Contractors’ perception towards causes of claims in construction projects

The construction industry is an important sector for the development of the Gaza Strip. A key factor to a successful construction project is to complete the project without any claims occurrence. Nonetheless, claims are very common in the construction industry of Palestine. The aim of this paper is to identify and rank the existing causes of claims according to their relative importance in the construction industry from the perspective of the local contractors. The paper reports on a questionnaire-based research investigation targeting local contractors by analyzing their perception towards causes of claims. The results found the main causes of claims and they are: awarding bid to the lower bidder; border closures; residents’ interference during project implementation; road blockage and difficulties in passing between cities and governorate It was found that owners may not award the contract to the lowest responsive bidder

Human Neural Cells Transiently Express Reelin during Olfactory Placode Development.

Reelin, an extracellular glycoprotein is essential for migration and correct positioning of neurons during development. Since the olfactory system is known as a source of various migrating neuronal cells, we studied Reelin expression in the two chemosensory olfactory systems, main and accessory, during early developmental stages of human foetuses/embryos from Carnegie Stage (CS) 15 to gestational week (GW) 14. From CS 15 to CS 18, but not at later stages, a transient expression of Reelin was detected first in the presumptive olfactory and then in the presumptive vomeronasal epithelium. During the same period, Reelin-positive cells detach from the olfactory/vomeronasal epithelium and migrate through the mesenchyme beneath the telencephalon. Dab 1, an adaptor protein of the Reelin pathway, was simultaneously expressed in the migratory mass from CS16 to CS17 and, at later stages, in the presumptive olfactory ensheathing cells. Possible involvements of Reelin and Dab 1 in the peripheral migrating stream are discussed.journal articleresearch support, non-u.s. gov't20152015 08 13importe

Etude des anomalies de la myéline chez une souris transgénique exprimant un gène à toxicité inductible dans les oligodendrocytes

Les oligodendrocytes participent à l'un des processus majeurs du développement du système nerveux central. Ils sont responsables de la formation d'une gaine protectrice autour des segments axonaux: la myéline. La destruction ou l'altération de la myéline ou des cellules qui la synthétisent, ou l'atteinte de l'unité fonctionnelle que les oligodendrocytes forment avec les neurones, sont à l'origine d'affections invalidantes comme la sclérose en plaques qui est une des maladies neurologiques les plus fréquentes chez les jeunes adultes et qui touche près de soixante mille personnes en France.Notre travail s'inscrit dans le cadre général de l'étude du processus de myélinisation et de démyélinisation et vise à comprendre les mécanismes moléculaires qui les régissent chez un modèle de souris transgénique développé au laboratoire. Il s'agit de souris transgénique exprimant un gène à toxicité inductible dans les oligodendrocytes. Ce modèle animal offre l'avantage d'induire sélectivement la mort des oligodendrocytes et permet ainsi de provoquer des lésions contrôlées par l'expérimentateur.Dans un premier temps, nous avons caractérisé ce modèle transgénique afin de déterminer ses propriétés et sa capacité à reproduire plusieurs phénotypes dysmyéliniques. La mise au point d'une méthode rapide d'hybridation in situ nous a permis entre autre d'évaluer avec une grande spécificité la perte oligodendrocytaire. Nous avons ensuite mis en évidence la prolifération des oligodendrocytes in situ dans ce modèle dysmyélinique. Les oligodendrocytes néoformés sont probablement à l'origine de la réparation de la myéline. Nous avons observé les modifications dans l'expression des gènes des protéines neuronales et gliales ainsi que des protéines de la région nodale et des molécules inhibitrices de la croissance axonale suite à l'anomalie de la myélinisation. Cette étude a été réalisée en parallèle sur la souris jimpy afin de corréler les résultats sur deux modèles dysmyéliniques.Oligodendrocytes participate in one of the major developmental events of the central nervous system. They are devoted to produce the myelin, a protective sheath around the axons segments. Alteration of the myelin sheath or the destruction of myelin forming cells lead to severe and incurable diseases such as multiple sclerosis which is one of the most frequent neurological diseases in the young adults.Our work is devoted to study the myelination and demyelination processes and to explore the molecular mechanisms of myelin abnormalities in a transgenic mouse model developed in our laboratory. This transgenic mouse expresses a conditionally toxic gene in oligodendrocytes and offers the possibility for a selective induction of oligodendrocyte cell death and the production of controlled myelin lesions in developing brain. In the present study, we determined the properties and the capacity of our transgenic mouse brain to reproduce several dysmyelination phenotypes. We developed a quick method for in situ hybridization to evaluate oligodendrocyte loss. Proliferation of oligodendrocytes in situ in this dysmyelinating model was also reported. The newly formed oligodendrocytes are probably responsible for the recovery of myelin. We evaluate several genes expression of neuronal and glial as well as nodal region proteins and neurite outgrowth inhibitors in abnormal myelination conditions. This study was carried out in parallel with jimpy dysmyelinated mutant.STRASBOURG-Sc. et Techniques (674822102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Anomalies de la myéline et sa réparation in vivo étudiées par l'IRM du tenseur de diffusion (DT-MRI)

STRASBOURG-Sc. et Techniques (674822102) / SudocSudocFranceF

Outcome of aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage: How far is vasospasm involved? – Retrospective study

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate vasospasm and/or other possible mechanisms as a contributor to poor outcome following aneurismal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).Materials and methodsSixty patients with aneurismal SAH, and severe cerebral vasospasm warranting endovascular angioplasty were included. Data included age, sex, bleeding severity, number and territory of spastic arteries, angioplasty result, development of new infarcts and their location relative to spastic territory. Final outcome was reported.ResultsThere was strong correlation between outcome and both grade of hemorrhage and age. Angioplasty was either successful (80%), equivocal (10%), failed (8.3%), or could not be done (1.7%).New Infarcts were found in 44/60 patients (73.3%). In 7 of which (16%) they were out of spastic territory. The remaining 37 (84.1%) had infarcts anatomically related to spasm, of these, 28 had successful angioplasty (75%).No new infarcts were found in the remaining 16 patients (26.7%). There was no significant correlation between new infarcts and either successful angioplasty or outcome. However, when outcome was correlated to infarcts within the spastic territory, it turned strongly significant (p=0.008).ConclusionVasospasm and new infarcts have different pathophysiology. Only the coexistence of both in the same territory significantly correlates with poor outcome. Both are related to severity of SAH

Expression pattern of STOP lacZ reporter gene in adult and developing mouse brain.

International audienceStable tubulin-only polypeptide (STOP) proteins are microtubule-associated proteins responsible for microtubule stabilization in neurons. STOP null mice show apparently normal cerebral anatomy but display synaptic defects associated with neuroleptic-sensitive behavioral disorders. STOP null mice have therefore been proposed as an animal model for the study of schizophrenia. In the present study, the expression pattern of STOP gene in developing and adult brain has been examined by using lacZ gene inserted in the STOP locus, as a reporter gene. beta-Galactosidase (beta-gal) immunostaining was confined to neuronal cells and projections. Strong labeling was observed in the whole olfactory system, cortical layer VII, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, habenula, fasciculus retroflexus, and interpeduncular nucleus in adults. Additionally, ventral thalamic nucleus, clusters of positive cells in striatum, and Cajal-Retzius cells of cortical layer I were labeled in young mice. The strong expression of STOP lacZ reporter gene observed in brain is confined to areas that may be involved in the schizophrenia-related symptoms observed in STOP-deficient mice

5-Methyl-4-(3-methyl-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrazol-3-one

In the title compound, C20H18N4O, the dihedral angle between the pyrazole and pyrazolone rings is 69.35 (3)° and an intramolecular C—H...O hydrogen bond encloses an R22(6) ring. In the crystal, the packing features N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds and C—H...π(ring) interactions