Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Planning Research ‘with’ Minorities in Palermo: Negotiating Ethics and Commitments in a Participatory Process

Introduction The present paper will explore some ethical issues that arise when undertaking research with minorities (ethnic groups, children, poor people) in the context of an uncollaborative planning process, like the Palermo Local Agenda 21 (LA21). There are important ethical issues that have to be carefully considered when undertaking research with people, particularly when these people are marginalized or excluded by wider society. Here, issues of powerlessness and vulnerability abound. If this is accepted, some questions arise. How are we supposed to consider planning researchers—understood as immersed in the policy process—as moral/political agents, given their political commitments? Here there are both general ethical issues and specifically research ethical issues: the article will stress the perspective of the researcher, although Abstract The paper will explore some ethical issues which arise when undertaking research with minorities (ethnic groups, children, poor people) in the context of an uncollaborative planning process, like the Palermo Local Agenda 21. There are important ethical issues that have to be carefully considered when undertaking research with people, particularly when these people are marginalised or excluded by wider society. Here, issues of powerlessness and vulnerability abound. If this is accepted, some questions arise. How are we supposed to consider planning researchers – understood as immersed in the policy process – as moral/political agents, given their political commitments? Here there are both general ethical issues and specifically research ethical issues: the article will stress the perspective of the researcher, although a strict and rigid distinction does not entirely apply to the case, given the context which will be described. These include: What is a ‘‘significant’’ knowledge? Which sort of knowledge is not ‘‘recognised’’ and consequently excluded by institutions? What obligations does a researcher have in relation to the power relations assumed and supported by answers to these questions?
An Empirical Investigation of EVA and Executive Compensation

Despite a growing literature, the relationship between the structure of executive compensation and firm performance is not fully understood. Furthermore, little work has been done on the link between Economic Value Added (EVA) as a measure of firm performance and the form of executive compensation. An examination of the compensation structure and economic value added of 209 companies in 1995 – 1998 provides evidence supporting incentive compensation. Economic Value Added is found to be positively and significantly related to incentive based compensation. Cash based remuneration, was found to be unrelated to EVA performance.
Homotypic and heterotypic trans-assembly of human Rab-family small GTPases in reconstituted membrane tethering

Membrane tethering is a highly regulated event occurring during the initial physical contact between membrane-bounded transport carriers and their target subcellular membrane compartments, thereby ensuring the spatiotemporal specificity of intracellular membrane trafficking. Although Rab-family small GTPases and specific Rab-interacting effectors, such as coiled-coil tethering proteins and multisubunit tethering complexes, are known to be involved in membrane tethering, how these protein components directly act upon the tethering event remains enigmatic. Here, using a chemically defined reconstitution system, we investigated the molecular basis of membrane tethering by comprehensively and quantitatively evaluating the intrinsic capacities of 10 representative human Rab-family proteins (Rab1a, -3a, -4a, -5a, -6a, -7a, -9a, -11a, -27a, and -33b) to physically tether two distinct membranes via homotypic and heterotypic Rab-Rab assembly. All of the Rabs tested, except Rab27a, specifically caused homotypic membrane tethering at physiologically relevant Rab densities on membrane surfaces (e.g. Rab/lipid molar ratios of 1:100–1:3,000). Notably, endosomal Rab5a retained its intrinsic potency to drive efficient homotypic tethering even at concentrations below the Rab/lipid ratio of 1:3,000. Comprehensive reconstitution experiments further uncovered that heterotypic combinations of human Rab-family isoforms, including Rab1a/6a, Rab1a/9a, and Rab1a/33b, can directly and selectively mediate membrane tethering. Rab1a and Rab9a in particular synergistically triggered very rapid and efficient membrane tethering reactions through their heterotypic trans-assembly on two opposing membranes. In conclusion, our findings establish that, in the physiological context, homotypic and heterotypic trans-assemblies of Rab-family small GTPases can provide the essential molecular machinery necessary to drive membrane tethering in eukaryotic endomembrane systems.
AMY2B Gene Copy-Number Variation Studied by Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR) in Three Canids: Red Fox, Arctic Fox, and Chinese Raccoon Dog

Copy-number variation (CNV) is an important source of genetic variation, and one that played a role in the process of domestication. The adaptation to a new diet is a characteristic feature of dog domestication. We therefore sought genomic signatures of this process. The pancreatic alpha-amylase gene (AMY2B), expressed in the pancreas, exhibits a variable number of copies. It has been shown that the multiplication of this gene is associated with the adaptation of dogs to a starch-rich diet. To date, there has been no information made available on the copy-number variation of AMY2B in canid farm animals. The aim of the present study was to examine the AMY2B copy number in the red fox, the arctic fox, and in the Chinese raccoon dog. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) was used to count the gene copies in 152 animals (60 red foxes, 53 arctic foxes, and 39 Chinese raccoon dogs). We found that the majority (91%) of the animals had two copies of this gene. Of the red foxes and Chinese raccoon dogs, only 8% had three copies, while 32% of the arctic foxes had three copies. Our study showed that the multiplication of the AMY2B gene did not occur over several decades of breeding selection, which may reflect the low-starch feeding regime.
Facile synthesis of cerium-doped carbon quantum dots as a highly efficient antioxidant for free radical scavenging

Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) can lead to irreversible damage to the human body in vivo, therefore it is highly desirable to exploit an efficient antioxidant. Recently, cerium oxide nanoparticles have attracted extensive attention in the field of biomedicine due to their excellent antioxidant properties. In this study, cerium-doped carbon quantum dots (Ce-doped CQDs) with hydroxyl radical scavenging capacity were synthesized for first time by one-step hydrothermal carbonization method. The resultant Ce-doped CQDs with the average particle size of 2.5 nm possessed the properties of good water solubility, colloid stability, and strong fluorescence, which are similar to traditional CQDs. Meanwhile, the Ce-doped CQDs had good biocompatibility and negligible cytotoxicity. Taking advantage of inherent ultra-small size, the Ce-doped CQDs exhibited a high Ce3+/Ce4+ ratio at the surface of particles. The radical scavenging capability of the Ce-doped CQDs was proved by a simple photometric system in vitro, which provided direct evidence for its antioxidant potency. Furthermore, the Ce-doped CQDs had a high ability to protect cells from hydrogen peroxide-induced damage by scavenging hydroxyl radicals. These results suggest that Ce-doped CQDs as a new ROS scavenger may provide potential prospects for the treatment of oxidative stress-related diseases.
Measuring Customer’s Attitude Towards Internet Banking Adoption In Ethiopia

: The main purpose of this paper was toMeasure customer’s attitude towards internet banking adoption in Ethiopia using TAM and DTPB. It adopted descriptiveand explanatory research design. The sample size of 400 customers of Ethiopian public and private banks was drawn from Bahir Dar city, Jinka town, and Injibara town. The study findings of correlation analysis showed that all constructs TAM and DTPB (Compatibility,Subjective norm, trust, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) were positively and significantly affect customer’s attitude towards IB. The findings of the multiple regressions analysis showed that the observed changes in customers attitude attributed by the TAM and DTPB (Compatibility,Subjective norm, trust, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) is 52.1% (adjusted r2=.521). The findings revealed that all variables included in the models (Compatibility,Subjective norm, trust, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) were significant in affecting customers attitude towards IB. Results also revealed that the variable perceived usefulness plays the most important role, followed by compatibility and perceived ease of use in predicting customers attitude towards IB, while trust has lower predicting power than others.
Effects of Cold-inducible RNA-binding Protein (CIRP) on Liver Glycolysis during Acute Cold Exposure in C57BL/6 Mice

Cold-inducible RNA-binding protein (CIRP) is a stress-responsive protein involved in several signal transduction pathways required for cellular function, which are associated with apoptosis and proliferation. The present study aimed to investigate the possible effects of CIRP-mediated regulation of glucose metabolism in the liver following acute cold exposure. The livers and serum of male C57BL/6 mice were collected following cold exposure at 4 °C for 0 h, 2 h, 4 h, and 6 h. Glucose metabolic markers and the expression of glucose metabolic-related proteins were detected in the liver. Acute cold exposure was found to increase the consumption of glycogen in the liver. Fructose-1,6-diphosphate (FDP) and pyruvic acid (PA) were found to show a brief increase followed by a sharp decrease during cold exposure. Anti-apoptotic protein (Bcl-2) expression was upregulated. CIRP protein expression displayed a sequential increase with prolonged acute cold exposure time. Acute cold exposure also increased the level of protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation, and activated the AKT-signaling pathway. Taken together, these findings indicate that acute cold exposure increased the expression of CIRP protein, which regulates mouse hepatic glucose metabolism and maintains hepatocyte energy balance through the AKT signaling pathway, thereby slowing the liver cell apoptosis caused by cold exposure.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Theoretical and empirical evidence suggests that body size is a major life-history trait impacting on the structure and functioning of complex food webs. However, long-term analyses of size-dependent interactions within simpler network modules, for instance, competitive guilds, are scant. Here, we model the assembly dynamics of the largest breeding seabird community in the Mediterranean basin during the last 30 years. This unique data set allowed us to test, through a ‘‘natural experiment,’’ whether body size drove the assembly and dynamics of an ecological guild growing from very low numbers after habitat protection. Although environmental stochasticity accounted for most of community variability, the population variance explained by interspecific interactions, albeit small, decreased sharply with increasing body size. Since we found a demographic gradient along a body size continuum, in which population density and stability increase with increasing body size, the numerical effects of interspecific interactions were proportionally higher on smaller species than on larger ones. Moreover, we found that the per capita interaction coefficients were larger the higher the size ratio among competing species, but only for the set of interactions in which the species exerting the effect was greater. This provides empirical evidence for longterm asymmetric interspecific competition, which ultimately prompted the local extinction of two small species during the study period. During the assembly process stochastic predation by generalist carnivores further triggered community reorganizations and global decays in population synchrony, which disrupted the pattern of interspecific interactions. These results suggest that the major patterns detected in complex food webs can hold as well for simpler sub-modules of these networks involving non-trophic interactions, and highlight the shifting ecological processes impacting on assembling vs. asymptotic communities.
HIV prevalence, spatial distribution and risk factors for HIV infection in the Kenyan fishing communities of Lake Victoria

Introduction Global efforts to end HIV by 2030 focus on reducing and eventually eliminating new infections in priority populations. Identifying these populations and characterizing their vulnerability factors helps in guiding investment of scarce HIV prevention resources to achieve maximum impact. We sought to establish HIV prevalence, spatial distribution and risk factors for HIV infection in the Kenyan fishing communities of Lake Victoria. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 2637 people from all the 308 fish-landing beaches on the Kenyan shore of Lake Victoria. The number of participants enrolled at each beach were weighted based on the size of the beach, determined by the number of functional registered boats. We used simple random sampling to select those to be approached for study participation. Consenting participants were privately interviewed about their socio-economic and demographic characteristics and sexual behavior, and were invited for HIV test using the Kenya rapid HIV testing protocol. We used descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic and linear regression for analysis. Results We found high HIV prevalence of 32% with significant differences between men (29%) and women (38%). Among men, having an HIV negative sexual partner, being circumcised, increasing number of condom protected sex acts in the preceding month, being younger and being a resident of Homa Bay, Kisumu, Siaya and Busia counties compared to Migori County reduced the risk of HIV infection. For women, being married, having more children with the current spouse, having an HIV negative sexual partner and being a resident of Busia compared to Migori County reduced the risk of HIV infection. We also found that longer distance from the beaches to the nearest public health facilities was associated with increasing cumulative HIV prevalence at the beaches. Conclusion Fishing communities have high HIV prevalence and may greatly benefit from interventions such as wider ART coverage, couple HIV risk reduction counseling, PrEP use for HIV negative partner at substantial continuous risk, alongside other HIV prevention services that the Kenyan government is currently rolling out. This will additionally require adequate plans to synchronize the provision of these services with the population’s routine schedules for all these options to be reasonably accessible to them.
A comparison of the Health Star Rating and nutrient profiles of branded and generic food products in Sydney supermarkets, Australia

Abstract Objective To compare the Health Star Rating (HSR) and the nutritional profile of branded and generic packaged foods in Australia. Design In-store audits of packaged food products capturing data on HSR and nutritional content to analyse differences between branded and generic foods across ten food categories. Setting The audit was conducted in four major supermarket chains across various locations within metropolitan Sydney regions, Australia. Results A total of 6269 products were analysed with 57 % of generic products and 28 % of branded products displaying an HSR. The median HSR of branded products was significantly greater than for generic products overall (4·0 v. 3·5, P<0·005) and in six out of ten food categories (P<0·005). However, when branded products could be matched to their generic counterparts for paired comparisons (n 146), no statistical difference was observed in all ten food categories. Branded products that chose to display an HSR had significantly lower saturated fat and Na, but higher fibre contents than branded products not displaying an HSR. Conclusions Our data show no difference in the HSR or nutrient profiles of similar branded and generic products that display HSR. Branded products appear to exploit the voluntary nature of the HSR scheme, preferentially displaying an HSR on healthier products compared with their generic counterparts.
Phytophthora infestans sporangia produced in artificial media and plant lesions have subtly divergent transcription profiles but equivalent infection potential and aggressiveness.

