A study on length-weight relationship, food and feeding habits of Indian scad, Decapterus russelli (Ruppel, 1830) along the northwest coast of India

Length and weight relationship of Decapterus russelli (Ruppell, 1830) is worked out to be W = 0.00312 L³ which indicates the isometric growth of the fish. Study on food and feeding habits revealed that the species is carnivorous, pelagic, feeding primarily on small crustaceans and small fish species, viz. Acetes indicus, ostracods, Apogon sp., Leiognathus sp., sciaenids, Netnipterus japonicas, Myctophid sp., Trichiurus sp., Therapon sp., D.russelli and occasionally on prawns. It is a selective feeder on Aeetes indicus

Rehabilitation of cognitive dysfunction in survivors of breast cancer: a pilot study involving survivor-partner dyads

Purpose: Cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) has been associated with fatigue, emotional distress, reduced quality of life, and caregiver strain. A potential treatment option for those with CRCI is cognitive rehabilitation, a behavioural approach to improve cognitive skills and quality of life. There have been some studies that involve caregivers in aspects of rehabilitation. There are no studies in the literature however, that include direct retraining of survivors on lost functions and concurrent participation by their caregivers across all sessions. To fill this gap, a comprehensive 10-week cognitive rehabilitation program (CRP) was created, with aims to generalize improvement to everyday life in survivors of breast cancer. Methods: A manualized CRP was developed and piloted with breast cancer survivors (BCSs) and their training partners. The program focused on psychoeducation and direct training on communication strategies, breathing/relaxation techniques, simple and complex attention, and higher-order thinking. Outcome measures included feasibility (retention and attendance rates), acceptability (homework compliance, session and program satisfaction), and measures of cognitive functioning and quality of life. BCSs and their individual partner underwent assessments at baseline, immediately after completing the program, and approximately 10 weeks later in order to investigate maintenance effects. Results: Six BCSs (ages 44-59; ≥1 year post-chemotherapy) and their training partners enrolled and completed this study with a (100% retention rate). Rates of attendance were high for both BCSs and their training partners (94% and 92.5% respectively) with all participants indicating high levels of satisfaction with the iv program. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) did not reveal a significant main effect for time on measures of sustained attention, processing speed, executive function, fluency (semantic and phonemic), verbal and visuospatial learning, recall and recognition. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant main effect for time on measures of attentional capacity, focused attention, motor dexterity with the non-dominant hand, confrontation naming, and overall quality of life. Additionally, analyses using adjusted reliable change indices (RCI) were conducted on individual cases. RCIs yielded no change on most measures across time.Master of Arts (MA) in Psycholog

The 1:1 resonance in Extrasolar Systems: Migration from planetary to satellite orbits

We present families of symmetric and asymmetric periodic orbits at the 1/1 resonance, for a planetary system consisting of a star and two small bodies, in comparison to the star, moving in the same plane under their mutual gravitational attraction. The stable 1/1 resonant periodic orbits belong to a family which has a planetary branch, with the two planets moving in nearly Keplerian orbits with non zero eccentricities and a satellite branch, where the gravitational interaction between the two planets dominates the attraction from the star and the two planets form a close binary which revolves around the star. The stability regions around periodic orbits along the family are studied. Next, we study the dynamical evolution in time of a planetary system with two planets which is initially trapped in a stable 1/1 resonant periodic motion, when a drag force is included in the system. We prove that if we start with a 1/1 resonant planetary system with large eccentricities, the system migrates, due to the drag force, {\it along the family of periodic orbits} and is finally trapped in a satellite orbit. This, in principle, provides a mechanism for the generation of a satellite system: we start with a planetary system and the final stage is a system where the two small bodies form a close binary whose center of mass revolves around the star.Comment: to appear in Cel.Mech.Dyn.Ast

El presente y el futuro del Derecho Natural: una conversación con Robert P. George

