Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do organisational forms of the coffee supply chain matter in poverty reduction?

This paper compares the economic effects of two organisational forms of the coffee supply chain (cooperative and private processors) in Rwanda and assesses quantitatively which form has benefited producers the most. The paper uses panel data from 148 coffee-producing households. Results based on a combination of the instrumental variable method and first differencing show that there is no indication that farmers who sell to cooperative factories get more benefits than farmers selling to private processing plants. Les formes organisationnelles de la chaîne d'approvisionnement du café importent-elles sur le plan de la réduction de la pauvreté ? Cet article compare les effets économiques de deux formes organisationnelles de la chaîne d'approvisionnement du café (unités de transformation coopératives et privées) au Rwanda et effectue une évaluation quantitative de la forme qui a le plus profité aux producteurs. L'article utilise des données provenant de 148 ménages producteurs de café. Les résultats basés sur une combinaison de la méthode des variables instrumentales et de première différentiation montrent que rien n'indique que les agriculteurs qui vendent à des usines coopératives obtiennent plus d'avantages que les cultivateurs qui vendent leur production à des usines de transformation privées. As formas organizacionais da cadeia produtiva de café importam para a redução da pobreza? Este artigo compara os efeitos econômicos de duas formas organizacionais da cadeia produtiva do café (processadores cooperados e privados) em Ruanda e avalia quantitativamente qual forma tem beneficiado mais os produtores. O artigo utiliza dados de painel de 148 famílias produtoras de café. Os resultados baseados em uma combinação do método de variáveis instrumentais e do método de primeiras diferenças mostram que não há indicação de que os produtores rurais que vendem para cooperativas obtenham mais benefícios do que os produtores rurais que vendem para unidades processadoras privadas. Formas organizacionales en la cadena de abasto del café: ¿son útiles para reducir la pobreza? Este ensayo compara los efectos económicos de dos métodos organizacionales (procesadoras en cooperativa y procesadoras privadas) que se desarrollan en la cadena de abasto de café de Ruanda y evalúa cuantitativamente cuál de los métodos ha beneficiado más a los productores. El ensayo emplea series de datos de 148 productores de café. Con base en una combinación del método de la variable instrumental y el del primer diferencial, los resultados demuestran que no existen pruebas para afirmar que los productores que venden a las procesadoras en cooperativa se benefician más que los que venden a las procesadoras privadas.
Dissecting the effects of nitrate, sucrose and osmotic potential on Arabidopsis root and shoot system growth in laboratory assays

Studying the specific effects of water and nutrients on plant development is difficult because changes in a single component can often trigger multiple response pathways. Such confounding issues are prevalent in commonly used laboratory assays. For example, increasing the nitrate concentration in growth media alters both nitrate availability and osmotic potential. In addition, it was recently shown that a change in the osmotic potential of media alters the plant's ability to take up other nutrients such as sucrose. It can also be difficult to identify the initial target tissue of a particular environmental cue because there are correlated changes in development of many organs. These growth changes may be coordinately regulated, or changes in development of one organ may trigger changes in development of another organ as a secondary effect. All these complexities make analyses of plant responses to environmental factors difficult to interpret. Here, we review the literature on the effects of nitrate, sucrose and water availability on root system growth and discuss the mechanisms underlying these effects. We then present experiments that examine the impact of nitrate, sucrose and water on root and shoot system growth in culture using an approach that holds all variables constant except the one under analysis. We found that while all three factors also alter root system size, changes in sucrose and osmotic potential also altered shoot system size. In contrast, we found that, when osmotic effects are controlled, nitrate specifically inhibits root system growth while having no effect on shoot system growth. This effectively decreases the root : shoot ratio. Alterations in root : shoot ratio have been widely observed in response to nitrogen starvation, where root growth is selectively increased, but the present results suggest that alterations in this ratio can be triggered across a wide spectrum of nitrate concentrations.
Melatonin enhances the recovery of cryopreserved shoot tips of American elm (Ulmus americana L.)

