The production, collaboration, and citations of high quality publications on Urban Sprawl

The present study explores the characteristics of the literature on urban sprawl published during the last three decades, based on the Web of Science database and its implications by using scientometric techniques. The results of this study shows that the urban sprawl has grown exponentially during this period reaching 3272 papers in total. The United States was the largest contributor in global urban sprawl research, as the USA produced most independent and collaborative papers. University of California System, USA is the largest institutional contributor publishing 3.39% of the papers. Salvati, L (Council for Agricultural Research & Economics, Italy) is the most productive author with 77 publications and 903 citations. Landscape and Urban Planning is the most publishing journals whilst, Environmental Sciences and Ecology are the most published subject areas. The total number of citations are of 62,211, with a ratio for the average citations per publication as 19.01 and “H-index” as 112. The number of cited papers is 38284 and the proportion of cited papers to the total is 1.17. This study provides researchers and practitioners with an extensive understanding of the salient research themes, trends and pattern of urban sprawl research worldwide

CATIONIC EFFECTS ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF HYDROTALCITE

Hydrotalcites have been attracting a lot of interest from the researchers because of their wide possible applicants such CO2 absorbent, ion exchangers, fire retardants, base catalysts and precursors for well-mixed oxides for various catalytic applications. When hydrotalcites are synthesized in different conditions, they can present different morphologies. The purpose of the research is to study the morphology differences of hydrotalcite which associate them with their optimum potential applications. The first chapter will give a brief introduction on the background of the project. Besides, the problem statement of this project will be stated to address the main purpose and significance of conducting this research project. Apart from that, the objective of this research project and also the scope of study will also be highlighted in the following chapter. A detailed literature review will be discussed in the following chapter. In this chapter, the concept and basic understanding of the project is shown. This chapter is will highlight what is hydrotalcite is and how it is formed. Finally in the last chapter, the research methodology, the experimental approach and procedures as well as the key milestones will be presented

An Exploratory Case Study Of Leadership Practices That Enable International Schools To Become Highly Effective and Learning Progressive Environments

Highly effective learning progressive (HELP) environments can prepare students to be future-ready with the needed knowledge and skills to thrive in an ever-changing world. This case study captured the characteristics and measured the effectiveness of an international school working to become a HELP environment using the high-reliability schools (HRS) framework and the leadership practices that enabled them. This mixed-method study used an explanatory sequential design, beginning with a survey of 122 teachers based on the HRS model (Marzano et al., 2014), where teachers were asked to respond to a series of statements designed to measure the case-study school’s effectiveness and the associated leadership practices. A regression analysis of the survey results showed divisional differences to be statistically significant. This survey was followed by the second phase, with three focus groups and 15 individual interviews as the qualitative part of the study. A cross-case analysis between divisions revealed the leadership practices that helped to enable the divisions to implement the HELP characteristics. The findings showed that effective leadership was indispensable to effecting change. The findings presented two extreme cases: (a) one in the elementary division, where the leadership effectively implemented the HELP characteristics, and (b) in the high school division, where the leadership did not effectively implement the characteristics. Results revealed establishing a trusting environment that allows for openness and risk-taking, feeling the pulse of the environment and providing constant support, developing a learning culture where learning is happening among the teams and from outside the teams, and building cohesion were some of the key leadership practices that effected significant change. The study also identified the key leadership practices that enabled each of the five levels identified by the HRS model. The results revealed that Level 1: safe, supportive, and collaborative culture was foundational for schools to effect the change. This study had all the limitations of single case studies, so the findings are not generalizable in a traditional social science sense. However, the schools that are attempting to be effective in creating a reliable HELP environment can use this study as a marker to align their leadership practices

