Studies on perinatal lamb mortality: with particular reference to immunological and nutritional factors

This study was concerned with perinatal lamb mortality (PLM). Over a three year period, 263 ewes and 576 lambs were studied. The work was divided into three major sections.The first section was a preliminary study divided into two parts. In the first part, basic data on PLM were collected from a variety of sheep to ascertain which aspects of the topic were worthy of further investigation. In the second part, the effects of ewe nutrition during the last eight weeks of pregnancy on lamb performance were Investigated. Particular atten¬ tion was paid in both studies to mortality rates, causes of death and birth weight and growth rate of lambs. The effect of litter size and the passive immune status of the lambs were also observed.The preliminary results lead on to the second major section in which two topics were investigated. Firstly, the effect on PLM, subsequent lamb performance and the lamb's immunoglobulin status was Investigated when twin lambs were deprived of colostrum. The deprivation appeared to have no demonstrable detrimental effect. Secondly, the effect of ewe nutrition during the last eight weeks of pregnancy on PLM, the immune status of lambs and the subsequent performance of both ewes and lambs was studied. Nutritional levels affected both ewe and lamb performance.In the last major part of the work the combined effect of inadequate ewe nutrition during late pregnancy and colostrum deprivation of twin lambs was studied. A detrimental effect on lamb performance was observed when the two factors were imposed together.Throughout the various stages of this work, blood levels of 3-hydroxybutyrate, urea and albumin were used to monitor the ewe's nutritional status. The major laboratory investigations were concerned with levels of immunoglobulins (IgG₁, IgG₂> IgM and IgA) in lamb's serum and also in ewe's serum and colostrum.In addition, blood glucose, PCV and serum alkaline phosphatase levels were measured in lambs. The value of these parameters was assessed In relation to PLM

Ultrasound assisted extraction of carotenoids from Sargassum Angustifolium algae

An experimental batch extraction method was studied to obtain a carotenoid pigment from dried Sargassum Angustifolium algae using ultrasound as an enhancer and a mixture of ethanol-isopropanol as a solvent. The purpose of this work is to investigate the extraction kinetics as well as the temperature effects (303 to 333) K, solvent concentration (40% ethanol - 60% isopropanol to 60% ethanol - 40% isopropanol) and particle size (250 - 500, 500 - 710 and 710 - 1000) micrometer. Also, the effect of collecting, drying and transporting Sargassum Angustifolium algae on the total carotenoids extraction from dried algae was studied. The ultimate extraction value of the carotenoids was found to be 0.29% from algae. A batch model for extraction was created and numerically solved. The model parameters were calculated using existing empirical correlations and data gathered during this project. The model predicts the mass transport rate constant and saturation capacity at various temperatures. Furthermore, the energy of activation and frequency factor of the extraction process were enumerated and it was found that the process is endothermic with activation energy equals 28.9 kJ/mol. The utilized mathematical model agreed well with the experimental data, allowing it to be used in modeling and improving the carotenoids extracting process from Sargassum Angustifolium algae

Performance evaluation of the IEEE 802.11n random topology WLAN with QoS application

The IEEE 802.11n supports high data rate transmissions due its physical layer Multiple Input ‎Multiple Output (MIMO) advanced antenna system and MAC layer enhancement features (frame ‎aggregation and block acknowledgement). As a result this standard is very suitable for multimedia ‎services through its Enhanced Distributed Channel Access (EDCA). This paper focuses on ‎evaluating the Quality of Service (QoS) application on the performance of the IEEE 802.11n ‎random topology WLAN. Three different number of nodes (3, 9 and 18) random topology with one ‎access point are modeled and simulated by using the Riverbed OPNET 17.5 Modular to ‎investigate the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) performance for different spatial streams. ‎The result clarified the impact of QoS application and showed that its effect is best at the 18 node ‎number topology. For a 4x4 MIMO, when QoS is applied and with respect to the no QoS ‎application case, simulation results show a maximum improvement of 86.4%, 33.9%, 52.2% and ‎‎68.9% for throughput, delay, data drop and retransmission attempts, respectively.

The assessment of the relationship between performance audits on public accountability in Iran

The purpose of this research is the assessment of the relationship between performance audits accountability on the point of view of Supreme Audit Court's auditors. In this research, the statistical society includes 1072 individuals taken from Audit Court Supreme's official technical experts. In the present study, 330 individuals have been chosen as sample through random sampling. T-test and Freidman Correlation test are used for analyzing data. The results show a confirmation of a direct relationship between audit performances on public accountability. Moreover, the use of performance audit leads to an increase in clarity, quality and the qualitative characteristics of information and finally to an upgrade in accountability of the government in its actions' performance. Keywords: performance audit; accountability; Iran's Supreme Audit Court; clarity

Global shocks and their impact on Nigeria: Lessons from global Financial crisis.

Developed a-five variable VAR model of the Nigeria economy for period 1970 – 2010, the study tested the general wisdom, ―Global financial crisis does not impact on Nigeria economy‖. Data were mainly sourced from both the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the publication of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Philips-Perron (PP) tests were used in testing the null hypothesis that there is a unit root in the time series of interest. The variables considered were (1) log of GDP (2) log of FDI (3) log of REM (4) EXR and (5) CPI. Impulse-response functions were employed to examine the recovery from shocks makes full use of the within-country variation. We introduced the constant term and two lagged values of each variable in each equation and found that the impact of financial crisis on Nigeria was possible through financial links, trade links, remittances and other capital flows.This implies that the common believe about the Nigeria economy that global shocks through financial crisis does not have any impact is not quite accurate, for initially the global shocks made unstable the Nigerian economy through the macroeconomic variables understudied although after the initial instability resulting from the global shocks, the Nigeria economy then dependent less on fluctuations in the global economic crisis. We on that premise opined that the crisis presented an opportunity for Nigeria to unbalance the Nigeria economy by concentrate on leading sectors like power, education, agriculture so that the development of these sector can bring about a locomotive growth and results in balanced sector in the long run

The regulation of skeletal muscle growth via the myostatin signalling pathway

Myostatin (Mstn) is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle fibre size and satellite cell proliferation whose role in mature fibre compensatory growth has not been fully characterized. Myostatin knockout (Mstn-/-) mice display consistently larger skeletal muscle masses, as well as an overall increase in size and number of myofibres within the muscle, compared to the wild-type mice. Previous research has shown that Mstn plays a major role in the attenuation of both the hypertrophic and hyperplasic pathways of myofibre growth. Immunohistochemical staining of overloaded plantaris muscles was performed to analyze phenotypic and morphological changes in wild-type and Mstn-/- muscles. Preliminary results of these analyses indicated a tendency for muscles from Mstn-/- mice to express an increased number of myofibres, whereas muscles from Mstn+/+ mice tended to display hypertrophied pre-existing mature myofibres as a response to the overload stimulus. Additionally, using semi-quantitative PCR and western blotting, changes were monitored, in mRNA transcripts and protein expression levels, for some of the major factors involved in muscle growth signalling. Our preliminary results also showed altered expression of genes and proteins that ultimately translate to increased satellite cell proliferation and maturation in Mstn-/- muscles. Taken together, myostatin's effect on muscle is most apparent in attenuating the hyperplasic growth response in stimulated muscle, and not the hypertrophic signalling pathway. This is the first in vivo study to specifically look at the function of myostatin in muscles that are induced to grow by means of functional overloading

Engineering Ergonomic Risk Assessment of Karate Choku Zuki Straight Punch

This study utilizes the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA) technique to evaluate suggested improvements aimed at enhancing the safety and efficacy of the Choku Zuki (Straight Punch), a high-risk karate exercise. The primary objective is to identify and address potential musculoskeletal issues associated with this technique. Given the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in sports, particularly in activities with high intensity like karate, the need for reliable ergonomic risk assessment tools such as RULA is paramount. By applying RULA to analyze the ergonomic aspects of the Choku Zuki punch, this study provides crucial insights into potential areas of concern. It identifies specific postures and movements that may predispose practitioners to injury, allowing for the development of targeted interventions to mitigate risks and enhance safety. Furthermore, this research underscores the importance of integrating ergonomic considerations into sports training regimens to optimize performance and minimize injury risks. Beyond its implications for karate training, the study emphasizes the broader significance of ergonomic assessments in sports science and engineering. It showcases how engineering methodologies can be leveraged to improve the safety, efficiency, and overall performance of sporting activities, fostering collaboration between sports scientists, engineers, athletes, coaches, and healthcare professionals to advance sports performance and safety standards.lities

Terminological Definitions in Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim's "Lexicon of Jurisprudential Terms and Expressions": A Study of Sale Terms

Terminology serves as a conduit to knowledge, and understanding the essence of a term is unattainable without delving into its definition, which elucidates its meaning, acting as a conceptual counterpart to the term itself within the framework of a conceptual triangle analogous to Ogden and Richards' semantic triangle. Specialized lexicography fundamentally relies on terminological definition influenced by logical universals, focusing on concepts rather than objects, distinct from traditional logical definitions. It transitions from concept to term, establishing concepts through consensual definitions. This study, is to the researcher's knowledge the first of its kind to analyze Mahmoud Abdel-Moneim's "Lexicon of Jurisprudential Terms and Expressions," aims to uncover the foundational principles of definition employed within, along with its lexicographical influences such as arrangement and the nature of terms from simplicity to complexity. The researcher's methodology involves analyzing a selection of definitions from the lexicon to extract the employed definitional techniques. "Lexicon of Jurisprudential Terms and Expressions" stands out as a modern specialized dictionary focusing exclusively on jurisprudence among other Islamic Sharia sciences, distinguishing it from other jurisprudential dictionaries that may focus on a specific jurisprudential book or jurist, or those that amalgamate jurisprudential terms with terms from various other fields. Moreover, the lexicon is characterized by its inclusivity of various jurisprudential schools without adherence to a specific one, offering comprehensive explanations, making it a valuable resource for researchers in jurisprudential terminology, whether specialized in jurisprudence or other fields

An integration of information technology, culture of knowledge transfer and innovative work environment in support of organisationsal knowledge creation activities

Knowledge management and knowledge creation is recognized to be of supreme importance to the competitive advantage of organisations as well as a major agent of change in the new era of the knowledge economy. This study empirically examines knowledge creation activities in the context of the banking industry. It extends the work of Nonaka and Takeuchi (1995) and others on the theory of organisation knowledge creation by introducing the information technology infrastructure as an enabler of knowledge creation condition (ITISKCFs), accompanied by the culture and infrastructure of knowledge transfer. The research questions asked are: 'What are the characteristics of an IT infrastructure that enhance the knowledge enabling conditions, whether IT infrastructure capability can be define for knowledge creation? and 'What are the shared effects of the culture (CKT) and the infrastructure of knowledge transfer (IKT) when combined with IT infrastructure on knowledge creation activities?' A positivistic approach is adapted using quantitative data. A survey aimed at the middle managers of the financial services industry population was conducted in an effort to investigate the knowledge creation activities and to examine the relationship of knowledge enabling factors to the time spent on knowledge creation activities. Theoretical developments on organisational knowledge creation and knowledge enablers are presented and discussed. A conceptual framework is developed based on the theory and hypotheses which were generated. Variables of the research model are operationalised using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and the data are analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results of the data analysis suggested that ITISKCFs support the activities of tacit to tacit, explicit to tacit and explicit to explicit knowledge transfer, thus leading to the creation sympathised, systemic and operational knowledge. While ITISKCFs fail to support the activities of tacit to explicit transfer and, hence, failing to support the creation of conceptual knowledge. CKT is a significant enabler of the activities aimed at explicit to explicit and explicit to tacit knowledge transfer. IKT have failed to support the activity of tacit to tacit, tacit to explicit transfer, and only one element of IIKT (IIKTK; S) was a significant enabler of explicit to tacit, thus unable to support the creation of sympathised, conceptual knowledge and partially supported operational knowledge. While CKT fail to support the tacit to tacit transfer and, hence, the creation of sympathised knowledge, it was the only enabler of the conceptual knowledge; however, the statistical test suggested a significant but weak relationship.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo