Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endothelial Src kinase regulates membrane recycling from the lateral border recycling compartment during leukocyte transendothelial migration

When leukocytes cross endothelial cells during the inflammatory response, membrane from the recently described lateral border recycling compartment (LBRC) is selectively targeted around diapedesing leukocytes. This “targeted recycling” is critical for leukocyte transendothelial migration. Blocking homophilic PECAM interactions between leukocytes and endothelial cells blocks targeted recycling from the LBRC and blocks diapedesis. However, the cellular signaling pathways that trigger targeted recycling are not known. We show that targeted recycling from the LBRC is dependent on Src kinase. The selective Src kinase inhibitor PP2 blocked targeted recycling and blocked diapedesis by over 70%. However, Src kinase inhibition did not affect the structure or normal constitutive recycling of membrane from the LBRC in the absence of leukocytes. PECAM, a Src kinase substrate, traffics between the LBRC and the endothelial surface at the cell border. However, virtually all of the PECAM in the cell that was phosphorylated on tyrosine residues was found in the LBRC. These findings demonstrate that Src kinase activity is critical for the targeted recycling of membrane from the LBRC to the site of transendothelial migration and that the PECAM in the LBRC is qualitatively different from the PECAM on the surface of endothelial cells.
THE EFFECT OF CINNAMOMI AETHEROLEUM USED PER OS ON FAT CONTENT IN BROILERS MEAT

The aim of the topic was to verify the effect of feed mixtures enriched with 0.1, 0.05 and 0.025% proportion of cinnamomi aetheroleum to the fat content in chicken meat with skin. The type of broilers Ross 308 was used within experiment. C innamomi aetheroleum was mixed with the corn flour and homogenized with other stuff of feed mixtures. Broilers were fed ad libitum. The content of fat was analyzed by chemical analyze of meat with skin which took place in the end of the experiment. The results of experiment show, that decreasing of cinnamomi aetheroleum proportion in feed mixture increased body weight and the weight of broilers carcass, whereby differences were statistically significant between broilers groups, which were fed with feed mixtures with 0.1% and 0.025% proportion of cinnamomi aetheroleum and with 0.05% and 0.025% proportion of cinnamomi aetheroleum. Lowest content of fat 9.5 g.100 g-1 in broilers meat with skin was in meat of broilers which were fed with feed mixtures with 0.05% proportion of cinnamomi aetheroleum. At 0.01% cinnamomi aetheroleum proportion in feed mixture 9.9 g.100 g-1 of fat content was noticed and the content of fat in broilers meat with skin increased to 10.45 g.100 g-1 at 0.025% proportion of cinnamomi aetheroleum. Differences in fat content between groups were not statistically significant. doi:10.5219/51
Low-energy fractures without low T-scores characteristic of osteoporosis: a possible bone matrix disorder.

BACKGROUND Osteoporotic fractures commonly occur after low-energy trauma in postmenopausal women with reduced bone quantity documented by low bone mineral density (BMD). Low-energy fractures, however, have also been reported to occur in premenopausal women with normal or near-normal BMD, suggesting the existence of a bone quality abnormality. METHODS Bone quality and quantity were evaluated in a cross-sectional study of three groups of premenopausal white females: (1) twenty-five subjects with low-energy fracture(s) and BMD in the normal range (t-scores > -2.0), (2) eighteen subjects with low-energy fracture(s) and BMD in the osteoporotic range (t-scores ≤ -2.5), and (3) fourteen healthy volunteers (controls). Bone quality was assessed with use of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and histomorphometry in iliac crest bone samples obtained from all subjects; bone quantity was assessed by dual x-ray absorptiometry and histomorphometry. RESULTS The collagen crosslinking ratio in the non-low-BMD subjects with fractures was 13% greater than the ratio in the low-BMD subjects with fractures and 14% greater than the ratio in the controls (p < 0.001 for both). Cancellous bone volume was 29% greater (p < 0.01) and trabecular separation was 31% less (p < 0.01) in the non-low-BMD subjects with fractures than in the low-BMD subjects with fractures; the values in the non-low-BMD subjects did not differ from those in the controls. Bone turnover did not differ among the groups, and osteomalacia was not present in any subject. Thus, the non-low-BMD subjects with fractures maintained bone quantity, but the collagen crosslinking ratio, a parameter of bone quality, was abnormal. In contrast, the low-BMD subjects with fractures did not have this collagen crosslinking abnormality but did have abnormal bone quantity. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights a collagen crosslinking abnormality in patients with low-energy fractures and nonosteoporotic t-scores. Reports have indicated that altered collagen crosslinking is associated with subnormal fracture resistance. A finding of nonosteoporotic bone mass in a patient with low-energy fractures would justify assessment of bone material quality, which currently requires a bone biopsy. Further studies are needed to search for possible noninvasive tests to diagnose abnormal crosslinking. Since no specific therapies for abnormal collagen crosslinking are currently available, studies are also needed to explore novel therapeutic modalities to reverse the underlying collagen crosslinking abnormality. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Blood and urine acid–base status of premenopausal omnivorous and vegetarian women

