Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Technical and commercial change during transition to organic farming: towards a methodological approach based on the scope of the leaps forwards.

Over the last few years there has been increasing concern about the transition towards organic farming (OF). Depending on the case, this transition is said to be progressive, rapid or abrupt, compared to a given conventional system. Yet few tools are available for us to analyze and represent the mechanisms of the changes made in the production system when farmers convert to OF. Varying degrees of differences exist between conventional and organic systems, especially when it comes to their technical and commercial aspects. We posit that it is possible to characterize the processes of transition by analyzing the extent of technical and commercial changes between conventional and organic systems. The present study is based on the empirical results of surveys on cash crop farmers, and on available knowledge on collecting firms’ strategies in the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris. We develop an analytical framework to evaluate conventional farmers' technical and commercial proximity to OF, and the changes potentially to be made in the case of a conversion to OF. To analyze farmers’ technical practices, we suggest a scoring system with principle-based indicators concerning the components of the cropping system. The analysis of commercial proximity to OF is based on relevant criteria concerning the organizational dimension of markets for organic produce. Results show the diversity of the size of the technical and commercial leaps to make to reach OF. In the region studied, we observed a majority of medium and large potential leaps by conventional farms, which highlighted the difficulty for conventional systems to technically and commercially attain OF. Taking into account the interactions between farmers’ practices and commercial strategies, this methodological approach is complementary to the existing theoretical frameworks of transition to sustainable agriculture. From an operational point of view, it could be useful to adapt the OF development programs in a specific region by identifying the technical and commercial barriers and opportunities.
Molecular predictors of outcome in a phase 3 study of gemcitabine and erlotinib therapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer

National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group PA.3 (NCIC CTG PA.3) was a phase 3 study (n = 569) that demonstrated benefits for overall survival and progression‐free survival with the addition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) erlotinib to gemcitabine in patients with advanced pancreatic carcinoma (APC). Mutation status of the v‐Ki‐ras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homolog (KRAS) and EGFR gene copy number (GCN) were evaluated as predictive markers in 26% of patients who had tumor samples available for analysis.
Initiation and development of experimental autoimmune neuritis in Lewis rats is independent of the cytotoxic capacity of NKR‐P1A+ cells

Natural killer (NK) cells are implicated in T cell‐mediated autoimmune diseases. Experimental autoimmune neuritis (EAN) is a CD4+ T cell‐mediated animal model of the Guillain‐Barré syndrome in human. The role of NK cells in the initiation and development of EAN remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that anti‐NKR‐P1A monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment in vivo did not affect the initiation and development of clinical EAN in Lewis rats induced by immunization with peripheral nerve myelin P0 protein peptide 180–199 and Freund's complete adjuvant, as well as the proportion of NKR‐P1A+ cells (including NK cells and NKT cells) in the spleen. Furthermore, inflammatory cell infiltrations and demyelination in the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and in vitro P0 peptide 180–199‐specific splenocyte proliferation were not different in anti‐NKR‐P1A mAb‐treated rats compared to the control antibody‐treated rats. The cytotoxic activity of NKR‐P1A+ cells, determined by NK cell‐sensitive K562 cells as target cells, decreased markedly in anti‐NKR‐P1A mAb‐treated rats, suggesting that decrease of the cytotoxic activities of NKR‐P1A+ cells is not sufficient to alter clinical EAN, although NKR‐P1A+ cells may participate in the pathogenesis of T cell‐mediated autoimmune diseases, such as EAN, by the mechanisms that involve the release of cytokines. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Where is Toxicology Headed in the Future?

Herbert Remmer was a pioneer in the study of the phenomenon of enzyme induction. He was also a leading figure, if not the foremost, in the development of the discipline of toxicology in Germany during his tenure as Professor of Toxicology at the University of Tübingen. Included here are some brief thoughts about where toxicology came from, where it is today, and what the future is. Toxicology is at a crossroads today, at an interface between basic science and applied projects. From its past as a descriptive discipline, it has incorporated a medley of concepts and technology from basic science. The usefulness of many approaches is now being evaluated. The hope is that toxicology will be able to be much more predictive in the future; a great need exists in the pharmaceutical industry. The shape of academic toxicology is also changing.
Selegiline use to prevent progression of Parkinson's disease. Experience in 22 de novo patients.

To test the hypothesis that selegiline (L-deprenyl), a selective inhibitor of B-type monoamine oxidase, can halt the natural progression of Parkinson's disease, its use in 22 naive patients (mean age, 58 years; mean Parkinson's disease duration, 2.3 years) in the early stages (1 to 2) of the disease was studied. Patients were started and maintained on a daily dose of 10 mg of selegiline, and they underwent neurologic examinations at 3-month intervals using our center's disease staging and total rated disability scores. The criterion set for disease progression was defined as either the appearance of a new objective sign and/or a definite, persistent worsening (greater than 25%) of existing signs after the initiation of the selegiline trial. Patients remained on a regimen of selegiline [corrected] for periods ranging from 7 to 84 months. At the time of their latest neurologic examination, 17 (77%) of the 22 patients had conditions that demonstrably worsened with selegiline alone at an average of 10.8 months from the start of the drug therapy. Six of these 17 patients with worsening conditions (or 27% of the original 22) eventually required the addition of levodopa with carbidopa (Sinemet) on average at 13 months from the start of selegiline therapy; they have continued, to date, taking this combination for an additional mean follow-up period of 20.7 months. Four of the original 22 patients had relatively unchanged, stable neurologic status at the time of their latest examination (average follow-up period, 11.6 months). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Citrate Secretion Coupled with the Modulation of Soybean Root Tip under Aluminum Stress. Up-Regulation of Transcription, Translation, and Threonine-Oriented Phosphorylation of Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase1

The aluminum (Al)-induced secretion of citrate has been regarded as an important mechanism for Al resistance in soybean (Glycine max). However, the mechanism of how Al induces citrate secretion remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the regulatory role of plasma membrane H+-ATPase on the Al-induced secretion of citrate from soybean roots. Experiments performed with plants grown in full nutrient solution showed that Al-induced activity of plasma membrane H+-ATPase paralleled secretion of citrate. Vanadate and fusicoccin, an inhibitor and an activator, respectively, of plasma membrane H+-ATPase, exerted inhibitory and stimulatory effects on the Al-induced secretion of citrate. Higher activity of plasma membrane H+-ATPase coincided with more citrate secretion in Al-resistant than Al-sensitive soybean cultivars. These results suggested that the effects of Al stress on citrate secretion were mediated via modulation of the activity of plasma membrane H+-ATPase. The relationship between the Al-induced secretion of citrate and the activity of plasma membrane H+-ATPase was further demonstrated by analysis of plasma membrane H+-ATPase transgenic Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). When plants were grown on Murashige and Skoog medium containing 30 μm Al (9.1 μm Al3+ activity), transgenic plants exuded more citrate compared with wild-type Arabidopsis. Results from real-time reverse transcription-PCR and immunodetection analysis indicated that the increase of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity by Al is caused by transcriptional and translational regulation. Furthermore, plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity and expression were higher in an Al-resistant cultivar than in an Al-sensitive cultivar. Al activated the threonine-oriented phosphorylation of plasma membrane H+-ATPase in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Taken together, our results demonstrated that up-regulation of plasma membrane H+-ATPase activity was associated with the secretion of citrate from soybean roots.
Methamphetamine blunts Ca2+ currents and excitatory synaptic transmission through D1/5 receptor‐mediated mechanisms in the mouse medial prefrontal cortex

Psychostimulant addiction is associated with dysfunctions in frontal cortex. Previous data demonstrated that repeated exposure to methamphetamine (METH) can alter prefrontal cortex (PFC)‐dependent functions. Here, we show that withdrawal from repetitive non‐contingent METH administration (7 days, 1 mg/kg) depressed voltage‐dependent calcium currents (ICa) and increased hyperpolarization‐activated cation current (IH) amplitude and the paired‐pulse ratio of evoked excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs) in deep‐layer pyramidal mPFC neurons. Most of these effects were blocked by systemic co‐administration of the D1/D5 receptor antagonist SCH23390 (0.5 and 0.05 mg/kg). In vitro METH (i.e. bath‐applied to slices from naïve‐treated animals) was able to emulate its systemic effects on ICa and evoked EPSCs paired‐pulse ratio. We also provide evidence of altered mRNA expression of (1) voltage‐gated calcium channels P/Q‐type Cacna1a (Cav2.1), N‐type Cacna1b (Cav2.2), T‐type Cav3.1 Cacna1g, Cav3.2 Cacna1h, Cav3.3 Cacna1i and the auxiliary subunit Cacna2d1 (α2δ1); (2) hyperpolarization‐activated cyclic nucleotide‐gated channels Hcn1 and Hcn2; and (3) glutamate receptors subunits AMPA‐type Gria1, NMDA‐type Grin1 and metabotropic Grm1 in the mouse mPFC after repeated METH treatment. Moreover, we show that some of these changes in mRNA expression were sensitive D1/5 receptor blockade. Altogether, these altered mechanisms affecting synaptic physiology and transcriptional regulation may underlie PFC functional alterations that could lead to PFC impairments observed in METH‐addicted individuals.
Perioperative Aspects of Endoscopic Anterior Scoliosis Surgery: The Learning Curve for a Consecutive Series of 100 Patients

