פרסומים

In light of the new wave of immigrants and asylum seekers from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) to Europe, this article investigates some of the challenges of the previous phases of immigration of MENA immigrants in order to propose how best to address the needs of the new one. In particular, this article looks at the relationship between different types of anti‐discrimination policy and the levels of perceived discrimination among first‐ and second‐generation MENA immigrants to Europe. This research uses hierarchical models to integrate data from the European Social Survey (ESS) and the Migrant Integration Policy Index. Findings show that enforcement mechanisms are most efficient in reducing feelings of discrimination among veteran and second‐generation MENA immigrants, while broad and well defined anti‐discrimination policies are highly effective among newcomers.

OBJECTIVE: To determine direct-acting oral anticoagulant (DOAC) blood levels in post-bariatric surgery (BS) patients treated with long-term anticoagulation therapy. METHODS: We identified from medical records patients who underwent BS during 2005-2016 and who were treated with DOACs. We offered testing DOAC blood levels to these patients and to age, sex, body mass index, and serum creatinine-matched individuals treated by DOACs who did not undergo BS. RESULTS: Overall, 36 individuals were enrolled, 18 post-BS patients and 18 control subjects. Of the post-BS patients, 12 underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, 4 laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding and 2 laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. Median time lapsed from surgery until study inclusion was 4.9years. Five post-BS patients had peak drug levels below expected levels compared to none of the control subjects (P=0.05). For patients who used apixaban (n=9) and dabigatran (n=2), peak drug levels were within the expected range. In contrast, for the 7 patients who used rivaroxaban, levels were below the expected range in 5, including all four who underwent sleeve gastrectomy and one following adjustable gastric banding. Peak rivaroxaban levels were significantly lower in the post-BS than the control group (P=0.02). CONCLUSION: This preliminary study suggests that all DOACs, particularly rivaroxaban, be cautiously used following BS, if used at all. Given that vitamin-K antagonists can be easily monitored, they may be a better choice, until more data on DOAC use in this patient population are available.

During decomposition of copper formate, a volatile intermediate is formed, that can be utilized to fabricate conductive copper lines for electrical interconnections. By the method called Reactive Transfer Printing (RTP), a pattern of copper (II) formate was printed, and placed adjacent to a second surface; decomposition of the printed pattern led to a transfer of copper to the second substrate. It was found that the yield of the transfer process improved due to presence of several carboxylic acids which are liquid with a high boiling point. Furthermore we found that the transport of copper starts at a lower temperature than previously reported, indicating that the first decomposition step of copper formate is related to the catalytic decomposition of formic acid on a copper surface. The findings enable printing of conductive copper patterns onto the interior surface of a glass vessel.

ABSTRACTSeveral composts were tested for their capacity to moderate the effect of Verticillium dahliae Kleb. (VCG B4, VD) on eggplant (Solanum melongena) under greenhouse conditions. Eggplants plantlets were inoculated by immersing their roots in conidial suspension and then planted in pots filled with mixtures of compost or peat moss, mixed with perlite. Six composts and peat moss mixtures were tested, of which tomato waste compost suppressed V. dahliae, and turkey litter compost partially suppressed it. Reduced levels of symptoms and lower fungal colonization were detected in the xylem of eggplants planted in tomato waste compost, and these plants accumulated more dry matter and had higher chlorophyll content compared to other media. However, survival of conidia in tomato waste compost showed only a moderate decrease compared with a sharp decrease in other media, suggesting that conidial eradication cannot be proposed as the suppressiveness mechanism. ? irradiation of tomato waste compost and peat at 2.5 Mrad reduced microorganism density by four orders of magnitude, but irradiation of tomato waste compost did not reduce its suppressiveness of V. dahliae. Composts properties affected progress rate of VD in the xylem tissue of eggplant seedling. These properties could indicate both biotic and abiotic factors affecting the process.

Abstract Does the well-documented ?decoy effect? emerge in decisions from experience among risky options? We conducted a series of experiments where participants made choices between gambles, and we varied whether participants learned about the options from description, experience, or both. Our results consistently showed no traces of the decoy effect when participants learned from experience. Even when participants read precise descriptions of the options, actually experiencing those options eliminated the decoy effect. Moreover, in decisions under risk (decisions from description), the decoy effect is less robust than previously thought. The decoy effect only emerged in an experimental design in which we used two decoys generating attraction for different options but did not emerge when only one decoy was used. Increasing the distance between the decoy and the target did not make the decoy effect emerge in decisions from experience but seemed to reduce the decoy effect in decisions from description. Overall, we identify two boundary conditions for the decoy effect in decisions under risk: First, it is not robust to situations that involve learning from experience; and second, the attraction of a single decoy may not be sufficient to observe a decoy effect. Copyright ? 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objectives: To examine possible changes in the levels of salivary antioxidants, C-reactive protein (CRP), cortisol, pH, proteins, and blood in patients treated with fixed orthodontic appliances. Materials and Methods: Salivary samples from 21 orthodontic patients who met specific inclusion criteria were collected before the beginning of orthodontic treatment (T0; baseline), 1 hour after bonding (T1), and 4–6 weeks after bonding (T2). Oxidant-scavenging ability (OSA) was quantified using a luminol-dependent chemiluminescence assay. Cortisol and CRP levels were measured using immunoassay kits. pH levels and presence of proteins and blood in the samples were quantified using strip-based tests. Results: A significant decrease in salivary pH was observed after bonding (P ¼ .013). An increase in oxidant-scavenging abilities during orthodontic treatment was detected, but the change was not statistically significant. Cortisol and CRP levels slightly increased after bonding, but the difference was small without statistical significance. Changes in the presence of proteins and blood were also insignificant. Conclusions: Exposure to fixed orthodontic appliances did not show a significant effect on salivary parameters related to inflammation or stress, with the exception of a significant but transient pH decrease after bonding. (Angle Orthod. 2018;88:806–811.)

Iodine intake is important for thyroid function and human health. Goat milk can be an important source of iodine for human nutrition. However, data regarding the effect of iodophor post-milking teat disinfection on iodine content in goat milk is lacking. Our aim was to assess the iodine concentrations in raw milk of dairy goats and to investigate the effect of post-milking teat-dipping iodophor practice on iodine content in goat milk. Two groups of dairy goats (n=6 in each) were treated with different post-milking teat-dipping disinfection: iodine-free solution (iodine-free group) and iodine-based solution (4,000 μg/L) (iodophors group). Treatments were carried out for 19 experimental days, following a 14-day pre-experimental period, in which only iodine-free sanitizer was used for both groups. The results showed that Iodine concentrations in milk of all goats were 49 ± 23, 49, 17-86 μg/100g (mean ± SD, median, range) at days-3,-2,-1 and 45 ± 26, 42, 14-96 μg/100g (mean ± SD, median, range) at days 17, 18, 19 of treatment. Iodine concentration increased by 7 μg/100g (mean) in the iodophors group while iodine concentration decreased by 15 μg/100g by day 17-19 of treatment in the iodine free group. It was concluded that relatively high iodine concentrations were found in raw milk of dairy goats whose teats were dipped post-milking in disinfectants with or without iodine. Post-milking teat-dipping iodophor practice may increase iodine content in goat milk within an average period of 20 days. This information can help in controlling iodine content in goat milk and iodine intake in the public.

The effect of irrigation regime in the kernel filling stage of almond was examined in a field experiment. The experiment was conducted on 9-year-old local variety (Um-El-Fahem) grafted on GF677 rootstock in Israel. Five irrigation treatments were applied during the main kernel dry matter accumulation. Irrigation rates in June varied from  1 to  8 mm/day and midday stem water potentials varied from  −2.6 to  −1.3 MPa. Seasonal irrigation varied from 394 to 801 mm. Kernel yield increased in the high irrigation treatments in the first four seasons where it decreased in the three lower irrigation treatments. Similarly, the four-season trunk cross-sectional area accumulation increased with increasing irrigation. Kernel yield increased with both midday stem water potential and irrigation rate. Kernel dry weight decreased with increasing fruit count where higher kernel weights were found in the higher irrigation treatments at similar fruit count. Kernel relative growth rates of all treatments were similar along the dry matter accumulation stage except for around 1 June where the lowest irrigation rate had significantly lower growth rate. Spurs survival analysis showed that the number of fruits per spur, fruiting spurs, and alive spurs increased with increasing irrigation. © 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.

