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A nonparametric test for the several-sample scale problem is proposed, based on ranked-set data. The proposed test has the advantage of not requiring the several distribution functions to have a common median, but rather any common quantile of order α , 0 α 1 (not necessarily 1 / 2 ), which is assumed to be known. It is shown that the new test is uniformly more efficient than its simple random sample analog.

Three nonparametric tests for several sample scale problem against umbrella alternative, when the peak of the umbrella is known, are proposed. The proposed statistics have the advantage of not requiring the several distribution functions to have a common median, but rather any common quantile of order α , 0 ≤ α ≤ 1 , (not necessarily 1 / 2 ) which is assumed to be known. The proposed tests are compared with each other in the Pitman asymptotic relative efficiency sense for different distributions.

A class of nonparametric test statistics for several sample scale problem is proposed by considering extrema of subsamples of size c. The proposed class of statistics has the advantage of not requiring the several distribution functions to have a common median, but rather any common quantile of order α, 0 ≤ α ≤1, (not necessarily 1/2) which is assumed to be known. The proposed class of tests is compared with other known tests already existing in the literature in the Pitman asymptotic relative efficiency sense for different distributions. Some results of Monte Carlo power study are also presented.

암염구조를 가진 SiTe에서 일부 Si를 Cr로 치환한 화합물에 대한 전자구조와 자성을 교환상관퍼텔셜에 일반기울기 근사를 쓴 full potential linearized augmented plane wave 에너지 띠 계산방법을 이용하여 연구하였다. Si 대신 25 %의 Cr을 치환한 CrSi₃Te₄ 및 50 %를 치환한 CrSiTe₂를 고려하였다. 총에너지 계산으로 CrSi₃Te₄는 11.64 a.u, CrSiTe₂는 a = 7.89 a.u., c = 11.13 a.u.의 평형격자상수를 가짐을 알았다. CrSiTe₂는 단위부피당 정수인 4 μB의 자기모멘트를 가지는 반쪽금속성을 나타냈으며, CrSi₃Te₄는 단위부피당 자기모멘트가 4 μB보다 미세하게 컸다. 두 화합물 모두에서 치환되어 들어간 Cr은 3.6 μB 정도의 자기모멘트를 가졌으며, Si나 Te는 약하게 자기화되었다. 계산된 스핀분극 상태밀도를 이용하여 이 두 화합물의 자성을 논의하였다.

A nonparametric test for the two-sample scale problem is proposed by considering the subsample medians of three observations. The proposed statistic has the advantage of not requiring the two distribution functions to have a common median, but rather requiring them to have any common quantile of order α , 0 ≤ α ≤ 1 (not necessarily 1 / 2 ), which is assumed to be known. Pitman efficiency considerations indicate that the proposed test performs well relative to tests already existing in the literature for heavy tailed distributions.

Gini index is one of the most popular indices employed for measuring inequality in income and wealth. In this article, we propose a multi-sample test for testing Gini indices against simple-ordered alternatives. The exact critical points through simulation were computed for the proposed test in case of two-parameter exponential distribution; however, the proposed test can be applied even in case of other distributions like Pareto, Weibull, etc. Construction of simultaneous one-sided confidence intervals (SOCIs) was proposed along with an illustration. Power of the test is computed and some power comparisons are also made.

Background Cabotegravir (CAB), an HIV integrase inhibitor primarily metabolized by UGT1A1, is in development as an oral tablet and long-acting (LA) intramuscular (IM) injection for the treatment and prevention of HIV infection. CAB LA has a prolonged absorption phase, typical of flip-flop PK, which yields prolonged drug exposure compared with oral administration. Genetic variation in UGT1A1 affects enzymatic activity, impacting drug exposure. A previous analysis in healthy and HIV-infected subjects demonstrated that UGT1A1 genotypes conferring poor metabolizer status were significantly associated with steady-state oral CAB PK parameters, with ~1.5-, 1.4-, and 1.3-fold increases in mean Cτ, AUC, and Cmax, respectively, in subjects with low vs. normal genetically predicted UGT1A1 activity. These increases are not considered clinically relevant. This analysis evaluated the impact of UGT1A1 genotypes on CAB PK in subjects who received both oral CAB and CAB LA in the LATTE-2 study. Methods DNA was genotyped for UGT1A1 in 215 HIV-infected subjects with PGx consent who received CAB LA every 4 or 8 weeks in LATTE-2. UGT1A1 variants (*6, *28, *36 and *37) were used to classify subjects with genetically predicted UGT1A1 low (n = 33), reduced (n = 100), or normal (n = 82) enzyme activity. Genetically predicted enzyme activity was assessed for association with CAB LA PK parameters at study Weeks 32 and 48. Covariates of age, weight, treatment regimen, BMI, and gender were considered, and linear regression models were applied with adjustment for significant covariates. The impact of UGT1A1 genotypes on oral and LA plasma CAB concentrations was descriptively analyzed. Results Genetically predicted UGT1A1 activity was statistically associated with CAB LA Cτ, AUC(0-τ), and Cmax (P < 0.05) at study Weeks 32 and 48. Mean LA PK parameters increased ~1.2-fold in subjects with low vs. normal genetically predicted UGT1A1 activity. The impact of UGT1A1 genotypes was smaller than observed for oral CAB. Conclusion UGT1A1 reduced function polymorphisms as anticipated had less impact on CAB PK following LA IM administration vs. oral CAB in HIV-infected patients with no requirement for CAB dose adjustment for either formulation due to UGT1A1 polymorphisms. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

We investigated the magnetism of vanadium monolayers on a Pd(001) surface. The electronic structure and the magnetic properties of the V/Pd(001) system were determined with the use of the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method within the general gradient approximation. Three magnetic configurations were studied: non-, ferro-, and antiferromagnetic. From the total energy calculations, we found that the V/Pd(001) system is the most stable in the antiferromagnetic configuration. The importance of relaxation on the magnetic properties of the systems was also studied. It was found that the Pd(001) surface covered with a V monolayer undergoes considerable relaxation in which the spacing between Pd layers increases in all three magnetic configurations. Contrary to the Pd interlayer spacing, the distance between the V overlayer and the topmost Pd layer is reduced. The interlayer spacing between the V overlayer and the Pd surface layer is the largest for the antiferromagnetic configuration. In the relaxed antiferromagnetic structure, the magnitude of the calculated magnetic moments on the V atoms was 1.31 μ B . The presence of the vanadium monolayer does not affect the paramagnetic properties of the Pd(001) surface.

상관효과 U가 전자구조와 자성에 미치는 영향을 검토하기 위하여 대표적 자성물질인 철의 덩어리, 단층 및 사슬 구조에 대해 연구하였다. 이를 위하여 U = 3 eV로 택하여, 총 퍼텐셜 보강 평면파동 에너지 띠 방법을 이용하여 LDA+U 및 GGA+U 근사 하에 전자구조 계산을 수행하였다. 비교를 위하여 LDA 및 GGA를 이용한 계산도 수행하였다. 그 결과 U의 효과를 포함시켰을 때 덩어리 철의 경우 자기모멘트가 0.3 μ B 증가하여 실험값이나 LDA 및 GGA 계산에 비해 과다하게 계산되는 것으로 나타났으나, 단층이나 사슬의 경우는 그렇게 큰 차이를 보이지 않았다. 이로부터 전자구조 계산 시 대상 계에 따라 U의 효과를 적절히 고려하여야 함을 알았다.

When Lorenz curves cross, conditional coefficient of variation curve can be used to test the inequality dominance. In the present paper, confidence bands are provided for conditional coefficient of variation curve. Based on these confidence bands a multiple comparison test is proposed for testing the dominance of conditional coefficient of variation curve. The power of the test is computed and a real life illustration is given at the end.

Aims Heart failure is associated with decreased myocardial fatty acid oxidation capacity and has been likened to energy starvation. Increased fatty acid availability results in an induction of genes promoting fatty acid oxidation. The aim of the present study was to investigate possible mechanisms by which high fat feeding improved mitochondrial and contractile function in heart failure. Methods and results Male Wistar rats underwent coronary artery ligation (HF) or sham surgery and were immediately fed either a normal (14% kcal fat) (SHAM, HF) or high-fat diet (60% kcal saturated fat) (SHAM+FAT, HF+FAT) for 8 weeks. Mitochondrial respiration and gene expression and enzyme activities of fatty acid-regulated mitochondrial genes and proteins were assessed. Subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar mitochondria were isolated from the left ventricle. State 3 respiration using lipid substrates octanoylcarnitine and palmitoylcarnitine increased in the SSM of HF+FAT compared with SHAM+FAT and HF, respectively (242 ± 21, 246 ± 21 vs. 183 ± 8, 181 ± 6 and 193 ± 17, 185 ± 16 nAO min−1 mg−1). Despite decreased medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) mRNA in HF and HF+FAT, MCAD protein was not altered, and MCAD activity increased in HF+FAT (HF, 65.1 ± 2.7 vs. HF+FAT, 81.5 ± 5.4 nmoles min−1 mg−1). Activities of short- and long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase also were elevated and correlated to increased state 3 respiration. This was associated with an improvement in myocardial contractility as assessed by left ventricular +d P /d t max. Conclusion Administration of a high-fat diet increased state 3 respiration and acyl-CoA dehydrogenase activities, but did not normalize mRNA or protein levels of acyl-CoA dehydrogenases in coronary artery ligation-induced heart failure rats.

