An Evidence-Based Review of Probiotics and Prebiotics

Probiotics and prebiotics have a variety of beneficial effects on the host’s health. Extensive studies have established probiotic strains such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, and further the concept of next-generation probiotics has been advocated. Clinical trials and mechanism of action research have demonstrated that the gut microbiota and host health are inextricably linked, and that probiotics can benefit intestinal-related disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease by controlling the gut microbiota. Accordingly, the host’s gut microbiota has the greatest direct effect on the efficiency of probiotics and prebiotics. Due to the highly individualized gut microbiota, supplementation with probiotics and prebiotics must take the host’s gut microbiota into account. Personalized and specific interventions, as well as the development of next-generation probiotics, will be the new focus of research

Die verfassungsrechtliche Einordnung der städtebaulichen Umlegung auf der Basis der modernen Eigentumsdogmatik

Bei der Arbeit geht es um die Bodenordnung in Bezug auf die neue Eigentumsdogmatik, insbesondere um die städtebauliche Umlegung(§§ 45�79 BauGB). Die Neuordnung von Grundstücken ist nach wie vor unentbehrlich, um neue Bedürfnisse und Erfordernisse zu erfüllen. Da die Bodenordnung und das durch Art. 14 Abs. 1 Satz 1 GG gewährleistete Eigentum in einem Spannungsverhältnis zueinander stehen, ist es von Bedeutung, welche bodenordnenden Maßnahmen zu ergreifen sind. In diesem Sinne ist die Baulandumlegung ein bevorzugtes Instrument, weil sie für die beteiligten Eigentümer kostengünstig und vergleichsweise unkompliziert durchgeführt werden kann und weil sie auch Rechtssicherheit und ein hohes Durchsetzungspotential schafft. Weil Städtebau und Eigentum an Grund und Boden in einem spezifischen Spannungsverhältnis zueinander stehen, hat die städtebauliche Umlegung einerseits ihre Aufgabe als die eines Instruments der Bodenordnung zu erfüllen und andererseits die Gewährleistung des Eigentumsrechts im Sinne von Art. 14 Abs. 1 Satz 1 GG zu beachten. Dabei stellt sich zunächst die Frage, wie und nach welchem Kriterium eine Beeinträchtigung des Eigentums im Sinne des Art. 14 GG eingestuft werden soll: ob als Inhalts- und Schrankenbestimmung oder als Enteignung. Anhand dieser Unterscheidung lässt sich die Problematik der Umlegung auf die Frage zuspitzen, ob die Umlegung einen den Inhalt des Eigentum bestimmenden oder einen �enteignenden� Charakter hat. Auf der neuen dogmatischen Grundlage hat sich das Bundesverfassungsgericht im Beschluss vom 22. 5. 2001 zur Vereinbarkeit der städtebaulichen Umlegung mit Art. 14 Abs. 1 GG geäußert: das bodenordnungsrechtliche Instrument der Umlegung stelle im Rahmen des Art. 14 GG eine Inhaltsbestimmung des Eigentums dar1. Als erste Äußerung ist diese Entscheidung von erheblicher Bedeutung. Allerdings bereitet eine solche pauschale Einordnung des Umlegungsrechts im Ganzen verfassungsrechtliche Probleme im Hinblick auf einzelne Umlegungsvorschriften: einzelne Umlegungsvorschriften für sich genommen entsprechen nämlich der geltenden Eigentumsdogmatik des Bundesverfassungsgerichts nicht. Das Umlegungsrecht muss entsprechend der neuen Eigentumsdogmatik erneut eingeordnet oder interpretiert werden. Darüber hinaus ist die verfassungsrechtliche Dogmatik mit baurechtlichen Aspekten zu verbinden. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es also, einzelne Vorschriften des Umlegungsrechts entsprechend der neuen Eigentumsdogmatik genau zu analysieren, zu interpretieren, und letztlich die Umlegung in die Systematik der eigentumsrelevanten Maßnahmen richtig einzuordnen, ggf. eine differenzierende Einordnung zu versuchen. Diese Aufgabe bildet den Mittelpunkt der vorliegenden Arbeit

Application of History Matching Quality Index with Moving Linear Regression Analysis

