1,795 research outputs found
Carnitine deficiency and oxidative stress provoke cardiotoxicity in an ifosfamide-induced Fanconi Syndrome rat model
In addition to hemorrhagic cystitis, Fanconi Syndrome is a serious clinical side effect during ifosfamide (IFO) therapy. Fanconi syndrome is a generalized dysfunction of the proximal tubule which is characterized by excessive urinary excretion of glucose, phosphate, bicarbonate, amino acids and other solutes excreted by this segment of the nephron including L-carnitine. Carnitine is essential cofactor for β-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids in the myocardium. IFO therapy is associated with increased urinary carnitine excretion with subsequent secondary deficiency of the molecule. Cardiac abnormalities in IFO-treated cancer patients were reported as isolated clinical cases. This study examined whether carnitine deficiency and oxidative stress, secondary to Fanconi Syndrome, provoke IFO-induced cardiomyopathy as well as exploring if carnitine supplementation using Propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) could offer protection against this toxicity. In the current study, an animal model of carnitine deficiency was developed in rats by D-carnitine-mildronate treatment Adult male Wistar albino rats were assigned to one of six treatment groups: the first three groups were injected intraperitoneally with normal saline, D-carnitine (DC, 250 mg/kg/day) combined with mildronate (MD, 200 mg/kg/day) and PLC (250 mg/kg/day), respectively, for 10 successive days. The 4th, 5th and 6th groups were injected with the same doses of normal saline, DC-MD and PLC, respectively for 5 successive days before and 5 days concomitant with IFO (50 mg/kg/day). IFO significantly increased serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), urinary carnitine excretion and clearance, creatine phosphokinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), intramitochondrial acetyl-CoA/CoA-SH and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in cardiac tissues and significantly decreased adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and total carnitine and reduced glutathione (GSH) content in cardiac tissues. In carnitine-depleted rats, IFO induced dramatic increase in serum creatinine, BUN, CK-MB, LDH, carnitine clearance and intramitochondrial acetyl-CoA/CoA-SH, as well as progressive reduction in total carnitine and ATP in cardiac tissues. Interestingly, PLC supplementation completely reversed the biochemical changes-induced by IFO to the control values. In conclusion, data from the present study suggest that: Carnitine deficiency and oxidative stress, secondary to Fanconi Syndrome, constitute risk factors and should be viewed as mechanisms during development of IFO-induced cardiotoxicity. Carnitine supplementation, using PLC, prevents the development of IFO-induced cardiotoxicity through antioxidant signalling and improving mitochondrial function
Induced polarization and electronic properties of carbon doped boron-nitride nanoribbons
The electronic properties of boron-nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs) doped with a
line of carbon atoms are investigated by using density functional calculations.
Three different configurations are possible: the carbon atoms may replace a
line of boron or nitrogen atoms or a line of alternating B and N atoms which
results in very different electronic properties. We found that: i) the NCB
arrangement is strongly polarized with a large dipole moment having an
unexpected direction, ii) the BCB and NCN arrangement are non-polar with zero
dipole moment, iii) the doping by a carbon line reduces the band gap
independent of the local arrangement of boron and nitrogen around the carbon
line, iv) an electric field parallel to the carbon line polarizes the BN sheet
and is found to be sensitive to the presence of carbon dopants, and v) the
energy gap between the highest occupied molecular orbital and the lowest
unoccupied molecular orbital decreases linearly with increasing applied
electric field directed parallel to the carbon line. We show that the
polarization and energy gap of carbon doped BNNRs can be tuned by an electric
field applied parallel along the carbon line.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
THE NEED FOR AN INTEGRATED PRESCHOOL EFL CURRICULUM IN LEBANON
An Integrated Curriculum for Preschool enriches the children’s linguistic environment that leads to better, more natural learning of the target language and concepts of different fields. This paper starts by reviewing available literature about child development, foreign language learning, EFL in this context, and the integrated curriculum. The development of a holistic curriculum for preschoolers in Lebanon is given taking into consideration the healthy cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor development of preschoolers
Spiral graphone and one sided fluorographene nano-ribbons
The instability of a free-standing one sided hydrogenated/fluorinated
graphene nano-ribbon, i.e. graphone/fluorographene, is studied using ab-initio,
semiempirical and large scale molecular dynamics simulations. Free standing
semi-infinite arm-chair like hydrogenated/fluorinated graphene (AC-GO/AC-GF)
and boat like hydrogenated/fluorinated graphene (B-GO/B-GF) (nano-ribbons which
are periodic along the zig-zag direction) are unstable and spontaneously
transform into spiral structures. We find that rolled, spiral B-GO and B-GF are
energetically more favorable than spiral AC-GO and AC-GF which is opposite to
the double sided flat hydrogenated/fluorinated graphene, i.e.
graphane/fluorographene. We found that the packed, spiral structures exhibit
unexpected localized HOMO-LUMO at the edges with increasing energy gap during
rolling. These rolled hydrocarbon structures are stable beyond room temperature
up to at least =1000\,K.Comment: Phys. Rev. B 87, 075448 (2013
Coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in a t-J bilayer
We investigate coexistence of antiferromagnetic and superconducting
correlations in bilayered materials using a two-dimensional t-J model with
couplings across the layers using variational Monte Carlo calculations. It is
found that the underdoped regime supports a coexisting phase, beyond which the
(d-wave) superconducting state becomes stable. Further, the effects of
interplanar coupling parameters on the magnetic and superconducting
correlations as a function of hole doping are studied in details. The magnetic
correlations are found to diminish with increasing interplanar hopping away
from half filling, while the exchange across the layers strengthens interplanar
antiferromagnetic correlations both at and away from half filling. The
superconducting correlations show more interesting features where larger
interplanar hopping considerably reduces planar correlations at optimal doping,
while an opposite behaviour, i.e. stabilisation of the superconducting state is
realised in the overdoped regime, with the interplanar exchange all the while
playing a dormant role.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures, RevTex4, Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Learning Organizations and Their Role in Achieving Organizational Excellence in the Palestinian Universities
The research aims to identify the learning organizations and their role in achieving organizational excellence in the Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip. The researchers used descriptive analytical approach and used the questionnaire as a tool for information gathering. The questionnaires were distributed to senior management in the Palestinian universities. The study population reached (344) employees in senior management is dispersed over (3) Palestinian universities. A stratified random sample of (182) workers from the Palestinian universities was selected and the recovery rate was (69.2%). Statistical analysis (SPSS) program was used for analysis and processing the data.
The research found the following results: there is a fair degree of approval on "cognitive dimension", there is a high approval about the importance of "organizational dimension", there is moderately consent of the importance of "Community dimension", there is a large degree of consent about the importance of axis of the "leadership excellence", there is a large degree of consent about the importance of axis of the "service-excellence", there is a fair degree approval about the importance of the axis of "cognitive excellence", and there is a moderately consent of the importance of "Organizational Excellence".
