Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

The effects of an energy system or plant on a local rural community can be summarised into three main categories. Social The social changes involved with this development would that estate staff would have increased responsibilities with the upkeep and maintenance of the facilities. It would also be a talking point with the community and may show a level of local pride in the scheme and its construction if the estate staff build the scheme themselves and are self-sufficient to an extent. Environmental The implications to the local environment would have no environmental impact to the flora, wildlife or spawning fish within the area of the development. The scheme itself would be emission free and the present required needs for fossil fuel to heat homes could be offset by this development. It would show an ideal approach and help raise awareness to renewable energy within the local area and possibly further projects.

Background: Performance in intelligence tests tends to be higher among individuals breastfed as infants, but little is known about the association between breastfeeding and achieved schooling. We assessed the association of infant feeding with school achievement in five cohorts from low-and middle-income countries. Unlike high-income country settings where most previous studies come from, breastfeeding is not positively associated with socioeconomic position in our cohorts, thus reducing the likelihood of a spurious positive association.

Figure 1 Human milk BSSL at different study points Conclusions The increased levels of human milk BSSL could compensate for low endogenous capacity to digest dietary fat in early life as efficient absorption of lipids is important, not only for energy utilization but also for optimal growth and functional neurodevelopment. THE EFFECT OF GALACTAGOGUE HERBAL TEA ON OXIDANT AND ANTI-OXIDANT STATUS OF HUMAN MILK

A derivative of AODV, denoted LOADng, is proposed for use in very constrained environment, sacrificing a number of features from AODV for the benefit of smaller control messages and simpler processing logic. Among these sacrifices is intermediate route replies. This paper presents an alternative to intermediate router replies, denoted Smart Route Request, which provides an optimization similar to that attainable by intermediate route requests, but without imposing additional processing complexity or additional signaling. A performance study is presented, showing that the use of Smart Route Requests can effectively reduce the control traffic overhead from Route Requests, while retaining the simplicity of LOADng. LOADng with Smart Route Requests effectively reduces control traffic overhead and on-link traffic collisions, and this especially for multipoint-to-point traffic.

Despite improvement in the treatment of advanced classical Hodgkin lymphoma, approximately 30% of patients relapse or die as result of the disease. Current predictive systems, determined by clinical and analytical parameters, fail to identify these high-risk patients accurately. We took a multistep approach to design a quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assay to be applied to routine formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, integrating genes expressed by the tumor cells and their microenvironment. The significance of 30 genes chosen on the basis of previously published data was evaluated in 282 samples (divided into estimation and validation sets) to build a molecular risk score to predict failure. Adequate reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction profiles were obtained from 262 of 282 cases (92.9%). Best predictor genes were integrated into an 11-gene model, including 4 functional pathways (cell cycle, apoptosis, macrophage activation, and interfer...

The value of intraoperative frozen-section biopsy of thyroid nodules (solitary or dominant in a multinodular goitre) was examined in patients who underwent fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) for diagnosis before operation. A total of 170 consecutive patients were evaluated and classified according to whether the cytological diagnosis was benign, suspicious or malignant. In the benign group, diagnostic accuracy was 98 per cent for FNAC and 97 per cent for intraoperative biopsy. In those with suspicious cytology, diagnostic accuracy was 12 per cent for FNAC and 96 per cent for intraoperative biopsy. In those with malignant cytology there was 100 per cent accuracy for FNAC and 76 per cent for biopsy. Intraoperative biopsy by frozen section is useful in patients undergoing surgery for a thyroid nodule with a ‘suspicious’ cytology. It adds no information in patients with a diagnosis of malignancy following cytological assessment and is of limited use in those in whom a benign lesion ...

SUMMARY Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, exhibits pronounced increase of T lymphocytes in the inflamed mucosa. To understand the role of intestinal T lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of UC their cytokine production in the mucosa was analysed. Intestinal T lymphocytes of UC, Crohn's disease and control patients were analysed for cytokine mRNA levels by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) directly after isolation without in vitro stimulation. Frequencies of cytokine positive cells were determined in UC and control colon by immunomorphometry. T lymphocytes in normal colon expressed interleukin (IL)-2, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1, but not IL-4, IL-5 or IL-10. In UC, a highly significant increase in IL-10 mRNA levels in T lymphocytes and an increased frequency of IL-10 positive cells was seen in colon. IL-10 mRNA levels were also elevated in T lympho...

