The Comparative Correlative Construction in Modern Standard Arabic

Much discussion of the comparative correlative construction exemplified by The more I read, the more I understand has been concerned with how much cross?linguistic variation there is in this area. Culicover and Jackendoff (1999) suggest that there is considerable variation, but Den Dikken (2005) suggests with data from a variety of languages that the variation is quite limited. Modern Standard Arabic has a comparative correlative construction which is quite different from Engish and the other languages that Den Dikken considers, suggesting that there is more variation in this domain than he assumes. However, it is not difficult to provide an analysis of the construction and other related constructions within the HPSG framework

Open-Circuit Voltage in Inverted Polycarbazole:Fullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells

The correlation between cathode work function and open-circuit voltages (Voc) in inverted polycarbazole:fullerene (PCDTBT:PC70BM) bulk-heterojunction solar cells has been investigated by postannealing of indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes. The ITO function is seen to change from 4.2 to 4.5 eV without the need to insert additional interfacial layers with annealing temperature up to 400 °C. The best device performance was obtained at room temperature with the ITO work function of 4.2 eV with a Voc of 0.89 eV, a Jsc of 8.06 mA·cm-2, a fill factor (FF) of 64.70%, and a power conversion efficiency of 4.62%. Together with previously published results, we are able to extract two regimes of Voc dependence on the cathode work function: first, a linear relationship when the cathode work function exceeds the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of PCBM and, second, a constant Voc regime when the ITO work function reduces below the LUMO level. These results provide general guidelines for the cathode contact design in inverted polymer solar cells

Consumption of a flavonoid-rich acai meal is associated with acute improvements in vascular function and a reduction in total oxidative status in healthy overweight men

Background: Acai (Euterpe oleracea) is a polyphenol-rich fruit marketed as beneficial for health. Experimental data showing improvements in health markers arising from acai consumption in humans is limited. Objective: The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of acai consumption on acute changes in vascular function and on other disease risk markers, including postprandial plasma insulin, glucose, and oxidative stress. Design: Twenty-three healthy male volunteers, aged 30–65 y and with a body mass index (in kg/m2) of 25–30, completed a randomized,controlled, high-fat challenge, double-blind, crossover, acute dietary intervention trial. The volunteers consumed either an acai-based smoothie (AS) or a macronutrient-matched control smoothie (PS) together with a high-fat breakfast meal challenge. The primary endpoint was the assessment of endothelial function in the brachial artery by flow-mediated dilatation (FMD). Results: The acute consumption of an AS containing 694 mg total phenolics improved vascular function, with postprandial increases in FMD from baseline of 1.4% at 2 h compared with 0.4% after consumption of the PS (P = 0.001) and increases at 6 h of 0.8% for the AS compared with 20.3% for the PS (P , 0.001). There was also a significantly lower incremental area under the curve (iAUC)for total peroxide oxidative status after acai consumption relative to the control. No significant changes were observed in blood pressure,heart rate, or postprandial glucose response. However, the first postprandial insulin peak (after breakfast) and the iAUC for insulin were elevated for the AS relative to the PS. Conclusions: In this acute study in overweight men, acai consumption was associated with improvements in vascular function, which may lower the risk of a cardiovascular event. Future intervention studies, perhaps with a chronic design, in wider populations and with other biomarkers of disease risk are needed to fully elucidate the benefits of acai to health

Thermally stable solution processed vanadium oxide as a hole extraction layer in organic solar cells

Low-temperature solution-processable vanadium oxide (V2Ox) thin films have been employed as hole extraction layers (HELs) in polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells. V2Ox films were fabricated in air by spin-coating vanadium(V) oxytriisopropoxide (s-V2Ox) at room temperature without the need for further thermal annealing. The deposited vanadium(V) oxytriisopropoxide film undergoes hydrolysis in air, converting to V2Ox with optical and electronic properties comparable to vacuum-deposited V2O5. When s-V2Ox thin films were annealed in air at temperatures of 100 °C and 200 °C, OPV devices showed similar results with good thermal stability and better light transparency. Annealing at 300 °C and 400 °C resulted in a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 5% with a decrement approximately 15% lower than that of unannealed films; this is due to the relative decrease in the shunt resistance (Rsh) and an increase in the series resistance (Rs) related to changes in the oxidation state of vanadium

