Antenna with artificial magnetic conductor for wireless application

— This paper discussed the recent works on Artificial Magnetic Conductor (AMC) with the antenna. Two different application for antenna with AMC have been discussed. The first application is the antenna with AMC that has been used for RFID system to detect the metal object. Without incorporating AMC with antenna the system cannot be detected. When the AMC is attached with the RFID Tag antenna the system is back to normal where longer distance is achieved. The second application is used for flexible AMC using textile material for signal transmission enhancement. Using two antennas for on body application the system has been tested using AMC and without AMC. It shows that the transmission is better when there is an AMC attach to the body compared without AMC. Index Terms — Artificial Magnetic Conductor, high impedance surface, metamaterial, reflection phase

Detection of steroid sulfatase gene deletion (STS) in Egyptian males with X-linked ichthyosis

Introduction: Ichthyosis is a disorder of keratinization characterized by diffuse uniform and persistent scales resulting from abnormal epidermal differentiation or metabolism. Ichthyosiform dermatoses are classified into four major types, ichthyosis vulgaris, X-Linked ichthyosis, congenital recessive ichthyosis and lastly epidermolytic hypekeratosis which was previously called bullous ichthyosiform erythroderma. The identification of steroid sulfatase as the cause of X-Linked ichthyosis points to the importance of this enzyme in skin desquamation. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis is a good diagnostic technique to detect a common deletion of the STS gene. Most patients with X-Linked ichthyosis have large deletions of the STS locus. Aim of the work: In this study, we aimed to detect the X-Linked type of ichthyosis, diagnosed by detection of STS gene deletions among Egyptian males. Patients and Methods: We performed this study on Egyptian males complaining of X-linked ichthyosis who were subjected to clinical examination, pedigree analysis of the family, cytogenetic studies using G-banding technique and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using locus specific probe for stereoid sulfatase (STS) gene which is located at chromosome Xp22.3. Our results showed that 11.11% of patients had nocturnal enuresis and 33.33% showed STS gene deletion by FISH study. Conclusion: The current study underlines the difficulty of diagnosis of X-Linked ichthyosis on the clinical features or pedigree analysis of the family in Egypt and the importance of cytogenetic and molecular cytogenetic studies for diagnosis. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) technique is a good, reliable, and rapid diagnostic tool to detect STS gene deletion. Since FISH will not detect partial deletion or point mutations, we recommended further molecular studies to reach the proper diagnosis of X-linked ichthyosis. Keywords: Ichthyosis- X-Linked, gene deletion, fluorescence in situ hybridizationyword Egypt. J. Hum. Genet Vol. 8 (2) 2007: pp. 209-21

Bioengineered growth factor delivery molecules for vascularisation and wound healing

