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Sample records for benzidine derivative generic

  1. and dyes metabolized to benzidine were

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    LAB

    2012-07-17

    Jul 17, 2012 ... The reactor filled with immobilized enzyme retained more than 45% benzidine removal efficiency even after 30 ... in the production of rubber, plastic films and for quantitative ... chemicals, high costs of production of microbial culture, ... gate the oxidative degradation and removal of benzidine from model ...

  2. Plasma induced degradation of benzidine in aqueous solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao Jinzhang; Gai Ke; Yang Wu; Dong Yanjie

    2003-01-01

    The degradation of benzidine in aqueous solution by the low temperature plasma was examined. The results showed that the concentration of medium and the value of pH have an appreciable effect on the degradation of benzidine. What is more important is that iron ions acting as a catalyst play an important role in this reaction. For exploring the degradation mechanism of benzidine, some of the intermediate products were recorded by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography)

  3. Chemical structure of the adducts formed by the oxidation of benzidine in the presence of phenols

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Josephy, P.D.; Mason, R.P.; Eling, T.

    1982-01-01

    Bioactivation of carcinogens by peroxidases has received increasing attention since the discovery of the oxidation of carcinogens by prostaglandin hydroperoxidase. Benzidine and 3,5,3',5'-tetramethylbenzidine are oxidized by horseradish peroxidase and prostaglandin synthase to two-electron oxidation products (di-imines). Di-imines readily react with the phenolic anti-oxidant butylated hydroxyanisole to form adducts. In this paper, we have studied the oxidation of benzidine by horseradish peroxidase in the presence of phenolic compounds and characterized the resultant benzidine/phenol adducts. A benzidine/2,6-dimethylphenol adduct was isolated and characterized by mass spectrometry and high field n.m.r. The reaction of [ 14 C]benzidine in the presence of horseradish peroxidase and phenol yielded only the benzidine/phenol adduct. Our results indicate that the benzidine/phenol adducts are analogous to the indoaniline dyes, differing only in substitution of a biphenyl group for a benzene ring. The reaction of benzidine di-imine with endogenous phenols may represent a new pathway for detoxication, removing potentially harmful metabolites of benzidine

  4. Benzidine-based dyes: effects of industrial practices, regulations, and world trade on the biological stains market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dapson, R W

    2009-06-01

    One of the most sweeping changes in the dye industry since the advent of synthetic dyes grew out of the health risks associated with benzidine. Dyes made from benzidine and its derivatives were used around the world until adverse health effects become incontrovertible. Workers and family members of workers involved in production and use of benzidine-based dyes had a high incidence of bladder cancer. Following publication of several reports documenting this health hazard, dye makers in the USA, Europe, and Japan phased these dyes out of production in the 1970s. Government regulations lent legal support for these voluntary initiatives. Two strategies subsequently evolved to compensate: developed nations brought alternative substances to market while emerging countries increased production of carcinogenic dyes and sold them at discount prices around the world. Nearly all dye manufacturing now has moved away from nations whose costs of production and compliance rendered them unable to compete. The purpose of this brief review is to publicize the health risks associated with dyes made from benzidine and its congeners, and to alert all companies and end users handling these dyes for biomedical applications that composition of the product and lot-to-lot variability may be problematic because of the manufacturing and distribution practices of the countries where they are produced.

  5. Decomposition of benzidine, α-naphthylamine, and p-toluidine in soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Graveel, J.G.; Sommers, L.E.; Nelson, D.W.

    1986-01-01

    Decomposition of 14 C-labeled benzidine, α-naphthylamine, and p-toluidine in soil was studied in laboratory experiments by monitoring CO 2 production during a 308- to 365-d incubation period. The importance of microbial activity in decomposition of all three aromatic amines was shown by decreased 14 CO 2 evolution in 60 Co treated soils. After 365 d of incubation, 8.4 to 12% of added benzidine (54.3 μmol kg -1 ) was evolved as CO 2 while 17 to 31% of added α-naphthylamine (69.8 μmol kg -1 ) and 19 to 35% of added p-toluidine (93.3 μmol kg -1 ) were evolved as CO 2 in 308 d. Decomposition was enhanced by increasing the temperature from 12 to 30 0 C. For benzidine, both the amount and proportion decomposed increased with an increase in application rate. Decomposition of aromatic amines was not enhanced by the addition of decomposable substrates. Differences in decomposition of aromatic amines occurred among soils, but consistent relationships between decomposition of amines and soil properties were not observed. In batch equilibration studies, the Freundlich equation described aromatic amine sorption. Isotherms were nonlinear for benzidine and 1 -naphthylamine and linear for p-toluidine. Desorption of sorbed amines followed the order: benzidine < p-toluidine < α-naphthylamine and was inversely related to the extent of decomposition

  6. Graphene-based materials via benzidine-assisted exfoliation and reduction of graphite oxide and their electrochemical properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermisoglou, E. C.; Giannakopoulou, T.; Romanos, G.; Boukos, N.; Psycharis, V.; Lei, C.; Lekakou, C.; Petridis, D.; Trapalis, C.

    2017-01-01

    Benzidine, a compound bearing aromatic rings and terminal amino groups, was employed for the intercalation and simultaneous reduction of graphite oxide (GO). The aromatic diamine can be intercalated into GO as follows: (1) by grafting with the epoxy groups of GO, (2) by hydrogen bonding with the oxygen containing groups of GO. Stacking between benzidine aromatic rings and unoxidized domains of GO may occur through π-π interaction. The role of benzidine is influenced by pH conditions and the weight ratio GO/benzidine. Two weight ratios were tested i.e. 1:2 and 1:3. Under strong alkaline conditions through K2CO3 addition (pH ∼10.4-10.6) both intercalation and reduction of GO via amino groups occur, while under strong acidic conditions through HCl addition (pH ∼1.4-2.2) π-π stacking is preferred. When no base or acid is added (pH ∼5.2) and the weight ratio is 1:2, there are indications that reduction and π-π stacking occur, while at a GO/benzidine weight ratio 1:3 intercalation via amino groups and reduction seem to dominate. The aforementioned remarks render benzidine a multifunctional tool towards production of reduced graphene oxide. The effect of pH conditions and the GO/benzidine weight ratio on the quality and the electrochemical properties of the produced graphene-based materials were investigated. Cyclic voltammetry measurements using three-electrode cell and KCl aqueous solution as an electrolyte gave specific capacitance values up to ∼178 F/g. When electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC) were fabricated from these materials, the maximum capacitance in organic electrolyte i.e., tetraethyl ammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEABF4) in polycarbonate (PC) was ∼29 F/g.

  7. 77 FR 18752 - Benzidine-Based Chemical Substances; Di-n

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-28

    ... those described by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes 325-chemical... paraffins), which include the chemical substance covered by this proposed rule, as ``toxic'' under the... Benzidine-Based Chemical Substances; Di-n-pentyl phthalate (DnPP); and Alkanes, C[ihel1][ihel2]-[ihel1...

  8. Conjugated polyaniline as a result of the benzidine rearrangement

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Sapurina, Irina; Tenkovtsev, A. V.; Stejskal, Jaroslav

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 64, č. 4 (2015), s. 453-465 ISSN 0959-8103 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14199; GA ČR(CZ) GA13-00270S Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : aniline * aniline oligomers * benzidine rearrangement Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 2.414, year: 2015

  9. 40 CFR 721.9079 - Dihydro quinacridone derivative (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...) Industrial, commercial, and consumer activities. Requirements as specified in § 721.80(s) (1,000 kg). (ii... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Dihydro quinacridone derivative (generic). 721.9079 Section 721.9079 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED...

  10. How the conceptions of Chinese rhetorical expressions are derived from the corresponding generic sentences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Wenhui

    2018-04-01

    Generic sentences are simple and intuitive recognition and objective description to the external world in terms of "class". In the long evolutionary process of human being's language, the concepts represented by generic sentences has been internalized to be the defaulted knowledge in people's minds. In Chinese, some rhetorical expressions supported by corresponding generic sentences can be accepted by people. The derivation of these rhetorical expressions from the corresponding generic sentences is an important way for language to evolution, which reflects human's creative cognitive competence. From the perspective of conceptual blend theory and the theory of categorization of the cognitive linguistics, the goal of this paper is to analysis the process of the derivation of the rhetorical expressions from the corresponding generic sentences, which can facilitate the Chinese metaphorical information processing and the corpus construction of Chinese emotion metaphors.

  11. Phosphoric acid activation of sugarcane bagasse for removal of o-toluidine and benzidine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adib, M. R. M.; Attahirah, M. H. M. N.; Amirza, A. R. M.

    2018-04-01

    In the effort to find alternatives for low cost adsorbent, activated carbon using sugarcane bagasse (SBAC) has been introduced in this study that has undergo chemical treatment using phosphoric acid to determine the effectiveness of adsorption process in removing o-toluidine and benzidine. Throughout this study, 92.9% of o-toluidine has been successfully removed by SBAC at optimum value of 1.1 g of dosage with contact time of 10 minutes and concentration of 10 mg/L. While benzidine was remove by 83.1% at optimum dosage of 1.1 g with 60 minutes of contact time and at 20 mg/L concentrations. Testing of SEM proves that SBAC has high porosity and comparable to CAC. In FTIR results, shows that CAC has high number of double bond while SBAC shows no double bond at all. Presence of double bond in CAC lead to increase in percentage of removal of adsorbate. After considering other factor such as cost, energy and environmental friendly, it shows that SBAC was considerable to replaced CAC.

  12. Deriving GENERIC from a Generalized Fluctuation Symmetry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraaij, Richard; Lazarescu, Alexandre; Maes, Christian; Peletier, Mark

    2018-02-01

    Much of the structure of macroscopic evolution equations for relaxation to equilibrium can be derived from symmetries in the dynamical fluctuations around the most typical trajectory. For example, detailed balance as expressed in terms of the Lagrangian for the path-space action leads to gradient zero-cost flow. We expose a new such fluctuation symmetry that implies GENERIC, an extension of gradient flow where a Hamiltonian part is added to the dissipative term in such a way as to retain the free energy as Lyapunov function.

  13. A Low-Cost Wheat Bran Medium for Biodegradation of the Benzidine-Based Carcinogenic Dye Trypan Blue Using a Microbial Consortium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harshad Lade

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Environmental release of benzidine-based dyes is a matter of health concern. Here, a microbial consortium was enriched from textile dye contaminated soils and investigated for biodegradation of the carcinogenic benzidine-based dye Trypan Blue using wheat bran (WB as growth medium. The PCR-DGGE analysis of enriched microbial consortium revealed the presence of 15 different bacteria. Decolorization studies suggested that the microbial consortium has high metabolic activity towards Trypan Blue as complete removal of 50 mg∙L−1 dye was observed within 24 h at 30 ± 0.2 °C and pH 7. Significant reduction in TOC (64% and COD (88% of dye decolorized broths confirmed mineralization. Induction in azoreductase (500%, NADH-DCIP reductase (264% and laccase (275% proved enzymatic decolorization of dye. HPLC analysis of dye decolorized products showed the formation of six metabolites while the FTIR spectrum indicated removal of diazo bonds at 1612.30 and 1581.34 cm−1. The proposed dye degradation pathway based on GC-MS and enzyme analysis suggested the formation of two low molecular weight intermediates. Phytotoxicity and acute toxicity studies revealed the less toxic nature of the dye degradation products. These results provide experimental evidence for the utilization of agricultural waste as a novel low-cost growth medium for biodegradation of benzidine-based dyes, and suggested the potential of the microbial consortium in detoxification.

  14. A Generic Topology Derivation Method for Single-phase Converters with Active Capacitive DC-links

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Haoran; Wang, Huai; Zhu, Guorong

    2016-01-01

    capacitive DCDC- link solutions, but important aspects of the topology assess-ment, such as the total energy storage, overall capacitive energy buffer ratio, cost, and reliability are still not available. This paper proposes a generic topology derivation method of single-phase power converters...

  15. Generic clearance values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bossio, M.C.; Muniz, C.C.

    2009-01-01

    This paper analyzes the Generic Clearance Values established for natural and artificial radionuclides with the objective of evaluating their degree of conservatism in views of adopting them into the regulatory body. Generic clearance values for natural radionuclides have been chosen by experts judgments as the optimum boundary between, on one hand, the ubiquitous unmodified soil concentrations and, on the other hand, activity concentrations in ores, mineral sands, industrial residues and wastes. For artificial radionuclides the clearance levels have been derived from the scenarios postulated in the document 'Safety Reports Series Nr 44' of the IAEA considering quantitative exemption criteria. A set of 8 scenarios were postulated covering external, ingestion and inhalation exposure pathways. For each radionuclide, the generic clearance level was derived as the more restrictive value obtained from the scenarios, that is the lowest ratio between the applicable individual dose and the dose per unit activity concentration (Bq/g). The individual dose was calculated by a formula depending on each scenario and pathway, with different parameters, such as exposure time, dosimetric factors, dilution factor, density of the material, geometric factors, etc. It was concluded that the basis and parameters used for the derivation of the generic clearance levels are quite conservative and therefore its the adoption in Argentina has been recommended. It is expected that their implementation will contribute to optimize the regulatory management system. (author)

  16. Generic Clearance Values

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bossio, M.C.; Muniz, C.C.

    2010-01-01

    This paper analyzes the Generic Clearance Values established for natural and artificial radionuclides with the objective of evaluating their degree of conservatism in views of adopting them into the regulatory body. Generic clearance values for natural radionuclides have been chosen by experts judgments as the optimum boundary between, on the one hand, the ubiquitous unmodified soil concentrations and, on the other hand, activity concentrations in ores, mineral sands, industrial residues and wastes. For artificial radionuclides the clearance levels have been derived from the scenarios postulated in the document Safety Reports Series 44 of the IAEA considering quantitative exemption criteria. A set of 8 scenarios were postulated covering external, ingestion and inhalation exposure pathways. For each radionuclide, the generic clearance level was derived as the more restrictive value obtained from the scenarios, that is the lowest ratio between the applicable individual dose and the dose per unit activity concentration (Bq/g). The individual dose was calculated by a formula depending on each scenario and pathway, with different parameters, such as exposure time, dosimetric factors, dilution factor, density of the material, geometric factors, etc. It was concluded that the basis and parameters used for the derivation of the generic clearance levels are quite conservative and therefore its the adoption in Argentina has been recommended. It is expected that their implementation will contribute to optimize the regulatory management system. (authors) [es

  17. Contact Geometry of Hyperbolic Equations of Generic Type

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dennis The

    2008-08-01

    Full Text Available We study the contact geometry of scalar second order hyperbolic equations in the plane of generic type. Following a derivation of parametrized contact-invariants to distinguish Monge-Ampère (class 6-6, Goursat (class 6-7 and generic (class 7-7 hyperbolic equations, we use Cartan's equivalence method to study the generic case. An intriguing feature of this class of equations is that every generic hyperbolic equation admits at most a nine-dimensional contact symmetry algebra. The nine-dimensional bound is sharp: normal forms for the contact-equivalence classes of these maximally symmetric generic hyperbolic equations are derived and explicit symmetry algebras are presented. Moreover, these maximally symmetric equations are Darboux integrable. An enumeration of several submaximally symmetric (eight and seven-dimensional generic hyperbolic structures is also given.

  18. Comparison of generic-to-brand switchback patterns for generic and authorized generic drugs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Richard A.; Qian, Jingjing; Berg, Richard; Linneman, James; Seoane-Vazquez, Enrique; Dutcher, Sarah K.; Raofi, Saeid; Page, C. David; Peissig, Peggy

    2018-01-01

    Background While generic drugs are therapeutically equivalent to brand drugs, some patients and healthcare providers remain uncertain about whether they produce identical outcomes. Authorized generics, which are identical in formulation to corresponding brand drugs but marketed as a generic, provide a unique post-marketing opportunity to study whether utilization patterns are influenced by perceptions of generic drugs. Objectives To compare generic-to-brand switchback rates between generics and authorized generics. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using claims and electronic health records data from a regional U.S. healthcare system. Ten drugs with authorized generics and generics marketed between 1999 and 2014 were evaluated. Eligible adult patients received a brand drug during the 6 months preceding generic entry, and then switched to a generic or authorized generic. Patients in this cohort were followed for up to 30 months from the index switch date to evaluate occurrence of generic-to-brand switchbacks. Switchback rates were compared between patients on authorized generics versus generics using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models, controlling for individual drug effects, age, sex, Charlson comorbidity score, pre-index drug use characteristics, and pre-index healthcare utilization. Results Among 5,542 unique patients that switched from brand-to-generic or brand-to-authorized generic, 264 (4.8%) switched back to the brand drug. Overall switchback rates were similar for authorized generics compared with generics (HR=0.86; 95% CI 0.65-1.15). The likelihood of switchback was higher for alendronate (HR=1.64; 95% CI 1.20-2.23) and simvastatin (HR=1.81; 95% CI 1.30-2.54) and lower for amlodipine (HR=0.27; 95% CI 0.17-0.42) compared with other drugs in the cohort. Conclusions Overall switchback rates were similar between authorized generic and generic drug users, indirectly supporting similar efficacy and tolerability profiles for

  19. Synthesis and characterization of new polyamides derived from alanine and valine derivatives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    El-Faham Ayman

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Many efforts have been recently devoted to design, investigate and synthesize biocompatible, biodegradable polymers for applications in medicine for either the fabrication of biodegradable devices or as drug delivery systems. Many of them consist of condensation of polymers having incorporated peptide linkages susceptible to enzymatic cleavage. Polyamides (PAs containing α-amino acid residues such as L-leucine, L-alanine and L-phenylalanine have been reported as biodegradable materials. Furthermore, polyamides (PAs derived from C10 and C14 dicarboxylic acids and amide-diamines derived from 1,6-hexanediamine or 1,12-dodecanediamine and L-phenylalanine, L-valyl-L-phenylalanine or L-phenylalanyl-L-valine residues have been reported as biocompatible polymers. We have previously described the synthesis and thermal properties of a new type of polyamides-containing amino acids based on eight new symmetric meta-oriented protected diamines derived from coupling of amino acids namely; Fomc-glycine, Fmoc-alanine, Fomc-valine and Fomc-leucine with m-phenylene diamine or 2,6-diaminopyridine. Results revealed that incorporation of pyridine onto the polymeric backbone of all series decreases the thermal stability. Here we describe another family of polyamides based on benzene dicarboxylic acid, pyridine dicarboxylic acid, and α-amino acid linked to benzidine and 4,4′-oxydianiline to study the effect of the dicarboxylic acid as well as the amino acids on the nature and thermal stability of the polymers. Results We report here the preparation of a new type of polyamides based on benzene dicarboxylic acid, pyridine dicarboxylic acid, and α-amino acid linked to benzidine and 4,4′-oxydianiline to study the effect of the dicarboxylic acid as well as the amino acids on the nature and thermal stability of polymers. The thermal properties of the polymers were evaluated by different techniques. Results revealed that structure-thermal property

  20. Journal of Chemical Sciences | Indian Academy of Sciences

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First, two benzidine derivatives, which act as electron-donating agents in their interactions with biomolecules are considered. Overall toxicity in general and the most probable site of reactivity in particular are effectively described by the global and local electrophilicity parameters respectively. Interaction of two benzidine ...

  1. Comparison of Generic-to-Brand Switchback Rates Between Generic and Authorized Generic Drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, Richard A; Qian, Jingjing; Berg, Richard; Linneman, James; Seoane-Vazquez, Enrique; Dutcher, Sarah K; Raofi, Saeid; Page, C David; Peissig, Peggy

    2017-04-01

    Generic drugs contain identical active ingredients as their corresponding brand drugs and are pharmaceutically equivalent and bioequivalent, whereas authorized generic drugs (AGs) contain both identical active and inactive ingredients as their corresponding brand drugs but are marketed as generics. This study compares generic-to-brand switchback rates between generic and AGs. Retrospective cohort study. Claims and electronic health record data from a regional U.S. health care system. The full cohort consisted of 5542 unique patients who received select branded drugs during the 6 months prior to their generic drug market availability (between 1999 and 2014) and then were switched to an AG or generic drug within 30 months of generic drug entry. For these patients, 5929 unique patient-drug combinations (867 with AGs and 5062 with generic drugs) were evaluated. Ten drugs with AGs and generics marketed between 1999 and 2014 were evaluated. The date of the first generic prescription was considered the index date for each drug, and it marked the beginning of follow-up to evaluate the occurrence of generic-to-brand switchback patterns over the subsequent 30 months. Switchback rates were compared between patients receiving AGs versus those receiving generics using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, controlling for individual drug effects, age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Score, pre-index drug use characteristics, and pre-index health care utilization. Among the 5542 unique patients who switched from brand to generic or brand to AG, 264 (4.8%) switched back to the brand drug. Overall switchback rates were similar for AGs compared with generics (hazard ratio [HR] 0.86, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.65-1.15). The likelihood of switchback was higher for alendronate (HR 1.64, 95% CI 1.20-2.23) and simvastatin (HR 1.81, 95% CI 1.30-2.54) and lower for amlodipine (HR 0.27, 95% CI 0.17-0.42) compared with the other drugs evaluated. Overall switchback rates were similar

  2. Generic method for deriving the general shaking force balance conditions of parallel manipulators with application to a redundant planar 4-RRR parallel manipulator

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van der Wijk, V.; Krut, S.; Pierrot, F.; Herder, Justus Laurens

    2011-01-01

    This paper proposes a generic method for deriving the general shaking force balance conditions of parallel manipulators. Instead of considering the balancing of a parallel manipulator link-by-link or leg-by-leg, the architecture is considered altogether. The first step is to write the linear

  3. Top-Contact Pentacene-Based Organic Thin Film Transistor (OTFT) with N, N'-Bis(3-Methyl Phenyl)- N, N'-Diphenyl Benzidine (TPD)/Au Bilayer Source-Drain Electrode

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borthakur, Tribeni; Sarma, Ranjit

    2018-01-01

    A top-contact Pentacene-based organic thin film transistor (OTFT) with N, N'-Bis (3-methyl phenyl)- N, N'-diphenyl benzidine (TPD)/Au bilayer source-drain electrode is reported. The devices with TPD/Au bilayer source-drain (S-D) electrodes show better performance than the single layer S-D electrode OTFT devices. The field-effect mobility of 4.13 cm2 v-1 s-1, the on-off ratio of 1.86 × 107, the threshold voltage of -4 v and the subthreshold slope of .27 v/decade, respectively, are obtained from the device with a TPD/Au bilayer source-drain electrode.

  4. Generic medicines and generic substitution: contrasting perspectives of stakeholders in Ireland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Leary, A; Usher, C; Lynch, M; Hall, M; Hemeryk, L; Spillane, S; Gallagher, P; Barry, M

    2015-12-15

    The Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Act 2013 passed into law in July 2013 and legislated for generic substitution in Ireland. The aim of the study was to ascertain the knowledge and perceptions of stakeholders i.e. patients, pharmacists and prescribers, of generic medicines and to generic substitution with the passing of legislation. Three stakeholder specific questionnaires were developed to assess knowledge of and perceptions to generic medicines and generic substitution. Purposive samples of patients, prescribers and pharmacists were analysed. Descriptive quantitative and qualitative analyses were undertaken. A total of 762 healthcare professionals and 353 patients were recruited. The study highlighted that over 84% of patients were familiar with generic medicines and are supportive of the concept of generic substitution. Approximately 74% of prescribers and 84% of pharmacists were supportive of generic substitution in most cases. The main areas of concern highlighted by the healthcare professionals that might impact on the successful implementation of the policy, were the issue of bioequivalence with generic medicines, the computer software systems used at present in general practitioner (GP) surgeries and the availability of branded generics. The findings from this study identify a high baseline rate of acceptance to generic medicines and generic substitution among patients, prescribers and pharmacists in the Irish setting. The concerns of the main stakeholders provide a valuable insight into the potential difficulties that may arise in its implementation, and the need for on-going reassurance and proactive dissemination of the impact of the generic substitution policy. The existing positive attitude to generic medicines and generic substitution among key stakeholders in Ireland to generic substitution, combined with appropriate support and collaboration should result in the desired increase in rates of prescribing, dispensing and use of generic

  5. Binary mixtures of condensates in generic confining potentials

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Facchi, P [Dipartimento di Matematica and MECENAS, Universita di Bari, I-70125 Bari (Italy); Florio, G; Pascazio, S; Pepe, F V, E-mail: Francesco.Pepe@ba.infn.it [INFN, Sezione di Bari, I-70126 Bari (Italy)

    2011-12-16

    We study a binary mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates, confined in a generic potential, in the Thomas-Fermi approximation. We search for the zero-temperature ground state of the system, both in the case of fixed numbers of particles and fixed chemical potentials. For generic potentials, we analyze the transition from mixed to separated ground-state configurations as the inter-species interaction increases. We derive a simple formula that enables one to determine the location of the domain walls. Finally, we find criteria for the energetic stability of separated configurations, depending on the number and the position of the domain walls separating the two species. (paper)

  6. Binary mixtures of condensates in generic confining potentials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Facchi, P.; Florio, G.; Pascazio, S.; Pepe, F. V.

    2011-12-01

    We study a binary mixture of Bose-Einstein condensates, confined in a generic potential, in the Thomas-Fermi approximation. We search for the zero-temperature ground state of the system, both in the case of fixed numbers of particles and fixed chemical potentials. For generic potentials, we analyze the transition from mixed to separated ground-state configurations as the inter-species interaction increases. We derive a simple formula that enables one to determine the location of the domain walls. Finally, we find criteria for the energetic stability of separated configurations, depending on the number and the position of the domain walls separating the two species.

  7. Binary mixtures of condensates in generic confining potentials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Facchi, P; Florio, G; Pascazio, S; Pepe, F V

    2011-01-01

    We study a binary mixture of Bose–Einstein condensates, confined in a generic potential, in the Thomas–Fermi approximation. We search for the zero-temperature ground state of the system, both in the case of fixed numbers of particles and fixed chemical potentials. For generic potentials, we analyze the transition from mixed to separated ground-state configurations as the inter-species interaction increases. We derive a simple formula that enables one to determine the location of the domain walls. Finally, we find criteria for the energetic stability of separated configurations, depending on the number and the position of the domain walls separating the two species. (paper)

  8. The generic article

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Farkas, D.F.; Swart, Henriëtte de

    2005-01-01

    We take a fresh look at the connection between genericity and (in)definiteness by reconsidering a long-standing puzzle concerning the relation between definiteness and genericity. We contrast English on the one hand and Romance languages and Hungarian on the other, focusing on generic sentences

  9. [Generic drugs: good or bad? Physician's knowledge of generic drugs and prescribing habits].

    Science.gov (United States)

    García, A J; Martos, F; Leiva, F; Sánchez de la Cuesta, F

    2003-01-01

    In this article we analyze the responses of 1220 Spanish physicians who participated in a survery about generic drugs. A previously validated questionnaire was sent to physicians through the Spanish Medical Councils of the different provinces. Four items were analyzed: what doctors know about generic drugs (knowledge); physicians' prescribing habits concerning these drugs (attitude and professional competence); how prescription of generic drugs effects pharmaceutical costs amd, finally, what doctors believe a generic drug should be. The influence of physician-related variables (age, type of contract, specialty, workload, etc.) on prescribing of generic drugs was also analyzed. In view of the results, we believe that to rationalize expenditure through and appropriate policy on generic drugs Spanish health authorities should offer more and better training and information (clear and independent) about what generic drugs are.

  10. Stabilization of N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)benzidine thin film morphology with UV light

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tomović, A.Ž.; Markešević, N. [Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11000 Belgrade (Serbia); Scarpellini, M.; Bovio, S. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces (CIMAINA), Università di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milan (Italy); Lucenti, E. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces (CIMAINA), Università di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milan (Italy); Institute of Molecular Science and Technology of CNR, via Golgi 19, 20133 Milan (Italy); Milani, P. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces (CIMAINA), Università di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milan (Italy); Zikic, R. [Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11000 Belgrade (Serbia); Jovanović, V.P., E-mail: vladimir.jovanovic@ipb.ac.rs [Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, 11000 Belgrade (Serbia); Srdanov, V.I. [Interdisciplinary Centre for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces (CIMAINA), Università di Milano, Via Celoria 16, 20133 Milan (Italy)

    2014-07-01

    Owing to their low glass transition temperature, T{sub g}, amorphous thin films of N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)benzidine (TPD) undergo morphological changes even at room temperature. It has been noticed previously that exposure to UV light can increase apparent T{sub g} of TPD films and thus stabilize their morphology. However, the reason behind increase in structural stability was not examined at the time. Here we present evidence that TPD molecules undergo photo-oxidation in air when exposed to λ ≈ 350 nm radiation and that less than 5% of the photo-oxidized species are needed to prevent dewetting of thin TPD films. We propose that photo-oxidized TPD species bind strongly to both ordinary TPD molecules and to terminal hydroxyl groups at the substrate surface, which decreases mobility of TPD molecules and makes thin TPD film less prone to morphology changes. - Highlights: • We made variable thickness TPD films and exposed them to UV light under ambient conditions. • Mass spectroscopy and proton NMR measurements of irradiated and pristine TPD films • TPD molecules undergo oxidation process under UV light irradiation. • Dipole–dipole interactions may be responsible for stabilization of morphological changes.

