Complete Boolean algebras are Bousfield lattices

Given a complete Heyting algebra we construct an algebraic tensor triangulated category whose Bousfield lattice is the Booleanization of the given Heyting algebra. As a consequence we deduce that any complete Boolean algebra is the Bousfield lattice of some tensor triangulated category. Using the same ideas we then give two further examples illustrating some interesting behaviour of the Bousfield lattice.Comment: 10 pages, update to clarify the products occurring in the main constructio

Perceptions and views of regulatory pharmacists on the registration system for generic drugs for human use in Kenya

Background: Generic drugs play an important role in the delivery of healthcare services in Kenya because of their affordability and availability. The Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) is the body mandated to regulate the manufacture and supply of all drugs in Kenya. Approximately 90% of all applications for registration of drugs in Kenya are for generic drugs; however, there are concerns about the quality of generic drugs supplied to patients in Kenya.Objective: The study aimed to investigate the perceptions and views of the regulatory pharmacists on the registration system for generic drugs in Kenya, and the role of the National Quality Control Laboratory (NQCL).Design: A cross-sectional survey was designed to collect the views and perceptions of regulatory pharmacists on the system for the registration of generic drugs for human use in Kenya.Setting: The survey was conducted in the capital city of Kenya, Nairobi from January to February 2007. Nairobi was selected because it has a high concentration of pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors involved in drug registration.Participants: The sample included regulatory pharmacists working in the registration departments of pharmaceutical companies dealing in generic drugs for human use. A sample of 40 participants was recruited for the survey and a response rate of 60% was targeted.Results: Over half (55.6%) of the respondents reported satisfaction with the drug registration system while 33.3% were unsatisfied. The level of satisfaction did not seem to be associated with the length of time it takes to register a generic drug (p-value=0.74) or the gender of the respondent (p-value=0.94). The respondents had confidence in the analytical procedures carried out by NQCL but were less satisfied with its role in generic drug registration process. The respondents made a number of recommendations towards better drug registration mechanisms for generic drugs in Kenya.Conclusion: The study suggests that although the drug registration procedures appear to be working, there is need for improvement. One area in which the registration of generic drugs in Kenya can benefit is in the observation of the operation of what other countries have done to streamline their drug registration systems

Behavioral implications of shortlisting procedures

We consider two-stage “shortlisting procedures” in which the menu of alternatives is first pruned by some process or criterion and then a binary relation is maximized. Given a particular first-stage process, our main result supplies a necessary and sufficient condition for choice data to be consistent with a procedure in the designated class. This result applies to any class of procedures with a certain lattice structure, including the cases of “consideration filters,” “satisficing with salience effects,” and “rational shortlist methods.” The theory avoids background assumptions made for mathematical convenience; in this and other respects following Richter’s classical analysis of preference-maximizing choice in the absence of shortlisting

Supersymmetric sound in fluids

We consider the hydrodynamics of supersymmetric fluids. Supersymmetry is broken spontaneously and the low energy spectrum includes a fermionic massless mode, the $\mathit{phonino}$. We use two complementary approaches to describe the system: First, we construct a generating functional from which we derive the equations of motion of the fluid and of the phonino propagating through the fluid. We write the form of the leading corrections in the derivative expansion, and show that the so called diffusion terms in the supercurrent are in fact not dissipative. Second, we use an effective field theory approach which utilizes a non-linear realization of supersymmetry to analyze the interactions between phoninos and phonons, and demonstrate the conservation of entropy in ideal fluids. We comment on possible phenomenological consequences for gravitino physics in the early universe.Comment: Modified introduction and discussion of diffusion terms in the supercurren

The N-terminal intrinsically disordered domain of mgm101p is localized to the mitochondrial nucleoid.

The mitochondrial genome maintenance gene, MGM101, is essential for yeasts that depend on mitochondrial DNA replication. Previously, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it has been found that the carboxy-terminal two-thirds of Mgm101p has a functional core. Furthermore, there is a high level of amino acid sequence conservation in this region from widely diverse species. By contrast, the amino-terminal region, that is also essential for function, does not have recognizable conservation. Using a bioinformatic approach we find that the functional core from yeast and a corresponding region of Mgm101p from the coral Acropora millepora have an ordered structure, while the N-terminal domains of sequences from yeast and coral are predicted to be disordered. To examine whether ordered and disordered domains of Mgm101p have specific or general functions we made chimeric proteins from yeast and coral by swapping the two regions. We find, by an in vivo assay in S.cerevisiae, that the ordered domain of A.millepora can functionally replace the yeast core region but the disordered domain of the coral protein cannot substitute for its yeast counterpart. Mgm101p is found in the mitochondrial nucleoid along with enzymes and proteins involved in mtDNA replication. By attaching green fluorescent protein to the N-terminal disordered domain of yeast Mgm101p we find that GFP is still directed to the mitochondrial nucleoid where full-length Mgm101p-GFP is targeted

Tracking Target Signal Strengths on a Grid using Sparsity

Multi-target tracking is mainly challenged by the nonlinearity present in the measurement equation, and the difficulty in fast and accurate data association. To overcome these challenges, the present paper introduces a grid-based model in which the state captures target signal strengths on a known spatial grid (TSSG). This model leads to \emph{linear} state and measurement equations, which bypass data association and can afford state estimation via sparsity-aware Kalman filtering (KF). Leveraging the grid-induced sparsity of the novel model, two types of sparsity-cognizant TSSG-KF trackers are developed: one effects sparsity through $\ell_1$-norm regularization, and the other invokes sparsity as an extra measurement. Iterative extended KF and Gauss-Newton algorithms are developed for reduced-complexity tracking, along with accurate error covariance updates for assessing performance of the resultant sparsity-aware state estimators. Based on TSSG state estimates, more informative target position and track estimates can be obtained in a follow-up step, ensuring that track association and position estimation errors do not propagate back into TSSG state estimates. The novel TSSG trackers do not require knowing the number of targets or their signal strengths, and exhibit considerably lower complexity than the benchmark hidden Markov model filter, especially for a large number of targets. Numerical simulations demonstrate that sparsity-cognizant trackers enjoy improved root mean-square error performance at reduced complexity when compared to their sparsity-agnostic counterparts.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Trans. on Signal Processin

Norovirus infection in primary immune deficiency

Norovirus is acknowledged to be a leading cause of acute gastroenteritis worldwide, and its importance as a cause of chronic infection in immune deficient hosts is increasingly recognised. Current evidence suggests that a coordinated response of innate immune mechanisms, CD8+ cytotoxicity and a humoral response, with CD4+ orchestration, is necessary for norovirus clearance. We explain how primary immune deficiency impairs these host defences and predisposes to chronic infection, associated with protracted diarrhoea, weight loss, and requirement for parenteral nutrition. The mucosal villous atrophy frequently seen in norovirus infection appears to be immune mediated, suggesting that some functional immune response is required in order for chronic norovirus infection to become symptomatic in primary immune deficiency. We provide a comprehensive summary of published cases of norovirus infection in patients with primary immune deficiency. Spontaneous viral clearance has been described; however, the majority of reported cases have had prolonged and severe illness. Treatment strategies are discussed in detail. Approaches that have been tried in patients with primary immune deficiency include exclusion diets, enteral and intravenous immunoglobulins, breast milk, immunosuppressants, ribavirin, and nitazoxanide. To date, only ribavirin has been used with apparent success to achieve clearance of chronic norovirus in primary immune deficiency, and randomised controlled trials are needed to evaluate a number of promising therapies that are discussed

Expression of CD33 is a predictive factor for effect of gemtuzumab ozogamicin at different doses in adult acute myeloid leukaemia

It remains unclear in adult acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) whether leukaemic expression of CD33, the target antigen for gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO), adds prognostic information on GO effectiveness at different doses. CD33 expression quantified in 1583 patients recruited to UK-NCRI-AML17 (younger adults) and UK-NCRI-AML16 (older adults) trials was correlated with clinical outcomes and benefit from GO including a dose randomisation. CD33 expression associated with genetic subgroups, including lower levels in both adverse karyotype and core-binding factor (CBF)-AML, but was not independently prognostic. When comparing GO versus no GO (n=393, CBF-AMLs excluded) by stratified subgroup-adjusted analysis, patients with lowest quartile (Q1) Í33-positivity had no benefit from GO (relapse risk, HR 2.41 (1.27–4.56), P=0.009 for trend; overall survival, HR 1.52 (0.92–2.52)). However, from the dose randomisation (NCRI-AML17, n=464, CBF-AMLs included), 6 mg/m2 GO only had a relapse benefit without increased early mortality in CD33-low (Q1) patients (relapse risk HR 0.64 (0.36–1.12) versus 1.70 (0.99–2.92) for CD33-high, P=0.007 for trend). Thus CD33 expression is a predictive factor for GO effect in adult AML; although GO does not appear to benefit the non-CBF AML patients with lowest CD33 expression a higher GO dose may be more effective for CD33-low but not CD33-high younger adults