent changes in the field of medicine, education, and society, medical school faculties need appropriate leadership. To develop leadership competencies through education, coaching, and mentoring, we need a leadership competency model. The purpose of this study was to develop a new leadership competency model that is suitable for medical school faculties in Korea. To collect behavioral episodes with regard to leadership, we interviewed 54 subjects (faculties, residents, nurses) and surveyed 41 faculties with open-ended questionnaires. We classified the behavioral episodes based on Quinn and Cameron's leadership competency model and developed a Likert scale questionnaire to perform a confirmatory factor analysis. Two hundred seven medical school faculties responded to the questionnaire. The competency clusters that were identified by factor analysis were professionalism, citizenship, leadership, and membership to an organization. Accordingly, each cluster was linked with a dimension: self, society, team (that he/she is leading), and organization (to which he/she belongs). The clusters of competencies were: professional ability, ethics/morality, self-management, self-development, and passion; public interest, networking, social participation, and active service; motivating, caring, promoting teamwork, nurturing, conflict management, directing, performance management, and systems thinking; organizational orientation, collaboration, voluntary participation, and cost-benefit orientation. This competency model that fits medical school faculties in Korea can be used to design and develop selection plans, education programs, feedback tools, diagnostic evaluation tools, and career plan support programs.

Towards a framework of nuclear competencies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghitescu, P.

2012-01-01

selection, student interview for development of individual training plan, start of the training activities under a specific training scheme. The introduction and recognition of ECVET will lead to a common taxonomy of competencies, and will provide also information about qualifications and units in numerical form, enabling mutual recognition of a training scheme. The description of the learning outcomes to be achieved for qualifying to a specific job profile may follow the analysis phase of the systematic approach to training (SAT). This would ensure a common tool, already used by all trainers. All these steps contribute to establishing of a framework of nuclear competencies recognized and accepted throughout member states. (authors)

Towards a framework of nuclear competencies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ghitescu, P. [Univ. Politehnica Bucharest, Spl. Independentei 313, 060042 (Romania)

2012-07-01

prerequisites and student selection, student interview for development of individual training plan, start of the training activities under a specific training scheme. The introduction and recognition of ECVET will lead to a common taxonomy of competencies, and will provide also information about qualifications and units in numerical form, enabling mutual recognition of a training scheme. The description of the learning outcomes to be achieved for qualifying to a specific job profile may follow the analysis phase of the systematic approach to training (SAT). This would ensure a common tool, already used by all trainers. All these steps contribute to establishing of a framework of nuclear competencies recognized and accepted throughout member states. (authors)

Nurses' professional competency and organizational commitment: Is it important for human resource management?

Science.gov (United States)

Karami, Abbas; Farokhzadian, Jamileh; Foroughameri, Golnaz

2017-01-01

Professional competency is a fundamental concept in nursing, which has a direct relationship with quality improvement of patient care and public health. Organizational commitment as a kind of affective attachment or sense of loyalty to the organization is an effective factor for professional competency. This study was conducted to evaluate the nurses´ professional competency and their organizational commitment as well as the relationship between these two concepts. This descriptive-analytic study was conducted at the hospitals affiliated with a University of Medical Sciences, in the southeast of Iran in 2016. The sample included 230 nurses who were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were gathered by three questionnaires including socio-demographic information, competency inventory for registered nurse (CIRN) and Allen Meyer's organizational commitment. Results showed that professional competency (Mean±SD: 2.82±0.53, range: 1.56-4.00) and organizational commitment (Mean±SD: 72.80±4.95, range: 58-81) of the nurses were at moderate levels. There was no statistically significant correlation between professional competency and organizational commitment (ρ = 0.02; p = 0.74). There were significant differences in professional competency based on marital status (p = 0.03) and work experience (pcommitted to their organizations. Developing professional competency and organizational commitment is vital, but not easy. This study suggests that human resource managers should pursue appropriate strategies to enhance the professional competency and organizational commitment of their nursing staff. It is necessary to conduct more comprehensive studies for exploring the status and gaps in the human resource management of healthcare in different cultures and contexts.

From Overcoming the fear to Protest, to using Fear as a repressive strategy towards the 15M movement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clara Camps Calvet

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this article we analyse the police repression strategies that were developed around the emergence of the 15M movement in Barcelona, which was an important turning point for protest and repression. Through press reviews, discussion groups and interviews we empirically contribute to previous theoretical studies that deal with strategies for policing protests. We recognize that "strategic incapacitation" is a new style of policing protests that has taken hold in the last decade. However, we reflect on the importance of understanding this new strategy, within an increasingly more punitive state under transformation, that creates enemies to erode the rights of most the population. In the case of the protests, this also seeks to create fear and consequently tries to dismantle and wear down current and potential participants of social movements.

Perceived competence and attitudes towards patients with suicidal behaviour: a survey of general practitioners, psychiatrists and internists

OpenAIRE

Grimholt, Tine K; Haavet, Ole R; Jacobsen, Dag; Sandvik, Leiv; Ekeberg, Oivind

2014-01-01

Background Competence and attitudes to suicidal behaviour among physicians are important to provide high-quality care for a large patient group. The aim was to study different physicians’ attitudes towards suicidal behaviour and their perceived competence to care for suicidal patients. Methods A random selection (n = 750) of all registered General Practitioners, Psychiatrists and Internists in Norway ...

Physical fitness in children with high motor competence is different from that in children with low motor competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Haga, Monika

2009-10-01

Physical therapists often treat children with low motor competence. Earlier studies have demonstrated poor physical fitness outcomes and a reduced level of physical activity for these children compared with their peers with normal motor skills. The aim of this study was to examine how physical fitness developed over time in 2 groups of children: those with a low level of competence in motor skills (low motor competence [LMC]), and those with a high level of competence in motor skills (high motor competence [HMC]). From an initial sample of 67 children, a group of 18 was identified as having HMC or LMC on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children and was selected for the present study. Eight children (3 girls and 5 boys) comprised the LMC group, and 10 children (4 girls and 6 boys) made up the HMC group. A longitudinal design was implemented, and physical fitness in the 2 groups was evaluated by measuring different fitness components over a period of 32 months. A mixed-effects analysis of variance revealed significant main effects for group and for time but no group x time interaction effect. The LMC group performed less well on all physical fitness measures than the HMC group, and both groups scored significantly higher on the physical fitness test after a period of 32 months. The lack of a significant interaction effect indicated that the relative differences in physical fitness outcomes between the groups were relatively constant over time. This study was limited by the small sample size and lack of assessment of anthropometric variables and children's perceived self-efficacy. Children with LMC are likely to have poor physical fitness compared with children with HMC. The differences in physical fitness outcomes between the groups were relatively constant over time. Given that various physical fitness components are linked to different health outcomes, these consequences are matters of concern for both current health status and later health status in children

LGBT-Competence in Social Work Education: The Relationship of School Contexts to Student Sexual Minority Competence.

Science.gov (United States)

McCarty-Caplan, David

2018-01-01

This study examined the relationship between master of social work programs' (MSW) support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people (LGBT-competence) and the sexual minority competence (LGB-competence) of social work students. Data were gathered from a sample of MSW program directors, faculty members, and students (N = 1385) within 34 MSW programs in the United States. A series of hierarchical linear models tested if a MSW program's LGBT-competence was associated with the LGB-competence of its students. Results showed a significant relationship between organizational LGBT-competence and individual LGB-competence within schools of social work, and that programs with greater LGBT-competence also had students who felt more competent to work with sexual minorities. These findings suggest schools of social work can take substantive action at an organizational level to improve the professional LGB-competence of future social workers. Implications for social work education are discussed.

Changes in competence of public authorities in connection with final storage pursuant to the omnibus law on site selection; Veraenderte Behoerdenzustaendigkeiten im Zusammenhang mit der Endlagerung gemaess Artikelgesetz zur Standortsuche

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keienburg, Bettina [Kuemmerlein Rechtsanwaelte und Notare, Essen (Germany)

2012-12-15

The omnibus law on site finding and selection for a repository for radioactive waste generating heat, and with amendments to other laws, of June 13, 2012 is to reshuffle fundamentally the competences of public authorities for final storage. The federal government is to assume more responsibilities from former federal state competences. Moreover, most of the existing competences of the Federal Office for Radiation Protection are to be transferred to a federal agency yet to be founded, which is called Federal Office for Nuclear Safety in the present draft legislation. The Federal Office for Radiation Protection will only retain its responsibility as project agent for repositories, and that only in the phases of site exploration and licensing. Afterwards, the duty of final storage in the draft legislation is transferred to a 3rd party. Again in the version of the draft legislation, and unlike present regulations, this 3rd party may only be a company whose sole owner is the federal government, which also is to strengthen the influence of the federal government under aspects of company law. Legislative efforts seeking to strengthen the federal government and its competences by assigning licensing duties for repositories to federal agencies are understandable under feasibility aspects and may even be in the emotional interest of the states and their competent representatives in public authorities who, merely because their work is connected with the disputed topic of final storage, often face attacks and accusations by the public. Nevertheless, the transfer to federal agencies of administrative duties is subject to constitutional limits which must be observed. These constitutional aspects are highlighted in the publication. It is left to the reader to assess the meaningfulness of establishing another independent high-level federal agency in the area of responsibility of the Federal Ministry of the Environment (BMU), i.e. a Federal Office for Nuclear Safety, alongside the

DGCR8 Promotes Neural Progenitor Expansion and Represses Neurogenesis in the Mouse Embryonic Neocortex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadin Hoffmann

2018-04-01

Full Text Available DGCR8 and DROSHA are the minimal functional core of the Microprocessor complex essential for biogenesis of canonical microRNAs and for the processing of other RNAs. Conditional deletion of Dgcr8 and Drosha in the murine telencephalon indicated that these proteins exert crucial functions in corticogenesis. The identification of mechanisms of DGCR8- or DROSHA-dependent regulation of gene expression in conditional knockout mice are often complicated by massive apoptosis. Here, to investigate DGCR8 functions on amplification/differentiation of neural progenitors cells (NPCs in corticogenesis, we overexpress Dgcr8 in the mouse telencephalon, by in utero electroporation (IUEp. We find that DGCR8 promotes the expansion of NPC pools and represses neurogenesis, in absence of apoptosis, thus overcoming the usual limitations of Dgcr8 knockout-based approach. Interestingly, DGCR8 selectively promotes basal progenitor amplification at later developmental stages, entailing intriguing implications for neocortical expansion in evolution. Finally, despite a 3- to 5-fold increase of DGCR8 level in the mouse telencephalon, the composition, target preference and function of the DROSHA-dependent Microprocessor complex remain unaltered. Thus, we propose that DGCR8-dependent modulation of gene expression in corticogenesis is more complex than previously known, and possibly DROSHA-independent.

Unleashing Natural Competence in Lactococcus lactis by Induction of the Competence Regulator ComX

Science.gov (United States)

Mulder, Joyce; Wels, Michiel; Kuipers, Oscar P.; Bron, Peter A.

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT In biotechnological workhorses like Streptococcus thermophilus and Bacillus subtilis, natural competence can be induced, which facilitates genetic manipulation of these microbes. However, in strains of the important dairy starter Lactococcus lactis, natural competence has not been established to date. However, in silico analysis of the complete genome sequences of 43 L. lactis strains revealed complete late competence gene sets in 2 L. lactis subsp. cremoris strains (KW2 and KW10) and at least 10 L. lactis subsp. lactis strains, including the model strain IL1403 and the plant-derived strain KF147. The remainder of the strains, including all dairy isolates, displayed genomic decay in one or more of the late competence genes. Nisin-controlled expression of the competence regulator comX in L. lactis subsp. lactis KF147 resulted in the induction of expression of the canonical competence regulon and elicited a state of natural competence in this strain. In contrast, comX expression in L. lactis NZ9000, which was predicted to encode an incomplete competence gene set, failed to induce natural competence. Moreover, mutagenesis of the comEA-EC operon in strain KF147 abolished the comX-driven natural competence, underlining the involvement of the competence machinery. Finally, introduction of nisin-inducible comX expression into nisRK-harboring derivatives of strains IL1403 and KW2 allowed the induction of natural competence in these strains also, expanding this phenotype to other L. lactis strains of both subspecies. IMPORTANCE Specific bacterial species are able to enter a state of natural competence in which DNA is taken up from the environment, allowing the introduction of novel traits. Strains of the species Lactococcus lactis are very important starter cultures for the fermentation of milk in the cheese production process, where these bacteria contribute to the flavor and texture of the end product. The activation of natural competence in this industrially

eCompetence Case Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Helle Bækkelund

2006-01-01

In this paper we present some details of the processes undertaken in the European eCompetence Initiative. We present two illustrative and representative case studies. The research aims to identify and understand patterns of individual and organisational eCompetence approaches.......In this paper we present some details of the processes undertaken in the European eCompetence Initiative. We present two illustrative and representative case studies. The research aims to identify and understand patterns of individual and organisational eCompetence approaches....

Wild type p53 transcriptionally represses the SALL2 transcription factor under genotoxic stress.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Farkas

Full Text Available SALL2- a member of the Spalt gene family- is a poorly characterized transcription factor found deregulated in various cancers, which suggests it plays a role in the disease. We previously identified SALL2 as a novel interacting protein of neurotrophin receptors and showed that it plays a role in neuronal function, which does not necessarily explain why or how SALL2 is deregulated in cancer. Previous evidences indicate that SALL2 gene is regulated by the WT1 and AP4 transcription factors. Here, we identified SALL2 as a novel downstream target of the p53 tumor suppressor protein. Bioinformatic analysis of the SALL2 gene revealed several putative p53 half sites along the promoter region. Either overexpression of wild-type p53 or induction of the endogenous p53 by the genotoxic agent doxorubicin repressed SALL2 promoter activity in various cell lines. However R175H, R249S, and R248W p53 mutants, frequently found in the tumors of cancer patients, were unable to repress SALL2 promoter activity, suggesting that p53 specific binding to DNA is important for the regulation of SALL2. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay demonstrated binding of p53 to one of the identified p53 half sites in the Sall2 promoter, and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis confirmed in vivo interaction of p53 with the promoter region of Sall2 containing this half site. Importantly, by using a p53ER (TAM knockin model expressing a variant of p53 that is completely dependent on 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen for its activity, we show that p53 activation diminished SALL2 RNA and protein levels during genotoxic cellular stress in primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs and radiosensitive tissues in vivo. Thus, our finding indicates that p53 represses SALL2 expression in a context-specific manner, adding knowledge to the understanding of SALL2 gene regulation, and to a potential mechanism for its deregulation in cancer.