Arab Americanesque

Culture, as defined by Edward Said, is a concept of identity selectively curated through imperialism. Through my ceramic practice, I explore what constitutes my cultural identity as a first generation Arab American. My work, primarily influenced by family narrative was initially expressed through investigations in the figure and viewer relationships with my sculpted figures. As my research progressed into Western Imperialism, I began noticing extensive evidence of colonialism’s lasting effects, especially within Western consumer markets. Interest in the writings of Said, works by French Orientalist painters, family memory, and a general displeasure with the plethora of Middle Eastern design used in Western decor culminates into Arab Americanesque; an installation that explores ideas of cultural obfuscation, power, and belonging

Arsenic and other trace elements in Bangladeshi food and non-food and their relationship to human health

It is estimated that over 30 million people are exposed to arsenic from drinking contaminated groundwater in Bangladesh. Furthermore, due to the use of contaminated water for irrigation purposes, arsenic and other toxic elements are entering the food chain of Bangladeshis. In this thesis, the total levels of toxic elements (As, Cd, Pb) and essential elements (Mn, Se, Zn) in 1,120 samples of Bangladeshi foods (including rice, vegetables, fish) and non-foods (betel quid and baked clay) imported into the United Kingdom were determined. From this analysis, it is concluded that Bangladeshis are exposed to high levels of toxic elements. Inorganic arsenic levels in Bangladeshi rice can be very high, especially from regions with high arsenic in groundwater. However, there is a lack of studies in the literature regarding arsenic levels in rice from regions in Bangladesh with relatively low levels of arsenic in the groundwater. Therefore, rice from one such region (Sylhet district) was analysed. The results indicated that boro (mean 71.7 µg/kg) and aman (mean 85.7 µg/kg) rice from Sylhet contained between 2 to 4-fold lower levels of arsenic, compared to other regions of Bangladesh thus far reported in the literature. Arsenic speciation was carried out on a selection of rice (aromatic and non-aromatic) from Sylhet region and this revealed 70% (mean value) as inorganic arsenic (AsIII and AsV), which is similar to rice grown in other regions of Bangladesh. Importantly, it was found that the arsenic levels of aromatic rice (mean 48.5 µg/kg) from Sylhet region was over 40% lower than that of non-aromatic rice (mean 81 µg/kg). The aromatic rice also contained higher levels of essential elements (such as Se and Zn). It was calculated that for an individual consuming 0.5 kg of rice per day, switching from consumption of non-aromatic rice to aromatic rice would increase Se and Zn intake by 46% and 23% respectively. Arsenic speciation was also carried out on other Bangladeshi food and non-food items, including fish, betel quid and baked clay, to obtain a better insight into exposure to toxic arsenic species. High levels of arsenic (range 3.8-13.1 mg/kg) and lead (range 21-26.7 mg/kg) were detected in the baked clay samples, which are consumed by some Bangladeshi women in an ancient practice known as geophagy. The efficiency of arsenic extraction from baked clay was 33% of the total arsenic present and the main arsenic species present was inorganic AsV (100%); AsIII was not detected in these samples. Millions of Bangladeshis chew betel quid and this contained predominantly AsIII species (extraction efficiency was 100%). Arsenic and lead intake from eating baked clay could exceed the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) by 2- and 5-fold respectively. For the first time, arsenic speciation in Bangladeshi fish is reported. Hilsha, which is a very popular fish in Bangladesh, contained 2.55 mg/day (mean value) of total arsenic. Extraction efficiencies (%) were 59 – 89 for fish flesh, over 69% of arsenic present in the extract was dimethyl arsenic acid (DMA) species with about 11% arsenobetaine (AsBet) and 19% arsenosugar. These studies reveal that rice, betel quids and baked clay can be a significant source of exposure to inorganic arsenic and DMA in Bangladeshis. Exposure to cadmium is linked with kidney disease and over 20 million people in Bangladesh suffer from chronic kidney disease. Results obtained showed that the daily intake of cadmium by the Bangladeshi population from baked clay (mean 17 µg/day), rice (mean 18.6 µg/day) and certain leafy vegetables (mean 12 µg/day) was higher total daily intake compared to other countries. Surprisingly, puffed rice, which is commonly consumed by Bangladeshis, contained much higher levels of cadmium (mean 67.9 µg/kg) and lead (mean 98 µg/kg), compared to uncooked rice (cadmium, 37.2 µg/kg; lead, 18.9 µg/kg). This may be related to the illegal practice of using urea for whitening puffed rice in Bangladesh. Exposure to manganese in the Bangladeshi population through drinking water has been previously highlighted as a possible health problem, although the intake from foods and non-food has not been reported. The daily manganese intake by Bangladeshis was calculated to be 20.3 mg/day, which is higher than any other country in the world thus far reported. Betel quid components have high levels of manganese and this was reflected by higher urinary manganese the mean urinary Mn levels in chewers (1.93 µg/L, SD 1.8) was significantly higher (3.1 fold; P = 0.009) compared to non-chewers (0.62 µg/L, SD 0.4). Bangladeshi women who eat baked clay and chew betel quids are likely to be exposed to high levels of arsenic, lead and other toxic elements. This is particularly of concern for pregnant women as these metals can be transferred to the unborn baby through the placenta. For assessing the risk of exposure to toxic elements versus intake of essential elements from the same foods, a Food Toxicity Scale (FTS) was devised in order to identify foods that are beneficial or harmful. FTS values were obtained by calculating the toxic elements : essential elements ratio (As:Se, As:Zn etc) and the value obtained subsequently multiplied by toxic element concentration and the quantity of the particular food consumed per day. The higher the FTS value, the greater the risk of exposure to harmful elements. Rice and leafy vegetables had the highest FTS values, partly because large quantities of these foods are consumed. However, lentils and animal products (such as small fish) had relatively lower FTS values compared to other foods. Total daily intake of arsenic (306 µg/day), selenium (90.4 µg/day), cadmium (34.6 µg/day), lead (74.4 µg/day), manganese (20.3 mg/day) and zinc (11.2 mg/day) in the Bangladeshi population was calculated. The intake of arsenic and manganese exceeds the PMTDI for these elements. Water was the highest source of arsenic exposure in Bangladeshis followed by rice. For cadmium and lead, rice and leafy vegetables were the key contributors to the daily intake. The results presented in this thesis show that Bangladeshis are exposed to high levels of toxic elements and how modifications can be made to their diet to not only reduce their exposure to toxic elements but also increase the intake of essential elements. This could be achieved by a combination of the following: (i) reducing the intake of rice (by about 50%); (ii) switching to eating aromatic rice; (iii) increasing the intake of animal products (meat, fish etc.); (iv) decreasing the intake of certain leafy vegetables; and (v) stopping or reducing the practice of eating baked clay and chewing betel quid.Tripoli Universit