Rabbits with renal failure have been reported to be hypercalcemic and to have decreased parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations. Thus, it would seem that uremic rabbits are resistant to secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT). The work reported here was designed to investigate parathyroid gland function in uremic rabbits and the effect of diets with different calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) content. The relationship between PTH and ionized calcium (Ca 2+), parathyroid gland size and parathyroid cell cycle were studied in three groups of rabbits: Group I, rabbits with normal renal function on a standard diet (Ca = 1.2%, P = 0.6%); Group II, partially nephrectomized rabbits on a standard diet; and Group III, partially nephrectomized rabbits on a low Ca (0.6%)-high P (1.2%) diet. Group I rabbits had baseline Ca 2+ = 1.71±0.05 mmol/l and PTH = 26.9±3.2 pg/ml. During hypo-and hypercalcemic stimulation PTH reached maximal values (PTH max) of 94.4 ± 5.5 pg/ml and minimal concentrations (PTH min) of 3.2 ± 0.2 pg/ml. Rabbits from Group II were hypercalcemic (baseline Ca 2+ = 2.03 ± 0.06 mmol/l) and had very low PTH levels (1.7 ± 0.5 pg/ml); however, they reached a PTH max that was similar to Group I, 92 ± 8.7 pg/ml. Group III rabbits were hypocalcemic (baseline Ca 2+ = 1.22 ± 0.08 mmol/l) and had very high basal PTH levels (739 ± 155 pg/ml). Their PTH max and PTH min were 801 ± 169.4 pg/ml and 102.2 ± 22.2 pg/ml, respectively. Both parathyroid gland size and parathyroid cell proliferation were increased in Group III. In conclusion, our results show that the Ca and P content of the diet markedly influence PTH secretion in the uremic rabbit and that when placed on a low Ca-high P diet uremic rabbits develop secondary HPT.

Background: Coeliac disease is a small intestine enteropathy caused by permanent intolerance to wheat gluten. Gluten intake by patients with coeliac disease provokes a strong reaction by intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs), which normalises on a gluten-free diet. Aim: To investigate whether impaired extrathymic T cell maturation and/or secondary T cell receptor (TCR) gene recombination in IELs are features of coeliac disease which could contribute to the failure of establishing tolerance to gluten. Methods: Expression levels of the four splice-forms of recombination activating gene-1 (RAG1) mRNA and preT a-chain (preTa) mRNA were determined in IEL-subsets of children with coeliac disease and controls. Frequencies of RAG1 expressing IELs were determined by immunomorphometry. Results: In controls, the RAG1-1A/2 splice-form selectively expressed outside the thymus, was dominant and expressed in both mature (TCR +) and immature (CD2 + CD7 + TCR 2) IELs (,8 mRNA copies/18S rRNA U). PreTa was expressed almost exclusively in CD2 + CD7 + TCR 2 IELs (,40 mRNA copies/18S rRNA U). By contrast, RAG1 and preTa mRNA levels were low in patients with coeliac disease compared to controls, both with active disease and with inactive, symptom-free disease on a gluten-free diet (p values ,0.01 for mature and ,0.05 for immature IELs). Similarly, the frequencies of RAG1+ IELs were significantly lower in patients with coeliac disease compared to controls (p,0.001). Conclusions: Patients with coeliac disease appear to have an impaired capacity for extrathymic TCR gene rearrangement. This is an inherent feature, which probably plays a pivotal role in the failure to efficiently downregulate the T cell response to gluten.

Intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) in normal human small intestine exhibit cytotoxicity. This study was undertaken to characterize the effector cells and their mode of action. Freshly isolated jejunal IEL and lamina propria lymphocytes (LPL), as well as IEL and LPL depleted of CD4 + , CD8 + and T-cell receptor (TCR)-cd + cells were used as effector cells in anti-CD3-mediated redirected cytotoxicity against a murine FccR-expressing cell line. Effector cell frequencies were estimated by effector to target cell titration and limiting dilution. The capacity of IEL and LPL to kill a Fas-expressing human T-cell line was also analysed. T-cell subsets were analysed for perforin, granzyme B, Fas-ligand (FasL), tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL) mRNA expression by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Frequencies of IEL expressing the perforin and FasL proteins were determined by immunomorphometry. Both IEL and LPL exhibited significant Ca 2+-dependent, anti-CD3-mediated cytotoxicity, < 30% specific lysis at the effector to target cell ratio 100. The cytotoxic cells constituted, however, only a small fraction of IEL and LPL (< 0. 01%). CD8 + TCR-ab + cells accounted for virtually all the cytotoxicity and expressed mRNA for all five cytotoxic proteins. The frequency of granzyme B-expressing samples was higher in CD8 + cells than in CD4 + cells (P<0. 05 and <0. 01 for IEL and LPL, respectively). In addition, both IEL and LPL exhibited significant spontaneous anti-CD3-independent cytotoxicity against Fas-expressing human T cells. This killing was mediated by Fas-FasL interaction. On average, 2-3% of the IEL expressed perforin and FasL. We speculate that CD8 + memory cells accumulate in the jejunal mucosa and that the CD8 + TCR-ab + lymphocytes executing TCR/CD3-mediated, Ca 2+-dependent cytotoxicity are classical cytotoxic T lymphocytes 'caught in the act' of eliminating infected epithelial cells through perforin/granzyme exocytosis. The observed Fas/FasL-mediated cytotoxicity may be a reflection of ongoing down-regulation of local immune responses by 'activation-induced cell death'.

VC is an important clinical entity; however, very little information is available on its resolution. Induction and regression of calcitriol-induced VC was studied in 47 rats. After calcitriol withdrawal, there was a relatively rapid regression of VC mediated by an active cellular process. Introduction: Vascular calcifications (VCs) represent an important risk factor for cardiovascular death. Although VCs are prevalent in relevant diseases (e.g., chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, diabetes), the reversibility of extraskeletal calcifications is an unresolved issue. This study was conducted to investigate (1) the in vivo effect of calcitriol on VC and (2) whether calcitriol-induced VC would regress after suppression of calcitriol treatment. Materials and Methods: The calcifying effect of calcitriol was studied in four groups of rats (n ‫ס‬ 8) that received calcitriol (1 g/kg, IP) for 2, 4, 6, and 8 days. The reversibility of VC was studied in three additional groups (n ‫ס‬ 5) treated with 1 g/kg of calcitriol for 8 days that were subsequently killed 1, 2, and 9 weeks after the last calcitriol dose. Aortic VC was assessed by histology and by quantification of aortic calcium and phosphorus content. The aortic wall was studied by histology and immunohistochemistry. Statistical analysis was performed by ANOVA and t-tests. Results: Calcitriol administration resulted in a time-dependent induction of VC, with aortic calcium and phosphorus being significantly increased at 6 and 8 days. Treatment with calcitriol for 8 days resulted in massive medial calcification of the aorta with a 10-to 30-fold increase in the aortic Ca and P content. After suppressing calcitriol administration, a progressive decrease in von Kossa staining and aortic Ca (from 32.8 ± 2.5 to 9.3 ± 1.8 mg/g of tissue, p < 0.001) and P (from 11.9 ± 1.2 to 2.7 ± 1.8 mg/g of tissue, p ‫ס‬ 0.001) content was evidenced. Histology of the aortic wall showed monocytes adhered to the aortic endothelium and macrophages involved in the reabsorption of calcium deposits. Conclusions: Our results show that calcitriol treatment induces time-dependent VC. After calcitriol withdrawal, VC regress rapidly with aortic calcium and phosphorus decreasing by 75% in the course of 9 weeks. An active cellular process seems to be involved in regression of VC.