Performance Appraisal During Pandemic Covid-19: How to Evaluate Remote Worker Productivity

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted how organizations are operating. Globally, a majority of the population is still working from home due to the ongoing pandemic of COVID-19. In this current scenario, many businesses have had to take significant steps to adapt to COVID-19 and it has become a necessity for organizations and managers to keep their workforce productive and engaged. However it was found that most organizations are curtailing or even abandoning performance management because of difficulties measuring performance and disruptions in performance due to the COVID-19 crisis. Therefore this article, will discuss on how the organization and management can conduct performance appraisals on employees who work remotely effectively and take into account some justifications and due consideration especially in situations where the whole country is facing health and safety risks

Activated Carbon Aided Alum Coagulation For Removal Of Textile Dye From Dye Water

The processes of adsorption followed by coagulation was evaluated for the removal of three textile dyes (CIBACRON Yellow C5G, Remazol Blue RGB and Remazol Red RGB) from water in a laboratory-scale experiment. The adsorption efficiency of manufactured powdered activated carbon (Malbon R4) for three dye solutions was also investigated. Batch experiments showed that the adsorption of dyes increased with an increase in dye concentration and carbon dose. The right sequence of operation was identified for the combined treatment system. The results indicated that maximum percentage of dye removal by adsorption on Malbon R4 for the dyes achieved was 52.15- 83.53 %. The maximum dye removal efficiencies for 20 mg/l and 50 mg/l of dye concentration (for three dyes) with adsorption followed by coagulation were 96.16-99.78% and 96.71-99.60 %, respectively. The combined adsorption-coagulation process has the capability of near complete dye removal. More research should be done with different types of activated carbons and coagulants for removal of dye from dye wastewater

Sequestration of G3BP coupled with efficient translation inhibits stress granules in Semliki Forest virus infection

Dynamic, mRNA-containing stress granules (SGs) form in the cytoplasm of cells under environmental stresses, including viral infection. Many viruses appear to employ mechanisms to disrupt the formation of SGs on their mRNAs, suggesting that they represent a cellular defense against infection. Here, we report that early in Semliki Forest virus infection, the C-terminal domain of the viral nonstructural protein 3 (nsP3) forms a complex with Ras-GAP SH3-domain–binding protein (G3BP) and sequesters it into viral RNA replication complexes in a manner that inhibits the formation of SGs on viral mRNAs. A viral mutant carrying a C-terminal truncation of nsP3 induces more persistent SGs and is attenuated for propagation in cell culture. Of importance, we also show that the efficient translation of viral mRNAs containing a translation enhancer sequence also contributes to the disassembly of SGs in infected cells. Furthermore, we show that the nsP3/G3BP interaction also blocks SGs induced by other stresses than virus infection. This is one of few described viral mechanisms for SG disruption and underlines the role of SGs in antiviral defense

Kesediaan masyarakat sivil mengadaptasi platform untuk peluang sharing economy: sorotan literatur

Konsep sharing economy telah berkembang pesat dalam pelbagai sektor di negara-negara maju berbanding di negara Asia termasuk di Malaysia. Terminologi sharing economy berkaitan penggunaan platform digital secara kolaboratif dikatakan mencabar dan mengubah semula model perniagaan secara tradisional. Kajian ini tertumpu kepada dua objektif iaitu menganalisa tren dapatan penyelidikan berkaitan sharing economy dan mengenalpasti perbezaan ketersediaan masyarakat terhadap platform sharing economy di peringkat global. Berdasarkan 200 artikel yang dianalisa, sembilan (9) tema telah dikenaplasi iaitu: (i) aktiviti platform digital; (ii) model perniagaan; (iii) pelancongan; (iv) kelestarian; (v) pengurusan; (vi) konflik; (vii) konsep dan kerangka (viii) kepentingan dan peluang; dan (ix) impak sosial. Tahap kesediaan di kalangan masyarakat dunia dikatakan berbeza di setiap negara dengan dipengaruhi pelbagai faktor khususnya kemajuan teknologi dan kesedaran masyarakat. Usaha yang berterusan wajar dilakukan oleh pihak berkepentingan dalam memastikan penggunaan konsep sharing economy yang diadaptasi dapat menyumbang kepada kemampanan ekonomi dan sosial. Kajian ini mencadangkan agar penyelidikan tentang airbnb diluaskan di Malaysia kerana ekonomi perkongsian menawarkan peluang dalam memajukan semua sektor

Is nebulized saline a placebo in COPD?

BACKGROUND: Many trials of nebulized therapy have used nebulized saline as a "placebo". However, nebulized isotonic saline is sometimes used to assist sputum expectoration and relieve breathlessness in COPD patients. We designed this study to establish if nebulized saline had a placebo effect or a clinical effect. METHODS: 40 patients were studied following hospital admission for exacerbated COPD (mean FEV1 30% predicted). Patients were randomised to single-blind administration of either 4 mls of nebulized isotonic saline using an efficient nebulizer (active group n = 20) or an inefficient nebulizer (placebo group n = 20). Spirometry and subjective breathlessness scores (Modified Likert Scale) were measured before nebulized treatment and 10 minutes after treatment. RESULTS: There was no significant change in FEV1 after active or placebo nebulized saline treatment. Patients reported a 4% improvement in mean breathlessness score following placebo (Wilcoxon test; p = 0.37) compared with 23% improvement following active nebulized saline (p = 0.0001). 65% of patients given active nebulized saline but only 5% of the placebo group reported that mucus expectoration was easier after the treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study lends support to the current use of nebulized saline to relieve breathlessness (possibly by facilitating sputum clearance) in COPD patients. Lung function was not affected. Nebulized saline can therefore be used as a placebo in bronchodilator studies involving COPD patients but it cannot be used as a placebo in trials assessing symptom relief

Investigation of the role of SDHB inactivation in sporadic phaeochromocytoma and neuroblastoma

Germline mutations in the succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) (mitochondrial respiratory chain complex II) subunit B gene, SDHB, cause susceptibility to head and neck paraganglioma and phaeochromocytoma. Previously, we did not identify somatic SDHB mutations in sporadic phaeochromocytoma, but SDHB maps to 1p36, a region of frequent loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in neuroblastoma as well. Hence, to evaluate SDHB as a candidate neuroblastoma tumour suppressor gene (TSG) we performed mutation analysis in 46 primary neuroblastomas by direct sequencing, but did not identify germline or somatic SDHB mutations. As TSGs such as RASSF1A are frequently inactivated by promoter region hypermethylation, we designed a methylation-sensitive PCR-based assay to detect SDHB promoter region methylation. In 21% of primary neuroblastomas and 32% of phaeochromocytomas (32%) methylated (and unmethylated) alleles were detected. Although promoter region methylation was also detected in two neuroblastoma cell lines, this was not associated with silencing of SDHB expression, and treatment with a demethylating agent (5-azacytidine) did not increase SDH activity. These findings suggest that although germline SDHB mutations are an important cause of phaeochromocytoma susceptibility, somatic inactivation of SDHB does not have a major role in sporadic neural crest tumours and SDHB is not the target of 1p36 allele loss in neuroblastoma and phaeochromocytoma

Papillary renal cell carcinoma with metastatic laparoscopic port site and vaginal involvement: a case report

10.1186/1752-1947-5-131Journal of Medical Case Reports513

Autophagic flux blockage by accumulation of weakly basic tenovins leads to elimination of B-Raf mutant tumour cells that survive vemurafenib

