Distinctive Microbial Signatures and Gut-Brain Crosstalk in Pediatric Patients with Coeliac Disease and Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Coeliac disease (CD) and Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) are immune-mediated diseases. Emerging evidence suggests that dysbiosis in the gut microbiome plays a role in the pathogenesis of both diseases and may also be associated with the development of neuropathy. The primary goal in this cross-sectional pilot study was to identify whether there are distinct gut microbiota alterations in children with CD (n = 19), T1DM (n = 18) and both CD and T1DM (n = 9) compared to healthy controls (n = 12). Our second goal was to explore the relationship between neuropathy (corneal nerve fiber damage) and the gut microbiome composition. Microbiota composition was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Corneal confocal microscopy was used to determine nerve fiber damage. There was a significant difference in the overall microbial diversity between the four groups with healthy controls having a greater microbial diversity as compared to the patients. The abundance of pathogenic proteobacteria Shigella and E. coli were significantly higher in CD patients. Differential abundance analysis showed that several bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) distinguished CD from T1DM. The tissue transglutaminase antibody correlated significantly with a decrease in gut microbial diversity. Furthermore, the Bacteroidetes phylum, specifically the genus Parabacteroides was significantly correlated with corneal nerve fiber loss in the subjects with neuropathic damage belonging to the diseased groups. We conclude that disease-specific gut microbial features traceable down to the ASV level distinguish children with CD from T1DM and specific gut microbial signatures may be associated with small fiber neuropathy. Further research on the mechanisms linking altered microbial diversity with neuropathy are warranted.     

E-business technologies for xRM: Exploring the readiness of public broadcasters

This paper examines the possibilities of enhancing relationship management between public service broadcasters and their stakeholders by harnessing the potential of newest e-business technologies and concepts, such as: social media, digital and interactive TV, and mobile computing. In order to facilitate adoption of relationship management strategy, a framework for leveraging relationship management is proposed. Evaluation was performed within the e-business system of a public broadcaster. This empirical study explored the readiness and expected benefits of relationship management implementation. The research results have indicated that a public broadcaster could achieve a higher level of social responsibility, improve business sustainability, and empower communication and collaboration with all the stakeholders by using emerging technologies for relationship management activities.     

Cooperative OFDM for semi distributed detection in wireless sensor networks

In this paper, parallel distributed detection in wireless sensor network (WSN) is investigated. Sensors are assumed to be transmitting their local decisions to a fusion center through a wireless fading channel using cooperative transmission. To enable cooperative transmission, sensors are divided into groups where sensors in each group help each other in transmitting their decisions in a way that the fusion center receives each local decision as an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) block. The fusion center detects all OFDM blocks sent by all groups to process them in order to obtain a final (global) decision. Using this cooperative transmission scheme enables the fusion center to apply diversity combining methods in order to reduce the fading effects of the channel. Optimal and sub-optimal fusion rules are derived for such system. Simulation results are provided to show the performance improvement that can be obtained compared to the conventional system where each local decision is transmitted to the fusion center individually and no diversity technique is applied at the fusion center.     

CHATACTERIZNTIAN OF SOME IRAQI ASPHALTS. II. NEW FINDINGS ON THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF ASPHALTENES

ABSTRACT

Uapcur pressure csmometry (UPO) and viscometric technique were used to reveal the true molecular weight of asphaltenes and the degree of association in solvent of different polarities at different temperatures. The number average malecular weight of unassociated asphaltenes was found to be 935 g/mcl. In n' trobenzene at 120 C. The degrees of association were determined from UPO in benzene at 37, 45, 60 C, in chlorobunzene at 37, 45, 60 and 90 C. in THE at 37, 45, 60 C and in nitrobenzene at 90 C. The degree of association determined by ulscometric method at 37, 45 and 60 C, in these soluents were found to be in approximate agrement with that found bv UPO. Data derived by means of ulscometric and osmometric methods consolidated the recognition that asphaltenes could be similar to macro-molecules structurally.     

CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME IRAQI ASPHALTS I. NUMBER AVERAGE MOLECULAR WEIGHT INVESTIGATION OF DORA AND QAIYARAH ASPHALTS

ABSTRACT

The number average molecular weight (Mn¯) of two Iraqi asphalts has been studied before end after thermal treatment using vapour pressure osmometery. Changes in Mn¯ values after thermal aging were compared with the changes in their physical and mechanical properties. Toluene, benzene, cyclohexane, tetrahydrofuran and carbon tetrachloride were used to fractionate the asphalts The Mn¯ of each fraction was determined before and after aging.     

Polymerization of isoprene in n-heptane with triethylaluminum–titanium tetrachloride catalyst. I. Effect of Al/Ti ratio on stereoregularity,conversion, molecular weight,and molecular weight distribution

The influence of the Al/Ti ratio of the heterogeneous Ziegler–Natta catalyst system AlEt₃–TiCl₄ on the isoprene polymerization in n-heptane at 30°C in a bench scale reactor was investigated. Each batch run consisted of 50 mL isoprene, 200 mL n-heptane with 0.45 and 0.5g catalyst. Conversion of isoprene and molecular weights of polyisoprene increased with increasing Al/Ti ratio, reaching their maxima values at 1.0 and 1.2, respectively. Conversion and molecular weights decreased remarkably at a higher ratio of Al/Ti. As this ratio decreases from the value of 1.2 to 0.4, the cis1,4 content in polyisoprene decreased from 97 to 25%. When the ratio of Al/Ti increased from 1.2 to 2.2 the cis-1,4 structure of polyisoprene decreased from 97 to 85%.     

NEAR CRITICAL CARBON DIOXIDE FRACTIONATION OF CRUDE OIL I: DEPENDENCE OF THE MOLECULAR UEIGHT OF THE FRACTIONS ON THE PRESSURE USED.

A method is described for fractionation of crude oil using carbon dioxide near critical fluid conditions. The number average molecular weight of the fractions of the extracted hydrocarbons from crude oils differed markedly from those original oil. At 308.15K as the pressure increased from 96 bar to 115bar the molecular weights of the fractions increased from 210 to 414 g.mol.     

CHATACTERIZNTIAN OF SOME IRAQI ASPHALTS. II. NEW FINDINGS ON THE PHYSICAL NATURE OF ASPHALTENES

Uapcur pressure csmometry (UPO) and viscometric technique were used to reveal the true molecular weight of asphaltenes and the degree of association in solvent of different polarities at different temperatures. The number average malecular weight of unassociated asphaltenes was found to be 935 g/mcl. In n' trobenzene at 120 C. The degrees of association were determined from UPO in benzene at 37, 45, 60 C, in chlorobunzene at 37, 45, 60 and 90 C. in THE at 37, 45, 60 C and in nitrobenzene at 90 C. The degree of association determined by ulscometric method at 37, 45 and 60 C, in these soluents were found to be in approximate agrement with that found bv UPO. Data derived by means of ulscometric and osmometric methods consolidated the recognition that asphaltenes could be similar to macro-molecules structurally.