Studying the Electron Energy Distribution Function (EEDF) and Electron Transport Coefficients in SF6 – He Gas Mixtures by Solving the Boltzmann Equation

The Boltzmann equation has been solved using (EEDF) package for a pure sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas and its mixtures with buffer Helium (He) gas to study the electron energy distribution function EEDF and then the corresponding transport coefficients for various ratios of SF6 and the mixtures. The calculations are graphically represented and discussed for the sake of comparison between the various mixtures. It is found that the various SF6 – He content mixtures have a considerable effect on EEDF and the transport coefficients of the mixture

Removal of Zinc ions from industrial wastewater with wool fibers

In this research, the efficiency of low-cost unmodified wool fibers were used to remove zinc ion from industrial wastewater. Removal of zinc ion was achieved at 99.52% by using simple wool column. The experiment was carried out under varying conditions of (2h) contact time, metal ion concentration (50mg/l), wool fibers quantity to treated water (70g/l), pH(7) & acid concentration (0.05M). The aim of this method is to use a high sensitive, available & cheep natural material which applied successfully for industrial wastewater& synthetic water, where zinc ion concentration was reduced from (14.6mg/l) to (0.07mg/l) & consequently the hazardous effect of contamination was minimized

Effect of resection of localised pancreatic cancer on tissue-factor promoted pathways of thrombosis, cell invasion and angiogenesis

Pancreatic (PC) is the eleventh most common malignancy in the UK but it has the poorest prognosis of all human adenocarcinoma. The autopsy, epidemiological and clinical studies have consistently identified PC as one of the most highly angiogenic and invasive malignancies, with the greatest prevalence and incidence of thrombo-embolism (TE). The incidence of TE in PC has been reported as high as 57%. Tissue factor (TF) bearing microparticles (MP) have recently been shown to promote thrombosis. The biological link between cancer haemostasis, cell invasion and angiogenesis remains unclear. These three indices may be driven by PC cells directly, be a reflection of the individual tumour stromal microenvironment and/or a result of the inflammatory response of the host. The hypothesis of the thesis is that factors directly attributed to the cancer promote the observed pathophysiology and that the removal of the tumour should result in reversal of these abnormalities. Flow cytometry was used for the evaluation of MP in plasma and quantification of surface-expressed TF, VEGFR-1 and-2 and EGFR. Cellular TF activity and pro-coagulant activity (prothrombin time) of PC patients were measured using a coagulometer. Matrigel Invasion Chambers and Boyden chambers with collagen IV were used to measure cellular invasion. A two dimensional angiogenesis assay was used to evaluate tubule formation in vitro in response to PC sera. Relative levels of protein expression of 55 angiogenic markers in the sera of PC patients were evaluated using a human angiogenesis array kit. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was undertaken on VEGF, TF, TFPI, Leptin and annexin autoantibodies using sera or plasma from PC patients as appropriate. Immunohistochemical analysis of key markers of angiogenesis and thrombosis was also undertaken on resected PC samples. The in vitro optimisation experiments revealed that the cell invasion was significantly correlated with TF antigen expression and activity on PC cell lines (MIA-PaCa-2, AsPC-1 and CFPAC1) and that blocking TF on these cells decreased cell invasion. In the same manner neutralising soluble TF in PC serum samples also significantly decreased cell invasion, as did spiking of the serum with low molecular weight heparin. Analysis of sera from patients showed that TF bearing MP, pro-coagulant activity, cell invasion and angiogenesis (total length and number of capillaries) of PC cases were significantly higher than the control. Furthermore, the post-operative median number of TF bearing MP, procoagulant activity, cell invasion and angiogenesis (total length and total number of capillaries) were all significantly lower compared with pre-operative samples. Out of 55 angiogenic markers studied in 6 PC patients, pre- and post-operatively there was a significant decrease of angiopoietin-1, angiostatin/plasminogen, PDGF-AA, PDGF-AB/PDGF-BB and VEGF post-operatively. This result was supported by ELISA analysis of 29 samples and 14 controls that also showed significantly higher levels of VEGF in pancreatic cancer sera versus control groups, and that there was a significant decrease observed post-operatively only in the cancer patients. Furthermore both angiogenesis array and ELISA showed increased leptin levels post-operatively. Immunohistochemical analysis of the pancreatic tissue sections revealed that TF was expressed on 62 % of PC samples. There was significant correlation between TF expression on the tissue and procoagulant activity. Also, there was a significant correlation between tissue-expressed TF and in vitro angiogenesis, i.e. total length and number of capillaries. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between TF expression on tissue with intratumoural microvascular density (MVD) and tumour-expressed with VEGFR 2. As expected, high levels of MVD correlated with high levels of tissue-expressed VEGF. Finally serum from patients who showed a high level of tissue-expressed VEGF also induced the greatest level of in vitro angiogenesis, i.e. number of capillaries. In summary, it was shown that TF expression on cell lines was significantly correlated with TF activity and cell invasion, and that TF expression in plasma and on tissue from PC patients was significantly correlated with procoagulant activity, cell invasion and angiogenesis. PC tissue-expressed VEGF was significantly associated with the angiogenic activity of PC sera and tissue MVD. Thus, the pathophysiology represented by a high procoagulant state, elevated cell invasion and angiogenic properties seen in PC patient sera appears to be driven by the malignant cells, as removal of the tumour causes a return towards the normal state

