316 research outputs found
Feeding Jejunostomy: Is It a Safe Route in Pediatric Patients? Single Institution Experience
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Introduction Impossibility to place a gastrostomy and failed gastroesophageal reflux surgery with unsafe swallow are the main indications to Feeding Jejunostomy (FJ) in children. The aim of this study is to quantify the incidence of complications associated with FJ.
Materials and Methods A retrospective review of patients who had surgically inserted FJ between January 2009 and August 2013 at our institution was conducted. Data were obtained from medical records, operative notes, and radiology database, focusing on complications.
Results A total of 19 patients, average age 39.6 months (3–168 months), were treated during the study period. Indications to FJ were gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) associated with unsafe swallow in 12, esophageal atresia in 5, and foregut dysmotility in 2. Seventeen FJ were inserted via laparotomy and 2 were laparoscopically assisted. In all cases, a serosal tunnel on the antimesenteric border was fashioned. No intraoperative complications were recorded. Tube dislodgement/blockage occurred on an average of 0.48 times per month in 18 out of 19 patients. The average radiation dose received for tube reinsertion/manipulation was 3.316 mSv/year/patient (0–10.66). Major postoperative complications occurred in 7 out of 19. After an average follow-up of 21 months, two have abandoned the use of FJ due to poor tolerance and three have fully weaned off. Two patients died due to unrelated causes.
Conclusion FJ, as an alternative means for enteral feeding, may require multiple readmissions and exposure to radiological procedures. The high risk of severe complications should be considered when offering this procedure.</jats:p
Causes of discrepancies between design and construction in the Pakistan construction industry
No full textIn building construction, discrepancies frequently occur between design and
construction in relation to architectural details, structural details, materials, and quality of
construction. The objective of this paper is to identify the major causes of discrepancies in
building construction. A questionnaire was utilised that contained 65 potential causes of
discrepancies classified into 4 categories: design, tendering, construction, and overall project.
The data was from Pakistan and the response rate was excellent (80.6%). The collected data
was analysed and important causes of discrepancies were identified. The results indicate
that the provision of incomplete data to designers, lack of interest by approving authorities
to carefully check the design, and owner-proposed changes due to financial problems are
the top three causes of discrepancies. Insights and discussion are included in the paper. This
work provides a basis to minimise discrepancies in the construction industry and help reduce
rework, delays, and defects in construction
علامہ محمداقبال کی اُردونظموں میں محاکات اور اس کے اسالیب: Intimation and its Modes in Urdu Poems of Allama Muhammad Iqbal
No full textThis study delves into the versatile aspects of Allama Muhammad Iqbal’s poetry, particularly focusing on captivating imagery. Iqbal, an exceptionally versatile figure, expresses profound emotions through poetry, bestowing his verses with exceptional significance. The smooth integration of Urdu poetry and imagery in Iqbal’s work skillfully portrays scents, events, and emotions, crafting vibrant mental images. This exploration spans concrete and abstract realms, encompassing the visible and unseen, and the presence and absence of emotions. The impact of imagery in poetry is evident, with each poetic word carrying nuanced references. This infusion of imagery broadens poetic expression and heightens the allure of poetry, transforming each verse into a rich arrangement of layered meanings. In conclusion, our analysis sheds light on the enduring significance of Iqbal’s poetic craftsmanship and the lasting impact of his integration of imagery in shaping the rich fabric of Urdu poetry
Abstract 3178: The p53 tumor suppressor protein paradoxically drives chemo-resistance in human medulloblastoma cells through suppressing the mTOR AKT pathway
No full textAbstract
Medulloblastoma (MB) accounts for approximately 25% of childhood brain tumors with 70% of the cases occurring in children under 10. Prognosis for children less than three years old is considerably worse and, due to its destructive effects on the developing nervous system, irradiation is largely avoided in this age group. The p53 pathway is considered a key determinant of anti-tumor responses in many tumors; however, its role in the regulation of cell survival, chemo-sensitivity and chemo-resistance in MB is much less well defined. It has been shown that p53 pathway defects, mutations and nuclear levels increase significantly from MB diagnosis to relapse and correlate with an adverse prognosis. We recently reported on the highly novel and unexpected finding that both the genetic (sh-RNA) and chemical silencing of p53 led to a significant increase in cell death by the drug VMY in MB cell lines with elevated basal p53 (e.g. in D556 cells which express wild type p53 and in DAOY cells that contain mutant p53) as measured by colony forming assays, DNA degradation assays and annexin-V staining, suggesting a surprising commonality in the p53 signaling in both cell lines despite the differences in their p53 status. Equally surprising was the observation that the silencing of p53 in D556 cells enhanced cell death by the clinically used drugs doxorubicin and vincristine. Conversely, we now find that suppressing p53 with sh-RNA in D283 cells, which express much lower levels of wild type p53 compared to D556, resulted in the more classical chemoresistance profile, suggesting a form of p53 ‘addiction’ in D556 and DAOY cells. Mechanistically, we observed that suppressing p53 with sh-RNA in D556 cells treated with VMY or doxorubicin significantly increased the levels of phosphorylated Chk1, S6K, gH2AX, and MDM2. Importantly, phospho-mTOR levels were also significantly increased in the D556/p53 sh-RNA cells and the suppression of mTOR enhanced chemoresistance. These somewhat paradoxical findings suggest that activated Akt/mTOR may induce MB cell death and that suppression of mTOR by p53 enhances chemoresistance. Our data provide new mechanistic insights into the role of p53 in primitive neuroectodermal tumors and may provide new approaches for enhancing the clinical outcome of patients with MB.
Citation Format: Aisha Naeem, Muhammad U. Choudhry, Maria L. Avantaggiati, Olga C. Rodriguez, Chris Albanese. The p53 tumor suppressor protein paradoxically drives chemo-resistance in human medulloblastoma cells through suppressing the mTOR AKT pathway [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 3178. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-3178</jats:p
GROWTH, YIELD AND NITROGEN CONTENT OF LENTIL (Lens culinaris Medic) AS AFFECTED BY NITROGEN AND DIQUAT APPLICATION
Get PDFAs an indeterminate crop, lentil continues its vegetative growth after flowering under favourable conditions of water and nitrogen (N). Such conditions may delay its maturity due to excessive growth. Furthermore, lentil is a leguminous crop; late season N2 fixation could prolong its growth and maturity. The objective of this research was to determine the role of N supply and diquat application in suppressing post-flowering growth and biomass. Two experiments were designed for two distinct soil zones of Saskatchewan during 2007 and 2008. In the first experiment, different combinations of nitrogen, phosphorus and inoculation were employed to determine their effect on growth, yield, biomass and N accumulation in lentil. In a second experiment, diquat was applied at two rates (lower than recommended) at two post-flowering stages (earlier than end-of-season desiccation) to control lentil growth.
In both experiments, post-flowering vegetative growth was greater at Indian Head (IH) compared to Saskatoon (SKA). Regardless of the site features, greater N availability resulted in increased biomass production at both locations. The yield trend was, however, different. At IH, highest yield was obtained with 10 kg N ha-1 (lowest N applied), while at SKA, yield was not significantly affected by fertility treatments. The hypothesis that greater amounts of N application may reduce post-flowering biomass accumulation by curtailing N2 fixation is not supported by the data since biomass increased with increasing N application. In addition, both biomass and N accumulation after flowering were not affected significantly by the fertility treatments, showing that post-flowering physiology in lentils is governed more by N2 fixation instead of N application. The overall lack of response of lentil biomass and N accumulation after flowering to the individual fertility treatments suggested that source and availability of N does not change within plant. Instead, environmental conditions were more likely to influence portioning of biomass and N to seed through remobilization from vegetative parts in mid to late-season reproductive growth.
Diquat application successfully suppressed biomass and plant growth at maturity. However, a reduction in biomass was obtained at the cost of yield loss at both sites. This loss in yield was great when diquat was applied at the earlier stage (one WAF) at half rate at both sites. Early application of diquat at low rate at IH reduced biomass by 25% compared to the control without significantly affecting yield. The same treatment, however, reduced biomass by 45% at SKA with huge yield loss. The results suggested low rate of diquat application at earlier crop growth stage to avoid yield loss in lentil
Investigating the Role of Serrate RNA Effector Molecule (SRRT) in Driving Advanced Prostate Cancer: An In Silico and In Vitro Analysis
No full textResearch across multiple cancers implicates Serrate RNA Effector Molecule (SRRT) as a potential oncogene, with studies in glioblastoma showing that high SRRT expression reduces patient survival and promotes proliferation through mechanisms involving microRNA (miR)-6798-3p and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL)-mediated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. In liver cancers like cholangiocarcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, SRRT overexpression correlates with worsened prognosis, with its knockdown leading to increased PTEN levels and reduced cell proliferation via miR-21 suppression. SRRT also facilitates proliferation in acute myeloid leukemia by modulating miR-6734-3p and in breast cancer through altered splice variants linked to metastasis, while being upregulated in HPV-positive and -negative head and neck cancers. In prostate cancer, SRRT expression is elevated compared to benign tissues and progressively increases in more severe disease subtypes, correlating with worse overall survival and associations with Erythroblast transcription specific (ETS)-related gene (ERG), tumour protein P53 (TP53), and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Additional studies found higher SRRT levels in tumour-adjacent stroma of high Gleason score prostate cancers compared to those with lower Gleason scores. In this study, high expression of SRRT in prostate cancer was correlated with adverse clinical outcomes, including significantly reduced disease-free survival and higher Gleason group classifications, indicating its role as a negative prognostic marker. Mechanistic studies validate that SRRT controls expression of ERG, a transcription factor protein that is overexpressed in prostate cancer and responsible for driving its progression. Additionally, inhibition of SRRT triggers suppression of oncogenic signaling pathways such as protein kinase B (AKT) and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, which are critical for survival and proliferation of cells. In vitro studies validate that suppression of SRRT expression triggers a significant loss of proliferative activity in prostate cancer cells. Also, knockdown of SRRT disables metastatic activity of cancer cells profoundly through inhibition of migration and invasion capabilities. Overall, these observations validate SRRT to be a key modulator of prostate cancer progression and metastasis, and its utility in acting as a therapeutic target for suppression of malignant behavior and improvement in prognosis
Bank Asset Liability Management Best Practice: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow/ Polina Bardaeva.
