Different Effects of Maternal Low-Isoflavone Soy Protein and Genistein Consumption on Hepatic Lipid Metabolism of 21-Day-Old Male Rat Offspring.

Amino acid composition and isoflavone are alleged contributors to the beneficial effects of soy protein isolate (SPI) on lipid metabolism. Therefore, we investigated the contributing component(s) of SPI in a maternal diet to the regulation of lipid metabolism in offspring. We also determined serum parameters in dams to investigate specific maternal cues that might be responsible for this regulation. Female rats were fed either a casein (CAS), a low-isoflavone SPI, or a casein plus genistein (GEN, 250 mg/kg) diet for two weeks before mating, as well as during pregnancy and lactation. Male offspring (CAS, SPI and GEN groups) were studied 21 days after birth. The SPI group had lower serum triglyceride levels than the other groups. Serum cholesterol was reduced in both the SPI and GEN groups compared with the CAS group. Expressions of target genes of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α were altered in the SPI group. Serum aromatic amino acid levels in dams were associated with serum triglyceride in offspring. In conclusion, the maternal consumption of a low-isoflavone SPI diet or a casein diet containing genistein has different effects on the lipid metabolism of their offspring; however, more profound effects were observed in the SPI group. Therefore, the altered lipid metabolism of offspring may be attributed to amino acid composition in maternal dietary protein sources

Ethical Dilemmas in Applied Behavior Analysis: Navigating the Information Landscape with Artificial Intelligence

Students will review and analyze a complex ethical scenario and apply 1. a decision making framework that they learned about in the course to propose solutions to the ethical dilemma and 2. a decision making framework generated by AI to do the same. They will then compare and contrast the framework they learned about in the course to the AI- generated framework

Tip-clearance effects in axial compressors

The flow in the tip-clearance gap of a compressor has a profound effect on its performance, but understanding of the actual flow phenomena involved is limited. The current work aims to improve the situation through a comprehensive set of tests on a compressor with different clearance sizes and levels of eccentricity. The size of the tip-clearance gap is shown to affect both the flow coefficient at which the compressor stalls and the mechanism by which stall inception occurs (spikes or modes). Furthermore, the industry ’rule of thumb’ that the stalling flow coefficient of an eccentric compressor is determined by the maximum tip-clearance is shown to be overly cautious. In this thesis it is shown that the more stable, small tip-clearance part of the annulus has a stabilising influence on the large clearance sector. The second part of the thesis focuses on pre-stall disturbances in the rotor tip region and their link to stall inception. Past work has found that the signature generated by passing rotor blades becomes more irregular as the compressor approaches stall. Various attempts have been made to develop stall warning systems based on this irregularity, but without understanding its underlying cause. It has been revealed that the increase in irregularity depends on both the tip-clearance size and the eccentricity level in the compressor. When the clearance is small and uniform, reducing the flow rate leads to a modest increase in irregularity. If the tip-clearance is large, there will be a sharp rise in irregularity all around the annulus as the compressor moves towards stall. In a compressor with eccentric tip-clearance, the irregularity will only increase in the large tip-clearance sector. This presents a major obstacle to reliable stall warning as tip-clearance size and eccentricity change during each flight and over the life of an engine. Having examined the conditions under which pre-stall irregularity is most pronounced, the cause of the irregularity itself is investigated. The tip region is shown to be occupied by discrete disturbances that have been named ’blue holes’. The techniques developed as part of the work described in this thesis enable these disturbances to be investigated in detail. The experimental data gives strong evidence that the blue holes are caused by radial vortices, and this is confirmed by computational results. The connection between blue holes and stall inception is also investigated. In a compressor with small tip-clearance, the formation of blue holes is found to lead directly to spike formation. A compressor with larger tip-clearance supports blue hole activity while continuing to operate stably. These blue holes are initially within the blade passage and do not appear to cause stall until they reach the rotor leading edge plane

Ransomware and reputation

open access articleRansomware is a particular form of cyber-attack in which a victim loses access to either his electronic device or files unless he pays a ransom to criminals. A criminal’s ability to make money from ransomware critically depends on victims believing that the criminal will honour ransom payments. In this paper we explore the extent to which a criminal can build trust through reputation. We demonstrate that there are situations in which it is optimal for the criminal to always return the files and situations in which it is not. We argue that the ability to build reputation will depend on how victims distinguish between different ransomware strands. If ransomware is to survive as a long term revenue source for criminals then they need to find ways of building a good reputation

"Speak sweetly and act sly" : a study of gender nonconformist children in three Southern novels

This thesis deals with three Southern novels: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers and Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote. All were written in the 1940s and 50s, and all feature a gender nonconformist child protagonist. My primary aim is to examine how these fundamentally queer characters tackle the problem of coming of age in a culture in which gender norms are very clearly defined and regulated. The dilemma is this: should one give in to society’s demands in order to fit in, or instead choose to be an outsider? My argument is that in these novels, rebelling outright and refusing to be part of the community is presented as futile. If, however, one is seen to be complying with gender norms, one has the opportunity to undermine and satirize them, while at the same time being accepted as part of the mainstream. For these protagonists, I therefore argue that coming of age becomes synonymous with learning to ‘play the game’ in terms of gender. Accordingly, I attempt to show how those who completely reject conformity are depicted as unable to move beyond adolescence. With this analysis, I hope to show how acts of gender conformity in these novels can be seen not only as acts of capitulation, but also as conscious strategies of subversion and subterfuge. As a result, characters who have previously often been dismissed as passive or defeated can instead be read as flexible and resourceful

Methods of Screening to Detect Postpartum Depression

Postpartum depression is a mood altering condition that affects 10-20% of women after childbirth. Symptoms include an inability to perform activities of daily living, feelings of inadequacy/worthlessness, a discouraged outlook on life, altered sleeping pattern, overall worried feelings, and exhaustion. Screening is better than normal routine care in detecting postpartum depression, but only a small percentage of women are receiving screening. The focus of this study is to find the better evidence-based screening practice for nurses to detect postpartum depression: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) or the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS)