Interactions Between Dietary Anthocyanins and the Human Gut Microbiota

Background: Consumption of dietary anthocyanins has been associated with various health benefits. However, anthocyanins are known to be very poorly bioavailable, and this has led to the concept that there is an important interplay between anthocyanins and the human gut microbiota, where the gut microbiota are able to break down anthocyanins into various metabolites, and that anthocyanins and/or their metabolites may alter the composition of the gut microbiota. However, these interactions are still not clear and much remains to be understood. Objectives: (i) Investigate the in-vitro metabolism of black rice and bilberry anthocyanins by the gut microbiota and (ii) explore the impact of anthocyanins on the structure and function of the gut microbiota. Approaches: Incubate black rice and bilberry anthocyanins over 24 h with human faecal samples using an in-vitro batch colon fermentation model and collect samples for quantifying anthocyanins and anthocyanin metabolites using HPLC-DAD and UPLC-MS-MS. Assess the gut microbiota composition differences between anthocyanin treated and non-anthocyanin treated human colon model samples using whole-genome shotgun metagenomics. Results: It was shown that loss of anthocyanins was partly spontaneous and partly due to the gut microbiota. Anthocyanins were subject to high inter-individual variations in both spontaneous and gut microbiota-dependent degradation, and modest intra-individual variations. The gut microbiota metabolism (enzymatic) of anthocyanins generates various ring-fission metabolites, and various microbial metabolic pathways were determined such as [Cya3Glc → PCA → catechol], [Cya3Glc → PGA → PGCA→ phloroglucinol], and [Cya3Glc → dihydroferulic acid → dihydrocaffeic acid → 4-methylcatechol]. The production of the microbial anthocyanin metabolites such as catechol, dihydrocaffeic acid, dihydroferulic acid, and 4-methylcatechol were completely microbiota-dependent, providing strong evidence that the gut microbiota is important for the metabolism of anthocyanins. In contrast, in the absence of live gut microbiota and in anaerobic conditions, anthocyanins underwent classic pH-dependent transformation to give Cya hemiketal-Glc, Cya chalcone-Glc, Cya chalcone anionic-Glc and trihydroxyethenylbenzene-Glc (all colourless). But under aerobic conditions, there was a substantial increase in the number of anthocyanin breakdown products formed and these included PCA, PGA, coumarin-Glc, di- and tri-hydroxyphenyloxoacetic acid, and trihydroxyphenylacetic acid. Although there was a small increase of Bacteroidetes over Firmicutes at 6 and 12 h and small increase of Bacteroides vulgatus at 6 h, no significant changes were observed in the gut microbiota profile in response to anthocyanin treatments. Conclusions: Anthocyanins are rapidly and completely degraded in the human colon by a combination of spontaneous and microbiota-dependent processes generating a series of ring fission metabolites, but they did not significantly affect the structure and function of the microbiome. These data extend our understanding of the important role of the human gut microbiota on the bioavailability of consumed anthocyanins

تقدير عرض العمالة فى القطاع الزراعى المصرى

Labor input is considered one of the most important inputs in the economy, especially in the agricultural sector, which contributes in increasing production and employment, so it must be push the cycle of economic development to achieve the most economic efficiency from available inputs and agricultural labor input, it can be said that human labor input has affected the structural changes with economic liberalization policy in Egypt, that has direct effects on the structure of cropping pattern. The main research problem of the study, can be summarized in the difficulty of estimation the agricultural labor supply, and the difficulty of estimation unemployment in Egypt. The objective of the study is to assess labor supply in the agricultural sector, and its forecasting in the future. To achieve the above objective, the study applied some analysis tools and statistical methods, i.e., simple regressions, Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average forecasting models (ARIMA), and linear and quadratic expenditure systems. The data were collected from different sources through the period (1985-2004). The study selected quadratic expenditure system (QES), which gave high R2, the results indicated that, expenditure on the leisure for agricultural labor comes in the third order, among food, non food, services good, and there was negative relation between labor wage and the demand for leisure, so increasing in labor wage will lead to decreasing in the demand for leisure and increasing labor supply. Labor supply according to (QES) model reached about 5.25 million laborers, while the demand for labor reached about 4.75 million laborers, this mean there is 0.50 million laborers don’t work, so the unemployment rate reached about 9.44% as average of the period subject to study (1985-2004). The forecasting of agricultural unemployment rate through the average period (2005-2007), reached about 13.53%, and will be 14.89% through the average period (2008-2012) Finally the study asserted, to rise agricultural employment, i.e., expanding in cultivation crops that have intensity of labor, adoption technology encourage labor intensity. expanding the agricultural projects, i.e., small rural industrial

تقدير عرض العمالة فى القطاع الزراعى المصرى

Labor input is considered one of the most important inputs in the economy, especially in the agricultural sector, which contributes in increasing production and employment, so it must be push the cycle of economic development to achieve the most economic efficiency from available inputs and agricultural labor input, it can be said that human labor input has affected the structural changes with economic liberalization policy in Egypt, that has direct effects on the structure of cropping pattern. The main research problem of the study, can be summarized in the difficulty of estimation the agricultural labor supply, and the difficulty of estimation unemployment in Egypt. The objective of the study is to assess labor supply in the agricultural sector, and its forecasting in the future. To achieve the above objective, the study applied some analysis tools and statistical methods, i.e., simple regressions, Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average forecasting models (ARIMA), and linear and quadratic expenditure systems. The data were collected from different sources through the period (1985-2004). The study selected quadratic expenditure system (QES), which gave high R2, the results indicated that, expenditure on the leisure for agricultural labor comes in the third order, among food, non food, services good, and there was negative relation between labor wage and the demand for leisure, so increasing in labor wage will lead to decreasing in the demand for leisure and increasing labor supply. Labor supply according to (QES) model reached about 5.25 million laborers, while the demand for labor reached about 4.75 million laborers, this mean there is 0.50 million laborers don’t work, so the unemployment rate reached about 9.44% as average of the period subject to study (1985-2004). The forecasting of agricultural unemployment rate through the average period (2005-2007), reached about 13.53%, and will be 14.89% through the average period (2008-2012) Finally the study asserted, to rise agricultural employment, i.e., expanding in cultivation crops that have intensity of labor, adoption technology encourage labor intensity. expanding the agricultural projects, i.e., small rural industrial

الآثار الإقتصادية للتجارة الخارجية بين مصر والكوميسا بإستخدام نموذج الجاذبية للتحليل المكانى

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is considered one of the most economic blocks in Africa, where membership includes nineteen countries, including Egypt since the mid-1998, and aims to increase the prospects for cooperation and increase trade between COMESA countries. Research problem concerned with that, volume of trade exchange between Egypt and COMESA is relatively small, which will reflect difficulty reducing the increasing in trade deficit, and also difficulty to obtain foreign exchange which is necessary for economic development. Objective of research was how to increase the volume of trade exchange between Egypt and COMESA, in the light of regional and spatial association among them, and to identify the most important factors affecting the foreign trade of Egypt with COMESA, moreover, standing on the countries which are responsible for increasing or decreasing Egypt's exports or imports. Gravity models via spatial analysis were estimated, via tobit random effect in the case of general spatial autocorrelation (SAC) model during (1995-2010), and using spatial weight matrix that reflects borders among neighboring countries. Results of both basic and augmented gravity models for exports, showed that Libya, Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya, are responsible for increasing Egypt's exports, while Djibouti, Mauritius, and Zambia, are responsible for decreasing Egypt's exports, which may be due to too long distance between Egypt, and Zambia or Mauritius, resulting in high transport costs, and low GDP in Djibouti. Results indicated also that at high level of per capita GDP for citizen of countries studied, demand on Egypt exports decrease, which may imply that Egyptian commodity is an inferior goods in the African markets in this case. Results of basic gravity model for imports, indicated to that Libya, Kenya, and Mauritius are responsible for increasing Egypt's imports, while: Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Zambia are responsible for decreasing Egypt's imports. Finally, results of augmented gravity model for imports, indicated that there is an inverse relationship between per capita GDP in Egypt and per capita GDP in COMESA and geographical distance with Egypt's imports, it turns out that increasing per capita GDP in: Sudan, Kenya, and Mauritius leads to increase Egypt's imports from them. While increasing per capita GDP in: Libya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Zambia leads to a decrease in Egypt's imports from them. The study recommended to develop infrastructure projects, and improve tools of transport, particularly with neighboring countries, i.e., Libya and Sudan, as well as export goods and services. Moreover, Egypt should take into account the taste of the African consumer and quality requirements, studying the internal market for COMESA countries and establishment common area of investment

