Technologies for teaching mathematics via the world wide web

Published ArticleThis paper tries to find answers to the question concerning the availability of suitable technologies to accommodate the teaching and learning of mathematics by means of the World Wide Web. It addresses three standards for the presentation of content mark-up and touches on the importance of adequate browser applicability with respect to MathML as one of the standards. Various tools for rendering MathML on the web, as well as plug-ins and extensions and other combinations of technologies, are discussed. The paper concludes with the introduction of a dynamic mathematics object model (DMOM) by Robert Miner from Design Science Inc. Requirements for a DMOM are formulated and its implementation is discussed

Benefits of pomegranate (Punica granatum Linn) fruit extracts to weight changes, total protein, and uric acid in white rats (Rattus norvegicus) as an animal model of acute renal failure

Aim: The occurrence of acute renal failure (ARF) cases continues to increase every year. Some of the cases are due to nephrotoxic effect caused by overdose of antibiotic consumption or abuse of the drug, gentamicin. An antibiotic therapy that can be used to overcome in such a case is the pomegranate extracts. However, until now, studies using pomegranate for cases of ARF have not been done. This study aims to determine changes in body weight, the levels of total protein (TP), and the levels of serum uric acid (UA) as a result of the pomegranate extract consumption. Materials and Methods: A total number of 32 rats (Rattus norvegicus) were divided into four groups randomly. One group was assigned as the control group (P0) and given intraperitoneal (i.p.) saline and 0.3% carboxy methyl cellulose sodium (CMC) Na; P1 was provided with 80 mg/kg bw/i.p. gentamicin and 0.3% CMC Na orally, P2 was supplied with 80 mg/kg bw/i.p. gentamicin and ellagic acid in 0.3% CMC Na, and P3 was given 80 mg/kg bw/i.p. gentamicin and 150 mg/kg bw pomegranate extract in 0.3% CMC Na. The provision of treatment was carried out in 8 days and followed by making the overthrow of body weight and blood sampling for the examination of study variables. Results: The results taken by doing the analysis of variance method for the four treatment groups show that the control group (P0) has significant differences from P1, P2, and P3 (p<0.05), but there are no significant differences among the other three treatment groups. Meanwhile, the average values of serum UA levels among P1, P2, and P3 indicate significant differences. Conclusion: In conclusion, the administration of pomegranate extracts in the treatment of nephrotoxicity toward rats is effective to maintain normal body weight, normal TP levels, and the UA blood serum of the rats. As this study is a preventive therapy, it needs further researches about the effective dose as a curative therapy, its level of effectiveness and its long-term side effects

Evaluation of the collaborative network of highly correlating skin proteins and its change following treatment with glucocorticoids

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glucocorticoids (GC) represent the core treatment modality for many inflammatory diseases. Its mode of action is difficult to grasp, not least because it includes direct modulation of many components of the extracellular matrix as well as complex anti-inflammatory effects. Protein expression profile of skin proteins is being changed with topical application of GC, however, the knowledge about singular markers in this regard is only patchy and collaboration is ill defined.</p> <p>Material/Methods</p> <p>Scar formation was observed under different doses of GC, which were locally applied on the back skin of mice (1 to 3 weeks). After euthanasia we analyzed protein expression of collagen I and III (picrosirius) in scar tissue together with 16 additional protein markers, which are involved in wound healing, with immunhistochemistry. For assessing GC's effect on co-expression we compared our results with a model of random figures to estimate how many significant correlations should be expected by chance.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>GC altered collagen and protein expression with distinct results in different areas of investigation. Most often we observed a reduced expression after application of low dose GC. In the scar infiltrate a multivariate analysis confirmed the significant impact of both GC concentrations. Calculation of Spearman's correlation coefficient similarly resulted in a significant impact of GC, and furthermore, offered the possibility to grasp the entire interactive profile in between all variables studied. The biological markers, which were connected by significant correlations could be arranged in a highly cross-linked network that involved most of the markers measured. A marker highly cross-linked with more than 3 significant correlations was indicated by a higher variation of all its correlations to the other variables, resulting in a standard deviation of > 0.2.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In addition to immunohistochemical analysis of single protein markers multivariate analysis of co-expressions by use of correlation coefficients reveals the complexity of biological relationships and identifies complex biological effects of GC on skin scarring. Depiction of collaborative clusters will help to understand functional pathways. The functional importance of highly cross-linked proteins will have to be proven in subsequent studies.</p

Plasma membrane receptor mediated MAPK signaling pathways are activated in human uterine cervix at parturition

BACKGROUND: Cervical ripening resembles an inflammatory reaction. Estrogens induce leukocyte migration into tissue and factors promoting cervical remodeling and labor, although the mechanisms are only partially known. The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma membrane receptor mediated pathways, known to be activated by estrogens and proinflammatory compounds, are involved in cervical ripening before labor. METHODS: The expression and distribution of mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPK), which transduce extracellular signals into intracellular responses through phosphorylation, and their intracellular targets transcription factors c-Jun and c-Fos proteins (AP-1) were analysed in cervical biopsies from term pregnant women (TP), immediately after parturition (PP), and from non-pregnant women (NP). Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR techniques were used. RESULTS: Cell-specific alterations in the immunostaining pattern for MAPK were observed. The expressions of activated, phosphorylated MAPK forms pERK1/2, pJNK and p38MAPK were significantly increased in cervical stroma until TP and pERK1/2 expression was significantly enhanced in PP group. c-Jun was significantly increased in cervical stroma and smooth muscle in TP as compared to NP group. c-Fos was significantly increased in stroma, squamous epithelium and glandular epithelium in PP as compared to TP group. CONCLUSION: We report, for the first time, cell-specific activation of pMAPKs and their targets transcription factors c-Fos and c-Jun (AP-1) proteins in human uterine cervix until term pregnancy, and immediately after parturition. These results suggest a role for MAPK activation in cervical ripening before labor