No full textIn English.As bankers incorporate more and more complicated and precise calculations and models, a solely mathematical approach will fail to confirm the viability of their business. This book explains how to combine ALM concepts with the emotional intelligence of managers in order to maintain the financial health of a bank, and quickly react to external environment challenges and banks' microclimate changes. ALM embraces not only balance sheet targets setting, instruments and methodologies to achieve the targets, but also the correct and holistic understanding of processes that should be set up in a bank to prove its prudency and compliance with internal and external constraints, requirements and limitations and the ongoing continuity of its operations. Bank Asset Liability Management Best Practice delves into the philosophy of ALM, discusses the interrelation of processes inside the bank, and argues that every little change in one aspect of the bank processes has an impact on its other parts. The author discusses the changing role of ALM and its historical and current concepts, its strengths and weaknesses, and future threats and opportunities.Frontmatter -- Acknowledgments -- Foreword -- Contents -- Preface -- Part 1: Historical Asset and Liability Management Concepts -- Introduction -- Chapter 1. Before the ALM Era -- Chapter 2. Financial Turbulence -- Chapter 3. Emergence of Derivatives -- Chapter 4. Regulators in Place -- Chapter 5. Preservation of Basel III Capital -- Chapter 6. Complete Interrelation -- Chapter 7. ALM Evolution Summary -- Conclusions -- Part 2: Place of Asset and Liability Management in a Bank -- Introduction -- Chapter 8. Prerequisites for ALM -- Chapter 9. ALM Responsibilities (Full Scope) -- Chapter 10. ALM Operating Model -- Chapter 11. ALM Inside a Risk Management Triangle -- Chapter 12. From a Standalone ALM Desk to a Group Treasury -- Conclusions -- Part 3: New Trends in Banking and Challenges for ALM -- Introduction -- Chapter 13. ALM Role in SREP -- Chapter 14. Scope of ALM Involvement for Different Banks -- Chapter 15. ALM Role in Crisis -- Chapter 16. After-Crisis ALM -- Selected Bibliography -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- List of Abbreviations -- About the Author -- Index1 online resource (XIV, 155 p.)
Teaching Physics Through Jigsaw Technique of Cooperative Learning
No full textObjective: Female students consider physics a difficult subject and like physics less than chemistry and biology. Cooperative learning is considered as an effective student-centered teaching methodology. The jigsaw technique of cooperative learning is successfully used to improve students' academic achievement, knowledge retention, and students’ attitudes. The present study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of the jigsaw technique of cooperative learning with the traditional lecture-based teaching method for pre-medical female students.
Methods: It was an experimental study in which Pretest-Posttest true experimental design was used. Fifty-six female pre-medical students of Federal Government Degree College for Women Bannu were divided into control and experimental groups. The experimental group was taught with the jigsaw technique of cooperative learning whereas the control group was taught with the traditional lecture method. Research tools to assess students' academic performance, retention of the knowledge, and attitude toward learning physics were developed and validated.
Results: After three months of treatment, the performance of both groups was analyzed using an independent sample t-test. A statistically significant difference was noted between the post-test scores of the two groups.
Conclusions: The jigsaw learning technique was found to be an effective technique and recommended as a proper method for teaching physics
Preparation and characterization of EPDM-silica nano/micro composites for high voltage insulation applications
No full textAbstract
The rising market for substitute materials in high voltage insulation components is stimulated largely by the need to reduce overall costs. In this respect, polymer insulators offer significant advantages over old traditional materials. In the present research, efforts have been made to quantify the effect of silica (having different particle size nano, micro and hybrid) loading on the mechanical and thermal behaviors of Ethylene-Propylene-Diene Monomer (EPDM) based high voltage electrical insulations. The fabricated composites were subjected to mechanical, thermal and electrical properties measurements. The results of dielectric strength, surface and volume resistivities showed that all composites had insulator properties, while their mechanical and thermal properties improved considerably. EPDM was compounded with different types of silica in a two roll mill using sulphur cure system. The outcome achieved from the comparative study revealed that the EPDM nanocomposites had enhanced mechanical, thermal and electrical properties even at 5 % loadings.</jats:p
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Constitutional Change in the 21st Century: A New Debate over the Spending Power
Get PDFThe author offers his views on the future of the federal spending power debate in Canada. First, he explores the original purposes of Canada's 19th century federal constitution and its evolution in the evolution in the 20th century in response to a changed sense of what a modern state should be and Canada's place in the world. He contends that the debates over the federal spending power grow out of the friction between Canada 19th century political constitution and its 20th century fiscal constitution. Turning to the 21st century, the author posits that demographic shifts will drive future debates about the federal spending power. These shifts will bring political representation to the fore and raise issues about the appropriate role of federal spending on economic and social policy.</p
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