Immunomodulation of ovalbumin-specific IgG and other classes of antibody response by honey in mice

It was reported earlier that intraperitoneal administration of honey had immunosuppressive activity on elicitation of allergen-specific murine antibody response as evaluated by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and double immunodiffusion methods. In this study, the immunomudulatory effect of honey is evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using ovalbumin as model allergen. It was found that ovalbumin (OVA)-specific IgG antibody responses elicited with various doses of OVA were significantly suppressed by rock bee honey (p<0.01). Honey was also found to have inhibited the production of OVA-specific IgM, IgA, IgG₁, and IgG_2b whereas that of IgG_2a and IgG₃ were not affected. Furthermore, honey also suppressed the OVA-specific total IgG antibody response in various inbred mice with different genetic background. In addition, the suppressive activity of honey was examined in different groups of mice by injecting honey at different time intervals, before and after immunization with OVA. The anti-OVA IgG antibody response was suppressed significantly when honey was injected 12 hours prior/latter to OVA injection. These results confirm the suppressive activity of honey on antibody response and suggest possible clinical application.     

Stability-equation method for sampled-data systems

This paper presents a new transformation by which the stability-equation method can be applied for analysis and design of sampled-data systems. New stability criteria applicable to systems with transfer function having both real and complex coefficients are presented. Several kinds of examples are considered with computer results given.     

Spatial estimates for a system of coupled parabolic-hyperbolic equations under nonlinear boundary condition

The aim of this study is to present spatial estimates of Phragmen-Lindelof type for a dynamical system. We show that an appropriate measure of the solutions either tends to infinity by exponential rate or decays to zero by exponential rate.     

On the analysis of nonlinear stochastic systems

A comparison is given of two exact methods for the analysis of nonlinear systems with stochastic input and stochastic parameters: the Taylor-Cauchy Transform method and the Volterra-Wiener Functional method. The final results check with each other. Examples are provided.     

西藏蔷薇科植物的区系特点和地理分布

The Rosaceae is one of the five largest families of Xizang flora,  consisting of 30 genera with 242 species,  the total number of species is slightly less than those of Compositae,  Graminae,  Leguminosae and Ericaceae in Xizang,  amounting to 62.5% of the total number of genera and 28% of the total number of species of the rosaceous flora in China.       The four subfamilies of Rosaceae including primitive,  intermediate and advanced groups have been found in Xizang.  These groups consist of 11 types of floristic ele- ments,  i.e. 4 genera belong to cosmopolitan,  9 genera belong to North Temperate,  3,  E. Asian-N.  American,  3 Sino-Himalayan,  3 Sino-Japanesa,  2 Old World Temperate,  1 Temperate Asian,  2 Mediterranean-W. and O. Asian,  1 C. Asian,  I Tropical Asian and 1 endemic to China. It is obvious that Rosaceae in Xizang comprises holarctic,  Ancient Me- diterranean and paleotropical elements,  among which the temperate components are the most dominant.  The characteristics of the floristic composition of Rosaceae in Xizang may be summarized as follows:       (1) Xizang abounds in both genera and species of the family which are diverse in forms,  including the primitive,  intermediate and advanced groups, (2) The geographi- cal elements are rather complex,  mostly belonging to the temperate,  among which the Sino- Himalayan components and the elements endemic to China are dominant, (3) The proportion of plants endemic to China and distributed in Xizang is much higher than those endemic to Xizang itself,  but there exist newly arisen species and infraspecific forms or varieties which show that the speciation is apparently still active in Xizang. The rosaceous flora of Xizang is a combination of old and new floristic elements,  based on the old floristic components,  affected by the upheaval of the Himalayas,  the differen- tiation and speciation have been taking place in the long history.       The geographical distribution of Rosaceae in Xizang may be divided into 5 regions, i.e. the northeastern,  southeastern,  southern,  northwestern and northern.  The rosaceous plants are most abundant in the southeastern area,  next in southern area,  fewer in the northeastern and very rare in the northwestern and northern regions.  The general ten- dency of the distribution of Rosaceae in Xizang is that the number of species gradually decreases from the southeast to the northwest and the habit gradually changes from trees,  shrubs and herbaceous plants in the southeast to cushion-like scrubs and dwarf perennial herbs in the northwest.  These facts clearly show that the uplift of the Hi- malayas has deeply affected the phytogeographical distribution of Xizang Rosaceae.       The rosaceous flora of Xizang has close relationships with those of the adjoring regions,  i.e. Yunnan and Sichuan.  Besides,  it is connected with floras of Nepal,  Sikkim, Bhutan nothern Buram and nothern India,  but silghtly influenced by the Ancient Medi- terranean flora.     

