Socioeconomic and legal analysis of court fees structure and payment system in Ethiopia: Towards a policy-oriented approach

Court fees in Ethiopia are governed by the Court Fees Regulation Number 177/1945. Although many things have changed over the past 67 years, none of the consecutive governments attempted to revise the court fee system. The user charge on judicial litigation (court fees), is justified for the existence of negative externalities that each user (litigant) generates to society. This is generated by the existence of incomplete markets, where the private benefits of litigation differ from social benefits. The charge has to match both benefits (private and social) and reach a social optimal equilibrium. The argument is that when private litigation costs are less than the social costs, there will be an inefficiently high level of litigation.  Methodologically, a total of 44 legal professionals who have most frequent contact with the court and individuals undergoing trial were interviewed for operational purposes of the study... Key finding revealed that most respondents identified a problem with the existing court fee structure and payment system including controversies with respect to specified and unspecified claims. The new court fee will fill the gap that applied since 1945. So it should be amended in some respects according to the recommendations and steps which should be considered when passing an amended court fee regulation based on this proposal across the three level of federal courts.JEL Classification J33; K00; K41 

Effect Of Germination On Mineral Bioavailability Of Sorghum-Based Complementary Foods

Many people living in developing countries depend on diets based on cereal staples. Such diets lack diversity, which may result in micronutrient deficiencies. A complementary food made from cereals is often low in mineral content and contains significant quantities of mineral absorption inhibitors like phytic acid and condensed tannins. Anti-nutritional factors are plant constituents, which play an important role in humans, reducing the digestibility of nutrients and the absorption of minerals.Infant malnutrition due to nutritionally inadequate diets is one of the major concerns in Ethiopia. Children in rural Ethiopia are especially prone to micronutrient deficiencies as they eat from the family dish, which is predominantly plant-based. The main objective of this study is, therefore, to investigate the effect of germination on bio-availability of minerals of sorghum-based complementary foods. Two varieties of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grains (varieties 76T1#23 and Meko) were collected, cleaned, soaked for 22 hours at room temperature (22±2°C) and germinated for 36 and 48 hours at the soaking temperature. The germinated seeds were dried at 55°C for 24 hours and the ungerminated sorghum seeds were also dried at 55°C for 2 hours to facilitate milling. Both ungerminated and germinated sorghum grains weremilled into a homogeneous fine powder.Germination of sorghum grainsfor 36 and 48 hours decreased phytic acid levels (mg/100g) significantly (p<0.05) for variety 76T1#23 from 399.12 to 255.66 and 190.11, and from 464.94 to 293.18 and 203.76for variety Meko, respectively. During germination of sorghum grains for 36 and 48 hours, molar ratio of phytate: iron was decreased significantly (p<0.05) from 4.12 to 2.06 and 1.35 for variety 76T1#23, and from 5.49 to 2.35 and 1.58 for variety Meko, respectively. Similarly, germination of sorghum grains for 36 and 48 hours decreased significantly (p<0.05) phytate:zinc molar ratio of sorghum flour from 21.18 to 12.76 and 9.31 for variety 76T1#23; and from 25.72 to 15.54 and 10.64 for variety Meko, respectively. In contrast, germination of sorghum grains for 36 and 48 hours increased significantly (p<0.05) the contents of total phosphorus, non-phytate phosphorous, iron, zinc and calcium.Hence, germination appeared to be a promising food processing method to improve bioavailabilityof mineralsand to decrease phytate levels, and therefore to decrease deficiencies of minerals in infants

The new and recurrent FLT3 juxtamembrane deletion mutation shows a dominant negative effect on the wild-type FLT3 receptor

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) is one of the most frequently mutated genes. Recently, a new and recurrent juxtamembrane deletion mutation (p.Q569Vfs*2) resulting in a truncated receptor was identified. The mutated receptor is expressed on the cell surface and still binds its ligand but loses the ability to activate ERK signaling. FLT3 p.Q569fs-expressing Ba/F3 cells show no proliferation after ligand stimulation. Furthermore, coexpressed with the FLT3 wild-type (WT) receptor, the truncated receptor suppresses stimulation and activation of the WT receptor. Thus, FLT3 p.Q569Vfs*2, to our knowledge, is the first FLT3 mutation with a dominant negative effect on the WT receptor