Toksični učinci patulina na timus mužjaka štakora u razvoju

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced by several Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Byssachlamys species growing on food products. In this study, we investigated the effects of patulin on the thymus of growing male rats aged fi ve to six weeks. The rats were receiving it orally at a dose of 0.1 mg kg-1 bw a day for either 60 or 90 days. At the end of the experiment, the thymus was examined for histopathology by light microscopy and for epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EGFR) by immunolocalisation. For morphometry we used the Bs200prop program to analyse images obtained with the Olympus BX51 light microscope. Cell ultrastructure was studied by electron microscopy. In rats treated with patulin, the thymus showed haemorrhage, plasma cell hyperplasia, a dilation and fi brosis in the cortex, enlarged interstitial tissue between the thymic lobules, enlarged fat tissue, thinning of the cortex, and blurring of the cortico-medullary demarcation. Electron microscopy showed signs of cell destruction, abnormalities of the nucleus and organelles, and loss of mitochondrial cristae. However, no differences were observed in thymus EGF and EGFR immunoreactivity between treated and control rats.Patulin je mikotoksin koji proizvode plijesni sojeva Penicillium, Aspergillus i Byssachlamys na različitim prehrambenim proizvodima kao podlozi. Učinke patulina istražili smo na timusu mužjaka štakora u razvoju (dobi 5 do 6 tjedana). Mikotoksin je životinjama davan per os u dnevnoj dozi 0,1 mg kg-1 tj. t. 60 odnosno 90 dana. Na kraju pokusa štakori su žrtvovani, timus je podvrgnut histološkim analizama s pomoću svjetlosne mikroskopije, a imunocitokemijskim je metodama istražena stanična lokalizacija epidermalnog faktora rasta (EGF) i njegova receptora (EGFR). Morfometrijska analiza provedena je s pomoću računalnog programa Bs200prop povezanog u sustav sa svjetlosnim mikroskopom Olympus BX51. Elektronskomikroskopski je istražena ultrastruktura stanica timusa. Utvrđeno je da patulin izaziva krvaranja u timusu, hiperplaziju plazma-stanica, dilataciju i fi brozu u kortikalnoj regiji timusa, širenje intersticijskog tkiva između režnjeva timusa, povećanje masnih stanica, smanjenje debljine kore timusa te nestanak kortiko-medularne demarkacije. Elektronskomikroskopski u tkivu timusa štakora tretiranih patulinom uočeni su znakovi raspadanja stanica, abnormalnosti jezgre i organela te gubitak mitohondrijskih krista. Unatoč navedenomu, na presjecima tkiva kontrolnih štakora i štakora tretiranih patulinom nismo utvrdili razlike u imunoreaktivnosti EGF i EGFR, što bi trebalo dodatno istražiti osjetljivijim molekularnim metodama

Histologi Dasar

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Technologies for teaching mathematics via the World Wide Web

Published ArticleThis paper tries to find answers to the question concerning the availability of suitable technologies to accommodate the teaching and learning of mathematics by means of the World Wide Web. It addresses three standards for the presentation of content mark-up and touches on the importance of adequate browser applicability with respect to MathML as one of the standards. Various tools for rendering MathML on the web, as well as plug-ins and extensions, and other combinations of technologies, are discussed. The paper concludes with the introduction of a dynamic mathematics object model (DMOM) by Robert Miner from Design Science Inc. Requirements for a DMOM are formulated and its implementation is discussed. An alternative to the use of MathML is provided at the end in the form of the Blackboard Learning System

Assessing the academic behavioural confidence (ABC) of first-year students at the Central University of Technology, Free State

Published ArticleFirst-year university students make judgements about their capabilities in mathematics which mainly stem from their past school experiences. It is against this background that the researchers decided to conduct a study with the aim of assessing the academic behavioural confidence of first-year students enrolled in the B.Ed. (FET): Natural Sciences programme and the B.Ed. (FET): Economic and Management Sciences programme offered by the School of Teacher Education at the Central University of Technology, Free State. Bandura's (1986) Social Cognitive Theory is the overarching theoretical framework of the self-efficacy construct and therefore also for this study. A quantitative approach was followed and the Academic Behavioural Confidence scale (ABC) designed by Sander and Sanders (2006), was adopted for use in the study. The study sought to first of all determine whether a significant difference in the academic behavioural confidence of the first-year students within the Natural Sciences and Economic and Management Sciences programmes does exist. It furthermore wanted to determine if a significant difference in the academic behavioural confidence between male and female students within these two programmes exists. The results indicated that there is a significant difference in the academic behavioural confidence of the NS and EMS groups. There is, however, no significant difference between male and female students within and between the two groups. Based on the findings some recommendations on dealing with first-year students have been made