MSF Desalination: Modeling, Simulation, and Economic Study

Some data was collected and reported for seawater desalination in the gulf region. Some information is also given regarding the multi–stage flash (MSF) desalination plants in the United Arab Emirates. The total installed capacity of these plants is 518 MIG. It was revealed that the water demand in the Abu Dhabi Emirate alone has increased by 30 folds during the last 25 years. A literature survey was conducted mainly on modeling and simulation of MSF desalination processes. A number of commercial software such as Speedup, Camel, and EvapoLund were reviewed with special emphasis on EvapoLund that has been used as the process simulation tool in the thesis. Brief descriptions are given for different multi-stage flash desalination processes including single-stage MSF, once – through MSF, brine - mix MSF, and conventional brine - recycle MSF. Two MSF desalination plants at the Al-Taweelah dual-purpose power and desalination complex in Abu Dhabi were selected for study. Both are similar to each other, but designed, built and installed by different companies. The main objective was to check some of the design data provided by the contractor and to evaluate the plant performance at fouled operating conditions. A brief mathematical background is given including mass and energy balances, and rate equations for the conventional brine - recycle MSF process. The simulation results obtained, using the commercial software EvapoLund, revealed some discrepancies for one of the plants is chosen as case study and rather good resemblance for the other plant. It was also established that acid wash for one of the plants was needed to restore the value of its overall heat transfer coefficients to the design values. The U-values for the other plant were computed using design data at clean and fouled conditions. Using some data available from the contractor, an economic evaluation was made to establish the real unit production cost. The annual capital cost, annual operating cost, and the water unit cost were calculated as 0.39, 1.16, and 1.55 $/m3, respectively. The last figure is equivalent to 5.72 Dhs/m3

Morphological and Physiological Abnormalities in Tissue Culture-Derived Date Palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Plants

The UAE attaches great importance to agricultural development with a sound focus on date palms. This special attention is obvious in the ongoing expansion of agricultural resources and investments, the growing number of palm trees, and in the extensive use of modern technologies. Mass cultivation of date palm trees is required to continue according to the country\u27s agricultural plans. In order to achieve these agricultural expansion of date palm, new techniques of propagation other than traditional techniques (seed and offshoot propagation) are critically required. Tissue culture is a modern and reliable technology being one of the main methods for date palm propagation. However, such technique seems to be expensive and has a few problems that still need to be studied carefully. Trueness-to-type and appearance of abnormalities are the most serious problems associated with the tissue culture derived plants. These problems can be solved and perhaps eliminated by further study on developing the conditions used in this technique. The aim of the present investigation is to study the morphological abnormalities in tissue culture-derived date palm plants and to relate these abnormalities to the applied conditions during the in vitro multiplication process. These results will contribute to avoiding such shortcomings in the future and avoid the occurrence and propagation of such abnormalities

An Unusual Presentation of Choriocarcinoma in A postmenopausal woman: A case report

Choriocarcinoma (CC) is a malignant neoplasm of the trophoblastic tissue, with a potential to metastasize to distant organs. A limited case of gestational CC develops after a long latent period. We describe the case of a 52-year-old postmenopausal woman who developed metastatic choriocarcinoma presumably of gestational origin, 8 years after the last pregnancy, and 2 years after the last menstrual period. The patient was diagnosed with CC metastatic to the brain, spleen, lung and the kidney. The β-human chorionic gonadotrophin level was found to be raised (1,292,867 mIU/mL). The International Federation of Gynecologic Oncology (FIGO) risk score was calculated to be 14 (very high risk). The patient was initially treated with whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) and splenic artery embolization because of a hemoperitoneum. Afterwards the patient received systemic treatment using the standard EMA/CO regimen till complete serological remission. Keywords: Choriocarcinoma; Postmenopausal; Latent period; Brain; Oman

The Need for Harmonizing Value Added Tax Legislation in Gulf Cooperation Council

The elimination of discriminatory value added tax (VAT) laws on commodities are required for the proper function of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) single market. The proper function of a single market entails the elimination of discriminatory internal VAT regulations of imported goods or services. Hence, the purpose of this study is to empirically examine the need for harmonizing VAT legislation among GCC countries. The data of this study was collected through a variety of sources, including the ministry's website, VAT law for each country, published articles, and other online data sources/websites with regards to VAT. The data were statistically evaluated using Microsoft Excel. The dependent variable in this study is Harmonization. The factors affecting Value Added Tax Legislation are also called independent variables. Through this search, they harmonize VAT legislation in the GCC countries to maximize the effectiveness of tax laws. Thus, such a fact process to be helpful to understand the challenges faced by GCC companies due to discriminatory VAT regulations and double taxation.  There is a need to harmonize VAT legislation in the GCC countries to maximize the effectiveness of tax laws. This study adds value by assessing the present state and the need for harmonizing VAT legislation in the GCC countries. The timely approach of the study will help policymakers, regulators, and practitioners to understand the importance of harmonizing VAT legislation in the GCC

