Synthesis and secretion of transferrin by a bovine trabecular meshwork cell line

The trabecular meshwork (TM) is the main outflow pathway in the mammalian eye. Oxidative damage to TM cells has been suggested to be an important cause of impairment of TM functions, leading to deficient drainage of aqueous humor, with deleterious consequences to the eye. Transferrin, a metalloprotein involved in iron transport, has been characterized as an intrinsic eye protein. Since transferrin is implicated in the control of oxidative stress, the objective of the present study was to determine if a bovine TM cell line (CTOB) synthesizes and secretes transferrin. The CTOB cell line was cultured in the presence of 35S-methionine and the incubation medium was submitted to immunoprecipitation. Total RNAs from CTOB and isolated bovine TM (freshly isolated, incubated or not) were subjected to the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and the amplification products were sequenced. Also, both CTOB and histological TM preparations were processed for transferrin immunolocalization. A labeled peptide of about 80 kDa, the expected size for transferrin, was immunopurified from CTOB samples obtained from the incubation assays. The reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and sequencing experiments detected the presence of transferrin mRNA in CTOB and isolated bovine TM. Reactivity to antibodies against transferrin was observed both in CTOB and TM. The results obtained in all of these experiments indicated that the TM is capable of synthesizing and secreting transferrin. The possible implications for the physiology of the eye are discussed.

Detection of genetically modified organisms in soy products sold in Turkish market

PCR-based technique for GMO detection is the most reliable choice because of its high sensitivity and specificity. As a candidate of the European Union, Turkey must comply with the rules for launching into the market, traceability, and labeling of GMOs as established by EU legislation. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess soybean products in the Turkish market to verify compliance with legislation using qualitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay to detect the presence of GM soybean and to quantify its amount of GM soybean in the samples tested positive using real-time PCR. DNA extracted by the modified CTAB method was properly used for PCR amplification of food materials. The amplification of a 118 bp DNA fragment of the lectin gene from soybean by PCR was successfully achieved in all samples. The GMO screening was based on the detection of 35S promoter and NOS terminator sequences. The GM positive samples were subjected to detection of Roundup ReadyTM soybean (RR) using quantitative real-time PCR. It was found that 100% of the tested food samples contained less than 0.1 per cent of EPSPS gene.

Presence of central nervous system tissues as bovine spongiform encephalopathy specified risk material in Turkish raw meat ball (cig kofte)

Abstract Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) is a virulent disease which may infect by affecting the central nervous system (CNS) tissues in cattle and causes degeneration in nerves. Central nervous system tissues such as brain and spinal cord which are classified as specified risk materials (SRMs) are regarded to be main source of infection. The contamination of the meat with the specific risk materials (SRMs) can occur in phases of slaughter, fragmentation of carcass and processing. This study was conducted in order to investigate the existence of CNS tissues in raw meat ball (cig kofte) which is commonly consumed in the Southeastern Region of Turkey, particularly in Şanlıurfa. For this purpose, 145 samples of raw meat ball were tested. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits (Ridascreen risk material 10/5, R-biofarm GmbH) which determine glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as determinant were used. As a result of the analyses, positivity was detected in 21 of totally 145 samples of raw meat ball (14.48%). 6 (4.14%) of the samples gave low level of positivity (≥ 0.1 standard absorbance), 10 (6.90%) gave medium level of positivity (>0.2 standard absorbance) and 5 (3.45%) gave high level of positivity (≥0.5 standard absorbance). As a consequence, meats are contaminated in any phase of both slaughter and meat production even if accidentally. Regarding this matter, necessary measures should be taken and hygiene rules should be applied.

