Intellectual Property Chapter in Part 18: Intellectual Property and Communications

This chapter addresses the areas more commonly found in everyday practice (NB circuit layouts and plant breeder's rights are not covered). Importantly, IP law has become very specialised, and as such one for which practitioners will need expertise or access to relevant experts in order to properly provide advice. The following therefore is an overview only of relevant issues.

Epidemiological data of seasonal variation in mood and behaviour

The aim of this study was to measure seasonal variation in mood and behaviour. The dual vulnerability and latitude effect hypothesis, the risk of increased appetite, weight and other seasonal symptoms to develop metabolic syndrome, and perception of low illumination in quality of life and mental well-being were assessed. These variations are prevalent in persons who live in high latitudes and need balancing of metabolic processes to adapt to environmental changes due to seasons. A randomized sample of 8028 adults aged 30 and over (55% women) participated in an epidemiological health examination study, The Health 2000, applying the probability proportional to population size method for a range of socio-demographic characteristics. They were present in a face-to-face interview at home and health status examination. The questionnaires included the modified versions of the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) instrument 15D, and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). The structured and computerized Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) as part of the interview was used to assess diagnoses of mental disorders, and, the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATPIII) criteria were assessed using all the available information to detect metabolic syndrome. A key finding was that 85% of this nationwide representative sample had seasonal variation in mood and behaviour. Approximately 9% of the study population presented combined seasonal and depressive symptoms with a significant association between their scores, and 2.6% had symptoms that corresponded to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in severity. Seasonal variations in weight and appetite are two important components that increase the risk of metabolic syndrome. Other factors such as waist circumference and major depressive disorder contributed to the metabolic syndrome as well. Persons reported of having seasonal symptoms were associated with a poorer quality of life and compromised mental well-being, especially if indoors illumination at home and/or at work was experienced as being low. Seasonal and circadian misalignments are suggested to associate with metabolic disorders, and could be remarked if individuals perceive low illumination levels at home and/or at work that affect the health-related quality of life and mental well-being. Keywords: depression, health-related quality of life, illumination, latitude, mental well-being, metabolic syndrome, seasonal variation, winter.

Association analyses of 249,796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index

Obesity is globally prevalent and highly heritable, but its underlying genetic factors remain largely elusive. To identify genetic loci for obesity susceptibility, we examined associations between body mass index and approximately 2.8 million SNPs in up to 123,865 individuals with targeted follow up of 42 SNPs in up to 125,931 additional individuals. We confirmed 14 known obesity susceptibility loci and identified 18 new loci associated with body mass index (P < 5 x 10(-)(8)), one of which includes a copy number variant near GPRC5B. Some loci (at MC4R, POMC, SH2B1 and BDNF) map near key hypothalamic regulators of energy balance, and one of these loci is near GIPR, an incretin receptor. Furthermore, genes in other newly associated loci may provide new insights into human body weight regulation.

International contact lens prescribing in 2014

Since the late 1990s, the International Contact Lens Prescribing Survey Consortium has prospectively gathered information about 285,000 contact lens fits from more than 50 countries. This article presents our 14th annual summary of current trends published in Contact Lens Spectrum. With only minor differences in the distribution of our surveys among markets, we have continued to adopt the same approach throughout the past 18 years. Through national coordinators, we approach contact lens prescribers in each country and ask them to record information about the first 10 patients whom they fit with contact lenses after receipt of our survey form. The information collected is generic, and respondents are weighted to reflect the volume of contact lens fits undertaken by each. For this 2014 report, we present information about 25,179 contact lens fits from 32 countries...

A formal synthesis of 18-hydroxyestrone

A formal synthesis of Image -18-hydroxyestrone has been achieved by the preparation of Image -3-methanesulfonyloxy-13β,17β-dicarboxy-18--norestra-1,3,5(10)-triene anhydride, the dextrorotatory enantiomer of which is an intermediate in Barton's conversion of Image -estrone to Image -1β-hydroxyestrone (KC-6A).

F-18 Labelling Synthesis, Radioanalysis and Evaluation of A Dopamine Transporter and A Hypoxia Tracer

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an imaging technique in which radioactive positron-emitting tracers are used to study biochemical and physiological functions in humans and in animal experiments. The use of PET imaging has increased rapidly in recent years, as have special requirements in the fields of neurology and oncology for the development of syntheses for new, more specific and selective radiotracers. Synthesis development and automation are necessary when high amounts of radioactivity are needed for multiple PET studies. In addition, preclinical studies using experimental animal models are necessary for evaluating the suitability of new PET tracers for humans. For purification and analysing the labelled end-product, an effective radioanalytical method combined with an optimal radioactivity detection technique is of great importance. In this study, a fluorine-18 labelling synthesis method for two tracers was developed and optimized, and the usefulness of these tracers for possible prospective human studies was evaluated. N-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-fluorophenyl)nortropane ([18F]β-CFT-FP) is a candidate PET tracer for the dopamine transporter (DAT), and 1H-1-(3-[18F]fluoro-2-hydroxypropyl)-2-nitroimidazole ([18F]FMISO) is a well-known hypoxia marker for hypoxic but viable cells in tumours. The methodological aim of this thesis was to evaluate the status of thin-layer chromatography (TLC) combined with proper radioactivity detection measurement systems as a radioanalytical method. Three different detection methods of radioactivity were compared: radioactivity scanning, film autoradiography, and digital photostimulated luminescence (PSL) autoradiography. The fluorine-18 labelling synthesis for [18F]β-CFT-FP was developed and carbon-11 labelled [11C]β-CFT-FP was used to study the specificity of β-CFT-FP for the DAT sites in human post-mortem brain slices. These in vitro studies showed that β-CFT-FP binds to the caudate-putamen, an area rich of DAT. The synthesis of fluorine-18 labelled [18F]FMISO was optimized, and the tracer was prepared using an automated system with good and reproducible yields. In preclinical studies, the action of the radiation sensitizer estramustine phosphate on the radiation treatment and uptake of [18F]FMISO was evaluated, with results of great importance for later human studies. The methodological part of this thesis showed that radioTLC is the method of choice when combined with an appropriate radioactivity detection technique. Digital PSL autoradiography proved to be the most appropriate when compared to the radioactivity scanning and film autoradiography methods. The very high sensitivity, good resolution, and wide dynamic range of digital PSL autoradiography are its advantages in detection of β-emitting radiolabelled substances.

A formal synthesis of 18-hydroxyestrone

A formal synthesis of -18-hydroxyestrone has been achieved by the preparation of -3-methanesulfonyloxy-13β,17β-dicarboxy-18--norestra-1,3,5(10)-triene anhydride, the dextrorotatory enantiomer of which is an intermediate in Barton's conversion of -estrone to -1β-hydroxyestrone (KC-6A).

Plan zemelʻnogo uchastka poselka Sholam Aleĭkhom N 18

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Vykopirovka s plana uchastka kolonizat︠s︡ionnogo fonda N 417-18-22, Khersonskogo okruga Skadovskogo raĭona pod nazvaniem "3-e Kustovoe Obʻedenenie" predtoznachennogo Narkomzemzemom pod perselenie evreev

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Metal-Nucleotide Interactions: Crystal Structures of Alkali (Li+, Na+, K+) and Alkaline Earth (Ca2+, Mg2+) Metal Complexes of Adenosine 2'-Monophosphate

Crystal structures of lithium, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium salts of adenosine 2'-monophosphate (2'-AMP) have been obtained at atomic resolution by X-ray crystallographic methods. 2'-AMP.Li belongs to the monoclinic space group P21 with a = 7.472(3)Å, b = 26.853(6) Å, c = 9.184(1)Å, b = 113.36(1)Å and Z= 4. 2'-AMP.Na and 2'-AMP.K crystallize in the trigonal space groups P31 and P3121 with a = 8.762(1)Å, c = 34.630(5)Å, Z= 6 and a = 8.931(4), Åc = 34.852(9)Å and Z= 6 respectively while 2'-AMP.Ca and 2'-AMP.Mg belong to space groups P6522 and P21 with cell parameters a = 9.487(2), c = 74.622(13), Z = 12 and a = 4.973(1), b = 10.023(2), c = 16.506(2), beta = 91.1(0) and Z = 2 respectively. All the structures were solved by direct methods and refined by full matrix least-squares to final R factors of 0.033, 0.028, 0.075, 0.069 and 0.030 for 2'-AMP.Li, 2'-AMP.Na, 2'- AMP.K, 2'-AMP.Ca and 2'-AMP.Mg, respectively. The neutral adenine bases in all the structures are in syn conformation stabilized by the O5'-N3 intramolecular hydrogen bond as in free acid and ammonium complex reported earlier. In striking contrast, the adenine base is in the anti geometry (cCN = -156.4(2)°) in 2'-AMP.Mg. Ribose moieties adopt C2'-endo puckering in 2'-AMP.Li and 2'-AMP.Ca, C2'-endo-C3'-exo twist puckering in 2'-AMP.Na and 2'-AMP.K and a C3'-endo-C2'-exo twist puckering in 2'-AMP.Mg structure. The conformation about the exocyclic C4'-C5' bond is the commonly observed gauche-gauche (g+) in all the structures except the gauche- trans (g-) conformation observed in 2'-AMP.Mg structure. Lithium ions coordinate with water, ribose and phosphate oxygens at distances 1.88 to 1.99Å. Na+ ions and K+ ions interact with phosphate and ribose oxygens directly and with N7 indirectly through a water oxygen. A distinct feature of 2'-AMP.Na and 2'-AMP.K structures is the involvement of ribose O4' in metal coordination. The calcium ion situated on a two-fold axis coordinates directly with three oxygens OW1, OW2 and O2 and their symmetry mates at distances 2.18 to 2.42Å forming an octahedron. A classic example of an exception to the existence of the O5'-N3 intramolecular hydorgen bond is the 2'-AMP.Mg strucure. Magnesium ion forms an octahedral coordination with three water and three phosphate oxygens at distances ranging from 2.02 to 2.11Å. A noteworthy feature of its coordination is the indirect link with N3 through OW3 oxygen resulting in macrochelation between the base and the phosphate group. Greater affnity of metal clays towards 5' compared to 2' and 3' nucleotides (J. Lawless, E. Edelson, and L. Manring, Am. Chem. Soc. Northwest Region Meeting, Seattle. 1978) due to macrochelation infered from solution studies (S. S. Massoud, H. Sigel, Eur. J. Biochem. 179, 451-458 (1989)) and interligand hydrogen bonding induced by metals postulated from metal-nucleotide structures in solid state (V. Swaminathan and M. Sundaralingam, CRC. Crit. Rev. Biochem. 6, 245-336 (1979)) are borne out by our structures also. The stacking patterns of adenine bases of both 2'-AMP.Na and 2'-AMP.K structures resemble the 2'-AMP.NH4 structure reported in the previous article. 2'-AMP.Li, 2'-AMP.Ca and 2'-AMP.Mg structures display base-ribose O4' stacking. An overview of interaction of monovalent and divalent cations with 2' and 5'-nucleotides has been presented.

Prevalence and analysis of t(14;18) and t(11;14) chromosomal translocations in healthy Indian population

Hematopoietic malignancies like leukemia and lymphoma are characteristically associated with various chromosomal translocations. Follicular lymphoma (FL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are two subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which possess t(14;18) and t(11;14) translocations, respectively. The incidence of FL and MCL is higher in the western countries as compared to India. Interestingly, the associated translocations are also found in healthy individuals in western population, which is 50-80% for t(14;18), whereas t(11;14) occurs at a very low frequency. However, there are no studies to explore thes translocations in healthy Indian population, which could explain the lower incidence of FL and MCL. We employed Southern hybridization following nested PCR to detect above translocations in healthy individuals from India. Our results suggest that this assay can detect one t(14;18) translocation event in up to 10(7) normal cells where as one t(11;14) in 10(8) normal cells. According to our results, 87 out of 253 individuals carry t(14;18) indicating 34% prevalence in the population. The presence of this translocation was also detectable at the transcript level. Although, no gender-based difference was observed, an age-dependent increase in the prevalence of translocation was found in adults. However, even after studying 210 people, we could not detect any t(11;14) translocation, indicating that it is uncommon in Indian population. These results suggest that lower incidence of FL and MCL in India could be attributed to lower prevalence of these translocations in healthy individuals.

Melting of an Anchored Bilayer: Molecular Dynamics Simulations of the Structural Transition in (CnH2n+1NH3)(2)PbI4 (n=12, 14, 16, 18)

The thermally driven Structural phase transition in the organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite (CnH2n+1NH3)(2)PbI4 has been investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. This system consists of positively charged alkyl-amine chains anchored to a rigid negatively charged PbI4 sheet with the chains organized as bilayers with a herringbone arrangement. Atomistic simulations were performed using ail isothermal-isobaric ensemble over a wide temperature range from 65 to 665 K for different alkyl chain lengths, n = 12, 14, 16, and 18. The simulations are able to reproduce the essential Features of the experimental observations of this system, including the existence of a transition, the linear variation of the transition temperature with alkyl chain length, and the expansion of the bilayer thickness at the transition. By use of the distance fluctuation Criteria, it is Shown that the transition is associated With a Melting of the alkyl chains of the anchored bilayer. Ail analysis of the conformation of the alkyl chains shows increased disorder in the form of gauche defects above due melting transition. Simulations also show that the melting transition is characterized by the complete disappearance of all-trans alkyl chains in the anchored bilayer, in agreement with experimental observations. A conformationally disordered chain has a larger effective cross-sectional area, and above due transition a uniformly tilted arrangement of the anchored chains call no longer be Sustained. At the melt the angular distribution of the orientation of the chains are 110 longer uniform; the chains are splayed allowing for increased space for individual chains of the anchored bilayer. This is reflected in a sharp rise in the ratio of the mean head-to-head to tail-to-tail distance of the chains of the bilayer at the transition resulting in in expansion of the bilayer thickness. The present MD simulations provide a simple explanation as to how changes in conformation of individual alkyl-chains gives rise to the observed increase in the interlayer lattice spacing of (CnH2n+1NH3)(2)PbI4 at the melting transition.

Climatic potential of delta O-18 of Abies spectabilis from the Nepal Himalaya

A 50-year tree-ring delta O-18 chronology of Abies spectabilis growing close to the tree line (3850 m asl) in the Nepal Himalaya is established to explore its dendroclimatic potential. Response function analysis with ambient climatic records revealed that tree-ring delta O-18 is primarily governed by rainfall during the monsoon season (June September), and the regression model accounts for 35% of the variance in rainfall. Extreme dry years identified in instrumental weather data are detected in the delta O-18 chronology. Further, tree-ring delta O-18 is much more sensitive to rainfall fluctuations than other tree-ring parameters such as width and density typically used in dendroclimatology. Correlation analyses with Nino 3.4 SST reveal time-dependent behavior of ENSO-monsoon relationships. (C) 2009 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.