  11. Brand vs generic adverse event reporting patterns: An authorized generic-controlled evaluation of cardiovascular medications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alatawi, Y; Rahman, Md M; Cheng, N; Qian, J; Peissig, P L; Berg, R L; Page, C D; Hansen, R A

    2018-06-01

    Some public scepticism exists about generics in terms of whether brand and generic drugs produce identical outcomes. This study explores whether adverse event (AE) reporting patterns are similar between brand and generic drugs, using authorized generics (AGs) as a control for possible generic drug perception biases. Events reported to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System from the years 2004-2015 were analysed. Drugs were classified as brand, AG or generic based on drug and manufacturer names. Reports were included if amlodipine, losartan, metoprolol extended release (ER) or simvastatin were listed as primary or secondary suspect drugs. Disproportionality analyses using the reporting odds ratio (ROR) assessed the relative rate of reporting labelled AEs compared to reporting these AEs with all other drugs. The Breslow-Day test compared RORs across brand, AG and generic. Interrupted time series analysis evaluated the impact of generic entry on reporting trends. Generics accounted for significant percentages of total U.S. reports, but AGs accounted for smaller percentages of reports, including for amlodipine (14.26%), losartan (1.48%), metoprolol ER (0.35%) and simvastatin (0.70%). Whereas the RORs were significantly different for multiple brand vs generic comparisons, the AG vs generic comparisons yielded fewer statistically significant findings. Namely, only the ROR for AG differed from generic for amlodipine with peripheral oedema (P brand and generic compared with AG and generic. Use of AGs as a control for perception biases against generics is useful, but this approach can be limited by small AG report numbers. Requiring the manufacturer name to be printed on the prescription bottle or packaging could improve the accuracy of assignment for products being reported. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Generic antibiotics in Japan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujimura, Shigeru; Watanabe, Akira

    2012-08-01

    Generic drugs have been used extensively in many developed countries, although their use in Japan has been limited. Generic drugs reduce drug expenses and thereby national medical expenditure. Because generic drugs provide advantages for both public administration and consumers, it is expected that they will be more widely used in the future. However, the diffusion rate of generic drugs in Japan is quite low compared with that of other developed countries. An investigation on generic drugs conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan revealed that 17.2 % of doctors and 37.2 % of patients had not used generic drugs. The major reasons for this low use rate included distrust of off-patent products and lower drug price margin compared with the brand name drug. The generic drugs available in the market include external drugs such as wet packs, antihypertensive agents, analgesics, anticancer drugs, and antibiotics. Among them, antibiotics are frequently used in cases of acute infectious diseases. When the treatment of these infections is delayed, the infection might be aggravated rapidly. The pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics (PK-PD) theory has been adopted in recent chemotherapy, and in many cases, the most appropriate dosage and administration of antibiotics are determined for individual patients considering renal function; high-dosage antibiotics are used preferably for a short duration. Therefore, a highly detailed antimicrobial agent is necessary. However, some of the generic antibiotics have less antibacterial potency or solubility than the brand name products. We showed that the potency of the generic products of vancomycin and teicoplanin is lower than that of the branded drugs by 14.6 % and 17.3 %, respectively. Furthermore, we confirmed that a generic meropenem drug for injection required about 82 s to solubilize in saline, whereas the brand product required only about 21 s. It was thought that the cause may be the difference in size of bulk

  13. A generic framework for extracting XML data from legacy databases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Thiran, Ph.; Estiévenart, F.; Hainaut, J.L.; Houben, G.J.P.M.

    2005-01-01

    This paper describes a generic framework of which semantics-based XML data can be derived from legacy databases. It consists in first recovering the conceptual schema of the database through reverse engineering techniques, and then in converting this schema, or part of it, into XML-compliant data

  14. Scripting XML with Generic Haskell

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Atanassow, F.; Clarke, D.; Jeuring, J.T.

    2003-01-01

    A generic program is written once and works on values of many data types. Generic Haskell is a recent extension of the functional programming language Haskell that supports generic programming. This paper discusses how Generic Haskell can be used to implement XML tools whose behaviour depends on

  15. Scripting XML with Generic Haskell

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Atanassow, F.; Clarke, D.; Jeuring, J.T.

    2007-01-01

    A generic program is written once and works on values of many data types. Generic Haskell is a recent extension of the functional programming language Haskell that supports generic programming. This paper discusses how Generic Haskell can be used to implement XML tools whose behaviour depends on

  16. Peroxidase-mediated binding of aromatic amine carcinogens to tissue DNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wise, R.W.; Lakshmi, V.M.; Zenser, T.V.; Davis, B.B.

    1986-01-01

    Benzidine is a aromatic amine bladder carcinogen in man and dog which requires endogenous metabolic activation. Dog bladder microsomes activate benzidine to bind glutathione and DNA by a peroxidatic but not a mixed-function oxidase mediated pathway. Prostaglandin H synthase was responsible for peroxidatic metabolism. This study was designed to assess benzidine metabolism in a whole cell system. Rabbit renal medullary slices (100 mg/ml) were incubated for 60 min. in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate buffer containing 100 μM 3 H-benzidine and 250 μM arachidonic acid. Arachidonic acid increased 3-(glutathione-S-yL)-benzidine, a product of peroxidatically activated benzidine, (6-fold) and 3 H-benzidine binding to endogenous DNA (4-fold). Indomethacin (100 μM) completely inhibited arachidonic acid-mediated increases in conjugate formation and DNA binding. HPLC analysis of the media demonstrated benzidine (95% of total 3 H), 3-(glutathion-S-yL)-benzidine (1%) and two unidentified peaks (4%). These results are consistent with the hydroperoxidase activity of prostaglandin H synthase mediating metabolic activation of benzidine to bind tissue nucleophiles in a whole cell system. Inhibition of peroxidatic activation of aromatic amines to bind DNA may prevent initiation of bladder cancer

  17. 40 CFR 721.1820 - Bisphenol derivative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Bisphenol derivative. 721.1820 Section... Substances § 721.1820 Bisphenol derivative. (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as bisphenol derivative (PMN No. P-92-509) is...

  18. Bridging generic and professional care practices for Muslim patients through use of Leininger's culture care modes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehbe-Alamah, Hiba

    2008-04-01

    The purpose of this article is to provide knowledge of traditional Muslim generic (folk) care beliefs, expressions and practices derived from research and descriptive sources, in order to assist nurses and other health care professionals to integrate generic (folk) into professional care practices. Muslim generic (folk) care beliefs and practices related to the caregiving process, health, illness, dietary needs, dress, privacy, modesty, touch, gender relations, eye contact, abortion, contraception, birth, death and bereavement were explored. A discussion involving the use of Leininger's culture care preservation and/or maintenance, culture care accommodation and/or negotiation and culture care repatterning and/or restructuring action modes to bridge the gap between generic (folk) and professional (etic) care practices and to consequently promote culturally congruent care is presented.

  19. Deriving GENERIC from a generalized fluctuation symmetry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kraaij, R.; Lazarescu, A.; Maes, C.; Peletier, M.A.

    2018-01-01

    Much of the structure of macroscopic evolution equations for relaxation to equilibrium can be derived from symmetries in the dynamical fluctuations around the most typical trajectory. For example, detailed balance as expressed in terms of the Lagrangian for the path-space action leads to gradient

  20. Optimizing Generic Functions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alimarine, A.; Smetsers, J.E.W.

    2004-01-01

    Generic functions are defined by induction on the structural representation of types. As a consequence, by defining just a single generic operation, one acquires this operation over any particular type. An instance on a specific type is generated by interpretation of the type's structure. A direct

  1. Generic Example Proving Criteria for All

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yopp, David; Ely, Rob; Johnson­-Leung, Jennifer

    2015-01-01

    We review literature that discusses generic example proving and highlight ambiguities that pervade our research community's discourse about generic example arguments. We distinguish between pedagogical advice for choosing good examples that can serve as generic examples when teaching and advice for developing generic example arguments. We provide…

  2. Generic and biosimilar medicines: quid?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Steven Simoens

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Once intellectual property protection, data and marketing exclusivity of reference medicines have expired, generic medicines and biosimilar medicines can enter the off-patent market. This market entry is conditional on the approval of marketing authorization, pricing and reimbursement. Given that there tends to be confusion surrounding generic and biosimilar medicines, this Editorial introduces basic concepts related to generic and biosimilar medicines and presents the different studies and articles included in this supplement dedicated to generic and biosimilar medicines.

  3. Modeling of Generic Slung Load System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bisgaard, Morten; Bendtsen, Jan Dimon; la Cour-Harbo, Anders

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents the result of the modelling and verification of a generic slung load system using a small-scale helicopter. The model is intended for use in simulation, pilot training, estimation, and control. The model is derived using a redundant coordinate formulation based on Gauss...... slackening and tightening as well as aerodynamic coupling between the helicopter and the load. Furthermore, it is shown how the model can be easily used for multi-lift systems either with multiple helicopters or multiple loads. A numerical stabilisation algorithm is introduced and finally the use...... of the model is illustrated through simulations and flight verifications.  ...

  4. Advertising and generic market entry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Königbauer, Ingrid

    2007-03-01

    The effect of purely persuasive advertising on generic market entry and social welfare is analysed. An incumbent has the possibility to invest in advertising which affects the prescribing physician's perceived relative qualities of the brand-name and the generic version of the drug. Advertising creates product differentiation and can induce generic market entry which is deterred without differentiation due to strong Bertrand competition. However, over-investment in advertising can deter generic market entry under certain conditions and reduces welfare as compared to accommodated market entry.

  5. Efficiency and stability of different tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium (Alq3) derivatives in OLED applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwong, C.Y.; Djurisic, A.B.; Choy, W.C.H.; Li, D.; Xie, M.H.; Chan, W.K.; Cheah, K.W.; Lai, P.T.; Chui, P.C.

    2005-01-01

    In this work, we have investigated the material stability and organic light emitting diode (OLED) performance for tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminium (Alq 3 ) and for three of the Alq 3 derivatives. For each material, electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements were performed and the degradation of photoluminescence (PL) with atmosphere exposure was studied. Performance of OLEDs based on these materials was also studied. The device structure was ITO/N,N'-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N'-diphenyl-benzidine (NPB) (50 nm)/Alq 3 or Alq 3 derivatives (60 nm)/LiF (0.3 nm)/Al (60 nm). It was found that the rate of PL decay of the films correlates strongly with the existence of ESR signal. However, stability of OLEDs fabricated from these materials showed no direct relationship with PL decay in the films. This indicates that the dominant degradation mechanism in OLEDs is related to the passage of electric current through the device. Detailed discussion of the performances of four light emitting materials in terms of efficiency and stability is given

  6. Encouraging generic use can yield significant savings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimmerman, Christina

    2012-11-01

    Key findings. (1) Zero copayment for generic drugs is the greatest influencer of generic statin utilization. (2) Both higher copayments for generic drugs and lower copayments for competing brands are associated with a decreased probability of using generic statins. (3) Prior authorization and step therapy requirements for brand-name statins are associated with an increased use of generic drugs. (4) Greater use of generic statins should reduce costs for patients, plans, and Medicare.

  7. EPRI spearheads generic PM recommendations for infrastructure equipment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Worledge, David H.; Hinchcliffe, Glenn R.; Benak, Mark S.; Bridges, Martin

    2007-01-01

    All companies have at their core a vast amount of similar equipment that would benefit from solid preventive maintenance (PM) recommendations that are generic and easily adapted to meet operational conditions. The re-emergence of PM optimization methods like Reliability Centered Maintenance, further illustrates that companies in all industries recognize the positive influence that a well-focused maintenance program has on the corporate bottom line. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has long been a leader in providing universally adaptable maintenance solutions to meet the evolving needs of its membership. Nearly ten years ago, EPRI began developing the PM Basis Database, a one-of-a-kind repository of PM recommendations for basic infrastructure components (such as pumps, motors, valves, compressors), derived from equipment experts. EPRI has now made available this comprehensive body of knowledge to all industries. This paper will explore the origins and structure of the database, how these generic PM recommendations benefit every industry, and how they may be obtained. (author)

  8. Generic Assessment Criteria for human health risk assessment of potentially contaminated land in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yuanyuan; Nathanail, Paul C

    2009-12-20

    Generic Assessment Criteria (GAC) are derived using widely applicable assumptions about the characteristics and behaviour of contaminant sources, pathways and receptors. GAC provide nationally consistent guidance, thereby saving money and time. Currently, there are no human health based Generic Assessment Criteria (GAC) for contaminated sites in China. Protection of human health is therefore difficult to ensure and demonstrate; and the lack of GAC makes it difficult to tell if there is potential significant risk to human health unless site-specific criteria are derived. This paper derived Chinese GAC (GAC) for five inorganic and eight organic substances for three regions in China for three land uses: urban residential without plant uptake, Chinese cultivated land, and commercial/industrial using the SNIFFER model. The SNIFFER model has been further implemented with a dermal absorption algorithm and the model default input values have been changed to reflect the Chinese exposure scenarios. It is envisaged that the modified SNIFFER model could be used to derive GAC for more contaminants, more Regions, and more land uses. Further research to enhance the reliability and acceptability of the GAC is needed in regional/national surveys in diet and working patterns.

  9. 76 FR 57767 - Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011-XX: Seismic Risk Evaluations for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-16

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2011-0204] Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011-XX: Seismic Risk Evaluations for Operating Reactors AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission... FR 54507), that requested public comment on Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011- XX: Seismic Risk...

  10. A Generic Approach for Inversion of Surface Reflectance over Land: Overview, Application and Validation Using MODIS and LANDSAT8 Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vermote, E.; Roger, J. C.; Justice, C. O.; Franch, B.; Claverie, M.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a generic approach developed to derive surface reflectance over land from a variety of sensors. This technique builds on the extensive dataset acquired by the Terra platform by combining MODIS and MISR to derive an explicit and dynamic map of band ratio's between blue and red channels and is a refinement of the operational approach used for MODIS and LANDSAT over the past 15 years. We will present the generic approach and the application to MODIS and LANDSAT data and its validation using the AERONET data.

  11. Generics Pricing: The Greek Paradox.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karafyllis, Ioannis; Variti, Lamprini

    2017-01-01

    This paper explains and develops a methodological framework to help evaluate the performance of generic pharmaceutical policies and the correct evaluation of generics sales. Until today erroneous recording of generics does not help proper pricing and their penetration in the Greek market. This classifies Greece on the outliners in every study or comparison that is referred on papers or studies.

  12. Computational Thinking and Practice - A Generic Approach to Computing in Danish High Schools

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Caspersen, Michael E.; Nowack, Palle

    2014-01-01

    Internationally, there is a growing awareness on the necessity of providing relevant computing education in schools, particularly high schools. We present a new and generic approach to Computing in Danish High Schools based on a conceptual framework derived from ideas related to computational thi...

  13. Computer-aided modeling framework – a generic modeling template

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fedorova, Marina; Sin, Gürkan; Gani, Rafiqul

    and test models systematically, efficiently and reliably. In this way, development of products and processes can be made faster, cheaper and more efficient. In this contribution, as part of the framework, a generic modeling template for the systematic derivation of problem specific models is presented....... The application of the modeling template is highlighted with a case study related to the modeling of a catalytic membrane reactor coupling dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with hydrogenation of nitrobenzene...

  14. NET 40 Generics Beginner's Guide

    CERN Document Server

    Mukherjee, Sudipta

    2012-01-01

    This is a concise, practical guide that will help you learn Generics in .NET, with lots of real world and fun-to-build examples and clear explanations. It is packed with screenshots to aid your understanding of the process. This book is aimed at beginners in Generics. It assumes some working knowledge of C# , but it isn't mandatory. The following would get the most use out of the book: Newbie C# developers struggling with Generics. Experienced C++ and Java Programmers who are migrating to C# and looking for an alternative to other generic frameworks like STL and JCF would find this book handy.

  15. Efficient Generic Functional Programming

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Alimarine, A.; Smetsers, J.E.W.

    2005-01-01

    Generic functions are defined by induction on the structural representation of types. As a consequence, by defining just a single generic operation, one acquires this operation over any particular data type. An instance on a specific type is generated by interpretation of the type's structure. A

  16. [Consensus clinical practice guidelines of the Andalusian Epilepsy Society on prescribing generic antiepileptic drugs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cañadillas-Hidalgo, F M; Sánchez-Alvarez, J C; Serrano-Castro, P J; Mercadé-Cerdá, J M

    Pharmaceutical spending in Spain accounts for 1.2-1.4% of the gross domestic product and is increasing by 5-12% per year. One of the measures adopted by the government to cut this spending is the possible substitution of original prescribed drugs by generics. In the case of antiepileptic drugs (AED), which are characterised by a scant therapeutic margin, these steps have sparked a scientific debate about their repercussion on the control of epileptic patients. We propose to draw up a set of implicit evidence-based consensus practice guidelines concerning issues related with this topic. A selective search for quality scientific information on the subject was conducted on PubMed-Medline, Tripdatabase and the Biblioteca Cochrane Plus. The selected references were analysed and discussed by the authors, and the recommendations deriving from them were collected. A total of 21 primary documents and 16 practice guidelines, protocols or experts' recommendations were identified. Our recommendations were explicitly included at the end of the text. The Andalusian Epilepsy Society makes the following recommendations: 1) not replacing an innovative AED by its generic in a controlled patient; 2) beginning treatment with a generic AED in monotherapy or in association is acceptable; 3) not exchanging generic AED from different pharmaceutical companies; 4) explaining to the patient the rules governing the authorization of generics and the importance of avoiding exchanges between different generic AED; and 5) if there is some worsening of the clinical condition or side effects appear following the introduction of a generic, the causes must be investigated and communicated to the bodies responsible for pharmacovigilance.

  17. Generic robot architecture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bruemmer, David J [Idaho Falls, ID; Few, Douglas A [Idaho Falls, ID

    2010-09-21

    The present invention provides methods, computer readable media, and apparatuses for a generic robot architecture providing a framework that is easily portable to a variety of robot platforms and is configured to provide hardware abstractions, abstractions for generic robot attributes, environment abstractions, and robot behaviors. The generic robot architecture includes a hardware abstraction level and a robot abstraction level. The hardware abstraction level is configured for developing hardware abstractions that define, monitor, and control hardware modules available on a robot platform. The robot abstraction level is configured for defining robot attributes and provides a software framework for building robot behaviors from the robot attributes. Each of the robot attributes includes hardware information from at least one hardware abstraction. In addition, each robot attribute is configured to substantially isolate the robot behaviors from the at least one hardware abstraction.

  18. 42 CFR 447.506 - Authorized generic drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Authorized generic drugs. 447.506 Section 447.506... (CONTINUED) MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS PAYMENTS FOR SERVICES Payment for Drugs § 447.506 Authorized generic drugs. (a) Authorized generic drug defined. For the purposes of this subpart, an authorized generic drug...

  19. Generic phytosanitary irradiation treatments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hallman, Guy J.

    2012-01-01

    The history of the development of generic phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is discussed beginning with its initial proposal in 1986. Generic PI treatments in use today are 150 Gy for all hosts of Tephritidae, 250 Gy for all arthropods on mango and papaya shipped from Australia to New Zealand, 300 Gy for all arthropods on mango shipped from Australia to Malaysia, 350 Gy for all arthropods on lychee shipped from Australia to New Zealand and 400 Gy for all hosts of insects other than pupae and adult Lepidoptera shipped to the United States. Efforts to develop additional generic PI treatments and reduce the dose for the 400 Gy treatment are ongoing with a broad based 5-year, 12-nation cooperative research project coordinated by the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/International Atomic Energy Agency Program on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Key groups identified for further development of generic PI treatments are Lepidoptera (eggs and larvae), mealybugs and scale insects. A dose of 250 Gy may suffice for these three groups plus others, such as thrips, weevils and whiteflies. - Highlights: ► The history of phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is given. ► Generic PI treatments in use today are discussed. ► Suggestions for future research are presented. ► A dose of 250 Gy for most insects may suffice.

  20. Determinants of generic drug substitution in Switzerland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lufkin Thomas M

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Since generic drugs have the same therapeutic effect as the original formulation but at generally lower costs, their use should be more heavily promoted. However, a considerable number of barriers to their wider use have been observed in many countries. The present study examines the influence of patients, physicians and certain characteristics of the generics' market on generic substitution in Switzerland. Methods We used reimbursement claims' data submitted to a large health insurer by insured individuals living in one of Switzerland's three linguistic regions during 2003. All dispensed drugs studied here were substitutable. The outcome (use of a generic or not was modelled by logistic regression, adjusted for patients' characteristics (gender, age, treatment complexity, substitution groups and with several variables describing reimbursement incentives (deductible, co-payments and the generics' market (prices, packaging, co-branded original, number of available generics, etc.. Results The overall generics' substitution rate for 173,212 dispensed prescriptions was 31%, though this varied considerably across cantons. Poor health status (older patients, complex treatments was associated with lower generic use. Higher rates were associated with higher out-of-pocket costs, greater price differences between the original and the generic, and with the number of generics on the market, while reformulation and repackaging were associated with lower rates. The substitution rate was 13% lower among hospital physicians. The adoption of the prescribing practices of the canton with the highest substitution rate would increase substitution in other cantons to as much as 26%. Conclusions Patient health status explained a part of the reluctance to substitute an original formulation by a generic. Economic incentives were efficient, but with a moderate global effect. The huge interregional differences indicated that prescribing behaviours and

  1. Sulfonated copolyimide membranes derived from a novel diamine monomer with pendant benzimidazole groups for fuel cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Wei; Guo, Xiaoxia; Aili, David

    2015-01-01

    . A series of sulfonated copolyimides (SPI) are prepared via random copolymerizatio of 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (NTDA) with a new diamine monomer with pendant benzimidazole groups, 2,2'-bis(4-(1H-benzo[d]imidazol-2-yl)phenoxy)benzidine (BIPOB), and a sulfonated diamine monomer 4,4'-bis...

  2. Impacts of supersymmetric higher derivative terms on inflation models in supergravity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aoki, Shuntaro; Yamada, Yusuke

    2015-01-01

    We show the effects of supersymmetric higher derivative terms on inflation models in supergravity. The results show that such terms generically modify the effective kinetic coefficient of the inflaton during inflation if the cut off scale of the higher derivative operators is sufficiently small. In such a case, the η-problem in supergravity does not occur, and we find that the effective potential of the inflaton generically becomes a power type potential with a power smaller than two

  3. Parameterising a generic model for the dynamic energy budget of Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jager, T.; Ravagnan, E.

    2015-01-01

    Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) theory is a generic and comprehensive framework for understanding bioenergetics over the entire life cycle of an organism. Here, we apply a simplified model derived from this theory (DEBkiss) to Antarctic krill Euphausia superba. The model was parameterised using growth

  4. Generic phytosanitary irradiation treatments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hallman, Guy J [United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Weslaco, TX (United States)

    2013-01-15

    The history of the development of generic phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is discussed beginning with its initial proposal in 1986. Generic PI treatments in use today are 150 Gy for all hosts of Tephritidae, 250 Gy for all arthropods on mango and papaya shipped from Australia to New Zealand, 300 Gy for all arthropods on mango shipped from Australia to Malaysia, 350 Gy for all arthropods on lychee shipped from Australia to New Zealand and 400 Gy for all hosts of insects other than pupae and adult Lepidoptera shipped to the United States. Efforts to develop additional generic PI treatments and reduce the dose for the 400 Gy treatment are ongoing with a broad based 5-year, 12-nation cooperative research project coordinated by the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/International Atomic Energy Agency Program on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Key groups identified for further development of generic PI treatments are Lepidoptera (eggs and larvae), mealybugs and scale insects. A dose of 250 Gy may suffice for these three groups plus others, such as thrips, weevils and whiteflies. (author)

  5. Generic phytosanitary irradiation treatments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hallman, Guy J.

    2012-07-01

    The history of the development of generic phytosanitary irradiation (PI) treatments is discussed beginning with its initial proposal in 1986. Generic PI treatments in use today are 150 Gy for all hosts of Tephritidae, 250 Gy for all arthropods on mango and papaya shipped from Australia to New Zealand, 300 Gy for all arthropods on mango shipped from Australia to Malaysia, 350 Gy for all arthropods on lychee shipped from Australia to New Zealand and 400 Gy for all hosts of insects other than pupae and adult Lepidoptera shipped to the United States. Efforts to develop additional generic PI treatments and reduce the dose for the 400 Gy treatment are ongoing with a broad based 5-year, 12-nation cooperative research project coordinated by the joint Food and Agricultural Organization/International Atomic Energy Agency Program on Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture. Key groups identified for further development of generic PI treatments are Lepidoptera (eggs and larvae), mealybugs and scale insects. A dose of 250 Gy may suffice for these three groups plus others, such as thrips, weevils and whiteflies.

  6. Coordination polymers of some lanthanide(III) nitrate with schiff bases

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dwivedi, D.K.; Shukla, B.K.; Shukla, R.K.

    1991-01-01

    The Schiff bases derived from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and salicylaldehyde with o-dianisidine, p-phenylene diamine and benzidine and their lanthanide(III) complexes have been synthesized and characterized by elemental, I.R., thermal, magnetic and D.R.S. studies. (author). 7 refs

  7. Generic Advantages

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics. Generic Advantages. Scalability an incremental coverage. Standardization. Business Plan Flexibility. Lifecycle Flexibility. Reliability. Service Interoperability. Changed Industry dynamics.

  8. Generic analysis of kinetically driven inflation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saitou, Rio

    2018-04-01

    We perform a model-independent analysis of kinetically driven inflation (KDI) which (partially) includes generalized G-inflation and ghost inflation. We evaluate the background evolution splitting into the inflationary attractor and the perturbation around it. We also consider the quantum fluctuation of the scalar mode with a usual scaling and derive the spectral index, ignoring the contribution from the second-order products of slow-roll parameters. Using these formalisms, we find that within our generic framework the models of KDI which possess the shift symmetry of scalar field cannot create the quantum fluctuation consistent with the observation. Breaking the shift symmetry, we obtain a few essential conditions for viable models of KDI associated with the graceful exit.

  9. Generic penetration in the retail antidepressant market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ventimiglia, Jeffrey; Kalali, Amir H

    2010-06-01

    In this article, we explore the accelerated penetration of generic antidepressants in the United States market following the availability of generic citalopram and sertraline. Analysis suggests that overall, generic penetration into the antidepressant market has grown from approximately 41 percent in January 2004 to over 73 percent in January 2010. Similar trends are uncovered when branded and generic prescriptions are analyzed by specialty.

  10. Generic Hurricane Extreme Seas State

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wehmeyer, Christof; Skourup, Jesper; Frigaard, Peter

    2012-01-01

    Extreme sea states, which the IEC 61400-3 (2008) standard requires for the ultimate limit state (ULS) analysis of offshore wind turbines are derived to establish the design basis for the conceptual layout of deep water floating offshore wind turbine foundations in hurricane affected areas....... Especially in the initial phase of floating foundation concept development, site specific metocean data are usually not available. As the areas of interest are furthermore not covered by any design standard, in terms of design sea states, generic and in engineering terms applicable environmental background...... data is required for a type specific conceptual design. ULS conditions for different return periods are developed, which can subsequently be applied in siteindependent analysis and conceptual design. Recordings provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), of hurricanes along...

  11. Rethinking generic skills

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roy Canning

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper provides a critical analysis of the notion of generic or transversal skillscontained with European Union policy discourses. The author presents a conceptualframework that challenges the idea that generic skills are universal, transferable andautonomous. An alternative analysis is put forward that argues the case forcontextualising skills and knowledge within particular understandings and cultures thatare more collective than individualistic in nature. The arguments are framed withinwider cross-disciplinary debates in linguistics, geosemiotics and social-cultural theoryand build upon an earlier paper exploring core skills in the UK (Canning, 2007.

  12. Quality of generic medicines in South Africa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Patel, Aarti; Gauld, Robin; Norris, Pauline

    2012-01-01

    Generic Medicines are an important policy option allowing for access to affordable, essential medicines. Quality of generic medicines must be guaranteed through the activities of national medicines regulatory authorities. Existing negative perceptions surrounding the quality of generic medicines ...

  13. Exploring knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about generic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Exploring knowledge, perceptions and attitudes about generic medicines among final-year health science students. ... had knowledge deficits about the safety, quality and efficacy of generic medicines. The dissemination of information about generic medicines may strengthen future knowledge, attitudes and perceptions.

  14. Generic medicines: solutions for a sustainable drug market?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dylst, Pieter; Vulto, Arnold; Godman, Brian; Simoens, Steven

    2013-10-01

    Generic medicines offer equally high-quality treatment as originator medicines do at much lower prices. As such, they represent a considerable opportunity for authorities to obtain substantial savings. At the moment, the pharmaceutical landscape is changing and many pharmaceutical companies have altered their development and commercial strategies, combining both originator and generic divisions. In spite of this, the generic medicines industry is currently facing a number of challenges: delayed market access; the limited price differential with originator medicines; the continuous downwards pressure on prices; and the negative perception regarding generic medicines held by some key stakeholder groups. This could jeopardize the long-term sustainability of the generic manufacturing industry. Therefore, governments must focus on demand-side policies, alongside policies to accelerate market access, as the generic medicines industry will only be able to deliver competitive and sustainable prices if they are ensured a high volume. In the future, the generic medicines industry will increasingly look to biosimilars and generic versions of orphan drugs to expand their business.

  15. Generic medicines: Perceptions of Physicians in Basrah, Iraq

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adheed Khalid Sharrad

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available BackgroundThe use of cheaper generic medicines is a strategy promotedin many countries to reduce rising health care costs. The aimof this study was to explore factors affecting generic medicineprescribing by physicians in Basrah, Iraq.MethodologyA purposive sample of ten physicians practicing in Basrahwas interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide.ResultsAnalysis of the interviews identified seven major themes:medicine prescribing practice, knowledge of therapeuticequivalency of generic medicine, patients’ acceptance ofgeneric medicine, counterfeit medicine, drug informationsource and effect of drug advertising on medicines choice,brand substitution practice by community pharmacists, and,finally strategies to improve generic medicine usefulness.Participants identified helpful strategies to increase genericprescribing including; physician and patient education ongeneric medicine; persuading physicians about the safety andefficacy of generic medicines; and finally educating seniormedical students on generic prescribing.ConclusionThe data suggest that participants were enthusiasticabout prescribing generic medicines. However physiciansinsist that pharmacists should not be allowed tosubstitute generic drugs without prior approval ofdoctors.