دور التغير التكنولوجى فى الطلب على العمالة الزراعية فى مصر

The agricultural sector plays an important and a vital role in achieving the economic growth, furthermore, the labor input is considered one of the most important inputs in the economy, especially in the agricultural sector, which contribute in increasing production. Achieving the economic efficiency depends on the efficient use of resources, i.e., labor, that interacts with the other inputs to determine the optimal combination from inputs within the production process. Due to the prevailing economic relations among inputs, especially, labor and capital, the objective of this study, is to explore, the role and effect of technological change on demand of the Egyptian agricultural labor, the disguised agricultural unemployment, that affects deviation the actual use of labor from the optimum level, that leads to achieve the optimal and maximum efficiency in the Egyptian agricultural sector. To achieve and these objectives, the study estimated linear production functions, i.e., Cobb-Douglas, restricted Cobb-Douglas, Solow, Transcendental Logarithmic Production Functions. Also estimated nonlinear production functions, i.e., Constant Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas, Generalized Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas, Quadratic Constant Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas, Variable Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas Production Functions. The study detected and correction the econometric problems that affect the estimates , i.e., autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, non normality of the error term, and multicollinearity. The study obtained data from different sources, through the period (1985-2004). The results of the study indicated that, there is efficiency of using agricultural labor input, where the labor productivity exceeds the labor farm wage, also there is decreasing in the return to scale, disguised unemployment does not exist in the Egyptian agricultural sector, also there is a substitution between labor and capital, tends to labor, as a result of labor intensity, that exhibits and reflects that the available technology in Egypt is labor intensive, and lead to increase the demand of human labor input. Finally, the study recommended that, technological tools non intensive capital should be applied, to encourage the demand on labor, investing in the agricultural projects that capture human labor, developing education and training in agricultural sector, and increasing wages that reflect the real value of marginal product of labor and his productivity to achieve the efficiency of human labor input in the Egyptian agricultural sector

تقدير كفاءة أداء العمل البشرى فى بعض أنشطة الإنتاج الحيوانى

Performance efficiency of human labor input is considered one of the most important factors affecting enhancement of the production. Evaluation of performance shows the level of labor performance efficiency, to know the strengths and weaknesses in the completion of the various production processes, and involves comparing the actual level of performance with respect to target or desired level, under a set of standards and specifications determine performance of the worker. There are many variables play an important role in the efficient and effective performance of the worker as a human factors of production, impacting directly on the deviation of the operating current level of employment, which achieves economic efficiency. Therefore, the research problem lies in the nature of the determinants of the efficiency of human labor input, in the light of the available skill levels. On the basis of the research problem, the objective of the research represented is to investigate and determine the most important factors affecting the efficiency of labor performance, and thus the possibility of developing a preliminary vision for the classification of agricultural labor according to skill levels required. The study applied limited dummy dependent variables models. Cross section data were collected from Corporation for Animal Wealth. Stratified sample was chosen, and consisted of four activities in the fields: livestock, milking, poultry, and milk processing. Important variables affecting the performance efficiency of workers subjected were estimated via logit, probit, and tobit regressions. The results indicated to that the variables explaining performance efficiency were: incentives, experience, and worker's wage in livestock field. As for workers in milking field were: wage, incentives, and experience, and for workers in poultry field and dairy processing were: incentives, wage and experience. Finally, the study recommended the need for attention to the training of workers and transfer training, which fits the needs of the labor market, and the need to prepare professional classification to access the names and professional qualifications and real skills inside agricultural branches, and therefore can through this classification judging the efficiency of the labor. Need to exchange agricultural wages commensurate with the level of worker productivity and performance, so as to improve the performance of the human labor input in all sectors of the Egyptian agricultural production

