CSR and the Companies Act, 2013: Be Bold, Take Action

Through the Companies Act, 2013, the Indian government recently made Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities mandatory for companies that, in any of the three preceding financial years, had: (i) net profits of USD 769,000 or more; or (ii) net worth of USD 76.92 million or more; or (iii) turnover of USD 153.84 million or more. These provisions were made effective from the financial year starting 1 April 2014. Dasra's report, Be Bold, Take Action: CSR and the Companies Act, 2013, introduces and explains the regulatory provisions, and guides corporate investors through basic social investment issues to help shape new CSR strategies. It also provides a roadmap to document and expand the impact of CSR spending

Anthropometrical profile of elite Spanish judoka: comparative analysis among ages

P. 240-245El objetivo del estudio fue comparar las variables antropométricas en judoka masculino y femenino de los equipos nacionales españoles. Material y métodos: Participaron en este estudio ochenta y siete judokas españoles de todas las categorías de peso: mujeres (n = 46) - cadete (n = 16), junior (n = 12) y senior (n = 18); varones (n = 44) - cadete (n = 18), junior (n = 15) y senior (n = 8). Se realizaron mediciones antropométricas de masa corporal, altura, grosor del pliegue cutáneo, circunferencias y amplitud. También se estimaron los componentes del somatotipo, el índice de masa corporal, la grasa corporal y la masa muscular. Se utilizaron un análisis de varianza de dos vías (género y edad) y la prueba de Tukey para comparar los grupos. Resultados: (1) los hombres eran más pesados, más altos, tenían menor grasa corporal y mayor masa muscular absoluta y valores relativos, circunferencias y diámetros óseos, endomorfos inferiores y componentes mesomorfos superiores que las mujeres; (2) para el grosor del pliegue cutáneo, los hombres presentaron valores más bajos en las extremidades que las mujeres, pero no se encontraron diferencias en el grosor del pliegue cutáneo del tronco; (3) se encontraron pocas diferencias entre las categorías de edad, con cadetes que presentaban menor circunferencia del brazo flexionado y amplitud ósea del húmero epicondilo en comparación con los juveniles junior y senior, y menor masa muscular absoluta en comparación con los seniors; (4) Se observó una tendencia a reducir el dimorfismo sexual en algunas dimensiones antropológicas y en los componentes endomórficos y mesomórficos en todas las categorías de edad. Conclusiones: los atletas de judo de cadetes de nivel morfológicamente alto son muy similares a los atletas de mayor edad y los entrenadores pueden seleccionarlos a partir de estas edades. Estos datos pueden utilizarse como referencia para entrenadores y profesionales del acondicionamiento físicoS

Control of template positioning during de novo initiation of RNA synthesis by the bovine viral diarrhea virus NS5B polymerase

The RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of the hepatitis C virus and the bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is able to initiate RNA synthesis de novo in the absence of a primer. Previous crystallographic datahave pointed to the existence of a GTP-specific binding site (G-site) that is located in the vicinity of the active site of the BVDV enzyme. Here we have studied the functional role of the G-site and present evidence to show that specific GTP binding affects the positioning of the template during de novo initiation. Following the formation of the first phosphodiester bond, the polymerase translocates relative to the newly synthesized dinucleotide, which brings the 5′-end of the primer into the G-site, releasing the previously bound GTP. At this stage, the 3′-end of the template can remain opposite to the 5′-end of the primer or be repositioned to its original location before RNA synthesis proceeds. We show that the template can freely move between the two locations, and both complexes can isomerize to equilibrium. These data suggest that the bound GTP can stabilize the interaction between the 3′-end of the template and the priming nucleotide, preventing the template to overshoot and extend beyond the active site during de novo initiation. The hepatitis C virus enzyme utilizes a dinucleotide primer exclusively from the blunt end; the existence of a functionally equivalent G-site is therefore uncertain. For the BVDV polymerase we showed that de novo initiation is severely compromised by the T320A mutant that likely affects hydrogen bonding between the G-site and the guanine base. Dinucleotide-primed reactions are not influenced by this mutation, which supports the notion that the G-site is located in close proximity but not at the active site of the enzyme. © 2006 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc

Direct measurement of the pion valence quark momentum distribution, the pion light-cone wave function squared

We present the first direct measurements of the pion valence quark momentum distribution which is related to the square of the pion light-cone wave function. The measurements were carried out using data on diffractive dissociation of 500 GeV/c $\pi^-$ into di-jets from a platinum target at Fermilab experiment E791. The results show that the $|q\bar {q}>$ light-cone asymptotic wave function, which was developed using perturbative QCD methods, describes the data well for $Q^2 \sim 10 ~{\rm (GeV/c)^2}$ or more. We also measured the transverse momentum distribution of the diffractive di-jets.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

2022 report from the Auger-TA working group on UHECR arrival directions

After over 60 years, the powerful engines that accelerate ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) to the formidable energies at which we observe them from Earth remain mysterious. Assuming standard physics, we expect UHECR sources to lie within the local Universe (up to a few hundred~Mpc). The distribution of matter in the local Universe is anisotropic, and we expect this anisotropy to be imprinted on the distribution of UHECR arrival directions. Even though intervening intergalactic and Galactic magnetic fields deflect charged UHECRs and can distort these anisotropies, some amount of information on the distribution of the sources is preserved. In this proceedings contribution, we present the results of the joint Pierre Auger Observatory and Telescope Array searches for (a) the largest-scale anisotropies (the harmonic dipole and quadrupole) and (b) correlations with a sample of nearby starburst galaxies and the 2MRS catalogue tracing stellar mass within~250~Mpc. This analysis updates our previous results with the most recent available data, notably with the addition of 3~years of new Telescope Array data. The main finding is a correlation between the arrival directions of $12.1\%_{-3.1\%}^{+4.5\%}$~of UHECRs detected with $E \geq 38$~EeV by~Auger or with~$E \gtrsim 49$~EeV by~TA and the positions of nearby starburst galaxies on a ${15.1\text{deg}}_{-3.0\text{deg}}^{+4.6\text{deg}}$~angular scale, with a $4.7\sigma$~post-trial significance, up from $4.2\sigma$ obtained in our previous study.Comment: proceedings of the 6th International Symposium on Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays (UHECR2022), 3-7 October 2022, L'Aquila, Ital

Estrés oxidativo en judocas de élite sometidos al test de Sterkowicz

P. 380Se presenta una evaluación de los marcadores de estrés oxidativo para poder corregirlos mediante una intervención dietética específica.S

Liana communities exhibit different species composition, diversity and community structure across forest types in the Congo Basin

Lianas are poorly characterized for central African forests. We quantify variation in liana composition, diversity and community structure in different forest types in the Yangambi Man and Biosphere Reserve, Democratic Republic of Congo. These attributes of liana assemblages were examined in 12 1-ha plots, randomly demarcated within regrowth forest, old growth monodominant forest, old growth mixed forest and old growth edge forest. Using a combination of multivariate and univariate community analyses, we visualize the patterns of these liana assemblage attributes and/or test for their significant differences across forest types. The combined 12 1-ha area contains 2,638 lianas (>= 2 cm diameter) representing 105 species, 49 genera and 22 families. Liana species composition differed significantly across forest types. Taxonomic diversity was higher in old growth mixed forests compared to old growth monodominant and regrowth forests. Trait diversity was higher than expected in the regrowth forest as opposed to the rest of forest types. Similarly, the regrowth forest differed from the rest of forest types in the pattern of liana species ecological traits and diameter frequency distribution. The regrowth forest was also less densely populated in lianas and had lower liana total basal area than the rest of forest types. We speculate that the mechanism of liana competitive exclusion by dominant tree species is mainly responsible for the lower liana species diversity in monodominant compared to mixed forests. We attribute variation in liana community structure between regrowth and old growth forests mostly to short development time of size hierarchies

Maintenance and Concomitant Therapy Use with Chlormethine Gel Among Patients with Stage IA/IB Mycosis Fungoides-Type Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (MF-CTCL): A Real-World Evidence Study

Introduction Chlormethine (CL) gel is a skin-directed therapy approved for treatment of stage IA/IB mycosis fungoides-type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (MF-CTCL) in the USA. MF-CTCL has a chronic clinical course, requiring long-term maintenance therapy with one or more therapies. This analysis describes real-world patterns of maintenance therapy and use of concomitant therapy with CL gel among patients with stage IA/IB MF-CTCL. Methods In a US-based registry, MF-CTCL patients treated with CL gel were enrolled between 3/2015 and 10/2018 across 46 centers and followed for up to 2 years. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, CL gel treatment patterns, concomitant treatments, clinical response, and adverse events (AEs) were collected from medical records. Descriptive statistics are reported. Results Of the 206 patients with stage IA/IB MF-CTCL, 58.7% were male, and average age was 60.7 years with 4.6 years since diagnosis. Topical steroids, phototherapy, and topical retinoids were used concomitantly with CL gel in 62.6%, 26.2%, and 6.3% of patients, respectively. Most concomitant therapies (up to 85%) were started before CL gel initiation and, in about half of the cases (up to 57%), were used concurrently for ≥ 12 months. Overall, 158 (76.7%) patients experienced partial response (PR) and 144 continued with maintenance therapy. After achieving PR, most patients (74.3%) kept the same maintenance therapy schedule, most commonly once daily. Of patients who had any skin-related AE (31.6%) or skin-related AEs associated with CL gel (28.2%), nearly half experienced CL gel treatment interruption and ~40% had a dosing reduction. The observed real-world treatment patterns were concordant with National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines. Conclusion The study results suggest that continuing CL gel maintenance therapy and combining treatments with CL gel are common practice in the real-world setting, with most maintained on a stable dosing schedule. Careful management of AEs may help patients maintain long-term optimal dosing with less treatment interruptions and dosing reductions

Spadin, a Sortilin-Derived Peptide, Targeting Rodent TREK-1 Channels: A New Concept in the Antidepressant Drug Design

We found that spadin, a natural peptide derived from sortilin, blocks the mouse TREK-1 channel and might be an efficient and fast-acting antidepressant

Complications associated with transobturator sling procedures: analysis of 233 consecutive cases with a 27 months follow-up

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Backround</p> <p>The transobturator tape procedure (TOT) is an effective surgical treatment of female stress urinary incontinence. However data concerning safety are rare, follow-up is often less than two years, and complications are probably underreported. The aim of this study was to describe early and late complications associated with TOT procedures and identify risk factors for erosions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>It was a 27 months follow-up of a cohort of 233 women who underwent TOT with three different types of slings (Aris^®, Obtape^®, TVT-O^®). Follow-up information was available for 225 (96.6%) women.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There were few per operative complications. Forty-eight women (21.3%) reported late complications including <it>de novo </it>or worsening of preexisting urgencies (10.2%), perineal pain (2.2%), <it>de novo </it>dyspareunia (9%), and vaginal erosion (7.6%). The risk of erosion significantly differed between the three types of slings and was 4%, 17% and 0% for Aris^®, Obtape^®and TVT-O^®respectively (P = 0.001). The overall proportion of women satisfied by the procedure was 72.1%. The percentage of women satisfied was significantly lower in women who experienced erosion (29.4%) compared to women who did not (78.4%) (RR 0.14, 95% CI 0.05-0.38, P < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Late post operative complications are relatively frequent after TOT and can impair patient's satisfaction. Women should be informed of these potential complications preoperatively and require careful follow-up after the procedure. Choice of the safest sling material is crucial as it is a risk factor for erosion.</p