Cytoanalysis of Pancreatic B-cells: Using an Avian Model, Mammalian Tissue Culture and Implications of Antisense Oligonucleotides Transfection

Calbindin-D28k (CaBP28K) is a vitamin D-dependent calcium-binding protein that may alter intracellular calcium ion levels, [Ca2+]i. This dissertation describes experiments done to gain an understanding of the potential role of CaBP28k in pancreatic B-cells in control of insulin secretion. The localization of CaBP28k and insulin in chicken pancreas are shown in Chapter 1. CaBP28k expression was found to be highest in ventral and dorsal lobes and lowest in splenic lobe. Insulin concentrations were distributed similarly among these lobes. Confocal microscopic studies demonstrated colocalization of insulin and CaBP28k in Bcells. These findings suggest a possible role for CaBP28k in chicken B-cells that could contribute to type 2 diabetes-like characteristics of chickens. Experiments done in Chapter 2 tested the effects of changing levels of glucose in pancreatic islets in vitro from transgenically derived CaBP28k-knockout (KO) and wildtype (WT) mice. CaBP28k-KO islets were exposed to increasing glucose concentrations from 2.8 mM to 30 mM, levels that mimic transition from fasting to hyperglycemic states. KO islets showed significantly greater elevations in [Ca2+]i as compared to WT. These experiments provide evidence that levels of CaBP28k could play a role in controlling Ca2+-mediated, glucose-induced insulin secretion in B-cells. In chapter 3 the effects of reduction of CaBP28k levels on genomic and nongenomic factors using CaBP28k-antisense oligonucleotides (AS-ON) transfection in a cultured pancreatic B-cell line (RIN1046-38 cells) are described. Complete inhibition of CaBP28k expression in transfection assays was achieved using 200 nM phosphorothioate-AS-ON (PS-AS-ON) as well as 20 nM propyne-AS-ON (PY-AS-ON). In addition, cDNA microarray analysis showed up-regulation of both vitamin D receptor (VDR) and calbindin-D9k mRNAs in PS-AS-ON-transfected RIN cells as compared to controls. Western blotting indicated VDR overexpression and calbindin-D9k expression in AS-ON-transfected cells. This study is the first demonstration of compensatory expression of calbindin-D9k in response to inhibition of CaBP28k in cultured B-cells. Insulin secretory responses of PS-AS-ON-transfected cells were greater than in controls. These findings suggest that B-cells synthesize an alternative protein, calbindin-D9k, to preserve calcium regulation when expression of CaBP28k is abolished. Additional studies are required to help in understanding possible interactions of calbindin-D9k, [Ca2+]i, and VDR in the AS-ON-transfected B-cells

Intercropping annual fields with perennial plants : a strategy to reduce land degradation in semi-arid regions

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Personal Lived Experience of Mechanically Ventilated Patients during the Recovery Period after Open-Heart Surgery at El Manial University Hospital

Patients on mechanical ventilators are subjected to extreme physical and emotional stress in the Intensive Care Unit .Less attention has been paid to patients' subjective experience of mechanical ventilation; even though psychological factors have been proposed as important determinants of outcomes in some patients. Thus Critical care nurses need to be cognizant of the importance of maintaining a close and supportive environment for the patient. Therefore the aim of this study was to explore the personal lived experience of Mechanically Ventilated patients during Recovery Period after Open-Heart Surgery. The following research question was stated; what are the personal lived experiences of patients connected to mechanical ventilator during recovery period after open-heart surgeries? A qualitative phenomenological design was used using purposeful sample. The data saturation occurred with fourteenth participants. In-depth Semi-structured interview was used to collect data using a pre-prepared interview question guide which was written in the lay Arabic language. All interviews were audio tape recorded. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using Giorgi’s methods for phenomenological analysis. Two major themes were identified through analysis:  physical experiences and emotional experiences contain four and nine subthemes respectively. Physical experiences contains: breathlessness, mouth dryness, pain and physical discomfort. And emotional experiences contain; shock, bothering, near death, inability to endure, powerlessness, knowledge deficit, sense of safe/unsafe, body image, and spirituality. Participants responses centered on spiritual aspect. Ethical principles were maintained throughout the study. The participants' identified experiences formed the basis for formulation of recommendation guidelines to improve nursing management of mechanically ventilated patient during recovery period after open heart surgery. Keywords: Lived Experience, Mechanically Ventilated Patients, Recovery Period, and Open-Heart Surger

Internal fit of lithium disilicate and resin nano-ceramic endocrowns with different preparation designs

Purpose: Investigation of different central cavity designs on internal fit of endocrowns fabricated from two materials. Materials and methods: Forty maxillary premolars were endodontically treated and divided into 8 groups [n ¼ 5]: LS10, LS6, LD10, LD6, ES10, ES6, ED10 and ED6 (“L” restored with Lava™ Ultimate [resin nano ceramic], “E” restored with IPS e.max® CAD [lithium disilicate], “S” shallow depth [3 mm], “D” extended depth [5 mm], “6”-degree and “10”-degree axial wall divergence). All restorations were fabricated using CEREC CAD/CAM system. Samples were tested for internal fit using CBCT imaging (Next Generation i-CAT scanner) before and after adaptation. Data was tabulated and statistically analyzed. Results: Lava™ Ultimate showed significant better internal fit compared to IPS e.max® CAD endocrowns both before and after adaptation [p ¼ 0.007 and 0.003, respectively]. Samples with 6-degree axial wall divergence showed significant better internal fit compared to those with 10-degree axial wall divergence before adaptation [p ¼ 0.041]. Before adaptation, group LS6 showed the best internal fit [403.00 ± 115.30 mm] followed by LD6, LD10, ES6, ES10, ED10, LS10 and ED6. After adaptation, group LS10 showed the best internal fit [394.80 ± 21.17 mm], followed by LS6, LD10, ED6, LD6, ES6, ED10, and ES10. Conclusion: Resin nano-ceramic endocrowns presented better internal adaptation compared to lithium disilicate endocrowns, regardless of the preparation design

DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT CLOUD POINT EXTRACTION METHOD FOR PRECONCENRATION AND SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC DETERMINATION OF NICKEL IN WATER SAMPLES USING 2-(BENZOTHIAZOLYLZAO)ORCINOL

Objective: Efficient cloud point extraction (CPE) methodology was developed for pre concentration of trace nickel in water samples prior to their determination by spectrophotometry.Methods: The method is based on the reaction of nickel with 2-(benzothiazolyl azo) orcinol reagent (BTAO) at pH 7.0 and micelle-mediated extraction using the nonionic surfactant Triton X-114 medium.Results: The surfactant-rich phase was diluted with methanol and the nickel content was determined at 558 nm. The optimum conditions (e. g. pH, reagent and surfactant concentrations, and temperature and centrifugation times) were evaluated and optimized. The proposed CPE method showed linear calibration within the range 10–250 ng/ml of nickel and the limit of detection of the method was 2.0 ng/ml with a pre concentration factor of  50. The relative standard deviation (RSD) and relative error were found to be 1.10% (N = 6). The interference effect of some cations and anions was also studied.Conclusion: The method was applied to the determination of nickel in water samples with a recovery from the spiked samples in the range of 95.85–98.50%. Â

Using Virtual Tours as a University Campus Guide: Al- Zaytoonah University Case Study

Most university campuses, such as the campus of Al-Zaytoonah University of Jordan (ZUJ), are usually large and comprise many buildings. Finding the location of an office, a lecture hall, a service center, etc. is not an easy task for most visitors and even for many students and employees. Therefore, a virtual tour of the campus and its buildings will provide a valuable tool that eases this task, especially when it is available on a public website and accessible without the need for special virtual reality devices. Previous studies on virtual tours focused on their important marketing aspect. On the other hand, this study is focused on using virtual tours as a guide for finding the specific locations that different users seek to visit. Consequently, a virtual tour of ZUJ has been designed and provided via the university website. The building names and numbers are provided on the website in Arabic and English with links to their tours. The tours that lead to the important locations include many significant details inside the buildings such as room numbers, bathroom signs, and door signs. The study showed user satisfaction with the tours and the efficacy of using the website without special virtual reality devices

ANTIDIABETIC ACTIVITY OF CAFFEIC ACID AND 18Î’-GLYCYRRHETINIC ACID AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTY

Objective: This study was performed to investigate the antidiabetic effect of caffeic acid and 18 β -glycyrrhetinic acid against diabetic rats.Methods: In this experiment, the animals were divided into five groups. Group I: Normal rats. Group II: diabetic control rats.Group III: diabetic rats treated with 18β-glycyrrhetinic. Group IV: diabetic rats treated with caffeic acid. Group V: diabetic rats treated with 18β-glycyrrhetinic and caffeic acid. Fasting blood glucose, insulin, glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), total antioxidant (TAO), catalase , and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were analyzed.Results: Fasting blood glucose and MDA were significantly increased, whereas insuline, GR, GPx, TAO, catalase , SOD were decreased significantly in diabetic rats. Though the diabetic rats treated with caffeic acid and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid individual exerts beneficial effects in all the biochemical parameters in diabetic rats. The combined treatment with caffeic acid and 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid normalized all the above-mentioned biochemical parameters in diabetic rats.Conclusion: our findings demonstrated that 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid and  caffeic acid either used individually or in combination to diabetic rats have an antidiabetic effect and a good antioxidant property .From the results, the combined dose of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid and caffeic acid to diabetic rats showed promising antidiabetic effect and antioxidant property compared to individual treatments.Keywords: Diabetes, Caffeic acid, 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid, Streptozotocin, Antioxidant

Risk assessment of power system transient instability incorporating renewable energy sources

Transient stability affected by renewable energy sources integration due to reductions of system inertia and uncertainties associated with the expected generation. The ability to manage relation between the available big data and transient stability assessment (TSA) enables fast and accurate monitoring of TSA to prepare the required actions for secure operation. This work aims to build a predictive model using Gaussian process regression for online TSA utilizing selected features. The critical fault clearing time (CCT) is used as TSA index. The selected features map the system dynamics to reduce the burden of data collection and the computation time. The required data were collected offline from power flow calculations at different operating conditions. Therefore, CCT was calculated using electromagnetic transientsimulation at each operating point by applying self-clearance three phase short circuit at prespecified locations. The features selection was implemented using the neighborhood component analysis, the Minimum Redundancy Maximum Relevance algorithm, and K-means clustering algorithm. The vulnerability of selected features tends to result great variation on the best features from the three methods. Hybrid collection of the best common features was used to enhance the TSA by refining the final selected features. The proposed model was investigated over 66-bus system