A Critical Evaluation of the Capital Theory Approach to Sustainable Development

Irrigation farmers in the lower reaches of the Vaal and Riet Rivers are experiencing substantial yield reductions in certain crops and more profitable crops have been withdrawn from production, hypothesised, as a result of generally poor but especially fluctuating water quality. In this paper secondary data is used in a linear programming model to test this hypothesis by calculating the potential loss in farm level optimal returns. The model is static with a time frame of two production seasons. Linear crop-water quality production functions (Ayers & Westcot, 1983; adapted from Maas & Hoffmann, 1977) are used to calculate net returns for the eight most common crops grown. Results show optimal enterprise composition under various water quality situations. Leaching is justified financially and there is a strong motivation for a change in the current water pricing system. SALMOD (Salinity and Leaching Model for Optimal irrigation Development) is the Excel Solver model used to derive the preliminary results, but is currently being developed further in GAMS (General Algebraic Modelling System). Useful results have already been obtained on which this paper is based. The ultimate aim for SALMOD is a mathematical model using dynamic optimisation, simulation and risk modelling techniques to aid in whole farm and system level management decisions to ensure sustainable irrigation agriculture under stochastic river water quality conditions.International Development,

Intrinsic Moment of Inertia of Membranes as bounds for the mass gap of Yang-Mills Theories

We obtain the precise condition on the potentials of Yang-Mills theories in 0+1 dimensions and D0 brane quantum mechanics ensuring the discretness of the spectrum. It is given in terms of a moment of inertia of the membrane. From it we obtain a bound for the mass gap of any D+1 Yang-Mills theory in the slow-mode regime. In particular we analyze the physical case D=3. The quantum mechanical behavior of the theories, concerning its spectrum, is determined by harmonic oscillators with frequencies given by the inertial tensor of the membrane. We find a class of quantum mechanic potential polynomials of any degree, with classical instabilities that at quantum level have purely discrete spectrum.Comment: 12pages, Latex, minor changes, more explanatory comment

Discreteness of the spectrum of the compactified D=11 supermembrane with non-trivial winding

We analyze the Hamiltonian of the compactified D=11 supermembrane with non-trivial central charge in terms of the matrix model constructed recently by some of the authors. Our main result provides a rigorous proof that the quantum Hamiltonian of the supersymmetric model has compact resolvent and thus its spectrum consists of a discrete set of eigenvalues with finite multiplicity.Comment: 16 pages, final versio

Взаємодія органів прокуратури з іншими державними органами та органами місцевого самоврядування в контексті нагляду за додержанням законів щодо захисту прав і свобод дітей

Стаття присвячена дослідженню окремих аспектів взаємодії органів прокуратури з іншими державними органами і органами місцевого самоврядування в контексті нагляду за додержанням законів щодо захисту прав і свобод дітей. Окрім того, автор досліджує завдання, суб’єктний склад і форми такої; діяльності, а також критерії визначення ефективності взаємодії із зазначеними суб’єктами. Ключові слова: прокуроський нагляд, права і свободи дітей, координація, взаємодія, суб’єкти взаємодії, форми взаємодії, ефективність взаємодії.Статья посвящена исследованию отдельных аспектов взаимодействия органов прокуратуры с иными государственными органами и органами местного самоуправления в контексте надзора за соблюдением законов относительно защиты прав и свобод детей. Кроме того, автор исследует задания, субъектный состав и формы такой деятельности, а также критерии определения эффективности взаимодействия с указанными субъектами. Ключевые слова: прокурорский надзор, права и свободы детей, координация, взаимодействие, субъекты взаимодействия, формы взаимодействия, эффективность взаимодействия.Article is devoted to research of separate aspects of interaction of bodies of Office of Public Prosecutor with other state structures and local governments in a context of supervision of observance of laws concerning protection of the rights and freedoms of children. Besides, the author investigates tasks, subjective structure and forms of such activity, and also criteria of definition of efficiency of interaction with the specified subjects. Key words: public prosecutor’s supervision, the rights and freedom of children, coordination, interaction, subjects of interaction, the interaction form, efficiency of interaction

Assessment of nutritional status in haemodialysis patients using PG-SGA and handgrip strength

In this cross-sectional study, we primarily aimed to assess prevalence of malnutrition by the Patient Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PGSGA), and muscle strength in haemodialysis patients. Second, we explored to which extent these patients are able to complete the patient component of the PG-SGA, aka PG-SGA Short Form (SF) (weight, intake, symptoms, activities/functioning) independently

Testosterone Diminishes Cabazitaxel Efficacy and Intratumoral Accumulation in a Prostate Cancer Xenograft Model

Inactivation of the androgen receptor (AR) pathway by androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is the mainstay of (metastatic) prostate cancer therapy. Ultimately, the AR pathway will be re-activated despite castrate levels of circulating androgens. Thereby, maintaining its role even in castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The recent STAMPEDE and CHAARTED trials showed that docetaxel in combination with ADT increased survival in hormone sensitive prostate cancer patients, suggesting cross-talk between AR signaling and chemotherapy efficacy. We hypothesized that a similar interaction may also apply for CRPC that is treated with cabazitaxel. We studied the impact of androgen status on the efficacy, pharmacodynamics and -kinetics of cabazitaxel in a unique and clinically relevant patient derived xenograft model of castration resistant disease. We found that cabazitaxel is highly effective in a castrate setting with strongly reduced AR activation, while tumor growth inhibition by cabazitaxel was completely abolished in the presence of high AR pathway activity. Moreover, additional experiments showed that intratumoral cabazitaxel levels were 3.5 times higher in tumors from castrated mice as compared to tumors from androgen-supplemented animals. We confirmed that cabazitaxel pharmacokinetics were not affected by testosterone, suggesting that androgen status might influence cabazitaxel tumor uptake directly. This study reveals the impact of androgen status on cabazitaxel efficacy and supports the potential of combination of taxane chemotherapeutics with AR axis targeting agents

Local well-posedness for membranes in the light cone gauge

In this paper we consider the classical initial value problem for the bosonic membrane in light cone gauge. A Hamiltonian reduction gives a system with one constraint, the area preserving constraint. The Hamiltonian evolution equations corresponding to this system, however, fail to be hyperbolic. Making use of the area preserving constraint, an equivalent system of evolution equations is found, which is hyperbolic and has a well-posed initial value problem. We are thus able to solve the initial value problem for the Hamiltonian evolution equations by means of this equivalent system. We furthermore obtain a blowup criterion for the membrane evolution equations, and show, making use of the constraint, that one may achieve improved regularity estimates.Comment: 29 page

Influence of enzalutamide on cabazitaxel pharmacokinetics: A Drug–Drug interaction study in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients

Purpose: In ongoing clinical research on metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treatment, the potential enhanced efficacy of the combination of taxanes with AR-targeted agents, that is, enzalutamide and abiraterone, is currently being explored. Because enzalutamide induces the CYP3A4 enzyme and taxanes are metabolized by this enzyme, a potential drug–drug interaction needs to be investigated. Experimental Design: Therefore, we performed a pharmacokinetic cross-over study in mCRPC patients who were scheduled for treatment with cabazitaxel Q3W (25 mg/m2). Patients were studied for three consecutive cabazitaxel cycles. Enzalutamide (160 mg once daily) was administered concomitantly after the first cabazitaxel cycle, during 6 weeks. Primary endpoint was the difference in mean area under the curve (AUC) between the first (cabazitaxel monotherapy) and third cabazitaxel cycle, when enzalutamide was added. Results: A potential clinically relevant 22% (95% CI, 9%–34%; P ¼ 0.005) reduction in cabazitaxel exposure was found with concomitant enzalutamide use. The geometric mean AUC0–24h of cabazitaxel was 181 ngh/mL (95% CI, 150–219 ngh/mL) in cycle 3 and 234 ngh/mL (95% CI, 209–261 ngh/mL) in cycle 1. This combination did not result in excessive toxicity, whereas PSA response was promising. Conclusions: We found a significant decrease in cabazitaxel exposure when combined with enzalutamide. In an era of clinical trials on combination strategies for mCRPC, it is important to be aware of clinically relevant drug–drug interactions. Because recent study results support the use of a lower standard cabazitaxel dose of 20 mg/m2, the clinical relevance of this interaction may be substantial, because the addition of enzalutamide may result in subtherapeutic cabazitaxel exposure

The singleton action action from the supermembrane

We derive the free Osp(8|4) singleton action by sending the M2brane to the Minkowski boundary of an AdS_4x{\cal M}_7 background. We do this by means of the solvable Lie algebra parametrization of the coset space. We also give some comments on singleton actions from membranes on AdS_4xG/H backgrounds.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. Talk given by P. Termonia at the TMR meeting of the project "Quantum Aspects of Gauge Theories, Supersymmetry and Unification", Corfu '98, TMR contract ERBFMRX-CT96-004