This work was supported by five grants to Sonia Laín: Vetenskapsrådet (VR) 521-2014-3341, Cancerfonden (Swedish Cancer Society) 150393, CAN 2014/702, Association for International Cancer Research (AICR) 130086, Barncancerfonden (Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation) TJ-2014-0038, Barncancerfonden (Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation) PR-2014-0038; two grants to Ravi Bhatia: Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) 6137-14 and NIH R01 CA95684; one grant to David P Lane: Vetenskapsrådet (VR) 538-2013-8807; one grant to Marcus J G W Ladds: Karolinska Institute KID Doctoral Student Funding; one grant to Gergana Popova: Karolinska Institutet KID Doctoral Student Funding; two grants to Nicholas J Westwood: Cancer Research UK C21383 and Cancer Research UK A6950; two grants to Gerald McInerney: Vetenskapsrådet (VR) 621-2014-4718 and Cancerfonden (Swedish Cancer Society) 150393, CAN 2015/751; and four grants to Emmet McCormack: Kreftforeningen 182735, Kreftforeningen 732200, Halse Vest 911884, Halse Vest 911789.Tenovin-6 is the most studied member of a family of small molecules with antitumour activity in vivo. Previously, it has been determined that part of the effects of tenovin-6 associate with its ability to inhibit SirT1 and activate p53. However, tenovin-6 has also been shown to modulate autophagic flux. Here we show that blockage of autophagic flux occurs in a variety of cell lines in response to certain tenovins, that autophagy blockage occurs regardless of the effect of tenovins on SirT1 or p53, and that this blockage is dependent on the aliphatic tertiary amine side chain of these molecules. Additionally, we evaluate the contribution of this tertiary amine to the elimination of proliferating melanoma cells in culture. We also demonstrate that the presence of the tertiary amine is sufficient to lead to death of tumour cells arrested in G1 phase following vemurafenib treatment. We conclude that blockage of autophagic flux by tenovins is necessary to eliminate melanoma cells that survive B-Raf inhibition and achieve total tumour cell kill and that autophagy blockage can be achieved at a lower concentration than by chloroquine. This observation is of great relevance as relapse and resistance are frequently observed in cancer patients treated with B-Raf inhibitors.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Interleukins, laminin and epstein - barr virus latent membrane protein 1 (EBV LMP1) Promote metastatic phenotype in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of neoplasm that is highly prevalent in East Asia and Africa with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), genetic, and dietary factors implicated as possible aetiologic factors. Previous studies suggested the association of certain cytokines with the invasion and metastatic properties of NPC. The present study examined the roles of EBV latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) and laminin in the regulation of matrix-metalloproteinases (MMPs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in NPC. The effects of these factors on <it>bmi-1</it>, an oncogene, and <it>ngx6</it>, a tumour suppressor gene, were also investigated.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>TW01 cells expressing LMP1 (TW01-LMP1) were established via transfection with the B95.8 EBV LMP1 gene. Both TW01 and TW01-LMP1 cells were treated with 100 pg/ml IL-6, 1000 pg/ml IL-10 and 100 pg/ml TGF-β1, separately and also in combination at their respective concentration for 48 hours. Treated cells were subjected to laminin adherence assay. The cells were also cultured with and without laminin and assayed for MMP-3, MMP-9 and VEGF production using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The cellular apoptotic property was analysed using caspase-3 apoptosis assay. The expression of <it>bmi-1 </it>and <it>ngx6 </it>gene was investigated using real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>LMP1 was found to reduce the adherence of NPC cells towards laminin (p < 0.05) as compared to control. Treatment with IL-6 at 100 pg/ml enhanced the production of MMP-9 in both TW01 and TW01-LMP1 cells (p < 0.05). When cultured on laminin, the levels of MMP-3 and VEGF were significantly increased (p < 0.05) in TW01-LMP1 cells. TW01-LMP1 cells had relatively greater resistance to apoptosis as compared to TW01 cells (p < 0.05). Laminin, IL-6 and LMP1 were found to up-regulate the expression of <it>bmi-1 </it>and suppressed the expression of <it>ngx6</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We conclude that IL-6 reduced cell adherence towards laminin and increased MMP-9 production in NPC cells. Our data suggested that EBV LMP1 was able to confer resistance of apoptosis and increased MMP-9 production in NPC cells. When cultured on laminin, TW01 cells expressing the EBV LMP1 (TW0-LMP1) that were treated with IL-6 at 100 pg/ml displayed increased MMP-9 production, up-regulation of <it>bmi-1 </it>oncogene expression and down-regulation of <it>ngx6 </it>tumour suppressor gene expression. These findings implicate the roles of EBV LMP1, laminin and IL-6 in the promotion of invasion and metastasis in NPC.</p