Documentary Credits and Independent Guarantees: A Critique of the ‘Fraud Exception’ Position in English and Jordanian Law.

Underpinning the law on documentary credits and independent guarantees is a legal principle of autonomy which dictates that these financial instruments should, as a matter of law, be treated separately from a trader’s contractual agreement. However, despite this, fraudulent behaviour may still occur when these financial and legal instruments are used in practice. In response, a fraud exception to the autonomy principle has been recognised by many national and international courts in an attempt to mitigate the effects of fraudulent trade practices. The application of this exception within the English courts is, however, problematic owing to the narrowness of its construction and application. Additionally, the paucity of alternate legal instruments for regulating fraudulent trade practices means that Jordanian courts are not in any better position than their English counterparts, leaving traders confused as to their legal position when a fraud dispute arises. Given the large financial value of fraudulent transactions and the risks involved, the use of these legal instruments has declined as has the banks’ investment in this area creating a problem for legal policy makers. The aim of this dissertation is to, first, critically examine the fraud exception under English and Jordanian law by exploring the problems associated with the application of the fraud exception; and, second, to propose legal reforms which would alleviate both the legal and practical problems associated with the fraud exception as it stands currently. The thesis is that, whilst the autonomy principle plays a vital role in international trade, the courts should facilitate the fraud exception application and recognise other exceptions, such as the non-genuinity and the underlying contract exception, where the former exception would be unable to prevent fraud occurrence. The approach is based upon a critical evaluation of Anglo-American and Jordanian case law, supplemented by secondary sources and a qualitative examination of the Jordanian approach to the fraud exception based upon interviews with Jordanian judges. The dissertation concludes that an effective legal approach to fraudulent transactions using documentary credits and independent guarantees must be founded upon objective rather than subjective principles and that the courts’ use of injunctions should be different in cases involving holders in due course from those not involving such parties. These findings will impact upon legal policy debates within both English common law and international trade law more generally and the examination of the Jordanian position is instructive in that it is the first such study of its kind

A Parabolic Transform and Averaging Methods for General Partial Differential Equations

Averaging method of the fractional general partial differential equations and a special case of these equations are studied, without any restrictions on the characteristic forms of the partial differential operators. We use the parabolic transform, existence and stability results can be obtained

Effect of physical training on lung function and respiratory muscles strength in policewomen trainees

Background: Measurement of respiratory muscles strength has not been widely investigated in the context of physical training.Methods: This cross-sectional study has assessed pulmonary function and strength of respiratory muscles in two women groups: group I includes healthy policewomen (n=28) exposed to physical training 3 hours daily for at least 2 years and group II is a matched control group (n=31) of untrained apparently healthy second year medical students. Lung function tests including forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEF) were performed using a digital spirometer and maximum inspiratory and expiratory pressures (MIP and MEP) as indicators for respiratory muscle strength were measured using a digital respiratory pressure meter.Results: The mean FVC (L), FEV1 (L), PEF (L/min) values were significantly higher in the police-trained group (p=0.000, 0.000 and 0.003 respectively). Similarly, the mean MIP and MEP (cm/H2O) values were significantly higher among trained group (p=0.000 and 0.003 respectively).Conclusions: Long-term regular physical exercise improves lung function as well as respiratory muscle power and may delay the age-related decline in lung function.

Rheologic Properties of a Novel Gelatin Methacrylate Bioink for 3D Printing Musculoskeletal Grafts