Ethnic conflicts and international politics : an analysis of the communal regional, and global dimensions of the Cyprus problem

The thesis assesses the impact of international factors on relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots during and after the Cold War. Through an analysis of the Cyprus problem it explores both why external actors intervene in communal conflicts and how they influence relations between ethnic groups in plural societies. The analytical framework employed throughout the study draws on contributions of International Relations theorists and students of ethnic conflict. The thesis argues that, as in the global political system, relations between ethnic groups in unranked communal systems are anarchic; that is, actors within the system do not recognize a sovereign political authority. In bipolar communal systems dominated by two relatively equal groups, the struggle for security and power often leads to appeals for assistance from external actors. The framework notes that neighboring states and Great Powers may heed calls for assistance, or intervene without a prior request, if it is in their interest to do so. The convergence of regional and global interests in communal affairs exacerbates ethnic conflicts and precludes the development of effective political institutions. The impact of external intervention in ethnic conflicts has the potential to alter the basis of communal relations. The Cyprus problem is examined both during and after the Cold War in order to gauge how global and regional actors and the structure of their respective systems have affected relations between ethnic groups in Cyprus. The thesis argues that Cyprus's descent into civil war in 1963 was due in part to the entrenchment of external interests in the Republic's constitution. The study also notes that power politics involving the United States, Soviet Union, Greece and Turkey continued to affect the development of communal relations throughout the 1960s, 70s, and, 80s. External intervention culminated in July and August 1974, after a Greek sponsored coup was answered by Turkey's invasion and partition of Cyprus. The forced expulsion of Greek Cypriots from the island's northern territories led to the establishment of ethnically homogeneous zones, thus altering the context of communal relations dramatically. The study also examines the role of the United Nations in Cyprus, noting that its failure to settle the dispute was due in large part to a lack of cooperation from Turkey, and the United States' and Soviet Union's acceptance of the status quo following the 1974 invasion and partition of the island. The thesis argues that the deterioration of Greek-Turkish relations in the post-Cold War era has made a solution to the dispute unlikely for the time being. Barring any dramatic changes in relations between communal and regional antagonists, relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots will continue to develop along the lines established in July/August 1974. The thesis concludes by affirming the validity of its core hypotheses through a brief survey of recent works touching on international politics and ethnic conflict. Questions requiring further research are noted as are elements of the study that require further refinement.

