An optimal designed experiment for the alkaline hydrolysis of feather keratin

Feathers, burdensome waste from the poultry industry, can be a cheap source of keratin, a protein with excellent physicochemical, biological, and mechanical properties. Acid and alkaline hydrolyses are usually adopted for isolation of keratin from its natural resources. This study aimed at assessing the statistically significant effect of input variables in the alkaline hydrolysis of keratin from chicken feathers on the process yield and on the molecular weight of peptides obtained. The effect of the volume ratio of 1M NaOH to the feathers’ mass, the hydrolysis time, and the shaking speed of the reaction mixture on the process yield were analyzed. The use of statistical analysis at the design step of experiment allowed reducing the trial number from 27 to 9. Among the input variables analyzed, only the volume ratio of 1M NaOH to the feathers’ mass had a significant effect on the process yield, while none of them significantly affected the molecular weight of the peptides obtained. All hydrolysates were dominated by two peptides’ fractions, with molecular weights of ca. 130 and 250 kDa, and mixture of many peptides of weight close to 10 kDa and smaller. Alkaline hydrolysis of feather keratin yielded protein hydrolysates soluble over a wide pH range.

Destigmatising Schizophrenia: An Investigation into the Effects of Different Causal Explanations upon Stigma

<p>While many people with mental illnesses are stigmatised, those with schizophrenia are the most severely stigmatised group (Crisp, Gelder, Rix, Meltzer, & Rowlands, 2000; Marie & Miles, 2008; Pescosolido et al., 1999). A vast body of psychology research has been devoted to investigating how education – particularly education about the causes of schizophrenia – can reduce this stigma that is attached to schizophrenia. While there is great support for the notion that education in general can reduce stigma (e.g. Costin & Kerr, 1962; Griffiths, Christensen, Jorm, Evans, & Groves, 2004; Ritterfeld & Jin, 2006), there is still disagreement regarding exactly which set of causal factors the general public should be educated about – biogenetic or psychosocial? Until now, only three previous studies (Lincoln, Arens, Berger, & Rief, 2008; Schlier, Schmick, & Lincoln, 2014; Walker & Read, 2002) have experimentally compared teaching a purely biogenetic causal explanation to teaching a purely psychosocial causal explanation. The results of this research appear to be somewhat contradictory leading to the need for another, more robustly designed experiment. In the present research, two experiments were conducted in which participants’ level of stigma was measured after they were given a biogenetic causal explanation of schizophrenia, a psychosocial explanation, or given no causal explanation. It was predicted that participants given a causal explanation would show reduced levels of stigma compared to participants given no causal information, and that there would be a significant difference in the stigma reduction effectiveness between types of causal explanation. Contrary to these expectations, the results of Experiment One showed no reduction in stigma when participants were given a causal explanation compared to no causal explanation, and revealed no significant differences in stigma reduction efficacy between the biogenetic and psychosocial causal explanations. Experiment Two utilised the same basic paradigm as Experiment One but with the addition of more convincing causal explanations and a manipulation check. The results of Experiment Two gave evidence that both a biogenetic and psychosocial causal explanation successfully reduces discrimination compared to giving no information on the causes of schizophrenia. In addition, a purely biogenetic causal explanation was also found to successfully reduce belief in other stereotypes compared to a psychosocial causal explanation or no causal explanation. Thus, I conclude that stigma can be effectively reduced by providing education about the causes of schizophrenia, and that a biogenetic causal explanation is a more effective stigma reduction tool as it reduces multiple types of stigma. Strengths, limitations, implications and future directions are discussed.</p>

Destigmatising Schizophrenia: An Investigation into the Effects of Different Causal Explanations upon Stigma

<p>While many people with mental illnesses are stigmatised, those with schizophrenia are the most severely stigmatised group (Crisp, Gelder, Rix, Meltzer, & Rowlands, 2000; Marie & Miles, 2008; Pescosolido et al., 1999). A vast body of psychology research has been devoted to investigating how education – particularly education about the causes of schizophrenia – can reduce this stigma that is attached to schizophrenia. While there is great support for the notion that education in general can reduce stigma (e.g. Costin & Kerr, 1962; Griffiths, Christensen, Jorm, Evans, & Groves, 2004; Ritterfeld & Jin, 2006), there is still disagreement regarding exactly which set of causal factors the general public should be educated about – biogenetic or psychosocial? Until now, only three previous studies (Lincoln, Arens, Berger, & Rief, 2008; Schlier, Schmick, & Lincoln, 2014; Walker & Read, 2002) have experimentally compared teaching a purely biogenetic causal explanation to teaching a purely psychosocial causal explanation. The results of this research appear to be somewhat contradictory leading to the need for another, more robustly designed experiment. In the present research, two experiments were conducted in which participants’ level of stigma was measured after they were given a biogenetic causal explanation of schizophrenia, a psychosocial explanation, or given no causal explanation. It was predicted that participants given a causal explanation would show reduced levels of stigma compared to participants given no causal information, and that there would be a significant difference in the stigma reduction effectiveness between types of causal explanation. Contrary to these expectations, the results of Experiment One showed no reduction in stigma when participants were given a causal explanation compared to no causal explanation, and revealed no significant differences in stigma reduction efficacy between the biogenetic and psychosocial causal explanations. Experiment Two utilised the same basic paradigm as Experiment One but with the addition of more convincing causal explanations and a manipulation check. The results of Experiment Two gave evidence that both a biogenetic and psychosocial causal explanation successfully reduces discrimination compared to giving no information on the causes of schizophrenia. In addition, a purely biogenetic causal explanation was also found to successfully reduce belief in other stereotypes compared to a psychosocial causal explanation or no causal explanation. Thus, I conclude that stigma can be effectively reduced by providing education about the causes of schizophrenia, and that a biogenetic causal explanation is a more effective stigma reduction tool as it reduces multiple types of stigma. Strengths, limitations, implications and future directions are discussed.</p>

Neonatal digital chest radiography– should we be using additional copper filtration?