The effect of long-term differences in diet composition on whole-body acid–base status was examined in thirty-three young healthy females. The volunteers were recruited from two separate groups matched approximately for age, height and weight; one group regularly ate meat (omnivores; n 20) and one group did not (vegetarians; n 13). All subjects completed a 7 d weighed intake of food, and from their dietary records, total energy, carbohydrate (CHO), fat and protein content were estimated using computer-based food composition tables. During this week they reported to the laboratory on two occasions, following an overnight fast and separated by at least 48h. Arterialized venous blood samples were obtained on each visit and these were analysed for blood acid–base status. Haemoglobin and packed cell volume, serum total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol, serum albumin and total protein were also determined. Two 24 h urine collections were completed; the volume was recorded and samples were analysed for pH, titratable acid and Mg and Ca concentration. Total energy intake of the omnivores was greater (P = 0.0003) than that of the vegetarian group. Dietary intake of CHO (P = 0.024), fat (P = 0.0054) and protein (P = 0.0002) were higher in the omnivorous group than in the vegetarians. There were no differences between the two groups with respect to blood CO2 partial pressure, plasma HCO3- and blood base excess, but blood pH was slightly higher in the omnivores (P = 0.064). Measures of urine acid–base status suggested a lower pH in the omnivore group, but this difference was not statistically significant; a greater titratable acid output was observed with the omnivorous group compared with the vegetarians (48.9 (se 20.3) ν. 35.3 (se 23.3) mEq/24h; P = 0.018). Although the dietary intake of Ca was not different between the two groups, urinary Ca excretion of the omnivores was significantly higher (3.87 (sd 1.34) ν. 3.22 (sd 1.20) mmol/24h) than that of the vegetarians (P = 0.014). It is suggested that the higher protein intake of the omnivores resulted in an increase in urinary total acid excretion, which may explain the higher rate of Ca excretion.
The impact of capacity building for the development of the social institutions of war-torn countries : Mozambique's vision for education and its multiple partners

A general review of the literature by academics and practitioners in the field of post-war recovery shows that capacity development is considered to be the core activity for economic and social recovery and establishing collaborative governance through national reconciliation. However, the actual impact of such interventions has not been systematically studied, nor is there a body of proven research experience of social impact assessment in the general field of development practice on which to draw for methodological approaches to assessing the impact of capacity building in post-war development. This research was therefore carried out with the aim of testing the assumption of a causal link between capacity building assistance and the recovery of good governance and peaceful development in war-torn societies. In order to do that it was also necessary to develop an appropriate methodology for assessing the long-term social impact of capacity building. A generative model of change through the interaction of interventions with context and subjects' volition was tested in the crucial case of the Ministry of Education in Mozambique, using a composite research methodology involving qualitative field research and analysis of secondary data, documentation and literature. A participatory retrospective enquiry with a sample of education staff and parents revealed a strong consensus that capacity building had been effective when led by government with the participation of the public and invited donor support. Failures of governance on the other hand were thought to have contributed to the civil war. In these discussions the participants revealed their criteria for good governance, which were then applied to contemporary accounts and statistical data of Mozambican society. The study concludes that support for capacity building by multiple donor and financial partners in Mozambique from 1975 onwards made an essential contribution to the development of good governance and eventual sustained peaceful development. However this positive impact was achieved because interventions were introduced in the context of a national vision and strategy for education as the motor of development, which was shared by government and public. These findings confirmed the assumption of a causal relationship between capacity building, good governance and peaceful development but revealed that it is conditioned by context and the will of recipient governments and people. CONTENTS AND FIGURES
The Morality of Tax Avoidance

