SYNTHESIS, CHARACTERIZATION, ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF BiOCl/BiOBr/rGO TERNARY HETEROJUNCTION AND ITS PHOTOCATALYTIC ACTIVITIES

Solar energy is free, most abundant among all renewable energy sources. Energy from the sun reaches the earth surface at a rate of 1.2 X 105 TW by far, exceeding the current world energy consumption of 17 TW (1TW = 1012 J/s). Accordingly, development of visible light driven photocatalysts is of considerable interest in clean and renewable energy, as well as in wastewater treatment. In that context, BiOCl and BiOBr and three different mole ratio composites were prepared, characterized using UV-vis DRS, PXRD, BET, SEM, and EDX and their photocatalytic activity for the photoreduction of 4-NA was evaluated. Results show that varying the mole ratio of BiOCl and BiOBr in the composites has no effect on the band gap energy. XRD patterns confirm the purity of the samples and SEM images show that pure BiOCl and BiOBr have a flake like morphology, However, prepared composites showed agglomerated particles. Moreover, BiOCl showed the lowest surface area of 3.30 m2/g, compared to the prepared composites where BiOCl50%/BiOBr50% showed the highest surface area of 4.72 m2/g. BiOCl75%/BiOBr25% presented higher photocatalytic activity compared to pure BiOCl and BiOBr indicating that the formation of a heterojunction facilitates electron transfer for photoreduction. In addition, the highest photocatalytic activity of BiOCl75%/BiOBr25% was synthesized incorporating different rGO ratios. Results confirm the successful incorporation of rGO into the composite. Also, their photocatalytic activity was evaluated for the photoreduction of 4-NA, where composite of 5%rGO load exhibited the highest photocatalytic activity

An Overview of Fraud in Nonprofit Organizations and the Appropriate Approach to Prevent It

Fraud within nonprofit organizations has been on the rise. The majority of nonprofits that suffered losses through fraud recently were public charities. However, it doesn’t matter whether the organization is small or large, fraud may occur anywhere from little leagues to health care organizations. Nonprofits diligently carry out their mission through relatively small sized staff and tight budgets. Not only are nonprofits as well as their donors surprised to navigate through these challenges, but also an unfortunate danger, fraud committed by employees, volunteers, organizations and executives. This article demonstrates that anti-fraud measures does not stop fraudulent activity as well as examining the fraud that occurs within nonprofit organizations. We begin by reviewing the description of what fraudulent activity is and how it ensues. We then review examples of certain cases of fraud in nonprofit. Lastly, we discuss how fraudulent activity should be prevented in nonprofit

EGFL7は、Notchシグナル伝達を通じて造血幹細胞増殖を制御する

学位の種別: 課程博士審査委員会委員 : （主査）東京大学准教授 Beate Heissi, 東京大学准教授 秋山 泰身, 東京大学教授 武川 睦寛, 東京大学准教授 高橋 聡, 東京大学准教授 佐藤 均University of Tokyo(東京大学

DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE BEVERAGE BASED ON MILK PERMEATE FORTIFIED WITH DRIED LEAVES OF Moringa oleifera

This study was carried out to produce milk permeate beverage fortified with dried leaves of Moringa oleifera (DLMO) as innovative beverage. DLMO was added to permeate at concentrations of 0.5, 1 or 2%. Subsequently, the physiochemical, microbiological and organoleeptic properties of freshly innovative beverage and after 3, 7 and 10 days of storage at 5 ±25C were examined.  Addition of DLMO had significantly increased the total solids, protein, carbohydrate and ash contents of beverage. Acidity values increased gradually in all treatments during storage period. Bifidobacteria counts were higher in innovative beverages fortified with DLMO compared to control during storage period (10 days). Mould&yeast and coliform bacteria were not detected in innovative beverage when fresh and till the end of storage. Innovative beverage fortified with DLMO can be considered a good source of minerals (K, Ca, Mg and Fe) for human nutrition. The results indicated that innovative beverage fortified with DLMO contained higher essential and non essential amino acids compared to control. Organoleptic properties of innovative beverage fortified with DLMO were highly acceptable during storage period