Corporate Governance and Earnings Management in Saudi Listed Firms

The system of corporate governance is designed for the effective and efficient operation of corporations on behalf of stakeholders as a mean of enabling various stakeholders to monitor managers effectively against opportunistic behavior. The corporate governance mechanisms have shown in other context of different organizations to affect firms' behavior particularly the earnings management practices. The issue has been tested worldwide and it was shown that earnings management could be affected by the structure of corporate governance of the firms. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of corporate governance mechanisms (i.e. independent director, Board size, board meetings and audit committee characteristics) on earnings management activities in Saudi listed firms for the year 2008. The study is significant due to the lack of empirical studies in the field of corporate governance and earnings management since the Saudi code of corporate governance has been enacted in the late 2006. More interesting this study will be of significant since it tests the period following the financial crisis in order to show whether the earnings management activities have experienced a change during this period compares to the past period as well as whether the corporate governance enhance the earnings quality and help in curbing earnings management in such critical period. The results of the study show that earnings management activities do not experienced any change post enactment of corporate governance code for Saudi listed firms. Furthermore, the corporate governance mechanisms have shown to have no impact on earnings management except for the board meetings which show negative relationship with earnings management. The impactions of the study for regulations are to help them in assessing whether the corporate governance achieved its objectives in order for them to take the corrective actions wherever necessary

Effect of treating lactating rats with lead acetate and its interaction with vitamin E or C on neurobehavior, development and some biochemical parameters in their pups

The current study investigated the effect of administration of vitamin E (600mg/ kg diet) concomitantly with lead acetate (10mg/kg, orally) and vitamin C (100mg/kg, orally) concomitantly with lead acetate (10mg/kg, orally) to the female lactating rats on the neurobehavioral, landmarks development and some biochemical tests in their pups. Administration of lead acetate to the female lactating rats caused a significant increase in open field activity test including (the number of squares crossed and rearing test within 3 minutes), olfactory discrimination test, triglycerides and malondialdehyde brain tissue, with a significant decrease in glutathione brain tissue and high density lipoproteins in their pups. The present study demonstrated that treatment of female lactating rats with vitamin C and lead acetate produced a significant decrease in righting reflex test in their pups. Administration of vitamin E concomitantly with lead acetate to the female lactating rats caused a significant increase in glutathione level accompanied with a significant decrease in malondialdehyde and triglycerides levels in their pups. The present study showed that treatment of female lactating rats with vitamin E or C with lead acetate produced a significant decrease in rearing test, whereas a significant increase in high density lipoproteins in their pups. It is concluded that administration vitamin E or C to the female lactating rats reverse the adverse effects produced by lead acetate on neurobehavioral. Vitamin E had positive effect on the levels of glutathione, malondialdehyde brain tissue, triglyceride and high density lipoproteins in their lactating pups

