Impact of Maternal Helicobacter pylori Infection on Trace Elements (Copper, Iron and Zinc) and Pregnancy Outcomes

Background: H. pylori infection has been suggested to interfere with micronutrient metabolism and influence pregnancy outcomes. Objectives: This study therefore seeks to document the prevalence of H. pylori seroposivity among pregnant women and to determine its impact on some trace element status and pregnancy outcomes. Materials and methods: Three hundred and forty nine consenting pregnant women aged 15-40 years (mean; 27. 04 ± 4. 75 years) and gestational age ≤ 25 weeks (mean 21.77 ± 3.14 wks) attending antenatal clinic at Federal Medical Centre, Abakaliki, between July 2007 and September 2008 participated in the study. H. Pylori antibody (IgG) was determined by a new generation ELISA method. Plasma copper, iron and zinc were analysed using flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer (Bulk Scientific AVG 210 Model) while haemoglobin and albumin were analysed using standard haematological and biochemical techniques. Both maternal sociodemographic and anthropometric parameters were recorded at recruitment. The women were followed-up till delivery after which neonatal anthropometrics and other birth outcomes were recorded. Results: H. pylori seroprevalence of 24.1% (84/349) was recorded with higher prevalence in multiparous and older women. H. pylori infected women had significantly higher BMI (29.00 ± 3.89 vs. 26.86 ± 4.10, p = 0.020) and lower (p > 0.05) plasma levels of Cu, Fe, Zn, albumin, and haemoglobin when compared to non-infected women. Also H. pylori infected women had significantly (p < 0.05) higher rates of convulsion and concomitant illnesses than their non-infected counterparts, although there was no difference in the two groups for other pregnancy outcomes. Conclusion: H. pylori infection during pregnancy seems to interfere with trace element metabolism and contribute significantly to increased maternal morbidity. Prior to confirmation of these findings in a well controlled randomised trial, it is suggested that pregnant women be screened for H. pylori infection to reduce H. pylori associated morbidities during pregnancy

Predictors of Adolescents’ Interest in Stem Majors and Careers

Advanced Research Winner 2019: The United States currently faces a shortage of qualified workers in fields related to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The first critical step in preventing the labor shortage in STEM is understanding the factors that guide adolescents toward STEM pursuits. Drawing on Eccles’ expectancy-value theory (EVT), the current study aims to identify factors that are relevant to adolescents’ interest in STEM majors and careers. Data were collected from 629 adolescents (Mage = 16.09). Participants attended a high school in northern California and predominantly identified as Asian American (82% of the sample). Preliminary analyses revealed that adolescent boys had higher STEM self-expectancies than did adolescent girls, whereas there was no gender difference in STEM values. Consistent with expectations, multiple regression demonstrated that STEM self-expectancies and values accounted for a significant amount of variance in participants’ interest in STEM majors and careers. STEM value was an especially strong predictor; adolescents tended to be most interested in STEM pursuits when they were also high in STEM value. Moderation analyses showed that the association between STEM value and interest in STEM majors and careers was stronger for girls than for boys. As a whole, this study’s findings suggest that valuing and enjoying STEM pursuits during high school could be an important antecedent of pursuing a STEM major and a STEM career later in life

Transition to sub-Planck structures through the superposition of q-oscillator stationary states

We investigate the superposition of four different quantum states based on the q-oscillator. These quantum states are expressed by means of Rogers-Szego polynomials. We show that such a superposition has the properties of the quantum harmonic oscillator when q -> 1, and those of a compass state with the appearance of chessboard-type interference patterns when q -> 0

The magic of the Last Planner® System for Nigerian construction

Extremely poor economic performance of the Nigerian construction industry suggests that non-value adding activities are prevalent, which result not only in the reduction of contractors’ profit margin but economic loss for the country in general. This study analyses non-value adding activities in Nigerian construction sites. The research seeks to establish potential antidotes within the Last Planner® System (LPS) and reveal the elements of the LPS which could be abstracted into Nigerian construction to improve performance. It was found that these elements form the theoretical basis for developing a lean approach that was labelled Last Planner® thinking

Exploring the implementation of the Last Planner® System through IGLC community: twenty one years of experience