MATERIALISM AND UAE NATIONALS

Amongst examined populations, research has found materialistic values to be empirically associated with lower levels of life satisfaction. While the causes of materialistic values are plentiful, extant research suggests that a primary driver is the rapid urbanization and commercialization of a society, with youth being more susceptible. The dramatic transformation of the UAE over the past four decades, coupled with the relatively young population, increases the likelihood that materialistic values have been cultivated among the population. This study sheds light on the interesting but under researched case of materialism in the UAE. A self-report survey measured the materialism and life satisfaction levels of 210 UAE residents (80 nationals and 130 non-nationals). Materialistic values were found to be negatively correlated with life satisfaction amongst our sample. In addition, UAE nationals reported significantly higher levels of materialism than non-national residents. To uncover the causes and consequences of high levels of materialism amongst UAE nationals, four focus groups and 25 in-depth interviews were conducted. Five major consequences of materialistic values were revealed: 1) the development of an increasingly competitive and narcissistic society, 2) the development of a more judgmental and less accepting society, 3) the use of consumption as a tool to boost confidence and self-esteem, 4) an increase in family conflicts and the delaying of marriage, and 5) a lack of savings and an increase in debt. The primary causes of materialistic values were: 1) the rapid development and commercialization of the UAE, 2) the consequences of materialism propagating the values in a self-perpetuating cycle, 3) narcissism and competition on social media, 4) Emirati values of generosity, hospitality, perfection and pride, and 5) parenting and youths lack of financial responsibilities. To advance life satisfaction levels within the UAE population, we propose that policy makers implement awareness campaigns, educational programs, and legislation to reduce the current levels of materialism

Editorial: biomarkers in neurology

Neurological disorders constitute a major health and socioeconomic problem. They represent the second cause of death and the leading cause of disability throughout the world. Despite the implementation of strategies and intervention programs to reduce the burden, over the past 25 years, the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability rates of neurological disorders are rising globally, mainly due to population aging and growth (1). This has placed heavy pressure on health-care systems pointing out the urgent need to identify new strategies to improve patient outcomes and reduce health costs by enabling more effective drug development and establishing a more personalized medicine approach. Rapid scientific and technical advances have enabled reliable and affordable measurement of novel biomarkers—biological indicators that objectively measure and evaluate physiological or pathophysiological processes or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention (2)—which have been suggested to help assessment and management of patients with neurological disorders beyond current practice standards (3–5). Evidence suggests a potential variety of clinical applications, including enhancing diagnostic and prognostic accuracy, improving the existing decision criteria for early diagnosis and risk stratification, as well as assisting in disease monitoring, and acting as surrogate endpoints in experimental studies and clinical trials (6–10). In addition, biomarkers may reliably capture the different aspects of disease heterogeneity and pathogenesis, helping characterize patients, and thereby informing targeted tailored treatments and predicting response outcomes to interventions (11–18). However, despite large numbers of candidate biomarkers have been proposed and extensively evaluated, very few are currently integrated into routine clinical practice and the quest for novel brain injury markers in still ongoing (19)

Depression following major life transitions in women: a review and theory

Depression can occur due to common major life transitions, such as giving birth, menopause, retirement, empty-nest transition, and midlife crisis. Although some of these transitions are perceived as positive (e.g., giving birth), they may still lead to depression. We conducted a systematic literature review of the factors underlying the occurrence of depression following major life transition in some individuals. This review shows that major common life transitions can cause depression if they are sudden, major, and lead to loss (or change) of life roles (e.g., no longer doing motherly or fatherly chores after children leave family home). Accordingly, we provide a theoretical framework that explains depression caused by transitions in women. One of the most potential therapeutic methods of ameliorating depression associated with life transitions is either helping individuals accept their new roles (e.g., accepting new role as a mother to ameliorate postpartum depression symptoms) or providing them with novel life roles (e.g., volunteering after retirement or children leave family home) may help them overcome their illness

siRNA blocking of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) attenuates pathology in annonacin-induced tauopathy in mice

Tauopathy is a pathological hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases. It is characterized by abnormal aggregates of pathological phosphotau and somatodendritic redistribution. One suggested strategy for treating tauopathy is to stimulate autophagy, hence, getting rid of these pathological protein aggregates. One key controller of autophagy is mTOR. Since stimulation of mTOR leads to inhibition of autophagy, inhibitors of mTOR will cause stimulation of autophagy process. In this report, tauopathy was induced in mice using annonacin. Blocking of mTOR was achieved through stereotaxic injection of siRNA against mTOR. The behavioral and immunohistochemical evaluation revealed the development of tauopathy model as proven by deterioration of behavioral performance in open field test and significant tau aggregates in annonacin-treated mice. Blocking of mTOR revealed significant clearance of tau aggregates in the injected side; however, tau expression was not affected by mTOR blockage

FOXRED1 silencing in mice: a possible animal model for leigh syndrome.

Leigh syndrome (LS) is one of the most puzzling mitochondrial disorders, which is also known as subacute necrotizing encephalopathy. It has an incidence of 1 in 77,000 live births worldwide with poor prognosis. Currently, there is a poor understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease without any available effective treatment. Hence, the inevitability for developing suitable animal and cellular models needed for the development of successful new therapeutic modalities. In this short report, we blocked FOXRED1 gene with small interfering RNA (siRNA) using C57bl/6 mice. Results showed neurobehavioral changes in the injected mice along with parallel degeneration in corpus striatum and sparing of the substantia nigra similar to what happen in Leigh syndrome cases. FOXRED1 blockage could serve as a new animal model for Leigh syndrome due to defective CI, which echoes damage to corpus striatum and affection of the central dopaminergic system in this disease. Further preclinical studies are required to validate this model