Study of Serum Leptin in Well-differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Correlation with Patient and Tumor Characteristics

Background There is a proven relationship between obesity and several cancers including breast, endometrium, colorectal, and esophagus. With the increasing incidence of both obesity and thyroid cancer, we designed the present study to investigate a causal relationship between leptin, which is one of the well known adipokines, and well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC). Methods Serum leptin levels were measured in 30 patients with WDTC and compared to 30 healthy control subjects before and 1 month after surgery. Other parameters studied included age, sex, body mass index, menopausal status in women, lymph node status, tumor size, and disease multifocality. Results There were no differences between the two groups regarding age and sex. Preoperative leptin levels were higher in the WDTC patients when compared to the control patients [19.25 (1.50–109.60) vs 0.90 (0.50–11.80) ng/ml, p < 0.001, group 1 vs group 2, respectively]. A significant drop in leptin levels 1 month after surgery occurred in the WDTC group, falling from 19.25 (1.50–109.60) to 0.90 (0.60–8.90) ng/ml (p < 0.001). This did not occur in the control group (p = 0.274). Lymph node involvement, tumor size, and multifocality had no effect on leptin levels, although trends were observed (p = 0.48, 0.079, and 0.064), respectively. Conclusions Serum leptin levels were significantly higher in WDTC patients when compared to control group patients, with a significant drop after surgery. Leptin may play a role in diagnosis of WDTC; however, its prognostic value is still undetermined

Empirical forecasting practices of a British university

This article is based on a single case study aimed at examining behavioral issues of forecasting, in particular the role and practice of forecasting in a British university settings. Key variables were identified in establishing associations between the variables that provide suitable criteria for the purpose of this study. Data collection was based on questionnaires distributed to people involved and interviews which were held with prominent staff of the University. Fisher-exact tests were performed to identify significant associations between variables. Results indicated the various levels of perceptions and practices of forecasting produced by the people involved at the University. The study implies that useful insights can be gathered through forecasting from a different perspective of the non-profit making service industry

KEHIDUPAN DUNIA PERSPEKTIF AL-QUR’AN (Kajian Terhadap Kata Al-Hayah Dan Kata Al-Ma’isyah)

Research entitled the life of the life of the world from the perspective of the Qur’an (study of the word al-Hayah end the word al-Ma’isyah) in this study, the interpretation of the science of interpretation with the word study method (tahlili) is used end this research uses library research, from here the research converys the background, namely the world life of the world al-Hayah end world al-Ma’isyah which contains a different meaning of life in a word of life in life in the Qur’an with the lauguage of the word life. Therefore, this study concludes in the view of the Qur’an that the word al-Hayah has the meaning of life end the word al-Ma’isyah has the meaning of life end livelihood, the meaning of the life of the world is taken from the surah Az-Zukhruf 43:32. The word al-Hayah has many meanings of life in the Qur’an as life in the meaning of line in the from of the life of the world of life which has the life of the world end has the life of the hereafter end the word al-Ma’isyah has two meanings of the word life end livelihood in life in the Qur’an, as life describes the life of the human image in the world end the hereafter in life end&nbsp; livelihood, which explains the picture of life in this world end in the hereafter

Enhanced xanthan production process in shake flasks and pilot scale bioreactors using industrial semidefined medium

Xanthan gum, a heteropolysaccharide produced by Xanthomonas campasteris, is a widely used biopolymer in food industries. The production process is highly influenced by the type and concentration of the different carbon and nitrogen source as well as other medium components. Theaim of this work was to develop an economic industrial medium for industrial production. In shake flask level, the maximal production of xanthan of 19.9 gL-1 was achieved by excluding ammonium nitrate fromthe industrial medium and making new medium formulation composed of (sucrose, soybean meal, ammonium phosphate and magnesium sulphate). Further optimization in the production process was achieved by transferring the process to 16-L bioreactor and cultivation under controlled pH condition. The maximal volumetric and specific xanthan production [YP/X] obtained were 28 gL-1 and 11.06 g g-1, respectively. Thus, the semi-defined medium formulation developed in this work could be better and alternatively used for large scale production process for xanthan production when compared to other published media in respect to yield and cost.Key words: Xanthan gum, Xanthomonas campestris, batch culture, semi-defined medium, biopolymer

Imaging the formation of a p-n junction in a suspended carbon nanotube with scanning photocurrent microscopy

We use scanning photocurrent microscopy (SPCM) to investigate individual suspended semiconducting carbon nanotube devices where the potential profile is engineered by means of local gates. In situ tunable p-n junctions can be generated at any position along the nanotube axis. Combining SPCM with transport measurements allows a detailed microscopic study of the evolution of the band profiles as a function of the gates voltage. Here we study the emergence of a p-n and a n-p junctions out of a n-type transistor channel using two local gates. In both cases the I-V curves recorded for gate configurations corresponding to the formation of the p-n or n-p junction in the SPCM measurements reveal a clear transition from resistive to rectification regimes. The rectification curves can be fitted well to the Shockley diode model with a series resistor and reveal a clear ideal diode behavior.Comment: Accepted for publication in Journal or Applied Physics. 4 pages, 3 figure

Ilmu Alamiah Dasar Ilmu Sosial Dasar Ilmu Budaya Dasar (IAD-ISD-IBD)

Alhamdulillah, dengan berkat rahmat dan karunia Allah Swt penulis dapat menyelesaikan penyusunan buku “Ilmu Alamiah Dasar, Ilmu Sosial Dasar dan Ilmu Budaya Dasar” (IAD, ISD dan IBD). Kesemuanya itu tidak terlepas dari rahmat dan rahim serta pertolongan- Nya, sehingga semua hambatan dan kendala yang dihadapi dapat diselesaikan dengan lancar. Salawat dan salam semoga tetap tercurahkan kepada Nabi Muhammad Saw. yang telah membimbing umatnya ke jalan yang benar dan diridai-Nya. Penyusunan buku ini dimaksudkan untuk mempermudah mahasiswa dalam mempelajari mata kuliah IAD, ISD dan IBD. Karena kedudukan mata kuliah ini di lingkungan Perguruan Tinggi Agama Islam (PTAI), baik negeri maupun swasta sangat dibutuhkan. Mata kuliah ini merupakan Mata Kuliah Kompetensi Dasar (MKD), di mana semua mahasiswa harus memprogram mata kuliah tersebut untuk memenuhi syarat memperoleh gelar kesarjanaan di tinggkat Strata- Satu (S1). Karena itu buku ini sangat penting untuk dimiliki dan dipelajari oleh mahasiswa PTAI di Indonesia. Para mahasiswa patut berbesar hati karena dengan tersusunnya buku ini dapat lebih dikembangkan sebagai perangkat belajar yang lebih baik dan juga dapat digunakan belajar secara mandiri. Tujuan utama disusunnya materi ini adalah untuk mengurangi ketergantungan mahasiswa pada dosen sebagai nara sumber utama. Penyusunan buku ini terdiri dari tiga bagian dan dua belas bab pembahasan yang telah disesuaikan dengan silabi dan kurikulum UIN Sunan Ampel. Penulis menyadari dalam proses penyusunan buku IAD, ISD dan IBD ini tidak lepas dari hambatan dan rintangan, tetapi berkat bantuan dari berbagai pihak, baik materiil maupun spiritual beban yang berat itu dapat teratasi. Oleh karena itu penghargaan dan ucapan terima kasih penulis sampaikan kepada semua pihak yang telah membantu penulis yang tidak mungkin disebutkan satu persatu, antara lain penerbit UIN Sunan Ampel Press (UIN SA Press) dan para penulis yang bukunya dijadikan referensi dalam menyelesaikan penyusunan buku ini semoga jasa-jasanya bermanfaat yang lebih besar. Kami mengharapkan kritik dan saran atas kesalahan dan kekurangan yang masih ada dalam penyusunan buku ini. Shukran kathīran, semoga kebaikan mereka semuanya selalu mendapatkan balasan sebagai „amal salih dan mendapat rida dari Allah Swt. Semoga buku ini bermanfaat dan menambah khazanah intelektual, khususnya bagi penulis dan umumnya bagi para pembaca

A space-time continuous finite element method for 2D viscoelastic wave equation

International audienceA widespread approach to software service analysis uses session types. Very different type theories for binary and multiparty protocols have been developed; establishing precise connections between them remains an open problem. We present the first formal relation between two existing theories of binary and multiparty session types: a binary system rooted in linear logic, and a multiparty system based on automata theory. Our results enable the analysis of multiparty protocols using a (much simpler) type theory for binary protocols, ensuring protocol fidelity and deadlock-freedom. As an application, we offer the first theory of multiparty session types with behavioral genericity. This theory is natural and powerful; its analysis techniques reuse results for binary session types

Analysis and comparative genomics of R997, the first SXT/R391 integrative and conjugative element (ICE) of the Indian Sub-Continent

peer-reviewedThe aim of this study was to analyse R997, the first integrative and conjugative element (ICE) isolated from the Indian Sub-Continent, and to determine its relationship to the SXT/R391 family of ICEs. WGS of Escherichia coli isolate AB1157 (which contains R997) was performed using Illumina sequencing technology. R997 context was assessed by de novo assembly, gene prediction and annotation tools, and compared to other SXT/R391 ICEs. R997 has a size of 85 Kb and harbours 85 ORFs. Within one of the variable regions a HMS-1 β-lactamase resistance gene is located. The Hotspot regions of the element contains restriction digestion systems and insertion sequences. R997 is very closely related to the SXT-like elements from widely dispersed geographic areas. The sequencing of R997 increases the knowledge of the earliest isolated SXT/R391 elements and may provide insight on the emergence of these elements on the Indian sub-continent.PUBLISHEDpeer-reviewe