Immune response in Eimeria sp. and E. coli challenged broilers supplemented with amino acids

The aim of this study was to evaluate the immune response of broiler chickens in Eimeria sp. and E. coli challengedbroilers supplemented with glutamine, arginine and threonine. There were six hundred one-day-old male Cobb 500 broiler chickens. The design was completely randomised using a 2 x 3 factorial design (unchallenged and challenged x 3 diets). A commercial diet was used as a control and two other diets were formulated with glutamine (1.5 and 3% Aminogut®), arginine (1 and 2% L-Arginine), and threonine (1 and 2% L-threonine). At day 28, the birds fed the highest level of amino acid showed lower levels of IgA (P<0.05) compared to the control group, and resulted in an increased number of goblet cells. In the period of 1 week after the challenge, the challenged birds showed lower measures (P<0.05) of the thymus compared to the birds that had not undergone challenge. At day 28, unchallenged birds showed a reduction (P<0.05) in splenic measures in the treatment with the highest level of amino acids. The highest measures were correlated to control birds that were not challenged. At day 21, blood urea levels were increased (P<0.05) for birds fed amino acids supplementation compared to those which received no supplementation. After 28 days, uric acid levels were similar between the two supplemented diets. These results suggest that diet supplementation with amino acids above the recommended levels for growth may be necessary to improve the immune response against an Eimeria and E. coli challenge

Spin Transfer from a Ferromagnet into a Semiconductor through an Oxide barrier

We present results on the magnetoresistance of the system Ni/Al203/n-doped Si/Al2O3/Ni in fabricated nanostructures. The results at temperature of 14K reveal a 75% magnetoresistance that decreases in value up to approximately 30K where the effect disappears. We observe minimum resistance in the antiparallel configurations of the source and drain of Ni. As a possibility, it seems to indicate the existence of a magnetic state at the Si/oxide interface. The average spin diffusion length obtained is of 650 nm approximately. Results are compared to the window of resistances that seems to exist between the tunnel barrier resistance and two threshold resistances but the spin transfer seems to work in the range and outside the two thresholds

Dengue Virus Infection Perturbs Lipid Homeostasis in Infected Mosquito Cells

Dengue virus causes ∼50–100 million infections per year and thus is considered one of the most aggressive arthropod-borne human pathogen worldwide. During its replication, dengue virus induces dramatic alterations in the intracellular membranes of infected cells. This phenomenon is observed both in human and vector-derived cells. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry of mosquito cells, we show that this membrane remodeling is directly linked to a unique lipid repertoire induced by dengue virus infection. Specifically, 15% of the metabolites detected were significantly different between DENV infected and uninfected cells while 85% of the metabolites detected were significantly different in isolated replication complex membranes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that intracellular lipid redistribution induced by the inhibition of fatty acid synthase, the rate-limiting enzyme in lipid biosynthesis, is sufficient for cell survival but is inhibitory to dengue virus replication. Lipids that have the capacity to destabilize and change the curvature of membranes as well as lipids that change the permeability of membranes are enriched in dengue virus infected cells. Several sphingolipids and other bioactive signaling molecules that are involved in controlling membrane fusion, fission, and trafficking as well as molecules that influence cytoskeletal reorganization are also up regulated during dengue infection. These observations shed light on the emerging role of lipids in shaping the membrane and protein environments during viral infections and suggest membrane-organizing principles that may influence virus-induced intracellular membrane architecture

High-Performance Work Systems and Organizational Performance in Emerging Economies: Evidence from MNEs in Turkey

This study examines the association between the usage of high-performance work systems (HPWS) by subsidiaries of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in Turkey and employee and subsidiary level outcomes. The study is based on a survey of 148 MNE subsidiaries operating in Turkey. The results show that the usage of HPWS has a significant positive impact on employee effectiveness. However, their impact on employee skills and development, and organizational financial performance are far less clear. Our findings highlight the extent to which HWPS need to be adapted to take account of context-specific institutional realities. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg