They're Are Dying at Their Desks in China as Epidemic of Stress Proves Fatal.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-29/is-work-killing-you-in-china-workers-die-at-their-desks.html

Chinese banking regulator Li Jianhua literally worked himself to death. After 26 years of “always putting the cause of the party and the people” first, his employersaid this month, the 48-year-old official died rushing to finish a report before the sun came up.

China is facing an epidemic of overwork, to hear the state-controlled press and Chinese social media tell it. About 600,000Chinese a year die from working too hard, according to the China Youth Daily. China Radio International in April reported a toll of 1,600 every day.

Microblogging website Weibo is filled with complaints about stressed-out lives and chatter about reports of others, young and old, worked to death: a 24-year-old junior employee at Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Inc., a 25-year-old auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP; one of the chief designers of China’s next-generation fighter planes at state-run AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Corp.

“What’s the point of working overtime so you can work to death?” asked one commentator on Weibo, lamenting that his boss told employees to spend more time on the job.

The rising death rate comes as China’s workforce appears to be getting the upper hand, with a shrinking labor pool able to demand higher wages and factory workers regularly going on strike. The message hasn’t gotten through to China’s white-collar warriors. In exchange for starting salaries typically double blue-collar pay, they put in hours of overtime on top of eight-hour workdays, often in violation of Chinese labor law, according to Geoffrey Crothall, spokesman for Hong Kong-based labor-advocacy group the China Labour Bulletin.

A woman works online in her cubicle at an office in Beijing.

Cubicle jockeys like regulator Li toil overtime in a society where issues of work-life balance are low on the agenda and self-sacrifice is the norm.

Regulation of Erythropoiesis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoiesis

A feedback loop involving erythropoietin helps regulate the process of erythropoiesis so that, in non-disease states, the production of red blood cells is equal to the destruction of red blood cells and the red blood cell number is sufficient to sustain adequate tissue oxygen levels but not so high as to cause sludging, thrombosis, orstroke. Erythropoietin is produced in the kidney and liver in response to low oxygen levels. In addition, erythropoietin is bound by circulating red blood cells; low circulating numbers lead to a relatively high level of unbound erythropoietin, which stimulates production in the bone marrow.

Recent studies have also shown that the peptide hormone hepcidin may play a role in the regulation of hemoglobin production, and thus affect erythropoiesis. The liver produces hepcidin. Hepcidin controls iron absorption in the gastrointestinal tract and iron release from reticuloendothelial tissue. Iron must be released frommacrophages in the bone marrow to be incorporated into the heme group of hemoglobin in erythrocytes. There are colony forming units that the cells follow during their formation. These cells are referred to as the committed cells including the granulocyte monocyte colony forming units

Loss of function of the erythropoietin receptor or JAK2 in mice cells causes failure in erythropoiesis, so production of red blood cells in embryos and growth is disrupted. If there is no feedback inhibition, such as suppressors of cytokine signaling proteins in the system, that would cause giantism in mice.

Characteristics seen in erythrocytes during Erythropoiesis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoiesis

As they mature, a number of erythrocyte characteristics change: The size of the cell is reduced and the cytoplasmic matrix increases in amount, and the staining reaction of the cytoplasm changes from blue to pinkish red because of the decrease in the amount of RNA and DNA. Initially, the nucleus is large in size and contains open chromatin. But as red blood cells mature the size of the nucleus decreases and finally disappears with the condensation of the chromatin material.

Haematopoiesis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoiesis

Erythrocyte Differentiation.(Various Stages of Stem Cells)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoiesis

In the process of red blood cell maturation, a cell undergoes a series of differentiations. The following stages of development all occur within the bone marrow:

1. A Hemocytoblast, a multipotent hematopoietic stem cell, becomes
2. a common myeloid progenitor or a multipotent stem cell, and then
3. a unipotent stem cell, then
4. a pronormoblast, also commonly called an proerythroblast or a rubriblast.
5. This becomes a basophilic or early normoblast, also commonly called an erythroblast, then
6. a polychromatophilic or intermediate normoblast, then
7. an orthochromatic or late normoblast. At this stage the nucleus is expelled before the cell becomes
8. a reticulocyte.

The cell is released from the bone marrow after Stage 7, and so in newly circulating red blood cells there are about 1% reticulocytes. After one to two days, these ultimately become "erythrocytes" or mature red blood cells.

These stages correspond to specific appearances of the cell when stained with Wright's stain and examined by light microscopy, and correspond to other biochemical changes.

In the process of maturation, a basophilic pronormoblast is converted from a cell with a large nucleus and a volume of 900 fL to an enucleated disc with a volume of 95 fL. By the reticulocyte stage, the cell has extruded its nucleus, but is still capable of producing hemoglobin.

Essential for the maturation of red blood cells are Vitamin B₁₂ (cobalamin) and Vitamin B₉ (Folic acid). Lack of either causes maturation failure in the process of erythropoiesis, which manifests clinically as reticulocytopenia, an abnormally low amount of reticulocytes.

Erythropoiesis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythropoiesis

Erythropoiesis (from Greek 'erythro' meaning "red" and 'poiesis' meaning "to make") is the process by which red blood cells (erythrocytes) are produced. It is stimulated by decreased O₂ in circulation, which is detected by the kidneys, which then secrete the hormone erythropoietin.This hormone stimulates proliferation and differentiation of red cell precursors, which activates increased erythropoiesis in the hemopoietic tissues, ultimately producing red blood cells.In postnatal birds and mammals (including humans), this usually occurs within the red bone marrow.In the early fetus, erythropoiesis takes place in the mesodermal cells of the yolk sac. By the third or fourth month, erythropoiesis moves to the liver After seven months, erythropoiesis occurs in the bone marrow. Increased level of physical activity can cause an increase in erythropoiesis.However, in humans with certain diseases and in some animals, erythropoiesis also occurs outside the bone marrow, within the spleen or liver. This is termed extramedullary erythropoiesis.

Blood Diseases and Diagnosis.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

• Aplastic anemia is caused by the inability of the bone marrow to produce blood cells.

• Pure red cell aplasia is caused by the inability of the bone marrow to produce only red blood cells.

Effect of osmotic pressure on blood cells

Micrographs of the effects of osmotic pressure

• Hemolysis is the general term for excessive breakdown of red blood cells. It can have several causes and can result inhemolytic anemia.

• The malaria parasite spends part of its life-cycle in red blood cells, feeds on their hemoglobin and then breaks them apart, causing fever. Both sickle-cell disease and thalassemia are more common in malaria areas, because these mutations convey some protection against the parasite.

• Polycythemias (or erythrocytoses) are diseases characterized by a surplus of red blood cells. The increased viscosity of the blood can cause a number of symptoms.

• In polycythemia vera the increased number of red blood cells results from an abnormality in the bone marrow.

• Several microangiopathic diseases, including disseminated intravascular coagulation and thrombotic microangiopathies, present with pathognomonic (diagnostic) red blood cell fragments called schistocytes. These pathologies generate fibrinstrands that sever red blood cells as they try to move past a thrombus.

• Hemolytic transfusion reaction is the destruction of donated red blood cells after a transfusion, mediated by host antibodies, often as a result of a blood type mismatch.

Several blood tests involve red blood cells, including the RBC count (the number of red blood cells per volume of blood), thehematocrit (percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells), and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Many diseases involving red blood cells are diagnosed with a blood film (or peripheral blood smear), where a thin layer of blood is smeared on a microscope slide. The blood type needs to be determined to prepare for a blood transfusion or an organ transplantation.

Blood Diseases.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

• Anemias (or anaemias) are diseases characterized by low oxygen transport capacity of the blood, because of low red cell count or some abnormality of the red blood cells or the hemoglobin.

• Iron deficiency anemia is the most common anemia; it occurs when the dietary intake or absorption of iron is insufficient, and hemoglobin, which contains iron, cannot be formed

• Sickle-cell disease is a genetic disease that results in abnormal hemoglobin molecules. When these release their oxygen load in the tissues, they become insoluble, leading to mis-shaped red blood cells. These sickle shaped red cells are less deformable and viscoelastic meaning that they have become rigid and can cause blood vessel blockage, pain, strokes, and other tissue damage.