Structure, function and regulation of integral membrane transport proteins

Integral membrane transport proteins are essential for the transport of a wide variety of substrates such as ions, drugs and metabolites across the membranes of microorganisms. They are found in diverse locations such as outer and inner membranes of archaeal, prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, as well as the outer layers of the membrane-bound organelles, including chloroplasts, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. These proteins are capable of facilitating the transport of substrates both from outside the cell to inside, and vice versa, and they can be very specific, thereby playing a significant role in substrate selection. Integral membrane transport proteins also play important roles in regulation of transport, defense against drugs and antibiotics, and hemostasis. Thus, understanding the structural framework and detailed functional mechanisms of these proteins will contribute to our knowledge of biological processes. In this study, we have investigated the structure, function and regulation of three different types of integral membrane transport proteins. Chapter 2 focuses on elucidating the structure and function of the transcriptional regulator Rv0678 of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which negatively regulates the expression of the MmpS4-MmpL4 system, which plays a key role in the biosynthesis and transport of lipids from the cytoplasm towards the periplasm. Lipids play an important role in cell wall remodeling and permeability, thereby functioning in bacterial defense against antibiotics. We crystallized Rv0678 and identified the ligand bound to the protein as 2-stearoylglycerol. We used the structure and functional studies to elucidate a possible DNA binding mechanism for the protein. Chapter 3 discusses the crystal structure of the outer membrane channel, CmeC, of CmeABC efflux system of Campylobacter jejuni. CmeABC is a multidrug efflux system that pumps out quinolones and bile acid derivatives. The crystal structure revealed the structural framework of the channel and captured it in closed conformation. Chapter 4 focuses on understanding the structural basis of nitrite transport into the chloroplast in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Formate-nitrite transporter family proteins, NAR1.1 and NAR1.5, were crystallized using hanging drop vapor diffusion. Stopped flow light scattering experiments were carried out to identify nitrite as the substrate for both proteins. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed key residues that form the channel and allowed us to propose a possible nitrite transport mechanism

RESEARCH TRENDS IN GLOBAL OUTPUT OF COSMIC RAYS: A SCIENTOMETRIC ANALYSIS

This paper attempts to highlight the publication status and growth of global cosmic rays research output of Web of Science during 2004-2013. A total of 20395 publications were published on cosmic rays during this period. The average number of publications per year is 2039.5 and the highest number of publications 2565 was published in 2009. The scientometric parameters studied in this paper include forms of publications, annual growth rate, relative growth rate and doubling time of publications, authorship pattern, identification of most prolific authors, country wise distribution of publications, identification of highly productive institutions, language wise distribution of publications and highly preferred source titles for publications

CATIONIC EFFECTS ON THE MORPHOLOGY OF HYDROTALCITE

Hydrotalcites have been attracting a lot of interest from the researchers because of their wide possible applicants such CO2 absorbent, ion exchangers, fire retardants, base catalysts and precursors for well-mixed oxides for various catalytic applications. When hydrotalcites are synthesized in different conditions, they can present different morphologies. The purpose of the research is to study the morphology differences of hydrotalcite which associate them with their optimum potential applications. The first chapter will give a brief introduction on the background of the project. Besides, the problem statement of this project will be stated to address the main purpose and significance of conducting this research project. Apart from that, the objective of this research project and also the scope of study will also be highlighted in the following chapter. A detailed literature review will be discussed in the following chapter. In this chapter, the concept and basic understanding of the project is shown. This chapter is will highlight what is hydrotalcite is and how it is formed. Finally in the last chapter, the research methodology, the experimental approach and procedures as well as the key milestones will be presented

Association of estrogen and progesterone with cancer of the uterine cervix in women infected with high-risk human papillomavirus

Background: High-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection is essential for the development of dysplasia and cervical cancer. Steroid hormones are implicated as risk factors for cervical carcinogenesis. Thus the aim of the present study is to investigate the association of serum levels of estrogen and progesterone with cervical cancer in HR-HPV infected women. Methods and materials: The present study consisted of 103 subjects infected with HR-HPV from low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) to cervical cancer. They included 37 premenopausal women (luteal phase) and 43 postmenopausal women as cancer cases (high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion and cervical cancer). Twelve women with LSIL for premenopausal and 11 women with LSIL for postmenopausal were chosen as controls. The concentration of estradiol and progesterone were estimated using enzyme linked immuno sorbent assay kit. The prevalence of HPV infection was expressed as percentage of HPV positives. The data for estradiol and progesterone were expressed as mean ± SD. Results: The serum levels of estradiol were not significantly altered in premenopausal and postmenopausal cases (p>0.05). However, the serum levels of progesterone were significantly increased in premenopausal cases as compared to premenopausal controls (p0.05). The ratio of estradiol to progesterone was significantly decreased in premenopausal cases (p0.05). Conclusion: A significantly elevated levels of progesterone is associated with cervical cancer in premenopausal women infected with HR-HPV