Investigation into the genetic variation of Toll-Like Receptor 9 in cattle using both Sanger and next-generation sequencing from FTA-Cards

The susceptibility or resistance to infectious diseases depends on the host immune response. The genetic variation of immune-relevant genes such as Toll-Like Receptor (TLR) genes is associated with susceptibility or resistance to the pathogen. In this thesis, the genetic variation of Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) was investigated; this gene is known to have a function in parasite recognition. In a previous study from the Hide lab, 80 bovine blood samples were collected from bulls in Ahoada, Nigeria and the samples were stored on Whatman FTA cards. In this study bovine genomic DNA was extracted from the FTA cards using three different approaches: 5% Chelex resin, the REPLI-g Mini (Qiagen) and the DNeasy Blood & Tissue Kit (Qiagen). The most efficient method for DNA extraction was via the DNeasy Blood & Tissue (Qiagen) kit and this allowed a PCR protocol to be developed for amplification of a fragment of the bovine TLR9 gene. Subsequently, Sanger sequencing and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) approaches validated the existence of genetic variation across a 554 bp region of exon 2 (f1TLR9) of the bovine TLR9 gene. Moreover, our data revealed that there is no significant correlation between Trypanosoma infection and the existence of genetic variations of f1TLR9 in Bos. indicus cattle from Nigeria; the interrater reliability between NGS and Sanger sequencing was intermediate. In conclusion, high- quality bovine DNA was extracted from FTA cards to allow PCR amplification and detection of genetic variation within exon 2 of the TLR9 gene by two independent sequencing approaches. These results provide a methodology for facilitating future studies into the existence of genetic variation in other TLR and immune-relevant genes and whether, or not, these correlate with disease susceptibility, or resistance, in both humans and animals

Mesenteric Cyst: A Case Report

Mesenteric cysts are rare benign abdominal lesions that possess the risk of malignant transformation in 3% of reported cases. Most cysts are asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally or during the management of their complications. In the majority of cases, they arise from the mesentery of the small bowel, followed by the mesocolon. We present a case report of a 20-year-old female with an abdominal mesenteric cyst

The prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes in the adult population of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia- a community-based survey

BACKGROUND: Type 2 (T2DM) is believed to be common in Saudi Arabia, but data are limited. In this population survey, we determined the prevalence of T2DM and prediabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A representative sample among residents aged ≥ 18 years of the city of Jeddah was obtained comprising both Saudi and non-Saudi families (N = 1420). Data on dietary, clinical and socio-demographic characteristics were collected and anthropometric measurements taken. Fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were used to diagnose diabetes and prediabetes employing American Diabetes Association criteria. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with T2DM. RESULTS: Age and sex standardized prevalence of prediabetes was 9.0% (95% CI 7.5-10.5); 9.4% (7.1-11.8) in men and 8.6% (6.6-10.6) in women. For DM it was 12.1% (10.7-13.5); 12.9% (10.7-13.5) in men and 11.4% (9.5-13.3) in women. The prevalence based on World Population as standard was 18.3% for DM and 11.9% for prediabetes. The prevalence of DM and prediabetes increased with age. Of people aged ≥50 years 46% of men and 44% of women had DM. Prediabetes and DM were associated with various measures of adiposity. DM was also associated with and family history of dyslipidemia in women, cardiovascular disease in men, and with hypertension, dyslipidemia and family history of diabetes in both sexes. DISCUSSION: Age was the strongest predictor of DM and prediabetes followed by obesity. Of people aged 50 years or over almost half had DM and another 10-15% had prediabetes leaving only a small proportion of people in this age group with normoglycemia. Since we did not use an oral glucose tolerance test the true prevalence of DM and prediabetes is thus likely to be even higher than reported here. These results demonstrate the urgent need to develop primary prevention strategies for type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia

The Impact of Water Pollution with Microbes on Human Health

The aim of the current study is to know the types of water pollution, what are the types of microbes that grow in polluted water, and the materials or waste that cause water pollution. The questionnaire was created electronically via the Google Drive program, and then it was distributed via mobile phone on the social networking program (WhatsApp). Using e-mail for all participants to respond to the questionnaire. 800 questionnaires were distributed to all mobile groups, and 700 questionnaires were received on the researcher’s e-mail