Climate change and global migrations of people and goods have exposed trees to new diseases and abiotic challenges that threaten the survival of species. In vitro germplasm storage via cryopreservation is an effective tool to ensure conservation of tree species, but plant cells and tissues are exposed to multiple stresses during the cryopreservation process. The current study was designed to evaluate the potential of melatonin to improve survival through the process of cryopreservation. Shoot tips of in vitro‐grown plantlets and dormant winter buds of American elm were successfully cryopreserved in liquid nitrogen (LN) at −196°C under controlled environmental conditions following melatonin treatment and cold acclimation with either vitrification or encapsulation–vitrification protocols. Explants had optimal regrowth following cryopreservation when treated with the plant vitrification solution#2 (PVS2) for 10 min. Supplementation of both preculture and regrowth media with melatonin significantly enhanced regrowth of frozen shoots compared with the untreated control (P < 0.05). Approximately 80–100% of shoot explants grew under optimized conditions using melatonin‐enriched media. Shoot tips of dormant winter buds consistently produced nearly 100% regrowth with both techniques. The main steps of the optimized protocol are 14‐day cold‐acclimated cultures exposed to preculture medium with 0.1–0.5 μm melatonin for 24 hr, application of PVS2 for 10 min, rapid cooling in LN, rapid rewarming, removal of cryoprotectants, and recovery on a medium supplemented with 0.1–0.5 μm melatonin. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of the antioxidant melatonin for long‐term storage of naturally resistant elm germplasm.
Interaction between Fluconazole and Amphotericin B in Mice with Systemic Infection Due to Fluconazole-Susceptible or -Resistant Strains of Candida albicans

ABSTRACT The interaction between fluconazole (Flu) and amphotericin B (AmB) was evaluated in a murine model of systemic candidiasis for one Flu-susceptible strain (MIC, 0.5 μg/ml), two strains with intermediate Flu resistance (Flu mid-resistant strains) (MIC, 64 and 128 μg/ml), and one highly Flu-resistant strain (MIC, 512 μg/ml) ofCandida albicans. Differences in fungal densities in kidneys of infected mice after 24 h of therapy and in survival rates at 62 days of mice treated with an antifungal drug or a combination of antifungal drugs for 4 days were compared. For the Flu-susceptible and Flu mid-resistant strains, the combination of Flu and AmB was antagonistic, as shown by both quantitative culture results and survival. The interaction was additive for the highly Flu-resistant strain. These results suggest that the combination of Flu and AmB should be used with caution in infections due to fungi that are usually susceptible to both antifungal agents and as empirical antifungal drug therapy.
The distribution of anionic sites on the surfaces of mitochondrial membranes. Visual probing with polycationic ferritin

Polycationic ferritin, a multivalent ligand, was used as a visual probe to determine the distribution and density of anionic sites on the surfaces of rat liver mitochondrial membranes. Both the distribution of bound polycationic ferritin and the topography of the outer surface of the inner mitochondrial membrane were studied in depth by utilizing thin sections and critical-point dried, whole mount preparations for transmission electron microscopy and by scanning electron microscopy. Based on its relative affinity for polycationic ferritin, the surface of the inner membrane contains discrete regions of high density and low density anionic sites. Whereas the surface of the cristal membrane contains a low density of anionic sites, the surface of the inner boundary membrane contains patches of high density anionic sites. The high density anionic sites on the inner boundary membrane were found to persist as stable patches and did not dissociate or randomize freely when the membrane was converted osmotically to a spherical configuration. The observations suggest that the inner mitochondrial membrane is composed of two major regions of anionic macromolecular distinction. It is well-known that an intermembrane space exists between the two membranes of the intact mitochondrion; however, a number of contact sites occur between the two membranes. We determined that the outer membrane, partially disrupted by treatment with digitonin, remains attached to the inner membrane at these contact sites as inverted vesicles. Such attached vesicles show that the inner surface of the outer membrane contains anionic sites, but of decreased density, surrounding the contact sites. Thus, the intermembrane space in the intact mitochondrion may be maintained by electronegative surfaces of the two mitochondrial membranes. The distribution of anionic sites on the outer surface of the outer membrane is random. The nature and function of fixed anionic surface charges and membrane contact sites are discussed with regard to recent reports relating to calcium transport, protein assembly into mitochondrial membranes, and membrane fluidity.
Select Injury-Related Variables Are Affected by Stride Length and Foot Strike Style During Running