Objectives: Copper filtration removes lower energy X-ray photons, which do not enhance image quality but would otherwise contribute to patient dose. This study explores the use of additional copper filtration for neonatal mobile chest imaging. Methods: A controlled factorial-designed experiment was used to determine the effect of independent variables on image quality and radiation dose. These variables included: copper filtration (0Cu, 0.1Cu and 0.2Cu), exposure factors, SID and image receptor position (direct +tray). Image quality was evaluated using absolute visual grading analysis (VGA) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and entrance surface dose (ESD) was derived using an ionising chamber within the central X-ray beam. Results: VGA, CNR and ESD significantly reduced (p < 0.01) when using added copper filtration. For 0.1Cu, the percentage reduction was much greater for ESD (60%) than for VGA (14%) and CNR (20%), respectively. When compared to the optimal combinations of parameters for incubator imaging using no copper filtration, an increase in kV and mAs when using 0.1mmCu resulted in better image quality at the same radiation dose (direct) or, equal image quality at reduced dose (in-tray). The use of 0.1mmCu for neonatal chest imaging with a corresponding increase in kV and mAs is therefore recommended. Conclusions: Using additional copper filtration significantly reduces radiation dose (at increased mAs) without a detrimental effect on image quality. Advances in knowledge: This is the first study, using an anthropomorphic phantom, to explore the use of additional Cu for DR neonatal chest imaging and therefore helps inform practice to standardise and optimise this imaging examination.

Gauge repeatability and reproducibility study of airborne sound isolation measurements

A gauge repeatability and reproducibility study (GRR) uses analysis of variations (ANOVA) on an appropriately designed experiment to separate and quantify the components of the overall uncertainty. The authors have previously presented results of GRR studies of the measurement of airborne and impact insulation of floor-ceiling and demising wall assemblies in several apartment buildings, in which the uncertainty in the measurement method and the variability of the nominally-identical assemblies were compared. The results of two additional GRR studies on measurements of airborne noise isolation of wood stud demising walls are presented. The first study, like previous studies, evaluates the components of variance attributable to operator, repeatability, and part. The second study uses a fixed operator and part, and evaluates the variance due to loudspeaker type, position, and level on the measured noise reduction. The measurement standard (ASTM E336) gives limited guidance on the type and location of the loudspeaker used on the source side, and this study can inform whether changes in the standard with regards to the loudspeakers could reduce the uncertainty in measurement.

Asymptotic Theory Of Stochastic Choice Functionals For Prospects With Embedded Comotonic Probability Measures

We introduce a monotone class theory of Prospect Theory's value functions, which shows that they can be replaced almost surely by a topological lifting comprised of a class of compact isomorphic maps that embed weakly co-monotonic probability measures, attached to state space, in outcome space. Thus, agents solve a signal extraction problem to obtain estimates of empirical probability weights for prospects under risk and uncertainty. By virtue of the topological lifting, we prove an almost sure isomorphism theorem between compact stochastic choice operators, and well defined outcomes which, under Brouwer-Schauder theory, guarantees fixed point convergence in convex choice sets. Along the way we introduce a risk operator in the Hoffman-Jorgensen class of lifting operators, and value function [averaging] operators with respect to Radon measure. In that set up, suitable binary operations on gain-loss space show that our risk operator is isometric for gains and skewed for losses. The point spectrum from this operator constitutes the range of admissible observations for loss aversion index in a well designed experiment.

Asymptotic Theory Of Stochastic Choice Functionals For Prospects With Embedded Comotonic Probability Measures

We introduce a monotone class theory of Prospect Theory's value functions, which shows that they can be replaced almost surely by a topological lifting comprised of a class of compact isomorphic maps that embed weakly co-monotonic probability measures, attached to state space, in outcome space. Thus, agents solve a signal extraction problem to obtain estimates of empirical probability weights for prospects under risk and uncertainty. By virtue of the topological lifting, we prove an almost sure isomorphism theorem between compact stochastic choice operators, and well defined outcomes which, under Brouwer-Schauder theory, guarantees fixed point convergence in convex choice sets. Along the way we introduce a risk operator in the Hoffman-Jorgensen class of lifting operators, and value function [averaging] operators with respect to Radon measure. In that set up, suitable binary operations on gain-loss space show that our risk operator is isometric for gains and skewed for losses. The point spectrum from this operator constitutes the range of admissible observations for loss aversion index in a well designed experiment.

Impact of cement industries dust on soil properties in Bhatapara,Chhattisgarh

The present investigation was carried around cement industries at Bhatapara during 2017-18, to study the different soil properties as affected by the dust of cement Industries in Bhatapara Chhattisgarh. Two hundred fifty six composite soil samples were taken from around the cement industries i.e., from eight radiant wind directions viz., North, South, East, West, Northeast, Northwest, Southeast and Southwest in clockwise manner at the distances 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 km from the surface (0-15 cm) and sub-surface (15-30 cm) soil depths. Statistical analysis was done in 3-factors factorial designed experiment using CRD and the effect of cement dust on soil properties were also correlated with wind directions (X1), distances(X2) and soil depths (X3). Thephysico-properties of soils showed a significant increase in sand and silt in south-west and west wind directions. Significant increase in clay content was also observed in west and south-wind direction. An increase in pH, electrical conductivity and calcium carbonate content in soil (0-15 cm) soil up to 0.5 km distance in the southwest wind direction was also observed. Organic carbon content in soils also increased significantly with increase in distance at surface soilin the southwest wind direction.