The nature of avidyÄ in Buddhism and VedÄ nta

This thesis deals with the nature of ignorance as it was interpreted in the Upani~adic tradition, specifically in Advaita Vedanta, and in early and Mahayana Buddhism , e specially in the Madhyamika school of Buddhism. The approach i s a historical and comparative one. It examines the early thoughts of both the upanis.a ds and Buddhism abou t avidya (ignorance), shows how the notion was treated by the more speculative and philosphically oriented schools which base d themselves on the e arly works, and sees how their views differ. The thesis will show that the Vedinta tended to treat avidya as a topic for metaphysical s peculation as t he s chool developed, drifting from its initial e xistential concerns, while the Madhyamika remained in contact with the e xistential concerns evident in the first discourses of the Buddha. The word "notion" has been chosen for use in referring t o avidya, even though it may have non-intellectual and emotional connotations, to avoid more popular a lternatives such as "concept" or "idea". In neither the Upani,ads, Advaita Vedanta, or Buddhism is ignorance merely a concept or an idea. Only in a secondary sense, in texts and speech , does it become one. Avidya has more to do with the lived situation in which man finds himself, with the subjectobject separation in which he f eels he exists, than with i i i intel lect ual constr ucts . Western thought has begun to r ealize the same with concerns such as being in modern ontology, and has chosen to speak about i t i n terms of the question of being . Avidya, however, i s not a 'question' . If q ue stions we r e to be put regarding the nature of a vidya , they would be more of t he sort "What is not avidya?", though e ven here l anguage bestows a status t o i t which avidya does not have. In considering a work of the Eastern tradition, we f ace t he danger of imposing Western concepts on it. Granted t hat avidya is customari ly r endered i n English as ignorance, the ways i n which the East and West view i gno rance di f f er. Pedagogically , the European cultures, grounded in the ancient Greek culture, view ignorance as a l ack or an emptiness. A child is i gnorant o f certain t hings and the purpose o f f ormal education , in f act if not in theory, is to fill him with enough knowledge so that he can cope wit h t he complexities and the e xpectations of s ociety. On another level, we feel t hat study and research will l ead t o the discovery o f solutions, which we now lack , for problems now defying solut i on . The East, on the o t her hand, sees avidya in a d i fferent light.Ignorance isn't a lack, but a presence. Religious and philosophical l iterature directs its efforts not towards acquiring something new, but at removing t.he ideas and opinions that individuals have formed about themselves and the world. When that is fully accomplished, say the sages , t hen Wisdom, which has been obscured by those opinions, will present itself. Nothing new has to be learned, t hough we do have t o 'learn' that much. The growing interest in t he West with Eastern religions and philosophies may, in time, influence our theoretical and practical approaches to education and learning, not only in the established educati onal institutions, but in religious , p sychological, and spiritual activities as well. However, the requirements o f this thesis do no t permit a formulation of revolutionary method or a call to action. It focuses instead on the textual arguments which attempt to convince readers that t he world in which they take themselves to exist is not, in essence, real, on the ways i n which the l imitations of language are disclosed, and on the provisional and limited schemes that are built up to help students see through their ignorance. The metaphysic s are provisional because they act only as spurs and guides. Both the Upanisadic and Buddhist traditions that will be dealt with here stress that language constantly fails to encompass the Real. So even terms s uch as 'the Real', 'Absolute', etc., serve only to lead to a transcendent experience . The sections dealing with the Upanisads and Advaita Vedanta show some of the historical evolution of the notion of avidya, how it was dealt with as maya , and the q uestions that arose as t o its locus. With Gau?apada we see the beginnings of a more abstract treatment of the topic, and , the influence of Buddhism. Though Sankhara' S interest was primarily directed towards constructing a philosophy to help others attain mok~a ( l iberation), he too introduced t echnica l t e rminology not found in the works of his predecessors. His work is impressive , but areas of it are incomplete. Numbers of his followers tried to complete the systematic presentation of his insi ghts . Their work focuses on expl anat i ons of adhyasa (superimposition ) , t he locus and object of ignorance , and the means by which Brahman takes itself to be the jiva and the world. The section on early Buddhism examines avidya in the context o f the four truths, together with dubkha (suffering), the r ole it p l ays in t he chain of dependent c ausation , a nd t he p r oblems that arise with t he doctrine of anatman. With t he doct rines of e arly Buddhism as a base, the Madhyamika elaborated questions that the Buddha had said t e nded not t o edi f ication. One of these had to do with own - being or svabhava. Thi s serves a s a centr e around which a discussion o f i gnorance unfolds, both i ndividual and coll ective ignorance. There follows a treatment of the cessation of ignorance as it is discussed within this school . The final secti on tries to present t he similarities and differences i n the natures o f ignorance i n t he two traditions and discusses the factors responsible for t hem . ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Sinha for the time spent II and suggestions made on the section dealing with Sankara and the Advait.a Vedanta oommentators, and Dr. Sprung, who supervised, direoted, corrected and encouraged the thesis as a whole, but especially the section on Madhyamika, and the final comparison.

Orazio and Artemisia Gentileschi : father and daughter painters in Baroque Italy : réception critique d'un jumelage expositionnel

Pour respecter les droits d'auteur, la version électronique de ce mémoire a été dépouillée de ses documents visuels et audio-visuels. La version intégrale du mémoire a été déposé au Service de la gestion des documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

El humor judío femenino argentino contemporáneo en la narrativa de Alicia Steimberg, Silvia Plager y Ana María Shúa

