Population studies on gerbils of the western desert of Egypt, with special reference to Gerbillus andersoni DE Winton

Population studies on the gerbil, Gerbillus andersoni, were carried out in Omayed in the Western Desert of Egypt during the period from July 1976 through August 1978 inclusive. Studies included determination of the sex ratio in the different age and weight groups, as well as seasonal changes in this ratio. The mean weight and age at the onset of maturity and the reproductive activity of both sexes were determined. The study also included seasonal changes in mean body weights of both sexes, those of the testes in relation to body weights, as well as changes in the length of the testis and of the cauda epididymis. Changes in the age structure of the population were also studied

Age-related biomarkers can be modulated by diet in the rat

This study seeks to establish the normal serum concentrations of biochemical markers related to nutrition, inflammation and disease, and to investigate how the levels change with age and diet in the rat. To this end, we fed rats from weaning on three diets differing in their protein, carbohydrate and fatty acid content. The diets consisted of a control, nutritionally balanced diet, this same diet supplemented with 10% (wt/wt) beef tallow, and a diet that was high in fat and carbohydrate and low in protein. Blood samples from rats at two different ages, 3 months and 12 months, were then analysed. In control rats, with advancing age there was a general decrease in potassium, iron and serum albumin concentrations and in the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase, and an increase in total and HDL cholesterol. These changes were modulated by diet: many of the age-related changes (serum concentrations of potassium, iron and cholesterol, and liver enzyme activities) were not observed in animals eating the high fat diet. In contrast, the high carbohydrate, high fat, low protein diet-fed animals showed several additional changes (serum concentrations of sodium, urea, creatinine and TG, and activity of alkaline phosphatase) that can be related to kidney, liver and cardiovascular health

The utilization of adventure based programming to foster posttraumatic growth within a veteran population: A mixed methods study

There is a lack of research exploring interventions that promote posttraumatic growth with veterans. The current project represents a first attempt to explore posttraumatic growth among veterans who participate in a strength-based program specifically designed for the healthy reintegration and socialization of returning members of the armed services. Through the use of a mixed methods approach, I hoped to show that veterans would report increases in posttraumatic growth following participation in an Outward Bound Veterans Program. Veterans that completed the program were compared to a waitlist control, which consisted of other military personnel that had signed up for, but had yet to participate in an expedition. A total of 95 participants completed self-report measures at two time points. Members of the treatment group (n = 50) were sent a pre-program survey two weeks prior to their trip and a post-program survey two weeks after the trip ended. Individuals in the waitlist control (n = 45) completed the same surveys in a similar time frame as the treatment group. As predicted, those who completed an Outward Bound Veterans Program reported significantly higher levels of posttraumatic growth when compared to the waitlist control. However, further analysis led to a surprising finding when evaluating the five subscales that comprise posttraumatic growth: Relating to Others, Spirituality, Personal Strength, Appreciations of Life, and New Possibilities. The results suggested Relating to Others was the only statistically significant factor when comparing group means. Although Personal Strength was nearing significance, these results emphasize the importance of acceptance and belonging for returning veterans.;Sequentially, qualitative data was gathered from eight Outward Bound Veterans Program participants after the quantitative data was analyzed. These individuals completed a phone interview at various times after their trip. This information allowed for the development of an integrated theory highlighting the various factors and processes that promoted growth as a result of participation in the program. The trip Environment, Cadre, and Program represent the contextual factors that seemingly influenced the group processes: Social Learning, Cohesion, and Overcoming Adversity. Collectively, these factors reportedly impacted the experience of posttraumatic growth

Challenges to strategic planning in the context of Egyptian non-profit organizations: A critical review

Strategic planning has been closely tied to successful management practices. This research reviews some common definitions and models of strategic planning by multiple scholars as well as the importance of the strategic planning process to NGOs, especially local Egyptian NGOs. The purpose of this research is to uncover some of the contextual challenges in the strategic planning and implementation processes that face local NGOs in Egypt and the various ways the NGOs are facing them, and provide recommendations on ways to overcome those challenges. To achieve this, the research adopts a qualitative approach through case studies that aim to explore the perception and practices of Egyptian NGO employees, managers and board members in regards to strategic planning. Analysis of the findings shows that the challenges can be grouped into two main categories: 1) External challenges: these arise as a result of the interaction between the organization and the political, economic, social, and technological aspects of the external environment; and 2) Internal challenges: these are a direct result of management practices within the organization. Based on the findings, the research concludes with recommendations for NGOs to conduct thorough environmental scans; give due attention to monitoring and evaluation; and to seek financial sustainability

Is dentistry the orphaned field of medicine? Ethical consideration for evidence-based dentistry

It was a watershed moment when Archie Cochrane published his work on Effectiveness and efficiency: random reflections on health services which was considered the start of evidence-based healthcare as we now know it. From there onward, evidence-based dentistry (EBD) has developed and evolved and there has been little attention to the interlink between EBD and ethics. The aim of this paper is to explore some of the ethical basis of evidence-based approach to healthcare utilising Beauchamp and Childress' four principles. EBD will be examined in relation to a variety of ethical theories. The case will be made that dentistry can, at times, be considered the orphaned field of medicine and an examination will be presented about how this may affect the uptake of EBD in practice. While exploring the strengths and weaknesses of EBD from an ethical viewpoint, we will highlight some of the challenges facing many dental practitioners in judging what is considered high-quality evidence and examine ways in which this could be improved with links to patient outcomes from an ethical perspective

