Synthesis and antiproliferative activity of diethyl 5- acetyl-4-methyl- 6-(2-fluorophenylimino)-6H-thiopyran- 2,3-dicarboxylate (3TM)

Diethyl 5-acetyl-4-methyl-6-(2-fluorophenylimino)-6H-thiopyran-2,3-dicarboxylate (3TM) was synthesized and the antiproliferative activity of 3TM is reported here. Compound 3TM inhibits the growth of human colon cancer HCT-15 with an IC50 value of 4.5 μM and breast cancer MCF-7 with an IC50 value of 7 μM in a dose/time dependent manner by using sulforhodamine B assay. Moreover, suppression of clonogenic activity occurs after exposure to 3TM at a concentration of 3 μM for HCT-15 and of 5 μM for MCF-7. The effect of ligand complexation on DNA structure led to the overall affinity constant of K3M-DNA = 2.4 x 104 M-1.Key words: Diethyl 5-acetyl-4-methyl-6-(2-fluorophenylimino)-6H-thiopyran-2,3-dicarboxylate (3TM), synthesis, antiproliferative activity

Effect of buffer gases on the performance of SO2 trace measurement based on photoacoustic spectroscopy

In this experimental work a laser photoacoustic spectrometer designed and fabricated. System sensitivity for detection of SO2 and NO 2 was measured. Resonance frequency variation versus pressure increase of Nitrogen, Argon, Helium and Air buffer gases was studied. Results show that, sensitivity of system for SO2 and NO2 are 353 ppb and 963 ppb respectively. It was shown that resonance frequency for Nitrogen, Argon, and Air buffer gases was not noticeably varied by buffer gas pressure increasing, but for Helium, resonance frequency not only is not in range of three other gases, but also grows by pressure increasing. The system noises were damped preparing two buffer chambers. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Unique technique of surgery in an unusual variety of Scimitar syndrome: A Case Report

Scimitar syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly characterized by total or partial anomalous pulmonary venous drainage of the right lung to the inferior vena cava. We present a seven year old girl with a systolic murmur who was diagnosed as having a Scimitar syndrome with unusual drainage of the right pulmonary veins. The unique technique of surgery in this patient was appropriate to the unusual, previously not described anatomy

Firm-size distribution and price-cost margins in Dutch manufacturing

Industrial economists surmise a relation between the size distribution of firms and performance. Usually, attention is focused on the high end of the size distribution. The widely used 4-firm seller concentration, C4, ignores what happens at the low end of the size distribution. An investigation is presented of the extent to which the level and the growth of small business presence influence price-cost margins in Dutch manufacturing. A large data set of 66 industries for a 13-year period is used. This allows the investigation of both small business influences within a framework in which that of many other market structure variables is also studied. Evidence is shown that price-cost margins are influenced by large firm dominance, growth in small business presence, capital intensity, business cycle, international trade, and buyer concentration

The Political Economy of Domestic Tax Reform in Bangladesh: Political Settlements, Informal Institutions and the Negotiation of Reform

This paper explains the persistence of a tax system characterised by low revenue collection and extensive informality in Bangladesh. It combines analysis of long-term formal and informal institutions and of micro-level incentives shaping negotiation of short-term reform. The system is unusually informal, discretionary, and corrupt, but remains resistant to change because it delivers low and predictable tax rates to business, extensive opportunities for corruption to the tax administration, and an important vehicle for fundraising by political leaders and rent distribution to their elite supporters. We then explore the dynamics of micro-level reform and external pressure within the constraints of this overarching political bargain

The Political Economy of Tax Reform in Bangladesh: Political Settlements, Informal Institutions and the Negotiation of Reform

political economy, tax reform, political settlementsThis paper explores the political economy of tax reform in Bangladesh over several decades, shedding light on the complex factors that account for unusually effective and sustained resistance to significant reform. We contend that it is necessary to understand both deep-seated formal and informal institutions and the micro-level incentives that shape the negotiation of short-term reform in order to comprehend tax outcomes. We describe a tax system that is highly informal, largely manual and characterised by high levels of discretion and corruption. However, despite appearing highly dysfunctional on the surface, this system serves the core interests of powerful political, economic and administrative actors. Underpinned by robust informal institutions, the current system delivers low and predictable tax rates to businesses, provides extensive discretion and opportunities for corruption to the tax administration, and acts as an important vehicle for political elites to raise funds and distribute patronage and economic rents. While the tax system has not been without reform, individual reform efforts have been constrained by the parameters of this broader settlement, leaving competing interest groups to pursue strategic gains at the margins while seeking to satisfy external reform demands. This tax bargain reflects Bangladesh’s broader political economy, which is characterised by entrenched informal institutions underpinning the combination of generally weak governance and high levels of economic growth – the so-called ‘paradox of Bangladesh’.DfID, NORA

Metabolic syndrome is linked to a mild elevation in liver aminotransferases in diabetic patients with undetectable non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by ultrasound

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite ongoing findings on the relationship between elevated levels of alanine and aspartate aminotransferases (ALT and AST) and metabolic syndrome (MetS), this association in diabetic patients without a known cause for liver enzymes elevation other than diabetes, per se, remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to assess the relationship between circulating liver enzymes and MetS in a relatively large sample of patients with diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A total of 670 diabetic patients, without known causes of hepatocellular injury, were enrolled. Patients with ultrasonographic signs of fatty liver disease were not included. Fasting blood samples were obtained and biochemical characteristics were measured. MetS was defined according to the international diabetes federation criteria.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Serum ALT and AST were significantly higher in patients with MetS (p < 0.001). High waist circumference and low HDL-cholesterol were significantly associated with elevated ALT (OR = 2.56 and 2.0, respectively) and AST (OR = 2.23 and 2.21, respectively). ALT and AST were significantly associated with MetS (OR = 2.17 and 2.31, respectively). These associations remained significant after multiple adjustments for age, sex, BMI, diabetes duration, HbA1c and medications. There was a significant (p < 0.01) positive association between the number of the MetS features and the level of ALT or AST.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In diabetic patients without ultrasonographic evidence of fatty liver, elevated aminotransferases are independently associated with MetS. Despite negative ultrasound results in diabetic patients with MetS, the serum level of liver aminotransferases may be elevated and should be more thoroughly monitored.</p

Consequences Of On-Track Competition In Railways By Use Of Simulations

Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Wholesale pricing in a small open economy

This paper addresses the empirical analysis of wholesale profit margins using data of the Dutch wholesale sector, 1986. At the heart of the analysis is the typical nature of wholesale production: wholesalers do not produce a tangible product, but offer a service capacity. This has an immediate impact on the identification, interprelation and measurement of determinants of profit variations. A model is set up to explain variations in wholesale profit margins, which is inspired by two widely applied approaches to industry pricing: the behavioural mark-up model and the marginalist price-cost model