En la creación literaria latinoamericana del siglo XX, la narrativa de los autores judíos ha proseguido un trayecto aparte, casi silencioso, en relación con la escritura canónica del continente. No obstante, hacia los años setenta, surge una producción literaria judía femenina que hoy ha alcanzado un renombre internacional. Esta tesis estudia la peculiaridad literaria del humor judío femenino argentino contemporáneo en torno a la definición de la identidad y rol de género, para comprender cómo se resignifica la hibridez cultural en el texto literario. El humor como catarsis de conflictos problematiza la relación entre lo propio y lo ajeno mediante una puesta en tela de juicio de la realidad para manifestarse como una preocupación, una responsabilidad y un compromiso crítico. A través del análisis de las obras de Alicia Steimberg, Silvia Plager y Ana María Shúa, la investigación reconfigura la vida judía diaspórica y el sentido de ser mujer respecto a la importancia del ámbito culinario en cuanto al influjo de la modernidad argentina en la tradición judía. En este estudio, se analizarán las novelas Músicos y relojeros, Como papas para varenikes y Risas y emociones de la cocina judía donde las diferentes reflexiones de Steimberg, Plager y Shúa en relación con la historia judía elaboran discursos con singulares diferencias en la intención humorística. En la primera parte de la tesis, se hará mención de diversas perspectivas teóricas que destacan las implicaciones psicológicas, sociales y psicoanalíticas respecto al humor en general, el humor de la minoría, el humor femenino y el humor judío. En los tres capítulos subsiguientes, se procederá a una lectura de los textos antes mencionados para interpretar las preocupaciones de nuestro tema frente a los dictámenes que la religión y sociedad desean imponer. Finalmente, la conclusión aborda la evolución de una visión entre humor negro, humor como crítica social y humor como lúdico juego en paralelo con una búsqueda de la identidad híbrida actualizada mediante una crítica de lo tradicional.

The hypotensive effect of exercise on IOP : an interaction of physical fitness and parasympathetic efficacy

RÉSUMÉ Suite à une centaine de publications sur la réduction de la PIO post-exercice, il est connu que parmi un grand nombre de programme d'exercices de différentes durées et intensités, les effets hypotenseurs de l'exercice sur la PIO sont atténués chez les sujets en bonne condition physique. Le mécanisme proposé est l'augmentation potentielle de l'efficacité du système parasympathique avec l'activité physique. Le principal objectif de cette thèse est d'identifier les facteurs contribuants à la réduction de la PIO post-exercice et d'élucider les différents mécanismes possibles. L'étude 1, une méta-analyse, a été menée afin de quantifier les contributions relatives de l'intensité et de la durée de l'effet de l'exercice sur la PIO et la mesure dans laquelle ces variables affectent les sujets sédentaires et normalement actifs. La tendance ressortant des résultats est que la diminution de la PIO suite à de l'exercice aérobie est plus élevée chez les sujets sédentaires que les sujets en bonne condition physique. (ES = -4.198 mm Hg et -2.340 mm Hg, respectivement). L'absence d'un contrôle des liquides ingérés avant l'activité physique est à souligné dans cette étude. L'hyperosmolarité (un effet secondaire de la déshydratation) est l'un des mécanismes proposés influant l'effet hypotenseur de l'exercice. L'étude 2 comparait la réduction de la PIO dans deux conditions, soit hypohydraté et hyperhydraté, avant, pendant et après un effort de 90 minutes sur un ergocycle. Après une diminution initiale pour les deux conditions, la PIO revient aux valeurs de départ pour la condition hypohydratée malgré une perte de poids significative et elle augmente pour la condition hyperhydratée (résultat du protocole d'hydratation). Étant donné le niveau élevé de participants en bonne condition physique dans l'étude 2, la troisième étude a été conçue afin de etude la relation entre la PIO et la condition physique. À l'aide d'analyses corrélationnelles il a été possible d'observer la relation entre le test de vo2max et la moyenne des mesures de PIO prises sur un intervalle de huit semaines. Une relation significative n'existait que pour les participants se situant dans la portion supérieure du continuum de la condition physique. Conclusion: Les résultats de la présente étude suggèrent que l'effet hypotenseur de l'exercice sur la PIO est probablement une réponse homéostatique à la dérégulation de l'humeur aqueuse causée par l'initiation de l'exercice et le protocole d'ingestion de fluides pré-exercice.

Is export orientation a major motivator for the adoption of food safety systems in the Turkish dried fig firms?