Manufacturing and assessing new samplers to measure wind soil erosion

Wind soil erosion is one of the most important causes of soil degradation that impede the process of sustainable agricultural development. The first step to mitigating wind erosion hazards is to find an effective and accurate way to assess its severity. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to raise and evaluate the efficiency of the new four traps to measure eroded soil, Fixed Distance trap (FD), Fixed Point trap (FP), Rotary Distance trap (RD) and Rotary Point trap (RP). The study traps RP and FP compared with the Big Spring Number Eight trap (BSNE) (traditional trap) and the traps RD and FD compared with the Bagnold trap (traditional trap). The results indicated that the order of study traps in terms of soil collection efficiency and soil retention efficiency were RD>FD>Bagnold>RP>FP>BSNE and FP>RP>RD>FD>Bagnold>BSNE, respectively. Results proved that the best traps in collecting eroded soil were RP trap followed by FP trap, compared to BSNE trap. Also, the best traps in collecting eroded soil were RD trap, followed by FD trap, compared to the Bagnold trap. The most important results showed that the relative efficiency of RP and FP traps were 181% and 159%, respectively, compared to BSNE and the relative efficiency of RD and FD traps were 186% and 172%, respectively, compared to the Bagnold trap. The study proved high accuracy of new traps in measuring soil eroded material, separating soil particles according to their size directly inside traps and determining the direction of the wind compared to traditional traps.  

How the vision of a clinician and an educator brought the MA Dental Law and Ethics course to life.

This paper reflects on an educational development that is Dental Law and Ethics course as the course approaches its 5th anniversary. The authors outline their personal journey into developing and delivering this course as well share best practice in relation to teaching and learning dental postgraduate students who may approach the subject in different ways. It also highlights the vision behind this provision and how it is received by dental practitioners. The paper shares the learners’ perception of topics such as ethics in comparison to law, and it highlights the perspective of both authors in teaching and following the students’ journey in this course

Intraoperative PTH Assay during Minimally Invasive Parathyroidectomy May Be Helpful in the Detection of Double Adenomas and May Minimise the Risk of Recurrent Surgery

Background. Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy (MIP) is increasingly replacing the traditional bilateral neck exploration in the treatment of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP). Intraoperative PTH (IOPTH) measurement has recently been introduced as a useful adjunct in confirming successful excision of abnormal parathyroid gland. Aims. We evaluate the safety, efficacy, and clinical usefulness of IOPTH measurement during MIP in a district general hospital. Methods. Retrospective review of eleven consecutive patients with PHP who underwent MIP with IOPTH, following preoperative assessment with ultrasound and sestamibi scans. Results. All patients had successful removal of the abnormal parathyroid gland. The concordance rate between ultrasound and sestamibi scan in localising the parathyroid adenoma was 82%. IOPTH measurement confirmed the removal of adenoma in all cases and, in one case, led to identification of a second adenoma, not localised preoperatively. The median hospital stay was 2 days (range 1–7 days). All patients remained normocalcaemic after a median of 6 months (range 1–10 months). Conclusions. Minimally invasive parathyroidectomy is a feasible, safe, and effective method for treatment of PHP. The use of IOPTH monitoring potentially offers increased sensitivity in detecting multiglandular disease, can minimise the need and risk associated with recurrent operations, and may facilitate cost-effective minimally invasive surgery

Control strategies for series hybrid electric vehicles

This thesis deals with the energy management problem of series hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), where the objective is to maximize fuel economy for general driving. The work employs a high-fidelity model that has been refined to deliver appropriate level of dynamics (for the purposes of this research) at an acceptable computational burden. The model is then used to design, test and study established conventional control strategies, which then act as benchmarks and inspiration for proposed novel control strategies. A family of efficiency maximizing map strategies (EMMS) are developed based on a thorough and holistic analysis of the powertrain efficiencies. The real-time variants are found to deliver impressive fuel economy, and the global variant is found to outperform the conventional global benchmark. Two heuristic strategies are developed (exclusive operation strategy (XOS) and optimal primary source strategy (OPSS)) that are found to deliver significantly better fuel economy results, compared to conventional alternatives, and further desirable traits. This is found to be particularly related to the better use of modern start stop systems (SSSs) that has not been considered sufficiently in the past. A global heuristic strategy (GHS) is presented that successfully outperforms the conventional global benchmark without any particularly complex analysis. This exposes some of the limitations of optimization-based techniques that have been developed for simple vehicle models. Lastly, the sensitivity of the performance of the control strategies has been studied for variations in tuning accuracy, SSS efficiency, vehicle initial conditions, and general driving conditions. This allows a deeper insight into each control strategy, exposing strengths and limitations that have not been apparent from past work.Open Acces