A comparative cross-national examination of online investment promotion

The internationalization of operations has led to more countries trying to attract foreign direct investment by promoting themselves through nation branding and other activities including online promotion by national or regional Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs). This paper utilizes a nation branding framework to identify and analyze online IPA promotion cross-nationally. Results show that IPA websites have certain common elements but also vary greatly in their use of promotional approaches that contribute to branding the places they represent. This implies a need for a better practice of nation branding oriented strategies to influence investors’ perceptions and decisions

High-Dose Chemotherapy Followed by Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for Metastatic Rhabdomyosarcoma—A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION: Patients with metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) have a poor prognosis. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate whether high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with metastatic RMS has additional benefit or harm compared to standard chemotherapy. METHODS: Systematic literature searches were performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and The Cochrane Library. All databases were searched from inception to February 2010. PubMed was searched in June 2010 for a last update. In addition to randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, case series and case reports were included to complement results from scant data. The primary outcome was overall survival. A meta-analysis was performed using the hazard ratio as primary effect measure, which was estimated from Cox proportional hazard models or from summary statistics of Kaplan Meier product-limit estimations. RESULTS: A total of 40 studies with 287 transplant patients with metastatic RMS (age range 0 to 32 years) were included in the assessment. We identified 3 non-randomized controlled trials. The 3-year overall survival ranged from 22% to 53% in the transplant groups vs. 18% to 55% in the control groups. Meta-analysis on overall survival in controlled trials showed no difference between treatments. Result of meta-analysis of pooled individual survival data of case series and case reports, and results from uncontrolled studies with aggregate data were in the range of those from controlled data. The risk of bias was high in all studies due to methodological flaws. CONCLUSIONS: HDCT followed by autologous HSCT in patients with RMS remains an experimental treatment. At present, it does not appear justifiable to use this treatment except in appropriately designed controlled trials

Prospect and potential of Burkholderia sp. against Phytophthora capsici Leonian: a causative agent for foot rot disease of black pepper

Foot rot disease is a very destructive disease in black pepper in Malaysia. It is caused by Phytophthora capsici Leonian, which is a soilborne pathogenic protist (phylum, Oomycota) that infects aerial and subterranean structures of many host plants. This pathogen is a polycyclic, such that multiple cycles of infection and inoculum production occur in a single growing season. It is more prevalent in the tropics because of the favourable environmental conditions. The utilization of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) as a biological control agent has been successfully implemented in controlling many plant pathogens. Many studies on the exploration of beneficial organisms have been carried out such as Pseudomonas fluorescens, which is one of the best examples used for the control of Fusarium wilt in tomato. Similarly, P. fluorescens is found to be an effective biocontrol agent against the foot rot disease in black pepper. Nowadays there is tremendous novel increase in the species of Burkholderia with either mutualistic or antagonistic interactions in the environment. Burkholderia sp. is an indigenous PGPR capable of producing a large number of commercially important hydrolytic enzymes and bioactive substances that promote plant growth and health; are eco-friendly, biodegradable and specific in their actions; and have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity in keeping down the population of phytopathogens, thus playing a great role in promoting sustainable agriculture today. Hence, in this book chapter, the potential applications of Burkholderia sp. to control foot rot disease of black pepper in Malaysia, their control mechanisms, plant growth promotion, commercial potentials and the future prospects as indigenous PGPR were discussed in relation to sustainable agriculture

Procedure related incidence of atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting during the early postoperative period

Atrial fibrillation (AF), show to be a common postoperative complication, observed after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) During the first 7 postoperative days in 7–40% of patients. Some studies conclude that off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCABG) may decrease the incidence of AF, whereas the combination of CABG with heart valve replacement may result in more frequent postoperative atrial fibrillation. The aim of our study was to compare the early postoperative AF incidence rate during ICU stay in three groups of patients: after CABG, OPCABG, and CABG combined with valve replacement. During the period from January 2009 till January 2012. Clinical profile of 650 patients were included in a prospective study , factors having potential influence on postoperative AF did not show any significant differences between the groups. The presence of arrhythmia history was the reason of excluding 42 patients from the statistical analysis. 525 cases after conventional CABG, 96 after OPCABG, and 29 after CABG combined with valve surgery were analyzed. Results: Atrial fibrillation occurred during the postoperative ICU stay in 9.8% of patients after CABG, in 10.2% after OPCABG, and in 21% after CABG combined with valve replacement. There was no significant difference between CABG and OPCABG groups (P=0.965). We observed a statistically significant increase of the early postoperative atrial fibrillation incidence rate in patients after CABG combined with valve replacement, when compared with both CABG + OPCABG groups (P=0.005). Conclusions: (1) Atrial fibrillation is a common postoperative complication after myocardial revascularization procedures which prolong ICU stay. (2) The study did not show that the incidence of postoperative AF is influenced by the technique of coronary artery bypass grafting: with or without CPB. (3) The prevalence of postoperative AF increase when CABG is combined with valve replacement

<span style="mso-bidi-language:AR-EG" lang="EN-GB">Establishment of high-efficiency <i>Agrobacterium</i>-mediated transformation conditions of soybean callus </span>

459-463The present study was aimed to optimize some transformation conditions for elite Egyptian soybean cultivar Giza 21 using Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA 105. A transformation system was developed using organogenic calli derived from cotyledon and hypocotyl explants on. Murashige and Skoog salts with various concentrations of 2,4-D+0.5 mg L-1 BAP. The calli were inoculated with A. tumefaciens harboring a binary vector with the bar gene and the dicistron containing pr10a and luciferase (luc) genes. The results showed that the number of calli expressing luc gene first increased with inoculation time and bacterial density (OD600) and then dramatically decreased with the increment of both factors. The highest percentage of transformation efficiency (90%) was obtained when the calli explants were inoculated with Agrobacterium for up to 40 min at OD600 of 1.0, followed by 87.5 and 82.5% at OD600 of 0.8 and 1.2, respectively. The transgenes were confirmed in transgenic calli using pr10a and luc primers and gave the expected band size of 480 and 711 bp, respectively. Our results suggested that infection time and Agrobacterium density could have some effects on the transformation efficiency. Furthermore, an effecient Agrobacterium-mediated transformation system was established for soybean callus using dicistronic transformation vector. </span