Study of Hydraulic Properties and Design Criteria for a River Subsurface Intake without Cut Off

Experimental Studie

Electrochemical treatment of Poultry Slaughterhouse Wastewater using Iron and Aluminium Electrodes

Electrochemical process for the treatment of poultry slaughterhouse wastewater (PSWW) was studied. The effects of some key factors such as initial pH, current density, operating time and the kind of electrodes on the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), oil and grease, total suspended solids (TSS), total kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) and total phosphors (TP) were investigated. It is clear that the process has a good efficiency. The highest removal amount of COD (95.6) was achieved with aluminium electrode (pH value between 2 and 3 and charge passed 20.34x10(3) colons (current density 0.014 A cm(-2)). 95.3 of oil and grease was removed in the same conditions, of course, in the case of iron electrode. The maximum removal efficiency for TKN and TP were 77.8 and 89.6 respectively (pH 3, charge passed 30.51x10(3) colons and with aluminium). Consequently electrocoagulation is comparatively suitable process for PSWW treatment

Comparison of cephalometric craniofacial features and facial photographic features for two generations of patients

Objective: To estimate the correlation and variant heritability values of craniofacial variables between parents and their offspring. Materials and Methods: The sample comprised 20 Indian families; each family consisted of father, mother, son, and daughter. Lateral cephalometric radiographs and facial photographs were taken for each family member.Fifty -three angular, linear, and proportional cephalometric variables were measured and photographic analysis was done. Interfamilial correlations and heritability (h2) values were estimated among father-son, father-daughter,mother-son, and mother-daughter pairings. Results: The most similar angular measurements between parents and offspring were as follows:SNA0,SNB0 ,ANB0 ,FMA0, MP-FH0 , LI-NB0, Op-FH0 ,UI-NA0 , OP-SN0, LI-NB0 and The most similar linear measurements were as follows: Co-Pt.A,Co-Gn, N- ANS, , UI-A, Me-Me’,LI-A.Pog, Mx 1 exposure. Both the correlation coefficients and the heritable values were stronger in the father-offspring than the mother-offspring pairings. Conclusions: The overall correlation and h2 mean values for the three types of measurements showed stronger values in the father-offspring than the mother-offspring groups, with the father –son pairings more significant than the father-daughter groups

Calcineurin/NFAT Activation-Dependence of Leptin Synthesis and Vascular Growth in Response to Mechanical Stretch

Background and Aims- Hypertension and obesity are important risk factors of cardiovascular disease. They are both associated with high leptin levels and have been shown to promote vascular hypertrophy, through the RhoA/ROCK and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Calcineurin/NFAT activation also induces vascular hypertrophy by upregulating various genes. This study aimed to decipher whether a crosstalk exists between the RhoA/ROCK pathway, Ca+2/calcineurin/NFAT pathway, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in the process of mechanical stretch-induced vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) hypertrophy and leptin synthesis. Methods and Results- Rat portal vein (RPV) organ culture was used to investigate the effect of mechanical stretch and exogenous leptin (3.1 nM) on VSMC hypertrophy and leptin synthesis. Results showed that stretching the RPV significantly upregulated leptin secretion, mRNA and protein expression, which were inhibited by the calcium channel blocker nifedipine (10 μM), the selective calcineurin inhibitor FK506 (1 nM) and the ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059 (1 μM). The transcription inhibitor actinomycin D (0.1M) and the translation inhibitor cycloheximide (1 mM) significantly decreased stretch-induced leptin protein expression. Mechanical stretch or leptin caused an increase in wet weight changes and protein synthesis, considered as hypertrophic markers, while they were inhibited by FK506 (0.1 nM; 1 nM). In addition, stretch or exogenous leptin significantly increased calcineurin activity and MCIP1 expression whereas leptin induced NFAT nuclear translocation in VSMCs. Moreover, in response to stretch or exogenous leptin, the Rho inhibitor C3 exoenzyme (30 ng/mL), the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 (10 μM), and the actin depolymerization agents Latrunculin B (50 nM) and cytochalasin D (1 μM) reduced calcineurin activation and NFAT nuclear translocation. ERK1/2 phosphorylation was inhibited by FK506 and C3. Conclusions- Mechanical stretch-induced VSMC hypertrophy and leptin synthesis and secretion is mediated by Ca2+/calcineurin/NFAT activation. RhoA/ROCK and ERK1/2 activation are critical for mechanical stretch-induced calcineurin activation