The Shb adapter protein is an Src homology 2-domain containing signaling intermediate operating downstream of several tyrosine kinase receptors, including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. Shb is multifunctional and apoptosis is one response that Shb regulates. Inhibition of angiogenesis can be used in cancer therapy, and one way to achieve this is by inducing endothelial cell apoptosis. The angiosarcoma cell line SVR is of endothelial origin and can be used as a tool for studying in vivo inhibition of angiogenesis, and we thus employed an Shb-knockdown strategy using an inducible lentiviral system to reduce Shb levels in SVR cells and to study their responses. Shb knockdown increases the susceptibility of SVR cells to the apoptotic agents, cisplatin and staurosporine. Simultaneously, Shb knockdown causes reduced focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation, monitored as phosphorylation of the regulatory residues tyrosines 576/577. No detectable effects on Akt or extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity were noted. The altered FAK activity coincided with an elongated cell phenotype that was particularly noticeable in the presence of staurosporine. In order to relate the effects of Shb knockdown to in vivo tumorigenicity, cells were exposed to the angiogenesis inhibitor honokiol, and again the cells with reduced Shb content exhibited increased apoptosis. Tumor growth in vivo was strongly reduced in the Shb-knockdown cells upon honokiol treatment. It is concluded that Shb regulates apoptosis and cell shape in tumor endothelial cells via FAK, and that Shb is a potential target for inhibition of angiogenesis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate children 6 years old and younger, lactating mothers, and women of childbearing age for vitamin A deficiency in the districts of Kabul City, Afghanistan. METHODS: A set number of patients selected randomly in all 13 districts of the city limits were examined between August and September 2000 for ocular signs of vitamin A deficiency. RESULTS: Night blindness, Bitot's spot, corneal ulceration, and corneal scars were seen in increased amounts as defined by the World Health Organization among the sampled population. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin A deficiency is a moderate to severe public health problem in children and lactating mothers in Kabul City, Afghanistan.

A prospective, open-label study was conducted to assess the response to indinavir, efavirenz, and adefovir in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients experiencing viral rebound while receiving therapy with nelfinavir-containing regimens, to determine whether the protease genotype influenced the outcome of the salvage regimen. Genotyping from 29 nelfinavir failures revealed D30N in 17 (59%) and L90M in 11 (38%) cases. Suppression to

Thrombopoietin receptor agonists, which raise platelet counts in patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia, may be associated with increases in bone marrow (BM) reticulin. Patients with chronic immune thrombocytopenia participating in the Eltrombopag Extended Dosing (EXTEND) study underwent BM biopsies to identify clinically relevant BM fibrosis-related increases. Specimens were centrally reviewed by 2 hematopathologists. Two hundred thirty-two biopsy specimens were collected from 117 patients treated for ≤5.5 years. Moderate to marked reticulin fibrosis was found in 2 patients. After withdrawing from the study, the biopsy of 1 patient reverted to normal. There were no other pathologic changes identified among on-treatment specimens, and no pattern of abnormal reticulin deposition associated with eltrombopag treatment was evident.

Ranulas occur due to extravasation of saliva from one of the 20 ducts that arise from the sublingual gland and empty in to the floor of the mouth or into the anterior portion of wharton’s duct. They form a characteristically blue tense vesicle in the floor of the mouth. This paper highlights a case report of ranula in the posterior floor of the mouth that has been successfully treated by marsupialization technique.