Previous works have reported significant effects of macromolecular crowding on the structure and behavior of biomolecules. The crowded intracellular environment, in contrast to in vitro buffer solutions, likely imparts similar effects on biomolecules. The enzyme serving as the gatekeeper for the genome, RNA polymerase (RNAP), is among the most regulated enzymes. Although it was previously demonstrated that macromolecular crowding affects association of RNAP to DNA, not much is known about how crowding acts on late initiation and promoter clearance steps, which are considered to be the rate-determining steps for many promoters. Here, we demonstrate that macromolecular crowding enhances the rate of late initiation and promoter clearance using in vitro quenching-based single-molecule kinetics assays. Moreover, the enhancement’s dependence on crowder size notably deviates from predictions by the scaled-particle theory, commonly used for description of crowding effects. Our findings shed new light on how enzymatic reactions could be affected by crowded conditions in the cellular milieu.

Capsule: Microclimatic conditions in the nest of the Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni), particularly the percentage of time of extremely low humidity, affect breeding success.Aim: (1) To study the effect of within-nest temperature and humidity on nest productivity, and the correlation between nest productivity and the order of dates on which nests were occupied by the parents. (2) To compare microclimatic conditions in the nest, breeding success and order of occupation between nests under tile roofs and artificial nest boxes.Methods: Three different Lesser Kestrel colonies in Israel "one rural, one urban and one in an open country habitat. Data loggers, that measure temperature and humidity, were put in 39 nests for the entire breeding period. The number of fledglings was recorded for each nest, as well as the date of occupation.Results: (1) Full microclimatic data from 35 nests suggest that percentage of time of extremely low humidity is the major predictor of nest productivity. (2) The urban colony had the lowest breeding success of the three colonies. (3) Sites of more successful nests were occupied earlier. (4) No significant difference in mean productivity between nests in roofs and nest boxes, but nests in roofs were occupied earlier.Conclusion: Nest microclimate affects nesting success in addition to colony location.

Phase II biotransformation reactions have been gaining more attention due to their acknowledged significance in drug bioavailability, drug development, and drug-drug interactions. However, the predominant role of phase I metabolism has always overshadowed phase II metabolism, resulting in insufficient data regarding its mechanisms. In this paper, we investigate the effect of an advanced lipid based formulation on the phase II metabolism process of glucuronidation, occuring in the enterocytes monolayer. The investigated formulation is a self-emulsifying drug delivery system, termed pro-nano lipospheres, which contains the natural absorption enhancer piperine. To evaluate the effect of this formulation on direct glucuronidation we chose the model molecule raloxifene. First, glucuronidation is the main clearance pathway of this compound without involvement of preceding mechanisms. Second, raloxifene's extensive glucuronidation site is primarily at the intestine. Raloxifene's oral bioavailability was determined in a series of pharmacokinetic experiments using the freely moving rat model. In order to test the effect of the formulation on the relevant UGT enzymes reported in the clinic, we used the in vitro method of UGT-Glo Assay. Coadministration of raloxifene and piperine pro-nano lipospheres to rats resulted in a 2-fold increase in the relative oral bioavailability of raloxifene. However, coadministration of raloxifene with blank pro-nano lipospheres had no effect on its oral bioavailability. In contrast to the difference found in vivo between the two vehicles, both formulations extended an inhibitory effect on UGT enzymes in vitro. Ultimately, these findings prove the ability of the formulation to diminish intestinal direct phase II metabolism which serves as an absorption obstacle for many of today's marketed drugs. Pro-nano lipospheres is a formulation that serves as a platform for the simultaneous delivery of the absorption enhancer and a required drug. The discrepancy found between the in vivo and in vitro models demonstrates that the in vitro method may not be sensitive enough to distinguish the difference between the formulations.