If “tax avoidance” means “contriving legal transactions that reduce tax in ways that are contrary to legislative policy”, then “evasion” is illegal reduction and “mitigation” is unexceptionable reduction. Apparently, tax avoidance may occur endogenously, within the existing economic framework of a business or an estate plan, or exogenously, by resort to an independent tax shelter. The distinction is apparent, but not real. (a) Whether an arrangement amounts to avoidance and, if so, (b) whether the avoidance is moral are fundamentally the same questions in all contexts, including estate planning. Judges sometimes claim that tax avoidance is moral. That claim appears to be based on the distinction that avoidance is legal whereas evasion is illegal. A legal/illegal test cannot determine questions of morality. Others who aver that tax avoidance is moral base their claims on four assumptions: that taxpayers have a moral right to their pre-tax income; that avoidance is a victimless activity; that the immorality of evasion is derived solely from its illegality (and therefore that avoidance, which has the same factual matrix, is moral); and that morality is wholly independent of the law. These assumptions are mistaken. Evasion is immoral in a deep sense, not simply as malum prohibitum. Since evasion and avoidance share their essential elements, and are separated only by a legal difference, it follows that avoidance is also immoral. Public opinion can test this conclusion, albeit imperfectly. The approach is deontological, focusing on actions, not on agents, and comparative, drawing on cases from several jurisdictions.
Product Market Competition, Managerial Incentives and Firm Valuation

Our paper is a further contribution to the still very small empirical literature on the effects of competition on managerial incentive schemes. Based on a theoretical model that incorporates both strategic interaction between firms and a principal agent relationship, we investigate the relationships between product market competition, incentive schemes and firm valuation in a multivariate OLS framework. To take into account a possible endogeneity of the incentives provided to managers and Tobin's Q, our measure of firm value, we additionally employ a simultaneous equations framework. The sample comprises 156 Swiss firms for the year 2002, and the compensation data refer to the firms' top management and the board of directors in total. Our results suggest that more intensive product market competition is associated with stronger incentive schemes for managers and a lower firm value
Bethanechol and N-acetylcysteine mimic feeding signals and reverse insulin resistance in fasted and sucrose-induced diabetic rats.

Meal-induced insulin sensitization (MIS) is explained by the HISS (hepatic insulin sensitizing substance) hypothesis. In the presence of two "feeding signals," a pulse of insulin results in the release of HISS from the liver. HISS acts selectively on skeletal muscle and doubles the response to insulin. HISS is not released in the fasted state or in the sucrose-supplemented diabetes model. We tested the hypothesis that provision of both feeding signals allows insulin to cause HISS release in both the normal fasted and the diabetic model. The dynamic response to insulin (50 mU/kg over 5 min) was quantified using the rapid insulin sensitivity test (RIST). Gastric injection of a liquid test meal or i.v. administration of N-acetylcysteine in 24 h fasted rats raised hepatic glutathione to a similar degree (by 46%-47%). Hepatic denervation in fed rats eliminated the parasympathetic signal and eliminated MIS, and bethanechol completely restored MIS. Both compounds administered together allowed insulin to stimulate HISS release in 24 h fasted rats and in a diabetic model (9-week, 35% liquid sucrose supplement). Neither was effective alone. Both "feeding signals" are necessary and sufficient for insulin to stimulate HISS release.
Inequality in educational attainment and expectation: evidence from the China Family Panel Studies

This article studies educational inequalities in China by measuring both educational attainment and educational expectations using the 2010 nationally representative data from the China Family Panel Study. We find that educational inequalities have increased over the past several decades, and these inequalities are mainly reflected in the widening gaps in higher education between rural and urban residents. This is true for both educational attainment and expectations. Because parental education level is another significant factor affecting both educational attainment and expectations, imminent measures are needed to stop the vicious cycle of translating existing educational inequalities into larger inequalities in later generations.
Nutrient composition and amino acid pattern of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp, Fabaceae) grown in the Gizan area of Saudi Arabia.

The proximate composition, grain protein, minerals, amino acid and sugar profiles of Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp were analyzed. The crude protein was 23%, fat 3.40% and ash 3.60%. Amino acid analysis indicated the presence of at least 17 amino acids including most of the essential ones. The essential amino acids valine, leucine, phenylalanine and lysine were slightly higher, but sulphur-containing amino acids were lower than recommended in the WHO/FAO requirement pattern. Qualitative phytochemical screening of seeds showed fructose, alpha-glucose, beta-glucose, glycerol, manitol, inositol and some oligosaccharides, e.g. raffinose, stachyose, and verbascose. The grain contained almost similar amount of phosphorus as compared with that of Lebanese and Pakistani cultivars. Calcium was found to be lower as compared to some Indian, Pakistani and Lebanese cultivars. In general the results indicated that the legume is nutritive as staple food, feed and/or fodder.
A comparison of interview methods to ascertain fluoroquinolone exposure before tuberculosis diagnosis