The feeding behaviour of Asiatic elephant (Elephas maximus) with food reference was studied in Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary in Odisha during 2007 to 2009. Though the study area houses a good number of plant species only 71 species were identified as elephant fodder plants. The food trail of elephant was observed as twig breaking, bark peeling, branch breaking, stem twisting uprooting and flower plucking in different regions of study area during different seasons. Alteration of predominantly browsing strategy with that of grazing around the year was related to seasonal variation of food plants. Consumption of tree species (56%) was highest as compared to shrubs (20%), herbs (14%) and climbers (10%). A high degree of variation in dicot- monocot ratio (61:10)) was marked during identification of elephant fodder plant by direct observation. Microscopic analysis of dung showing a high degree of variation in average dicot- monocot ratio suggested that the food plant selection of elephant was highly opportunistic and seasonal. The elephants extensively fed on the plant species like Careya arborea, Kydia calycina, Helicteres isora, Mallotus philippinensis, Aegle marmelos, Zizyphus mauritiona, Bauhinia racemosa, Bauhinia vahlii, Mimosa pudica, Asparagus racemosus, Smilax zeylanica and Diosporea species. They were fond of Madhuca indica (Mahula) flowers in winter and fruits of Mangifera indica (Mango) in summer. They were never found feeding on Tectona grandis and Eucalyptus maculate inside the study area.

The National polio surveillance programme is one ofthe prime health projects in Nepaland its neighboring countries. A huge amount of effort and money is beingpumped into polio surveillance in these areas. Vaccine associated Paralyticpolio is one of the prime concerns as far as the side effects are considered.In the past there has been concern over the relationship of Oral Polio Vaccine(OPV) with intussusception as with rotavirus vaccine. We report a case ofileo-colic intussusception which occurred within 24 hours of oral poliovaccination during the pulse polio immunisation. We also discuss the factsavailable to us regarding the association of OPV with intussusception.Key words: Oral polio vaccine, intussusception

Sepsis is the commonest cause of neonatal mortality. However the incidence of the latter varies with the geographical area, the socio-economic structure and various customs and practices in the perinatal period. Till date there have been no published data regarding the latter in Nepal. With the neonatal services coming of age in Nepal it becomes pertinent to study the magnitude and characteristics of the burden of neonatal sepsis. We conducted a retrospective study over a period of six years to elucidate the risk factors, clinical spectrum, diagnostic parameters and the outcome of neonatal sepsis at a tertiary care neonatal intensive care unit. In all 265 cases of suspected sepsis were screened using a panel consisting of C – reactive protein, absolute neutrophil count and immature to total neutrophil count ratio and subsequently confirmed by cultures. The cases were early onset (n=44), late onset (n=56) and nosocomial groups (n=40). The data for the intramural (n=32) and extramural (n=68) cases was analyzed separately. In all 265 neonates (male: female = 1.86:1) were screened for sepsis, out of which 183 resulted a positive screen, of which, 100 had pathogenic organisms (37.76%). Prematurity (22 to 71%) was most frequently associated with all the categories: suspect, early onset, late onset, nosocomial, irrespective of whether they were in- or out-born. The major risk factor associated with out-born babies was asepsis during labour (57.4%). Respiratory signs and symptoms were commoner in the in-borns as well as the nosocomials. The commonest complication associated with neonatal sepsis in our study was exaggeration of neonatal jaundice/hepatitis (80 to 92%). The sensitivity and specificity for C – reactive protein, immature to total neutrophil count and absolute neutrophil count were found to be 93% and 49.7%, 36% and 75.6% and 20% and 83.4% respectively. Among the culture positive neonates (n=100), 32 were in-house deliveries, and the rest were out-born. The frequency of early and late-onset sepsis was similar. In all there were 131 isolates from blood, cerebrospinal fluid and urine, out of which 38 (29.0%) were in the in-born babies. Nosocomial sepsis accounted for 44 (33.59 %) of the isolates out of both the in and out-born babies combined. The mortality (10%) and sequelae (7.5%) was higher in the nosocomial sepsis group. We observed that there is a high rate of aseptic home deliveries. Nosocomial sepsis was an important problem in the study though the outcome was not un-encouraging. There is a need for extension and intensification of the maternal and child health services in Nepal.Key words: Extramural and nosocomial septicemia, intramural, neonatal sepsis

Gini index, Bonferroni index, and Absolute Lorenz index are some popular indices of inequality showing different features of inequality measurement. In general simple random sampling procedure is commonly used to estimate the inequality indices and their related inference. The key condition that the samples must be drawn via simple random sampling procedure though makes calculations much simpler but this assumption is often violated in practice as the data does not always yield simple random sample. Nonsimple random samples like Ranked set sampling or stratified sampling are gaining popularity for estimating these indices. The purpose of the present paper is to compare the efficiency of simple random sample estimates of inequality indices with their nonsimple random counterparts. Monte Carlo simulation technique is applied to get the results for some specific distributions.