Chronic wounds, such as those exhibited by diabetic ulcers are a global health issue affecting approximately 3.75 million people worldwide. Chronic wounds are slower to heal, or fail to heal, due to decreased vascularisation among other factors. Growth factors are key signalling molecules which promote wound healing, however, they experience rapid degradation by proteolytic enzymes present in the chronic wound environment. Proteoglycans (PGs) are the natural binding, protective and signalling partners for many growth factors. However, the yield of PGs from natural sources is limited due to their low abundance in tissues and cell cultures. Recombinant DNA technology and metabolic engineering offer alternative PG production methods to increase the yield of PGs and to alter the structure of their glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains. Serglycin is an intracellular PG, which has eight GAG attachment sites. Unlike other PGs, serglycin can be decorated with heparin, heparan sulphate (HS), chondroitin sulphate (CS) and/or dermatan sulphate (DS). Through these various GAG chains, serglycin present in intracellular granules can bind and release cytokines, chemokines and growth factors, which are ideal properties for growth factor delivery and signalling applications. Thus, this thesis examined the influence of various culture microenvironments on the yield and GAG structure of recombinant serglycin produced by both adherent and suspension mammalian cells. In addition, this thesis explored the ability of recombinant serglycin to support angiogenic growth factor binding and signalling. Adherent human embryonic kidney cells expressing recombinant serglycin (HEK-SGN) cultured in shaker flasks and continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTR) produced more protein decorated with GAGs compared to culture flasks. The cells cultured in CSTR produced more HS/heparin and CS/DS chains compared to the other culture flasks. HEK-SGN cells maintained in medium containing 25 mM glucose achieved the highest yields of protein (1.5 mg/L) and GAGs (1.9 mg/L). The cells maintained in medium containing 5.5 mM glucose produced less GAG chains compared to when these cells were grown in medium containing 25 mM glucose, however, heparin was produced. Suspension HEK-293 cells expressing recombinant serglycin (HEK-S-SGN) were established in this thesis. The presence of serum in the culture medium promoted the suspension cells to adhere during culture. HEK-S-SGN cells maintained in serum free medium produced a 4.6-fold higher yield of protein decorated with HS/heparin compared to the cells maintained in serum containing medium. Recombinant serglycin supported fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) binding in vitro via its HS/heparin chains, while vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF165) binding was mediated via HS/heparin and CS/DS chains as well as the protein core of serglycin. In addition, recombinant serglycin potentiated FGF2 signalling via its GAG chains and FGF receptor 1c in vitro. Furthermore, recombinant serglycin supported angiogenesis in vivo by potentiating FGF2 and VEGF165 through its HS/heparin chains in the chicken chorioallantoic membrane assay. Thus, this thesis demonstrated that the culture conditions influenced the protein yield and type of GAG chains that decorated recombinant serglycin. In addition, recombinant serglycin was found to support angiogenesis via binding and signalling angiogenic growth factors via its GAG chains. These results suggest the potential of incorporating recombinant serglycin into tissue engineering or regenerative medicine strategies for growth factor-mediated tissue repair applications

Introducing the digital news system into a TV newsroom : a case of SBS, South Korea.

The research examined how digital TV news technology was adopted and used by individual TV journalists within the newsroom of the Seoul Broadcasting System (hereon, SBS) that adopted a digital TV news production system for the first time in South Korea (hereon, Korea). For this purpose, this study investigates 1) the process by which SBS introduced the digital TV news production system into the SBS newsroom in terms of the organisation; 2) the process by which SBS introduced the digital TV news production system into the SBS newsroom in terms of the journalist; 3) the specific changes that occurred in the SBS newsroom after adoption of the digital TV news production system. The study conducted three pieces of field research: 33 in-depth interviews, participant observations, and a survey. Based on the field research, this study finds that firstly, although SBS managed to implement newsroom digitalisation only in technological terms, SBS had to abandon most initial goals such as introducing multimedia journalism and newsroom convergence; secondly, the SBS project team's enforcement of some impractical plans, including establishing a command room and an information support centre, caused unexpected resistance from journalists. This led to journalists becoming disillusioned with the project. As a result, SBS wasted resources such as time, energy and money. The study tried to provide ideas for other media companies, which are considering converting their analogue news production systems into digitalised systems. In addition, the study's empirical findings can provide lessons for TV stations worldwide, which plan to adopt and implement similar newsroom digitalisation

The frequency of carcinoma in solitary thyroid nodules and in multinodular goitres

A retrospective study of all patients with goitre seen from 1988 to 1992 inclusive  at the Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar es Salaam was made to determine the  frequency of malignancy in patients with solitary non-toxic thyroid nodule (STN) and in those with multinodular goitre (MNG). There were 60 cases of STN and 178 with MNG. Nodular goitre was found to be predominantly a disease of females with sex ratios of M:F;1:7 for the STN group and of M:F;1:13 in the MNG group. The final  diagnosis in all cases was made by histology which found malignancy in 10% of STN and in 5% of MNG patients, a difference which was not statistically significant. Patients in the 20-29 years age group with STN appeared to have an increased risk of malignancy when compared with the MNG group. No cause for this was  discovered. The predominant malignancy in the STN group of patients was papillary carcinoma, while that in the MNG group was follicular carcinoma. Key Words: thyroid, malignancy, solitary nodule, multinodular goitr

