Investigation of Molecular Functions of Zinc Finger Protein (ZNF71) in Non- Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the first cause of tumor-related death worldwide. Despite the advancement in surgical and medical treatment, the prognosis of the disease remains poor1. To date, there is no available molecular assay to predict the benefit of therapy or tumor recurrence 2. ZNF71 was reported in our previous study, which identified a 7-gene predictive signature for the clinical benefit of chemotherapy and prognosis in NSCLC2. The study concluded that patients who have higher ZNF71 protein expression have better survival. For this reason, we decided to study the molecular function of ZNF71 and how it may affect apoptosis, proliferation, and/or epithelial-mesenchymal transformation (EMT) in NSCLC. The study is restricted by the regulations of COVID-19 social distancing, so many experiments were stopped and recommended for future work. We used a Taxol-resistant cell line H460-R derived from the Taxol-sensitive H460-P NSCLC cell line to compare the level of ZNF71. H460-P cells express a higher level of ZNF71 mRNA, and Taxol induces it slightly. Also, we found that the ZNF71 mRNA level is higher among epithelial NSCLC, and lower in mesenchymal-like-cells. Furthermore, KRAB containing ZNF71 is expressed dominantly in mesenchymal NSCLC, while KRAB-less ZNF71 is expressed in both mesenchymal and epithelial and its level is always higher than KRAB isoform except for in H460-R cells. This suggests that a KRAB to KRAB-less ratio could has a role in the cells\u27 fate and the patients\u27 prognosis, but further studies are required and recommended

A model for the effective COVID-19 identification in uncertainty environment using primary symptoms and CT scans

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 virus around the world poses a real threat to public safety. Some COVID-19 symptoms are similar to other viral chest diseases, which makes it challenging to develop models for effective detection of COVID-19 infection. This article advocates a model to differentiate between COVID-19 and other four viral chest diseases under uncertainty environment using the viruses primary symptoms and CT scans. The proposed model is based on a plithogenic set, which provides higher accurate evaluation results in an uncertain environment. The proposed model employs the best-worst method (BWM) and the technique in order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). Besides, this study discusses how smart Internet of Things technology can assist medical staff in monitoring the spread of COVID-19. Experimental evaluation of the proposed model was conducted on five different chest diseases. Evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed model effectiveness in detecting the COVID-19 in all five cases achieving detection accuracy of up to 98%.</p

The EU Economic Partnership Agreements with Southern Africa: a computable general equilibrium analysis

This thesis examines the potential impacts of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It provides a quantitative assessment of the prospective implications for welfare, output and trade structures, resource allocation, prices and fiscal revenue. The thesis undertakes country- and sector-specific analyses using the multi-region, multi-sector computable general equilibrium (CGE) GLOBE model. The model is calibrated to the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) Database- version 7 for 2004. Different scenarios are implemented in order to simulate the alternative EU-SADC EPA scenarios in addition to their WTO-compatible alternatives. The thesis aims to contribute novel insights to the ongoing debate on the EU-SADC EPAs. It provides detailed country- and sector-specific impact projections within an internally consistent modelling framework. Furthermore, it contemplates the other WTO-compatible arrangements for SADC-EU trade in the case of not signing final EPAs. The simulation results inform answers for several research questions, as follows. Who gains and who loses from the EU-SADC EPAs? Do the agreements help SADC to effectively integrate into the world economy? What type of structural change might SADC experience under the EU-SADC EPA scenarios? How significant are potential adjustment costs for the SADC members likely to be? Are the WTO-compatible alternatives preferable for SADC members compared to the EU-SADC EPAs scenario? The simulation results suggest that a comprehensive EPA scenario is welfare-improving for many SADC members. The agreements, however, do not serve as a stumbling block towards more integration for SADC members into the world markets. Overall, SADC production structures become more concentrated in export-oriented sectors. These structural changes are accompanied by a high degree of adjustment in factor markets and substantial fiscal losses. A comprehensive EPA scenario is the best option vis-à-vis the WTO-compatible alternatives for SADC non-LDCs, whereas the results for SADC LDCs are mixed