The reported benefits of endoscopic versus open scoliosis surgery include improved visualization, a muscle sparing approach, reduced pulmonary morbidity, reduced pain, and improved cosmesis. Some aspects of the surgical learning curve for this technically demanding method have been previously reported; however, improvements in other factors with increasing experience have not been quantified. This paper presents a series of 100 consecutive endoscopic anterior scoliosis corrections performed between April 2000 and February 2006. We report changes in the following perioperative factors with increasing experience; operative set-up time, operative time, x-ray irradiation time, number of instrumented levels, blood loss, intercostal catheter drainage, chest drain removal time, days in intensive care, days to mobilize, days in hospital, and early complications. Statistical comparisons were made between the first 20 (1 to 20), middle 20 (41 to 60), and last 20 (81 to 100) cases. Results showed statistically significant improvements and increased consistency in operative time, operative set-up time, x-ray irradiation time, blood loss, hospital stay, and mobilization time with experience. The complication rate was comparable to other recently published endoscopic studies. In the last 20 cases of the series, operative times had reduced to 35 minutes per level, x-ray irradiation times to 15 seconds per level, and blood loss to 38 mL per level. Most perioperative surgical factors therefore improve significantly with increasing experience in endoscopic anterior scoliosis correction.
High aspect ratio silicon nanowires control fibroblast adhesion and cytoskeleton organization

Cell–cell and cell–matrix interactions are essential to the survival and proliferation of most cells, and are responsible for triggering a wide range of biochemical pathways. More recently, the biomechanical role of those interactions was highlighted, showing, for instance, that adhesion forces are essential for cytoskeleton organization. Silicon nanowires (Si NWs) with their small size, high aspect ratio and anisotropic mechanical response represent a useful model to investigate the forces involved in the adhesion processes and their role in cellular development. In this work we explored and quantified, by single cell force spectroscopy (SCFS), the interaction of mouse embryonic fibroblasts with a flexible forest of Si NWs. We observed that the cell adhesion forces are comparable to those found on collagen and bare glass coverslip, analogously the membrane tether extraction forces are similar to that on collagen but stronger than that on bare flat glass. Cell survival did not depend significantly on the substrate, although a reduced proliferation after 36 h was observed. On the contrary both cell morphology and cytoskeleton organization revealed striking differences. The cell morphology on Si-NW was characterized by a large number of filopodia and a significant decrease of the cell mobility. The cytoskeleton organization was characterized by the absence of actin fibers, which were instead dominant on collagen and flat glass support. Such findings suggest that the mechanical properties of disordered Si NWs, and in particular their strong asymmetry, play a major role in the adhesion, morphology and cytoskeleton organization processes. Indeed, while adhesion measurements by SCFS provide out-of-plane forces values consistent with those measured on conventional substrates, weaker in-plane forces hinder proper cytoskeleton organization and migration processes.
Mental Health of Dubai Medical College Students

Objective: Considering the association between medical school dropout and psychiatric distress, we aimed to assess the prevalence of psychiatric distress among medical students at Dubai Medical College. Methods: One hundred and three medical students were chosen randomly and were assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Results: The mean age for the students was 18.85 year (Minimum: 17, Maximum: 22), and 90.3% were between 18 and 20 years old. The mean of GHQ score was 16.46. Of the participants, 47 (45.6%) were found to be in normal range (GHQ mean < 16). A total of 33 (32.1%) of the students reported evidence of psychiatric distress. Only 23 (22.3%) were found to have severe psychiatric distress. Conclusions: Early detection of psychiatric distress is important to prevent psychiatric morbidity and its unwanted effects on medical students and young doctors. Our results reveals that although a low percentage of Dubai Medical College students reported a significant level of psychiatric distress, however, it should not be underestimated, and actions should be taken to encourage Dubai Medical College students to get help from for psychiatric services for their emotional problems. The risk factors as well as the protective factors must be identified in nation-wide studies to promote mental health of medical students.
Molecular phylogeny of north mediterranean freshwater barbs (genus Barbus: cyprinidae) inferred from cytochrome b sequences: biogeographic and systematic implications.

We investigated phylogenetic relationships among north Mediterranean species of the genus Barbus using sequences of the cytochrome b gene. Our results indicate that the species belong to two major clades that are consistent with those previously defined from morphological features. The first clade includes species ranging from France to the Black Sea. In this clade, there is a well-supported monophyletic group of large-sized fluvio-lacustrine barbs; however, the monophyly of the small-sized rheophilic species is not clear. The second clade comprises species found in Spain, Greece, and Asia Minor and probably represents the oldest group present in the north Mediterranean rivers. In general, there is good concordance between geography and phylogenetic relationships. These results are compared to those from previous morphological- and allozyme-based studies and demonstrate widespread discordance and polyphyly in the traditional taxonomy of the genus Barbus. This study is one of the first reporting the phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships of a genus that is widely distributed in European rivers and contains species that are a major component of the European ichthyofauna.
The Wage Impact of Teachers Unions: A Meta‐Analysis

