Is oral lornoxicam effective in the treatment of acute migraine attacks? : a randomized-controlled study

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of lornoxicam (LNX) in the treatment of acute migraine attacks. Material and Methods: This prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted administering either LNX or placebo to patients who were diagnosed with migraine without aura according to the International Headache Society (the year 2004) criteria between 2010 and 2012 Results: Of 44 patients with 120 migraine attacks, 38 were female and rest were males. Mean age was 37.75 ± 9.28 years. Patients recorded using LNX in 87 migraine attacks and placebo in 33 migraine attacks, respectively. Pain intensity scores of the patients were found similar between LNX and placebo groups, statistically. Conclusion: Although oral LNX was found to have efficacy similar to placebo statistically in the treatment of acute migraine attacks, further studies are needed to evaluate appropriately the efficacy of LNX for treatment of acute migraine attacks

System f2lp – computing answer sets of first-order formulas

Abstract. We present an implementation of the general language of stable models proposed by Ferraris, Lee and Lifschitz. Under certain conditions, system f2lp turns a first-order theory under the stable model semantics into an answer set program, so that existing answer set solvers can be used for computing the general language. Quantifiers are first eliminated and then the resulting quantifier-free formulas are turned into rules. Based on the relationship between stable models and circumscription, f2lp can also serve as a reasoning engine for general circumscriptive theories. We illustrate how to use f2lp to compute the circumscriptive event calculus.

Seasonal forecast and its communication to small farmer in Northeast Brazil

Muchos aspectos de la vida cotidiana de las personas son influenciadas por las condiciones meteorológicas. Este hecho es más claro si la actividad se desarrolla al aire libre, expuesta directamente a los avatares atmosféricos. Bien conocido es el caso de la agricultura y la ganadería, que para tener éxito y rendir adecuadamente necesitan de agua y temperaturas dentro de unos determinados umbrales. En este contexto, las predicciones meteorológicas importan mucho, pues ayudan a los productores a planificar mejor sus actividades, anticiparse a circunstanciales eventos negativos y mejorar, por tanto, las cosechas. Son más vulnerables los pequeños agricultores familiares, sin medios técnicos y con poco o ningún acceso a la información meteorológica, y es peor aún en áreas de Clima irregular como las semiáridas, donde las lluvias caen erráticamente y de vez en cuando las sequías causan grandes estragos precisamente en esos pequeños productores. En este trabajo vamos a hacer una aproximación teórica a la problemática de la comunicación de las predicciones meteorológicas a pequeños agricultores, con atención especial en el Sertão (el espacio semiárido del Nordeste de Brasil), completado con una visión previa de los mecanismos atmosféricos y oceánicos que influencian su clima, bien conocidos y monitoreados continuamente, facilitando la predicción anticipada de las condiciones meteorológicas estacionales.Many aspects of people’s daily lives are influenced by the weather. This fact become more apparent when it involves outdoor activities, directly exposed to the atmospheric variability. Well known is the case of agriculture and livestock, where it is crucial, within certain thresholds, to perform adequately the need of water and temperature. In this context, the weather forecasts is considered significant, as this helps farmers to plan their activities, anticipate negative events and thereby improving the crop yields. Usually, small family farmers are the most vulnerable group without technical resources and with low or no access to weather information. Particularly, territories with semi-arid climate, where the rainfalls are erratically and occasionally it can lead to droughts, represent the worse scenario for small producers. In this paper we make a theoretical approach to the problem of communication of weather forecasts to small farmers, with special focus on Sertão (the semi-arid territory in the Northeast of Brazil). For understanding the case study, we complete this article with a previous summary of the atmospheric and oceanic mechanisms that influence their climate, well-known and continuously monitored, providing early prediction of seasonal weather conditions