Changes in some blood parameters in lactating female rats and their pups exposed to lead: effects of vitamins C and E

The present work was designed to examine the changes in some blood parameters in lactating rats treated with lead acetate (10 mg /kg B.W. orally) and its interaction with vitamin E (600 mg/kg diet) or vitamin C (100 mg/kg B.W. orally) during lactation period (20 days) and their pups. Administration of lead acetate to the female lactating rats caused a significant decrease in packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin concentration (Hb), red blood cell count (RBC), body weight, mean corpuscular heamoglobin concentration (MCHC) whereas the white blood cells count (WBC), total proteins, the percentage of monocyte and mean corpuscular volume(MCV) significantly increased administration of lead acetate to female lactating rats produced a significant decrease in PCV, Hb, RBC, MCHC, body weight, and the percentage of the neotrophils in their pups. But the WBC count, total proteins, the percentage of lymphocyte, monocyte, MCV a significantly increased in their pups. Treatment dams with vitamin E concomitantly with lead acetate increased the PCV, Hb, MCHC, whereas percentage of monocyte significantly decreased, PCV, Hb, RBC, the percentage of neutrophils a significantly increased, whereas WBC count, the percentage of lymphocyte decreased significantly in their pups of this group of dams. Treatment dams with vitamin C concomitantly with lead acetate significantly increased the PCV, MCV, whereas percentage of monocytes significantly decreased, but Hb, PCV and RBC significantly increased in their pups. It could be concluded that treatment female lactating rats with vitamin E or C concomitantly with lead acetate exert an antioxidant effect on blood constituent in dams and their pups and vitamin E more effective than vitamin C

Design and Analysis of Broadband Elliptical Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Communication

In this paper presents the design and manufacture of a new broadband elliptical patch antenna with a microstrip feed line and optimum antenna  parameters. The antenna dimension of (30×21×1.6) mm3 and fabricated on an FR-4 epoxy substrate having relative dielectric constant ε_r=4.3, loss tangent tan (δ) =0.002 and the feed line used has characteristic impedance of 50Ω.The designed antenna has the capability of operating in the bandwidth (6.95 - 30.94) GHz and the gain (6.8) dBi. The antenna performance was modified by inserting a slots in the ground plane to achieve impedance bandwidth (when S11≤ -10dB) and slots to patch to improve the gain. The modified antenna was designed to be used for fifth generation (5G) mobile communication. The simulation results are obtained using CST software

Uranium and Plutonium Recovery by Tributylphosphate Solvation and Trioctylamine Ion association Mechanisms

In this work a flowsheet has been put for the recovery of uranium and plutonium from 2.5M nitric acid solutions using 17.5% tributyl phosphate (TBP) and 2.5% trioctylamine (TOA) in kerosene diluent . The fission products (resulting from irradiated of uranium samples in nuclear research reactor) were removed from the desired actinides U & Pu .The organic phase TBP/TOA/Kerosene, containing both actinides U&Pu were stripped using 0.1 M HNO3. Trioctylamine (2.5 volume ratio ) in mesitylene , has been used in conditions appropriate for the recovery of Pu . From the experiments done using mixer- settler , the concentration of uranium in the organic phase in such conditions was very low ,not exceeding parts of a million

SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HEAVY METALS; AU (III) ,Pd (II),Pt(IV) Rh(III) COMPLEXES OF S –PROPYNYL 2 –THIOBENZIMIDAZOLE

Complexes of Au(III) ,Pd (II) , Pt (IV ) and Rh(III) with S – propynyle -2- thiobenzimidazole (BENZA) have been prepared and characterized by IR and UV- Visible spectral methods in addition to magnetic and conductivity measurements and micro – elemental analysis (CHN).The probable structures of the new complexes have been suggested