The literature examining the impact of teachers unions on education is very large and diverse. We meta-analyze the literature on the wage impacts of teachers unions to try to draw out general findings, the importance of empirical model specification, and samples. A key finding of this study is that the average wage impact estimated by the included papers is modest, around 2%–4.5%. Our findings also suggest that the quality of an empirical strategy significantly affects the size of the estimated impact. We find that teachers union wage impacts have varied over time. The largest impacts appear to be following the rapid expansion of teacher unionism in the 1970s. Finally, we gain new insight into the goals of teachers unions by using the increased statistical power of meta-analytic techniques to show that unions increase the wages of new teachers and not just senior teachers. (JEL J51, I21, I30)
Investigation on Secondary Structure Perturbations of Proteins Embedded in Solid Lipid Matrices as a Novel Indicator of their Biological Activity upon In Vitro Release

Protein biologics are prone to conformational changes during formulation development. Limited methods are available for conformational analysis of proteins in solid state and in the presences of formulation excipients. The aim of this study was to investigate the secondary structures of proteins encased in solid lipid matrices as a novel indicator of their stability upon in vitro release. Model proteins namely catalase and lysozyme were incorporated into lipid namely Precirol® AT05 (glycerol palmitostearate, melting point 58°C) at 30% w/w loading using melting and mixing and wet granulation methods. Attenuated total reflectance (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and biological activity analyses were performed. The information about secondary structure was acquired using second derivative analysis of amide-I band (1600–1700 cm−1). ATR analysis demonstrated interference of lipid spectrum with protein amide-I band which was subsequently subtracted to allow the analysis of the secondary structure. ATR spectra amide-I bands showed shifts peak band positions compared to native protein for matrices prepared using wet granulation. SEC analysis gave evidence of protein aggregation for catalase which was increased using wet granulation. The biological activity of catalase was statistically different from that of control and was affected by the incorporation method and was found to be in alignment with ATR spectral changes and extent of aggregation. In conclusion, ATR spectroscopy could analyze protein secondary structure in lipid matrices provided lipid interference was minimized. The ATR spectral changes and formation of aggregates can indicate the loss in biological activity of protein released from solid lipid matrices.
ACCUMULATION OF PHOTOSYSTEM ONE1, a Member of a Novel Gene Family, Is Required for Accumulation of [4Fe-4S] Cluster–Containing Chloroplast Complexes and Antenna Proteins

To investigate the nuclear-controlled mechanisms of [4Fe-4S] cluster assembly in chloroplasts, we selected Arabidopsis thaliana mutants with a decreased content of photosystem I (PSI) containing three [4Fe-4S] clusters. One identified gene, ACCUMULATION OF PHOTOSYSTEM ONE1 (APO1), belongs to a previously unknown gene family with four defined groups (APO1 to APO4) only found in nuclear genomes of vascular plants. All homologs contain two related motifs of ∼100 amino acid residues that could potentially provide ligands for [4Fe-4S] clusters. APO1 is essentially required for photoautotrophic growth, and levels of PSI core subunits are below the limit of detection in the apo1 mutant. Unlike other Arabidopsis PSI mutants, apo1 fails to accumulate significant amounts of the outer antenna subunits of PSI and PSII and to form grana stacks. In particular, APO1 is essentially required for stable accumulation of other plastid-encoded and nuclear-encoded [4Fe-4S] cluster complexes within the chloroplast, whereas [2Fe-2S] cluster–containing complexes appear to be unaffected. In vivo labeling experiments and analyses of polysome association suggest that translational elongation of the PSI transcripts psaA and psaB is specifically arrested in the mutant. Taken together, our findings suggest that APO1 is involved in the stable assembly of several [4Fe-4S] cluster–containing complexes of chloroplasts and interferes with translational events probably in association with plastid nucleoids.
Teaching and assessing communication skills in Maastricht: the first twenty years

In order to share the issues involved in setting up a communication skills training programme in a medical school, the development of such a programme at the Skillslab of Maastricht Medical School, the Netherlands, is described and the problems encountered are addressed. A multidisciplinary working group developed teaching goals for communication skills, focused on observable behaviour to be displayed by students. These teaching goals were incorporated in a generic model for doctor-patient communication. A longitudinal training programme was created, throughout the four years of the preclinical curriculum. Students meet in small groups of 10, once every 2 weeks. In between group sessions they practise consultation skills in simulated patient contacts. Communication skills are assessed in the annual multiple station examination. In the development of this programme the following consecutive actions were taken: teaching material was produced, and an assessment tool was developed, as were instruments for programme evaluation. The programme evaluation allowed student feedback to teachers, the teachers' departments, and the administration of the medical school. Finally, teacher training was professionalized.