The effects of Syrian refugees on Jordan’s economy: A critical case study

This project discusses the effects of Syrian refugees on the economy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. It aims at determining whether Syrian refugees have had an effect on GDP, unemployment levels, and price indexes (inflation). It also investigates whether they have had costs and benefits on Jordan and whether the benefits have outweighed the costs. It shows that Syrian refugees have had mixed effects on GDP, unemployment, and inflation, and that they have been mainly benefit to Jordan’s economy

Looking out for Mary Carter: Collusive Settlement Agreements in Washington Tort Litigation

Courts and commentators disagree as to the propriety of Mary Carter agreements, pseudo-settlement devices used in multiparty litigation that unite the interests of a plaintiff and a cooperating defendant, and maintain that defendant\u27s presence at trial. Most courts tolerate these arrangements provided that they are disclosed, while a distinct minority render them void. Washington courts have not espoused a definite position, although recent decisions suggest a tolerant stance. This Comment argues that the use of Mary Carters is inconsistent with Washington tort law, and that Washington courts should therefore prohibit them entirely. This may be accomplished by treating all Mary Carters as final settlements of a plaintiff\u27s claim against an agreeing defendant and requiring dismissal of that defendant, an approach suggested by the nature of the agreements themselves

Universality, Scaling and Topology with a Modified Lattice Action

We examined the effect of a complete suppression of a lattice artifact, the negative plaquettes, on physical quantities, such as the critical temperature, the string tension, the topological charge, glueball masses, and their ratios.Comment: 3 pages, self unpacking uuencoded PostScript file, contribution to conference LATTICE '9

Mondor’s Disease : Rare case of a painful breast lump in a middle-aged woman

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Mycobacterium tuberculosis type VII secretion system effectors differentially impact the ESCRT endomembrane damage response

Mycobacterium tuberculosis causes tuberculosis, which kills more people than any other infection. M. tuberculosis grows in macrophages, cells that specialize in engulfing and degrading microorganisms. Like many intracellular pathogens, in order to cause disease, M. tuberculosis damages the membrane-bound compartment (phagosome) in which it is enclosed after macrophage uptake. Recent work showed that when chemicals damage this type of intracellular compartment, cells rapidly detect and repair the damage, using machinery called the endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT). Therefore, we hypothesized that ESCRT might also respond to pathogen-induced damage. At the same time, our previous work showed that the EsxG-EsxH heterodimer of M. tuberculosis can inhibit ESCRT, raising the possibility that M. tuberculosis impairs this host response. Here, we show that ESCRT is recruited to damaged M. tuberculosis phagosomes and that EsxG-EsxH undermines ESCRT-mediated endomembrane repair. Thus, our studies demonstrate a battle between host and pathogen over endomembrane integrity.Intracellular pathogens have varied strategies to breach the endolysosomal barrier so that they can deliver effectors to the host cytosol, access nutrients, replicate in the cytoplasm, and avoid degradation in the lysosome. In the case of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium perforates the phagosomal membrane shortly after being taken up by macrophages. Phagosomal damage depends upon the mycobacterial ESX-1 type VII secretion system (T7SS). Sterile insults, such as silica crystals or membranolytic peptides, can also disrupt phagosomal and endolysosomal membranes. Recent work revealed that the host endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery rapidly responds to sterile endolysosomal damage and promotes membrane repair. We hypothesized that ESCRTs might also respond to pathogen-induced phagosomal damage and that M. tuberculosis could impair this host response. Indeed, we found that ESCRT-III proteins were recruited to M. tuberculosis phagosomes in an ESX-1-dependent manner. We previously demonstrated that the mycobacterial effectors EsxG/TB9.8 and EsxH/TB10.4, both secreted by the ESX-3 T7SS, can inhibit ESCRT-dependent trafficking of receptors to the lysosome. Here, we additionally show that ESCRT-III recruitment to sites of endolysosomal damage is antagonized by EsxG and EsxH, both within the context of M. tuberculosis infection and sterile injury. Moreover, EsxG and EsxH themselves respond within minutes to membrane damage in a manner that is independent of calcium and ESCRT-III recruitment. Thus, our study reveals that T7SS effectors and ESCRT participate in a series of measures and countermeasures for control of phagosome integrity

Determinants of Investment Capacity among Yam Production Entrepreneurs in Benue State, Nigeria

The determinants of investment capacity among yam entrepreneurs in Benue State were examined. The specific objectives were to describe the types of investment prevalent among yam entrepreneurs and to identify and analyse the determinants of investment decision among yam entrepreneurs. Data were collected from 288 yam entrepreneurs in six local government areas and 24 wards using multi-stage sampling technique. The sample comprised entrepreneurs that engaged in yam production, distribution/marketing of yam, yam chips production, and yam flour production. Structured interview schedule was used to collect the data. Data collected were analysed using frequency distributions table, percentages, and logit model. The findings reveal that socio-economic characteristics of yam entrepreneurs significantly influence their investment. It was recommended that policies to improve investment should include the socio-economic characteristics of these entrepreneurs in the formulation; campaigns to promote the benefits of investing and dangers of not investing in yam activities should be encouraged. Key words: Determinants, Investment Capacity, Yam Entrepreneurs, Benue Stat

Analysis of the Factors Influencing Savings and Investment Behaviour among Yam Entrepreneurs in Benue State, Nigeria

The study analysed the factors influencing savings and investment behaviour among yam entrepreneurs in Benue State of Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: (1) determine the extent of savings and investment among yam entrepreneurs, and (2) to identify and analyse the factors influencing savings and investment behaviour among yam entrepreneurs. Data were collected from 288 yam entrepreneurs in six local government areas and 24 wards using a multi-stage sampling technique. Structured interview schedule was used to collect the data. Data collected were analysed using frequency distributions table, percentages and factor analysis. The results reveal that yam entrepreneurs carry out their savings on weekly basis and their investment on a daily and weekly basis. The results also indicate that financial and social factors significantly affect savings and investment behaviour of yam entrepreneurs. It was recommended that policies aimed at improving savings and investment of yam entrepreneurs should focus on social and financial factors affecting their savings and investment behaviour; campaign promoting savings and investment should be intensified; establishment of agricultural development banks and setting up more branches of commercial banks in the areas of these yam entrepreneurs should be encouraged. Key words: Factors, Savings, Investment, Behaviour, Yam Entrepreneurs, Benue Stat

Pulmonary Glue Embolism: An unusual complication following endoscopic sclerotherapy for gastric varices

A pulmonary glue embolism is an unusual but potentially life-threatening complication following the treatment of variceal bleeding, especially in patients with large varices requiring large volumes of sclerosant. Other contributory factors include the rate of injection and ratio of the constituent components of the sclerosant (i.e. n-butylcyanoacrylate and lipiodol). This condition may be associated with a delayed onset of respiratory compromise. Therefore, a high degree of clinical suspicion is essential in patients with unexplained cardiorespiratory decline during or following endoscopic sclerotherapy. We report a 65-year-old man who was admitted to the Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull, UK, in 2017 with haematemesis and melaena. He subsequently developed acute respiratory distress syndrome secondary to a glue embolism following emergency sclerotherapy for bleeding gastric varices. The aetiology of the embolism was likely a combination of the large size of the gastric varices and the large volume of cyanoacrylate needed. After an endoscopy, the patient underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting twice to control the bleeding, after which he recovered satisfactorily.Keywords: Gastric Varices; Pulmonary Embolism; Sclerotherapy; N-butyl-cyanoacrylate; Lipiodol; Case Report; United Kingdom

Pseudoangiomatous Stromal Hyperplasia : A rare mimic of breast malignancy

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