• Thalassemia is a genetic disease that results in the production of an abnormal ratio of hemoglobin subunits.

• Hereditary spherocytosis syndromes are a group of inherited disorders characterized by defects in the red blood cell's cell membrane, causing the cells to be small, sphere-shaped, and fragile instead of donut-shaped and flexible. These abnormal red blood cells are destroyed by the spleen. Several other hereditary disorders of the red blood cell membrane are known.

• Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease wherein the body lacks intrinsic factor, required to absorb vitamin B₁₂ from food. Vitamin B₁₂ is needed for the production of hemoglobin.

• Aplastic anemia is caused by the inability of the bone marrow to produce blood cells.

Clinical notes on Erythrocytes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

Separation and blood doping

Red blood cells can be obtained from whole blood by centrifugation, which separates the cells from the blood plasma in a process known as blood fractionation.Packed red blood cells, which are made in this way from whole blood with the plasma removed, are used in transfusion medicine.During plasma donation, the red blood cells are pumped back into the body right away and only the plasma is collected.

Some athletes have tried to improve their performance by blood doping: first about 1 litre of their blood is extracted, then the red blood cells are isolated, frozen and stored, to be reinjected shortly before the competition. (Red blood cells can be conserved for 5 weeks at −79 °C or −110 °F) This practice is hard to detect but may endanger the human cardiovascular system which is not equipped to deal with blood of the resulting higher viscosity. Another method of blood doping involves injection with erythropoietin in order to stimulate production of red blood cells. Both practices are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Artificially grown red blood cells

In 2008 it was reported that human embryonic stem cells had been successfully coaxed into becoming erythrocytes in the lab. The difficult step was to induce the cells to eject their nucleus; this was achieved by growing the cells on stromal cells from the bone marrow. It is hoped that these artificial erythrocytes can eventually be used for blood transfusions.

Erythrocytes Studied in Pictures.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

There is an immense size variation in vertebrate erythrocytes, as well as a correlation between cell and nucleus size. Mammalian erythrocytes, which do not contain nuclei, are considerably smaller than those of most other vertebrates.

Typical mammalian erythrocytes: (a) seen from surface; (b) in profile, forming rouleaux; (c) rendered spherical by water; (d) rendered crenate by salt. (c) and (d) do not normally occur in the body.

Scanning electron micrograph of blood cells. From left to right: human erythrocyte, thrombocyte(platelet), leukocyte.

The most common erythrocyte cell membrane lipids, schematically disposed as they are distributed on the bilayer. Relative abundances are not at scale.

Red blood cell membrane proteins separated by SDS-Page and silver stained 

Red Blood Cell membrane major proteins

Erythrocyte Cell Membrane Proteins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

The proteins of the membrane skeleton are responsible for the deformability, flexibility and durability of the red blood cell, enabling it to squeeze through capillaries less than half the diameter of the erythrocyte (7–8 μm) and recovering the discoid shape as soon as these cells stop receiving compressive forces, in a similar fashion to an object made of rubber.

There are currently more than 50 known membrane proteins, which can exist in a few hundred up to a million copies per erythrocyte. Approximately 25 of these membrane proteins carry the various blood group antigens, such as the A, B and Rh antigens, among many others. These membrane proteins can perform a wide diversity of functions, such as transporting ions and molecules across the red cell membrane, adhesion and interaction with other cells such as endothelial cells, as signaling receptors, as well as other currently unknown functions. The blood types of humans are due to variations in surfaceglycoproteins of erythrocytes. Disorders of the proteins in these membranes are associated with many disorders, such ashereditary spherocytosis, hereditary elliptocytosis, hereditary stomatocytosis, and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Asymmetric Phospholipid distribution is critical for the Cell Integrity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

The maintenance of an asymmetric phospholipid distribution in the bilayer (such as an exclusive localization of PS and PIs in the inner monolayer) is critical for the cell integrity and function due to several reasons:

• Macrophages recognize and phagocytose red cells that expose PS at their outer surface. Thus the confinement of PS in the inner monolayer is essential if the cell is to survive its frequent encounters with macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system, especially in the spleen.