The research found a group of recommendations including: the need to develop appropriate strategies for the University, employ modern technology in information systems, in addition to provide appropriate environment that achieve learning organizations, develop technological infrastructure, adopt universities for knowledge management in the academic and administrative departments because knowledge is the core of the work of these departments, create technological incubators in universities to adopt excellence academic research projects, and protected them, support them, and market them. Establishing of centers of excellence for scientific research in the university.The need for cooperation and coordination between local, Arab and international universities for the exchange of knowledge, information, and participation programs and training courses, as it provides an opportunity to develop the capabilities and skills of personnel and expertise
Organizational Excellence in Palestinian Universities of Gaza Strip
The research aims to identify the organizational excellence in Palestinian universities of Gaza Strip, from the perspective of senior management. The questionnaires were distributed the top senior management in the Palestinian universities, and the study population was (344) employees in senior management in Palestinian universities. A stratified random sample were selected from of employees in the Palestinian universities consist of (182) employees at return rate of (69.2%). SPSS program for analyzing and processing the data was used. The study reached the following results: the senior management agrees largely on the importance of the axis of "Leadership Excellence" and "Excellence service sectors". The senior management agrees moderately about the importance of the axis of the “Knowledge excellence". The study showed that there is a weakness in the employment of scientific research to serve the community, there is weakness in the follow-up of the universities management for the performance of their graduates in the institutions in which they work. Senior management agrees on the importance of the "Organizational Excellence" moderately. The recommendations of study includes: the need to develop principles and fair criteria for the selection of the best candidates for the university and university leaders based on specialization, competence, experience, skills, integrity and not on the basis of favoritism
Trends of Palestinian Higher Educational Institutions in Gaza Strip as Learning Organizations
The research aims to identify the trends of Palestinian higher educational institutions in Gaza Strip as learning organizations from the perspective of senior management in the Palestinian universities in Gaza Strip. The researchers used descriptive analytical approach and
used the questionnaire as a tool for information gathering. The questionnaires were distributed to senior management in the Palestinian universities. The study population reached (344) employees in senior management is dispersed over (3) Palestinian universities. A stratified
random sample of (182) employees from the Palestinian universities was selected and the recovery rate was (69.2%). Statistical analysis (SPSS) program was used for analysis and processing the data.
The study found the following results: There is an agreement about: the importance of the focus of "organizational structure" with an average approval, the importance of "technological infrastructure" axis with high approval, and the importance of "strategic" with an average
approval. The results concluded that the study sample agree on the importance of "organizational dimension" highly. The results showed that the sample believe that the "strategic leadership"
level in the universities got medium-approval. There is a fair level agreement about the axis of interest "teams / committees". There is an agreement about the importance of the "human dimension" moderately. The results showed that the sample is highly agreed about the importance of focus of the "knowledge management", and the focus of the "continuing
education". They agreed weakly to somewhat about the importance of the focus of "scientific research", moderately agree about the importance of the center of "institutional culture", agree moderately on the importance of "cognitive dimension". The results showed that the sample
largely agree on the importance of the focus of "strategic partnerships and alliances". They agree highly on the axis "keep up with the labor market" and on the focus of the importance of "technology incubators". The results showed that the sample moderately agree about the
importance of the theme on "consulting and training", the importance of the focus of "social responsibility", and the focus of the "Community dimension".
The study found a group of recommendations including: there is a need to provide suitable environment that achieve learning organizations. There is a need to develop the technological infrastructure (hardware, software, networks, databases, and human skills) because of the great advantages that they offer. The universities need to adopt knowledge management in the academic and administrative departments because knowledge is the core of the work of these departments. The establishment of technology incubators in universities to adopt outstanding university research projects, to protect, to supports, and to market them; furthermore, to develop the capabilities and skills of employees in the field of information technology
Graphene Ripples as a Realization of a Two-Dimensional Ising Model: A Scanning Tunneling Microscope Study
Ripples in pristine freestanding graphene naturally orient themselves in an
array that is alternately curved-up and curved-down; maintaining an average
height of zero. Using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to apply a local
force, the graphene sheet will reversibly rise and fall in height until the
height reaches 60-70 percent of its maximum at which point a sudden, permanent
jump occurs. We successfully model the ripples as a spin-half Ising magnetic
system, where the height of the graphene is the spin. The permanent jump in
height, controlled by the tunneling current, is found to be equivalent to an
antiferromagnetic-to-ferromagnetic phase transition. The thermal load
underneath the STM tip alters the local tension and is identified as the
responsible mechanism for the phase transition. Four universal critical
exponents are measured from our STM data, and the model provides insight into
the statistical role of graphenes unusual negative thermal expansion
coefficient.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, 1 tabl
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