A cobb douglas stochastic frontier model on measuring domestic bank efficiency in malaysia

Banking system plays an important role in the economic development of any country. Domestic banks, which are the main components of the banking system, have to be efficient; otherwise, they may create obstacle in the process of development in any economy. This study examines the technical efficiency of the Malaysian domestic banks listed in the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) market over the period 2005-2010. A parametric approach, Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA), is used in this analysis. The findings show that Malaysian domestic banks have exhibited an average overall efficiency of 94 percent, implying that sample banks have wasted an average of 6 percent of their inputs. Among the banks, RHBCAP is found to be highly efficient with a score of 0.986 and PBBANK is noted to have the lowest efficiency with a score of 0.918. The results also show that the level of efficiency has increased during the period of study, and that the technical efficiency effect has fluctuated considerably over time.     

Does seminal plasma affect angiogenesis in the porcine oviduct?

In the present study we examined the effect of seminal plasma (SP) on angiogenesis in the porcine oviduct. Gene expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its two receptors (Flt-1: fms-like tyrosine kinase and Flk-1/KDR: fetal liver kinase-1/kinase insert domain-containing receptor) as well as fibroblast growth factors (FGF-1 and 2) and von Willenbrand factor (VWF) were determined in the oviduct of SP-treated and control (PBS-treated) gilts. Moreover, vascular density (VD) indicated by endothelial cell area immunolocalized by VWF staining, was assessed in the oviducts. Real-time PCR revealed significantly higher expression of FGF-2 and VWF on day 1 (p < 0.05) after SP administration in comparison to control animals. In contrast, Flt-1 mRNA level on day 1 was lower in SP-treated gilts compared to controls (p < 0.05). In the examined oviductal sections, VD did not differ between control and SP-treated animals. However, in SP-treated animals VD was higher on day 5 than on day 1 (p < 0.05) or 3 (p < 0.01). SP had no significant effect on VEGF, Flk-1/KDR and FGF-1 mRNA expression. In conclusion, our results suggest that SP affects the vascular network by changing the expression of factors contributing to angiogenesis.     

Circadian-related heteromerization of adrenergic and dopamine D₄ receptors modulates melatonin synthesis and release in the pineal gland

The role of the pineal gland is to translate the rhythmic cycles of night and day encoded by the retina into hormonal signals that are transmitted to the rest of the neuronal system in the form of serotonin and melatonin synthesis and release. Here we describe that the production of both melatonin and serotonin by the pineal gland is regulated by a circadian-related heteromerization of adrenergic and dopamine D₄ receptors. Through α_{1 B}-D₄ and β₁-D₄ receptor heteromers dopamine inhibits adrenergic receptor signaling and blocks the synthesis of melatonin induced by adrenergic receptor ligands. This inhibition was not observed at hours of the day when D₄ was not expressed. These data provide a new perspective on dopamine function and constitute the first example of a circadian-controlled receptor heteromer. The unanticipated heteromerization between adrenergic and dopamine D₄ receptors provides a feedback mechanism for the neuronal hormone system in the form of dopamine to control circadian inputs.     

Impaired hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific effector CD8+ T cells undergo massive apoptosis in the peripheral blood during acute HCV infection and in the liver during the chronic phase of infection

A majority of patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) do not sustain an effective T-cell response, and viremia persists. The mechanism leading to failure of the HCV-specific CD8⁺ T-cell response in patients developing chronic infection is unclear. We investigated apoptosis susceptibility of HCV-specific CD8⁺ T cells during the acute and chronic stages of infection. Although HCV-specific CD8⁺ T cells in the blood during the acute phase of infection and in the liver during the chronic phase were highly activated and expressed an effector phenotype, the majority was undergoing apoptosis. In contrast, peripheral blood HCV-specific CD8⁺ T cells during the chronic phase expressed a resting memory phenotype. Apoptosis susceptibility of HCV-specific CD8⁺ T cells was associated with very high levels of programmed death-1 (PD-1) and low CD127 expression and with significant functional T-cell deficits. Further evaluation of the “death phase” of HCV-specific CD8⁺ T cells during acute HCV infection showed that the majority of cells were dying by a process of cytokine withdrawal, mediated by activated caspase 9. Contraction during the acute phase occurred rapidly via this process despite the persistence of the virus. Remarkably, in the chronic phase of HCV infection, at the site of infection in the liver, a substantial frequency of caspase 9-mediated T-cell death was also present. This study highlights the importance of cytokine deprivation-mediated apoptosis with consequent down-modulation of the immune response to HCV during acute and chronic infections.     

New bispyridinium oximes: in vitro and in vivo evaluation of their biological efficiency in soman and tabun poisoning

Improving the efficacy of antidotal treatment of poisonings with nerve agents is still a challenge for the scientific community. This study investigated the interactions of four bispyridinium oximes with human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and their effects on soman- and tabun-poisoned mice. Oximes HI-6 and TMB-4 were used for comparison. These oximes inhibited AchE with inhibitory potency (IC(50)) ranging from 0.02 to 1.0 mM. The best reactivating potency (%R) was obtained with K074, when AChE was inhibited by tabun. The protective potency (P(50)) of all oximes in human erythrocyte AChE inhibited by soman and tabun could not be determined. In tabun-poisoned mice very good antidotal efficacy was obtained with K027, K048, and K074, which makes them interesting for future investigation. The combination of HI-6 and atropine is the therapy of choice for soman poisoning.     

Deeply branching c6-like cytochromes of cyanobacteria

The cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 carries two genes, petJ1 and petJ2, for proteins related to soluble, cytochrome c6 electron transfer proteins. PetJ1 was purified from the cyanobacterium, and both cytochromes were expressed with heme incorporation in Escherichia coli. The expressed PetJ1 displayed spectral and biochemical properties virtually identical to those of PetJ1 from Synechococcus. PetJ1 is a typical cytochrome c6 but contains an unusual KDGSKSL insertion. PetJ2 isolated from E. coli exhibited absorbance spectra characteristic of cytochromes, although the alpha, beta, and gamma bands were red-shifted relative to those of PetJ1. Moreover, the surface electrostatic properties and redox midpoint potential of PetJ2 (pI 9.7; E(m,7) = 148 +/- 1.7 mV) differed substantially from those of PetJ1 (pI 3.8; E(m,7) = 319 +/- 1.6 mV). These data indicate that the PetJ2 cytochrome could not effectively replace PetJ1 as an electron acceptor for the cytochrome bf complex in photosynthesis. Phylogenetic comparisons against plant, algal, bacterial, and cyanobacterial genomes revealed two novel and widely distributed clusters of previously uncharacterized, cyanobacterial c 6-like cytochromes. PetJ2 belongs to a group that is distinct from both c6 cytochromes and the enigmatic chloroplast c 6A cytochromes. We tentatively designate the PetJ2 group as c6C cytochromes and the other new group as c6B cytochromes. Possible functions of these cytochromes are discussed.     

Magnetic Alignment in Carps: Evidence from the Czech Christmas Fish Market

While magnetoreception in birds has been studied intensively, the literature on magnetoreception in bony fish, and particularly in non-migratory fish, is quite scarce. We examined alignment of common carps (Cyprinus carpio) at traditional Christmas sale in the Czech Republic. The sample comprised measurements of the directional bearings in 14,537 individual fish, distributed among 80 large circular plastic tubs, at 25 localities in the Czech Republic, during 817 sampling sessions, on seven subsequent days in December 2011. We found that carps displayed a statistically highly significant spontaneous preference to align their bodies along the North-South axis. In the absence of any other common orientation cues which could explain this directional preference, we attribute the alignment of the fish to the geomagnetic field lines. It is apparent that the display of magnetic alignment is a simple experimental paradigm of great heuristic potential.