  16. Comparing approaches to generic programming in Haskell

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hinze, R.; Jeuring, J.T.; Löh, A.

    2006-01-01

    The last decade has seen a number of approaches to generic programming: PolyP, Functorial ML, `Scrap Your Boilerplate', Generic Haskell, `Generics for the Masses', etc. The approaches vary in sophistication and target audience: some propose full-blown pro- gramming languages, some suggest

  17. Generic Switching and Non-Persistence among Medicine Users

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard Rathe, Jette; Andersen, Morten; Jarbøl, Dorte Ejg

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Generic substitution means that one medicinal product is replaced by another product containing the same active substance. It is strictly regulated with respect to its bioequivalence, and all products must have undergone appropriate studies. Although generic substitution is widely...... implemented, it still remains to be answered how generic switch influences persistence to long-term treatment, and if it is modified by patients' concerns about medicine and views on generic medicine. This study focuses on users of antidepressants and antiepileptics, and their experience of generic switching....... METHODS: The study was an observational cohort study. By use of a prescription database, we identified patients who had redeemed prescriptions on generically substitutable drugs, and a questionnaire was mailed to them. We analyzed predictors of discontinuation in relation to generic switch and patients...

  18. Article choice in plural generics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Farkas, D.F.; Swart, Henriëtte de

    2007-01-01

    We discuss two groups of languages where article use contrasts in generic plural sentences but is otherwise essentially similar. The languages in the first group (English and Dutch) use bare plurals in the expression of kind reference (‘Dinosaurs are extinct’) and in generic

  19. 40 CFR 721.9973 - Zirconium dichlorides (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Zirconium dichlorides (generic). 721... Substances § 721.9973 Zirconium dichlorides (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substances identified generically as zirconium dichlorides (PMNs P...

  20. Comparing approaches to generic programming in Haskell

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hinze, R.; Jeuring, J.T.; Löh, A.

    2006-01-01

    The last decade has seen a number of approaches to data- type-generic programming: PolyP, Functorial ML, `Scrap Your Boiler- plate', Generic Haskell, `Generics for the Masses', etc. The approaches vary in sophistication and target audience: some propose full-blown pro- gramming languages, some

  1. 40 CFR 721.9959 - Polyurethane polymer (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Polyurethane polymer (generic). 721... Substances § 721.9959 Polyurethane polymer (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as a polyurethane polymer (PMN P-01...

  2. Proceedings Workshop on Generic Programming (WGP2000)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jeuring, J.T.

    2000-01-01

    This report contains the papers selected for presentation at the 2nd Workshop on Generic Programming (WGP2000), which was held on July 6, 2000 in Ponte de Lima, Portugal. Generic programming is about making programs more adaptable by making them more general. Generic programs often embody

  3. Ineffective higher derivative black hole hair

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldstein, Kevin; Mashiyane, James Junior

    2018-01-01

    Inspired by the possibility that the Schwarzschild black hole may not be the unique spherically symmetric vacuum solution to generalizations of general relativity, we consider black holes in pure fourth order higher derivative gravity treated as an effective theory. Such solutions may be of interest in addressing the issue of higher derivative hair or during the later stages of black hole evaporation. Non-Schwarzschild solutions have been studied but we have put earlier results on a firmer footing by finding a systematic asymptotic expansion for the black holes and matching them with known numerical solutions obtained by integrating out from the near-horizon region. These asymptotic expansions can be cast in the form of trans-series expansions which we conjecture will be a generic feature of non-Schwarzschild higher derivative black holes. Excitingly we find a new branch of solutions with lower free energy than the Schwarzschild solution, but as found in earlier work, solutions only seem to exist for black holes with large curvatures, meaning that one should not generically neglect even higher derivative corrections. This suggests that one effectively recovers the nonhair theorems in this context.

  4. Skin rash during treatment with generic itraconazole.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Vuono, Antonio; Palleria, Caterina; Scicchitano, Francesca; Squillace, Aida; De Sarro, Giovambattista; Gallelli, Luca

    2014-04-01

    Generic drugs have the same active substance, the same pharmaceutical form, the same therapeutic indications and a similar bioequivalence with the reference medicinal product (branded). Although a similar efficacy is postulated, some cases of clinical inefficacy during treatment with generic formulations have been reported. In this case, we describe a woman with onychomycosis that developed a skin rash during treatment with a generic formulation of itraconazole. Drug administration and its re-challenge confirmed the association between itraconazole and skin rash. Both Naranjo probability scale and World Health Organization causality assessment scale documented a probable association between generic-itraconazole and skin rash. The switch from generic formulation to brand one induced an improvement of symptoms. Since we are unable to evaluate the role of each excipient in the development of skin rash, we cannot rule out their involvement. However, more data are necessary to better define the similarities or differences between branded and generic formulations.

  5. James Moir as Organic Chemist | Loyson | South African Journal of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    He first worked on derivatives of diphenol, oxidation products of benzidine, diphenylquinone and other compounds. His immense study of colour covered the years 1916–1929. He put ... explores his research output in the field of organic chemistry. KEYWORDS: Colour, phthaleins, history of chemistry, organic chemistry.

  6. Is bioavailability altered in generic versus brand anticonvulsants?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jankovic, Slobodan M; Ignjatovic Ristic, Dragana

    2015-03-01

    Therapeutic window of anticonvulsants is not a wide one, with phenytoin being one extreme, which can be classified as a narrow therapeutic index drug, since its ratio between the least toxic and the least effective concentration is less than twofold. In order to obtain marketing authorization, a generic anticonvulsant should demonstrate relative bioequivalence with its brand-name counterpart. However, although bioequivalent, generic anticonvulsants still do not have the same bioavailability as brand-name drugs, which may lead to larger fluctuations of steady-state plasma concentrations, and sometimes to loss of seizure control if a patient is switched from brand-name to generic or from generic to generic anticonvulsant. Generic anticonvulsants are effective, safe and affordable drugs for treatment of epilepsy, and patients could be successfully treated with them from the very beginning. It is switching from brand-name to generic anticonvulsant or from one generic anticonvulsant to another that should be avoided in clinical practice, since subtle differences in bioavailability may disturb optimal degree of seizure control to which the patient was previously successfully titrated.

  7. Evolution of the Generic Lock System at Jefferson Lab

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brian Bevins; Yves Roblin

    2003-01-01

    The Generic Lock system is a software framework that allows highly flexible feedback control of large distributed systems. It allows system operators to implement new feedback loops between arbitrary process variables quickly and with no disturbance to the underlying control system. Several different types of feedback loops are provided and more are being added. This paper describes the further evolution of the system since it was first presented at ICALEPCS 2001 and reports on two years of successful use in accelerator operations. The framework has been enhanced in several key ways. Multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) lock types have been added for accelerator orbit and energy stabilization. The general purpose Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) locks can now be tuned automatically. The generic lock server now makes use of the Proxy IOC (PIOC) developed at Jefferson Lab to allow the locks to be monitored from any EPICS Channel Access aware client. (Previously clients had to be Cdev aware.) The dependency on the Qt XML parser has been replaced with the freely available Xerces DOM parser from the Apache project

  8. A multicenter experience with generic tacrolimus conversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McDevitt-Potter, Lisa M; Sadaka, Basma; Tichy, Eric M; Rogers, Christin C; Gabardi, Steven

    2011-09-27

    The first generic tacrolimus product gained Food and Drug Administration approval in August 2009. This prospective, observational trial sought to determine the need for dose titrations and measure drug cost savings on conversion to generic tacrolimus. Transplant recipients on stable tacrolimus doses were converted from brand to generic tacrolimus on a mg:mg basis. Data were collected at the time of generic conversion (study arm) and at a time point exactly 6 months before conversion (control arm) for all subjects. Seventy conversions from four centers are reported. Subjects were a mean of 70 months after kidney (n=37), liver (n=28), or multiorgan (n=5) transplant. In the study arm, mean tacrolimus doses were 4.4 and 4.5 mg/d and mean tacrolimus trough concentrations were 5.8 and 5.9 ng/mL before and after conversion, respectively. In the control arm, mean tacrolimus doses were 4.6 and 4.6 mg/d and mean tacrolimus trough concentrations were 6.1 and 5.9 ng/mL before and after the control time point, respectively. Dose titrations occurred in five patients (7%) in the control arm and 15 patients (21%) in the study arm (P=0.028). Mean monthly drug costs were $645 for brand, $593 for generic, and $595 for generic after dose titrations. Mean monthly patient copays were $38 for brand and $15 for generic. These cumulative data show that dose requirements and trough levels are similar between brand and generic tacrolimus and that generic substitution allows for savings. However, postconversion monitoring is prudent as patients may require dose titration.

  9. Brand loyalty, patients and limited generic medicines uptake.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa-Font, Joan; Rudisill, Caroline; Tan, Stefanie

    2014-06-01

    The sluggish development of European generic drug markets depends heavily on demand side factors, and more specifically, patients' and doctors' loyalty to branded products. Loyalty to originator drugs, to the point where originator prices rise upon generic entry has been described as the 'generics paradox'. Originator loyalty can emerge for a plethora of reasons; including costs, perceptions about quality and physician advice. We know very little about the behavioural underpinnings of brand loyalty from the consumer or patient standpoint. This paper attempts to test the extent to which patients are brand loyal by drawing upon Spain's 2002 Health Barometer survey as it includes questions about consumer acceptance of generics in a country with exceptionally low generic uptake and substitution at the time of the study. Our findings suggest that at least 13% of the population would not accept generics as substitutes to the originator. These results confirm evidence of brand loyalty for a minority. Alongside high levels of awareness of generics, we find that low cost-sharing levels explain consumer brand loyalty but their impact on acceptance of generic substitution is very small. Higher cost-sharing and exempting fewer patients from cost-sharing have the potential to encourage generic acceptance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Influencers of generic drug utilization: A systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Howard, Jennifer N; Harris, Ilene; Frank, Gavriella; Kiptanui, Zippora; Qian, Jingjing; Hansen, Richard

    2017-08-04

    With an increase in prescription drug spending and rising drug costs there is a need to encourage the use of generic prescription drugs. However, maximizing generic drug use is not possible without the public's positive perception and meeting their informational needs about generic drugs. Thus, improving the public's confidence in, and knowledge of generic drugs on the market is critical. The objective of this systematic review is to examine and evaluate the studies focusing on the nature and extent of key factors influencing generic drug use in the United States in order to help guide policy, education and practice interventions. Using multiple search engines and key word screening criteria, empirical studies published in English between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2015 were identified. A qualitative synthesis of the evidence identified domains of key factors that influenced generic drug use across studies. Over 3000 citations met the key word screening criteria; 67 of these met inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Seven domains of factors that influence generic drug utilization were identified: 1) patient-related factors, 2) formulary management or cost containment, 3) healthcare policies, 4) promotional activities, 5) educational initiatives, 6) technology, and 7) physician-related factors. Patients, physicians, pharmacists, formulary managers, and policymakers play an important role in generic drug use. Understanding the factors influencing generic drug use can help guide future policy, education, and practice interventions to increase generic drug use. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Generic domain models in software engineering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maiden, Neil

    1992-01-01

    This paper outlines three research directions related to domain-specific software development: (1) reuse of generic models for domain-specific software development; (2) empirical evidence to determine these generic models, namely elicitation of mental knowledge schema possessed by expert software developers; and (3) exploitation of generic domain models to assist modelling of specific applications. It focuses on knowledge acquisition for domain-specific software development, with emphasis on tool support for the most important phases of software development.

  12. Application of the ICRP approach for radiological protection of the marine environment in generic impact assessments

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kliaus, Viktoryia [Republican Scientific-Practical Centre of Hygiene, Laboratory of Radiation Safety, Akademicheskaya str. 8, 220012, Minsk (Belarus); Telleria, Diego M. [IAEA-Assessment and Management of Environmental Releases Unit, Wagramer Strasse 5 - PO Box 100, A-1400, Vienna (Austria); Cabianca, Tiberio [Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards, PHE, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0RQ (United Kingdom)

    2014-07-01

    This paper presents a way to use the ICRP approach for protection of the environment in generic assessments of the radiological impact of radioactive releases to the marine environment. Generic assessments of radiological impact to the environment are needed in certain circumstances, for example, when input data are limited or when the likely radiological consequences are expected to be not significant. Under these circumstances the effort in performing the assessment must be commensurate with the potential radiological consequences. The generic assessment described in this paper is a simple tool which provides reasonable and cautious results and is applicable to multiple exposure scenarios associated with the assessment of the radiological impact of releases to the marine the environment. This generic assessment can be also used to provide preliminary results which, when compared to radiological criteria, may determine the need of further specific assessments. The ICRP based its approach to protect the environment in the definition of a set of reference animals and plants and the use of related radiological criteria, in the form of derived consideration reference levels. The paper discusses selection and exposure conditions of the reference animals and plants, methods to estimate their doses and the use of the radiological criteria, for the purpose of a generic assessment. The IAEA is elaborating applications of these generic impact assessments presented in the paper to be included in international guidance under development. (authors)

  13. 76 FR 54507 - Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic Letter 2011-XX: Seismic Risk Evaluations for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-01

    ... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2011-0204] Proposed Generic Communication; Draft NRC Generic... functions. SSCs in operating nuclear power plants are designed either in accordance with, or have been... nuclear reactors. The background information relevant to this GL includes the individual plant...

  14. Practicing the Generic (City)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Lone Koefoed

    2010-01-01

    Flanagan proposes that most locative media artworks neglect the particularities of spaces, their historical and political layers. Koolhaas, on the other hand, states that all urban areas are alike, that we are facing a global Generic City. The paper analyses digital media artist Esther Polak......’s NomadicMILK project in light of the generic and particular properties of space as laid out by Flanagan and Koolhaas in order to discuss the possible reconfiguring practices of locative media....

  15. Differences in rates of switchbacks after switching from branded to authorized generic and branded to generic drug products: cohort study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarpatwari, Ameet; Dejene, Sara; Khan, Nazleen F; Lii, Joyce; Rogers, James R; Dutcher, Sarah K; Raofi, Saeid; Bohn, Justin; Connolly, John; Fischer, Michael A; Kesselheim, Aaron S; Gagne, Joshua J

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Objectives To compare rates of switchbacks to branded drug products for patients switched from branded to authorized generic drug products, which have the same active ingredients, appearance, and excipients as the branded product, with patients switched from branded to generic drug products, which have the same active ingredients as the branded product but may differ in appearance and excipients. Design Observational cohort study. Setting Private (a large commercial health plan) and public (Medicaid) insurance programs in the US. Participants Beneficiaries of a large US commercial health insurer between 2004 and 2013 (primary cohort) and Medicaid beneficiaries between 2000 and 2010 (replication cohort). Main outcome measures Patients taking branded products for one of the study drugs (alendronate tablets, amlodipine tablets, amlodipine-benazepril capsules, calcitonin salmon nasal spray, escitalopram tablets, glipizide extended release tablets, quinapril tablets, and sertraline tablets) were identified when they switched to an authorized generic or a generic drug product after the date of market entry of generic drug products. These patients were followed for switchbacks to the branded drug product in the year after their switch to an authorized generic or a generic drug product. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals after adjusting for demographics, including age, sex, and calendar year. Inverse variance meta-analysis was used to pool adjusted hazard ratios across all drug products. Results A total of 94 909 patients switched from branded to authorized generic drug products and 116 017 patients switched from branded to generic drug products and contributed to the switchback analysis. Unadjusted incidence rates of switchback varied across drug products, ranging from a low of 3.8 per 100 person years (for alendronate tablets) to a high of 17.8 per 100 person years (for amlodipine

  16. Brand and generic medications: Are they interchangeable

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Jazairi, Abdulrazak S.; Blhareth, S.; Eqtefan, Iyad S.; Al-Suwayeh, Saleh A.

    2008-01-01

    Generic substitution has become a common practice since the late 1970s in the United States. At that time, many of these generics caused bioavailability problems, which fueled suspicions about their efficacy and safety and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for bioequivalence. In Saudi Arabia, the increasing number of local products raised several concerns with regard to switching from brands to generics. Our objective was to review and examine the basis of the controversy surrounding brand and generic interchangeability and to explore a practical approach in pursuing a switch. Articles indexed initially under terms such as generic medications, generic substitution, bioequivalence and bioinequivalence were identified. These terms were used to search the indexing service, MEDLINE (1966-2006). References from the extracted articles and additional data sources, including the Code of Federal Regulations and Regulatory Guidelines from the FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and research were also reviewed. Foe most drugs, bioequivalence testing generally should enable clinicians to routinely substitute generic for innovator products. However, for narrow therapeutic, critical dose drugs, or for highly variable drugs, safe switching between products can not be assured. These drugs need special precautions and blood level monitoring upon switching. FDA firmly believes that approved generic and brand drugs can be dispensed with the full expectation that the consumer will receive the same clinical benefit. Performing the switch process is an advisable practice to reduce health care costs in countries with strong post-marketing surveillance program, but caution is to be exercised when narrow therapeutic index drugs or highly variable drugs are prescribed. (author)

  17. Retailing policies for generic medicines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narciso, Susana

    2005-06-01

    As there is general disagreement about the way generic medicines should be commercialized, two retailing policies are analyzed, taking into account their effects on the welfare of patients, government, pharmacies and physicians. In the first policy scenario, pharmacies are allowed to substitute generic medicines for branded ones, while in the second, substitution is forbidden. In both cases a pharmacies association is allowed to have a share in the production of generic medicines. The model predicts that under some conditions patients may prefer substitution by pharmacies but when doctors' decisions are binding, they are never "excessively bad". However, the policy choice belongs to the government, which prefers to allow for substitution more often than patients would like.

  18. Why are dunkels sticky? Preschoolers infer functionality and intentional creation for artifact properties learned from generic language.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cimpian, Andrei; Cadena, Cristina

    2010-10-01

    Artifacts pose a potential learning problem for children because the mapping between their features and their functions is often not transparent. In solving this problem, children are likely to rely on a number of information sources (e.g., others' actions, affordances). We argue that children's sensitivity to nuances in the language used to describe artifacts is an important, but so far unacknowledged, piece of this puzzle. Specifically, we hypothesize that children are sensitive to whether an unfamiliar artifact's features are highlighted using generic (e.g., "Dunkels are sticky") or non-generic (e.g., "This dunkel is sticky") language. Across two studies, older-but not younger-preschoolers who heard such features introduced via generic statements inferred that they are a functional part of the artifact's design more often than children who heard the same features introduced via non-generic statements. The ability to pick up on this linguistic cue may expand considerably the amount of conceptual information about artifacts that children derive from conversations with adults. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Generic penetration in the retail atypical antipsychotic market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenderts, Susan; Kalali, Amir H; Buckley, Peter

    2010-03-01

    In this article, we explore the penetration of generic atypical antipsychotics in the United States market before and after the availability of generic risperidone in July 2008. Analysis suggests that, overall, generic penetration into the atypical antipsychotic market has grown from approximately three percent in January 2008 to more than 25 percent in December 2009. Similar trends are uncovered when branded and generic prescriptions are analyzed by specialty.

  20. 40 CFR 721.2083 - Polysubstituted carbomonocyclic hydroxylamine (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... hydroxylamine (generic). 721.2083 Section 721.2083 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.2083 Polysubstituted carbomonocyclic hydroxylamine (generic). (a... generically as a polysubstituted carbomonocyclic hydroxylamine (PMN P-97-878) is subject to reporting under...

  1. Sharing, samples, and generics: an antitrust framework.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrier, Michael A

    Rising drug prices are in the news. By increasing price, drug companies have placed vital, even life-saving, medicines out of the reach of consumers. In a recent development, brand firms have prevented generics even from entering the market. The ruse for this strategy involves risk-management programs known as Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies ("REMS"). Pursuant to legislation enacted in 2007, the FDA requires REMS when a drug's risks (such as death or injury) outweigh its rewards. Brands have used this regime, intended to bring drugs to the market, to block generic competition. Regulations such as the federal Hatch-Waxman Act and state substitution laws foster widespread generic competition. But these regimes can only be effectuated through generic entry. And that entry can take place only if a generic can use a brand's sample to show that its product is equivalent. More than 100 generic firms have complained that they have not been able to access needed samples. One study of 40 drugs subject to restricted access programs found that generics' inability to enter cost more than $5 billion a year. Brand firms have contended that antitrust law does not compel them to deal with their competitors and have highlighted concerns related to safety and product liability in justifying their refusals. This Article rebuts these claims. It highlights the importance of samples in the regulatory regime and the FDA's inability to address the issue. It shows how a sharing requirement in this setting is consistent with Supreme Court caselaw. And it demonstrates that the brands' behavior fails the defendant-friendly "no economic sense" test because the conduct literally makes no sense other than by harming generics. Brands' denial of samples offers a textbook case of monopolization. In the universe of pharmaceutical antitrust behavior, other conduct--such as "pay for delay" settlements between brands and generics and "product hopping" from one drug to a slightly modified

  2. Associations between generic substitution and patients' attitudes, beliefs and experience

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard Rathe, Jette; Larsen, Pia Veldt; Andersen, Morten

    2013-01-01

    Abstract Background Generic substitution has been implemented in many countries, but knowledge about patients’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences is still sparse. Aim To assess associations between generic switching and patients’ attitudes, beliefs and experiences with previous generic switching...... on generic medicine and confidence in the healthcare system. Only prescriptions issued by the general practitioners were included. For each patient we focused on one purchase of a generically substitutable drug (index drug). Patients were identified by means of a dispensing database. Results Earlier generic...... switches within the index ATC code were statistically significantly associated with experience of a generic switch (adjusted OR 5.93 95% CI 4.70; 7.49). Having had more than 5 earlier switches within other ATC codes and having negative views on generic medicines reduced the odds of experiencing a generic...

  3. Generics, Supergenerics and Patent Strategies--SMi's 13th Annual Meeting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edwards, Catherine

    2010-07-01

    SMi's 13th Annual Meeting on Generics, Supergenerics and Patent Strategies, held in London, included topics covering new trends in the generics field, the difficulties faced by companies in entering the generics market and recent developments in IP. This conference report highlights selected presentations on generics in India, protecting pharmaceutical products in China, changes in generics law and litigation in the US and Europe, challenges for market selection and entry for generics companies, the influence of changes in the healthcare market on the generics industry, supergenerics, and biosimilars.

  4. PROBLEM OF GENERIC REPLACEMENT: ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. N. Tolpygina

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available The main differences between original and generic drugs as well as registration criteria for generics are described. Possible reasons of discrepancy in bioequivalence and therapeutic equivalence of original and generic drugs are reviewed. The examples of such a discrepancy as a result of comparative clinical trails (enalapril maleate are discussed. Approaches to planning of comparative trails on drug therapeutic equivalence are presented. 

  5. A generic coordinate system and a set of generic variables for MFE database

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miner, W.H. Jr.; Ross, D.W.; Solano, E.R.; Valanju, P.M.; Wiley, J.C.

    1993-01-01

    Over the last several years, profile data from nine different tokamaks have been stored in the magnetic fusion energy database (MFEDB). These data sets have come from a variety of sources and most are given in different coordinate systems. In order to attempt any intermachine analysis, it is convenient to transform these data sets into one generic coordinate system and to choose a uniform set of variable names. The authors describe the data sets from each tokamak indicating the source of the data and the coordinate system in which it is given. Next, they discuss the generic coordinate that has been adopted and show how it is implemented for each tokamak. Finally, the generic naming convention that has been adopted is discussed. It follows closely that which was used by Christiansen et al. for the ITER Global Energy Confinement H-Mode Database. For further clarification, they discuss the characteristics of the magnetic geometry given a Fourier representation of the magnetic equilibria

  6. Generic Software Architecture for Launchers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carre, Emilien; Gast, Philippe; Hiron, Emmanuel; Leblanc, Alain; Lesens, David; Mescam, Emmanuelle; Moro, Pierre

    2015-09-01

    The definition and reuse of generic software architecture for launchers is not so usual for several reasons: the number of European launcher families is very small (Ariane 5 and Vega for these last decades); the real time constraints (reactivity and determinism needs) are very hard; low levels of versatility are required (implying often an ad hoc development of the launcher mission). In comparison, satellites are often built on a generic platform made up of reusable hardware building blocks (processors, star-trackers, gyroscopes, etc.) and reusable software building blocks (middleware, TM/TC, On Board Control Procedure, etc.). If some of these reasons are still valid (e.g. the limited number of development), the increase of the available CPU power makes today an approach based on a generic time triggered middleware (ensuring the full determinism of the system) and a centralised mission and vehicle management (offering more flexibility in the design and facilitating the long term maintenance) achievable. This paper presents an example of generic software architecture which could be envisaged for future launchers, based on the previously described principles and supported by model driven engineering and automatic code generation.

  7. 40 CFR 721.324 - Alkoxylated acrylate polymer (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alkoxylated acrylate polymer (generic... Substances § 721.324 Alkoxylated acrylate polymer (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as alkoxylated acrylate polymer...

  8. Generic maintenance immunosuppression in solid organ transplant recipients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ensor, Christopher R; Trofe-Clark, Jennifer; Gabardi, Steven; McDevitt-Potter, Lisa M; Shullo, Michael A

    2011-11-01

    Survival after solid organ transplantation has increased in the era of tacrolimus and mycophenolate. This increased survival could be due in part to the broad clinical use of these potent and specific agents for maintenance immunosuppression. These drugs have enhanced specificity and potency for T and B lymphocytes compared with their predecessors, cyclosporine and azathioprine. Between 2008 and 2010, the United States Food and Drug Administration approved several generic formulations of both tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil. Deciding whether generic products can be safely substituted for the innovator product is a clinical dilemma similar to that which occurred when generic formulations of cyclosporine became available. We describe the concerns regarding generic immunosuppression use, summarize expert opinion and consensus statements in transplantation, analyze the potential impact of generic substitution, and provide estimates of populations affected based on generic drug market penetration. Formulary considerations such as cost, availability, and potential drug ordering and drug selection errors are described, and transplant coordinator and patient perspectives are reviewed. Finally, general recommendations about the use of generic maintenance immunosuppression in solid organ transplant recipients are provided. Although more research is needed to confirm clinical and therapeutic equivalence and pharmacoeconomic benefit, generic immunosuppressants can be safely substituted for innovator products as long as patients consistently receive the same product, patients and clinicians are aware of when substitutions occur, and enhanced therapeutic drug monitoring is provided during the transition.

  9. Skin rash during treatment with generic itraconazole

    OpenAIRE

    De Vuono, Antonio; Palleria, Caterina; Scicchitano, Francesca; Squillace, Aida; De Sarro, Giovambattista; Gallelli, Luca

    2014-01-01

    Generic drugs have the same active substance, the same pharmaceutical form, the same therapeutic indications and a similar bioequivalence with the reference medicinal product (branded). Although a similar efficacy is postulated, some cases of clinical inefficacy during treatment with generic formulations have been reported. In this case, we describe a woman with onychomycosis that developed a skin rash during treatment with a generic formulation of itraconazole. Drug administration and its re...

  10. Generic medicine and prescribing: A quick assessment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mainul Haque

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Generic drugs are copies of brand-name drugs that have exactly the same dosage, intended use, effects, side effects, route of administration, risks, safety, and strength as the original drug. In other words, their pharmacological effects are exactly the same as those of their brand-name counterparts. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA describes that generic drugs are essential possibilities that allow better access to healthcare for all Americans. They are replicas of brand-name drugs and are the identical as those of brand-name drugs in dosage form, safety, strength, route of administration, quality, performance features, and anticipated to use. Healthcare authorities and users can be guaranteed that FDA-approved generic drug products have met the same stiff principles as the innovator drug. The company that made Bayer aspirin fought in court enthusiastically to keep generic versions off the shelves, in the 1920s. The company lost in court, and consumers suddenly had an array of choices in generic aspirin. The Supreme Court of India uttering ‘the Supreme Court's ruling will prevent companies from further seeking unwarranted patents on HIV and other essential medicines.’ Generic medicine cannot be sold at a price higher than the branded medicine, so it is regularly a low-priced option. Thereafter, both the end user and the government who pay for part of the price of the medicine under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme in Australia are benefitted. The treatment of diseases using essential drugs, prescribed by their generic names, has been emphasised by the WHO and many national health policies. Although there are some improvements in generic medicine prescribing, it has been advised by the WHO that ‘countries should intensify efforts to measure and regularly monitor medicine prices and availability, and adopt policy measures to address the issues identified.’

  11. Scaling Limits and Generic Bounds for Exploration Processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bermolen, Paola; Jonckheere, Matthieu; Sanders, Jaron

    2017-12-01

    We consider exploration algorithms of the random sequential adsorption type both for homogeneous random graphs and random geometric graphs based on spatial Poisson processes. At each step, a vertex of the graph becomes active and its neighboring nodes become blocked. Given an initial number of vertices N growing to infinity, we study statistical properties of the proportion of explored (active or blocked) nodes in time using scaling limits. We obtain exact limits for homogeneous graphs and prove an explicit central limit theorem for the final proportion of active nodes, known as the jamming constant, through a diffusion approximation for the exploration process which can be described as a unidimensional process. We then focus on bounding the trajectories of such exploration processes on random geometric graphs, i.e., random sequential adsorption. As opposed to exploration processes on homogeneous random graphs, these do not allow for such a dimensional reduction. Instead we derive a fundamental relationship between the number of explored nodes and the discovered volume in the spatial process, and we obtain generic bounds for the fluid limit and jamming constant: bounds that are independent of the dimension of space and the detailed shape of the volume associated to the discovered node. Lastly, using coupling techinques, we give trajectorial interpretations of the generic bounds.

  12. 40 CFR 721.5350 - Substituted nitrile (generic name).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Substituted nitrile (generic name... Substances § 721.5350 Substituted nitrile (generic name). (a) Chemical substances and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substance identified generically as a substituted nitrile (PMN P-83...

  13. Generic Penetration of the SSRI Market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cascade, Elisa F; Kalali, Amir H

    2008-04-01

    In this article, we investigate the penetration of generic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the US market and the implications for patient out-of-pocket expense. The data suggest that generic penetration into the SSRI market has grown from approximately nine percent in 2000, the year that the patent for Prozac((R)) expired, to 72 percent in 2007. For December, 2007, the difference in patient out-of-pocket expense for branded vs. generic agents was, on average, $55.42 for patients paying by cash (i.e., they had no prescription drug insurance) and $22.39 for patients with insurance coverage.

  14. 40 CFR 721.555 - Alkyl amino nitriles (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alkyl amino nitriles (generic). 721... Substances § 721.555 Alkyl amino nitriles (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substances identified generically as alkyl amino nitriles (PMNs P-96...

  15. A Generic Approach to Parameter Control

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Karafotias, G.; Smit, S.K.; Eiben, A.E.

    2012-01-01

    On-line control of EA parameters is an approach to parameter setting that offers the advantage of values changing during the run. In this paper, we investigate parameter control from a generic and parameter-independent perspective. We propose a generic control mechanism that is targeted to

  16. Developing competitive and sustainable Polish generic medicines market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simoens, Steven

    2009-10-01

    To descriptively analyze the policy environment surrounding the Polish generic medicines retail market. The policy analysis was based on an international literature review. Also, a simulation exercise was carried out to compute potential savings from substituting generic for originator medicines in Poland using IMS Health pharmaceutical intelligence data. Poland has a mature, high-volume, low-value generic medicines market, primarily driven by the establishment of the reference price at the price of the cheapest medicine in combination with pricing regulation and the low level of medicine prices. The practice of discounting in the distribution chain implies that the National Health Fund and patients do not capture the potential savings from a generic medicines market where companies compete on price. This high-volume market has benefited in the past from the limited availability of originator medicines and a short data exclusivity period, even though there are no incentives for physicians to prescribe generic medicines and a financial disincentive for pharmacists to dispense generic medicines. Increased generic substitution would be expected to reduce public expenditure on originator medicines by 21%. To develop a competitive and sustainable market, Poland needs to consider moving away from competition by discount to competition by price. This could be achieved by replacing maximum distribution margins by fixed margins. Also, Poland may wish to raise reference prices as a temporary measure to boost market entry for medicine classes with few generic medicines.

  17. The Generic Data Capture Facility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Connell, Edward B.; Barnes, William P.; Stallings, William H.

    1987-01-01

    The Generic Data Capture Facility, which can provide data capture support for a variety of different types of spacecraft while enabling operations costs to be carefully controlled, is discussed. The data capture functions, data protection, isolation of users from data acquisition problems, data reconstruction, and quality and accounting are addressed. The TDM and packet data formats utilized by the system are described, and the development of generic facilities is considered.

  18. Does educational intervention improve doctors’ knowledge and perceptions of generic medicines and their generic prescribing rate? A study from Malaysia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Zhi Yen; Alrasheedy, Alian A.; Saleem, Fahad; Mohamad Yahaya, Abdul Haniff; Aljadhey, Hisham

    2014-01-01

    Objectives: To investigate the impact of an educational intervention on doctors’ knowledge and perceptions towards generic medicines and their generic (international non-proprietary name) prescribing practice. Methods: This is a single-cohort pre-/post-intervention pilot study. The study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Perak, Malaysia. All doctors from the internal medicine department were invited to participate in the educational intervention. The intervention consisted of an interactive lecture, an educational booklet and a drug list. Doctors’ knowledge and perceptions were assessed by using a validated questionnaire, while the international non-proprietary name prescribing practice was assessed by screening the prescription before and after the intervention. Results: The intervention was effective in improving doctors’ knowledge towards bioequivalence, similarity of generic medicines and safety standards required for generic medicine registration (p = 0.034, p = 0.034 and p = 0.022, respectively). In terms of perceptions towards generic medicines, no significant changes were noted (p > 0.05). Similarly, no impact on international non-proprietary name prescribing practice was observed after the intervention (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Doctors had inadequate knowledge and misconceptions about generic medicines before the intervention. Moreover, international non-proprietary name prescribing was not a common practice. However, the educational intervention was only effective in improving doctors’ knowledge of generic medicines. PMID:26770747

  19. A developmental analysis of generic nouns in Southern Peruvian Quechua.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mannheim, Bruce; Gelman, Susan A; Escalante, Carmen; Huayhua, Margarita; Puma, Rosalía

    2010-01-01

    Generic noun phrases (e.g., "Cats like to drink milk") are a primary means by which adults express generalizations to children, yet they pose a challenging induction puzzle for learners. Although prior research has established that English speakers understand and produce generic noun phrases by preschool age, little is known regarding the cross-cultural generality of generic acquisition. Southern Peruvian Quechua provides a valuable comparison because, unlike English, it is a highly inflected language in which generics are marked by the absence rather than the presence of any linguistic markers. Moreover, Quechua is spoken in a cultural context that differs markedly from the highly educated, middle-class contexts within which earlier research on generics was conducted. We presented participants from 5 age groups (3-6, 7-9, 10-12, 14-35, and 36-90 years of age) with two tasks that examined the ability to distinguish generic from non-generic utterances. In Study 1, even the youngest children understood generics as applying broadly to a category (like "all") and distinct from indefinite reference ("some"). However, there was a developmental lag before children understood that generics, unlike "all", can include exceptions. Study 2 revealed that generic interpretations are more frequent for utterances that (a) lack specifying markers and (b) are animate. Altogether, generic interpretations are found among the youngest participants, and may be a default mode of quantification. These data demonstrate the cross-cultural importance of generic information in linguistic expression.

  20. Associations between generic substitution and patient-related factors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard Rathe, Jette

    Associations between generic substitution and patient-related factors Jette Østergaard Rathe1, Pia V. Larsen1, Morten Andersen2, Janus L. Thomsen3, Maja S. Paulsen1, Jens Søndergaard1 1. Research Unit of General Practice, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark 2. Centre...... for Pharmacoepidemiology, Karolinska Institutet, Department of Medicine Solna, Stockholm, Sweden 3. Danish Quality Unit of General Practice, Odense, Denmark Background Generic substitution means that chemically equivalent but less expensive drugs are dispensed in place of a brand name product. Although generic medicines...... by definition are bioequivalent to their brand name counterparts there are concerns about whether generic substitution is always accompanied by clinical equivalence in terms of effectiveness and that it may cause concerns and thereby causing some skepticism towards generic substitution. There is, however...

  1. Generic evolution of mixing in heterogeneous media

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Dreuzy, J.; Carrera, J.; Dentz, M.; Le Borgne, T.

    2011-12-01

    Mixing in heterogeneous media results from the competition bewteen flow fluctuations and local scale diffusion. Flow fluctuations quickly create concentration contrasts and thus heterogeneity of the concentration field, which is slowly homogenized by local scale diffusion. Mixing first deviates from Gaussian mixing, which represents the potential mixing induced by spreading before approaching it. This deviation fundamentally expresses the evolution of the interaction between spreading and local scale diffusion. We characterize it by the ratio γ of the non-Gaussian to the Gaussian mixing states. We define the Gaussian mixing state as the integrated squared concentration of the Gaussian plume that has the same longitudinal dispersion as the real plume. The non-Gaussian mixing state is the difference between the overall mixing state defined as the integrated squared concentration and the Gaussian mixing state. The main advantage of this definition is to use the full knowledge previously acquired on dispersion for characterizing mixing even when the solute concentration field is highly non Gaussian. Using high precision numerical simulations, we show that γ quickly increases, peaks and slowly decreases. γ can be derived from two scales characterizing spreading and local mixing, at least for large flux-weighted solute injection conditions into classically log-normal Gaussian correlated permeability fields. The spreading scale is directly related to the longitudinal dispersion. The local mixing scale is the largest scale over which solute concentrations can be considered locally uniform. More generally, beyond the characteristics of its maximum, γ turns out to have a highly generic scaling form. Its fast increase and slow decrease depend neither on the heterogeneity level, nor on the ratio of diffusion to advection, nor on the injection conditions. They might even not depend on the particularities of the flow fields as the same generic features also prevail for

  2. Consumer choice between common generic and brand medicines in a country with a small generic market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fraeyman, Jessica; Peeters, Lies; Van Hal, Guido; Beutels, Philippe; De Meyer, Guido R Y; De Loof, Hans

    2015-04-01

    Generic medicines offer an opportunity for governments to contain pharmaceutical expenditures, since generics are generally 10%-80% lower in price than brand medicines. Belgium has a small generic market that takes up 15% of the total pharmaceutical market in packages sold. To determine the knowledge of consumers about the different available packages of a common over-the-counter medicine (acetaminophen) with regard to price advantage, quality, and effectiveness in a country with a small generic market. We conducted an online survey in the general Flemish population using a questionnaire with 25 statements. The questionnaire also contained 2 informative interventions. First, we showed the price per package and per tablet that the patient would pay in the pharmacy. Second, we provided the respondent with general information about generic medication (equivalence, effectiveness, price, and recognition). Before and after the interventions, we probed for preferences and knowledge about the different packages. Multivariate logistic models were used to examine the independent effects of consumer characteristics on responses to the survey statements. We obtained a sample of 1,636 respondents. The general attitude towards generic medication was positive-only 5% would rather not use a generic. Nevertheless, only 17% of the respondents were able to recognize a generic medicine. Older consumers (aged 60 years and above) were more often confused about the different packages (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.76-3.80, P ≤ 0.001). Consumers without a higher education degree tended to be more doubtful about the difference in effectiveness and quality between the different brands (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.44-0.79, P ≤ 0.001). Consumer recognition of the name of the active substance of acetaminophen was poor. When different brands were displayed, possible price advantage seemed to be an important motive to switch to a cheaper brand. Consumers generally found medicines

  3. Family Genericity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ernst, Erik

    2006-01-01

    Type abstraction in object-oriented languages embody two techniques, each with its own strenghts and weaknesses. The first technique is extension, yielding abstraction mechanisms with good support for gradual specification. The prime example is inheritance. The second technique is functional abst...... the result as family genericity. The presented language design has been implemented....

  4. Hanford Generic Interim Safety Basis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lavender, J.C.

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this document is to identify WHC programs and requirements that are an integral part of the authorization basis for nuclear facilities that are generic to all WHC-managed facilities. The purpose of these programs is to implement the DOE Orders, as WHC becomes contractually obligated to implement them. The Hanford Generic ISB focuses on the institutional controls and safety requirements identified in DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports

  5. Hanford Generic Interim Safety Basis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lavender, J.C.

    1994-09-09

    The purpose of this document is to identify WHC programs and requirements that are an integral part of the authorization basis for nuclear facilities that are generic to all WHC-managed facilities. The purpose of these programs is to implement the DOE Orders, as WHC becomes contractually obligated to implement them. The Hanford Generic ISB focuses on the institutional controls and safety requirements identified in DOE Order 5480.23, Nuclear Safety Analysis Reports.

  6. Advances on generic exemption levels and generic clearance levels in the argentinean regulatory field

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Muñiz, C.C.; Bossio, M.C.

    2011-01-01

    With the aim of optimizing the regulatory effort in Argentina, the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (ARN) evaluated two worldwide concepts used in the radioactive waste management field: “Generic Exemption Levels” and “Generic Clearance Levels”. The objective of this paper is to present the progress made in the past two years in relation to these topics and to present the results of the specific requests received from users of radioactive material. Since the approval of both Generic Levels, the ARN received two exemption requests. The first one, regarding the practice of dismantling lighting rods with 241 Am. The other case regards the international trade, distribution, usage and final disposal of lighting products with radioactive material ( 85 Kr and 232 Th). Concerning clearance, there has not been any request yet. However, in the future the ARN expects to receive this kind of requests from nuclear power plants and other facilities related to the nuclear fuel cycle. (authors) [es

  7. Generic medications for you, but brand-name medications for me.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keenum, Amy J; Devoe, Jennifer E; Chisolm, Deena J; Wallace, Lorraine S

    2012-01-01

    Because generic medications are less expensive than brand-name medications, government and private insurers have encouraged and/or mandated the use of generics. This study aimed at evaluating perceptions about generic medications among English-speaking women of childbearing age currently enrolled in U.S. TennCare (Medicaid). We recruited a convenience sample of patients from the waiting room of a primary care/gynecology health clinic, with 80% recruitment rate among those approached. We orally administered a 25-item questionnaire to gather sociodemographic information and to assess beliefs regarding the efficacy, safety, cost, and preferences for personal use of generic medications. The average age of the women (n=172) was 28.8 ± 6.4 years, and most were white (82.0%) and currently married (58.1%). Nearly one-fifth (19.2%) had not completed high school. Most women believed that generic medications were less expensive (97.6%) and better value (60.5%) than brand-name medications, but only 45.3% preferred to take generics themselves. About a quarter (23.3%) believed that brand-name medications were more effective than generics, whereas 13.4% believed that generics caused more side effects. Few women reported that their doctor (29.7%) and/or pharmacist (35.5%) had ever talked to them about taking generics. Awareness of the benefits of generics did not equal preferences for personal use of generics among this sample of women enrolled in U.S. TennCare. Furthermore, women reported that providers-both physicians and pharmacists-infrequently discussed generic substitution with them. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Towards Using a Generic Robot as Training Partner

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sørensen, Anders Stengaard; Savarimuthu, Thiusius Rajeeth; Nielsen, Jacob

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, we demonstrate how a generic industrial robot can be used as a training partner, for upper limb training. The motion path and human/robot interaction of a non-generic upper-arm training robot is transferred to a generic industrial robot arm, and we demonstrate that the robot arm can...... implement the same type of interaction, but can expand the training regime to include both upper arm and shoulder training. We compare the generic robot to two affordable but custom-built training robots, and outline interesting directions for future work based on these training robots....

  9. Innovation strategies for generic drug companies: moving into supergenerics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ross, Malcolm S F

    2010-04-01

    Pharmaceutical companies that market generic products generally are not regarded as innovators, but rather as companies that produce copies of originator products to be launched at patent expiration. However, many generics companies have developed excellent scientific innovative skills in an effort to circumvent the defense patents of originator companies. More patents per product, in terms of both drug substances (process patents and polymorph patents) and formulations, are issued to generics companies than to companies that are traditionally considered to be 'innovators'. This quantity of issued patents highlights the technical knowledge and skill sets that are available in generics companies. In order to adopt a completely innovative model (ie, the development of NCEs), a generics company would require a completely new set of skills in several fields, including a sufficient knowledge base, project and risk management experience, and capability for clinical data evaluation. However, with relatively little investment, generics companies should be able to progress into the so-called 'supergeneric' drug space - an area of innovation that reflects the existing competencies of both innovative and generics companies.

  10. 78 FR 22553 - Generic Drug Facilities, Sites, and Organizations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-16

    ...] Generic Drug Facilities, Sites, and Organizations AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION.... Generic drug facilities, certain sites, and organizations identified in a generic drug submission are... active pharmaceutical ingredients and certain other sites and organizations that support the manufacture...

  11. Integration of generic issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thatcher, D.

    1989-01-01

    The NRC has recognized the need to integrate generic issues (GIs). The GI process includes a number of phases, all of which should recognize the potential for overlap and conflict among related issues. In addition to the issues themselves, other related NRC and industry programs and activities need to be factored into the GI process. Integration has taken place, or is taking place, for a number of GIs. Each case of integration involves a specific set of circumstances and, as a result, the way in which integration proceeds can vary. This paper discusses the integration of issues in the generic issue process and provides a number of examples

  12. South African patient's acceptance of generic drugs

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    mechanism in this regard for final consumers, insurance providers, and ... facilities are viewed as inferior, treated with sus- picion and ... to choose a generic drug if the decision was supported by their doctor ... The effect of brand to generic and ...

  13. Impact of generic substitution decision support on electronic prescribing behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stenner, Shane P; Chen, Qingxia; Johnson, Kevin B

    2010-01-01

    To evaluate the impact of generic substitution decision support on electronic (e-) prescribing of generic medications. The authors analyzed retrospective outpatient e-prescribing data from an academic medical center and affiliated network for July 1, 2005-September 30, 2008 using an interrupted time-series design to assess the rate of generic prescribing before and after implementing generic substitution decision support. To assess background secular trends, e-prescribing was compared with a concurrent random sample of hand-generated prescriptions. Proportion of generic medications prescribed before and after the intervention, evaluated over time, and compared with a sample of prescriptions generated without e-prescribing. The proportion of generic medication prescriptions increased from 32.1% to 54.2% after the intervention (22.1% increase, 95% CI 21.9% to 22.3%), with no diminution in magnitude of improvement post-intervention. In the concurrent control group, increases in proportion of generic prescriptions (29.3% to 31.4% to 37.4% in the pre-intervention, post-intervention, and end-of-study periods, respectively) were not commensurate with the intervention. There was a larger change in generic prescribing rates among authorized prescribers (24.6%) than nurses (18.5%; adjusted OR 1.38, 95% CI 1.17 to 1.63). Two years after the intervention, the proportion of generic prescribing remained significantly higher for e-prescriptions (58.1%; 95% CI 57.5% to 58.7%) than for hand-generated prescriptions ordered at the same time (37.4%; 95% CI 34.9% to 39.9%) (p<0.0001). Generic prescribing increased significantly in every specialty. Implementation of generic substitution decision support was associated with dramatic and sustained improvements in the rate of outpatient generic e-prescribing across all specialties.

  14. Generic Graph Grammar: A Simple Grammar for Generic Procedural Modelling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Asger Nyman; Bærentzen, Jakob Andreas

    2012-01-01

    in a directed cyclic graph. Furthermore, the basic productions are chosen such that Generic Graph Grammar seamlessly combines the capabilities of L-systems to imitate biological growth (to model trees, animals, etc.) and those of split grammars to design structured objects (chairs, houses, etc.). This results...

  15. The importance of being first: evidence from Canadian generic pharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollis, Aidan

    2002-12-01

    This paper uses pooled cross-section data on Canadian ethical drug sales to examine the effect of entry timing on sales of generic drugs. The data is for all drugs for which the first generic competitor entered during the years 1994-1997. It is found that the first generic entrant has a lasting competitive advantage: being first into the market appears to lead to an increase of around 30% in market share (among generics) over a period of at least 4 years. This finding has considerable implications for the current policy of allowing brandname drug companies to issue pseudo-generic equivalents as a preemptive strike against true generic competitors. Copyright 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Generic substitution of antiretrovirals: patients' and health care providers' opinions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kieran, Jennifer A; O'Reilly, Eimear; O'Dea, Siobhan; Bergin, Colm; O'Leary, Aisling

    2017-10-01

    There is interest in introducing generic antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) into high-income countries in order to maximise efficiency in health care budgets. Studies examining patients' and providers' knowledge and attitudes to generic substitution in HIV are few. This was a cross-sectional, observational study with a convenience sample of adult HIV-infected patients and health care providers (HCPs). Data on demographics, knowledge of generic medicine and facilitators of generic substitution were collected. Descriptive and univariate analysis was performed using SPSS V.23™. Questionnaires were completed by 66 patients. Seventy-one per cent would have no concerns with the introduction of generic ARVs. An increase in frequency of administration (61%) or pill burden (53%) would make patients less likely to accept generic ARVs. There were 30 respondents to the HCP survey. Concerns included the supply chain of generics, loss of fixed dose combinations, adherence and use of older medications. An increase in dosing frequency (76%) or an increase in pill burden (50%) would make HCPs less likely to prescribe a generic ARV. The main perceived advantage was financial. Generic substitution of ARVs would be acceptable to the majority of patients and HCPs. Reinvesting savings back into HIV services would facilitate the success of such a programme.

  17. Benefits of Digital Equipment Generic Qualification Activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Thomas, James E.; Steiman, Samuel C.

    2002-01-01

    As a result of nuclear power plant instrumentation and control obsolescence issues, there have been numerous activities during recent years relating to the qualification of digital equipment. Some of these activities have been 'generic' in nature in that the qualification was not limited to plant specific applications, but was intended to cover a broad base of potential applications of the digital equipment. These generic qualifications have been funded by equipment manufacturers and by utility groups and organizations. The generic activities sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) have been pilot projects for an overall generic qualification approach. The primary benefit resulting from the generic qualification work to date is that a number of digital platforms and digital devices are now available for use in various nuclear safety-related applications. Many of the tests and evaluations necessary to support plant specific applications have been completed. The amount of data and documentation that each utility must develop on a case by case basis has been significantly reduced. There are also a number of additional benefits resulting from these industry efforts. The challenges and difficulties in qualifying digital equipment for safety-related applications are now more clearly understood. EPRI has published a lessons learned document (EPRI Report 1001452, Generic Qualification of Commercial Grade Digital Devices: Lessons Learned from Initial Pilots, which covers several different qualification areas, including device selection, project planning, vendor surveys and design reviews, and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) qualification. Application of the experience and lessons learned from the EPRI pilot activities should help reduce the effort and cost required for future qualification work. Most generic qualification activities for commercial equipment have been conducted using the approach of EPRI TR-106439, Guideline on Evaluation and Acceptance

  18. Methodological Considerations for Comparison of Brand Versus Generic Versus Authorized Generic Adverse Event Reports in the US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahman, Md Motiur; Alatawi, Yasser; Cheng, Ning; Qian, Jingjing; Peissig, Peggy L; Berg, Richard L; Page, David C; Hansen, Richard A

    2017-12-01

    The US Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), a post-marketing safety database, can be used to differentiate brand versus generic safety signals. To explore the methods for identifying and analyzing brand versus generic adverse event (AE) reports. Public release FAERS data from January 2004 to March 2015 were analyzed using alendronate and carbamazepine as examples. Reports were classified as brand, generic, and authorized generic (AG). Disproportionality analyses compared reporting odds ratios (RORs) of selected known labeled serious adverse events stratifying by brand, generic, and AG. The homogeneity of these RORs was compared using the Breslow-Day test. The AG versus generic was the primary focus since the AG is identical to brand but marketed as a generic, therefore minimizing generic perception bias. Sensitivity analyses explored how methodological approach influenced results. Based on 17,521 US event reports involving alendronate and 3733 US event reports involving carbamazepine (immediate and extended release), no consistently significant differences were observed across RORs for the AGs versus generics. Similar results were obtained when comparing reporting patterns over all time and just after generic entry. The most restrictive approach for classifying AE reports yielded smaller report counts but similar results. Differentiation of FAERS reports as brand versus generic requires careful attention to risk of product misclassification, but the relative stability of findings across varying assumptions supports the utility of these approaches for potential signal detection.

  19. Policies and perceptions on generic drugs: The case of Greece.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xanthopoulou, Sofia-Sotiria; Katsaliaki, Korina

    2018-01-01

    The increase in the consumption of generic drugs to reduce pharmaceutical expenditure is a challenge for many countries, especially during the economic crisis. The purpose of the present study is to review the Greek market of generic drugs and the decisions that shape it, to determine the factors that affect Greek patients' and doctors' attitudes about generic substitution and present a set of measures for all stakeholders based on the findings of the secondary and primary analysis. The study includes (a) an analysis of international and national reports and legislation on drugs policies and (b) a questionnaire survey of 242 hospital patients and 85 doctors regarding their perceptions on generics. A small increase in the volume of generics is recorded, yet not followed by sales value, over the recent years that the measures for promoting generics prescription took effect. Distrust from both patients and doctors was observed toward generics' effectiveness and toward the appropriateness of the regulatory authorities' quality controls. The study presents a structured set of viable measures, applicable to many countries, for promoting generic drug consumption that can lead to economic efficiency without degrading the health care quality.

  20. Metabolism and distribution of two 14C-benzidine-congener-based dyes in rats as determined by gas chromatography, high-pressure liquid chromatography, and radioassays. Final report Jan-Oct 81

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oller, W.L.

    1983-04-01

    Absorption, metabolism, and tissue distribution studies were conducted in the rat with 14 C-biphenyl ring-labeled Direct Blue 15, a 3,3'-dimethoxybenzidine (DiMxBzd) based azo dye; Direct Red 2, based on 3,3'-dimethylbenzidine (DiMeBzd) and the corresponding benzidine congener amines. Single oral doses of the 14 C-labeled dyes (12 mg/kg, 62 micro Ci/kg) and molar equivalent doses of the respective amines were administered and urine and fecal samples collected at intervals up to 192 hours. Urine and fecal samples were analyzed for 14 C content. Most of the 14 C present in the urine could not be extracted with benzene nor chloroform, indicating high polarity. Distribution studies conducted with both dyes showed that liver, kidney, and lung accumulated and retained higher levels of 14 C than other tissues (at 72 hrs). Peak levels of 14 C, which occurred 8-12 hours after dosing, were significantly higher with Direct Red 2 than Direct Blue 15. Tissue distribution data (72 hr) for rats dosed with the free amines compared with the dyes showed a generally lower but similar distribution pattern

  1. Encouraging the use of generic medicines: implications for transition economies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    King, Derek R; Kanavos, Panos

    2002-08-01

    Generic drugs have a key role to play in the efficient allocation of financial resources for pharmaceutical medicines. Policies implemented in the countries with a high rate of generic drug use, such as Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are reviewed, with consideration of the market structures that facilitate strong competition. Savings in these countries are realized through increases in the volume of generic drugs used and the frequently significant differences in the price between generic medicines and branded originator medicines. Their policy tools include the mix of supply-side measures and demand-side measures that are relevant for generic promotion and higher generic use. On the supply-side, key policy measures include generic drug marketing regulation that facilitates market entry soon after patent expiration, reference pricing, the pricing of branded originator products, and the degree of price competition in pharmaceutical markets. On the demand-side, measures typically encompass influencing prescribing and dispensing patterns as well as introducing a co-payment structure for consumers/patients that takes into consideration the difference in cost between branded and generic medicines. Quality of generic medicines is a pre-condition for all other measures discussed to take effect. The paper concludes by offering a list of policy options for decision-makers in Central and Eastern European economies in transition.

  2. HTGR generic technology program plan (FY 80)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-01-01

    Purpose of the program is to develop base technology and to perform design and development common to the HTGR Steam Cycle, Gas Turbine, and Process Heat Plants. The generic technology program breaks into the base technology, generic component, pebble-bed study, technology transfer, and fresh fuel programs

  3. Societal value of generic medicines beyond cost-saving through reduced prices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dylst, Pieter; Vulto, Arnold; Simoens, Steven

    2015-01-01

    This paper aims to provide an overview of the added societal value of generic medicines beyond their cost-saving potential through reduced prices. In addition, an observational case study will document the impact of generic entry on access to pharmacotherapy in The Netherlands and an illustrative exercise was carried out to highlight the budget impact of generic entry. A narrative literature review was carried out to explore the impact of generic medicines on access to pharmacotherapy, innovation and medication adherence. Data from the Medicines and Medical Devices Information Project database in The Netherlands were used for the case study in which the impact of generic medicine entrance on the budget and the number of users was calculated as an illustrative exercise. Generic medicines have an additional societal value beyond their cost-saving potential through reduced prices. Generic medicines increase access to pharmacotherapy, provide a stimulus for innovation by both originator companies and generic companies and, under the right circumstances, have a positive impact on medication adherence. Generic medicines offer more to society than just their cost-saving potential through reduced prices. As such, governments must not focus only on the prices of generic medicines as this will threaten their long-term sustainability. Governments must therefore act appropriately and implement a coherent set of policies to increase the use of generic medicines.

  4. Generic switching of warfarin and risk of excessive anticoagulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hellfritzsch, Maja; Rathe, Jette; Stage, Tore Bjerregaard

    2016-01-01

    PURPOSE: Generic switching of warfarin was recently repealed in Denmark, as adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports suggested risk of excessive anticoagulation following switches from branded to generic warfarin. We investigated this putative association in a formalized pharmacoepidemiological analysis....... METHODS: We conducted a nationwide cohort study based on Danish healthcare registries, including data from the introduction of generic warfarin until the repeal (January 2011-April 2015). We followed Danish warfarin users over time and compared the rate of incident hospitalizations due to excessive...... anticoagulation (i.e. increased INR or any bleeding requiring hospitalization) in periods following a recent switch to generic warfarin to the rate in periods without a recent switch. RESULTS: We included 105,751 warfarin users, filling a total of 1,539,640 prescriptions for warfarin (2.5% for generic warfarin...

  5. Generic communications index. Listings of communications 1971-1989

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hagemeyer, D; Towle, H

    1991-05-01

    As part of its program to feed back information on operating experience to industry, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issues generic communications called bulletins (about 5/yr), circulars (now discontinued), generic letters (about 20/yr), and information notices (about 100/yr). The report presents an updated Generic Communications Index (GCI; previously published in NUREG/CR-4690, Vol. 1, December 1987) of all such communications from 1971, when such documentation started, to 1989. The GCI consists of records, one for each communication, containing fields for identification number, title, NRC technical contact, general system or topic, specific component or topic, cause or defect, potential effect, remarks, and vendors involved. To facilitate information retrieval, the report also contains topical listings of generic communications numbers. (author)

  6. Validation of generic cost estimates for construction-related activities at nuclear power plants: Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Simion, G.; Sciacca, F.; Claiborne, E.; Watlington, B.; Riordan, B.; McLaughlin, M.