Strengthening international health co-operation in Africa through the regional economic communities

The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are the pillars of the African Union (AU), and have been recognized by the AU as the key vehicles for economic integration and cooperation in Africa. The 2003 Session of the AU Conference of African Ministers of Health (CAMH) considered and adopted, inter alia, recommendations on a proposal to establish Health and Social Affairs Desks within the RECs. The 2003 Maputo Session of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government duly endorsed the Report of the Ministers and their recommendations. This paper represents an attempt to assess the extent to which the 2003 decision of CAMH has been implemented. It also argues that regional integration and cooperation should not be geared solely towards economic, trade or political purposes (but to the social sector as well), and proposes a set of criteria as useful starting points for determining which social (i.e. health) activities can be undertaken at the regional and sub-regional levels. Finally, it also proposes various programmatic options to be considered in strengthening the roles of the RECs in regional integration and cooperation in the social sector (in the context of NEPAD), as Health Desks are established within the RECs

COM2008-57717 NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF BEARING CAPASITY OF SUCTION CAISSON

ABSTRACT This paper presents a finite element modeling for determination of bearing capacity of a suction caisson subjected to vertical uplift loading. The approach looks at the uplift capacity of the caisson considering a non-uniform cross sectional area to account for a geometry optimization. For this purpose, the numerical simulation is first verified using available data from other research work especially centrifuge data. Parametric studies are then performed to investigate the role of influencing factors including taper angel. The results show that the bearing capacity of caisson increases with increasing the taper angle

Tachyon Tunnelling in D-brane-anti-D-brane

Using the tachyon DBI action proposal for the effective theory of non-coincident D$_p$-brane-anti-D$_p$-brane system, we study the decay of this system in the tachyon channel. We assume that the branes separation is held fixed, i.e. no throat formation, and then find the bounce solution which describe the decay of the system from false to the true vacuum of the tachyon potential. We shall show that due to the non-standard form of the kinetic term in the effective action, the thin wall approximation for calculating the bubble nucleation rate gives a result which is independent of the branes separation. This unusual result might indicate that the true decay of this metastable system should be via a solution that represents a throat formation as well as the tachyon tunneling.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, Latex file, minor changes, reference adde

Reduced Atherosclerotic Lesion Size in P-Selectin Deficient Apolipoprotein E-Knockout Mice Fed a Chow but Not a Fat Diet

Endothelial cells lining atherosclerotic, but not healthy sites, on human arteries express P-selectin. We investigated the role of P-selectin on the development of vascular lesions in an ApoE(−/−) male mice. Double-knockout (ApoE(−/−), P-selectin(−/−); DKO) were compared to single-knockout (ApoE(−/−); SKO) mice. They were fed a chow or fat diet for 3, 6, 15, and 20 weeks, without any differences in cholesterol levels. DKO mice fed a chow diet exhibited a ratio of lesion area over media lower than SKO mice, for 3 (P < .03), 6 (P < .001), and 15 (P < .02) weeks. DKO mice fed a fat diet showed a lower ratio only at 3 weeks. P-selectin deficiency in ApoE(−/−) mice has a protective effect in atherosclerotic lesions development. Reduction of lesion size depends on diet type and duration. A fat diet could neutralize the beneficial effects of P-selectin deficiency, inducing atherosclerotic lesions via probably other adhesion molecules