Sporangia of the potato late blight agent, Phytophthora infestans, are often used in studies of pathogen biology and plant responses to infection. Investigations of spore biology can be challenging in oomycetes since their sporangia are physiologically active and change in response to environmental factors and aging. Whether sporangia from artificial media and plant lesions are functionally equivalent has been a topic of debate. To address these issues, we compared the transcriptomes and infection ability of sporangia from rye-sucrose media, potato and tomato leaflets, and potato tubers. Small differences were observed between the mRNA profiles of sporangia from all sources, including variation in genes encoding metabolic enzymes, cell wall-degrading enzymes, and ABC transporters. Small differences in sporangia age also resulted in variation in the transcriptome. Taking care to use sporangia of similar maturity, we observed that those sourced from media or plant lesions had similar rates of zoospore release and cyst germination. There were also no differences in infection rates or aggressiveness on leaflets, based on single-spore inoculation assays. Such results are discordant with those of a recent publication in this journal. Nevertheless, we conclude that sporangia from plant and media cultures are functionally similar and emphasize the importance of using "best practices" in experiments with sporangia to obtain reliable results.
Prediction of Minimally Conscious State with Brain Stem Reflexes in Unconscious Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the predictive power of the brain stem reflexes (BSRs) for minimally conscious state in unconscious patients after traumatic brain injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 120 patients with duration of unconsciousness were enrolled in this study. BSRs were recorded 14 days after Traumatic brain injury, and classified into 3 grades. Predictors including BSRs, age, sex, Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and cause of injury were also analyzed, respectively. The outcome was divided into 2 groups including unconscious group and minimally conscious state (MCS) group. RESULTS Seventy-two of 120 were minimally conscious and 48 of 120 were unconscious at 6 months from the onset of injury. The BSRs outmatched the predictive accuracy of the GCS for outcome (AUROC, 0.853; 95% confidence interval, 0.753-0.953; and AUROC, 0.655; 95% confidence interval, 0.512-0.799, respectively). BSRs grade (P < 0.001) and GCS (P < 0.05) were significantly associated with the outcome. The accuracy of the whole regression model for predicting unconscious and MCS was 91.7% and 79.2%, respectively. CONCLUSION The BSRs grade shows a significantly higher accuracy for prediction of MCS compared with the GCS. BSRs grade is a simple, yet reliable and stratification tool for early decision making.
Networks in Social Policy Problems: Supply security in the European natural gas pipeline network

Energy security of natural gas supplies in Europe is becoming a key concern. As demand increases, infrastructure development focuses on extending the capacity of the pipeline system. While conventional approaches focus mainly on source dependence, we argue for a network perspective to also consider risks associated with transit countries, by borrowing methods from ecological food web analysis. We develop methods to estimate exposure and dominance of each country, by using network datasets of the present pipeline system, and future scenarios of 2020 and 2030. We found that future scenarios will not increase the robustness of the system. Pipeline development to 2030 will shift the relative weight of energy security concerns away from source to transit countries. The dominance of politically unstable countries will increase. The exposure will be slightly redistributed by improving the security of already secure countries, and increasing the exposure of those countries that are already in a vulnerable position.
Effect of organic manures and mineral nutrients on soil properties of clusterbean [Cyamnposis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub.]

A field experiment was conducted at Agronomy Farm, S.K. N. College of Agriculture, Jobner, (Rajasthan) during kharif, 2013 on loamy sand soil to study the effect of organic manures and mineral nutrients on soil properties and yield of clusterbean [Cyamposis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub. ]. The treatments consisted of four levels of organic manures (Control, FYM @ 10 t/ha,vermicompost @ 3 t/ha and poultry manure @ 4 t/ha) and five levels of mineral nutrients (Control, elemental sulphur @ 40 kg/ha, elemental sulphur @ 40 kg/ha+ zinc sulphate @ 25 kg/ha, elemental sulphur @ 40 kg/ha + zinc sulphate @ 25 kg/ha +ferrous sulphate @ 50 kg/ha, elemental sulphur @ 40 kg/ha+ zinc sulphate @ 25 kg/ha +ferrous sulphate @ 50 kg/ha + ammonium molybdate @ 1 kg/ha) were applied to the clusterbean var. RGC-1003. The experiment was laid out in randomised block design and replicated three. The moisture retention, organic carbon, available nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, molybdenum, iron and zinc in soil at harvest of crop were recorded significantly maximum with the application of poultry manure @ 4 t/ha over control. Maximum available nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, molybdenum, iron and zinc were recorded under the application of S+Zn+Fe+Mo.
Farmers’ Adoption of Organic Rice Production in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand

This study analysed the factors affecting the adoption of organic rice production in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. Primary data were collected through structured questionnaire completed by 108 farmers: (58 organic rice farmers and 50 non-organic rice farmers) in Chachoengsao Province, Thailand. A t-test was employed to investigate the differences in the demographics of organic and non-organic rice farmers, and percentage mean, and standard deviation was used to describe farmers’ attitudes. Logistic regression was employed to investigate factors influencing organic rice adoption, educational level, and farm size were significantly different between the organic and non-organic rice farmers. Education (positive), farming experience (positive), age of household head (negative) and farm size (negative) had highly significant (p ≤ 0.01) influences on organic farming adoption. The farmers’ attitude toward environmental concern was the most important reason for adopting organic rice farming. This research identified the factors affecting the adoption of organic rice farming; this information can be used to encourage farmers to practice organic rice farming in the targeted organic rice area in Thailand. In addition, the farmers’ attitudes toward organic farming systems could be used to help support farmers practicing organic rice farming.