Background: Some frontal plane and transverse plane variables have been associated with running injury, but it is not known if they differ with foot strike style or as stride length is shortened. Purpose: To identify if step width, iliotibial band strain and strain rate, positive and negative free moment, pelvic drop, hip adduction, knee internal rotation, and rearfoot eversion differ between habitual rearfoot and habitual mid-/forefoot strikers when running with both a rearfoot strike (RFS) and a mid-/forefoot strike (FFS) at 3 stride lengths. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A total of 42 healthy runners (21 habitual rearfoot, 21 habitual mid-/forefoot) ran overground at 3.35 m/s with both a RFS and a FFS at their preferred stride lengths and 5% and 10% shorter. Results: Variables did not differ between habitual groups. Step width was 1.5 cm narrower for FFS, widening to 0.8 cm as stride length shortened. Iliotibial band strain and strain rate did not differ between foot strikes but decreased as stride length shortened (0.3% and 1.8%/s, respectively). Pelvic drop was reduced 0.7° for FFS compared with RFS, and both pelvic drop and hip adduction decreased as stride length shortened (0.8° and 1.5°, respectively). Peak knee internal rotation was not affected by foot strike or stride length. Peak rearfoot eversion was not different between foot strikes but decreased 0.6° as stride length shortened. Peak positive free moment (normalized to body weight [BW] and height [h]) was not affected by foot strike or stride length. Peak negative free moment was −0.0038 BW·m/h greater for FFS and decreased −0.0004 BW·m/h as stride length shortened. Conclusion: The small decreases in most variables as stride length shortened were likely associated with the concomitant wider step width. RFS had slightly greater pelvic drop, while FFS had slightly narrower step width and greater negative free moment. Clinical Relevance: Shortening one’s stride length may decrease or at least not increase propensity for running injuries based on the variables that we measured. One foot strike style does not appear universally better than the other; rather, different foot strike styles may predispose runners to different types of injuries.
ASK1 Inhibitor Halts Progression of Diabetic Nephropathy in Nos3-Deficient Mice

p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling promotes diabetic kidney injury. Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase (ASK)1 is one of the upstream kinases in the p38 MAPK-signaling pathway, which is activated by inflammation and oxidative stress, suggesting a possible role for ASK1 in diabetic nephropathy. In this study, we examined whether a selective ASK1 inhibitor can prevent the induction and progression of diabetic nephropathy in mice. Diabetes was induced in hypertensive endothelial nitric oxide synthase (Nos3)-deficient mice by five low-dose streptozotocin (STZ) injections. Groups of diabetic Nos3−/− mice received ASK1 inhibitor (GS-444217 delivered in chow) as an early intervention (2–8 weeks after STZ) or late intervention (weeks 8–15 after STZ). Control diabetic and nondiabetic Nos3−/− mice received normal chow. Treatment with GS-444217 abrogated p38 MAPK activation in diabetic kidneys but had no effect upon hypertension in Nos3−/− mice. Early intervention with GS-444217 significantly inhibited diabetic glomerulosclerosis and reduced renal dysfunction but had no effect on the development of albuminuria. Late intervention with GS-444217 improved renal function and halted the progression of glomerulosclerosis, renal inflammation, and tubular injury despite having no effect on established albuminuria. In conclusion, this study identifies ASK1 as a new therapeutic target in diabetic nephropathy to reduce renal inflammation and fibrosis independent of blood pressure control.
Effect of a purpose in life on risk of incident Alzheimer disease and mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older persons.