p21WAF1/CIP1 Upregulation through the Stress Granule-Associated Protein CUGBP1 Confers Resistance to Bortezomib-Mediated Apoptosis

p21(WAF1/CIP1) is a well known cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor induced by various stress stimuli. Depending on the stress applied, p21 upregulation can either promote apoptosis or prevent against apoptotic injury. The stress-mediated induction of p21 involves not only its transcriptional activation but also its posttranscriptional regulation, mainly through stabilization of p21 mRNA levels. We have previously reported that the proteasome inhibitor MG132 induces the stabilization of p21 mRNA, which correlates with the formation of cytoplasmic RNA stress granules. The mechanism underlying p21 mRNA stabilization, however, remains unknown.We identified the stress granules component CUGBP1 as a factor required for p21 mRNA stabilization following treatment with bortezomib ( =  PS-341/Velcade). This peptide boronate inhibitor of the 26S proteasome is very efficient for the treatment of myelomas and other hematological tumors. However, solid tumors are sometimes refractory to bortezomib treatment. We found that depleting CUGBP1 in cancer cells prevents bortezomib-mediated p21 upregulation. FISH experiments combined to mRNA stability assays show that this effect is largely due to a mistargeting of p21 mRNA in stress granules leading to its degradation. Altering the expression of p21 itself, either by depleting CUGBP1 or p21, promotes bortezomib-mediated apoptosis.We propose that one key mechanism by which apoptosis is inhibited upon treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs might involve upregulation of the p21 protein through CUGBP1

Pharmacy Care and Adherence to Primary and Secondary Prevention Cardiovascular Medication- A systematic review of studies

Objective To determine if pharmacy service intervention can lead to enhanced adherence to primary and secondary cardiovascular medication and to identify features of interventions that have been found to be effective and feasible. Methods A systematic search of studies related to pharmacy service interventions on adherence and outcomes of cardiovascular diseases was performed using the following databases: PubMed Central UK, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINHAL, PsycINFO, EMBASE, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and Google Scholar for the period from 1 January 1990 to 19 November 2013. Trials were included if they were randomised control trials, studies delivered in hospital or community settings, and studies in English language. A hand search of relevant citations was also performed. Key findings Forty-two studies were identified of which 26 had a statistically significant effect on adherence and twenty-seven had a significant effect on clinical outcomes of cardiovascular disease. The interventions included mainly patient education, collaboration between healthcare professionals, use of electronic devices and combined interventions. The interventions were found to be complex and included multiple components. Patient contact with a pharmacist was frequent and thus the interventions may be difficult to adapt to daily practice. Evidence-based data for pharmacy services remain weak but clearly pharmacists can have an impact through face-to-face patient education and telephone consultations. Further research is needed to evaluate the use of a motivational interview in the counselling session of a pharmacist and also to establish the continuity of pharmacy care in primary/secondary setting. Self-reported adherence was the most widely used measure. The acceptable threshold remained 80% among the cardiac population. Conclusion Pharmacist interventions have been shown to be successful in enhancing adherence to cardiovascular medication and improving outcomes of cardiovascular diseases. Whilst pharmacists play a fundamental role in primary and secondary prevention strategies, further randomised controlled trials combining patient education with behaviour change are likely to reap further benefit in medication adherence

Current evidence and future perspectives on HuR and breast cancer development, prognosis, and treatment.

This is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article, "Ioly Kotta-Loizou, et al., “Current Evidence and Future Perspectives on HuR and Breast Cancer Development, Prognosis, and Treatment”, Neoplasia, Vol. 18(11): 674-688, October 2016." The final published version is available at:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neo.2016.09.002 Copyright © 2016, Elsevier.Hu-antigen R (HuR) is an RNA-binding posttranscriptional regulator that belongs to the Hu/ELAV family. HuR expression levels are modulated by a variety of proteins, microRNAs, chemical compounds, or the microenvironment, and in turn, HuR affects mRNA stability and translation of various genes implicated in breast cancer formation, progression, metastasis, and treatment. The aim of the present review is to critically summarize the role of HuR in breast cancer development and its potential as a prognosticator and a therapeutic target. In this aspect, all the existing English literature concerning HuR expression and function in breast cancer cell lines, in vivo animal models, and clinical studies is critically presented and summarized. HuR modulates many genes implicated in biological processes crucial for breast cancer formation, growth, and metastasis, whereas the link between HuR and these processes has been demonstrated directly in vitro and in vivo. Additionally, clinical studies reveal that HuR is associated with more aggressive forms of breast cancer and is a putative prognosticator for patients' survival. All the above indicate HuR as a promising drug target for cancer therapy; nevertheless, additional studies are required to fully understand its potential and determine against which types of breast cancer and at which stage of the disease a therapeutic agent targeting HuR would be more effective.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio