Circulating peptide and steroid hormone levels in patients with breast cancer

Circulating levels of gonadotropins (FSH,LH), prolactin (PRL), estradiol and progesterone were measured by radioimmunoassay in the sera of 60 patients with histopathologically proven breast cancer. 30 patients belonged to the post and 30 to the premenopausal group. 30 healthy women, 15 each in the pre and post menopausal groups served as controls for the study. Prolactin was elevated in 33% and 26% of pre and post menopausal breast cancer patients respectively. Lower levels of estradiol and progesterone were observed during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in premenopausal breast cancer patients. Among postmenopausal patients with breast cancer, LH was elevated in 32%, FSH in 15% and estradiol in 30% of the patients studied.     

Reliability modelling and analysis of a two unit continuous casting plant

The aim of this paper is to present a reliability modeling and analysis of a two-unit system of a continuous casting (CC) plant. Real maintenance data of a steel production plant have been used for the purpose. Three types of failures were noted: repairable, replaceable and reconditioning/reinstallation. The two-unit system is operating in parallel, on full-reduced installed capacity. Upon the unit failure, an inspection is carried out to decide the type of maintenance task to be performed. Optimized reliability indices of the plant such as mean time to system failure, availability, expected busy periods of the repairman for various maintenance tasks, expected number of visits by the repairman, expected number of repairs, replacements and reconditioning/reinstallation are obtained. Semi-Markov processes and regenerative point techniques are used for the analysis. Profit incurred to the CC plant is also evaluated and related graphs are plotted to demonstrate the results.     

Association of Oxidative Stress with Disease Activity and Damage in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Cross Sectional Study from a Tertiary Care Centre in Southern India

To study oxidative stress in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by estimating serum oxidised LDL (OxLDL), 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), malondialdehyde (MDA), and total anti-oxidant status and to correlate with SLE disease activity and disease damage. Eighty SLE patients satisfying the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology (SLICC/ACR) 2012 criteria and 80 healthy controls were studied. Exclusion criteria were infections, renal insufficiency, other connective tissue diseases, drug-induced lupus, smoking, alcohol consumption. Disease activity was measured by SLE disease activity index-2 K (SLEDAI), disease damage was quantified by SLICC-Damage Index (SDI). Sera was tested for OxLDL, 8-OHdG, and total antioxidant status (TAS) by double-antibody sandwich ELISA; MDA measured by Colorimetric assay. Oxidative stress markers were compared between group1- controls, group 2-mildly active SLE (SLEDAI ≤ 5), group 3- moderate to highly active SLE (SLEDAI ≥ 6). SLE patients had significantly higher MDA, 8-OHdG and lower TAS when compared to healthy controls, while OxLDL was similar in the three groups. MDA, 8-OHdG were significantly higher, TAS lower in group 3 compared to group 2. MDA had positive correlation with SLEDAI, TAS negatively correlated with SLEDAI. SLE with neuropsychiatric manifestations, vasculitis, anti-sdDNA antibodies had higher MDA, MDA/TAS ratio. SLE patients with thrombocytopenia, and vasculitis had higher OxLDL. Only OxLDL was significantly higher in those patients who have SDI > 1. SLE patients have increased oxidative stress measured by increases in MDA, 8-OHdG, and lower total antioxidant status that was associated with disease activity and some disease manifestations. However only OxLDL was associated with damage.     

Best Practices for Preschool Music Education: Supporting Music-Making Throughout the Day

Early Childhood Education Journal - Active engagement in music has numerous academic and social benefits for young children and music-making is included in many early childhood standards and...     

Aspirations of Indian inventors moderated by patenting experience,age and sector

In this hyper-competitive era, patents are an essential input to realizing sustainable competitive advantage. However, individual differences exist in patenting filing behavior and behaviors related to commercialization of patents. This study explores these behaviors in the context of three demographic variables. The demographic variables are patenting and commercialization experiences of inventors, age and sector. Further, aspirations of these inventors are assessed using external motivators of wealth, fame, and concern for societal welfare, and internal motivators such as pragmatism. The findings of this empirical study (n = 116) suggest that sector and age determine differences in personal internal motivators more than patent commercialization experience. Implications of the study are discussed.     

US 2012 Live: when the classroom becomes a newsroom

In November 2012, 300 students came together in the Media School at Bournemouth University in the UK to report the US Presidential Election. Over the course of 10 days, students published 176 articles on a rolling news website, garnering more than 20,000 hits. On election night itself, students produced 10 h of live coverage on both TV and radio, airing 30 pre-recorded video packages and 35 pre-recorded radio packages. This experiential project adopted a so-called ‘live case’ methodology that encapsulated a high degree of application and a certain level of structure, which allowed for the ‘variety and uncertainty’ or reality to intervene. It also empowered and enabled students to reflect on and evaluate their individual experiences in light of their own learning styles. This paper will discuss the challenges and successes experienced during this experiential project, and will provide a nine-step guide on how others could replicate a similar project.     

A comparison of the agreement,internal consistency,and 2-day test stability of the InBody 720, GE iDXA,and BOD POD® gold standard for assessing body composition

The study compared the agreement, internal consistency, and measurement stability of the GE iDXA, BOD POD, and InBody 720. Body composition of 43 men and 37 women (31.4 ± 10.7 years; 90% Caucasian and 10% other) was assessed in triplicate using each method over two different days. Mean percent body fat (% BF) of the participants was different for all three machines (27.6 ± 10.0% [GE iDXA)] 25.6 ± 10.4% [BOD POD], and 21.3 ± 10.6% [InBody 720]; p < .05). The coefficient of variation for same day repeated measures was 1.06% (GE iDXA), 3.29% (BOD POD), and 2.97% (InBody 720). The coefficient of variation for 2-day repeated measures was 1.81% (GE iDXA), 4.61% (BOD POD), and 4.24% (InBody 720). The difference between the GE iDXA and BOD POD was within acceptable variability, while the InBody 720 significantly underestimated % BF. The internal consistency was highest for the GE iDXA, followed by the InBody 720, and then the BOD POD.     

Trolling in online communities: A practice-based theoretical perspective

The literature on trolling has viewed trolling as discrete instances of transgression undertaken by antagonistic individuals. We identify three main issues with current theorizations: diffuse definitions of “trolling,” blurred boundaries between trolling and other online anti-social behaviors, and the context dependency of trolling. To address these unresolved issues, we adopt a practice-based theoretical approach. Informed by this approach, we analyze trolling behaviors not as products of individuals' attitudes, values, and decisions, but rather as behaviors embedded within and occurring as part of social practices. Specifically, we conduct a practice-based theoretical analysis in a multi-site exploratory study involving online archival research and in-depth interviews with online community members. Based on this analysis, we propose that trolling be conceived as a constellation of three social practices: learning, assimilating, and transgressing. Also, we find that practices of trolling transgression can have a dual pro-social and anti-social impact in online communities.