تقدير كفاءة أداء العمل البشرى فى بعض أنشطة الإنتاج الحيوانى

Performance efficiency of human labor input is considered one of the most important factors affecting enhancement of the production. Evaluation of performance shows the level of labor performance efficiency, to know the strengths and weaknesses in the completion of the various production processes, and involves comparing the actual level of performance with respect to target or desired level, under a set of standards and specifications determine performance of the worker. There are many variables play an important role in the efficient and effective performance of the worker as a human factors of production, impacting directly on the deviation of the operating current level of employment, which achieves economic efficiency. Therefore, the research problem lies in the nature of the determinants of the efficiency of human labor input, in the light of the available skill levels. On the basis of the research problem, the objective of the research represented is to investigate and determine the most important factors affecting the efficiency of labor performance, and thus the possibility of developing a preliminary vision for the classification of agricultural labor according to skill levels required. The study applied limited dummy dependent variables models. Cross section data were collected from Corporation for Animal Wealth. Stratified sample was chosen, and consisted of four activities in the fields: livestock, milking, poultry, and milk processing. Important variables affecting the performance efficiency of workers subjected were estimated via logit, probit, and tobit regressions. The results indicated to that the variables explaining performance efficiency were: incentives, experience, and worker's wage in livestock field. As for workers in milking field were: wage, incentives, and experience, and for workers in poultry field and dairy processing were: incentives, wage and experience. Finally, the study recommended the need for attention to the training of workers and transfer training, which fits the needs of the labor market, and the need to prepare professional classification to access the names and professional qualifications and real skills inside agricultural branches, and therefore can through this classification judging the efficiency of the labor. Need to exchange agricultural wages commensurate with the level of worker productivity and performance, so as to improve the performance of the human labor input in all sectors of the Egyptian agricultural production

دور التغير التكنولوجى فى الطلب على العمالة الزراعية فى مصر

The agricultural sector plays an important and a vital role in achieving the economic growth, furthermore, the labor input is considered one of the most important inputs in the economy, especially in the agricultural sector, which contribute in increasing production. Achieving the economic efficiency depends on the efficient use of resources, i.e., labor, that interacts with the other inputs to determine the optimal combination from inputs within the production process. Due to the prevailing economic relations among inputs, especially, labor and capital, the objective of this study, is to explore, the role and effect of technological change on demand of the Egyptian agricultural labor, the disguised agricultural unemployment, that affects deviation the actual use of labor from the optimum level, that leads to achieve the optimal and maximum efficiency in the Egyptian agricultural sector. To achieve and these objectives, the study estimated linear production functions, i.e., Cobb-Douglas, restricted Cobb-Douglas, Solow, Transcendental Logarithmic Production Functions. Also estimated nonlinear production functions, i.e., Constant Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas, Generalized Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas, Quadratic Constant Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas, Variable Elasticity of Substitution Cobb-Douglas Production Functions. The study detected and correction the econometric problems that affect the estimates , i.e., autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, non normality of the error term, and multicollinearity. The study obtained data from different sources, through the period (1985-2004). The results of the study indicated that, there is efficiency of using agricultural labor input, where the labor productivity exceeds the labor farm wage, also there is decreasing in the return to scale, disguised unemployment does not exist in the Egyptian agricultural sector, also there is a substitution between labor and capital, tends to labor, as a result of labor intensity, that exhibits and reflects that the available technology in Egypt is labor intensive, and lead to increase the demand of human labor input. Finally, the study recommended that, technological tools non intensive capital should be applied, to encourage the demand on labor, investing in the agricultural projects that capture human labor, developing education and training in agricultural sector, and increasing wages that reflect the real value of marginal product of labor and his productivity to achieve the efficiency of human labor input in the Egyptian agricultural sector

الآثار الإقتصادیة لهجرة العمالة المصریة إلى الخارج

Egyptian labor emigration is considered one of the changes, that led to the structural distortions in the domestic labor market in Egypt, the countries gulf were the main source of the Egyptian labor temporal emigration, while the USA, Canada, and Australia were the main source of the permanent emigration from Egypt. After the first gulf war, the Egyptian economy faced labor immigration. The study research problem, handled nature of the changes that occurred in labor market, as a direct results of the national and international economic effects. So the objective of the study is to explore the main features of the Egyptian labor emigration, and the potential impacts of the Egyptian labor immigration. The study used the regression analysis, i.e., maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) for simple regression, and simultaneous equations system by three stage least squares (3SLS), and took with considerations autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, non normality, and multicollinearity problems, the previous econometric problems were detected by lagrange multiplier tests, and were remedied by using Pagan’s conditional least squares (CLS) of autoregression procedure, Bollerslev’s generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH), robust regression quantile of least absolute deviation (LAD), and Hoerl's Ordinary ridge regression (ORR) respectively. The study discussed the changes and growth in the Egyptian labor market, the results indicated that there was a statistical increasing significance in the population, labor force, employed labor, unemployed labor, and the labor wages, while there was a statistical decreasing significance in unemployment rate and wage of labor during the period subject to analysis. On the other hand the results indicated that there was a statistical significance increasing in the permanent and temporal emigration. Saudi Arabia captured the most Egyptian emigration, also, Libya, Jordan, and Kuwait. In general the whole emigration increased significantly during the period of the study. Features of the Egyptian labor immigration were discussed, i.e., gender, occupation, educational status, job status, age, and the reasons of immigration to Egypt either internal or external reasons, and the potential impacts of immigration, also the positive and negative impacts for emigration from Egypt. Emigration model was estimated by (3SLS) with Newey-West’s generalized method of moments (GMM), the results indicated that, increasing unemployment rate and population led to increase emigration, while increasing the demand for domestic labor and the average annual labor wage have an effect for decreasing emigration. Finally, some recommendation from the study were mentioned, for encouragement emigration, i.e., activating and establishment the international relationships between Egypt and the neighboring countries, a diplomatic effort for emigration stabilization abroad, the search of new labor market in other countries. Also some recommendation with respect to immigration, i.e., simplification investment procedures, encouragement the industries that have an intensive human labor, and activating the training role that agree with the labor market requirements, for developing the human resource

الآثار الإقتصادیة لهجرة العمالة المصریة إلى الخارج

Egyptian labor emigration is considered one of the changes, that led to the structural distortions in the domestic labor market in Egypt, the countries gulf were the main source of the Egyptian labor temporal emigration, while the USA, Canada, and Australia were the main source of the permanent emigration from Egypt. After the first gulf war, the Egyptian economy faced labor immigration. The study research problem, handled nature of the changes that occurred in labor market, as a direct results of the national and international economic effects. So the objective of the study is to explore the main features of the Egyptian labor emigration, and the potential impacts of the Egyptian labor immigration. The study used the regression analysis, i.e., maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) for simple regression, and simultaneous equations system by three stage least squares (3SLS), and took with considerations autocorrelation, heteroscedasticity, non normality, and multicollinearity problems, the previous econometric problems were detected by lagrange multiplier tests, and were remedied by using Pagan’s conditional least squares (CLS) of autoregression procedure, Bollerslev’s generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH), robust regression quantile of least absolute deviation (LAD), and Hoerl's Ordinary ridge regression (ORR) respectively. The study discussed the changes and growth in the Egyptian labor market, the results indicated that there was a statistical increasing significance in the population, labor force, employed labor, unemployed labor, and the labor wages, while there was a statistical decreasing significance in unemployment rate and wage of labor during the period subject to analysis. On the other hand the results indicated that there was a statistical significance increasing in the permanent and temporal emigration. Saudi Arabia captured the most Egyptian emigration, also, Libya, Jordan, and Kuwait. In general the whole emigration increased significantly during the period of the study. Features of the Egyptian labor immigration were discussed, i.e., gender, occupation, educational status, job status, age, and the reasons of immigration to Egypt either internal or external reasons, and the potential impacts of immigration, also the positive and negative impacts for emigration from Egypt. Emigration model was estimated by (3SLS) with Newey-West’s generalized method of moments (GMM), the results indicated that, increasing unemployment rate and population led to increase emigration, while increasing the demand for domestic labor and the average annual labor wage have an effect for decreasing emigration. Finally, some recommendation from the study were mentioned, for encouragement emigration, i.e., activating and establishment the international relationships between Egypt and the neighboring countries, a diplomatic effort for emigration stabilization abroad, the search of new labor market in other countries. Also some recommendation with respect to immigration, i.e., simplification investment procedures, encouragement the industries that have an intensive human labor, and activating the training role that agree with the labor market requirements, for developing the human resource