CHANCE CONSTRAINED PROGRAMMING MODELS FOR RISK-BASED ECONOMIC AND POLICY ANALYSIS OF SOIL CONSERVATION

The random nature of soil loss under alternative land-use practices should be an important consideration of soil conservation planning and analysis under risk. Chance constrained programming models can provide information on the trade-offs among pre-determined tolerance levels of soil loss, probability levels of satisfying the tolerance levels, and economic profits or losses resulting from soil conservation to soil conservation policy makers. When using chance constrained programming models, the distribution of factors being constrained must be evaluated. If random variables follow a log-normal distribution, the normality assumption, which is generally used in the chance constrained programming models, can bias the results.Risk and Uncertainty,

Health problems in geriatric population of age group ≥70 years in rural Kerala, India: a cross sectional study

Background: The proportion of elderly population is increasing considerably world over. The health and socio-economic issues of this section is to be considered separately and in depth insights about them is needed for formulating elderly friendly health policy. This study intends toidentify the important health concerns of elderly population above the age group of 70 years in a rural area in North Kerala, India.Methods: It is a community based cross-sectional descriptive study involving all individuals above the age group of 70 years in a randomly selected panchayath ward from rural North Kerala. The data regarding demography, socioeconomic aspects, medical history, access to health care and treatment of chronic illnesses were collected through interview of study participants by a trained health care volunteer using a pre-validated questionnaire.Results: A total of 93 individuals above the age group of 70 years were included in the study out of which 63% were females and 37% males. In the study population 55.9% of the elderly were widowed and 87.1 % were staying along with their children. Almost 75% of the elderly received social welfare pension from government agencies and 14.3% received service pensions. 67.74% of the study population were hypertensive and 35.56% were diabetic. Other health issues included arthritis, coronary artery disease, chronic kidney disease, genito urinary symptoms and cerebrovascular accident.Conclusion:  The study provide valuable insights into the health and social issues of elderly in Kerala and points to the importance of formulating an elderly friendly health policy in the state

Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth in cirrhosis is related to the severity of liver disease

Background: Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is known to be present in patients with cirrhosis, predisposing to various complications. Aim To determine the frequency of SIBO in cirrhotics and correlate with severity of cirrhosis. Methods: Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth was determined by glucose-hydrogen breath test (GHBT). A basal breath-hydrogen >20 ppm or a rise by ≥12 ppm above baseline following glucose administration was taken as positive test. Prevalence of SIBO in cirrhotics was compared with healthy controls and correlated with severity of cirrhosis. Results: Of the 53 cirrhotics, 26 (49%) had SIBO, compared to one (8%) control (P = 0.010). The prevalence of SIBO increased with severity of cirrhosis (Child-Pugh A 20%, B 52% and C 73%; P = 0.013). On multivariate analysis, SIBO was independently associated with serum bilirubin and ascites. The best cut-off of serum bilirubin was ≥2 mg/dL [AUROC 0.77 (95% CI 0.64-0.90)] predicting SIBO with sensitivity 65%, specificity 81%, positive predictive value 77%, negative predictive value 71% and accuracy 74%. Patients having combination of ascites and serum bilirubin ≥2 mg/dL had 82% chance, while patients having neither had only 10% chance of having SIBO. Conclusions: Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth was prevalent in about half of cirrhotics. Its frequency increased with increase in severity of cirrhosis. Ascites and raised serum bilirubin reliably predicted presence of SIBO

Protease inhibitors selectively block T cell receptor-triggered programmed cell death in a murine T cell hybridoma and activated peripheral T cells.

The hypothesis that cytoplasmic proteases play a functional role in programmed cell death was tested by examining the effect of protease inhibitors on the T cell receptor-mediated death of the 2B4 murine T cell hybridoma and activated T cells. The cysteine protease inhibitors trans-epoxysuccininyl-L-leucylamido-(4-guanidino) butane (E-64) and leupeptin, the calpain selective inhibitor acetyl-leucyl-leucyl-normethional, and the serine protease inhibitors diisopropyl fluorophosphate and phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, all showed dose-dependent blocking of the 2B4 death response triggered by the T cell receptor complex and by anti-Thy-1. These protease inhibitors enhanced rather than inhibited IL-2 secretion triggered by T cell receptor cross-linking, showing that they did not act by preventing signal transduction. Growth inhibition induced by cross-linking the 2B4 T cell receptor, measured by inhibition of thymidine incorporation, was not generally blocked by these protease inhibitors. All five of these protease inhibitors enhanced rather than blocked 2B4 cell death triggered by dexamethasone, an agent previously shown to have a death pathway antagonistic with that of the TCR. 2B4 cytolysis by the cytotoxic agents staphylococcal α-toxin and dodecyl imidazole, and that caused by hypotonic conditions, was not significantly affected by the five protease inhibitors tested. The selected protease inhibitors blocked both the apoptotic nuclear morphology changes and DNA fragmentation induced by T cell receptor cross-linking, and enhanced both these properties induced by dexamethasone in 2B4 cells. The T cell receptor-induced death of activated murine lymph node T cells and human peripheral blood CD4+ T cells was blocked by both cysteine and serine protease inhibitors, showing that the protease-dependent death pathway also operates in these systems

Different Interleukin-1β Converting Enzyme (ICE) Family Protease Requirements for the Apoptotic Death of T Lymphocytes Triggered by Diverse Stimuli

Two cell permeable peptide fluoromethyl ketone inhibitors of Interleukin-1β converting enzyme (ICE) family proteases were tested as inhibitors of apoptotic cell death of T lymphocytes at various stages of differentiation. The CPP-32–like protease activity in apoptotic cell lysates was blocked by both the ICE inhibitor Cbz-Val-Ala-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethyl ketone (ZVADFMK) as well as its truncated analog Boc-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethyl ketone (BD-FMK), which failed to block ICE. In vitro apoptotic death in murine thymocytes triggered by the independent agents dexamethasone, etoposide, radiation, anti-Fas, and anti-CD3 was blocked equally well by BD-FMK and ZVAD-FMK, but not by the control reagent Cbz-Phe-Ala-fluoromethyl ketone. In activated T cell blasts, while anti-CD3/ Fas-induced death was almost completely inhibited by both ZVAD-FMK and BD-FMK, death induced by dexamethasone, etoposide, or irradiation was more sensitive to inhibition by BD-FMK. In the murine T cell line CTLL-2, apoptotic death induced by IL-2 withdrawal, etoposide, or dexamethasone was inhibited by BD-FMK, while ZVAD-FMK was without effect. These data indicate that ICEfamily proteases comprise a common functional step in distinct T cell apoptotic death pathways, but suggest that different family members are likely to be critical in various differentiated T cell types, even when triggered by the same stimulus

Overcoming Bias Against Funding of Female-Led Entrepreneurial Initiatives: The Democratizing Influence of Online Crowdlending Platforms

Crowdlending platforms are becoming an increasingly prominent alternative funding channel for marginalized entrepreneurs to traditional financing. We examine whether the gender bias generally seen in conventional funding channels extends to the funding of female-led ventures in online platforms and how this potential bias affects service businesses. Our analysis of the KIVA crowdlending platform suggests that while online crowdlending platforms exert a democratizing influence on the funding of female entrepreneurial ventures, female-led service businesses were less able to get financing, mainly for larger loan amounts and longer loan terms. Our findings have significant implications for female entrepreneurs working for marginalized/social causes

Chemical characteristics of aerosols in MABL of bay of Bengal and Arabian sea during spring inter-monsoon: a comparative study