Food safety management systems (FSMSs) and the scrutinisation of the food safety practices that are intended for adoption on the firm level both offer strategic value to the dried fig sector. This study aims to prove the hypothesis that export orientation is a major motivating force for the adoption of food safety systems in the Turkish dried fig firms. Data were obtained from 91 dried fig firms located in Aydin, Turkey. Interviews were carried out with firms’ managers/owners using a face-to-face questionnaire designed from May to August of 2010. While 36.3 percent of the interviewed firms had adopted one or more systems, the rest had no certification. A binomial logistic econometric model was employed. The parameters that influenced this decision included contractual agreements with other firms, implementation of good practices by the dried fig farmers, export orientation and cost-benefit ratio. Interestingly, the rest of the indicators employed had no statistically significant effect on adoption behaviour. This paper focusses on the export orientation parameter directly in order to test the validity of the main research hypothesis. The estimated marginal effect suggests that when dried fig firms are export-oriented, the probability that these firms will adopt food safety systems goes up by 39.5 percent. This rate was the first range observed among all the marginal probability values obtained and thus verified the hypothesis that export orientation is a major motivator for the adoption of food safety systems in the Turkish dried fig firms.

This is funny : On the beneficial role of self-enhancing and affiliative humour in job design

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Appreciation of humor sense in college students

Appreciation of humor includes several cognitive and social processes. None can say that two communities will laugh at the same jokes and find funny the same humorous content. This study worked differences in humor appreciation of university students and comparisons were made between sex and age of participants. To assess the appreciation of humor was built an instrument with 15 written jokes. This instrument was presented to a total sample of 81 students, divided into 3 groups of different age. Participants had to evaluate two aspects: the playfulness and the difficulty of each stimulus or humorous vignette. The jokes that showed significant differences in jocularity have a particular structure marked for a disqualifying content to men, indicating, as noted the literature, that men have more fun with sexual humor and prefers this kind of jokes as well as content related to aggressive or hostile, while women have more fun with humorous vignettes when the man is the victim and reject more when the victim is a woman. In terms of age and the appreciation of humor, there are differences in the type of situations and social contexts valued in the jokes, involving relationship between situational and social aspects of humor.

A natureza na lineal dos funcionamentos inferenciais: um estudo empírico com base no humor gráfico

Analisa-se se os funcionamentos inferenciais têm uma estrutura própria dos sistemas dinâmicos não lineais, estudados a partir de quatro gráficas humorísticas. Os primeiros resultados com o tratamento estadístico lineal de K-medias projetam a presencia de perfis de diferentes funcionamentos inferenciais em função das diferentes piadas. Os resultados com a técnica da wavelet, proveniente dos sistemas dinâmicos não lineais, mostram patrões dos funcionamentos inferenciais que dão conta de sua natureza multifractal, sem uma sequencialidade fixa e sem uma organização aparente. Isto implica que é necessário revisar a concepção de estádios sequenciais fixos como os que dominam os estudos de desenvolvimento cognitivo.

The political influence of the kurdish community in Syria and its possible transboundary Effects in the subregion of the Middle East, during the period 2011-2014

El interés de esta monografía es analizar las interacciones no-lineales con resultados emergentes que mantuvo la comunidad kurda en Siria, durante el periodo 2011-2014, y por las cuales se produjeron formas de auto-organización como resultado de la estructura compleja a la que pertenece. De esta forma, se explica cómo a raíz de la crisis política siria y los enfrentamientos con el Estado Islámico, se transformó el rol de los kurdos en Siria y se influenciaron las estructuras políticas del país y las naciones de la región con población kurda. Por lo tanto, esta investigación se propone analizar este fenómeno a través del enfoque de complejidad en Relaciones Internacionales y el concepto de Auto-Organización. A partir de ello, se indaga sobre las interacciones surgidas en estructuras más pequeñas, que habrían afectado un sistema mayor; estableciendo nuevas formas de organización que no pueden ser explicadas, únicamente, a partir de elementos causales.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the Difficulties Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) in Spanish adolescents

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