History Matching is the process of calibrating uncertain parameters of a reservoir model in order to reach the best plausible match with the observed data. By integrating the dynamic data of a reservoir, the reservoir properties can be estimated so that it is a key step in developing reservoir performance, which is normally time consuming and computationally infeasible. With the rise of global energy demand, the reliance on enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has increased and the model calibration for chemical flooding also becomes significant. However, due to large amounts of uncertain parameters and complicated relationships among them, it is hard to apply a traditional manual history matching with a single deterministic model to chemical flooding. Instead, a stochastic method using the genetic algorithm (GA) can be efficient in that it can consider several parameters simultaneously. However, this probabilistic-assisted history matching generates several updated models, all of which have a potential to be good matches. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate history matching results consistently without any subjectivity. In addition, the assessment of results from model calibration is also difficult when it comes to large field cases, which are involved with a number of wells and different types of objectives. Since each well and objective presents contrasting results, a comprehensive decision making for selecting a better history matching model is necessarily complicated. However, current approaches mostly rely on reviewers’ experience, which is too subjective or uses a misfit function without any consideration for the data. We first introduce a History Match Quality Index (HMQI) in assessing the quality of history matching and ranking among those results. This method assigns index a value of either 0 or 1 based on the quality of the match. Moreover, combining the HMQI with a Moving Linear Regression Analysis (MLRA) provides the more robust assessment by removing outliers which come from a variety of sources of errors. Secondly, we apply the HMQI to the synthetic case of alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding as well as that of polymer flooding. Moreover, we compare the results with other method for evaluating the quality of history match to prove the feasibility of our approach. Lastly, field-scale simulations are conducted to demonstrate the reliability and robustness of our methodologies. The HMQI with the MLRA has proven its ability to identify outliers of data using the case study from synthetic to field. In addition, in comparison with the misfit calculation, it has been shown to eliminate subjectivity, using normalized values without the bias toward outliers

Does higher education foster critical and creative learners? An exploration of two universities in South Korea and the USA

This paper describes two studies that explore students' beliefs about critical and creative learning at two universities, and considers the implications of those beliefs in comparison to the universities' stated education goals. One is a mixed method study of students at a top university in Korea, and the second is a comparative study between the Korean university and a United States (US) university. The first study found that both high-achievers and the general population at a top Korean university perceived their critical and creative abilities as lower than their receptive learning abilities, and that higher achievers were neither more critical nor creative than lower achievers. The second study finds that the Korean university students, compared to US students, were more likely to rate their receptive learning ability as higher than their critical and creative learning abilities. Comparisons across year of higher education (HE) suggest that Korean students' perceptions did not significantly change with respect to year in school, while US students' perceptions of critical learning abilities significantly increased across school years. Results are discussed with respect to the impact of culture, epistemological beliefs, and HE instruction on critical and creative learning

Effect of extraction solvents on antioxidant and skin-whitening potentials of defatted Camellia seed cakes

Defatted Camellia japonica L. seed cake is an important byproduct during the manufacture of Camellia seed oil. The present study evaluated the influence of two extraction solvents on the total contents of phenol and flavonoid, antioxidant activity and skin-whitening effect capable of inhibiting the biosynthesis of melanin of defatted Camellia seed cakes, a byproduct from Camellia oil production. The antioxidant capacities of 100% methanol and 70% ethanol extracts were analysed using radical scavenging (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl, O2-, H2O2 and NO), SOD-like, ferrous ion chelating and reducing power assays. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were further determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Moreover, intracellular antityrosinase activity and melanin contents were evaluated in human malignant melanoma cells (SK mel-100). Ethanol extracts of defatted Camellia seed cake extracts exhibited higher phenolic (4097 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g) and flavonoid (2899 mg rutin equivalents/100 g) contents with higher superoxide (IC50 = 1.9 mg/mL), nitric oxide (IC50 =1.6 mg/mL) radical scavenging, ferrous ion chelating (IC50 = 2.9 mg/mL) and reducing power (IC50 = 1.8 mg/mL) activities than those of methanol. These ethanol extracts also evidenced more effective inhibitory activities of tyrosinase and melanin synthesis than methanol extracts. Therefore, the present results demonstrated that defatted Camellia seed cakes could be a valuable source of antioxidative and whitening ingredients, and ethanol was more efficient in extracting antioxidants and bioactive compounds than methanol

Keeping Customers Shopping in the Store: Interrelationships among Store Attributes, Shopping Enjoyment, Place Attachment, and Store Loyalty

With consumers shifting to Internet and mobile shopping, the demand for brick and mortar store shopping has decreased and in response, several major U.S. retail chains have downsized the number of their physical retail operations (Farfan, 2013). Yet, retailers have not completely said good bye to stores. Indeed there may be several key store attributes that retailers’ can focus on and continue to develop if they are interested in keeping customers shopping and buying in brick and mortar stores

Extrusion-Based 3D Printing of Molecular Sieve Zeolite for Gas Adsorption Applications

Extrusion based 3D printing is one of the emerging additive manufacturing technologies used for printing range of materials from metal to ceramics. In this study, we developed a customized 3D printer based on extrusion freeform fabrication technique, such as slurry deposition, for 3D printing of different molecular sieve zeolite monoliths like 3A, 4A, 5A and 13X to evaluate their performance in gas adsorption. The physical and structural properties of 3D printed zeolite monoliths will be characterized along with the gas adsorption performance. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) test of 3D printed samples will be performed for calculation of the surface area, which will give us the capacity of gas absorption into 3D printed zeolite. The BET surface area test showed good results for Zeolite 13X compared to available literature. The surface area calculated for 3D – printed Zeolite 13X was 767m2/g and available literature showed 498 m2/g for 3D – printed Zeolite 13X. The microhardness values of 3D – printed Zeolite samples were measured using a Vicker hardness tester. The hardness value of the 3D - printed Zeolite samples increased from 8.3 ± 2 to 12.5 ± 3 HV 0.05 for Zeolite 13X, 3.3 ± 1 to 7.3 ± 1 HV 0.05 for Zeolite 3A, 4.3 ± 2 to 7.5 ± 2 HV 0.05 for Zeolite 4A, 7.4 ± 1 to 14.0 ± 0.5 HV 0.05 for Zeolite 5A, before and after sintering process, respectively. The SEM analysis was performed for 3D printed samples before and after sintering to evaluate their structural properties. The SEM analysis reveals that all 3D – printed Zeolite samples retained their microstructure after slurry preparation and also after the sintering process. The porous nature of 3D – printed Zeolite walls was retained after the sintering process

Effects of LGBT Nursing Education Using Simulation

PURPOSE: As health care needs for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) are becoming increasingly important, it has become imperative for the nurses to be attentive towards their health problems and provide nursing care with an open-minded attitude. Due to limited opportunity to provide direct nursing care to LGBT patients, it is hypothesized that simulation would provide good opportunity for students to experience LGBT nursing care in a safe environment. This study was conducted to develop and apply simulation of LGBT nursing care to ultimately provide unbiased nursing care for LGBT population and prepare basic data for LGBT nursing education. METHODS: This study was a single-group pre-post experimental design study for 57 senior nursing students based on the comparison of existing LGBT knowledge, general attitude towards LGBT, and nursing attitude towards LGBT before and after simulation. The scenario content included discussion of coming out issue, providing sexual health information, and supportive nursing care for LGBT population. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and Wilcoxon signed rank. RESULTS: Simulation education-led to a significant increase in LGBT knowledge and nursing attitude. However, there was no change in the general attitude towards LGBT. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that LGBT education using simulation may be effective for nursing students and nurses from the point of concern for LGBT population. It is hypothesized that future LGBT educational programs might need more detailed information from both care recipients and nurses. Finally, LGBT education needs to be included in the nursing education curriculum

Towards searching as a learning process: A review of current perspectives and future directions

We critically review literature on the association between searching and learning and contribute to the formulation of a research agenda for searching as learning. The paper begins by reviewing current literature that tends to characterize search systems as tools for learning. We then present a perspective on searching as learning that focuses on the learning that occurs during the search pro-cess, as well as search outputs and learning outcomes. The concept of ‘comprehensive search’ is proposed to describe iterative, reflec-tive and integrative search sessions that facilitate critical and creative learning beyond receptive learning. We also discuss how search interaction data can provide a rich source of implicit and explicit features through which to assess search-related learning. In conclu-sion, we summarize opportunities and challenges for future research with respect to four agendas: developing a search system that supports sense-making and enhances learning; supporting effective user interaction for searching as learning; providing an inquiry-based literacy tool within a search system; and assessing learning from online searching behaviour.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145734/1/Rieh et al Towards searching as a learning process JIS2016.pd