Human pathogen shown to cause disease in the threatened elkhorn coral Acropora palmata

Coral reefs are in severe decline. Infections by the human pathogen Serratia marcescens have contributed to precipitous losses in the common Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, culminating in its listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. During a 2003 outbreak of this coral disease, called acroporid serratiosis (APS), a unique strain of the pathogen, Serratia marcescens strain PDR60, was identified from diseased A. palmata, human wastewater, the non-host coral Siderastrea siderea and the corallivorous snail Coralliophila abbreviata. In order to examine humans as a source and other marine invertebrates as vectors and/or reservoirs of the APS pathogen, challenge experiments were conducted with A. palmata maintained in closed aquaria to determine infectivity of strain PDR60 from reef and wastewater sources. Strain PDR60 from wastewater and diseased A. palmata caused disease signs in elkhorn coral in as little as four and five days, respectively, demonstrating that wastewater is a definitive source of APS and identifying human strain PDR60 as a coral pathogen through fulfillment of Koch\u27s postulates. A. palmata inoculated with strain PDR60 from C. abbreviata showed limited virulence, with one of three inoculated fragments developing APS signs within 13 days. Strain PDR60 from non-host coral S. siderea showed a delayed pathogenic effect, with disease signs developing within an average of 20 days. These results suggest that C. abbreviata and non-host corals may function as reservoirs or vectors of the APS pathogen. Our results provide the first example of a marine “reverse zoonosis” involving the transmission of a human pathogen (S. marcescens) to a marine invertebrate (A. palmata). These findings underscore the interaction between public health practices and environmental health indices such as coral reef survival

Human Pathogen Shown to Cause Disease in the Threatened Elkhorn Coral Acropora palmata

Coral reefs are in severe decline. Infections by the human pathogen Serratia marcescens have contributed to precipitous losses in the common Caribbean elkhorn coral, Acropora palmata, culminating in its listing under the United States Endangered Species Act. During a 2003 outbreak of this coral disease, called acroporid serratiosis (APS), a unique strain of the pathogen, Serratia marcescens strain PDR60, was identified from diseased A. palmata, human wastewater, the non-host coral Siderastrea siderea and the corallivorous snail Coralliophila abbreviata. In order to examine humans as a source and other marine invertebrates as vectors and/or reservoirs of the APS pathogen, challenge experiments were conducted with A. palmata maintained in closed aquaria to determine infectivity of strain PDR60 from reef and wastewater sources. Strain PDR60 from wastewater and diseased A. palmata caused disease signs in elkhorn coral in as little as four and five days, respectively, demonstrating that wastewater is a definitive source of APS and identifying human strain PDR60 as a coral pathogen through fulfillment of Koch\u27s postulates. A. palmata inoculated with strain PDR60 from C. abbreviata showed limited virulence, with one of three inoculated fragments developing APS signs within 13 days. Strain PDR60 from non-host coral S. siderea showed a delayed pathogenic effect, with disease signs developing within an average of 20 days. These results suggest that C. abbreviata and non-host corals may function as reservoirs or vectors of the APS pathogen. Our results provide the first example of a marine \u27\u27reverse zoonosis\u27\u27 involving the transmission of a human pathogen (S. marcescens) to a marine invertebrate (A. palmata). These findings underscore the interaction between public health practices and environmental health indices such as coral reef survival

An Observation on the Effect of Semi-Elemental Oral Nutritional Supplements on the Reduction of Small Bowel Ostomy Output

Semi-elemental oral nutritional supplements are also referred to the oligomeric, hydrolysed or peptide formula, the nitrogen source of the formulas derived from hydrolyzed oligopeptide of shorter lengths such as the dipeptides and tripeptides. The ingredient of casein and lactaalbumin hydrolysates in this formula are believed to be capable of stimulating the jejunal absorption of water and electrolytes. The postulated stimulation of improves absorption increased our curiosity on its effect on those patient with high output ostomy. We understand that this formula is more costly compared to the other polymeric formula available in the market. We would like to share an observation of two ostomies output that are managed conservatively along with the supplementation of a semi-elemental formula. We retrospectively review the case notes of two patients with small bowel ostomies and graphs were plotted to demonstrate the relationship between the output and the intake of the semi-elemental formula. We observed an interesting pattern of the ostomy output in relationship to intake volume. The ostomy output decreases as the patients increase the intake of the semi-elemental formula. From our observation, we concluded that semi-elemental formula improved clinical nutrition outcome and also quality of life in terms of stoma output reduction, making the stoma care more manageable. However, we hope that through our observation case studies, we would encourage more researchers to conduct a larger prospective and clinical study to explore the true clinical effects and also cost-effectiveness of this formula

The Use of Non-Standard Finite Difference Schemes to Solve the DAMP and SIT Models

Abstract Sterile insect technique (SIT) is a method of biological control that uses sterile male insects to reduce the reproductive rate of a species of target insect. The method relies on the release of sterile or treated males in order to reduce the native population of insects. We propose the model that governs the dynamics of the anopheles mosquito population, and then modify to incorporate the sterile insect technique as an intervention to curtail the reproduction of mosquitoes. The nonstandard finite difference numerical schemes and simulations for these models are provided. The results indicate that sterile technique with frequent and high rate of release can be an alternative to chemical control tools in the fight against malaria

On the structure of eigenfunctions corresponding to embedded eigenvalues of locally perturbed periodic graph operators

The article is devoted to the following question. Consider a periodic self-adjoint difference (differential) operator on a graph (quantum graph) G with a co-compact free action of the integer lattice Z^n. It is known that a local perturbation of the operator might embed an eigenvalue into the continuous spectrum (a feature uncommon for periodic elliptic operators of second order). In all known constructions of such examples, the corresponding eigenfunction is compactly supported. One wonders whether this must always be the case. The paper answers this question affirmatively. What is more surprising, one can estimate that the eigenmode must be localized not far away from the perturbation (in a neighborhood of the perturbation's support, the width of the neighborhood determined by the unperturbed operator only). The validity of this result requires the condition of irreducibility of the Fermi (Floquet) surface of the periodic operator, which is expected to be satisfied for instance for periodic Schroedinger operators.Comment: Submitted for publicatio

Left-Right Symmetry and Supersymmetric Unification

The existence of an SU(3) X SU(2)_L X SU(2)_R X U(1) gauge symmetry with g_L = g_R at the TeV energy scale is shown to be consistent with supersymmetric SO(10) grand unification at around 1O^{16} GeV if certain new particles are assumed. The additional imposition of a discrete Z_2 symmetry leads to a generalized definition of R parity as well as highly suppressed Majorana neutrino masses. Another model based on SO(10) X SO(10) is also discussed.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures not included, UCRHEP-T124, Apr 199

A unique Mycobacterium species isolated from an epizootic of striped bass (Morone saxatilis)

We isolated a Mycobacterium sp. resembling Mycobacterium marinum and M. ulcerans from diseased striped bass (Morone saxatilis) during an epizootic of mycobacteriosis in the Chesapeake Bay. This isolate may represent an undescribed Mycobacterium species, based on phenotypic characteristics and comparative 16S rRNA gene sequence