SUMMARY Fluoroquinolone use before tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis delays the time to diagnosis and treatment, and increases the risk of fluoroquinolone-resistant TB and death. Ascertainment of fluoroquinolone exposure could identify such high-risk patients. We compared four methods of ascertaining fluoroquinolone exposure in the 6 months prior to TB diagnosis in culture-confirmed TB patients in Tennessee from January 2007 to December 2009. The four methods included a simple questionnaire administered to all TB suspects by health department personnel (FQ-Form), an in-home interview conducted by research staff, outpatient and inpatient medical record review, and TennCare pharmacy database review. Of 177 TB patients included, 72 (41%) received fluoroquinolones during the 6 months before TB diagnosis. Fluoroquinolone exposure determined by review of inpatient and outpatient medical records was considered the gold standard for comparison. The FQ-Form had 61% [95% confidence interval (CI) 48–73] sensitivity and 93% (95% CI 85–98) specificity (agreement 79%, kappa = 0·56) while the in-home interview had 28% (95% CI 18–40) sensitivity and 99% (94–100%) specificity (agreement 68%, kappa = 0·29). A simple questionnaire administered by health department personnel identified fluoroquinolone exposure before TB diagnosis with moderate reliability.
Glutathione-dependent defense in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and brown bullhead (Ameriurus nebulosus).

Glutathione-dependent defense against xenobiotic toxicity is a multifaceted phenomenon that has been well characterized in mammals. This study undertakes a comparison of two benthic fish species, the channel catfish and brown bullhead, in terms of characteristics of the glutathione system. The channel catfish, a species that has seldom been observed to express pollutant-mediated neoplasia in field studies, was observed to have significantly higher constitutive levels of hepatic total glutathione and reduced glutatione (GSH). Brown bullhead, a species that is often observed to express neoplasia in contaminated systems, had significantly higher hepatic levels of glutathione disulfide. Furthermore, catfish expressed higher levels of activity of the enzymes gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione S-transferase, whereas bullhead expressed higher hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GPOX) activity. Both species responded to treatment with the redox active quinone, menadione, by expressing elevated hepatic content of total glutathione. However, the induction response was more rapid and more extensive in catfish compared to that in bullhead. This is attributable to the observed interspecific difference in GCS activity. Following treatment with the organic peroxide, tert-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BOOH), bullhead hepatic glutathione was depleted up to 4 hr post-treatment, whereas catfish demonstrated no significant depletion of glutathione in response to t-BOOH. The differing responses to t-BOOH are attributable to interspecific differences in hepatic GPOX and GR activity. Bullhead, therefore, appear to be more susceptible to the effects of GSH arylators and oxidants based upon constitutive levels of glutathione, related enzyme activities, and the response of this system to model xenobiotics. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of NTMs on the Extensive and Intensive Margins to Trade: The Case of Tunisia and Egypt

The last thirty years have witnessed a general liberalization process of merchandize trade flows. Indeed, tariffs have sharply decreased thanks to the multilateral, regional and/or bilateral trade integration agreements. However, concerns have been raised about the use of Non-Tariffs Measures (NTMs) as trade restriction policies. This paper aims to investigate the impact of NTMs on Tunisian and Egyptian imports. In addition to the distinction between different categories of NTMs (Sanitary and Phytosanitary, Technical Barriers to Trade, Export Related measures…), we study the impact of NTMs on the extensive and intensive margins to trade. The extensive margin has two dimensions: the number of varieties imported from each supplier and the number of supplying countries for each product. Using a traditional gravity model of international trade, we show that NTMs have been used more in Egypt than in Tunisia as a trade restriction measure. Moreover, they act on the intensive rather than the extensive margin.
RESIDENTIAL MAGNETIC FIELDS, CONTACT VOLTAGE AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP: THE EFFECTS OF DISTRIBUTION UNBALANCE AND RESIDENTIAL PROXIMITY TO A TRANSMISSION LINE

In previous studies, modeling and measurements have suggested a positive relationship between the average residential magnetic field (Bavg) and the voltage from the residential water line to earth (VW-E). This voltage is the source of exposure to contact current that has been hypothesized to behave as a confounder with respect to the association between residential magnetic fields and childhood leukemia. The previous modeling effort has only considered the influence of distribution lines on the Bavg:VW-E relationship. This study extends that analysis to include the effect of distribution line unbalance and the presence of nearby transmission lines. The results show that, compared to balanced systems, unbalanced distribution systems had increased Bavg and VW-E, with a relatively greater effect on VW-E. The presence of a transmission line proportionally increased Bavg and VW-E more on balanced systems than unbalanced systems and attenuated the relationship of Bavg with VW-E on systems with 25% unbalance. Increases in Bavg due to the transmission line were confined to distances within 100–200 m of the line, but increases in VW-E extended to the furthest distance included in the model (365 m). The observations reported may be relevant to prior epidemiological studies of magnetic fields and childhood leukemia, and suggest that research efforts continue to explore the role of contact current in potentially explaining those studies.