MAPPING OF GLOBAL NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY DURING 2006-2015

This paper examines with scientometric tools a total of 7659 publications on natural hazards indexed in web of science database during the period 2006-2015. The average number of publications published per year was 765.9. The highest number of publications (1264) was recorded in the year 2015. The relative growth rates (RGR) has decreased from 2007 (0.72) to 2015 (0.18) in the span of 10 years. The doubling time (DT) has gradually increased from 0.96 in 2007 to 3.85 in 2015. The exponential growth of publications was observed during the study period. Majority of publications were found in English language. Authors from USA have contributed maximum number of publications compared to the other countries and India stood 8th rank in terms of productivity in this period. A total of 7274 different institutions were involved in the productivity, among them Harvard University, USA contributed highest number of 110 articles. The subject Geology contributed the largest share (22.93%) among subjects followed by Environmental science ecology (19.66%), water resources (15.45%) and Meteorology atmospheric sciences (12.43%) etc since the natural hazards are delt by many disciplines

Blood pressure, lipid profile and glycemic control among type-2 diabetic patients in North Kerala

Background: Glycemic control, lipid control and other modifiable risk factor, is very important to prevent complications of type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to analyze glycemic control, lipid profile, BP and find the correlation of these parameters in the diabetic population of North Kerala.Methods: This was a cross sectional study among the type 2 diabetic patients with 40-60 years of age, and those without any cardiac, renal, liver, and thyroid dysfunction. Fasting blood sugar, BP, HbA1c and lipid profile were assessed by VITROS 5600 integrated system. The study population was grouped in to two based on their glycemic control (HbA1c ≥7% and HbA1c <7%). Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software. The comparison of variables age, BP, FBS, HbA1c, total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, TG, and TG/HDL was tested using independent student t test. The correlations between the variables were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant.Results: There was a significant positive correlation between DBP and poor glycemic control group (t=2.35, p=0.0102). Fasting blood sugar (p≤0.00001), total cholesterol (p=0.0031), triglycerides (p≤0.00001), LDL (p=0.0051), HDL (p=0.0010) and TG/HDL (p≤0.00001) also were significantly higher in this group. Age or gender showed no correlation with HbA1c and BP.Conclusions: This study shows highly significant positive correlation between TG/HDL and poor glycemic control. It appears the degree of hypertension is not correlated with HbA1c, but significantly correlated with lipid profile especially among those with poor glycemic control

A Study on Mortality Outcomes in ICU Patients with Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) Score

PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT: This study intends to evaluate the usefulness of sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA) in assessing organ dysfunction and risk of mortality in patients admitted to ICU. BACKGROUND: Outcome prediction is important in both clinical and administrative ICU management. It can be usefully applied to monitor the progress of an individual ICU. It also provides useful information on likely patient outcomes for critically ill patients and also for therapeutic decision making and using available resources efficiently. In an ICU setting serial organ function monitoring is important since there is a time to time variation in the general condition of the patient. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) is one such outcome prediction model to assess prognosis and mortality risk in ICU patients. DATA COLLECTION AND THE SOURCE: All adult patients admitted to the intensive care unit of Coimbatore Medical College Hospital will be included in the study. Blood samples will be collected from the patients admitted to the ICU for the investigations as per the data needed by the SOFA scoring system. Along with these, blood pressure monitoring and Glasgow coma scale evaluation will be done on admission and then for every 48 hrs, for six days or till the patient leaves the ICU either as survivor or non survivor, whichever occurs earlier. SAMPLING METHOD: Prospective observational cohort study. Case definition: Patients admitted to the ICU with suspected multi organ failure. RESULTS: The age group in this study ranges from 17 to 85. The study shows that above the SOFA score value of 12, there is a sharp increase in mortality rate. More than 85% of the non survivors had an increase in their SOFA scores during their stay in ICU. Admission SOFA and mean sofa are excellent predictors of mortality. Total SOFA provides information about severity of organ failure. Mechanically ventilated patients had a higher mortality rate compared to non ventilated patients. Presence of diabetes and hypertension did not show any significant association with mortality in our study. CONCLUSION: A rise in SOFA score is a strong predictor of mortality in ICU patients