Genomic amplification and oncogenic properties of the KCNK9 potassium channel gene.

Representational difference analysis (RDA) of human breast cancer was used to discover a novel amplicon located at chromosomal region 8q24.3. We examined a series of breast cancer samples harboring amplification of this region and determined that KCNK9 is the sole overexpressed gene within the amplification epicenter. KCNK9 encodes a potassium channel that is amplified from 3-fold to 10-fold in 10% of breast tumors and overexpressed from 5-fold to over 100-fold in 44% of breast tumors. Overexpression of KCNK9 in cell lines promotes tumor formation and confers resistance to both hypoxia and serum deprivation, suggesting that its amplification and overexpression plays a physiologically important role in human breast cancer.

Parenting and caregiving duties as career challenges among clinical microbiologists: a cross-sectional survey.

Aim: To estimate the burden of parenting and caregiving duties among clinical microbiologists in Germany and to identify workplace-related support systems and barriers to engaging in career-relevant activities. Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted. Participants were asked to answer 37 questions, of which 24 specifically addressed parenting and caregiving duties. Results: Only few workplace-related support systems are currently available, and experiences of job-related disadvantages were frequently reported (27 of 47; 57.4%). Main barriers were a lack of flexible working hours and reliable childcare. Sociocultural norms and a lack of role models were perceived as detrimental. Conclusion: More support systems and a credible culture of family friendliness are needed to prevent jeopardizing the academic potential of young parents.

Children's interpretations of general quantifiers, specific quantifiers, and generics.

Recently, several scholars have hypothesized that generics are a default mode of generalization, and thus that young children may at first treat quantifiers as if they were generic in meaning. To address this issue, the present experiment provides the first in-depth, controlled examination of the interpretation of generics compared to both general quantifiers ("all Xs", "some Xs") and specific quantifiers ("all of these Xs", "some of these Xs"). We provided children (3 and 5 years) and adults with explicit frequency information regarding properties of novel categories, to chart when "some", "all", and generics are deemed appropriate. The data reveal three main findings. First, even 3-year-olds distinguish generics from quantifiers. Second, when children make errors, they tend to be in the direction of treating quantifiers like generics. Third, children were more accurate when interpreting specific versus general quantifiers. We interpret these data as providing evidence for the position that generics are a default mode of generalization, especially when reasoning about kinds.