-Thalassemia Mutations among Transfusion-Dependent Thalassemia Major Patients in Northern Iraq

Molecular defects responsible for -thalassemias (thal) were investigated among 254 chromosomes from 127 transfusion-dependent unrelated thalassemic patients from two provinces in Northern Iraq. Among fourteen identified mutations, the seven most common found in 88.2% of the thal chromosomes were: IVS-II-1 (), IVS-I-1 (), codon 8 (), codon 39 (), codon 8/9 (), codon 44 (), and codon 5 (). There were some notable differences in frequencies of various mutations in comparison to other Eastern Mediterranean populations, as well as between the two provinces studied. The latter illustrates the relative heterogeneity of the mutations distribution in Iraq, and the need to screen other areas of the country, to ensure establishing an effective prenatal program.

The Labour Market

This paper summarises research on the labour market done over the past two years at the National Institute. It incorporates research into the determinants of employment—including the role of forward-looking behaviour—wage inflation and real wage models, and comments on some policy issues which have arisen in the past five years or so. The research was not aimed at producing a single approach to labour market behaviour, but touched on several separate topics. In part the present paper reflects this relative heterogeneity, although we will try to emphasise common themes where these are relevant.

Visual Serial Search for Letters, Roman and Arabic Numbers

A repeated measurements design with 30 undergraduate female Ss and 21 secondary school teachers of psychology was used to compare Ss' visual serial search for letters, Roman and Arabic numbers. Across 30-sec. trials with a 30-sec. rest interval between target displays, independent analyses of data from both groups demonstrated that visual serial search for Arabic numbers was significantly superior to search for letters and search for letters was significantly superior to search for Roman numerals. The outcomes might be related to the relative heterogeneity or balance of linear and curvilinear target features.