According to data published in The Burden of Musculoskeletal Diseases in the United States (BMUS) nearly 18% of the US population experienced a sports-related musculoskeletal injury in 2012. The field of Tissue Engineering has made strides towards 3D printing musculoskeletal grafts in the past few years to treat these injuries. Despite these advances, producing bioinks that are highly printable and also imitate the dynamic viscoelastic properties of soft tissue types in order to stimulate regeneration remains a challenge. An ideal bioink for 3D bioprinting must possess proper mechanical, biological, and rheological properties for specific tissue applications. The most important rheologic properties of the bioink are shear rate, shear stress, viscosity, and critical shear point of the material to determine if the bioink displays shear-thinning behavior for enhanced print fidelity without compromising the internal bonding structure of the bioink. Shear thinning behavior is determined using the power law regression model and is defined as a flow behavior index (n) of less than 1. Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) is one commonly used polymer for 3D printing soft tissue constructs due to its concentration dependent viscoelasticity and biocompatible similarities to collagen, however, adjusting the concentration of a GelMA bioink to match specific tissue viscoelasticity influences the rheologic properties and printability of the ink. PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the rheologic properties of a 10% w/v gelatin methacrylate bioink in order to establish the critical shear point and subsequent shear-thinning behavior for potential applications in 3D bioprinting soft tissue grafts. METHODS: The rheologic properties of a 10% w/v gelMA ink were determined by performing a steady state flow sweep using an MCR702 twindrive rheometer and 25mm Parallel Plate. The test shear rate ranged from 0.002s-1 to 500s-1 and the lower plate temperature was set to 25°C. The test was programmed using the software RheoCompass to collect 50 data points as shear rate logarithmically increased. A power law regression model of the shear stress vs shear rate was used to determine the critical point and shear-thinning behavior of the bio-ink. RESULTS: The critical shear point occurred at shear rate 0.0326s-1 with shear stress 3.92Pa and bioink viscosity of 120.25Pa· s. Following power law regression analysis of the shear rate vs the shear stress it was determined that the shear behavior index (n) of the material was 0.16, indicating that the GelMA bioink was exhibiting strong shear thinning behavior. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results indicate that 10% gelMA bioink displays shear thinning behavior at low shear rates. These results provide insight into the development of a biomaterial that possesses good printing fidelity and can be covalently crosslinked to enhance mechanical properties for soft musculoskeletal tissue applications

Protein substitution to produce a processed cheese with high branched-chain amino acids of medical and genetic importance

Background: The most important metabolic impairment in patients with advanced liver disease is characterized by low levels of circulating branched chain amino acids (BCAAs). The etiology of such abnormal amino acid metabolism is multifactorial including protein restricted diet or inadequatenutritional intake as in protein energy malnutrition. Multiple studies report the beneficial effects of BCAAs supplementation to improve plasma amino acids imbalance, several neurologic diseases, protein energy malnutrition, and subsequently the survival rate of cirrhotic patients.Methods: In the present study we used a protein substitution technique to synthesize a new processed cheese as a dairy source rich in BCAAs, with low phenylalanine content manufactured from Ras cheese, kariesh cheese, butter oil and phenylalanine-free milk. Chemical composition, aminoacids analysis, rheological properties and sensory evaluation were done to all of the cheese samples. L-Phenylalanine was selected to induce hepatic and brain affections in Begg Albino strain c (BALB/c) mice model. Effect of 2.5%, 5% and 10% protein-replacement cheese formulas was evaluated among mice groups including histopathological sections of the liver and brain; colorimetric determinationfor liver enzymes; serum total and differential cholesterol profile, serum albumin, globulin and totalprotein along with phenylalanine levels determinations.Results: Analysis of the processed cheese sample with 10% protein substitution revealed that the protein content was 7.42 mg/g (about 50% of the content in the standard processed cheese) while fat content,acidity and moisture were nearly the same. The sensory score for all the formulas ranged from 79–88. Highest content of BCAAs along with least phenylalanine content was attained in the processed cheese with 10% protein substitution. Weight of mice fed on different substitution formulasranged from 22.8 ± 2.2–24.66 ± 2.5 g compared with 17.8 ± 1.9 g in the untreated diseased mice (P< 0.05). Serum phenylalanine was 1.822 ± 0.42 mg/dl in the mice fed on 10% protein substitution formula compared to 6.2± 1.32 mg/dl in the untreated mice (P < 0.01). There was a highly significant difference (

A Proposed Nanocomposite Hydrogel for Promoting Reinnervation Following Volumetric Muscle Loss