CONTEXT Emerging data suggest that psychological and experiential factors are associated with risk of Alzheimer disease (AD), but the association of purpose in life with incident AD is unknown. OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that greater purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk of AD. DESIGN Prospective, longitudinal epidemiologic study of aging. SETTING Senior housing facilities and residences across the greater Chicago metropolitan area. PARTICIPANTS More than 900 community-dwelling older persons without dementia from the Rush Memory and Aging Project. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Participants underwent baseline evaluations of purpose in life and up to 7 years of detailed annual follow-up clinical evaluations to document incident AD. In subsequent analyses, we examined the association of purpose in life with the precursor to AD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and the rate of change in cognitive function. RESULTS During up to 7 years of follow-up (mean, 4.0 years), 155 of 951 persons (16.3%) developed AD. In a proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, and education, greater purpose in life was associated with a substantially reduced risk of AD (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% confidence interval, 0.33-0.69; P < .001). Thus, a person with a high score on the purpose in life measure (score = 4.2, 90th percentile) was approximately 2.4 times more likely to remain free of AD than was a person with a low score (score = 3.0, 10th percentile). This association did not vary along demographic lines and persisted after the addition of terms for depressive symptoms, neuroticism, social network size, and number of chronic medical conditions. In subsequent models, purpose in life also was associated with a reduced risk of MCI (hazard ratio, 0.71; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.95; P = .02) and a slower rate of cognitive decline (mean [SE] global cognition estimate, 0.03 [0.01], P < .01). CONCLUSION Greater purpose in life is associated with a reduced risk of AD and MCI in community-dwelling older persons.
Methods of filling root canals: principles and practices

Contemporary research points to infection control as the key determinant of endodontic success. While epidemiological surveys indicate that success is most likely in teeth which have been densely root-filled to within 2 mm of root-end, it is unclear whether the root canal filling itself is a key determinant of outcome. It is also unclear how different materials and methods employed in achieving a ‘satisfactory’ root filling may impact on outcome. This article provides an overview of current principles and practices in root canal filling and strives to untangle the limited and often contradictory research of relevance to clinical practice and performance.
Integrative Transcriptome Profiling of Cognitive Aging and Its Preservation through Ser/Thr Protein Phosphatase Regulation

Environmental enrichment has been reported to delay or restore age-related cognitive deficits, however, a mechanism to account for the cause and progression of normal cognitive decline and its preservation by environmental enrichment is lacking. Using genome-wide SAGE-Seq, we provide a global assessment of differentially expressed genes altered with age and environmental enrichment in the hippocampus. Qualitative and quantitative proteomics in naïve young and aged mice was used to further identify phosphorylated proteins differentially expressed with age. We found that increased expression of endogenous protein phosphatase-1 inhibitors in aged mice may be characteristic of long-term environmental enrichment and improved cognitive status. As such, hippocampus-dependent performances in spatial, recognition, and associative memories, which are sensitive to aging, were preserved by environmental enrichment and accompanied by decreased protein phosphatase activity. Age-associated phosphorylated proteins were also found to correspond to the functional categories of age-associated genes identified through transcriptome analysis. Together, this study provides a comprehensive map of the transcriptome and proteome in the aging brain, and elucidates endogenous protein phosphatase-1 inhibition as a potential means through which environmental enrichment may ameliorate age-related cognitive deficits.
Dowel Type Timber Connections Strength modelling

Large primary connections in wood structures such as apex or foot point connections in e.g. 3-charnier arches or the connections in large glulam truss girders are often designed by use of dowel type connections. The design loads are in these cases primarily in the axial direction of the wood member. With respect to the axial loads the connections may be both strong and ductile, inevitable however the connections will also be subjected to loads acting transverse to the fibre direction of the wood. This may be a direct function of the external loading, e.g. transference of shear forces, or it may be the indirect consequence of a connection modelled as an ideal hinge which in reality transfers moment according to its relatively uncontrolled bending rigidity. Dowel type timber connections have been studied with the main focus on loading where the dowels act on the embedment with an angle to the grain. Splitting failures are known to occur even for dowel type connections loaded in the grain direction. However, in this work splitting is studied in direct transverse loading. The objective is to study the range of validity of yield modelling of dowels and dowel groups when transversely loading of the dowels is present. This is done by means of a yield surface determined for the single connectors, implemented in a modelling of joints containing a group of dowels exposed to loads in both the axial and transverse direction of the wood member. A study of the embedment strength as function of angle to grain shows that by the current design rules the embedment strength perpendicular to grain is overestimated by approximately 50 %. Further, a study of the use of fibre reinforced plastic, FRP, as replacement for steel in dowels as well as insertion plates is presented. The study shows that connections made by use of FRP dowels exhibit plastic behaviour at a load which is independent of the wood member thickness. A strength criterion for FRP dowels combining the effect of shear and moment is implemented in the yield model for connectors. By use of this combined criterion the ultimate strength can be modelled and with small modifications the onset of plastic behaviour can be predicted.
Screening for Diabetic Retinopathy: A Comparative Trial of Photography and Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy

Aims: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of wide-field scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (WSLO) in the detection of referable diabetic eye disease, and to compare its performance with digital retinal photography. Methods: Patients enrolled into the study underwent non-mydriatic WSLO imaging, then single- and dual-field mydriatic digital retinal photography, and examination with slit lamp biomicroscopy, the reference standard. Grading of retinopathy was performed in a masked fashion. Results: A total of 380 patients (759 eyes) were recruited to the study. Technical failure rates for dilated single-field retinal photography, dual-field retinal photography and undilated WSLO were 6.3, 5.8 and 10.8%, respectively (0.005 < p < 0.02 for photography vs. WSLO). The respective indices for screening sensitivity were 82.9, 82.9 and 83.6% (p > 0.2). Specificity was 92.1, 91.1 and 89.5%, respectively (p > 0.2). Conclusions: Sensitivity and specificity for WSLO were similar to retinal photography. The technical failure rate was greater for the WSLO used in this study.
Serum leptin concentrations correlate to plasma insulin concentrations independent of body fat content in chronic renal failure.

BACKGROUND The ob gene product leptin is secreted by fat cells and reflects the content of fat in the body. Leptin and insulin concentrations as well as body weight are interrelated and a direct correlation has been found between these concentrations in humans with normal renal function. Markedly elevated serum leptin concentrations have recently been reported in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF). The aim of the present study was to investigate the relation between serum leptin and plasma insulin in patients with advanced CRF. METHODS Serum leptin, plasma insulin, as well as body fat content (determined with dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) were determined in a cohort of 46 patients (mean age 54 +/- 2 years) with advanced CRF (creatinine clearance 8 +/- 1 ml/min). RESULTS In 23 CRF patients with plasma insulin below the median value (14 mU/l), serum leptin concentrations were no higher than in healthy controls (8.0 +/- 1.2 vs 8.4 +/- 0.9 ng/ml). However, in CRF patients with plasma insulin > 14 mU/l (n = 23) the serum leptin concentrations were much higher (38.2 +/- 11.0 ng/ml; P < 0.0001). In CRF patients, serum leptin (normalized for the per cent body fat content) correlated significantly (r = 0.64; P < 0.0001) with plasma insulin concentrations. However, the increase in plasma insulin was blunted in patients with very high serum leptin concentrations in relation to the per cent body fat content. CONCLUSIONS The present results demonstrate that serum leptin concentrations are markedly elevated in CRF patients with higher plasma insulin than in those with lower plasma insulin concentrations. This suggests that insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia contribute to elevated serum leptin concentrations in CRF. The present results also demonstrate that, when circulating serum leptin concentrations are much higher in relation to the per cent body fat content, no additional increase in plasma insulin occurs. This latter observation suggests that the secretion of insulin by the pancreas is lower in hyperleptinaemic patients. Consequently, extremely elevated serum leptin may play a role in reducing glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and glucose intolerance in CRF.