• Premature destruction of thallassemic and sickle red cells has been linked to disruptions of lipid asymmetry leading to exposure of PS on the outer monolayer.

• An exposure of PS can potentiate adhesion of red cells to vascular endothelial cells, effectively preventing normal transit through the microvasculature. Thus it is important that PS is maintained only in the inner leaflet of the bilayer to ensure normal blood flow in microcirculation.

• Both PS and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) can regulate membrane mechanical function, due to their interactions with skeletal proteins such asspectrin and protein 4.1R. Recent studies have shown that binding of spectrin to PS promotes membrane mechanical stability. PIP2 enhances the binding ofprotein band 4.1R to glycophorin C but decreases its interaction with protein band 3, and thereby may modulate the linkage of the bilayer to the membrane skeleton.

The presence of specialized structures named "lipid rafts" in the erythrocyte membrane have been described by recent studies. These are structures enriched incholesterol and sphingolipids associated with specific membrane proteins, namely flotillins, stomatins (band 7), G-proteins, and β-adrenergic receptors. Lipid raftsthat have been implicated in cell signaling events in nonerythroid cells have been shown in erythroid cells to mediate β2-adregenic receptor signaling and increase cAMP levels, and thus regulating entry of malarial parasites into normal red cells.

Asymmetric Phospholipid distribution in the Cell Membrane of RBC's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

This asymmetric phospholipid distribution among the bilayer is the result of the function of several energy-dependent and energy-independent phospholipid transport proteins. 

Proteins called “Flippases” move phospholipids from the outer to the inner monolayer, 

while others called “floppases” do the opposite operation, against a concentration gradient in an energy dependent manner. 

Additionally, there are also “scramblase” proteins that move phospholipids in both directions at the same time, down their concentration gradients in an energy independent manner. 

There is still considerable debate ongoing regarding the identity of these membrane maintenance proteins in the red cell membrane.

Erythrocytes Cell Membrane Lipids.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

The erythrocyte cell membrane comprises a typical lipid bilayer, similar to what can be found in virtually all human cells. Simply put, this lipid bilayer is composed of cholesterol and phospholipids in equal proportions by weight. The lipid composition is important as it defines many physical properties such as membrane permeability and fluidity. Additionally, the activity of many membrane proteins is regulated by interactions with lipids in the bilayer.

Unlike cholesterol, which is evenly distributed between the inner and outer leaflets, the 5 major phospholipids are asymmetrically disposed, as shown below:

Outer monolayer

• Phosphatidylcholine (PC);
• Sphingomyelin (SM).

Inner monolayer

• Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE);
• Phosphoinositol (PI) (small amounts).
• Phosphatidylserine (PS)

Call options have the following three Characteristics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_option

All call options have the following three characteristics:

1 Strike price: this is the price at which you can buy the stock (if you have bought a call option) or the price at which you must sell your stock (if you have sold a call option).

2 Expiry date: this is the date on which the option expires, or becomes worthless, if the buyer doesn't exercise it.

3 Premium: this is the price you pay when you buy an option and the price you receive when you sell an option.

The initial transaction in this context (buying/selling a call option) is not the supplying of a physical or financial asset (the underlying instrument). Rather it is the granting of the right to buy the underlying asset, in exchange for a fee — the option price or premium.

Exact specifications may differ depending on option style. A European call option allows the holder to exercise the option (i.e., to buy) only on the option expiration date. An American call option allows exercise at any time during the life of the option.

Call options can be purchased on many financial instruments other than stock in a corporation. Options can be purchased on futures or interest rates, for example (see interest rate cap), and on commodities like gold or crude oil. A tradeable call option should not be confused with either Incentive stock options or with a warrant. An incentive stock option, the option to buy stock in a particular company, is a right granted by a corporation to a particular person (typically executives) to purchasetreasury stock. When an incentive stock option is exercised, new shares are issued. Incentive options are not traded on the open market. In contrast, when a call option is exercised, the underlying asset is transferred from one owner to another.