Skeletal muscle possesses an innate capacity for regeneration following damage, however, severe injuries resulting in significant tissue loss, categorized as volumetric muscle loss (VML) can overwhelm endogenous repair mechanisms. Recent evidence suggests that nanocomposite silica-based hydrogels (NC gels) possess rheological properties necessary for precise 3D bioprinting and promote secretion of endogenous neurotrophic factors for tissue repair. A shear behavior index between 0.2-0.6 is indicative of shear thinning behavior and describes the ability of a bioink to flow under a certain amount of shear stress. Bioinks displaying shear thinning behavior have pseudoplasticity, an essential property of muscle viscoelasticity, and are optimal for printing constructs with highly precise micro-architecture. PURPOSE: To determine the effect of ionic silicon (Si4+) on neurotrophic factor release in C2C12 murine myoblasts and determine the effects of modified silica nanoparticles (SiOx-np) on the rheological properties of an established Gelatin Methacrylate-Sodium Alginate (GelMA-Alg) hydrogel for applications in skeletal muscle tissue engineering. METHODS: To determine the effects of Si4+ on neurotrophic signaling, C2C12 murine myoblasts were differentiated for 3 days in media containing 0.1mM, 0.5mM, and 1.0mM Si4+ and a silicon free control. An Enzyme-limited Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was performed to determine the level of the neurotrophic factor NRTN, a myokine released from skeletal muscle that enhances motor neuron recruitment and neuromuscular junction remodeling. The data was normalized to standard curves and origin was used to analyze the results. To determine the effects of SiOx-np on the rheological properties of GelMA-Alg, a 10% GelMA-2% Alg bioink was fabricated along with a 10% GelMA-2%Alg-2% SiOx-np (0.6mM Si4+) bioink. Flow curve tests were performed using an MCR702 multidrive rheometer from Anton Paar at 26°C and shear rate of 0.001-500s-1. The results were analyzed based on a power law regression model using RheoCompass to determine the shear behavior index and the effects of SiOx-np on printability of the bioink. RESULTS: Following 3 days of differentiation it was determined that there was a significant increase in neurotrophic factor release in the 0.1mM group (1.20±0.04ng/mL, p\u3c0.05), 0.5mM group (1.42±0.07ng/mL, p\u3c0.001), and 1.0mM group (1.28±0.05ng/mL, p\u3c0.01) compared to the silicon free control (1.14±0.06ng/mL). The shear behavior index was found to be similar between GelMA-Alg (0.3887) and GelMA-Alg-SiOx-np (0.37434) suggesting that the bioink displayed shear thinning behavior for precise 3D printing. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that neurotrophic factor release in C2C12 myoblasts has an apical dose response to Si4+ in vitro. The shear thinning behavior of GelMA-Alg-SiOx-np is indicative of the pseudoplasticity of the material, suggesting constructs can be bioprinted with precise micro-architecture similar to skeletal muscle. These results suggest that GelMA-Alg-SiOx-np constructs may provide a way to promote reinnervation following VML

The protective effects of cerium oxide nanoparticles against hepatic oxidative damage induced by monocrotaline

Kamal A Amin1, Mohamed S Hassan2, El-Said T Awad3, Khalid S Hashem11Department of Biochemistry, 2Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Beni-Suef University, Beni-Suef, Egypt; 3Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, EgyptObjective: The objective of the present study was to determine the ability of cerium oxide (CeO2) nanoparticles to protect against monocrotaline (MCT)-induced hepatotoxicity in a rat model.Method: Twenty male Sprague Dawley rats were arbitrarily assigned to four groups: control (received saline), CeO2 (given 0.0001 nmol/kg intraperitoneally [IP]), MCT (given 10 mg/kg body weight IP as a single dose), and MCT + CeO2 (received CeO2 both before and after MCT). Electron microscopic imaging of the rat livers was carried out, and hepatic total glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activities were quantified.Results: Results showed a significant MCT-induced decrease in total hepatic GSH, GPX, GR, and GST normalized to control values with concurrent CeO2 administration. In addition, MCT produced significant increases in hepatic CAT and SOD activities, which also ameliorated with CeO2.Conclusions: These results indicate that CeO2 acts as a putative novel and effective hepatoprotective agent against MCT-induced hepatotoxicity.Keywords: monocrotaline, ceruim oxide nanoparticle, hepatotoxicity, oxidative stres

Frequency and Prognostic Relevance of FLT3

The Fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that plays a key role in cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. Mutations of FLT3 were first described in 1997 and account for the most frequent molecular mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML patients with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations have poor cure rates the prognostic significance of point mutations; tyrosine kinase domain (TKD) is still unclear. We analyzed the frequency of FLT3 mutations (ITD and D835) in patients with AML at diagnosis; no sufficient data currently exist regarding FLT3 mutations in Saudi AML patients. This study was aimed at evaluating the frequency of FLT3 mutations in patients with AML and its significance for prognosis. The frequency of FLT3 mutations in our study (18.56%) was lower than many of the reported studies, FLT3-ITD mutations were observed in 14.4%, and FLT3-TKD in 4.1%, of 97 newly diagnosed AML patients (82 adult and 15 pediatric). Our data show significant increase of FLT3 mutations in male more than female (13 male, 5 female). Our results support the view that FLT3-ITD mutation has strong prognostic factor in AML patients and is associated with high rate of relapse, and high leucocytes and blast count at diagnosis and relapse

Reliable, Semi-Automated Wound Healing Rate Determination in Muscle

In the field of Regenerative and Sport Medicine, there is great interest in the development and validation of compounds and devices with the potential to accelerate wound healing and muscle regeneration. In vitro, this effect can be evaluated in a scratch test model, in which a pipette removes a line of cells from a confluent monolayer of cells with high regenerative capacity and the time to close this injury measured. PURPOSE: To develop a reliable, dynamic, and quantitative process with a shorter duty cycle and semi-automatic operation for the determination of wound healing rate, as compared to fully manual operation. METHODS: C2C12 murine myoblasts were cultured to confluence under standard conditions. A 200 µL pipette tip was used to make a scratch across each well, and 0 and 0.5mM of pro-myogenic Si-ions were added to the media. A Keyence BZX-710 microscope was used to capture images every 183 seconds over 36 hours at 10x magnification with 0.7 pixels/μm and 4 µm pitch. An enclosed cell culture stage contained a cell incubator system keeping cells at 37°C with a 5% CO2 humidified air. For the manual operation, one image was randomly selected from the automated images every 12hr. ImageJ Macro WH_NJ was used to quantify the percent area of the field (scratched) of interest without cells and was normalized as needed per experimental conditions. RESULTS: The manual and automatic slopes for the 0 and 0.5mM Si-ion treatments were -4.87E-06, -4.84E-06, -6.01E-06, and -5.98E-06, respectively, for the full 0-36hr. There was a high degree of correlation between the manual and semi-automatic rates for both the 0 and 0.5mM Si-ions, at r=.84 and .98, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences between healing rates (i.e., closure times) for the automatic or manual 0 or 0.5mM Si-ions, or within either method, following a two-tailed student’s t-test with alpha level of p\u3c.05. Within 12hr periods, the semi-automatic method provided greater detail for the healing rate, such as the faster initial rate seen in 0.5mM Si-ion, not discernible in 12-hour increments for the manual method. CONCLUSION: These data support the functionality of our new methodology described here. The descriptive and inferential statistics shown here demonstrate agreement between the two analyses, while the semi-automated method presented additional dynamics and kinetics information beyond the manual method in early-test behavior that could not be measured manually. Further development in this area will focus on continuing to shorten duty cycles for higher fidelity and the quantitative analysis of dynamic behaviors. Potential clinical-translational applications of our new method are to screen libraries of compounds with putative muscle regeneration capacity using human muscle cells. We also plan to test basal differences in muscle cells from biopsies of sedentary and active individuals, as well as healthy individuals vs. those with various metabolic and musculoskeletal and cardiovascular disorders, and aging sarcopenia. Our new methodology coupled with these translational studies will help advance new compounds and devices with early promise for the field of Regenerative and Sport Medicine into the pre-clinical animal phases of validation