Airway remodelling and transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß Superfamily signalling in allergen-induced asthma

Imperial Users onl

Feasibility study on hydrogen storage, distribution and utilization for power generation and transportation in Sugarcane Industry in Queensland

Based on sugarcane bagasse production of 220,000 tonnes/year, the Mackay Sugar Limited’s Racecourse mill could potentially produce 2570 tonnes of hydrogen per year by using pyrolysis and pressure swing adsorption. Power generation at the mill was simulated with RETEscreen, using the syngas produced by pyrolysis process where the syngas is fed in to a 38MW gas turbine or a reciprocating engine. The most profitable power generation option was found to be operating a gas turbine which gives an internal rate of return of 12.9%. Rest of the syngas goes through the pressure swing adsorption process to separate hydrogen from other gases such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. Production cost of low-pressure hydrogen was calculated as $2.78/kg, liquid hydrogen$3.80/kg and hydrogen at 350bar $ 3.87/kg. Liquid hydrogen storage vessel size was simulated using HOMER Pro software and a minimum 100 tonnes of storage was found to be required. Hydrogen at 350bar pressure is used to fuel cane trains and haul trucks to analyse the economic feasibility and the results shows positive internal rate of returns but below the Makcay Sugar Limited anticipated percentage of 12%. A life cycle analysis of the production process was conducted using GaBi software with system boundaries of sugarcane harvesting to 350bar hydrogen production. Results indicate the global warming potential of producing 1kg of hydrogen to be 4.51kgCO2-eq. The overall life cycle analysis proves the hydrogen production process is helping to reduce ecological footprints which are lot higher in fossil fuel production processes

Legal Liability, Intellectual Property and Genetically Modified Crops: Their Impact on World Agriculture

The use of genetic engineering and biotechnology in agriculture has attracted worldwide attention over the past decade. This technology has raised highly controversial issues and considerable international debate over the liabilities associated with crops containing genetically modified organisms (“GMOs”). In particular, the extension of intellectual property protection to GMOs, especially genetically modified crops, has produced one of the most controversial and strenuous debates of recent times. After looking briefly at some of the key features, advantages and disadvantages of GM crops, this paper outlines the debate over the associated legal liability issues. This article also examines the major elements of the debate over liability for GM contamination and assesses whether common law remedies provide adequate protection against it. The paper then details the Australian Gene Technology Act 2000 (Cth) and its essential principles and shortcomings. In its examination of all these issues, this article identifies the challenges that must be faced to ensure justice for all those affected by GM cropping

International economic law and the digital divide : a new silk road?

PhDThe failure of the trade negotiations at Seattle, and the collapse of the negotiations at Doha have bought increased attention to the issue of development, aid, and the implementation of special and differential rights in favour of developing countries. This thesis looks to examine one aspect of the many issues facing developed and developing countries in the negotiations that lie ahead, specifically how international economic law can be used in the application of technological processes to help address the Digital Divide. At present, there is an emphasis on development and the needs of developing countries, and that such development needs to be sustainable. Research reviewed in Chapter 2 indicates that growing information technology levels leads to growth of GDP. Importantly the use of ICT‘s will foster growth in the trade of electronic goods and services (electronic intangibles). By making positive attempts to reduce the Digital Divide, DCs and LDCs will be in a better position to access the necessary ICTs required to help grow GDP and facilitate sustainable development. The thesis sets out various measures to help reduce the digital divide and founded in international economic law. Central to the thesis is a new Layering Theory that the Author argues will assist operators (both incumbents and Independent Service Providers) in the developing world to gain access to international backbone Internet networks at cost price, one of the main impediments to reducing the international digital divide. The Layering Theory sets out a procedure for accurately identifying the relevant market for providers of Next Generation Networks (NGNs) and services so that those operators who abuse their dominance by refusing to supply an interconnection service or access to a digital network can be compelled to interconnect their networks to those smaller domestic or third country Internet Service Providers (ISP) operators who require access. By gaining access/interconnection in this way, operators in DCs and LDCs will be in a much better position to take advantage of cheaper production costs to export electronic intangibles overseas. Also, the thesis sets out recommendations for reform of international telecommunications, new provisions on technology transfer to help DCs and LDCs access the ICTs needed to address the Digital Divide, including provisions on technology transfer found in the increasing take-up of bilateral and regional trade agreements—and if there is to be free trade in e-commerce—recommendations for reform of current WTO rules on the classification of electronic goods and services. However, the thesis also argues that the digital divide cannot be addressed without strengthening the human capital base in developing and least developed countries, and that this cannot happen without such states also giving greater effect to the enforcement of civil and political, and economic, social and cultural rights ―at home‖. The thesis asks whether it is possible to define a relationship in IEL between civil and political, and economic social and cultural rights as a collective for example in the form of the much debated and somewhat controversial Right to Development (the ―RTD‖ as defined in this thesis) on the one hand, with economic indicators, such Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on the other? And if so, how the RTD can be operationalise

Work and Emotional Labour of Special Educators in Sri Lanka: A Case Study

With the effects of the ever-changing nature of socio-cultural and political sphere that we live in, the notion of work has gained much attention in a variety of fields of studies. The different concepts and expectations of and about work have influenced the way in which one conceives of the world of work. However, the concept of work in the field of ‘education’ is rather blurred in terms of what constitutes the contents of work. Hence, identifying what is meant by work for the educators, more specifically, work for special educators, has been recognised as vital to be explored. In this context, the main purpose of this study is to explore how the work is perceived by special educators and how they perform and manage emotional labour with regard to the work they engage in. This research uses a qualitative approach by adopting the case study method as the strategy of inquiry. One of the leading special education institutions in Sri Lanka was selected as the case site of the study. Data was generated via conducting semi structured interviews with ten (10) special educators in the said organisation. Besides, non-participant observations and photographs were incorporated to generate more rich data. The findings have revealed that there are different ways in which work is being perceived by the special educators. It comprises of economic, intrinsically motivated and obligatory orientations. In broader terms, most special educators perceive work as something meaningful while some of them perceive it as an unpleasant chore. Moving further, the study has found that special educators perform emotional work and emotional labour which involve positive and negative emotions in their day-to-day roles, and it is necessary to develop particular qualities that are needed to work with students with special needs. Ultimately, by incorporating the voice of the participants, the researcher has conceptualised work, as perceived by special educators, as the spine that structures the way they live through monetary terms, as how they make contact with social reality through comforting and inspiring others with no boundaries in space or time, as the way they believe as noble, as meaningful but with a sub-domain of unpleasant and as the way they achieve personal fulfilment and satisfaction. Accordingly, the findings of the research will assist policy makers to identify and execute different strategies to reduce the complexity and tediousness of the ‘work’ perceived by special educators and to enhance their emotional wellbeing while overcoming the negative outcomes of the emotions they experience in their jobs. It also provides many managerial implications for special educational institutions in managing the challenging work and powerful emotional demands. Keywords: Special Educators, Notion of Work, Emotional Labou

Analysing the Impact of Financial Ratios on a Company’s Financial Performance

This study was conducted to analyze the relationship between several chosen financial ratios and the financial performance of companies. Chosen financial indicators were Current Ratio, EPS, Firm size, Leverage Ratio and BV/MV Ratio. Financial performance of the companies was assessed through growth of the net profit margin. Ten companies which were registered in Colombo Stock Exchange which were categorized as diversified holdings were chosen as the sample. Financial data from 2013-2018 were considered for this study. A panel data analysis was used to determine the relationships between the independent variables and the dependent variables with given consideration to time series analysis and cross sectional analysis. According to the results of the study only current ratio, leverage and the firm size had significant relationships with the financial performance of the company. Current ratio and firm size positively impacted the company’s profitability, where as leverage impacted negatively. This study aims to enable informed decision making of the financial actors of an organization to enhance the profitability of the given organization

Assessing Consumer Attitudes and Perceptions Towards Food Quality: The Case of Consumption of Tetra-Packed Fresh Milk in Sri Lanka

The objectives of this study are (i) to assess consumer perceptions on fresh milk that are stored in tetra-packs, and (ii) to determine the relationship between the perceptions and the socio-economic characteristics of the consumers. Using Caswell's four subsets of food quality (i.e. food safety, nutrition, value, and packaging) two indices, namely Mean Attribute Score (MAS) and a Food Quality Responsive Index (FQRI) were developed, which describe how important each of these four subsets and various attributes included in each subset for a consumer to be "loyal" with fresh milk in a tetra-pack instead of spending that part of money on close substitutes. A sample of 664 consumers were randomly selected and interviewed using a structured questionnaire at 10 different marketplaces in the Gampaha district in Sri Lanka from April to May in 2005. A subset of 100 consumers who consumes the product more frequently was considered for further analysis. Ordered Logistic Regression technique was used to estimate the coefficients of the model, to which five levels for the dependent variable was derived using the range of values of the FQRI. The results based on the MAS indicate that consumers tend to purchase tetra-pack considering the attributes included in value and package subsets mainly, including purity, appearance, size, convenience, and informational labeling etc. However, consumers did not believe that it enhances those attributes included in "food safety" and "nutritional" subsets. The statistical outcome shows that age, gender, level of education and income have a significant impact on this behavior. It suggests that the "market" can promote the consumption of fresh milk provided that a product complies with the safety and nutritional standards set by the "government".Consumer/Household Economics, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Intellectual Property Protection of Indigenous Knowledge: Implementing Initiatives at National and Regional Levels

This article highlights the fundamental importance of implementing both national and regional measures to protect indigenous intellectual property rights. The development of such measures provides countries with an opportunity to protect their traditional knowledge. The measures will be implemented according to each country’s unique level of economic development. In particular, laws can be developed that are sensitive to, and take specific account of, the cultural, social, political and economic diversity of the enacting countries. In light of these issues, this article concludes that national and regional integration provides an excellent opportunity for furthering national and regional collaboration, harmonising policies, and synchronising interventions across borders. It finally argues that effective and instrumentally beneficial national and regional mechanisms are more likely to succeed in states with similar cultures, economies, and ecology

Immunomodulators in the management of inflammatory bowel disease

Background: Immunomodulators (IM), mainly thiopurines (TP) have been used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for over 50 years. Over the last 20 years, the number of drugs available to treat IBD has grown. The role of IM cannot be understated as they alone may control IBD in the long term, and also improve the efficacy of biological agents when given as co-therapy. The newer therapies come at an exceptionally high financial cost, raising issues with affordability and cost effectiveness. Any evaluation of drug treatment needs to take into account the long-term outcomes, particular their efficacy in the reduction of major long-term morbidities related to chronic uncontrolled inflammation. Methods: Three retrospective cohort studies were conducted using the “Sydney IBD Cohort”, updated in 2012, evaluating the surgical outcomes in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD), Ulcerative colitis (UC) and elderly IBD patients. Fourth study was a retrospective, single-centre cohort study of patients with moderate-to-severe CD, assessing the influence of thiopurine on efficacy of adalimumab. Fifth, was a case-based survey conducted worldwide assessing gastroenterologists’ selection of drug treatments based on patients’ comorbidity and age in the management of moderate-to-severe UC. Results: Early IM was associated with significantly lower rates of initial abdominal surgery (hazard ratio [HR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.35–0.69), recurrent abdominal surgery (HR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.25–0.79) and perianal surgery (HR, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.16–0.56) in CD. «/span»«/p» «p style="text-align:justify"»«span style="color:#000000"»Early TP maintenance significantly decreased the need for colectomy (HR: 0.10, 95%CI: 0.03- 0.43) and proximal progression of disease extent (HR: 0.26, 95%CI: 0.10-0.78), afterpropensity score matching in UC. «/span»«/p» «p style="text-align:justify"»«span style="color:#000000"»TP dosed to therapeutic 6-thioguanine nucleotide levels (6-TGN) at induction were predictors of primary response (Odds ratio (OR): 4.32, 95% CI, 1.41–13.29) and time to failure (OR: 0.37 (0.15–0.89), and therapeutic 6-TGN in semesters were associated with remission semesters (OR 3.71, 95% CI, 1.87–7.34) in CD patients treated with adalimumab. Charlson Comorbidity Index was associated with delayed IM introduction in CD ( HR 0.863; 95% CI, 0.787–0.946) and UC (HR 0.807; 95% CI, 0.711–0.917) but not age. Early IM use was associated with reduced need for surgery in CD (HR 0.177; 95% CI, 0.089–0.351). Comorbidity reduced the probability of prescribing IMs for elderly- (OR: 0.25, 95%CI: 0.16-0.38) and for younger-patients (OR: 0.56, 95%CI: 0.39-0.82) with UC. Conversely, elderly- and younger-patients with comorbidities were more likely to receive Vedolizumab (OR: 2.71, 95%CI: 1.98-3.71 and OR: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.01-1.86, respectively) and colectomy (OR: 5.40, 95%CI: 2.74-10.64 and OR: 4.46, 95%CI:2.25-8.87 respectively].Conclusion: early and sustained IM use is associated with reduced risk of surgery in CD patients in all age groups, including elderly. Similarly, early sustained TP maintenance is associated with reduced risk of colectomy and proximal disease progression in UC. TP dosed to therapeutic levels, improves the primary response and duration of activity of adalimumab. Comorbidity is the main factor influencing the use of IM in the elderly. The results of these studies affirm the position of immunomodulators, particularly thiopurines, in the current day treatment paradigm of IBD

Cost Economies for an Airline: An Analysis of Airlines’ Operating Costs

This study focuses on analyzing the variables affecting the average operating cost per aircraft movement. Since airlines around the world are operated on thin profit margins and with increasing competition from Low Cost Carriers it will be important for an airline to get a complete understanding about their operating cost structure. The aim of this study is to suggest an airline of actions to reduce their operating cost and will differentiate the cost structures of Low Cost Carriers and Full Service Carriers. This study was conducted for 20 airlines which were operating in Asia Pacific region. Published financial and statistical data were used for analysis and a parametric approach was used. The results of this study do not suggest economies of scale for the airline, which is to have higher number of aircraft to reduce cost