Design and implementation of a project-based active/cooperative engineering design course for freshmen

A project-based active/cooperative design course is planned, implemented, assessed and evaluated to achieve several desired engineering outcomes. The course allows freshman-level students to gain professional hands-on engineering design experience through an opportunity to practise teamwork, quality principles, communication skills, life-long learning, realistic constraints and awareness of current domestic and global challenges. Throughout successive design reports and in-class assignments, the students are required by the end of the semester to communicate, clearly and concisely, the details of their design both orally and in writing through a functional artefact/prototype, a design notebook, an A0 project poster and a final oral presentation. In addition to these direct assessment tools, several indirect measures are used to ensure triangulation. Assignments are based on customer expectations using a detailed checklist. This paper shows the direct and indirect assessment tools that indicated a high level of achievement of course learning outcomes and a high level of student satisfaction.     

Disciplinary Differences in Student Ratings of Teaching Quality

Comparisons of large samples of course and teaching evaluation questionnaire data show consistent disciplinary differences. The current study examined the disciplinary differences in a theoretical model positing the impact of the perceived nature of teaching and learning environment on the development of generic capabilities by testing of (1) whether a common model of good teaching operated across disciplines and (2) the extent of deployment of teaching variables and their impact on learning outcomes. The sample consisted of 3,305 first and third year Chinese undergraduates of a university in Hong Kong, divided into four broad disciplinary groupings. Multiple-group structural equation modelling analysis showed configural invariance of the hypothesised model, suggesting a common model of good teaching across disciplines; and significant differences in the magnitude of structural paths and latent mean values across the four disciplinary groups were obtained reflecting differences between disciplines in the extent to which elements within the teaching and learning environment were brought into play. Possible reasons in terms of the epistemological nature of the disciplines were given to explain for the disciplinary variations.     

Readability of Informed Consent Documents at University Counseling Centers

The extent to which clients understand the nature and anticipated course of therapy is referred to as informed consent. Counseling psychologists often provide informed consent documents to enhance the education of services and for liability purposes. Professionals in numerous health care settings have evaluated the readability of their informed consent documents, but no such peer-reviewed research exists for university counseling centers. This study evaluated the informed consent documents for psychotherapy from university counseling centers using three readability formulas (Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease Score, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook [SMOG] Grading). The findings support the authors’ exploratory hypotheses that informed consent documents in university counseling centers are rated as challenging to read for college students. Recommendations and implications for practice are discussed.     

French second-language teacher candidates’ positions towards Allophone students and implications for inclusion

In Canada, there is a rising population of K-12 students who speak neither French nor English at home, and who are sometimes expected to learn both of the country’s official languages in school. Applying the lenses of critical theory and positioning theory, this study uses questionnaire and interview data to frame considerations to explore how teacher candidates in French second-language (FSL) teacher education programmes across Canada position these Allophone students and their learning needs over the course of their year in teacher education. Findings showed mostly positive attitudes towards the students, and in some cases, apparent small changes in their perceptions of Allophone students in FSL classes but also revealed some uncertainty about the extent to which these positive positions led to recognition of the unique learning needs of this student population. Such findings raise questions about the potential for true inclusion of these students within the learning environment.     

The flexible university: higher education and the global production of migrant labor

This article demonstrates how neoliberal higher education has come to play a distinct role in the global market for migrant labor, where a growing number of developing nations educate its citizens for overseas work in order to maximize future monetary remittances. Located in the Philippines, this study shows how local colleges and universities attempt to impose an ideal notion of flexibility, quickly shifting academic manpower and resources to programs that would produce the ‘right’ types of workers to address foreign labor demands. Based on qualitative interviews with Filipino college educators and students, the article then discusses how such ‘flexible’ strategies undermine the job security of college faculty and lead to the constant restructuring of physical space within university campuses. Such changes negatively affect both students and teachers.