The chemical composition of aerosols in the Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layer (MABL) of Bay of Bengal (BoB) and Arabian Sea (AS) has been studied during the spring and inter-monsoon (March-May 2006) based on the analysis of water soluble constituents (Na+, NH4+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Cl-, NO3- and SO42-), crustal elements (Al, Fe, and Ca) and carbonaceous species (EC, OC). The total suspended particulates (TSP) ranged from 5.2 to 46.6 μg m-3 and 8.2 to 46.9 μg m-3 during the sampling transects in the BoB and AS respectively. The water-soluble species, on average, accounted for 44% and 33% of TSP over BoB and AS respectively, with dominant contribution of SO42- over both the oceanic regions. However, distinct differences with respect to elevated abundances of NH4+ in the MABL of BoB and that of Na+ and Ca2+ in AS are clearly evident. The non-sea-salt component of SO42- ranging from 82 to 98% over BoB and 35 to 98% over AS; together with nss-Ca2+/nss-SO42- equivalent ratios 0.12 to 0.5 and 0.2 to 1.16, respectively, provide evidence for the predominance of anthropogenic constituents and chemical transformation processes occurring within MABL. The concentrations of OC and EC average around 1.9 and 0.4 μg m-3 in BoB and exhibit a decreasing trend from north to south; however, abundance of these carbonaceous species are not significantly pronounced over AS. The abundance of Al, used as a proxy for mineral aerosols, varied from 0.2 to 1.9 μg m-3 over BoB and AS, with a distinctly different spatial pattern - decreasing north to south in BoB in contrast to an increasing pattern in the Arabian Sea

Role of antigen, CD8, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) avidity in high dose antigen induction of apoptosis of effector CTL

Experimental data suggest that negative selection of thymocytes can occur as a result of supraoptimal antigenic stimulation. It is unknown, however, whether, such mechanisms are at work in mature CD8+ T lymphocytes. Here, we show that CD8+ effector cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) are susceptible to proliferative inhibition by high dose peptide antigen, leading to apoptotic death mediated by TNF-α release. Such inhibition is not reflected in the cytolytic potential of the CTL, since concentrations of antigen that are inhibitory for proliferation promote efficient lysis of target cells. Thus, although CTL have committed to the apoptotic pathway, the kinetics of this process are such that CTL function can occur before death of the CTL. The concentration of antigen required for inhibition is a function of the CTL avidity, in that concentrations of antigen capable of completely inhibiting high avidity CTL maximally stimulate low avidity CTL. Importantly, the inhibition can be detected in both activated and resting CTL. Blocking studies demonstrate that the CD8 molecule contributes significantly to the inhibitory signal as the addition of anti-CD8 antibody restores the proliferative response. Thus, our data support the model that mature CD8+ CTL can accommodate an activation signal of restricted intensity, which, if surpassed, results in deletion of that cell

Нейтронографическое исследование структурного перехода кубическая–тетрагональная фаза в монокристаллах твердых растворов оксида циркония с оксидом иттрия

Objectives. The determination of the phase relations, crystallographic characteristics, microstructure features, and atomic crystal structure of zirconium oxide crystals that are partially and completely stabilized by yttrium oxide additives, and the identification of the crystallographic and crystal-chemical correlations with the physicochemical properties of single crystals.Methods. The neutron structure of the crystals was studied using the neutron time-of-flight and constant wavelength methods using a high-resolution Fourier diffractometer on the IBR-2 pulsed fast reactor and a four-circle neutron diffractometer “Syntex.” Single crystals were grown by directed crystallization from the melts of mixtures (1 − х)ZrO2 ∙хY2O3 , х = 0.03 and х = 0.12 with different growth rates (10 and 40 mm/h).Results. It was observed that when growing single crystals with x = 0.03–0.05, the crystal was stratified into cubic and tetragonal phases, and the ratio between the phases depended on the growth rate. At a growth rate of 40 mm/h, the content of the cubic phase was insignificant. In the crystals of partially stabilized zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) with the additions of 3 mol % Y2O3, the coherent coexistence of cubic and tetragonal phases was established, and the twin law for a tetragonal component (rotation of unit cell axis by 90° around the a (b) axis) that was observed during the phase transition from high-temperature cubic phase to tetragonal phase was determined. For the fully stabilized zirconium oxide of the cubic symmetry (with 12 mol % Y2O3), the 0.3 Å displacements of oxygen atoms from their partial structural positions in the directions [100] and [111] were determined. These displacements correlated with the directions of the ion transport.Conclusions. Previous studies have shown that the ratio between the cubic and tetragonal phases of the single crystals of the ZrO2 –Y2O3 system depends on the growth rate of the single crystals. The content of Y2O3 in the cubic and tetragonal phases of a single crystal was determined using the non-destructive neutronography method on the same volume sample of a solid solution of this system. Moreover, the displacements of oxygen atoms from the main position of the crystal were determined.Цели. Определение фазовых соотношений, кристаллографических характеристик, особенностей микроструктуры и атомно-кристаллической структуры кристаллов оксида циркония, частично и полностью стабилизированных добавками оксида иттрия, выявление кристаллографических и кристаллохимических корреляций с физико-химическими свойствами монокристаллов.Методы. Нейтроноструктурные исследования кристаллов проведены методами времени пролета нейтронов и постоянной длины волны с использованием Фурье дифрактометра высокого разрешения на импульсном быстром реакторе ИБР-2 и четырехкружного нейтронного дифрактометра «Синтекс». Монокристаллы были выращены направленной кристаллизацией из расплавов смесей (1 – х)ZrO2 ∙хY2O3 , х = 0.03 и 0.12 с разными скоростями роста (10 и 40 мм/ч).Результаты. Установлено, что при выращивании монокристаллов с х = 0.03–0.05 происходит расслоение кристалла на кубическую и тетрагональную фазы, соотношение между которыми зависит от скорости выращивания. При скорости роста 40 мм/ч содержание кубической фазы незначительно. В кристаллах частично стабилизированного диоксида циркония ZrO2 (c добавками 3 mol % Y2O3) установлено когерентное сосуществование кубической и тетрагональной фаз и определен закон двойникования для тетрагональной компоненты (вращение осей элементарной ячейки на 90° вокруг осей a (b)), возникающего при фазовом переходе из высокотемпературной кубической фазы в тетрагональную. Для полностью стабилизированного диоксида циркония кубической симметрии (с 12 mol % Y2O3) определены смещения атомов кислорода на 0.3 Å из их частных структурных позиций в направлениях [100] и [111]. Эти смещения коррелирует с направлениями ионного транспорта.Выводы. Исследования показали, что соотношение между кубической фазой и тетрагональной фазой монокристаллов системы ZrO2 –Y2O3 зависит от скорости выращивания монокристаллов. На одном и том же объемном образце твердого раствора этой системы неразрушающим методом нейтронографии определено содержание Y2O3 и в кубической, и в тетрагональной фазе монокристалла. Определены смещения атомов кислорода из основной позиции кристалла

Early identification of haemodynamic response to pharmacotherapy is essential for primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding in patients with 'high-risk' varices

Background: A beta-blocker is recommended for primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding; however, only one-third have hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) response. The role of addition of isosorbide-5-mononitrate (ISMN) to beta-blocker and benefits of HVPG-guided 'a la carte' approach remain unclear. Aim: To determine the benefits of HVPG-guided pharmacotherapy in primary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding using beta-blocker and ISMN. Patients and methods: Consecutive patients of cirrhosis, with high-risk varices, with no previous variceal bleeding were included. After baseline HVPG, patients received incremental propranolol to achieve HR of 55/min. After one-month, HVPG was repeated to determine response (<12 mmHg or ≥20% reduction). ISMN was added in nonresponders and HVPG repeated. Patients were followed up for 24 months. Results: Of 56 patients (age 47 ± 13, males 79%) from 89 eligible patients, 21 (38%) responded to beta-blocker alone. Six additional patients responded to combination. Thus, overall 48% (27/56) patients responded. Variceal bleeding occurred in seven of 56 (13%) patients [one of 27 (4%) responder, five of 23 (22%) nonresponders and one of six (17%) with unknown response; P = N.S.]. The actuarial probability of variceal bleeding at median 24 months was 4% in responders and 22% in nonresponders (P < 0.05). Ten (18%) patients developed adverse effects to propranolol and six of 35 (17%) to nitrates requiring dose reduction. Risk factors of variceal bleed were grade IV varices and haemodynamic nonresponse. Conclusions: For primary prophylaxis, a beta-blocker is effective in 38% and addition of ISMN raises the response rate to about half of patients. The HVPG-guided 'a la carte' approach may be considered for these patients