University of the Philippines System

To paralyze their more agile prey, the venomous fish-hunting cone snails (Conus) have developed a potent biochemical strategy. They produce several classes of toxic peptides (conotoxins) that attack a series of successive physiological targets in the neuromuscular system of the fish. The peptides include presynaptic omega-conotoxins that prevent the voltage-activated entry of calcium into the nerve terminal and release of acetylcholine, postsynaptic alpha-conotoxins that inhibit the acetylcholine receptor, and muscle sodium channel inhibitors, the mu-conotoxins, which directly abolish muscle action potentials. These distinct peptide toxins share several common features: they are relatively small (13 to 29 amino acids), are highly cross-linked by disulfide bonds, and strongly basic. The fact that they inhibit sequential steps in neuromuscular transmission suggests that their action is synergistic rather than additive. Five new omega-conotoxins that block presynaptic calcium channels are described. They vary in their activity against different vertebrate classes, and also in their actions against different synapses from the same animal. There are susceptible forms of the target molecule in peripheral synapses of fish and amphibians, but those of mice are resistant. However, the mammalian central nervous system is clearly affected, and these toxins are thus of potential significance for investigating the presynaptic calcium channels.

Asia harbors substantial cultural and linguistic diversity, but the geographic structure of genetic variation across the continent remains enigmatic. Here we report a large-scale survey of autosomal variation from a broad geographic sample of Asian human populations. Our results show that genetic ancestry is strongly correlated with linguistic affiliations as well as geography. Most populations show relatedness within ethnic/linguistic groups, despite prevalent gene flow among populations. More than 90% of East Asian (EA) haplotypes could be found in either Southeast Asian (SEA) or Central-South Asian (CSA) populations and show clinal structure with haplotype diversity decreasing from south to north. Furthermore, 50% of EA haplotypes were found in SEA only and 5% were found in CSA only, indicating that SEA was a major geographic source of EA populations.

Out-of-pocket (OOP) payments are the principal means of financing health care throughout much of Asia. We estimate the magnitude and distribution of OOP payments for health care in fourteen countries and territories accounting for 81% of the Asian population. We focus on payments that are catastrophic, in the sense of severely disrupting household living standards, and approximate such payments by those absorbing a large fraction of household resources. Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal and Vietnam rely most heavily on OOP financing and have the highest incidence of catastrophic payments. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia stand out as low to middle income countries that have constrained both the OOP share of health financing and the catastrophic impact of direct payments. In most low/middle-income countries, the better-off are more likely to spend a large fraction of total household resources on health care. This may reflect the inability of the poorest of the poor to divert resources from other basic needs and possibly the protection of the poor from user charges offered in some countries. But in China, Kyrgyz and Vietnam, where there are no exemptions of the poor from charges, they are as, or even more, likely to incur catastrophic payments.

In this paper, we present an approach that extends the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to handle multiobjective optimization problems by incorporating the mechanism of crowding distance computation into the algorithm of PSO, specifically on global best selection and in the deletion method of an external archive of nondominated solutions. The crowding distance mechanism together with a mutation operator maintains the diversity of nondominated solutions in the external archive. The performance of this approach is evaluated on test functions and metrics from literature. The results show that the proposed approach is highly competitive in converging towards the Pareto front and generates a well distributed set of nondominated solutions.

Abstract Combined analyses of deep tow magnetic anomalies and International Ocean Discovery Program Expedition 349 cores show that initial seafloor spreading started around 33 Ma in the northeastern South China Sea (SCS), but varied slightly by 1–2 Myr along the northern continent‐ocean boundary (COB). A southward ridge jump of ∼20 km occurred around 23.6 Ma in the East Subbasin; this timing also slightly varied along the ridge and was coeval to the onset of seafloor spreading in the Southwest Subbasin, which propagated for about 400 km southwestward from ∼23.6 to ∼21.5 Ma. The terminal age of seafloor spreading is ∼15 Ma in the East Subbasin and ∼16 Ma in the Southwest Subbasin. The full spreading rate in the East Subbasin varied largely from ∼20 to ∼80 km/Myr, but mostly decreased with time except for the period between ∼26.0 Ma and the ridge jump (∼23.6 Ma), within which the rate was the fastest at ∼70 km/Myr on average. The spreading rates are not correlated, in most cases, to magnetic anomaly amplitudes that reflect basement magnetization contrasts. Shipboard magnetic measurements reveal at least one magnetic reversal in the top 100 m of basaltic layers, in addition to large vertical intensity variations. These complexities are caused by late‐stage lava flows that are magnetized in a different polarity from the primary basaltic layer emplaced during the main phase of crustal accretion. Deep tow magnetic modeling also reveals this smearing in basement magnetizations by incorporating a contamination coefficient of 0.5, which partly alleviates the problem of assuming a magnetic blocking model of constant thickness and uniform magnetization. The primary contribution to magnetic anomalies of the SCS is not in the top 100 m of the igneous basement.

Leung and colleagues have revealed a five-dimensional structure of social axioms across individuals from five cultural groups. The present research was designed to reveal the culture level factor structure of social axioms and its correlates across 41 nations. An ecological factor analysis on the 60 items of the Social Axioms Survey extracted two factors: Dynamic Externality correlates with value measures tapping collectivism, hierarchy, and conservatism and with national indices indicative of lower social development. Societal Cynicism is less strongly and broadly correlated with previous values measures or other national indices and seems to define a novel cultural syndrome. Its national correlates suggest that it taps the cognitive component of a cultural constellation labeled maleficence, a cultural syndrome associated with a general mistrust of social systems and other people. Discussion focused on the meaning of these national level factors of beliefs and on their relationships with individual level factors of belief derived from the same data set.

PURPOSE: Blood-based circulating-free (cf) tumor DNA may be an alternative to tissue-based EGFR mutation testing in NSCLC. This exploratory analysis compares matched tumor and blood samples from the FASTACT-2 study. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients were randomized to receive six cycles of gemcitabine/platinum plus sequential erlotinib or placebo. EGFR mutation testing was performed using the cobas tissue test and the cobas blood test (in development). Blood samples at baseline, cycle 3, and progression were assessed for blood test detection rate, sensitivity, and specificity; concordance with matched tumor analysis (n = 238), and correlation with progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Concordance between tissue and blood tests was 88%, with blood test sensitivity of 75% and a specificity of 96%. Median PFS was 13.1 versus 6.0 months for erlotinib and placebo, respectively, for those with baseline EGFR mut(+) cfDNA [HR, 0.22; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 0.14-0.33, P < 0.0001] and 6.2 versus 6.1 months, respectively, for the EGFR mut(-) cfDNA subgroup (HR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.65-1.04, P = 0.1076). For patients with EGFR mut(+) cfDNA at baseline, median PFS was 7.2 versus 12.0 months for cycle 3 EGFR mut(+) cfDNA versus cycle 3 EGFR mut(-) patients, respectively (HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.21-0.48, P < 0.0001); median OS by cycle 3 status was 18.2 and 31.9 months, respectively (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.31-0.84, P = 0.0066). CONCLUSIONS: Blood-based EGFR mutation analysis is relatively sensitive and highly specific. Dynamic changes in cfDNA EGFR mutation status relative to baseline may predict clinical outcomes.

A household time-allocative model which explicitly takes into account the economic contribution of children in agricultural areas of less-developed countries is applied to direct-level data pertaining to the rural population of India. Joint family decisions concerning fertility and the allocation of male and female child time to schooling and work activities are examined empirically in a simultaneous equations system. The properties of the formal model are used to derive inferences from the parameter estimates with respect to the shadow price configuration influencing these joint decisions.

Abstract An international cooperative test was undertaken to determine the reproducibility of the revised simplified amylose assay in nine laboratories.

Purposive sampling is described as a random selection of sampling units within the segment of the population with the most information on the characteristic of interest. Nonparametric bootstrap is proposed in estimating location parameters and the corresponding variances. An estimate of bias and a measure of variance of the point estimate are computed using the Monte Carlo method. The bootstrap estimator of the population mean is efficient and consistent in the homogeneous, heterogeneous, and two-segment populations simulated. The design-unbiased approximation of the standard error estimate differs substantially from the bootstrap estimate in severely heterogeneous and positively skewed populations.

Worldwide, osteoarthritis (OA) is estimated to be the fourth leading cause of disability. Most of this disability burden is attributable to the involvement of the hips or the knees. OA is strongly associated with ageing and the Asian region is ageing rapidly. Further, OA has been associated with heavy physical occupational activity, a required livelihood for many people living in rural communities in developing countries. Unfortunately, joint replacement surgery, an effective intervention for people with severe OA involving the hips or knees, is inaccessible to most people in these regions. On the other hand, obesity, another major risk factor, may be less prevalent, although it is on the increase. Determining region-specific OA prevalence and risk factor profiles will provide important information for planning future cost-effective preventive strategies and health care services. An update of what is currently known about the prevalence of hip and knee OA from population-based studies conducted in the Asian region is presented in this review. Many of the recent studies have conducted comparisons between urban and rural areas and poor and affluent communities. The results of Asian-based studies evaluating risk factors from population-based cohorts or case-control studies, and the current evidence on OA morbidity burden in Asia is also outlined.

BACKGROUND: Probiotics are microbial cell preparations or components of microbial cells that have a beneficial effect on the health and well being of the host. Probiotics may offer a safe intervention in acute infectious diarrhoea to reduce the duration and severity of the illness. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of probiotics in proven or presumed infectious diarrhoea. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group's trials register (December 2002), the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (The Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2002), MEDLINE (1966 to 2002), EMBASE (1988 to 2002), and reference lists from studies and reviews. We also contacted organizations and individuals working in the field, and pharmaceutical companies manufacturing probiotic agents. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomized controlled trials comparing a specified probiotic agent with placebo or no probiotic in people with acute diarrhoea that is proven or presumed to be caused by an infectious agent. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two reviewers independently assessed trial methodological quality and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria with a total of 1917 participants, mainly in countries with low overall mortality rates. Trials varied in relation to the probiotic(s) tested, dosage, methodological quality, and the diarrhoea definitions and outcomes. Probiotics reduced the risk of diarrhoea at 3 days (relative risk 0.66, 95% confidence interval 0.55 to 0.77, random effects model; 15 studies) and the mean duration of diarrhoea by 30.48 hours (95% confidence interval 18.51 to 42.46 hours, random effects model, 12 studies). Subgroup analysis by probiotic(s) tested, rotavirus diarrhoea, national mortality rates, and age of participants did not fully account for the heterogeneity. REVIEWERS' CONCLUSIONS: Probiotics appear to be a useful adjunct to rehydration therapy in treating acute, infectious diarrhoea in adults and children. More research is needed to inform the use of particular probiotic regimens in specific patient groups.

BACKGROUND: Death from severe sepsis and septic shock is common, and researchers have explored whether antibodies to the endotoxins in some bacteria reduces mortality. OBJECTIVES: To estimate the effects of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in patients with bacterial sepsis or septic shock on mortality, bacteriological failure rates, and duration of stay in hospital. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group specialized register up to November 2001; the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, The Cochrane Library issue 4, 2001; MEDLINE 1966 to November 2001; and EMBASE 1988 to September 2001. We contacted investigators active in the field for unpublished data. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised trials comparing intravenous immunoglobulin (monoclonal or polyclonal) with placebo or no intervention, in patients with bacterial sepsis or septic shock. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Inclusion criteria, trial quality assessment, and data abstraction were done in duplicate. We conducted pre-specified subgroup analyses by type of immunoglobulin preparation. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty-seven out of 55 studies met our inclusion criteria. Pooled analysis of all types of IVIG preparations revealed a significant trend toward reduction of mortality (n= 8,856; RR=0.91; 95%CI 0.86-0.96). Overall mortality was reduced in patients who received polyclonal IVIG (n=492; RR=0.64; 95% CI 0.51 to 0.80). For the two high-quality trials on polyclonal IVIG, the RR for overall mortality was 0.30, but the confidence interval was wide (95% CI 0.09 to 0.99, n=91). Mortality was not reduced among patients who received monoclonal antibodies such as anti-endotoxins (n=2,826 in 5 good-quality studies; RR=0.97; 95% CI 0.88 to 1.07) or anti-cytokines (n=4,318; RR=0.93; 95% CI 0.86 to 1.01). A few studies measured secondary outcomes (deaths from sepsis or length of hospitalisation) but no differences in the intervention and control groups were identified except among those who received polyclonal IVIG, where sepsis-related mortality was significantly reduced (n=161; RR=0.35; 95% CI 0.18 to 0.69). REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Polyclonal IVIG significantly reduced mortality and and is a promising adjuvant in the treatment of sepsis and septic shock. However, all the trials were small and the totality of the evidence is insufficient to support a robust conclusion of benefit. Adjunctive therapy with monoclonal IVIGs remains experimental.

This paper uses the vocabulary of 'medical populism' to identify and analyse the political constructions of (and responses to) the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil, the Philippines, and the United States from January to mid-July 2020, particularly by the countries' heads of state: Jair Bolsonaro, Rodrigo Duterte, and Donald Trump. In all three countries, the leaders' responses to the outbreak can be characterised by the following features: simplifying the pandemic by downplaying its impacts or touting easy solutions or treatments, spectacularizing their responses to crisis, forging divisions between the 'people' and dangerous 'others', and making medical knowledge claims to support the above. Taken together, the case studies illuminate the role of individual political actors in defining public health crises, suggesting that medical populism is not an exceptional, but a familiar response to them. This paper concludes by offering recommendations for global health in anticipating and responding to pandemics and infectious disease outbreaks.

The Early Cretaceous Ontong Java Plateau was emplaced at\nalmost the same time as marine biotic changes that culminated in oceanic\nanoxic event 1 (OAE1a). A causative link between these events\nhas been suggested, but direct evidence has been lacking until now.\nNew Os isotope measurements across the Lower Aptian “Selli Level”\nblack shale deposited during OAE1a in central Italy reveal two negative\nexcursions in marine 187Os/188Os ratios within a period of 2 Ma\nstarting above the Barremian-Aptian boundary and ending just above\nthe Selli Level horizon, suggesting an order-of-magnitude increase\nin the global fl ux of unradiogenic Os. The results are consistent with\nearly and major phases of eruption of the Ontong Java Plateau. The\nlatter phase is estimated to have been as short as ~1 Ma and may have\ninduced widespread oceanic stratifi cation that triggered OAE1a.

Early detection of incipient faults in industrial processes is increasingly becoming important, as these faults can slowly develop into serious abnormal events, an emergency situation, or even failure of critical equipment. Multivariate statistical process monitoring methods are currently established for abrupt fault detection. Among these, the canonical variate analysis (CVA) was proven to be effective for dynamic process monitoring. However, the traditional CVA indices may not be sensitive enough for incipient faults. In this work, an extension of CVA, called the canonical variate dissimilarity analysis (CVDA), is proposed for process incipient fault detection in nonlinear dynamic processes under varying operating conditions. To handle the non-Gaussian distributed data, the kernel density estimation was used for computing detection limits. A CVA dissimilarity based index has been demonstrated to outperform traditional CVA indices and other dissimilarity-based indices, namely the dissimilarity analysis, recursive dynamic transformed component statistical analysis, and generalized canonical correlation analysis, in terms of sensitivity when tested on slowly developing multiplicative and additive faults in a continuous stirred-tank reactor under closed-loop control and varying operating conditions.

Sikolohiyang Pilipino (Filipino psychology) refers to the psychology born out of the experience, thought and orientation of the Filipinos, based on the full use of Filipino culture and language. The approach is one of “indigenization from within” whereby the theoretical framework and methodology emerge from the experiences of the people from the indigenous culture. It is based on assessing historical and socio‐cultural realities, understanding the local language, unraveling Filipino characteristics, and explaining them through the eyes of the native Filipino. Among the outcomes are: a body of knowledge including indigenous concepts, development of indigenous research methods and indigenous personality testing, new directions in teaching psychology, and an active participation in organisations among Filipino psychologists and social scientists, both in the Philippines and overseas.

Overfishing and habitat destruction due to local and global threats are undermining fisheries, biodiversity, and the long-term sustainability of tropical marine ecosystems worldwide, including in the Coral Triangle. Well-designed and effectively managed marine reserve networks can reduce local threats, and contribute to achieving multiple objectives regarding fisheries management, biodiversity conservation and adaptation to changes in climate and ocean chemistry. Previous studies provided advice regarding ecological guidelines for designing marine reserves to achieve one or two of these objectives. While there are many similarities in these guidelines, there are key differences that provide conflicting advice. Thus, there is a need to provide integrated guidelines for practitioners who wish to design marine reserves to achieve all three objectives simultaneously. Scientific advances regarding fish connectivity and recovery rates, and climate and ocean change vulnerability, also necessitate refining advice for marine reserve design. Here we review ecological considerations for marine reserve design, and provide guidelines to achieve all three objectives simultaneously regarding: habitat representation; risk spreading; protecting critical, special and unique areas; reserve size, spacing, location, and duration; protecting climate resilient areas; and minimizing and avoiding threats. In addition to applying ecological guidelines, reserves must be designed to address social and governance considerations, and be integrated within broader fisheries and coastal management regimes.

Based on an extensive model intercomparison, we assessed trends in biodiversity and ecosystem services from historical reconstructions and future scenarios of land-use and climate change. During the 20th century, biodiversity declined globally by 2 to 11%, as estimated by a range of indicators. Provisioning ecosystem services increased several fold, and regulating services decreased moderately. Going forward, policies toward sustainability have the potential to slow biodiversity loss resulting from land-use change and the demand for provisioning services while reducing or reversing declines in regulating services. However, negative impacts on biodiversity due to climate change appear poised to increase, particularly in the higher-emissions scenarios. Our assessment identifies remaining modeling uncertainties but also robustly shows that renewed policy efforts are needed to meet the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Surface signatures associated with non‐linear internal waves are often seen in satellite images of the western South China Sea (SCS) slope and shelf. Observation in the deep sea, to the east, are rare. Here we report on the evolution of an energetic packet as it propagated through the deep central basin of the SCS, toward the western slope and shelf. The waves have amplitudes estimated at 170 m, half widths of 3 km, and phase speeds of 2.9 ± 0.1 m/s, faster than the mode‐1 linear phase speed of 2.6 m/s. The shape and observed phase speed were consistent with the Korteweg‐deVries (KdV) model over the 65‐km path that they were tracked. The intrinsic velocity shear of the waves is small compared to pre‐existing shears, and the waves exhibit weak turbulence. The KdV fit and a satellite‐derived estimate of horizontal wave extent imply a westward energy flux of 4.5 GW for each crest.