Sequence analysis of mitochondrial DNA hypervariable region III of 400 Iraqi volunteers

The aims of this research were to study mitochondrial DNA hypervariable region III and establish the degree of variation characteristic of a fragment. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a small circular genome located within the mitochondria in the cytoplasm of the cell and a smaller 1.2 kb pair fragment, called the control region (D-loop). DNA was extracted from blood following a standard phenol-chloroform method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products were purified by EZ-10 spin column then sequenced and detected by using the ABI 3130xL DNA analyzer. New polymorphic positions detected as T460A, C426G, T471A, T482A, A493T and C518G may in future be suitable sources for identification purpose.Keywords: Frequency, HVIII, mitochondrial DNA, polymorphic positions

Inter-Organizational Information Systems Visibility in Buyer-Supplier Relationships: Buyer and Supplier Perspectives

Many researchers have called for the need to improve the understanding of the concept and working of supply chain visibility. The facilitating role of inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) in achieving SC visibility has received inadequate research attention. This paper is to elaborate on the novel concept of IOIS visibility and to look into the antecedents and consequences of IOIS visibility. Further, investigating SC cooperation from the perspectives of both partners is important, especially when channel partners depend on each other and there can be asymmetries in IOIS visibility. This study attempts to accommodate both partners’ perspectives in IOIS visibility. The data that this study requires were collected from 51 matched pairs of intermediate producers of telecommunication equipment components and their immediate suppliers. The results show that IOIS visibility from the supplier’s perspectives is an important predictor of supply chain performance. In turn, IOIS visibility is significantly influenced by supply chain partner’s internal IS integration and inter-organizational IT infrastructure compatibility. The impact of asymmetries in IOIS visibility on supply chain performance is also investigated

Criblage de quelques variétés de riz de Côte d’Ivoire pour la résistance à la panachure jaune du riz : incidence de la maladie sur quelques caractères agronomiques

La panachure jaune du riz (RYMV) est la maladie virale la plus connue des rizières africaines qui occasionne des pertes économiques importantes en Afrique de l’Ouest. Dans le cadre de la lutte contre cette maladie, trente variétés et cultivars de riz irrigué et pluvial de la collection de l’ADRAO et du CNRA ont été criblées pour leur résistance au RYMV. Onze variétés ont présenté des résistances à 14 jours après inoculation du virus avant que ces résistances ne soient surmontées avec le temps. L’impact de la maladie sur les paramètres agronomiques mesurés est lié à la sévérité des symptômes chez la plupart des variétés. Le rendement en grains a été le paramètre agronomique le plus affecté par la virose (29,5 à 99,50% de perte). Sur la base de la réaction des variétés testées, trois groupes ont été distingués : le premier groupe tolérant, est représenté par le cultivar traditionnel Morobérékan ; le second groupe modérément tolérant est constitué de WITA7, WITA8, WITA10 et du cultivar Zagouaglô ; enfin le troisième groupe, hautement sensible, regroupe les vingt cinq autres variétés.Rice Yellow Mottle (RYMV) is the most important viral disease of cultivated rice in Africa with an important economic impact. In order to control the disease, thirty lowland and upland rice varieties and cultivars from the WARDA and CNRA germplasm cellections were screened for RYMV resistance. Eleven varieties showed resistances 14 days after inoculation but these resistances were overcome with time. The impact of the disease on agronomic traits depended on symptom severity in most of rice varieties. The impact on yield was the most significant (29.5 to 99.5% yield losses) amongst the agronomic traits studied. Based on the reaction of the rice varieties to RYMV inoculation, three different groups were distinguished. The first group is composed of a tolerant cultivar represented by the traditional cultivar Moroberekan. The second group is composed of moderately tolerant varieties including WITA7, WITA8, WITA10 and the cultivar Zagouaglô. The last group comprises 25 highly susceptible varieties.Mots clés : criblage, Oryza sp. , RYMV, résistance, toléranc