Developing a Series of Sabbath School Lessons on the Book of Zechariah

This project report concerns the developing o f a series of adult Sabbath School Lessons on the book of Zechariah. The lessons endeavor to address the major themes in Zechariah and cover each of the fourteen chapters in sequential order. However, due to the scope and lim­itation of this study, the lessons do not deal in detail with every verse. These lessons are primarily devotional in nature designed to build up spiritually the body o f Christ. They are also designed to draw the world-wide Seventh-day Adventist church members to focus attention on this book in daily study for one quarter. Daily study of Scripture enables church members to treasure it as the source of encouragement, revival, and reformation. This study of Zechariah has greatly benefited me both intellec­tually and spiritually. It has helped me to sharpen my skills in interpreting, teaching, and communicating effectively the inspired Word of God. There is such a great spiritual value in simply taking the Word o f God for what it is, studying it, praying and meditating on it, and, as a result, experiencing the Holy Spirit\u27s enlightenment. I have attempted to make clear several important points to the readers. Among these points are: the Christ-centeredness of the book of Zechariah; it s relevant and timely messages to the present and future life and mission of the Adventist church; and its potential as a rich resource for a spiritual awakening among God\u27s people in these last days. In its fourteen chapters, Zechariah\u27s messages are particularly appropriate to Seventh-day Adventists. The themes of salvation by faith, the judgment, and the three advents of Christ, etc. all are to be found. The book complements, clarifies, and reinforces the messages o f Daniel and Revelation

Ischaemic colitis: Practical challenges and evidence-based recommendations for management

Ischaemic colitis (IC) is a common condition with rising incidence, and in severe cases a high mortality rate. Its presentation, severity and disease behaviour can vary widely, and there exists significant heterogeneity in treatment strategies and resultant outcomes. In this article we explore practical challenges in the management of IC, and where available make evidence-based recommendations for its management based on a comprehensive review of available literature. An optimal approach to initial management requires early recognition of the diagnosis followed by prompt and appropriate investigation. Ideally, this should involve the input of both gastroenterology and surgery. CT with intravenous contrast is the imaging modality of choice. It can support clinical diagnosis, define the severity and distribution of ischaemia, and has prognostic value. In all but fulminant cases, this should be followed (within 48 hours) by lower gastrointestinal endoscopy to reach the distal-most extent of the disease, providing endoscopic (and histological) confirmation. The mainstay of medical management is conservative/supportive treatment, with bowel rest, fluid resuscitation and antibiotics. Specific laboratory, radiological and endoscopic features are recognised to correlate with more severe disease, higher rates of surgical intervention and ultimately worse outcomes. These factors should be carefully considered when deciding on the need for and timing of surgical intervention

Alternative Designs of Molten Salt Storage Shells for Use in Solar Energy Storage

Molten salt (MS) storage systems in the 565°C range can store green solar energy from thermal solar power station, such as the Crescent Dunes solar plant in Nevada. Large containers can be used to store energy and generate electricity for eight hours or more to be used at night or during peak demand hours, depending on the container size. Energy storage can reduce the fluctuation due to weather conditions experienced at thermal solar power stations because stable diurnal energy supply is made available by MS energy storage. Supported by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), the research presented discusses the considerations for designing molten salt storage tanks. An alternate molten salt storage cylindrical tank design layout is presented, including an improved roof design concept. A preliminary heat transfer analysis is presented and discussed for the alternate cylindrical tank design. This preliminary analysis was used to determine the thickness of insulating material in and around the cylindrical tank to reduce heat flux. These insulating materials include the use of firebrick and ceramic insulation to complement the structural carbon steel and the stainless steel that is used for corrosion resistance. This paper also introduces the alternate designs of a semi-buried spherical tank and drop shell tank that can be used storing molten salts

Pollination and serological studies on Egyptian grapes

White Roumi grape (Vitis vinifera L.) produces low yield when planted alone. Both pollination and serological tests indicated that this problem appears to be due to the presence of partial self-incompa·tibility in its flowers. Cross-pollination is necessary in White Roumi vineyards in order to obtain abundant yields and to improve berry quality.Different degrees of cross-compatibility were found between White Roumi flowers and four grape pollina.tors. Evaluating these pollinators indicated that Red Roumi and Thompson Seedless pollen gave the highest berry set and fruiting. BezEl-N akah resulted in early ripening berries possessing the largest weight and size. Ghariby proved to be an unsuitable pollinator of White Roumi flowers. It decreased  berry-set percentage and fruiting and increased percentage qf preharvest berry drop. Moreover, the berries were of poor quality.Bestäubungsversuche und serologische Untersuchungen an ägyptischen RebenDie Rebsorte White Roumi (Vitis vinifera L.) bringt allein gepflanzt nur niedrige Traubenerträge. Sowohl Bestäubungsexperimente als auch die serologische Prüfung zeigten, daß es sich hierbei um eine partielle Selbstinkompatibilität handeln dürfte. In Rebanlagen mit White Roumi ist Fremdbestäubung erforderlich, um reichliche Ernten zu erzielen und die Beerenqualität zu verbessern.Zwischen den Blüten von White Roumi und vier Pollenspendern wurden unterschiedliche Grade der Fremdverträglichkeit festgestellt. Bei Bestäubung mit Pollen von Red Roumi und Thompson Seedless waren der Beerenansatz und Fruchtertrag am höchsten. Pollen von Bez-El-Nakah hatte eine frühe Beerenreife zur Folge; die Beeren dieser Kreuzung waren am schwersten und größten. Die Sorte Ghariby erwies sich als ungeeigneter Pollenspender für die White-Roumi-Blüten; der Beerenansatz und Traubenertrag waren vermindert und der Anteil der vor der Ernte abgefallenen Beeren erhöht. Überdies waren die Beeren von geringer Qualität

Role of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I in the Autocrine Regulation of Cell Growth in TT Human Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Cells

Since the TT human medullary thyroid carcinoma cell line required fewer exogenous growth factors (serum), we investigated whether this line has an autocrine mechanism by examining the effects of antibodies directed toward insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and its receptor on TT cell growth in serum-free conditions. Treating cells with anti-IGF-I antibody for four days reduced the cell number by more than 50% compared with a nonimmune IgG control. Furthermore, a monoclonal antibody to the IGF-I receptor suppressed DNA synthesis when determined by a [3H]thymidine incorporation assay. Exogenous IGF-I (20 ng/mL) stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation in serum-free medium; approximately 70% of the IGF-I-induced stimulation was blocked by the presence of the receptor antibody. Treating TT cells with IGF-I for 48 hours increased the cell population in the S phase by 62% when analyzed by flow cytometry. These data suggest that TT cells might respond to endogenously produced IGF-I and therefore provide an in vitro model for autocrine regulation of human tumor cell growth by IGF-I

Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Gene Variant (MTHFR C677T) and Migraine: A Case Control Study and Meta-analysis

Extent: 9p.Background: Migraine is a common disorder that often coexists with depression. While a functional polymorphism in methyleneterahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR C677T) has been implicated in depression; the evidence to support an association of MTHFR with migraine has been inconclusive. We aim to investigate the effect of this variant on propensity for migraine and to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies of MTHFR and migraine to date. Methods: Individuals with migraine (n = 447) were selected from the Depression Case Control (DeCC) study to investigate the association between migraine and MTHFR C677T single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1801133 using an additive model compared to non-migraineurs adjusting for depression status. A meta-analysis was performed and included 15 studies of MTHFR and migraine. Results: MTHFR C677T polymorphism was associated with migraine with aura (MA) (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.01-1.70, p = 0.039) that remained significant after adjusting for age, sex and depression status. A meta-analysis of 15 case-control studies showed that T allele homozygosity is significantly associated with MA (OR = 1.42; 95% CI, 1.10-1.82) and total migraine (OR = 1.37; 95% CI, 1.07-1.76), but not migraine without aura (OR = 1.16; 95% CI, 0.36-3.76). In studies of non-Caucasian population, the TT genotype was associated with total migraine (OR= 3.46; 95% CI, 1.22-9.82), whereas in studies of Caucasians this variant was associated with MA only (OR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.002-1.63). Conclusions: MTHFR C677T is associated with MA in individuals selected for depression study. A meta-analysis of 15 studies supports this association and demonstrated effects across ethnic groups.Zainab Samaan, Daria Gaysina, Sarah Cohen-Woods, Nick Craddock, Lisa Jones, Ania Korszun, Mike Owen, Andrew Mente, Peter McGuffin and Anne Farme

Global Public Health Surveillance under New International Health Regulations

IHR 2005 establishes a global surveillance system for public health emergencies of international concern