Example of a Call Option.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_option

For example, if a stock trades at $50 right now and you buy its call option with a $50 strike price, you have the right to purchase that stock for $50 regardless of the current stock price as long as it has not expired. Even if the stock rises to $100, you still have the right to buy that stock for $50 as long as the call option has not expired. Since the payoff of purchased call options increases as the stock price rises, buying call options is considered bullish. When the price of the underlying instrument surpasses the strike price, the option is said to be "in the money". On the other hand, If the stock falls to below $50, the buyer will never exercise the option, since he would have to pay $50 per share when he can buy the same stock for less. If this occurs, the option expires worthless and the option seller keeps the premium as profit. Since the payoff for sold, or written call options increases as the stock price falls, selling call options is considered bearish.

Call Option.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_option

A call option, often simply labeled a "call", is a financial contract between two parties, the buyer and the seller of this type of option.The buyer of the call option has the right, but not the obligation to buy an agreed quantity of a particular commodity or financial instrument (the underlying) from the seller of the option at a certain time (the expiration date) for a certain price (the strike price). The seller (or "writer") is obligated to sell the commodity or financial instrument to the buyer if the buyer so decides. The buyer pays a fee (called a premium) for this right.

When you buy a call option, you are buying the right to buy a stock at the strike price, regardless of the stock price in the future before the expiration date. Conversely, you can short or "write" the call option, giving the buyer the right to buy that stock from you anytime before the option expires. To compensate you for that risk taken, the buyer pays you a premium, also known as the price of the call. The seller of the call is said to have shorted the call option, and keeps the premium (the amount the buyer pays to buy the option) whether or not the buyer ever exercises the option.

Investing in 90/10 Strategy.

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/1/90-10-strategy.asp

Definition of '90/10 Strategy'

An investing strategy that involves deploying 90% of one's investment capital in interest-bearing instruments that have a lower degree of risk, and the balance 10% in high-risk investments. This is a relatively conservative investment strategy that aims to generate higher yields on the overall portfolio. Potential losses will typically be limited to the 10% that is invested in the high-risk investments, depending on the quality of bonds purchased.

Investopedia explains '90/10 Strategy'

A common application of the 90/10 strategy involves the use of short-term Treasury Bills for the fixed-income component (90% of the portfolio), with the balance 10% used for higher risk securities such as equity or index options or warrants.

For example, assume an investor with a $100,000 portfolio uses the 90/10 strategy. He or she invests $90,000 in one-year Treasury Bills that yield 4% per annum, with the balance $10,000 deployed in equity in the S&P 500. If the S&P 500 returns 10% at the end of one year, the overall return on the portfolio would be 4.6% (0.90 x 4% + 0.10 x 10%). However, if the S&P 500 declines by 10%, the overall return on the portfolio after one year would be 2.6% (0.90 x 4% + 0.10 x -10%). 

Atom.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atom

The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons (except in the case of hydrogen-1, which is the only stable nuclide with no neutrons). The electrons of an atom are bound to the nucleus by the electromagnetic force. Likewise, a group of atoms can remain bound to each other by chemical bonds based on the same force, forming a molecule. An atom containing an equal number of protons and electrons is electrically neutral, otherwise it is positively or negatively charged and is known as an ion. An atom is classified according to the number of protons and neutrons in its nucleus: the number of protons determines the chemical element, and the number of neutrons determines the isotope of the element.

Membrane Composition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell

The membrane of the red blood cell plays many roles that aid in regulating their surface deformability, flexibility, adhesion to other cells and immune recognition. These functions are highly dependent on its composition, which defines its properties. The red blood cell membrane is composed of 3 layers: the glycocalyx on the exterior, which is rich in carbohydrates; the lipid bilayer which contains many transmembrane proteins, besides its lipidic main constituents; and the membrane skeleton, a structural network of proteins located on the inner surface of the lipid bilayer. Half of the membrane mass in human and most mammalian erythrocytes are proteins. The other half are lipids, namely phospholipids and cholesterol.