El artículo presenta una inédita entrevista al Profesor Robert P. George (Universidad de Princeton, Estados Unidos) realizada con el fin de acercar a académicos procedentes de países no anglosajones, una visión panorámica de los principales temas que actualmente son objeto del debate jurídico y político desde una perspectiva no continental. Como se desarrolla en el texto, el ámbito anglosajón ha recuperado la desacreditada noción de derecho natural, a través de la Nueva Escuela del Derecho Natural. A través de esta nueva visión del derecho natural, Robert P George presenta una clara defensa de derechos e instituciones que actualmente se encuentran atacados por la tiranía de "lo políticamente correcto". George por medio la poderosa fuerza de la verdad y por medio de una clara y exquisita argumentación, invita a su interlocutor -sea en las aulas o a través de sus obras- a pensar por sí mismos sin miedo a poner en tela de juicio incluso las ideas y convicciones más profundas. Esto porque si como consecuencia del diálogo recibo luces nuevas que desconocía, puedo rectificar y se acercarme así a una verdad más plena. Si, por el contrario, recibo explicaciones poco fundamentadas o si el razonamiento adolece de fallos lógicos, me servirá para fortalecer las propias ideas, que deben presentarse siempre con la apertura de quien no se considerar infalible. Asimismo se analiza detenidamente la naturaleza del derecho natural, tal como lo entiende la Nueva Escuela de Derecho Natural, en cuya escuela se inscribe como uno de sus principales figuras. Presenta también las críticas de las que, con cierta frecuencia, esta nueva escuela es objeto. Resulta por ello un texto iluminador para juristas y filósofos interesados en conocer de primera mano los principios de la Nueva Escuela de Derecho Natural, aún poco difundida en la tradición continental. aspecto de gran interés es su exposición de la metodología que, a su entender, debe guiar la interpretación constitucional. Para juristas no interiorizados del todo en la tradición del Common Law anglosajón, resulta muy esclarecedora su explicación acerca del modo en que deben proceder los jueces en la resolución de los casos. Estos deben limitarse, indica Robert P George, al papel que la Constitución les ha atribuido: aplicar la ley, tal cual ésta es. De este modo, ante la frecuente tendencia a convertirse indirectamente en legisladores, alerta que ese modo de proceder supone violar la Constitución que han jurado defender. Un tema que se trata en extenso, es el del papel de la religión en la vida pública. Si bien nuestro autor prefiere utilizar argumentos de razón en su defensa de valores, se trate de la protección de la vida humana en todas sus instancias, del matrimonio como la unión de un varón y una mujer abierto a la vida, de la defensa de la libertad, etc. deja claro que la religión constituye una instancia con pleno derecho a participar aportando conocimientos y valores en favor del bien común socio-político, tal como lo han hecho muchas de las figuras más relevantes de la historia de los Estados Unidos. De este modo, no aboga por la neutralidad en el esfera pública, como tampoco apoya un gobierno sacro. Aboga, por una sociedad no sólo “civil” sino “civilizada”, es decir aquella en la que cada ciudadano puede manifestar con sus palabras y su conducta el propio modo de ver las cosas, en un ámbito de respeto mutuo que no se identifica con un relativismo. Sí se espera que cada ciudadano al presentar su ideas o conductas, sea capaz de dar razón de ellas, ya sea desde una perspectiva secular o religiosa.This article presents an unpublished interview with Professor Robert P. George (Princeton University, USA) with the aim of reaching out to scholars from non-Anglo-Saxon countries in order to offer a comprehensive view of the main issues currently being debated by legal and political scholars from a non-continental viewpoint. The text shows how a significant number of Anglo-Saxon scholars have recovered the discredited notion of natural law, through the so-called “New School of Natural Law”. With this new approach to natural law, George presents a clear defense of rights and institutions currently confronted by the tyranny of “the politically correct”. One powerful aspect of this new School includes the elaboration of arguments and counter-arguments to one’s own position. In this way, George invites his participant –whether in the classroom or through his dialectical works– to think for him or herself without fear of questioning even one’s deepest ideas and convictions. As a consequence of this thought process, one is able to receive new lights and, thus, rectify and reach a more complete truth. If, on the contrary, one has unsupported explanations or reasonings with logical fallacies, the method will strengthen one’s personal ideas, which must always be presented with the openness of those who do not consider themselves infallible. The main topic of this article is a detailed analysis of the natural law, as understood by the “New School of Natural Law”, in which George is inscribed as one of its main protagonists. It also presents the criticisms of which this New School is frequently the object. It should be therefore an enlightening text for jurists and philosophers interested in knowing first¬hand the principles of this School, still not widespread in the continental tradition. Another aspect of interest is the exposition of the methodology that, according to George, should guide Constitutional Interpretation. For jurists not fully internalized in the tradition of Anglo-Saxon Common Law, his explanation of how judges should proceed when resolving different cases is insightful. The judges must be limited, says George, to the role that the Constitution has assigned to them: to apply the law as is. Thus, Given the frequent tendency for judges to indirectly become legislators, he warns that this mode of proceeding presupposes frequent violations of the Constitution that they have sworn to defend. Another topic extensively argued is the role of religion in public life. Although George prefers to make use of rational arguments in his defense of values (among them the protection of human life in all its instances, marriage as the union of a man and a woman open to life, or the defense of freedom, etc.), he makes it clear that religion has the right to participate in public life by contributing its knowledge and values in favor of the socio-political common good as many important figures have done in the history of United States. Hence, George does not advocate neutrality in the public sphere, nor does he support the opposite extreme: a “sacred public square”. He supports a society that is not only “civil” but also “civilized”, that is to say, a society in which every citizen can manifest his words and/or his ideas and beliefs in an ambiance of mutual respect. Such a society believes that every citizen not only has the right to think, to believe and to live according to his views, but also is able to give reasons for them, whether from a secular or religious perspective

On the dynamics of Extrasolar Planetary Systems under dissipation. Migration of planets

We study the dynamics of planetary systems with two planets moving in the same plane, when frictional forces act on the two planets, in addition to the gravitational forces. The model of the general three-body problem is used. Different laws of friction are considered. The topology of the phase space is essential in understanding the evolution of the system. The topology is determined by the families of stable and unstable periodic orbits, both symmetric and non symmetric. It is along the stable families, or close to them, that the planets migrate when dissipative forces act. At the critical points where the stability along the family changes, there is a bifurcation of a new family of stable periodic orbits and the migration process changes route and follows the new stable family up to large eccentricities or to a chaotic region. We consider both resonant and non resonant planetary systems. The 2/1, 3/1 and 3/2 resonances are studied. The migration to larger or smaller eccentricities depends on the particular law of friction. Also, in some cases the semimajor axes increase and in other cases they are stabilized. For particular laws of friction and for special values of the parameters of the frictional forces, it is possible to have partially stationary solutions, where the eccentricities and the semimajor axes are fixed.Comment: Accepted in Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronom

Homogeneous nucleation of a non-critical phase near a continuous phase transition

Homogeneous nucleation of a new phase near a second, continuous, transition, is considered. The continuous transition is in the metastable region associated with the first-order phase transition, one of whose coexisting phases is nucleating. Mean-field calculations show that as the continuous transition is approached, the size of the nucleus varies as the response function of the order parameter of the continuous transition. This response function diverges at the continuous transition, as does the temperature derivative of the free energy barrier to nucleation. This rapid drop of the barrier as the continuous transition is approached means that the continuous transition acts to reduce the barrier to nucleation at the first-order transition. This may be useful in the crystallisation of globular proteins.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

Modularisation strategies in the AEC industry:a comparative analysis

Many industries have benefited from modularisation; while in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry, the concept of modularisation is associated with dimensional coordination. This has added to an already extensive list of challenges due to market size and the concept of economies of scale in AEC industry, to name but a few. Moreover, there is a myth that the AEC industry is bound to stay associated with build-to-order or made-to-order approach caused the AEC industry to restrict modularisation to the component level. This changes the balance in favour of what this paper calls a bottom-up approach. On the other hand, a valid alternative strategy–referred to in this study as top-down strategy–remains very much underexploited. The clients, therefore, do not have a neutral means by which they can assess which strategy is in their best interest. Likewise, if a construction company plans to make a strategic move towards the principles of modularisation and off-site manufacturing, they do not have clear decision support tools. This study investigates these two main modularisation strategies in the AEC industry to provide some examples of successful cases regarding how, when and where such strategy have been applied by different construction companies in different cases. The collected and collated empirical data and the results from the interviews will help clients and companies to analyse their own cases and make operational decisions on how, when and where to best utilise the bottom-up and top-down modularisation techniques while considering the pros and cons of such decisions

Effects of erythropoietin therapy on the lipid profile in end-stage renal failure

Effects of erythropoietin therapy on the lipid profile in end-stage renal failure. To evaluate the effects of erythropoietin (EPO) therapy on the lipid profile in end-stage renal failure, we undertook a prospective study in patients on both hemodialysis (HD) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). One hundred and twelve patients (81 HD, 31 CAPD) were enrolled into the study. Lipid parameters [that is, total cholesterol and the LDL and HDL subfractions, triglycerides, lipoprotein (a), apoproteins A and B], full blood count, iron studies, B12, folate, blood urea, aluminium and serum parathyroid hormone were measured prior to commencement of EPO therapy. Ninety-five patients were reassessed 5.2 ± 0.3 (mean ± SEM) months later and 53 patients underwent a further assessment 13.1 ± 0.6 months after the commencement of EPO, giving an overall follow-up of 10.0 ± 0.6 months in 95 patients. As expected, EPO treatment was associated with an increase in hemoglobin (7.7 ± 0.1 vs. 9.9 ± 0.2 g/dl; P < 0.001) and a decrease in ferritin (687 ± 99 vs. 399 ± 69 µg/liter; P < 0.01). A significant fall in total cholesterol occurred (5.8 ± 0.1 vs. 5.4 ± 0.2 mmol/liter; P < 0.05) in association with a fall in apoprotein B (1.15 ± 0.04 vs. 1.04 ± 0.06; P < 0.05) and serum triglycerides (2.26 ± 0.14 vs. 1.99 ± 0.21; P < 0.05) during the course of the study. Other lipid parameters did not change, although there was a trend towards improvement. These changes correlated with the increase in Hb (P < 0.001 in each case), and the reduction in ferritin for total cholesterol (P < 0.02), LDL cholesterol (P < 0.03), and to a lesser extent apoprotein B (P < 0.07). No difference was observed in patients using maintenance HD or CAPD, and similar trends were observed in male and female patients. Improvements in the lipid profile occurred independently of the time on dialysis prior to the commencement of EPO. We conclude that EPO treatment is associated with alterations in the lipid profile which may suggest a long-term improvement in the vascular morbidity of chronic renal failure. The causes of the improved lipids are not addressed by this study and may be equally due to a direct or secondary benefit of EPO therapy