Circulating vascular endothelial growth factor and nitric oxide in patients with liver cirrhosis: A possible association with liver function impairment

Hemodynamic disorders of liver cirrhosis complicated with portal hypertension are associated with an increased angiogenesis in animal model of portal hypertension and cirrhosis which were linked to increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nitric oxide (NO). The aim of study was to evaluate the serum concentration of VEGF and total nitric oxide (NO) in liver cirrhosis and the possible association with the degree of liver insufficiency. VEGF and NO were measured in serum of 64 patients with liver cirrhosis by ELISA and spectrophotometry respectively. The significant increase of serum VEGF was observed in liver cirrhosis compared to healthy individuals as well as serum NO (106.1 ± 66.7 vs. 41.5 ± 6 pg/mL, P < 0.05; 113.5 ± 65.8 vs. 20.8 ± 3.8 μmol/l, P< 0.001, respectively). Serum VEGF and NO showed significant associations with biochemical indices of liver function and with Child-pugh score where they were increased respectively to the degree of liver insufficiency. A significant association of raised serum NO in early stage of portal hypertension reflect its benefit in early expect of portal hypertension but, high serum VEGF in late stage may reflect its prognostic value in liver cirrhosis.     

Gaps in management education： A case study of University of Management and Technology

This paper aims to identify the gaps in management education highlighted by 3 primary stakeholders： students, faculty and alumni. The study tries to address the issue of relevance and compatibility of management education and investigates areas of improvement perceived by respondents. The paper assumes that business departments of universities have to bring changes in learning strategies to meet the requirements of stakeholders. This research takes UMT （University of Management and Technology） as a case study and presents gaps in management education. Data are collected from all the 3 stakeholders： students, faculty and alumni of MBA （Master in Business Administration） program offered at UMT. The survey is administered using an exclusively-designed research instrument and the data set of 211 students, 55 faculty members and 145 alumni is analysed using appropriate statistical techniques. The management of business schools should develop an integrated and well-coordinated mechanism to share common vision and strategies among stakeholders. A need to revise current MBA curriculum is identified, which emphasizes on the development of different types of skills among MBAs to make the program compatible with the existing corporate sector. The universities dealing in management education are recommended to redesign their curriculum in a more integrated and coordinated way in anticipation with aspiration of the existing corporate sector, which would then help reduce the identified gaps among stakeholders. The management of business schools should have a continuous assessment mechanism incorporating the feed back of all stakeholders, particularly students, faculty and alumni. The paper makes a fruitful contribution to the existing academic literature through an empirical investigation in Pakistani environment. A critical discussion is carried out, and gaps in management education are highlighted, which may motivate management institutions to revise their curriculums.     

Circadian variation and soccer performance: implications for training and match-play during Ramadan

Ramadan results in a number of behavioural alterations in individuals when compared to their normal habits outside of this holy month. These changes in behaviour could impact upon the effectiveness of the activity of an elite athlete who has high daily activity levels and energy expenditures. Understanding the true impact of Ramadan on human physiology will also require an awareness of the key aspects of circadian rhythms. This article will present theoretical background content on circadian rhythms along with data on the potential influence of circadian variation on soccer performance. It will also attempt to provide an insight into the problems of partial sleep deprivation and travel for the elite player. The contents will suggest that there is a basis for the within-day variation in physiological and psychological function to impact soccer performance if games are played early in the day or very late at night. As competitive fixtures are uncommon at these times these influences may be more relevant to the timing and organisation of training sessions. It is also likely that a lack of sleep and excessive travel will provide conditions that are not conducive to optimal performance. This would indicate that teams should think carefully about their preparation strategies for important tournaments and games.     

Sleep in athletes and the effects of Ramadan

Sleep is now considered as a new frontier in performance enhancement. This article presents background content on sleep function, sleep needs and methods of sleep investigation along with data on the potential effects of Ramadan fasting on sleep in normal individuals and athletes. Accumulated sleep loss has negative impacts on cognitive function, mood, daytime sleepiness and performance. Sleep studies in athletes fasting during Ramadan are very rare. Most of them have demonstrated that during this month, sleep duration decreased and sleep timing shifted. But the direct relation between sleep changes and performance during Ramadan is not yet elucidated. Objective sleep patterns can be investigated using polysomnography, actigraphy, and standardised questionnaires and recorded in daily journals or sleep logs. The available data on sleep indicate that team doctors and coaches should consider planning sleep schedule and napping; implementing educational programmes focusing on the need for healthy sleep; and consider routine screening for sleep loss in athletes of all age groups and genders.     

Filtering based parameter estimation for observer canonical state space systems with colored noise

This paper surveys the identification of observer canonical state space systems affected by colored noise. By means of the filtering technique, a filtering based recursive generalized extended least squares algorithm is proposed for enhancing the parameter identification accuracy. To ease the computational burden, the filtered regressive model is separated into two fictitious sub-models, and then a filtering based two-stage recursive generalized extended least squares algorithm is developed on the basis of the hierarchical identification. The stochastic martingale theory is applied to analyze the convergence of the proposed algorithms. An experimental example is provided to validate the proposed algorithms.     

Development of an instrument to measure Faculty’s information and communication technology access (FICTA)

The phenomenon of “digital divide” is complex and multidimensional, extending beyond issues of physical access. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure a range of factors related to digital divide among higher education faculty and to evaluate its reliability and validity. Faculty’s Information and Communication Technology Access (FICTA) scale was tested and validated with 322 faculty teaching in public and private sector universities. Principal components analysis with varimax rotation confirmed an 8-factor solution corresponding to various dimensions of ICT access. The 57-item FICTA scale demonstrated good psychometric properties and offers researchers a tool to examine faculty’s access to ICT at four levels – motivational, physical, skills, and usage access.     

Stationary distribution and extinction of a stochastic dengue epidemic model

In this paper, we investigate the dynamical behavior of a stochastic dengue epidemic model. First of all, by constructing a suitable stochastic Lyapunov function, we obtain sufficient conditions for the existence of an ergodic stationary distribution of the positive solutions to the model. Then we establish sufficient conditions for extinction of the diseases. The existence of stationary distribution implies stochastic weak stability.     

Stationary distribution and extinction of a stochastic predator–prey model with herd behavior

In this paper, we propose and study a stochastic predator–prey model with herd behavior. Firstly, by constructing a suitable stochastic Lyapunov function, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of an ergodic stationary distribution of the positive solutions to the model. Then we establish sufficient conditions for extinction of the predator population in two cases, that is, the first case is the prey population survival and the predator population extinction; the second case is all the prey and predator populations extinction. Finally, some examples together with numerical simulations are introduced to illustrate the theoretical results.