A new decision-making model based on plithogenic set for supplier selection

Supplier selection is a common and relevant phase to initialize the supply chain processes and ensure its sustainability. The choice of supplier is a multicriteria decision making (MCDM) to obtain the optimal decision based on a group of criteria. The health care sector faces several types of problems, and one of the most important is selecting an appropriate supplier that fits the desired performance level. The development of service/product quality in health care facilities in a country will improve the quality of the life of its population. This paper proposes an integrated multi-attribute border approximation area comparison (MABAC) based on the best-worst method (BWM), plithogenic set, and rough numbers. BWM is applied to regulate the weight vector of the measures in group decision-making problems with a high level of consistency. For the treatment of uncertainty, a plithogenic set and rough number (RN) are used to improve the accuracy of results. Plithogenic set operations are used to deal with information in the desired manner that handles uncertainty and vagueness. Then, based on the plithogenic aggregation and the results of BWM evaluation, we use MABAC to find the optimal alternative according to defined criteria. To examine the proposed integrated algorithm, an empirical example is produced to select an optimal supplier within five options in the healthcare industry.</p

New Mathematical Properties For Rayleigh distribution

Regression analysis is one of the most commonly statistical techniques used for analyzing data in different fields. And used to fit the relation between the dependent variable and the independent variables require strong assumption to be met in the model. Generalized linear models (GLMs) allow the extension of linear modeling ideas to a wider class of response types, such as count data or binary responses. Many statistical methods exist for such data types, but the advantage of the GLM approach is that it unites a seemingly disparate collection of response types under a common modeling methodology. So, the problem of the current research is to try to provide a new mathematical property for Exponentiated Rayleigh distribution, and it was one of the most important properties that was studied is to determine Harmonic Mean, as well as calculating the Quantile function, Moments of Residual life (MRL), Reversed Residual Life, Mean of Residual life. The study also presented the probability density function (pdf) and cumulative distribution function according to linear representations.

A Study of Motives and Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in the Key Sectors of Libyan Economy

The study analyses the key motives and determinants of FDI in various sectors of the Libyan economy. It compares the results for the different sectors to determine how the policy of the Libyan government could be improved in order to increase the benefits for the government and the country. A new framework was developed for this research. A qualitative methodology using multiple case studies was employed. The case study companies comprised eight companies from four sectors. The four sectors were compared and contrasted using Porter's five forces model. The analysis of the eight companies had two stages: "within" and "cross-cases" analyses. Data were gathered through in depth, semi-structured interviews with foreign and local company managers, and government policy makers. The study also uses data collected from secondary sources such as company websites, documents and government reports. The empirical findings reveal the existence of a core of motives and determinants of FDI in Libya that are common for all parties across all sectors. This finding is surprising in relation to the similarity across sectors. This might be explained by the uniform government policy over a relatively stagnant forty-year period. These factors are: market size and growth, high return on investment and investment incentives, political stability, infrastructure and low transportation costs, business and industrial linkages, progress of privatisation, institutions, culture and attractive geographic location. The sector-specific and actor-specific determinants are however less important than the common ones. In terms of obstacles to FDI, bureaucratic red tape, infrastructure in terms of Internet, telephone, and the banking system inhibit FDI inflows in all contexts. The findings of this study showed also the critical role of the Libyan government in facilitating the process of FDI. This is probably the first study to incorporate both host government and foreign investors' views about motives and determinants of FDI

Role of MRI Diffusion Weighted Imaging in Evaluation of Gynecological Pelvic Masses

Background: Gynecological Pelvic masses are common problem that are commonly discovered during routine gynecologic or physical examinations. Radiologists routinely evaluate a wide range of pelvic masses during daily practice. Proper management depends on proper preoperative assessment with the help of clinical examination, laboratory tests and different imaging modalities. Radiological evaluation includes ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT) and recently magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) is widely used in protocols for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the female pelvis. It provides functional and structural information about biological tissues, without the use of ionizing radiation or intravenous administration of contrast medium. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the role of diffusion weighted imaging in the characterization of gynecological pelvic masses and differentiation between benign and malignant tumors. Patients and Methods: This study was performed on 63 patients. All patients had US findings of uterine and adnexal lesions then they underwent conventional MRI with contrast &amp; DWI. Results: DWI is significant promising tool factors for characterization of gynecological tumors and differentiation between benign &amp; malignant lesions with high sensitivity 95% (81%:99% with 95% CI). The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of detection of the nature of the lesions have been increased after adding of DWI to the conventional imaging. Conclusions: Adding of DWI to the conventional MRI improves the sensitivity and specificity of diagnosis and allows confident diagnosis and differentiation between benign and malignant lesions

EfFcient mcdm model for evaluating the performance of commercial banks:A case study

Evaluation of commercial banks (CBs) performance has been a significant issue in the financial world and deemed as a multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model. Numerous research assesses CB performance according to different metrics and standers. As a result of uncertainty in decision-making problems and large economic variations in Egypt, this research proposes a plithogenic based model to evaluate Egyptian commercial banks' performance based on a set of criteria. The proposed model evaluates the top ten Egyptian commercial banks based on three main metrics including financial, customer satisfaction, and qualitative evaluation, and 19 subcriteria. The proportional importance of the selected criteria is evaluated by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Furthermore, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS), Vlse Kriterijumska Optimizacija Kompro-misno Resenje (VIKOR), and COmplex PRoportional ASsessment (COPRAS) are adopted to rank the top ten Egyptian banks based on their performance, comparatively. The main role of this research is to apply the proposed integrated MCDM framework under the plithogenic environment to measure the performance of the CBs under uncertainty. All results show that CIB has the best performance while Faisal Islamic Bank and Bank Audi have the least performance among the top 10 CBs in Egypt.</p

Reading the Mind in the Eyes: Theory of Mind in Acute Psychosis and Schizophrenia

Background: The extant literature indicates that patients with acute psychosis or schizophrenia, as well as nonpsychotic first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia, all exhibit “Theory of Mind” (TOM) impairments. Objective: To assess TOM functioning and identify its correlates among a sample of patients with acute psychosis, schizophrenia and healthy controls. Methods: Case control study conducted on 20 patients with acute psychosis, 40 patients with schizophrenia and 60 healthy control volunteers. Patients admitted at Okasha Institute of Psychiatry, Ain Shams University Hospitals, diagnosed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). Severity of symptoms assessed by the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, while volunteers were assessed by General health questionnaire. All groups were assessed by Reading the mind in the eyes test (RMET). Results: There was significant difference between patients with schizophrenia who scored worse at the RMET than patients with acute psychosis while both have TOM deficit in comparison with the control group. No significant correlation between age or gender in all the three groups and their TOM functioning. There was significant negative correlation between duration of illness of patients with schizophrenia and their TOM functioning. In patients with acute psychosis group, negative symptoms were negatively correlated with the TOM functioning, while in patients with schizophrenia group positive and negative symptoms were negatively correlated with their TOM functioning

Eucalyptus

In Egypt, the River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) is a well-known tree and is highly appreciated by the rural and urban dwellers. The role of Eucalyptus trees in the ecology of Cryptococcus neoformans is documented worldwide. The aim of this survey was to show the prevalence of C. neoformans during the flowering season of E. camaldulensis at the Delta region in Egypt. Three hundred and eleven samples out of two hundred Eucalyptus trees, including leaves, flowers, and woody trunks, were collected from four governorates in the Delta region. Thirteen isolates of C. neoformans were recovered from Eucalyptus tree samples (4.2%). Molecular identification of C. neoformans was done by capsular gene specific primer CAP64 and serotype identification was done depending on LAC1 gene. This study represents an update on the ecology of C. neoformans associated with Eucalyptus tree in Egyptian environment