There is robust evidence that the level of implementation of the Last Planner® System (LPS) is increasing geographically and geometrically in construction. The I nternational Group for Lean Construction (IGLC) community has reported this growth at IGLC conferences over this period. However, no study has explored how the LPS and its implementation has developed or improved. This study explored developments in the LPS from the review of IGLC conference papers. Qualitative research design utilising content analysis was adopted for this study comprising 57 IGLC reports on LPS implementation across 16 countries. The study reveals components of LPS implemented, with measuring of PPC, Weekly Work Planning meeting and recording reasons for non-completion the most reported. The study developed a timeline for the LPS development and revealed that some of the papers reviewed have no defined methodology. The study concludes that the LPS has developed in terms of its level of implementation, theory development, and as a vehicle to improve construction management practice across the major continents of the world, with elements that had little presence at the onset now prominent. The study recommends that more attention should be given to the relationship between practical applications and research methods to aid the establishment of sound theory to improve practice

Adsorption of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid onto Volcanic Ash Soils:

The quantification of the linear adsorption coefficient (Kd) for soils plays a vital role to predict fate and transport of pesticides in the soil-water environment. In this study, we measured Kd values for 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) adsorption onto Japanese volcanic ash soils with different amount of soil organic matter (SOM) in batch experiments under different pH conditions. All measurements followed well both linear and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Strong correlations were found between measured Kd values and pH as well as SOM. The 2,4-D adsorption increased with decreasing pH and with increasing SOM. Based on the data, a predictive Kd equation for volcanic ash soils, log (Kd) = 2.04 - 0.37 pH + 0.91 log (SOM), was obtained by the multiple regression analysis. The predictive Kd equation was tested against measured 2,4-D sorption data for other volcanic ash soils and normal mineral soils from literature. The proposed Kd equation well predicted Kd values for other volcanic ash soils and slightly over- or under-predicted Kd values for normal mineral soils. The proposed Kd equation performed well against volcanic ash soils from different sites and countries, and is therefore recommended for predicting Kd values at different pH and SOM conditions for volcanic ash soils when calculating and predicting 2,4-D mobility and fate in soil and groundwater

Yeast Upf1 Associates With RibosomesTranslating mRNA Coding Sequences Upstream of Normal Termination Codons: A Dissertation

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) specifically targets mRNAs with premature translation termination codons for rapid degradation. NMD is a highly conserved translation-dependent mRNA decay pathway, and its core Upf factors are thought to be recruited to prematurely terminating mRNP complexes, possibly through the release factors that orchestrate translation termination. Upf1 is the central regulator of NMD and recent studies have challenged the notion that this protein is specifically targeted to aberrant, nonsense-containing mRNAs. Rather, it has been proposed that Upf1 binds to most mRNAs in a translation-independent manner. In this thesis, I investigated the nature of Upf1 association with its substrates in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using biochemical and genetic approaches, the basis for Upf1 interaction with ribosomes was evaluated to determine the specificity of Upf1 association with ribosomes, and the extent to which such binding is dependent on prior association of Upf1’s interacting partners. I discovered that Upf1 is specifically associated with Rps26 of the 40S ribosomal subunit, and that this association requires the N-terminal Upf1 CH domain. In addition, using selective ribosome profiling, I investigated when during translation Upf1 associates with ribosomes and showed that Upf1 binding was not limited to polyribosomes that were engaged in translating NMD substrate mRNAs. Rather, Upf1 associated with translating ribosomes on most mRNAs, binding preferentially as ribosomes approached the 3’ ends of open reading frames. Collectively, these studies provide new mechanistic insights into NMD and the dynamics of Upf1 during translation

promoting access to finance and developing human resources

Thesis(Master) -- KDI School: Master of Development Policy, 2020Myanmar has been endeavoring to implement an industrialized nation from an agricultural country as the other developed nations. After the significant political transition from the Military Government to Democratic Government in 2011, the rate of FDIs investing in Myanmar is getting higher dramatically because of its economically geographic location and advantageous economic reform. The effective way of industrialization is to support and encourage the growth of industrial based-Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) such as automotive parts supplier SMEs to FDI-MNCs. As the major players of the national economy, the Union Government has been providing fundamental needs of SMEs and nurturing the skilled labours required for foreign investment. However, development is invisible significantly and they are still having multiple obstacles and challenges in receiving technologies, access to finance and market. The study comes to conclude that the agricultural-based SMEs are getting more supports rather than supportive SMEs for heavy industry. Thu, the government must encourage the growth of these types of SMEs in order to cooperate with FDI and to integrate into the global value chains (GVCs) for the industrialization of the nation rapidly.Part I: Introduction Part II: Research and Findings Chapter 1: Review of Literature Chapter 2: Correlation between Industrialization and Foreign Direct Investment in Myanmar Chapter 3: Analysis of Automotive Industry in Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand Chapter 4: Supporting and Financing to SMEs by the Union Government of Myanmar Chapter 5: Promotion of HRD for attracting Foreign Direct Investment Part III: Conclusions and Recommendations Conclusions Recommendations ReferencesmasterpublishedEi Ei Mo