    1988-05-01

    This report represents a validation study of the cost methodologies and quantitative factors derived in Labor Productivity Adjustment Factors and Generic Methodology for Estimating the Labor Cost Associated with the Removal of Hardware, Materials, and Structures From Nuclear Power Plants. This cost methodology was developed to support NRC analysts in determining generic estimates of removal, installation, and total labor costs for construction-related activities at nuclear generating stations. In addition to the validation discussion, this report reviews the generic cost analysis methodology employed. It also discusses each of the individual cost factors used in estimating the costs of physical modifications at nuclear power plants. The generic estimating approach presented uses the /open quotes/greenfield/close quotes/ or new plant construction installation costs compiled in the Energy Economic Data Base (EEDB) as a baseline. These baseline costs are then adjusted to account for labor productivity, radiation fields, learning curve effects, and impacts on ancillary systems or components. For comparisons of estimated vs actual labor costs, approximately four dozen actual cost data points (as reported by 14 nuclear utilities) were obtained. Detailed background information was collected on each individual data point to give the best understanding possible so that the labor productivity factors, removal factors, etc., could judiciously be chosen. This study concludes that cost estimates that are typically within 40% of the actual values can be generated by prudently using the methodologies and cost factors investigated herein

  7. The short-term impact of Ontario's generic pricing reforms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael R Law

    Full Text Available Canadians pay amongst the highest generic drug prices in the world. In July 2010, the province of Ontario enacted a policy that halved reimbursement for generic drugs from the public drug plan, and substantially lowered prices for private purchases. We quantified the impact of this policy on overall generic drug expenditures in the province, and projected the impact in other provinces had they mimicked this pricing change.We used quarterly prescription generic drug dispensing data from the IMS-Brogan CompuScript Audit. We used the price per unit in both the pre- and post-policy period and two economics price indexes to estimate the expenditure reduction in Ontario. Further, we used the post-policy Ontario prices to estimate the potential reduction in other provinces.We estimate that total expenditure on generic drugs in Ontario during the second half of 2010 was between $181 and $194 million below what would be expected if prices had remained at pre-policy level. Over half of the reduction in spending was due to savings on just 10 generic ingredients. If other provinces had matched Ontario's prices, their expenditures over during the latter half of 2010 would have been $445 million lower.We found that if Ontario's pricing scheme were adopted nationally, overall spending on generic drugs in Canada would drop at least $1.28 billion annually--a 5% decrease in total prescription drug expenditure. Other provinces should seriously consider both changes to their generic drug prices and the use of more competitive bulk purchasing policies.

  8. Generic Regional Development Strategies from Local Stakeholders' Scenarios - an Alpine Village Experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wolfgang Loibl

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available The article discusses the participatory elaboration of strategies for sustainable regional development in an Alpine tourist region in Austria to cope with global change effects evolving locally, considering climate change, economic change as well as (local societal change. Local stakeholders in an Alpine village in the Montafon region contributed in workshops to achieve the final results: participant teams conducted system analyses of the regional system to explore key elements of the region. Narrative scenarios described possible positive and negative development trends and indicated the critical issues controlling future development; 3D-images of landscape transition simulations show the consequences of certain development directions. Alternative development directions supported the local stakeholders to elaborate regional development strategies. In the end, the scientist team derived generic strategies for Alpine regions based on the locally developed strategy bundle. The article presents the intention, progress and outcome of the participatory approach and elaborates the potential to derive generic strategies from local ones and discusses the possibly occurring conflicts regarding cross-scale transfers of these local strategies. Overall, tourism was seen as a key element for future regional development, which can on the one hand derogate Alpine regions and is on the other hand threatened by climate change and diminution of landscape attractiveness. The suggested development strategies will help to cope with global change issues mitigating the negative consequences on the local society and environment.

  9. 17 CFR 230.135a - Generic advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Generic advertising. 230.135a Section 230.135a Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION GENERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS, SECURITIES ACT OF 1933 General § 230.135a Generic advertising. (a) For the purposes only of...

  10. 78 FR 59911 - Generic Information Collection for Land Management Planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-30

    ... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Generic Information Collection for Land Management... organizations on the proposed information collection, Generic Information Collection for Land Management... related to forest management. The intent of this generic information collection request (ICR) is to...

  11. Generic substitution: micro evidence from register data in Norway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalen, Dag Morten; Furu, Kari; Locatelli, Marilena; Strøm, Steinar

    2011-02-01

    The importance of prices, doctor and patient characteristics, and market institutions for the likelihood of choosing generic drugs instead of the more expensive original brand-name version are examined. Using an extensive dataset extracted from The Norwegian Prescription Database containing all prescriptions dispensed to individuals in February 2004 and 2006 on 23 different drugs (chemical substances) in Norway, we find strong evidence for the importance of both doctor and patient characteristics for the choice probabilities. The price difference between brand and generic versions and insurance coverage both affect generic substitution. Moreover, controlling for the retail chain affiliation of the dispensing pharmacy, we find that pharmacies play an important role in promoting generic substitution. In markets with more recent entry of generic drugs, brand-name loyalty proves to be much stronger, giving less explanatory power to our demand model.

  12. Generic drug policy in Australia: a community pharmacy perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beecroft, Grahame

    2007-01-01

    This article provides a commentary, from a community pharmacy perspective, on the policy environment for the pharmacy sector in Australia, with a particular focus on present challenges arising from proposals to achieve substantial PBS cost savings from an anticipated surge of new generic drugs. Some $2 billion of medicines currently on the PBS will come off patent in the next 4 years. This growth comes from a low base where generics currently account for only 15% of the total PBS budget. Remuneration for PBS dispensing is fixed through five year agreements with the government, so trading terms on generics are important for the cross-subsidy of other dispensing activities and professional services. These trading terms (discounts provided by generics suppliers) have become part of the overall cost and revenue structure of pharmacies. Despite these arrangements, generic substitution rates in Australia are lower than in most comparable countries, which the government views as an opportunity to promote generic use. The future of generic drug supply via the PBS is important to allow consumers access to medications at the lowest possible price and to provide space for PBS listing of new and expensive drugs. But considerations of PBS reform need to take account of the role and viability of community pharmacy sector as provider of pharmaceuticals in a timely and efficient manner to Australian residents. PMID:17543112

  13. Derivative chameleons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noller, Johannes

    2012-01-01

    We consider generalized chameleon models where the conformal coupling between matter and gravitational geometries is not only a function of the chameleon field φ, but also of its derivatives via higher order co-ordinate invariants (such as ∂ μ φ∂ μ φ,□φ,...). Specifically we consider the first such non-trivial conformal factor A(φ,∂ μ φ∂ μ φ). The associated phenomenology is investigated and we show that such theories have a new generic mass-altering mechanism, potentially assisting the generation of a sufficiently large chameleon mass in dense environments. The most general effective potential is derived for such derivative chameleon setups and explicit examples are given. Interestingly this points us to the existence of a purely derivative chameleon protected by a shift symmetry for φ → φ+c. We also discuss potential ghost-like instabilities associated with mass-lifting mechanisms and find another, mass-lowering and instability-free, branch of solutions. This suggests that, barring fine-tuning, stable derivative models are in fact typically anti-chameleons that suppress the field's mass in dense environments. Furthermore we investigate modifications to the thin-shell regime and prove a no-go theorem for chameleon effects in non-conformal geometries of the disformal type

  14. Derivative chameleons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noller, Johannes, E-mail: johannes.noller08@imperial.ac.uk [Theoretical Physics, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BZ (United Kingdom)

    2012-07-01

    We consider generalized chameleon models where the conformal coupling between matter and gravitational geometries is not only a function of the chameleon field φ, but also of its derivatives via higher order co-ordinate invariants (such as ∂{sub μ}φ∂{sup μ}φ,□φ,...). Specifically we consider the first such non-trivial conformal factor A(φ,∂{sub μ}φ∂{sup μ}φ). The associated phenomenology is investigated and we show that such theories have a new generic mass-altering mechanism, potentially assisting the generation of a sufficiently large chameleon mass in dense environments. The most general effective potential is derived for such derivative chameleon setups and explicit examples are given. Interestingly this points us to the existence of a purely derivative chameleon protected by a shift symmetry for φ → φ+c. We also discuss potential ghost-like instabilities associated with mass-lifting mechanisms and find another, mass-lowering and instability-free, branch of solutions. This suggests that, barring fine-tuning, stable derivative models are in fact typically anti-chameleons that suppress the field's mass in dense environments. Furthermore we investigate modifications to the thin-shell regime and prove a no-go theorem for chameleon effects in non-conformal geometries of the disformal type.

  15. Do higher-priced generic medicines enjoy a competitive advantage under reference pricing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puig-Junoy, Jaume

    2012-11-01

    In many countries with generic reference pricing, generic producers and distributors compete by means of undisclosed discounts offered to pharmacies in order to reduce acquisition costs and to induce them to dispense their generic to patients in preference over others. The objective of this article is to test the hypothesis that under prevailing reference pricing systems for generic medicines, those medicines sold at a higher consumer price may enjoy a competitive advantage. Real transaction prices for 179 generic medicines acquired by pharmacies in Spain have been used to calculate the discount rate on acquisition versus reimbursed costs to pharmacies. Two empirical hypotheses are tested: the discount rate at which pharmacies acquire generic medicines is higher for those pharmaceutical presentations for which there are more generic competitors; and, the discount rate at which pharmacies acquire generic medicines is higher for those pharmaceutical forms for which the consumer price has declined less in relation to the consumer price of the brand drug before generic entry (higher-priced generic medicines). An average discount rate of 39.3% on acquisition versus reimbursed costs to pharmacies has been observed. The magnitude of the discount positively depends on the number of competitors in the market. The higher the ratio of the consumer price of the generic to that of the brand drug prior to generic entry (i.e. the smaller the price reduction of the generic in relation to the brand drug), the larger the discount rate. Under reference pricing there is intense price competition among generic firms in the form of unusually high discounts to pharmacies on official ex-factory prices reimbursed to pharmacies. However, this effect is highly distorting because it favours those medicines with a higher relative price in relation to the brand price before generic entry.

  16. Comparative effectiveness of generic versus brand-name antiepileptic medications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagne, Joshua J; Kesselheim, Aaron S; Choudhry, Niteesh K; Polinski, Jennifer M; Hutchins, David; Matlin, Olga S; Brennan, Troyen A; Avorn, Jerry; Shrank, William H

    2015-11-01

    The objective of this study was to compare treatment persistence and rates of seizure-related events in patients who initiate antiepileptic drug (AED) therapy with a generic versus a brand-name product. We used linked electronic medical and pharmacy claims data to identify Medicare beneficiaries who initiated one of five AEDs (clonazepam, gabapentin, oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, zonisamide). We matched initiators of generic versus brand-name versions of these drugs using a propensity score that accounted for demographic, clinical, and health service utilization variables. We used a Cox proportional hazards model to compare rates of seizure-related emergency room (ER) visit or hospitalization (primary outcome) and ER visit for bone fracture or head injury (secondary outcome) between the matched generic and brand-name initiators. We also compared treatment persistence, measured as time to first 14-day treatment gap, between generic and brand-name initiators. We identified 19,760 AED initiators who met study eligibility criteria; 18,306 (93%) initiated a generic AED. In the matched cohort, we observed 47 seizure-related hospitalizations and ER visits among brand-name initiators and 31 events among generic initiators, corresponding to a hazard ratio of 0.53 (95% confidence interval, 0.30 to 0.96). Similar results were observed for the secondary clinical endpoint and across sensitivity analyses. Mean time to first treatment gap was 124.2 days (standard deviation [sd], 125.8) for brand-name initiators and 137.9 (sd, 148.6) for generic initiators. Patients who initiated generic AEDs had fewer adverse seizure-related clinical outcomes and longer continuous treatment periods before experiencing a gap than those who initiated brand-name versions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Proceedings of the Annual Conference on Environmental Toxicology (5th) Held at Fairborn, OH on 24-26 September 1974

    Science.gov (United States)

    1974-12-01

    naphthylamine, benzidine and derivatives, 4-biphenylamine, 4-nitrobiphenyl, auramine and magenta) Alkylating Agents (chlornaphthazlne, mustard gas...recently developed carborane-silicone columns (Willeboordse et al., 1968; Yancey and Lynn, 1974). Alkylating Agents Several alkylating agents have emerged...Magee, "Nitrosamine-Induced Carcinogenesis. The Alkylation of N-7 of Guanine of Nucleic Acids of the Rat by Diethylnitrosamine N-Ethyl-N- Nitrosourea

  18. Generic drugs: Review and experiences from South India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philip Mathew

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The cost of pharmaceuticals, as a percentage of total healthcare spending, has been rising worldwide. This has resulted in strained national budgets and a high proportion of people without access to essential medications. Though India has become a global hub of generic drug manufacturing, the expected benefits of cheaper drugs are not translating into savings for ordinary people. This is in part due to the rise of branded generics, which are marketed at a price point close to the innovator brands. Unbranded generic medicines are not finding their way into prescriptions due to issues of confidence and perception, though they are proven to be much cheaper and comparable in efficacy to branded medicines. The drug inventory of unbranded generic manufacturers fares reasonably when reviewed using the World Health Organization-Health Action International (WHO-HAI tool for analysing drug availability. Also, unbranded generic medicines are much cheaper when compared to the most selling brands and they can bring down the treatment costs in primary care and family practice. We share our experience in running a community pharmacy for an urban health center in the Pathanamthitta district of Kerala State, which is run solely on generic medicines. The drug availability at the community pharmacy was 73.3% when analyzed using WHO-HAI tool and the savings for the final consumers were up to 93.1%, when compared with most-selling brand of the same formulation.

  19. What do people really think of generic medicines? A systematic review and critical appraisal of literature on stakeholder perceptions of generic drugs.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Dunne, Suzanne S

    2015-07-01

    Considerable emphasis is presently being placed on usage of generic medicines by governments focussed on the potential economic benefits associated with their use. Concurrently, there is increasing discussion in the lay media of perceived doubts regarding the quality and equivalence of generic medicines. The objective of this paper is to report the outcomes of a systematic search for peer-reviewed, published studies that focus on physician, pharmacist and patient\\/consumer perspectives of generic medicines.

  20. How Abbott’s Fenofibrate Franchise Avoided Generic Competition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Downing, Nicholas S.; Ross, Joseph S.; Jackevicius, Cynthia A.; Krumholz, Harlan M.

    2013-01-01

    The ongoing debate concerning the efficacy of fenofibrate has overshadowed an important aspect of the drug’s history: Abbott, the maker of branded fenofibrate, has produced several bioequivalent reformulations, which dominate the market even though generic fenofibrate has been available for almost a decade. This continued use of branded formulations, which cost twice as much as generic versions of fenofibrate, imposes an annual cost of approximately $700 million on our healthcare system. Abbott maintained its dominance of the fenofibrate market, in part, through a complex switching strategy involving the sequential launch of branded reformulations that had not been shown to be superior to the first generation product and patent litigation that delayed the approval of generic formulations. The small differences in dose of the newer branded formulations prevented substitution with generics of older generation products. As soon as direct generic competition seemed likely at the new dose level where substitution would be allowed, Abbott would launch another reformulation and the cycle would repeat. Our objective, using the fenofibrate example, is to describe how current policy can allow pharmaceutical companies to maintain market share using reformulations of branded medications without demonstrating the superiority of next generation products. PMID:22493409

  1. Once more the generic name Passerina Vieillot

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oort, van E.D.

    1910-01-01

    The note on the generic name of the Snow-bunting by Dr. E. Hartert in this part of our periodical gives me cause to revert to the subject of my note on the generic name Passerina Vieillot and to state here, that I stand to what I have said about the rejection of this name in Zoology (Notes Leyden

  2. Generic Reed Solomon Encorder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petrus Mursanto

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available Reed Solomon (RS codes is a mechanism to detect and correct burst of errors in data transmission and storage systems. It provides a solid introduction to foundation mathematical concept of Galois Field algebra and its application. With the development of digital hardware technology, the RS concepts were brought into reality, i.e. the implementation of RS codec chips. This paper presents the development steps of a generic RS encoder using VHDL. The encoder is able to handle generic width of data, variable length of information, number of error as well as variable form of primitive polynomial and generator polynomial used in the system. The design has been implemented for FPGA chip Xilinx XC3S200-5FT256 and has a better performance than commercially available equivalent encoder.

  3. [Generic drugs and the consumption trends of antihypertensives in Morocco].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berrada El Azizi, Ghizlane; Ahid, Samir; Ghanname, Imane; Ghannam, Imane; Belaiche, Abdelmajid; Hassar, Mohammed; Cherrah, Yahia

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the evolution of consumption of antihypertensive drugs generic among 1991-2010, to assess the impacts after the institution of Mandatory Health Insurance and the marketing of generic drugs. We used sales data from the Moroccan subsidiary of IMS Health Intercontinental Marketing Service. Consumption of generic antihypertensive drugs increased from 0.08 to 10.65 DDD/1 000 inhabitants/day between 1991 and 2010. In 2010, generic of the calcium channel blockers (CCBs) represented 4.08 DDD/1 000 inhabitants/day (82.09%), followed by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) by 2.40 DDD/1 000 inhabitants/day (48.29%). The generics market of CCBs is the most dominant and represented in 2010, 79.21% in volume and 62.58% in value. In developing countries like Morocco, the generic drug is a key element for access to treatment especially for the poor population. © 2013 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

  4. [Analysis of generic drug supply in France].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taboulet, F; Haramburu, F; Latry, Ph

    2003-09-01

    The list of generic medicines (LGM), published since 1997 by the Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé (AFFSSaPS), the French Medicine Agency, concerns a special part of the medicines reimbursed by the National Health Insurance (Social Security). The objectives of the present study were: i) to describe the components of this list, based on pharmaceutical, economical and therapeutic characteristics, ii) to study differences between generic and reference products (formulations, excipients, prices, etc.), iii) to analyze information on excipients provided to health care professionals. The 21st version of the LGM (April 2001) was used. Therapeutic value was retrieved from the 2001 AFSSaPS report on the therapeutic value of 4490 reimbursed medicines. Information on excipients in the LGM and the Vidal dictionary (reference prescription book in France) was compared. The products included in the LGM represent 20% of all reimbursed medicines. The mean price differences between generics and their reference products vary between 30 and 50% for more than two thirds of the generic groups. The therapeutic value of the products of the LGM was judged important in 71% of cases (vs 63% for the 4409 assessed medicines) and insufficient in 13% of cases (vs 19%). Information on excipients is often missing and sometimes erroneous. Although the LGM is regularly revised and thus the generic market in perpetual change, the 2001 cross description of this pharmaceutical market provides much informations and raises some concern.

  5. Evaluation of generic and branded herbicides : technical report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-03-01

    As with other generic brand products in the marketplace, generic herbicides often have a lower initial product cost than : their brand-name counterparts. While the purchase price of herbicides is important to TxDOT, it is essential to look at : more ...

  6. Automated analysis in generic groups

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fagerholm, Edvard

    This thesis studies automated methods for analyzing hardness assumptions in generic group models, following ideas of symbolic cryptography. We define a broad class of generic and symbolic group models for different settings---symmetric or asymmetric (leveled) k-linear groups --- and prove ''computational soundness'' theorems for the symbolic models. Based on this result, we formulate a master theorem that relates the hardness of an assumption to solving problems in polynomial algebra. We systematically analyze these problems identifying different classes of assumptions and obtain decidability and undecidability results. Then, we develop automated procedures for verifying the conditions of our master theorems, and thus the validity of hardness assumptions in generic group models. The concrete outcome is an automated tool, the Generic Group Analyzer, which takes as input the statement of an assumption, and outputs either a proof of its generic hardness or shows an algebraic attack against the assumption. Structure-preserving signatures are signature schemes defined over bilinear groups in which messages, public keys and signatures are group elements, and the verification algorithm consists of evaluating ''pairing-product equations''. Recent work on structure-preserving signatures studies optimality of these schemes in terms of the number of group elements needed in the verification key and the signature, and the number of pairing-product equations in the verification algorithm. While the size of keys and signatures is crucial for many applications, another aspect of performance is the time it takes to verify a signature. The most expensive operation during verification is the computation of pairings. However, the concrete number of pairings is not captured by the number of pairing-product equations considered in earlier work. We consider the question of what is the minimal number of pairing computations needed to verify structure-preserving signatures. We build an

  7. Impact of alternative interventions on changes in generic dispensing rates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Malley, A James; Frank, Richard G; Kaddis, Atheer; Rothenberg, Barbara M; McNeil, Barbara J

    2006-10-01

    To evaluate the effectiveness of four alternative interventions (member mailings, advertising campaigns, free generic drug samples to physicians, and physician financial incentives) used by a major health insurer to encourage its members to switch to generic drugs. Using claim-level data from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, we evaluated the success of four interventions implemented during 2000-2003 designed to increase the use of generic drugs among its members. Around 13 million claims involving seven important classes of drugs were used to assess the effectiveness of the interventions. For each intervention a control group was developed that most closely resembled the corresponding intervention group. Logistic regression models with interaction effects between the treatment group (intervention versus control) and the status of the intervention (active versus not active) were used to evaluate if the interventions had an effect on the generic dispensing rate (GDR). Because the mail order pharmacy was considered more aggressive at converting prescriptions to generics, separate generic purchasing models were fitted to retail and mail order claims. In secondary analyses separate models were also fitted to claims involving a new condition and claims refilled for preexisting conditions. The interventions did not appear to increase the market penetration of generic drugs for either retail or mail order claims, or for claims involving new or preexisting conditions. In addition, we found that the ratio of copayments for brand name to generic drugs had a large positive effect on the GDR. The interventions did not appear to directly influence the GDR. Financial incentives expressed to consumers through benefit designs have a large influence on their switching to generic drugs and on the less-costly mail-order mode of purchase.

  8. Leveraging consumer's behaviour to promote generic drugs in Italy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zerbini, Cristina; Luceri, Beatrice; Vergura, Donata Tania

    2017-04-01

    The aim of this study was to fill the lack of knowledge regarding a more grounded exploration of the consumer's decision-making process in the context of generic drugs. In this perspective, a model, within the theoretical framework of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), for studying the consumers' purchase intention of generic drugs was developed. An online survey on 2,222 Italian people who bought drugs in the past was conducted. The proposed model was tested through structural equation modelling (SEM). Almost all the constructs considered in the model, except the perceived behavioural control, contribute to explain the consumer's purchase intention of generic drugs, after controlling for demographic variables (age, income, education). Specifically, attitude, subjective norm, past behaviour, self-identity and trust in the pharmacist have a positive influence on the intention to buy generic drugs. On the contrary, perceived risk towards products and brand sensitivity act negatively. The results of the present study could be useful to public policy makers in developing effective policies and educational campaigns aimed at promoting generic drugs. Specifically, marketing efforts should be directed to inform consumers about the generic drugs' characteristics to mitigate the perceived risk towards these products and to raise awareness during their decision-making process. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Predictors of generic substitution: The role of psychological, sociodemographic, and contextual factors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drozdowska, Aleksandra; Hermanowski, Tomasz

    2016-01-01

    Escalating pharmaceutical costs have become a global challenge for both governments and patients. Generic substitution is one way of decreasing these costs. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with patients' choice between generic drugs and innovator drugs. The survey was conducted in June 2013, 1000 people from across Poland were chosen as a representative population sample. The outcome (a preference for generics/a preference for innovator pharmaceuticals/no preference) was modeled by multinomial logistic regression, adjusted for several variables describing patients' sensitivity to selected generic features (price, brand, and country of origin), to third-party opinions about generics (information on generics in the mass media, opinions of health professionals (i.e. physicians, pharmacists), relatives/friends), as well as patients' personal experiences and income per household. The results supported the predictive capacity of most independent variables (except for patient sensitivity to the country of origin and to the information on generics in the mass media), denoting patients' preferences toward generic substitution. Patient sensitivity to recommendations by physicians, generic brand, and household income were the strongest predictors of the choice between generic and innovator pharmaceuticals (P brand or their physician's opinion, as well as in respondents who were sensitive to recommendations by pharmacists or attached a greater value to a past experience with generics (their own experience or that of relatives/friends). In consideration of the foregoing, awareness-raising campaigns may be recommended, supported by a variety of systemic solutions and tools to encourage generic substitution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Generic nuclear power plant component failure data bank

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Araujo Goes, A.G. de; Gibelli, S.M.O.

    1988-11-01

    This report consist in the development of a generic nuclear power plant component failure data bank. This data bank was implemented in a PC-XT microcomputer, IBM compatible, using the Open Access II program. Generic failure data tables for Westinghouse nuclear power plants and for general PWR power plants are presented. They are the final product of a research which included a preselection and a selection of data collected from the available sources in the library of CNEN (National Nuclear Energy Commission) and from the CIN/CNEN (Neclear Information Center). Futhermore, a proposal of evaluating models of average failure rates of pumps and valves are also presented. Through the electronic data bank one can easily have a generic view of failure rate ranges as well as failure models foe a certain component. It is very importante to develop procedures to collect and store generic failure data that can be quickly accessed, in order to update the Probabilistic Safety Study of Angra-1 and to used in studies which may have component failures of nuclear power plant safety systems. In the future, data specialization can be achieved by means of statistical calculations involving specific data collected from the operational experience of Angra-1 nuclear power plant and the generic data bank. (author) [pt

  11. Addition of generic medication vouchers to a pharmacist academic detailing program: effects on the generic dispensing ratio in a physician-hospital organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhargava, Vinay; Greg, Mark E; Shields, Mark C

    2010-01-01

    Generic dispensing ratio (GDR) is an important measure of efficiency in pharmacy benefit management. A few studies have examined the effects of academic detailing or generic drug samples on GDR. On July 1, 2007, a physician-hospital organization (PHO) with a pay-for-performance incentive for generic utilization initiated a pilot generic medication voucher program that augmented its existing pharmacist-led academic detailing efforts. No published studies have examined the role of generic medication vouchers in promoting generic drug utilization. To determine if supplementing an existing academic detailing initiative in a PHO with a generic medication voucher program would be more effective in increasing the GDR compared with academic detailing alone. The intervention took place over the 9-month period from July 1, 2007, through March 31, 2008. Vouchers provided patients with the first fill of a 30-day supply of a generic drug at no cost to the patient for 8 specific generic medications obtained through a national community pharmacy chain. The study was conducted in a PHO composed of 7 hospitals and approximately 2,900 physicians (900 primary care providers [PCPs] and 2,000 specialists). Of the approximately 300 PCP practices, 21 practices with at least 2 physicians each were selected on the basis of high prescription volume (more than 500 pharmacy claims for the practice over a 12-month pre-baseline period) and low GDR (practice GDR less than 55% in the 12-month pre-baseline period). These 21 practices were then randomized to a control group of academic detailing alone or the intervention group that received academic detailing plus generic medication vouchers. One of 10 intervention groups declined to participate, and 2 of 11 control groups dropped out of the PHO. GDR was calculated monthly for all pharmacy claims including the 8 voucher medications. GDR was defined as the ratio of the total number of paid generic pharmacy claims divided by the total number of paid

  12. Using Service Oriented Architecture in a Generic Virtual Power Plant

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Peter Bach; Poulsen, Bjarne; Træholt, Chresten

    2009-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to find and describe a suitable software framework that can be used to help implement the concept of a Generic Virtual Power Plant in the future power system. The Generic Virtual Power Plant concept, along with the utilization of distributed energy resources, has many...... the Generic Virtual Power Plant, an array of different software design principles, patterns and architectures must be applied. Especially Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) can aid in implementing the Generic Virtual Power Plant.......The purpose of this paper is to find and describe a suitable software framework that can be used to help implement the concept of a Generic Virtual Power Plant in the future power system. The Generic Virtual Power Plant concept, along with the utilization of distributed energy resources, has many...... interesting properties that can influence the future shape of power markets. The concept holds many promises including cheaper power to the consumer, a more flexible and responsive power production and the support of a more environment-friendly development. In order to realize a software solution supporting...

  13. Generic tacrolimus in solid organ transplantation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Taube, D; Jones, G; O'Beirne, J

    2014-01-01

    The availability of a wide range of immunosuppressive therapies has revolutionized the management of patients who have undergone solid organ transplantation (SOT). However, the cost of immunosuppressive drugs remains high. This situation has led to the development of generic equivalents, which...... innovator tacrolimus drug (Prograf) in both healthy volunteers and kidney transplant patients. Clinical experience with this generic tacrolimus formulation has also been established in both de novo and conversion patients who have undergone kidney and liver transplantation, as well as in conversion of other...

  14. Generic immunosuppression in transplantation: current evidence and controversial issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Hajj, Sandra; Kim, Miae; Phillips, Karen; Gabardi, Steven

    2015-05-01

    The overall success of organ transplantation in the 21st century has been predicated, in part, on the use of newer, more potent, and selective immunosuppressive agents. However, the high cost of lifelong immunosuppression represents a financial burden for many patients. In the past 15 years, regulatory agencies in Europe and America have approved several generic immunosuppressants. One concern is whether the conversion between innovator and generic immunosuppressants will prove to be problematic. This manuscript aims to compare and contrast the bioequivalence requirements among regulatory authorities in the USA, Europe, and Canada, evaluate published studies of generic immunosuppressants in transplant recipients, summarize consensus statements made by transplant organizations and discuss how to engage patients in discussion regarding the choice between innovator and generic immunosuppressants.

  15. Lawsuits allege price fixing by generic drug makers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robbins RA

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available No abstract available. Article truncated at 150 words. Two years after high generic drug prices became a public controversy, Reuters is reporting that 20 states filed a lawsuit Thursday against Mylan, Teva Pharmaceuticals and four other generic drug makers (1. The suit alleges the companies conspired to fix prices or allocated markets to prop up prices. The civil lawsuit, led by antitrust investigators in Connecticut, comes one day after the U.S. Department of Justice filed criminal charges against two former executives of the generic drug maker, Heritage. The states attorneys general asked the court to order the companies to disgorge ill-gotten gains, which were not defined, pay attorneys' fees and stop collusion. Of the states in the Southwest only Nevada is participating in the lawsuit. The cases are part of a broader generic drug pricing probe that remains under way at the state and federal level, as well as in the U.S. Congress. In 2014, media reports of …

  16. Mixed WTO ruling on generic drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elliott, R

    2000-01-01

    On 17 March 2000, the World Trade Organization upheld the provision in Canada's patent laws that allows generic drug manufacturers to develop (but not sell) their cheaper versions of patented medicines before the 20-year patients expire. The decision prevents pharmaceutical companies from enjoying market monopolies beyond their patent terms, avoiding what would otherwise be even lengthier delays in the sale of cheaper, generic drugs in Canada. This decision is of significance not only to Canada, but also to other WTO member countries and to all individuals who use pharmaceutical products. However, the decision is not all positive: the WTO also ruled that Canada is violating international agreements by letting generic manufacturers stockpile their versions of patented drugs before patents expire. This article explains the issues, the arguments, and the decision.

  17. 40 CFR 721.10036 - Acetaldehyde based polymer (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Acetaldehyde based polymer (generic... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10036 Acetaldehyde based polymer (generic). (a) Chemical substance and... based polymer (PMN P-02-406) is subject to reporting under this section for the significant new uses...

  18. Enhancing Safety through Generic Competencies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S. Mockel

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available This article provides insights into proactive safety management and mitigation. An analysis of accident reports reveals categories of supervening causes of accidents which can be directly linked to the concept of generic competencies (information management, communication and coordination, problem solving, and effect control. These findings strongly suggest adding the human element as another safety-constituting pillar to the concept of ship safety next to technology and regulation. We argue that the human element has unique abilities in dealing with critical and highly dynamic situations which can contribute to the system's recovery from non-routine or critical situations. By educating seafarers in generic competencies we claim to enable the people onboard to successfully deal with critical situations.

  19. Generic magnetic fusion reactor cost assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheffield, J.

    1985-01-01

    The Fusion Energy Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discusses ''generic'' magnetic fusion reactors. The author comments on DT burning magnetic fusion reactor models being possibly operational in the 21st century. Representative parameters from D-T reactor studies are given, as well as a shematic diagram of a generic fusion reactor. Values are given for winding pack current density for existing and future superconducting coils. Topics included are the variation of the cost of electricity (COE), the dependence of the COE on the net electric power of the reactor, and COE formula definitions

  20. Generic radiation safety design for SSRL synchrotron radiation beamlines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, James C. [Radiation Protection Department, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), MS 48, P.O. Box 20450, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States)]. E-mail: james@slac.stanford.edu; Fasso, Alberto [Radiation Protection Department, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), MS 48, P.O. Box 20450, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States); Khater, Hesham [Radiation Protection Department, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), MS 48, P.O. Box 20450, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States); Prinz, Alyssa [Radiation Protection Department, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), MS 48, P.O. Box 20450, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States); Rokni, Sayed [Radiation Protection Department, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC), MS 48, P.O. Box 20450, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States)

    2006-12-15

    To allow for a conservative, simple, uniform, consistent, efficient radiation safety design for all SSRL beamlines, a generic approach has been developed, considering both synchrotron radiation (SR) and gas bremsstrahlung (GB) hazards. To develop the methodology and rules needed for generic beamline design, analytic models, the STAC8 code, and the FLUKA Monte Carlo code were used to pre-calculate sets of curves and tables that can be looked up for each beamline safety design. Conservative beam parameters and standard targets and geometries were used in the calculations. This paper presents the SPEAR3 beamline parameters that were considered in the design, the safety design considerations, and the main pre-calculated results that are needed for generic shielding design. In the end, the rules and practices for generic SSRL beamline design are summarized.

  1. The generic strategy trap.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, D

    1992-01-01

    Management experts claim that for a company to thrive, it must concentrate on a single generic strategy--on one thing it does better than its rivals. But specialization also has its disadvantages. The author suggests that a broader, mixed approach may be preferable.

  2. Acceptability and confidence in antiretroviral generics of physicians and HIV-infected patients in France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allavena, Clotilde; Jacomet, Christine; Pereira, Bruno; Morand-Joubert, Laurence; Bagheri, Haleh; Cotte, Laurent; Garaffo, Rodolphe; Gerbaud, Laurent; Dellamonica, Pierre

    2014-01-01

    Switching brand name medications to generics is recommended in France in the interest of cost effectiveness but patients and physicians are sometimes not convinced that switching is appropriate. Some antiretroviral (ARV) generics (ZDV, 3TC, NVP) have been marketed in France since 2013. A multicentric cross-sectional survey was performed in September 2013 to evaluate the perception of generics overall and ARV generics in physicians and HIV-infected patients and factors associated to their acceptability. Adult HIV outpatients were asked to complete a self-questionnaire on their perception of generics. Physicians completed a questionnaire on the acceptability of generics and ARV generics. Socio-demographic data, medical history and HIV history were collected. 116 physicians in 33 clinics (68% in University Hospital) included 556 patients (France-native 77%, active employment 59%, covered by social Insurance 100%, homosexual/bisexual contamination 47%, median HIV duration 13 years, hepatitis coinfection 16%, on ARV therapy 95%). Overall, patients accepted and had confidence in generics in 76% and 55% of the cases, respectively. Switching ARVs for generics was accepted by 44% of the patients but only by 17% if the pill burden was going to increase. 75% of the physicians would prescribe generics, but this decreased to only 26% if the combo had to be broken. The main reasons for non-prescription of generics were previous brand name ARV-induced side effects (35%), refusal of generics overall (37%), lack of understanding of generics (26%), risk of non-observance of treatment (44%), anxiety (47%) and depressive symptoms (25%). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with the acceptability of ARV generics in patients were the use of generics overall (p<0.001) and in physicians, the absence of concern regarding the drug efficacy (p<0.001) and being aware that the patient would accept generics overall (p=0.03) and ARV generics (p=0.04). No factors related to

  3. Introduction of developing a list of MSO generic scenarios for PHWR

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jae Wan; Park, Jun Hyun; Bae, Hui Soo [STANDARD Testing and Engineering Ing. Ltd, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-10-15

    Multiple Spurious Operation(MSO) scenarios should contain scenarios threatening Post-fire safe shutdown function by MSO of Safe Shutdown Equipments(SSEs) as well as Non-SSEs. The list of MSO generic scenarios(NEI 00-01, Appendix G) was developed by industrial survey. Although not all scenarios of the list of MSO generic scenarios(NEI 00-01, Appendix G) are considered applicable to every reactor type, this list provides an input about MSO identification and treatment process. If NEI 00-01 is applied to other reactor type, analyst should review applicability of the list of generic scenarios(NEI 00-01, Appendix G) and consider potential MSO scenarios undescribed in the list of MSO generic scenarios(NEI 00-01, Appendix G). Especially, in PHWR case, there is no list of MSO generic scenarios in Canada or internationally. There are substantial physical variations between NPPs. So some generic scenarios(NEI 00-01, Appendix G) would need validation. Nevertheless, industrial stakeholder have not did any MSO work until now. In this paper, results of first stage research that develop the list of MSO generic scenarios for pressurized heavy water reactor(PHWR) is introduced. According to the review results, specific review of the list of MSO generic scenarios(NEI 00-01, Appendix G) is required such as how it applies to PHWR. And criteria was established for review of availability of the list of generic scenarios(NEI 00-01, Appendix G). However there are still many tasks such as potential scenario review, risk model review and expert panel review.

  4. Frequency and Informativeness of Gestural Cues Accompanying Generic and Particular Reference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Meredith; Gelman, Susan A.; Stilwell, Sarah M.

    2015-01-01

    Generic noun phrases, or generics, refer to abstract categories ("Dogs" bark) rather than particular individuals ("Those dogs" bark). Study 1 investigated how parents use gestures in association with generic versus particular reference during naturalistic interactions with their 2- and 3-year-old children. Parents provided…

  5. An audit of generic prescribing in a general surgical department.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Gleeson, M

    2013-01-17

    BACKGROUND: The Health Service Executive introduced a generic prescription policy to reduce costs. Despite this, generic prescription rates remain low. AIM: To audit in-patient prescription practice in a single surgical department and identify potential savings which could be realised by adherence to the generic prescribing policy. METHODS: Surgical in-patient charts were obtained at the point of discharge and their drug prescription information was recorded. RESULTS: 51 % of prescriptions involved a trade-name prescription where an appropriate generic equivalent existed. The cost implications for hospital and community patients were found to be greatly affected by substitution policies that exist at hospital pharmacy level. CONCLUSION: There is a need to promote greater adherence to generic prescribing amongst hospital doctors in line with international best practice. It can have a positive impact in terms of safe prescribing and can have cost implications at both hospital and community level.

  6. Exploring community pharmacists' views on generic medicines: a nationwide study from Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chong, Chee Ping; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Bahari, Mohd Baidi; Shafie, Asrul Akmal

    2011-02-01

    To evaluate the Malaysian community pharmacists' views on generic medicines. A sample of 1419 Malaysian community pharmacies with resident pharmacists. A cross-sectional nationwide survey using a self-completed mailing questionnaire. Pharmacists' views on generic medicines including issues surrounding efficacy, safety, quality and bioequivalence. Responses were received from 219 pharmacies (response rate 15.4%). Only 50.2% of the surveyed pharmacists agreed that all products that are approved as generic equivalents can be considered therapeutically equivalent with the innovator medicines. Around 76% of respondents indicated that generic substitution of narrow therapeutic index medicines is inappropriate. The majority of the pharmacists understood that a generic medicine must contain the same amount of active ingredient (84.5%) and must be in the same dosage form as the innovator brand (71.7%). About 21% of respondents though that generic medicines are of inferior quality compared to innovator medicines. Most of the pharmacists (61.6%) disagreed that generic medicines produce more side-effects than innovator brand. Pharmacists graduated from Malaysian universities, twinning program and overseas universities were not differed significantly in their views on generic medicines. Additionally, the respondents appeared to have difficulty in ascertaining the bioequivalent status of the marketed generic products in Malaysia. The Malaysian pharmacists' have lack of information and/or trust in the generic manufacturing and/or approval system in Malaysia. This issue should be addressed by pharmacy educators and relevant government agencies.

  7. Estimating structural collapse fragility of generic building typologies using expert judgment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaiswal, Kishor S.; Wald, D.J.; Perkins, D.; Aspinall, W.P.; Kiremidjian, Anne S.; Deodatis, George; Ellingwood, Bruce R.; Frangopol, Dan M.

    2014-01-01

    The structured expert elicitation process proposed by Cooke (1991), hereafter referred to as Cooke’s approach, is applied for the first time in the realm of structural collapse-fragility assessment for selected generic construction types. Cooke’s approach works on the principle of objective calibration scoring of judgments coupled with hypothesis testing used in classical statistics. The performance-based scoring system reflects the combined measure of an expert’s informativeness about variables in the problem area under consideration, and their ability to enumerate, in a statistically accurate way through expressing their true beliefs, the quantitative uncertainties associated with their assessments. We summarize the findings of an expert elicitation workshop in which a dozen earthquake-engineering professionals from around the world were engaged to estimate seismic collapse fragility for generic construction types. Development of seismic collapse fragility functions was accomplished by combining their judgments using weights derived from Cooke’s method. Although substantial effort was needed to elicit the inputs of these experts successfully, we anticipate that the elicitation strategy described here will gain momentum in a wide variety of earthquake seismology and engineering hazard and risk analyses where physical model and data limitations are inherent and objective professional judgment can fill gaps.

  8. Generic Containment: Detailed comparison of containment simulations performed on plant scale

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kelm, St.; Klauck, M.; Beck, S.; Allelein, H.-J.; Preusser, G.; Sangiorgi, M.; Klein-Hessling, W.; Bakalov, I.; Bleyer, A.; Bentaib, A.; Kljenak, I.; Stempniewicz, M.; Kostka, P.; Morandi, S.; Ada del Corno, B.; Bratfisch, C.; Risken, T.; Denk, L.; Parduba, Z.; Paci, S.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Consequent implementation of the recommendations derived from the OECD/NEA ISP-47. • Phenomenological code-to-code comparison performed on plant scale. • Systematic identification and elimination of the user effect. • Identification of fundamental differences in the model basis. • Application to PAR system analysis. - Abstract: One outcome of the OECD/NEA ISP-47 activity was the recommendation to elaborate a ‘Generic Containment’ in order to allow comparing and rating the results obtained by different lumped-parameter models on plant scale. Within the European SARNET2 project ( (http://www.sar-net.eu)), such a Generic Containment nodalisation, based on a German PWR (1300 MW el ), was defined. This agreement on the nodalisation allows investigating the remaining differences among the results, especially the ‘user-effect’, related to the modelling choices, as well as fundamental differences in the underlying model basis in detail. The methodology applied in order to compare the different code predictions consisted of a series of three benchmark steps with increasing complexity as well as a systematic comparison of characteristic variables and observations. This paper summarises the benchmark series, the lessons learned during specifying the steps, comparing and discussing the results and finally gives an outlook on future steps

  9. A generic coding approach for the examination of meal patterns.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woolhead, Clara; Gibney, Michael J; Walsh, Marianne C; Brennan, Lorraine; Gibney, Eileen R

    2015-08-01

    Meal pattern analysis can be complex because of the large variability in meal consumption. The use of aggregated, generic meal data may address some of these issues. The objective was to develop a meal coding system and use it to explore meal patterns. Dietary data were used from the National Adult Nutrition Survey (2008-2010), which collected 4-d food diary information from 1500 healthy adults. Self-recorded meal types were listed for each food item. Common food group combinations were identified to generate a number of generic meals for each meal type: breakfast, light meals, main meals, snacks, and beverages. Mean nutritional compositions of the generic meals were determined and substituted into the data set to produce a generic meal data set. Statistical comparisons were performed against the original National Adult Nutrition Survey data. Principal component analysis was carried out by using these generic meals to identify meal patterns. A total of 21,948 individual meals were reduced to 63 generic meals. Good agreement was seen for nutritional comparisons (original compared with generic data sets mean ± SD), such as fat (75.7 ± 29.4 and 71.7 ± 12.9 g, respectively, P = 0.243) and protein (83.3 ± 26.9 and 80.1 ± 13.4 g, respectively, P = 0.525). Similarly, Bland-Altman plots demonstrated good agreement (<5% outside limits of agreement) for many nutrients, including protein, saturated fat, and polyunsaturated fat. Twelve meal types were identified from the principal component analysis ranging in meal-type inclusion/exclusion, varying in energy-dense meals, and differing in the constituents of the meals. A novel meal coding system was developed; dietary intake data were recoded by using generic meal consumption data. Analysis revealed that the generic meal coding system may be appropriate when examining nutrient intakes in the population. Furthermore, such a coding system was shown to be suitable for use in determining meal-based dietary patterns. © 2015

  10. Pointing As a Socio-Pragmatic Cue to Particular vs.Generic Reference

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meyer, Meredith; Baldwin, Dare A.

    2013-01-01

    Generic noun phrases, or generics, refer to abstract kind categories ("Dogs" bark) rather than particular individuals ("Those dogs" bark). How do children distinguish these distinct kinds of reference? We examined the role of one socio-pragmatic cue, namely pointing, in producing and comprehending generic versus particular…

  11. Comparison of the physicochemical properties and in vivo bioavailability of generic and innovator artemether-lumefantrin tablets in Kumasi, Ghana

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noble Kuntworbe

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Context: Malarial remains a leading course of death in developing countries. Current treatment protocol involves the use of artemisinin-based combination therapy. In endemic areas, cost of treatment is a concern hence generic prescription is on the high. It is therefore necessary to investigate how equivalent or otherwise the generics are to the innovator brand Coatem®. Aims: To compare the physicochemical properties and in vivo bioavailability of a locally manufactured generic artemether-lumefantrine tablet formulation and that of the innovator brand sold on the Kumasi market, Ghana. Methods: The most used locally manufactured generic and the innovator brands were sampled from retail pharmacies. The samples were confirmed by colorimetry. Pharmaceutical equivalence of the brands was determined using compendial tests. In vivo bioavailability study on the two brands was done using a two-period, single dose, cross-over design involving 20 healthy rabbits. Pharmacokinetic parameters (AUC0-72, AUC0-∞, and Cmax for both brands derived from the study were analysed statistically. Results: Both the generic and innovator brands passed the physicochemical tests. The artemether component of both brands complied with the pharmacopoeia specification for dissolution testing while the lumefantrine did not. Average bioequivalence was demonstrated per the FDA criterion with the geometric mean ratios and corresponding 90% confidence intervals falling within the acceptable limits of 0.80 – 1.25. Conclusions: Based on the similarity demonstrated between the two brands, evidence have been shown to support substitutability of the often-expensive innovator brand with the affordable locally produced brand.

  12. [Users sceptical about generic drugs: an anthropological approach].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarradon-Eck, A; Blanc, M-A; Faure, M

    2007-06-01

    Since the enactment of the 2002 legislative measures favoring the prescription of generic drugs, various quantitative studies have shown that approval by prescribers and users has risen in France. Nevertheless, scepticism remains as well as distrust towards these drugs focusing on their effectiveness compared with brand-name drugs, on potential dangers, and on the interruption they cause in prescription and consumption habits. Using a comprehensive approach, this article analyzes the social and cultural logic behind the negative image of generic drugs. The materials issued from an ethnographic study on the prescription of drugs for high blood pressure. Sixty-eight interviews were undertaken between April 2002 and October 2004 with people (39 women and 29 men, between the age of 40 and 95, 52 over the age of 60) treated for over a year for high blood pressure in rural areas in the Southeast of France. Thirteen people provided unsolicited opinions about generic drugs. Analysis of the information collected shows that users have various representations of generic drugs, including the idea of counterfeited and foreign drugs. These representations interfere with the adjustment process and the development of consumer loyalty. They are part of a set of social representations about drugs which form and express the user's reality. In these representations, the drug is an ambivalent object, carrier of both biological effectiveness and toxicity; it is also the metonymical extension of the prescriber, bestowing upon the prescription a symbolic value. By placing the generic drug in its network of symbolic and social meaning, this study highlights the coherence of the scepticism towards generic drugs by consumers (and prescribers) with a system of common opinion in which drugs are everyday things, personalized and compatible with users, symbolic exchange carriers in the physician-patient relationship, and in which confidence in the drug is also that given to the health care

  13. Method for developing cost estimates for generic regulatory requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1985-01-01

    The NRC has established a practice of performing regulatory analyses, reflecting costs as well as benefits, of proposed new or revised generic requirements. A method had been developed to assist the NRC in preparing the types of cost estimates required for this purpose and for assigning priorities in the resolution of generic safety issues. The cost of a generic requirement is defined as the net present value of total lifetime cost incurred by the public, industry, and government in implementing the requirement for all affected plants. The method described here is for commercial light-water-reactor power plants. Estimating the cost for a generic requirement involves several steps: (1) identifying the activities that must be carried out to fully implement the requirement, (2) defining the work packages associated with the major activities, (3) identifying the individual elements of cost for each work package, (4) estimating the magnitude of each cost element, (5) aggregating individual plant costs over the plant lifetime, and (6) aggregating all plant costs and generic costs to produce a total, national, present value of lifetime cost for the requirement. The method developed addresses all six steps. In this paper, we discuss on the first three

  14. An evaluation of consumers' knowledge, perceptions and attitudes regarding generic medicines in Auckland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babar, Zaheer-Ud-Din; Stewart, Joanna; Reddy, Shiwangni; Alzaher, Woroud; Vareed, Prateeka; Yacoub, Nineweh; Dhroptee, Bandhana; Rew, Anne

    2010-08-01

    The aim of this project was to evaluate the perceptions, knowledge and attitudes regarding generic medicines. A cross-sectional study, with self administered questionnaires, was conducted to survey consumers visiting pharmacies in four regions of Auckland (North Shore, Waitakere, Central Auckland and South Auckland). Through stratified random sampling, approximately 10% of pharmacies from each region were selected, which turn out to be 30 pharmacies. Every alternate customer coming to the pharmacy, who was eligible to participate in the study, was asked by the researchers to complete the questionnaire. A total of 441 questionnaires were included in the analysis. Different response rates were obtained in different regions of Auckland. Of all respondents, 51.6% had previous knowledge of generic medicines. Pharmacists were the main source of information regarding generic medicines followed by doctors and media. A higher level of education had a direct relationship with having correct knowledge of generics (P = .002). Attitude of participants toward the use of generic medicines was determined by their knowledge of generics, whether it was recommended by a pharmacist and their type of illness. Participants were more prepared to change to a generic for a minor illness (79%) than for a major illness (58.7%). Those who had better knowledge were more likely than those with poor knowledge to say they would to use a generic in major illness (P = .001) as well as minor illness (P < .0001). Previous positive experiences with generics also determined consumers' willingness to use generics. Many consumers have misconceptions regarding generic medicines. Having knowledge about generics and the advice by doctors and pharmacists are key indicators to improve the quality use of generic medicines.

  15. Patients' concern about their medicine after a generic switch

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard Rathe, Jette; Søndergaard, Jens; Jarbøl, Dorte E

    2014-01-01

    PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the possible association between patients' concerns about their medicine and generic switch. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey was carried out comprising responses from 2217 randomly selected persons aged 20 years or older and living in the Region of Southern...... Denmark, who had redeemed generically substitutable drugs in September 2008. For each patient, we focused on the purchase of one generically substitutable drug (index drug). We applied the specific concerns subscale from the Beliefs about Medicine Questionnaire (BMQ) to analyse lack of confidence....... RESULTS: No statistically significant associations were found between concerns about the index medicine and the generic switch (-0.02 95% CI: -0.10; 0.05). Viewing medicines as harmful in general was associated with increased concerns (BMQ general harm: 0.39 95% CI: 0.30; 0.47 and BMQ general overuse: 0...

  16. Generic Drugs: Questions and Answers

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Vaccines, Blood & Biologics Animal & Veterinary Cosmetics Tobacco Products Drugs Home Drugs Resources for You Information for Consumers (Drugs) Questions & Answers Generic Drugs: Questions & Answers Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More ...

  17. Analysis of generic exemption levels for radioactive material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bossio, Maria C.; Muniz, Carolina C.

    2007-01-01

    In essence, exemption may be considered a generic authorization granted by the regulatory body, which, once issued, releases the practice or source from the requirements that would otherwise apply, in particular, the requirements relating to notification and authorization. The exemption figures included in the Basic Safety Standards BSS 115 were derived from the scenarios postulated in the document 'Radiation Protection 65' of the Commission of the European Communities considering quantitative exemption criteria. After presenting the basic exemption criteria for limited quantities of radioactive materials this paper describes and analyses the exposure scenarios utilized, namely: 1- Normal use (workplace) scenario; 2- Accidental ( workplace) scenario; 3- Disposal (public) scenario. Each one has different exposure pathways, summing up a total of 24, covering external exposure, ingestion and inhalation. These scenarios were used to calculate both, exempted activity concentrations (Bq/g) and total activity (Bq), though in the first case exemption applies to limited masses of low concentration activity materials. For each radionuclide, the generic exemption level was derived as the more restrictive value obtained from the scenarios, that is the lowest ratio between the applicable individual dose and the dose per unit activity (Bq) or activity concentration (Bq/g). The individual dose per unit (Bq or Bq/g, as applicable) was calculated by a formula that was adjusted, for each scenario and pathway, through different parameters, such as exposure time, dosimetric factors and geometric factors. In general, the critical pathways for α emitters were inhalation of dust and aerosols in workplace for activity concentration scenario and inhalation of dust and volatiles from an accidental fire in the workplace for total activity scenario. For β emitters the critical pathways were ingestion of an object from a landfill site by a member of the public for activity concentration

  18. A Domain-Specific Language for Generic Interlocking Models and Their Properties

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vu, Linh Hong; Haxthausen, Anne Elisabeth; Peleska, Jan

    2017-01-01

    of this work is to provide a domain-specific language for generic models and an instantiator tool taking not only configuration data but also a generic model as input instead of using a hard-coded generator for instantiating only one fixed generic model and its properties with configuration data....

  19. Bioequivalence and in vitro antimicrobial activity between generic and brand-name levofloxacin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Hsin-Yun; Liao, Hsiao-Wei; Sheng, Meng-Huei; Tai, Hui-Min; Kuo, Ching-Hua; Sheng, Wang-Huei

    2016-07-01

    Generic agents play a crucial role in reducing the cost of medical care in many countries. However, the therapeutic equivalence remains a great concern. Our study aims to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activity and bioequivalence between generic and brand-name levofloxacin. Enantiomeric purity test, dissolution test, and in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility against seven clinically important pathogens by the agar dilution method were employed to assess the similarity between four generic products and brand-name levofloxacin (Daiichi Sankyo). All the generic and brand-name levofloxacin passed enantiomeric purity test. The results of dissolution tests were not similar among the generic products and the brand-name levofloxacin. Compared with the generic products, the brand-name levofloxacin had the smallest mean variations (-25% to 13%) with reference standard (United States Pharmacopeia levofloxacin Reference Standards). Variations were observed particularly in dissolution profiles and in vitro activity between generic products and brand-name levofloxacin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Increased Topical Generic Prices by Manufacturers: An Isolated Trend or Worrisome Future?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhatt, Mehul D; Bhatt, Birju D; Dorrian, James T; McLellan, Beth N

    2018-03-12

    There is limited data regarding generic medication prices. Recent studies have shown price changes at the retail level, but much is not known about the pharmaceutical supply chain or price changes at the manufacturer level. We sought to examine the extent of price changes for topical generic medications. A comprehensive review of average wholesale prices (AWP) and manufacturers of topical generics and available corresponding branded medications was conducted for 2005 and 2016. A total of 51 topical chemical entities were examined. Between 2005 and 2016, the AWP of topical generics increased by 273% and the AWP of topical branded increased by 379%. The topical generic with the most price change increased by 2529%. Eight of the top twenty topical generics with the highest increase in AWP also had an increase in the number of manufacturers. These findings are not generalizable to medications used in other areas of medicine CONCLUSIONS: Topical generic prices are rapidly increasing at the manufacturer level. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. Generic policy in Bulgaria: a policy of failure or success?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Assena Stoimenova

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Generic medicines play a key role in managing the financial resources for pharmaceuticals in every country. This study analysed the generic policy legislative framework in Bulgaria with the aim to identify whether the policy implementation can be considered successful in the light of an international review of such policies introduced in other countries, or on the contrary, it has failed to deliver the main benefits. Legislative analysis, desktop study and macroeconomic overview of the Bulgarian pharmaceutical market were included. The study showed that only 3 out of 11 important policy elements are implemented in the country. Bulgaria has one of the highest shares of generics, an average of 81.39% (volume, for the studied period (2006–2014. However, further research is needed to evaluate the success of the existing generic policy in Bulgaria, as the market share of generic drugs is not the only measure of the policy efficiency.

  2. The Impact of Information on Doctors’ Attitudes Toward Generic Drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aggeliki V. Tsaprantzi MD

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study is to assess the impact of information on doctors’ attitudes and perceptions toward generics. A cross-sectional survey based on a specially designed 21-item questionnaire was conducted. The survey involved doctors of different specialties working in a public hospital in Greece. The analysis includes descriptive and inferential statistics, reliability and validity tests, as well as structural equation modeling to evaluate the causal model. Statistical analysis was accomplished by using SPSS 20 and Amos 20. A total of 134 questionnaires out of 162 were received, providing a response rate of 82.71%. A number of significant associations were found between information and perceptions about generic medicines with demographic characteristics. It seems that the provision of quality information on generic drugs influences doctors’ attitudes and prescription practices toward generic drugs. This is not a static process but a rather dynamic issue involving information provision policies for strengthening the proper doctors’ attitudes toward generic drugs.

  3. Guide for generic application of Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) recommendations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schwan, C.A.; Toomey, G.E.; Morgan, T.A.; Darling, S.S.

    1991-02-01

    Previously completed reliability centered maintenance (RCM) studies form the basis for developing or refining a preventive maintenance program. This report describes a generic methodology that will help utilities optimize nuclear plant maintenance programs using RCM techniques. This guide addresses the following areas: history of the generic methodology development process, and use of the generic methodology for conducting system-to-system and component-to-component evaluations. 2 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs

  4. When Does an Argument Use a Generic Example?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yopp, David A.; Ely, Rob

    2016-01-01

    We offer criteria that an observer can use to determine whether an argument that uses an example to argue for a general claim appeals to that example generically. We review existing literature on generic example and note the strengths of each contribution, as well as inconsistencies among uses of the term. We offer several examples from the…

  5. The generics in transplantation and the rules on their use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masri, Marwan

    2003-06-01

    By definition a product identified by its official chemical name rather than an advertised brand name is called a generic. If a drug exert its pharmacological effects at the same site, have the same potency, same dosage form and same bioavailability as a brand name, reference listed drug (RLD), is considered as a generic. However inactive ingredients can differ between brand name and generic. It is through the regulations of the FDA that the generics gained many ground in the drug market, they currently account to more than 42% of the total prescription in the USA. These regulations include the abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for the registration process and drug substitution at the pharmacy level without patient or physician consent. This coupled with a keen interest of third party payers and the health authorities to reduce the high transplant health budget (over 2 Billion US $) made it a necessity to introduce the generics into the field of transplantation. Using the above mentioned definition we can theoretically say that all anti-lymphocytes, produced in the same animal species, are generic of each. Moreover, monoclonal antibodies that are directed against the same target and have the same bioavailability are also consider generics to each other. Of all the immunosuppressive drugs that have been introduced into the field of transplantation none has been as dominant as Cyclosporine. Cyclosporine became and still is the backbone for any immunosuppressive protocol. In the year 1992, Consupren, the first, non-FDA approved, generic to Sandimmun was introduced. Although Consupren was not bioequivalent to Neoral, however, long-term results in kidney transplantation have been similar for both drugs. The introduction of Consupren resulted in a near 40% reduction in the total cost of immunosuppressive therapy. Interestingly the cost of the brand name drug Neoral was also reduced by 20%. The cost reduction allowed the introduction of the new immunosuppressive

  6. The SENSEI Generic In Situ Interface

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ayachit, Utkarsh [Kitware, Inc., Clifton Park, NY (United States); Whitlock, Brad [Intelligent Light, Rutherford, NJ (United States); Wolf, Matthew [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Loring, Burlen [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Geveci, Berk [Kitware, Inc., Clifton Park, NY (United States); Lonie, David [Kitware, Inc., Clifton Park, NY (United States); Bethel, E. Wes [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2017-04-11

    The SENSEI generic in situ interface is an API that promotes code portability and reusability. From the simulation view, a developer can instrument their code with the SENSEI API and then make make use of any number of in situ infrastructures. From the method view, a developer can write an in situ method using the SENSEI API, then expect it to run in any number of in situ infrastructures, or be invoked directly from a simulation code, with little or no modification. This paper presents the design principles underlying the SENSEI generic interface, along with some simplified coding examples.

  7. Comparison of Outcomes Following a Switch From a Brand to an Authorized Versus Independent Generic Drug.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hansen, R A; Qian, J; Berg, R L; Linneman, J G; Seoane-Vazquez, E; Dutcher, S; Raofi, S; Page, C D; Peissig, P L

    2018-02-01

    Authorized generics are identical in formulation to brand drugs, manufactured by the brand company but marketed as a generic. Generics, marketed by generic manufacturers, are required to demonstrate pharmaceutical and bioequivalence to the brand drug, but repetition of clinical trials is not required. This retrospective cohort study compared outcomes for generics and authorized generics, which serves as a generic vs. brand proxy that minimizes bias against generics. For the seven drugs studied between 1999 and 2014, 5,234 unique patients were on brand drugs prior to generic entry and 4,900 (93.6%) switched to a generic. During the 12 months following the brand-to-generic switch, patients using generics vs. authorized generics were similar in terms of outpatient visits, urgent care visits, hospitalizations, and medication discontinuation. The likelihood of emergency department (ED) visits was slightly higher for authorized generics compared with generics. These data suggest that generics were clinically no worse than their proxy brand comparators. © 2017 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

  8. 40 CFR 721.10146 - Partially fluorinated condensation polymer (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... polymer (generic). 721.10146 Section 721.10146 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10146 Partially fluorinated condensation polymer (generic). (a) Chemical... as partially fluorinated condensation polymer (PMN P-07-87) is subject to reporting under this...

  9. Cancer risk assessment of azo dyes and aromatic amines from tattoo bands, folders of paper, toys, bed clothes, watch straps and ink

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zeilmaker MJ; Kranen HJ van; Veen MP van; Janus J; LBM

    2000-01-01

    A quantitative assessment was performed to estimate the cancer risk to individuals using tattoo bands, folders of paper, toys, bed clothes, watch straps and ink which are coloured with azo dyes. In these products benzidine and the benzidine related amines o-anisidine, 2,4-toluenediamine,

  10. Computer-aided modeling framework – a generic modeling template for catalytic membrane fixed bed reactors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fedorova, Marina; Sin, Gürkan; Gani, Rafiqul

    2013-01-01

    and users to generate and test models systematically, efficiently and reliably. In this way, development of products and processes can be faster, cheaper and very efficient. In this contribution, as part of the framework a generic modeling template for the systematic derivation of problem specific catalytic...... membrane fixed bed models is developed. The application of the modeling template is highlighted with a case study related to the modeling of a catalytic membrane reactor coupling dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene with hydrogenation of nitrobenzene....

  11. 40 CFR 721.10151 - Modified styrene, divinylbenzene polymer (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... polymer (generic). 721.10151 Section 721.10151 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10151 Modified styrene, divinylbenzene polymer (generic). (a) Chemical... as modified styrene, divinylbenzene polymer (PMN P-07-642) is subject to reporting under this section...

  12. Generic task problem descriptions: Category B, C, and D tasks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1978-06-01

    This document contains information relating to Category B, C, and D generic technical activities. The specific information provided for each task includes the reactor type to which the generic issue applies, the NRC division with lead responsibility and a description of the problem to be addressed by the task. Also provided in this document is a listing of Category A generic technical activities and definitions of Priority Categories A, B, C, and D

  13. Factors influencing the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a Southern Brazilian city.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guttier, Marília Cruz; Silveira, Marysabel Pinto Telis; Luiza, Vera Lucia; Bertoldi, Andréa Dâmaso

    2017-06-26

    The objective of this study is to identify factors associated with the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a medium-sized municipality in Southern Brazil. We have analyzed data from a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 with a sample of 2,856 adults (≥ 20 years old). The preference for purchasing generic drugs was the main outcome. The explanatory variables were the demographic and socioeconomic variables. Statistical analyses included Poisson regressions. The preference for purchasing generic drugs was 63.2% (95%CI 61.4-64.9). The variables correlated with this preference in the fully adjusted models were: male (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.08; 95%CI 1.03-1.14), age of 20-39 years (PR = 1.10; 95%CI 1.02-1.20), low socioeconomic status (PR = 1.15; 95%CI 1.03-1.28), and good knowledge about generic drugs (PR= 4.66; 95%CI 2.89-7.52). Among those who preferred to purchase generic drugs, 55.1% have reported accepting to replace the prescribed drug (if not a generic) with the equivalent generic drug. Another correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs was because individuals consider their quality equivalent to reference medicines (PR = 2.15; 95%CI 1.93-2.41). Knowledge about generic drugs was the main correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs. The greater the knowledge or positive perception about generic drugs, the greater is the preference to purchase them. Therefore, educational campaigns for healthcare professionals and consumers appear to be the best strategy for expanding the use of generic drugs in Brazil.

  14. Analysis of Knowledge Level and Perception on Singkawang City Community towards Generic Medicines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Forid Morison

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Survey data show that the use of generic medicines in Indonesia is relatively very small, which only amounted 7%. This is due to lack of knowledge and poor perceptions towards generic medicines. Knowledge level and perceptions towards generic medicines are inflenced by community characteristics and information resource regarding generic medicines. The aim of this study was to determine the association between community characteristic and information resources with knowledge level and perception towards generic medicines. This study was an analytical survey with cross-sectional descriptive approach on 142 selected respondents who were fulfi inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study was conducted in June 2014 at several randomly selected locations on Singkawang City. The study show that 76 respondents (53.5% had inadequate knowledge and 123 respondents (86.6% had a good perception towards generic medicines. There is signifiant relationship between ethnicity (p=0.000 and information resources (p=0.009 with knowledge level regarding generic medicines at signifiance level of p<0.05. Although good perceptions were noted among the respondents, widespread dissemination of information regarding generic medicines should be continued to increase generic medicines used.

  15. 77 FR 60125 - Generic Drug Facilities, Sites and Organizations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-02

    ...] Generic Drug Facilities, Sites and Organizations AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION: Notice..., and certain sites and organizations identified in a generic drug submission, that they must provide... and Innovation Act (FDASIA). This notice is intended to help organizations ascertain if they need to...

  16. Comparison of Generic Drug Reviews for Marketing Authorization between Japan and Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuribayashi, Ryosuke; Appleton, Scott

    2017-09-01

    Generic drugs are assuming an increasingly important role in sustaining modern healthcare systems, as the cost of healthcare, including drug usage, is gradually expanding around the world. To date, published articles comparing generic drug reviews between different countries are scarce. The objective of this study was to examine generic drug reviews in Japan and Canada. We surveyed generic drug reviews from Japan and Canada and compared the following points: general matter (application types, type of partial change or Supplement to an Abbreviated New Drug Submission, application and approval numbers, review period, application format, review report, responsibility for review), bioequivalence studies for solid oral dosage forms, and bioequivalence guidelines, guidance, or basic principles regarding various dosage forms. This survey described the many similarities and differences in generic drug reviews between the two countries and points that should be improved to promote better generic drug reviews. In particular, regulations for the definition of the same or different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are similar for both authorities. The results clarified the future challenges of generic drug reviews, and the differences highlighted by this survey will be important considerations for the future. This is the first article to present and discuss the details of generic drug reviews between Japan and Canada.

  17. Avoidance of generic competition by Abbott Laboratories' fenofibrate franchise.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Downing, Nicholas S; Ross, Joseph S; Jackevicius, Cynthia A; Krumholz, Harlan M

    2012-05-14

    The ongoing debate concerning the efficacy of fenofibrate has overshadowed an important aspect of the drug's history: Abbott Laboratories, the maker of branded fenofibrate, has produced several bioequivalent reformulations that dominate the market, although generic fenofibrate has been available for almost a decade. This continued use of branded formulations, which cost twice as much as generic versions of fenofibrate, imposes an annual cost of approximately $700 million on the US health care system. Abbott Laboratories maintained its dominance of the fenofibrate market in part through a complex switching strategy involving the sequential launch of branded reformulations that had not been shown to be superior to the first-generation product and patent litigation that delayed the approval of generic formulations. The small differences in dose of the newer branded formulations prevented their substitution with generics of older-generation products. As soon as direct generic competition seemed likely at the new dose level, where substitution would be allowed, Abbott would launch another reformulation, and the cycle would repeat. Based on the fenofibrate example, our objective is to describe how current policy can allow pharmaceutical companies to maintain market share using reformulations of branded medications, without demonstrating the superiority of next-generation products.

  18. Generic legislation of new psychoactive drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Amsterdam, Jan; Nutt, David; van den Brink, Wim

    2013-03-01

    New psychoactive drugs (NPDs, new psychoactive substances) enter the market all the time. However, it takes several months to ban these NPDs and immediate action is generally not possible. Several European countries and drug enforcement officers insist on a faster procedure to ban NPDs. Introduction of generic legislation, in which clusters of psychotropic drugs are banned in advance, has been mentioned as a possible solution. Here we discuss the pros and cons of such an approach. First, generic legislation could unintentionally increase the expenditures of enforcement, black market practices, administrative burden and health risks for users. Second, it may have a negative impact on research and the development of new treatments. Third, due to the complexity of generic legislation, problems in the enforcement are anticipated due to lack of knowledge about the chemical nomenclature. Finally, various legal options are already available to ban the use, sale and trade of NPDs. We therefore conclude that the currently used scientific benefit-risk evaluation should be continued to limit the adverse health effects of NPDs. Only in emergency cases, where fatal incidents (may) occur, should this approach be overruled.

  19. A Generic Danish Distribution Grid Model for Smart Grid Technology Testing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cha, Seung-Tae; Wu, Qiuwei; Østergaard, Jacob

    2012-01-01

    This paper describes the development of a generic Danish distribution grid model for smart grid technology testing based on the Bornholm power system. The frequency dependent network equivalent (FDNE) method has been used in order to accurately preserve the desired properties and characteristics...... as a generic Smart Grid benchmark model for testing purposes....... by comparing the transient response of the original Bornholm power system model and the developed generic model under significant fault conditions. The results clearly show that the equivalent generic distribution grid model retains the dynamic characteristics of the original system, and can be used...

  20. Operational policy for disposal of land-derived wastewater to the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Basic Principles, providing the broad reference framework or direction of the policy • Ground Rules, providing more specific rules, derived within the broader context of the Basic Principles • Management Framework, providing a generic, structured approach within which to implement the policy. This paper is to provide an ...

  1. Comparing Generic Drug Markets in Europe and the United States: Prices, Volumes, and Spending.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wouters, Olivier J; Kanavos, Panos G; McKEE, Martin

    2017-09-01

    Policy Points: Our study indicates that there are opportunities for cost savings in generic drug markets in Europe and the United States. Regulators should make it easier for generic drugs to reach the market. Regulators and payers should apply measures to stimulate price competition among generic drugmakers and to increase generic drug use. To meaningfully evaluate policy options, it is important to analyze historical context and understand why similar initiatives failed previously. Rising drug prices are putting pressure on health care budgets. Policymakers are assessing how they can save money through generic drugs. We compared generic drug prices and market shares in 13 European countries, using data from 2013, to assess the amount of variation that exists between countries. To place these results in context, we reviewed evidence from recent studies on the prices and use of generics in Europe and the United States. We also surveyed peer-reviewed studies, gray literature, and books published since 2000 to (1) outline existing generic drug policies in European countries and the United States; (2) identify ways to increase generic drug use and to promote price competition among generic drug companies; and (3) explore barriers to implementing reform of generic drug policies, using a historical example from the United States as a case study. The prices and market shares of generics vary widely across Europe. For example, prices charged by manufacturers in Switzerland are, on average, more than 2.5 times those in Germany and more than 6 times those in the United Kingdom, based on the results of a commonly used price index. The proportion of prescriptions filled with generics ranges from 17% in Switzerland to 83% in the United Kingdom. By comparison, the United States has historically had low generic drug prices and high rates of generic drug use (84% in 2013), but has in recent years experienced sharp price increases for some off-patent products. There are policy

  2. Endogenous versus exogenous generic reference pricing for pharmaceuticals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Antoñanzas, F; Juárez-Castelló, C A; Rodríguez-Ibeas, R

    2017-12-01

    In this paper we carry out a vertical differentiation duopoly model applied to pharmaceutical markets to analyze how endogenous and exogenous generic reference pricing influence competition between generic and branded drugs producers. Unlike the literature, we characterize for the exogenous case the equilibrium prices for all feasible relevant reference prices. Competition is enhanced after the introduction of a reference pricing system. We also compare both reference pricing systems on welfare grounds, assuming two different objective functions for health authorities: (i) standard social welfare and (ii) gross consumer surplus net of total pharmaceutical expenditures. We show that regardless of the objective function, health authorities will never choose endogenous reference pricing. When health authorities are paternalistic, the exogenous reference price that maximizes standard social welfare is such that the price of the generic drug is the reference price while the price of the branded drug is higher than the reference price. When health authorities are not paternalistic, the optimal exogenous reference price is such that the price of the branded drug is the reference price while the price of the generic drug is lower than the reference price.

  3. Development of a generic virus behavioural detector: a preview ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Generic Virus Behavioral Detector (GVBD) is a system (program) that monitors various system activities; reading and writing block of disks and memory and the use of Interrupts. A technique for its realisation is presented. Key Words: Computer virus, interrupts, handlers, GVBD (Generic Virus Behavioral Detector).

  4. Factors influencing the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a Southern Brazilian city

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marília Cruz Guttier

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT OBJECTIVE The objective of this study is to identify factors associated with the preference for purchasing generic drugs in a medium-sized municipality in Southern Brazil. METHODS We have analyzed data from a population-based cross-sectional study conducted in 2012 with a sample of 2,856 adults (≥ 20 years old. The preference for purchasing generic drugs was the main outcome. The explanatory variables were the demographic and socioeconomic variables. Statistical analyses included Poisson regressions. RESULTS The preference for purchasing generic drugs was 63.2% (95%CI 61.4–64.9. The variables correlated with this preference in the fully adjusted models were: male (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.08; 95%CI 1.03–1.14, age of 20–39 years (PR = 1.10; 95%CI 1.02–1.20, low socioeconomic status (PR = 1.15; 95%CI 1.03–1.28, and good knowledge about generic drugs (PR= 4.66; 95%CI 2.89–7.52. Among those who preferred to purchase generic drugs, 55.1% have reported accepting to replace the prescribed drug (if not a generic with the equivalent generic drug. Another correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs was because individuals consider their quality equivalent to reference medicines (PR = 2.15; 95%CI 1.93–2.41. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge about generic drugs was the main correlate of the preference for purchasing generic drugs. The greater the knowledge or positive perception about generic drugs, the greater is the preference to purchase them. Therefore, educational campaigns for healthcare professionals and consumers appear to be the best strategy for expanding the use of generic drugs in Brazil.

  5. 40 CFR 721.10017 - Amine terminated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether polymer (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... diglycidyl ether polymer (generic). 721.10017 Section 721.10017 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... ether polymer (generic). (a) Chemical substances and significant new uses subject to reporting. (1) The chemical substances identified generically as amine terminated bisphenol A diglycidyl ether polymer (PMNs P...

  6. GENERIC DRUG IN GLOBAL MARKET AND REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT

    OpenAIRE

    Pankaj Kumar*, Bharti Mangla2, Satbir Singh, Arapna Rana

    2017-01-01

    Different regulatory authorities regulate the drug development in various countries of the world. Various Regulatory authority for generic drug application Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), Health Product and Food Branch (HPFB) Central Drug Standard of Organization (CDSO). Generic manufacturers may file an abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) that incorporates the safety/effectiveness data submitted by ori...

  7. Generic information can retrieve known biological associations: implications for biomedical knowledge discovery.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Herman H H B M van Haagen

    Full Text Available MOTIVATION: Weighted semantic networks built from text-mined literature can be used to retrieve known protein-protein or gene-disease associations, and have been shown to anticipate associations years before they are explicitly stated in the literature. Our text-mining system recognizes over 640,000 biomedical concepts: some are specific (i.e., names of genes or proteins others generic (e.g., 'Homo sapiens'. Generic concepts may play important roles in automated information retrieval, extraction, and inference but may also result in concept overload and confound retrieval and reasoning with low-relevance or even spurious links. Here, we attempted to optimize the retrieval performance for protein-protein interactions (PPI by filtering generic concepts (node filtering or links to generic concepts (edge filtering from a weighted semantic network. First, we defined metrics based on network properties that quantify the specificity of concepts. Then using these metrics, we systematically filtered generic information from the network while monitoring retrieval performance of known protein-protein interactions. We also systematically filtered specific information from the network (inverse filtering, and assessed the retrieval performance of networks composed of generic information alone. RESULTS: Filtering generic or specific information induced a two-phase response in retrieval performance: initially the effects of filtering were minimal but beyond a critical threshold network performance suddenly drops. Contrary to expectations, networks composed exclusively of generic information demonstrated retrieval performance comparable to unfiltered networks that also contain specific concepts. Furthermore, an analysis using individual generic concepts demonstrated that they can effectively support the retrieval of known protein-protein interactions. For instance the concept "binding" is indicative for PPI retrieval and the concept "mutation abnormality" is

  8. Potential cost savings from generic medicines – protecting the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    the difference between brand and generic medicines listed for that algorithm, and also as the median of differences between generic medicines for the same condition. Results: Three of the algorithms .... Protecting the PMBs, as a key element of the new community-rated medical schemes environment, is therefore vital.

  9. Does the market share of generic medicines influence the price level?: a European analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dylst, Pieter; Simoens, Steven

    2011-10-01

    After the expiry of patents for originator medicines, generic medicines can enter the market, and price competition may occur. This process generates savings to the healthcare payer and to patients, but knowledge about the factors affecting price competition in the pharmaceutical market following patent expiry is still limited. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the market share of generic medicines and the change of the medicine price level in European off-patent markets. Data on medicine volumes and values for 35 active substances were purchased from IMS Health. Ex-manufacturer prices were used, and the analysis was limited to medicines in immediate-release, oral, solid dosage forms. Countries included were Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK, which constitute a mix of countries with low and high generic medicines market shares. Data were available from June 2002 until March 2007. Market volume has risen in both high and low generic market share countries (+29.27% and +27.40%, respectively), but the cause of the rise is different for the two markets. In low generic market share countries, the rise was caused by the increased use of generic medicines, while in high market share countries, the rise was driven by the increased use of generic medicines and a shift of use from originator to generic medicines. Market value was substantially decreased in high generic market share countries (-26.6%), while the decrease in low generic market share countries was limited (-0.06%). In high generic market share countries, medicine prices dropped by -43.18% versus -21.56% in low market share countries. The extent to which price competition from generic medicines leads to price reductions appears to vary according to the market share of generic medicines. High generic market share countries have seen a larger decrease in medicine prices than low market share countries.

  10. Pharmaceutical quality of docetaxel generics versus originator drug product: a comparative analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vial, Jérôme; Cohen, Mélanie; Sassiat, Patrick; Thiébaut, Didier

    2008-07-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality of 31 commercially available generic formulations of docetaxel purchased in 14 countries by comparing their docetaxel content, impurity levels and pH versus those of the proprietary product Taxotere (Tx). Generic formulations were purchased in 14 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Levels of docetaxel and impurities (chromatographic peaks above 0.05%) were obtained for each sample using reverse-phase liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. The pH of aqueous solutions of generic docetaxel formulations and Tx was also measured. A global evaluation of quality was conducted on each product using a multicriteria desirability analysis based on standards defined by the International Conference on Harmonisation guidelines and the US Pharmacopeia paclitaxel injection monograph. Most generic formulations contained a lower than expected amount of docetaxel and/or a high level of impurities: 21 generic docetaxel formulations had an average mass of docetaxel that was generic docetaxel formulations had a total impurity content of >3.0%, almost twice the level of impurities in Tx 20 mg. In total, 33 impurities not present in Tx were detected in the generic samples. Desirability analysis demonstrated that none of the generic docetaxel formulations had composition characteristics similar to those of Tx. This study demonstrated that from an analytical point of view, 90% of the generic docetaxel formulations evaluated contained insufficient active drug, high levels of impurities or both. This has the potential to affect both efficacy and safety of the drug.

  11. Cisplatin-induced hyponatremia in malignancy: comparison between brand-name and generic formulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ochi, Nobuaki; Yamane, Hiromichi; Hotta, Katsuyuki; Fujii, Hiromi; Isozaki, Hideko; Honda, Yoshihiro; Yamagishi, Tomoko; Kubo, Toshio; Tanimoto, Mitsune; Kiura, Katsuyuki; Takigawa, Nagio

    2014-01-01

    Widespread use of generic drugs is considered to be indispensable if reductions in total health care costs are to be achieved, but the market share of such drugs remains low. In general, generic drugs have the same active ingredients as brand-name drugs, but this is not always the case. Thus, toxicity profiles may vary when brand-name and generic drugs are compared. We retrospectively investigated the incidence of hyponatremia in patients receiving brand-name cisplatin (CDDP) and a generic counterpart thereof. We reviewed the medical records of patients treated with brand-name CDDP (n=53) and a generic formulation (n=26), and compared the incidences of hyponatremia and renal toxicity. Toxicities were graded using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0. Differences between groups were evaluated using the Student's t-test, and the odds ratio for hyponatremia was estimated via logistic regression analysis. Serum creatinine levels after chemotherapy increased significantly in both the brand-name and generic CDDP groups; no significant difference was evident between the two groups. Hyponatremia of grade 3 or above developed in 30.7% of the generic CDDP group compared to 15.1% of the brand-name CDDP group (P=0.011). Multivariate analysis showed that the use of generic CDDP increased the incidence of hyponatremia (odds ratio =5.661, 95% confidence interval =1.403-22.839; P=0.015). Oncologists should be aware that use of a generic CDDP might be associated with more hyponatremia than would use of brand-name CDDP.

  12. Development of the generic drug industry in the US after the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Garth Boehm

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available The key events in the development of the US generic drug industry after the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984 are systematically reviewed, including the process of approval for generic drugs, bioequivalence issues including “switchability”, bioequivalence for complicated dosage forms, patent extension, generic drug safety, generic substitution and low-cost generics. The backlog in generic review, generic drug user fees, and “quality by design” for generic drugs is also discussed. The evolution of the US generic drug industry after the Hatch-Waxman Act in 1984 has afforded several lessons of great benefit to other countries wishing to establish or re-establish a domestic generic drug industry.

  13. Relation between some environmental pollutants and recurrent spontaneous abortion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aziza A. Saad

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Reproductive health is exquisitely sensitive to characteristics of an individual’s environment including physical, biological, behavioral, cultural and socioeconomic factors. This study was launched to elucidate the effect of the exposure to chemical pollutants as aromatic amines viz. (benzidine, mono-acetyl benzidine, diacetyl benzidine, α,β-naphthylamine as well as the biological pollutants e.g., human cytomegalovirus (HCMV as risk factors for recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA through determination of MDA as a marker of oxidative stress and determination of some antioxidant markers. The results of the current study revealed that the aborter mothers were being exposed to environmental pollutants as aromatic amines which were manifested by the presence of benzidine, mono-acetyl-benzidine, di-acetyl-benzidine, α,β-naphthylamine in most of their urine samples, where the level of aromatic amines were more 13.6, 10, 15, and 4-folds than the control group, respectively. Also, the data suggest that in early pregnancy failure there is an increase in markers of oxidative stress and a probable decrease in maternal antioxidant defenses (22 nmol/ml and 17 mg/l, 550 U/l, respectively. Generation of ROS in large quantities, in the first trimester placenta which has limited antioxidant defenses may cause DNA damage, oxidation of protein and lipid resulting in extensive cell death. Also, it was demonstrated that high elevation of HCMV inhibits cytotrophoblasts proliferation, migration invasion and matrix metalloproteins (MMP expression. Obviously, placental toxicological responses are partly due to pharmaco/toxico dynamic responses to the chemicals. Conclusively, the aforementioned findings emphasis that, the exposures to environmental chemical and/or biological risk factors are implicated in the pathogenesis of recurrent spontaneous abortion.

  14. A generic interference model for uplink OFDMA networks with fractional frequency reuse

    KAUST Repository

    Tabassum, Hina

    2014-03-01

    Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) has emerged as a viable solution to coordinate and mitigate cochannel interference (CCI) in orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA)-based wireless cellular networks. The incurred CCI in cellular networks with FFR is highly uncertain and varies as a function of various design parameters that include the user scheduling schemes, the transmit power distribution among multiple allocated subcarriers, the partitioning of the cellular region into cell-edge and cell-center zones, the allocation of spectrum within each zone, and the channel reuse factors. To this end, this paper derives a generic analytical model for uplink CCI in multicarrier OFDMA networks with FFR. The derived expressions capture several network design parameters and are applicable to any composite fading-channel models. The accuracy of the derivations is verified via Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, their usefulness is demonstrated by obtaining closed-form expressions for the Rayleigh fading-channel model and by evaluating important network performance metrics such as ergodic capacity. Numerical results provide useful system design guidelines and highlight the trade-offs associated with the deployment of FFR schemes in OFDMA-based networks. © 2013 IEEE.

  15. A generic interference model for uplink OFDMA networks with fractional frequency reuse

    KAUST Repository

    Tabassum, Hina; Dawy, Zaher; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Yilmaz, Ferkan

    2014-01-01

    Fractional frequency reuse (FFR) has emerged as a viable solution to coordinate and mitigate cochannel interference (CCI) in orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access (OFDMA)-based wireless cellular networks. The incurred CCI in cellular networks with FFR is highly uncertain and varies as a function of various design parameters that include the user scheduling schemes, the transmit power distribution among multiple allocated subcarriers, the partitioning of the cellular region into cell-edge and cell-center zones, the allocation of spectrum within each zone, and the channel reuse factors. To this end, this paper derives a generic analytical model for uplink CCI in multicarrier OFDMA networks with FFR. The derived expressions capture several network design parameters and are applicable to any composite fading-channel models. The accuracy of the derivations is verified via Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, their usefulness is demonstrated by obtaining closed-form expressions for the Rayleigh fading-channel model and by evaluating important network performance metrics such as ergodic capacity. Numerical results provide useful system design guidelines and highlight the trade-offs associated with the deployment of FFR schemes in OFDMA-based networks. © 2013 IEEE.

  16. Factors influencing anti-asthmatic generic drug consumption in Morocco: 1999-2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghanname, Imane; Ahid, Samir; Berrada, Ghizlane; Belaiche, Abdelmjid; Hassar, Mohammed; Cherrah, Yahia

    2014-01-01

    The increasing availability of generic drugs (GD) resulted in a remarkable reduction in treatment costs that allowed a better access to health care.The aim of this study is to evaluate the share of anti-asthmatic generic drugs during the period 1999-2010 in Morocco and to look at the factors influencing generic development. In this study, we used Moroccan sales data from IMS Health (Intercontinental Marketing Services). The consumption of the drugs was expressed in DDD/1000 inhabitants/day according to the WHO ATC/DDD methodology. Between 1999 and 2010, anti-asthmatic consumption increased from 3.91 to 14.43 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day. The market of anti-asthmatic generic drugs progressed from 1.83 (47%) to 2.18 (23%) DDD/1000 inhabitants/day from 1999 to 2010. In 2010, inhaled glucocorticosteroids ranked first (0.83 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day), followed by inhaled short acting beta agonists (0.73 DDD/1000 inhabitants/day). The number of brands went from 27 in 1999 to 34 in 2010, with a generic share increasing from 55.55% to 70.59%. The number of anti-asthmatic pharmaceutical preparations increased from 57 to 64 during the same period, of which 31 and 42 were generic preparations. In 2010, the total cost of anti-asthmatic dugs was about 22 million euro, the generics representing 14 million euro. Despite the introduction of a compulsory insurance scheme called "AMO", that allows a refund for 69.5% of anti-asthmatic specialties marketed in Morocco, anti-asthmatic generic drug consumption remains limited. The Moroccan market is still largely dominated by the originator drugs with still valid patents.

  17. Generic ICT Skills Profiles: Future Skills for Tomorrow's World.

    Science.gov (United States)

    International Co-operation Europe Ltd. (ICEL), Brussels, Belgium.

    This document describes generic skills profiles relevant to key jobs in information and communications technology (ICT). The profiles cover the main job areas for which the ICT industry is experiencing skills shortages. These types of information are provided for 18 generic job profiles: job description (vision, role, lifestyle); examples of job…

  18. Cosmic structure sizes in generic dark energy models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bhattacharya, Sourav [Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, Department of Physics, Rupnagar, Punjab (India); Tomaras, Theodore N. [ITCP and Department of Physics, University of Crete, Heraklion (Greece)

    2017-08-15

    The maximum allowable size of a spherical cosmic structure as a function of its mass is determined by the maximum turn around radius R{sub TA,max}, the distance from its center where the attraction on a radial test particle due to the spherical mass is balanced with the repulsion due to the ambient dark energy. In this work, we extend the existing results in several directions. (a) We first show that, for w ≠ -1, the expression for R{sub TA,max} found earlier, using the cosmological perturbation theory, can be derived using a static geometry as well. (b) In the generic dark energy model with arbitrary time dependent state parameter w(t), taking into account the effect of inhomogeneities upon the dark energy as well, it is shown that the data constrain w(t = today) > -2.3. (c) We address the quintessence and the generalized Chaplygin gas models, both of which are shown to predict structure sizes consistent with observations. (orig.)

  19. A Generic Software Development Process Refined from Best Practices for Cloud Computing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soojin Park

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Cloud computing has emerged as more than just a piece of technology, it is rather a new IT paradigm. The philosophy behind cloud computing shares its view with green computing where computing environments and resources are not as subjects to own but as subjects of sustained use. However, converting currently used IT services to Software as a Service (SaaS cloud computing environments introduces several new risks. To mitigate such risks, existing software development processes must undergo significant remodeling. This study analyzes actual cases of SaaS cloud computing environment adoption as a way to derive four new best practices for software development and incorporates the identified best practices for currently-in-use processes. Furthermore, this study presents a design for generic software development processes that implement the proposed best practices. The design for the generic process has been applied to reinforce the weak points found in SaaS cloud service development practices used by eight enterprises currently developing or operating actual SaaS cloud computing services. Lastly, this study evaluates the applicability of the proposed SaaS cloud oriented development process through analyzing the feedback data collected from actual application to the development of a SaaS cloud service Astation.

  20. U.S. NRC's generic issues program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kauffman, J.V.; Foster, J.W.

    2008-01-01

    The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has a Generic Issues Program (GIP) to address Generic Issues (GI). A GI is defined as 'a regulatory matter involving the design, construction, operation, or decommissioning of several, or a class of, NRC licensees or certificate holders that is not sufficiently addressed by existing rules, guidance, or programs'. This rather legalistic definition has several practical corollaries: First, a GI must involve safety. Second, the issue must involve at least two plants, or it would be a plant-specific issue rather than a GI. Third, the potential safety question must not be covered by existing regulations and guidance (compliance). Thus, the effect of a GI is to potentially change the body of regulations and associated guidance (e.g., regulatory guides). The GIP was started in 1976, thus it is a relatively mature program. Approximately 850 issues have been processed by the program to date. More importantly, even after 30 years, new GIs continue to be proposed. The entire set of Generic Issues (GIs) is updated annually in NUREG-0933, 'A Prioritization of Generic Safety Issues'. GIs normally involve complex questions of safety and regulation. Efficient and effective means of addressing these issues are very important for regulatory effectiveness. If an issue proves to pose a genuine, significant safety question, then swift, effective, enforceable, and cost-effective action needs to be taken. Conversely, if an issue is of little safety significance, the issue should be dismissed in an expeditious manner, avoiding unnecessary expenditure of resources and regulatory burden or uncertainty. This paper provides a summary of the 5-stage program, from identification through the regulatory assessment stage. The paper also includes a discussion of the program's seven criteria, sources of proposed GIs, recent improvements, publicly available information, historical performance, and status of current GIs. (authors)

  1. Consumers' views on generic medicines: a review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassali, Mohamed A A; Shafie, Asrul A; Jamshed, Shazia; Ibrahim, Mohamed I M; Awaisu, Ahmed

    2009-04-01

    To review the literature on consumers' knowledge, attitudes and opinions of the use of generic medicines. A narrative review of studies conducted from 1970 to 2008 on consumers perceptions and views towards generic medicines was performed. An extensive literature search was undertaken using indexing services available at the authors' institution library. The following keywords were used for the search: brand, generic, multisource, medications, medicines, drugs, pharmaceuticals and consumers, customers, and patients. Electronic databases searched were Medline, Inside Web, ISI Web of Knowledge, Science Direct, Springer Link, JSTOR, Proquest, Ebsco Host and Google Scholar. These electronic databases were searched for full text papers published in English from 1970 to October 2008. Twenty studies were identified. Eleven were from the USA, four were from Europe, two were from Canada and one each was from Australia, Brazil and Malaysia. In general, consumers showed mixed reactions towards the use of generic medicines. This was evident from the divergence of views observed by country development level, consumers' socioeconomic characteristics, drug product characteristics, pharmaceutical reimbursement system, policy environment, contact with health care professionals, past experience with medications, and knowledge of the seriousness of a medical condition. Patient confidence and knowledge pertaining to generic medicines use have increased over the past four decades, especially in developed countries. Mass educational efforts, financial incentives, and greater communication among patients and health care professionals were seen as major drivers to the uptake of generic medicines among consumers.

  2. IAEA's experience in compiling a generic component reliability data base

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomic, B.; Lederman, L.

    1988-01-01

    Reliability data are an essential part of probabilistic safety assessment. The quality of data can determine the quality of the study as a whole. It is obvious that component failure data originated from the plant being analyzed would be most appropriate. However, in few cases complete reliance on plant experience is possible, mainly because of the rather limited operating experience. Nuclear plants, although of different design, often use fairly similar components, so some of the experience could be combined and transferred from one plant to another. In addition information about component failures is available also from experts with knowledge on component design, manufacturing and operation. That bring us to the importance of assessing generic data. (Generic is meant to be everything that is not plant specific regarding the plant being analyzed). The generic data available in the open literature, can be divided in three broad categories. The first one includes data base used in previous analysis. These can be plant specific or updated from generic with plant specific information (latter case deserve special attention). The second one is based on compilation of plants' operating experience usually based on some kind of event reporting system. The third category includes data sources based on expert opinions (single or aggregate) or combination of expert opinions and other nuclear and non-nuclear experience. This paper reflects insights gained in compiling data from generic data sources and highlights advantages and pitfalls of using generic component reliability data in PSAs

  3. [Two cases of pulmonary aspergilosis, which deteriorated with generic itraconazole].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Wakana; Shishikura, Yutaka; Nishimaki, Katsushi; Kikuchi, Tadashi; Sasamori, Kan; Kikuchi, Yoshihiro; Miki, Hiroshi

    2014-07-01

    We experienced two cases of pulmonary aspergillosis, which deteriorated during treatment with generic itraconazole (ITCZ) because of low plasma concentration. One case was chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and the other was allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA). Treatment of both cases was started with a brand-name-ITCZ, and changed to a generic ITCZ. Deterioration of pulmonary aspergillosis occurred after 8 months and 9 months from change to generic ITCZ respectively. In the first case, the ITCZ-plasma concentration was 46.9 ng/mL and of OH-ITCZ 96.5 ng/mL with generic ITCZ at the dose of 300 mg/day, but increased to 1,559.7 ng/mL and to 2,485.0 ng/mL with the brand-name-ITCZ 300 mg/day, respectively. In the second case, the ITCZ-plasma concentration was 27.2 ng/mL and of OH-ITCZ 20.1 ng/mL with 150 mg/day for generic ITCZ, but reached 857.3 ng/mL and to 1,144.2 ng/ml with the brand-name-ITCZ 300 mg/day, respectively. After treatment failure, the first case was changed to voriconazole, then brand-name-ITCZ 300 mg/day, and the second case to the brand-name-ITCZ 300 mg/day, with successful clinical course. Plasma concentrations of ITCZ can differ significantly depending on the patient or type of ITCZ. The ITCZ-plasma concentration should be controlled after changing from a brand-name-ITCZ to a generic ITCZ.

  4. A computer program for deriving soil cleanup criteria

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, C.

    1990-01-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a new order, DOE Order 5400.5, for Radiation Protection of the Public and the Environment. In this order, the DOE sets forth radiological protection guidelines for the cleanup of residual radioactive materials. Radionuclide concentrations and radioactivity levels have been established that are acceptable if a site is to be used without radiological restrictions. The guidelines can be categorized as either generic (site independent), that is, taken from existing radiation protection standards, or site specific, that is, derived from the basic dose limit using site-specific data and models. The generic guidelines for soil concentrations of 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 230 Th, and 232 Th adopted in DOE Order 5400.5 are generally consistent with US Environmental Protection Agency standards in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 192. Procedures and data for deriving site-specific guidelines for other radionuclides in soil have been coded in a microcomputer program called RESRAD. The RESRAD code has been used by the DOE and its contractors to calculate postremediation doses and cleanup guidelines. The RESRAD code is a useful, easy to run, and very user-friendly tool

  5. Novel Hole Transporting Materials Based on 4-(9H-Carbazol-9-yltriphenylamine Derivatives for OLEDs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Quynh Pham Bao Nguyen

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available During the past few years, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs have been increasingly studied due to their emerging applicability. However, some of the properties of existing OLEDs could be improved, such as their overall efficiency and durability; these aspects have been addressed in the current study. A series of novel hole-transporting materials (HTMs 3a–c based on 4-(9H-carbazol-9-yltriphenylamine conjugated with different carbazole or triphenylamine derivatives have been readily synthesized by Suzuki coupling reactions. The resulting compounds showed good thermal stabilities with high glass transition temperatures between 148 and 165 °C. The introduction of HTMs 3b and 3c into the standard devices ITO/HATCN/NPB/HTMs 3 (indium tin oxide/dipyrazino(2,3-f:2ꞌ,3ꞌ-hquinoxaline 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexacarbonitrile/N,Nꞌ-bis(naphthalen-1-yl-N,Nꞌ-bis(phenyl-benzidine/HTMs/CBP (4,4ꞌ-Bis(N-carbazolyl-1,1ꞌ-biphenyl: 5% Ir(ppy3/Bphen/LiF/Al (tris[2-phenylpyridinato-C2,N]iridium(III/4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline/LiF/Al resulted in significantly enhanced current, power, and external quantum efficiencies (EQE as compared to the reference device without any layers of HTMs 3.

  6. Effect of generic issues program on improving safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fard, M. R.; Kauffman, J. V.

    2010-01-01

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) identifies (by its assessment of plant operation) certain issues involving public health and safety, the common defense and security, or the environment that could affect multiple entities under NRC jurisdiction. The Generic Issues Program (GIP) addresses the resolution of these Generic Issues (GIs). The resolution of these issues may involve new or revised rules, new or revised guidance, or revised interpretation of rules or guidance that affect nuclear power plant licensees, nuclear material certificate holders, or holders of other regulatory approvals. U.S. NRC provides information related to the past and ongoing GIP activities to the general public by the use of three main resources, namely NUREG-0933, 'Resolution of Generic Safety Issues, ' Generic Issues Management Control System (GIMCS), and GIP public web page. GIP information resources provide information such as historical information on resolved GIs, current status of the open GIs, policy documents, program procedures, GIP annual and quarterly reports and the process to contact GIP and propose a GI This paper provides an overview of the GIP and several examples of safety improvements resulting from the resolution of GIs. In addition, the paper provides a brief discussion of a few recent GIs to illustrate how the program functions to improve safety. (authors)

  7. Analysis of the Italian generic medicines retail market: recommendations to enhance long-term sustainability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dylst, Pieter; Vulto, Arnold; Simoens, Steven

    2015-02-01

    Italy is among the European countries with the lowest uptake of generic medicines. This paper provides a perspective on the Italian generic medicines retail market. Fast market entrance of generic medicines in Italy is hindered by several factors: the existence of Complementary Protection Certificates in the past, the large market for copies and multiple cases of patent linkage. Prices of generic medicines in Italy are low compared to other European countries. To contain pharmaceutical expenditure, pharmaceutical companies are currently forced to pay back in case of overspending, which disproportionally penalizes small and fast growing companies, to which most generic companies belong to. Current demand-side policies do not successfully stimulate the use of generic medicines. The current market environment surrounding the Italian generic medicines retail market (i.e., low prices, low volumes) threatens its long-term sustainability. Recommendations to enhance the long-term sustainability of the Italian generic medicines retail market round off this perspective paper.

  8. Do All Ducks Lay Eggs? The Generic Overgeneralization Effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leslie, Sarah-Jane; Khemlani, Sangeet; Glucksberg, Sam

    2011-01-01

    Generics are statements such as "tigers are striped" and "ducks lay eggs". They express general, though not universal or exceptionless, claims about kinds (Carlson & Pelletier, 1995). For example, the generic "ducks lay eggs" seems true even though many ducks (e.g. the males) do not lay eggs. The universally quantified version of the statement…

  9. Development of a generic data base for failure rate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosleh, A.; Apostolakis, G.

    1985-01-01

    The data analysis task in a probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) involves the assessment of data needs, the collection of information, and, finally, the analysis of the data to generate estimates for various parameters. This paper describes a framework for developing a data base for component failure rates and presents mathematical methods for the analysis of various types of information. The discussion is focused on the development of generic data bases used in PRAs. For plants without an operating history, the generic distributions are used directly to calculate component unavailability. In the case of plants that have operated for some time, the generic distributions can be used as priors in Bayesian analysis and, thus, specialized by plant-specific experience

  10. 'Genericism' in Danish welfare professions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Verner

    and skills in the basic disciplines of the professions also termed as disciplinary and procedural knowledge '. Thus the main research question for this paper is: What consequences do recent reform actions in Danish welfare education concerning generic competence have on developing professional knowledge...

  11. The impact of price-cap regulations on market entry by generic pharmaceutical firms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Sun, Huiying; Guh, Daphne; Anis, Aslam H

    2017-04-01

    In 1998, the province of Ontario, Canada implemented price-cap '70/90' regulations: the first generic must be priced at ≤70% of the associated brand-name price and subsequent generics must be priced at ≤90% of the first generics' price. The price-cap was further lowered to 50% in 2006 and 25% in 2010 for all generic drugs regardless of the first or subsequent generic entrants. This study assessed the impact of such price-cap regulations on market entry by generic firms using the formulary database from 9 provinces (January 2004-March 2013). A logistic regression was estimated to compare the probability of entry during the three policy periods in Ontario ('70/90', '25', versus '50'). Since different price-caps were subsequently introduced in other provinces, Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan, difference-in-differences was used to compare market entry. In Ontario, compared with the period '50', generic firms were 76% and 63% less likely to enter markets in the periods '25' and '70/90', respectively. The difference-in-differences showed that the entry probability decreased the most in Ontario during the '25' period from the '50' period. Lowering the price-cap level to 25% leads to a significantly lower probability of market entry by generic firms.

  12. Policy objective of generic medicines from the investment perspective: The case of clopidogrel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elek, Péter; Harsányi, András; Zelei, Tamás; Csetneki, Kata; Kaló, Zoltán

    2017-05-01

    The objective of generic drug policies in most countries is defined from a disinvestment perspective: reduction in expenditures without compromising health outcomes. However, in countries with restricted access of patients to original patented drugs, the objective of generic drug policies can also be defined from an investment perspective: health gain by improved patient access without need for additional health budget. This study examines the investment aspect of generic medicines by analyzing clopidogrel utilization in European countries between 2004 and 2014 using multilevel panel data models. We find that clopidogrel consumption was strongly affected by affordability constraints before the generic entry around 2009, but this effect decayed by 2014. After controlling for other variables, utilization had a substantially larger trend increase in lower-income European countries than in the higher-income ones. Generic entry increased clopidogrel consumption only in lower- and average-income countries but not in the highest-income ones. An earlier generic entry was associated with a larger effect. The case of clopidogrel indicates that the entrance of generics may increase patient access to effective medicines, most notably in lower-income countries, thereby reducing inequalities between European patients. Policymakers should also consider this investment aspect of generic medicines when designing pharmaceutical policies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Potential Clinical and Economic Impact of Switching Branded Medications to Generics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Straka, Robert J.; Keohane, Denis J.; Liu, Larry Z.

    2017-01-01

    Switching branded to generic medications has become a common cost-containment measure. Although this is an important objective for health care systems worldwide, the impact of this practice on patient outcomes needs to be carefully considered. We reviewed the literature summarizing the potential clinical and economic consequences of switching from branded to generic medications on patient outcomes. A literature search of peer-reviewed articles published 2003–2013 using key words of “generic switching” or “substitution” was conducted using PubMed, OvidSP, and ScienceDirect. Of 30 articles identified and reviewed, most were related to the diseases of the central nervous system, especially epilepsy. Based on our review, potential impacts of switching fell into 3 broad categories: patient attitudes and adherence, clinical and safety outcomes, and cost and resource utilization. Although in many cases generics may represent an appropriate alternative to branded products, this may not always be the case. Specifically, several studies suggested that switching may negatively impact medication adherence, whereas other studies found that generic switching was associated with poorer clinical outcomes and more adverse events. In some instances, switching accomplished cost savings but did so at increased total cost of care because of increased physician visits or hospitalizations. Although in many cases generics may represent an appropriate alternative, mandatory generic switching may lead to unintended consequences, especially in certain therapeutic areas. Although further study is warranted, based on our review, it may be medically justifiable for physicians and patients to retain the right to request the branded product in certain cases. PMID:26099048

  14. Systematic identification of crystallization kinetics within a generic modelling framework

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abdul Samad, Noor Asma Fazli Bin; Meisler, Kresten Troelstrup; Gernaey, Krist

    2012-01-01

    A systematic development of constitutive models within a generic modelling framework has been developed for use in design, analysis and simulation of crystallization operations. The framework contains a tool for model identification connected with a generic crystallizer modelling tool-box, a tool...

  15. 40 CFR 721.10063 - Halo substituted hydroxy nitrophenyl amide (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... amide (generic). 721.10063 Section 721.10063 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.10063 Halo substituted hydroxy nitrophenyl amide (generic). (a) Chemical... as halo substituted hydroxy nitrophenyl amide (PMN P-04-792) is subject to reporting under this...

  16. The generic drug user fee amendments: an economic perspective

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berndt, Ernst R; Murphy, Stephen J

    2018-01-01

    Abstract Since the vast majority of prescription drugs consumed by Americans are off patent (‘generic’), their regulation and supply is of wide interest. We describe events leading up to the US Congress's 2012 passage of the Generic Drug User Fee Amendments (GDUFA I) as part of the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act (FDASIA). Under GDUFA I, generic manufacturers agreed to pay approximately $300 million in fees each year of the five-year program. In exchange, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) committed to performance goals. We describe GDUFA I’s FDA commitments, provisions, goals, and annual fee structure and compare it to that entailed in the authorization and implementation of GDUFA II on October 1, 2017. We explain how user fees required under GDUFA I erected barriers to entry and created scale and scope economies for incumbent manufacturers. Congress changed user fees under GDUFA II in part to lessen these incentives. In order to initiate and sustain user fees under GDUFA legislation, FDA requires the submission of self-reported data on generic manufacturers including domestic and foreign facilities. These data are public and our examination of them provides an unprecedented window into the recent organization of generic drug manufacturers supplying the US market. Our results suggest that generic drug manufacturing is increasingly concentrated and foreign. We discuss the implications of this observed market structure for GDUFA II’s implementation among other outcomes. PMID:29707218

  17. A randomized, double-blind, cross-over, phase IV trial of oros-methylphenidate (CONCERTA(®)) and generic novo-methylphenidate ER-C (NOVO-generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fallu, Angelo; Dabouz, Farida; Furtado, Melissa; Anand, Leena; Katzman, Martin A

    2016-08-01

    Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder with onset during childhood. Multiple aspects of a child's development are hindered, in both home and school settings, with negative impacts on social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. If left untreated, ADHD is commonly associated with poor academic achievement and low occupational status, as well as increased risk of substance abuse and delinquency. The objective of this study was to evaluate adult ADHD subject reported outcomes when switched from a stable dose of CONCERTA(®) to the same dose of generic Novo-methylphenidate ER-C(®). Randomized, double-blind, cross-over, phase IV trial consisted of two phases in which participants with a primary diagnosis of ADHD were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to 3 weeks of treatment with CONCERTA or generic Novo-Methylphenidate ER-C. Following 3 weeks of treatment, participants were crossed-over to receive the other treatment for an additional 3 weeks. Primary efficacy was assessed through the use of the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication, Version II (TSQM-II). Participants with ADHD treated with CONCERTA were more satisfied in terms of efficacy and side effects compared to those receiving an equivalent dose of generic Novo-Methylphenidate ER-C. All participants chose to continue with CONCERTA treatment at the conclusion of the study. Although CONCERTA and generic Novo-Methylphenidate ER-C have been deemed bioequivalent, however the present findings demonstrate clinically and statistically significant differences between generic and branded CONCERTA. Further investigation of these differences is warranted.

  18. Impact of brand or generic labeling on medication effectiveness and side effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faasse, Kate; Martin, Leslie R; Grey, Andrew; Gamble, Greg; Petrie, Keith J

    2016-02-01

    Branding medication with a known pharmaceutical company name or product name bestows on the drug an added assurance of authenticity and effectiveness compared to a generic preparation. This study examined the impact of brand name and generic labeling on medication effectiveness and side effects. 87 undergraduate students with frequent headaches took part in the study. Using a within-subjects counterbalanced design, each participant took tablets labeled either as brand name "Nurofen" or "Generic Ibuprofen" to treat each of 4 headaches. In reality, half of the tablets were placebos, and half were active ibuprofen (400 mg). Participants recorded their headache pain on a verbal descriptor and visual analogue scale prior to taking the tablets, and again 1 hour afterward. Medication side effects were also reported. Pain reduction following the use of brand name labeled tablets was similar in active ibuprofen or a placebo. However, if the tablets had a generic label, placebo tablets were significantly less effective compared to active ibuprofen. Fewer side effects were attributed to placebo tablets with brand name labeling compared to the same placebo tablets with a generic label. Branding of a tablet appears to have conferred a treatment benefit in the absence of an active ingredient, while generic labeled tablets were substantially less effective if they contained no active ingredient. Branding is also associated with reduced attribution of side effects to placebo tablets. Future interventions to improve perceptions of generics may have utility in improving treatment outcomes from generic drugs. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  19. 76 FR 24920 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-03

    ... precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response... Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service... Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback...

  20. 76 FR 35069 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-15

    ... precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response...; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on... (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery...

  1. 78 FR 74175 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-10

    ... precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response...: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on... Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback...

  2. 77 FR 52708 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-30

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential...: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on... Information Collection request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback...

  3. Generic hyper-diversity in Stachybotriaceae

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Lombard, L.; Houbraken, J.; Decock, C.; Samson, R.A.; Meijer, M.; Réblová, Martina; Groenewald, J.Z.; Crous, P. W.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 36, SI Jun (2016), s. 156-246 ISSN 0031-5850 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP506/12/0038 Institutional support: RVO:67985939 Keywords : biodegraders * generic concept * human and plant pathogens Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 7.511, year: 2016

  4. Safety and efficacy of generic drugs with respect to brand formulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gallelli, Luca; Palleria, Caterina; De Vuono, Antonio; Mumoli, Laura; Vasapollo, Piero; Piro, Brunella; Russo, Emilio

    2013-12-01

    Generic drugs are equivalent to the brand formulation if they have the same active substance, the same pharmaceutical form and the same therapeutic indications and a similar bioequivalence respect to the reference medicinal product. The use of generic drugs is indicated from many countries in order to reduce medication price. However some points, such as bioequivalence and the role of excipients, may be clarified regarding the clinical efficacy and safety during the switch from brand to generic formulations. In conclusion, the use of generic drugs could be related with an increased days of disease (time to relapse) or might lead to a therapeutic failure; on the other hand, a higher drug concentration might expose patients to an increased risk of dose-dependent side-effects.

  5. InP-based generic foundry platform for photonic integrated circuits

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Augustin, L.M.; Lemos Alvares Dos Santos, R.M.; den Haan, E.; Kleijn, S.E.F.; Thijs, P.J.A.; Latkowski, S.; Zhao, D.; Yao, W.; Bolk, J.; Ambrosius, H.P.M.M.; Mingaleev, S.; Richter, A.; Bakker, A.; Korthorst, T.

    2017-01-01

    The standardization of photonic integration processes for InP has led to versatile and easily accessible generic integration platforms. The generic integration platforms enable the realization of a broad range of applications and lead to a dramatic cost reduction in the development costs of photonic

  6. Generic implications of ATWS events at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant: generic implications. Vol. 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1983-04-01

    This report is the first of two volumes. It documents the work of an interoffice, interdisciplinary NRC Task Force established to determine the generic implications of two anticipated transients without scram (ATWS) at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant, Unit 1 on February 22 and 25, 1983. A second report will document the NRC actions to be taken based on the work of the Task Force. The Task Force was established to address three questions: (1) Is there a need for prompt action for similar equipment in other facilities. (2) Are NRC and its licensees learning the sefety-management lessons, and, (3) How should the priority and content of the ATWS rule be adjusted. A number of short-term actions were taken through Bulletins and an Information Notice. Intermediate-term actions to address the generic issues will be addressed in the separate report and implemented through appropriate regulatory mechanisms

  7. Generic phase transitions and profit singularities in Arnol'd's model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Davydov, Aleksei A; Matos, Helena Mena

    2007-01-01

    For a smooth one-parameter family of pairs of control systems and profit densities on a circle, the generic transitions between optimal rotations and stationary strategies are studied in the problem of maximization of the time-averaged profit on the infinite horizon. It is shown that there are only two types of such transitions, the corresponding singularities of the average profit as a function of the family parameter are found, and it is proved that these singularities are stable under small perturbations of a generic family. The classification of singularities of the maximum average profit is completed for generic families. Bibliography: 16 titles.

  8. Business engineering. Generic Software Architecture in an Object Oriented View

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihaela MURESAN

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available The generic software architecture offers a solution for the the information system's development and implementation. A generic software/non-software model could be developed by integrating the enterprise blueprint concept (Zachman and the object oriented paradigm (Coad's archetype concept. The standardization of the generic software architecture for various specific software components could be a direction of crucial importance, offering the guarantee of the quality of the model and increasing the efficiency of the design, development and implementation of the software. This approach is also useful for the implementation of the ERP systems designed to fit the user’s particular requirements.

  9. 77 FR 17493 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; DOI Generic...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-26

    ... justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential non...: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; DOI Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on... (Generic ICR): ``DOI Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service...

  10. 75 FR 80542 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-22

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential...; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

  11. 76 FR 12140 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-04

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential...; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery... Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback...

  12. 76 FR 19826 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-08

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY... (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery...

  13. 76 FR 17861 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-31

    ... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods...; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery... Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback...

  14. 76 FR 25693 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-05

    ... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

  15. 76 FR 79198 - Generic Drug User Fee; Public Meeting; Correction

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0381] Generic Drug User Fee; Public Meeting; Correction AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION... meeting entitled ``Generic Drug User Fee.'' The document published with an inadvertent error in the Dates...

  16. Discipline-Specific Compared to Generic Training of Teachers in Higher Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva-Fletcher, Ayona; May, Stephen A

    A recurrent theme arising in the higher education sector is the suitability and effectiveness of generic versus discipline-specific training of university teachers, who are often recruited based on their disciplinary specialties to become teachers in higher education. We compared two groups of participants who had undergone training using a generic post-graduate certificate in higher education (PGCertGeneric) versus a discipline-specific course in veterinary education (PGCertVetEd). The study was conducted using a survey that allowed comparison of participants who completed PGCertGeneric (n=21) with PGCertVetEd (n=22). Results indicated that participants from both PGCertGeneric and PGCertVetEd considered teaching to be satisfying and important to their careers, valued the teaching observation component of the course, and identified similar training needs. However, the participants of the PGCertVetEd felt that the course made them better teachers, valued the relevance of the components taught, understood course design better, were encouraged to do further courses/reading in teaching and learning, changed their teaching as a result of the course, and were less stressed about teaching as compared to the PGCertGeneric participants (p<.05). It is likely that the PGCertVetEd, which was designed and developed by veterinarians with a wider understanding of the veterinary sector, helped the participants perceive the training course as suited to their needs.

  17. Generic antibiotic industries: Challenges and implied strategies with regulatory perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M Venkatesh

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Ever since the discovery of antibiotics, the quality of human life greatly improved in the 20 th century. The discovery of penicillin transformed the medicine industry and initiated a search for a better antibiotic every time resulting in several synthetic and semi-synthetic antibiotics. Beginning with the 1937 sulfa drug tragedy, the drug regulations had a parallel growth along with the antibiotics and the antibiotic-based generic Pharma industries. This review article is focused on the scenario depicting current global Pharma industries based on generic antibiotics. Several regulatory aspects involved with these industries have been discussed along with the complexity of the market, issues that could affect their growth, their struggle for quality, and their compliance with the tightened regulations. With the skyrocketing commercialization of antibiotics through generics and the leveraging technologic renaissance, generic industries are involved in providing maximum safer benefits for the welfare of the people, highlighting its need today.

  18. Generic antibiotic industries: Challenges and implied strategies with regulatory perspectives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Venkatesh, M.; Bairavi, V. G.; Sasikumar, K. C.

    2011-01-01

    Ever since the discovery of antibiotics, the quality of human life greatly improved in the 20th century. The discovery of penicillin transformed the medicine industry and initiated a search for a better antibiotic every time resulting in several synthetic and semi-synthetic antibiotics. Beginning with the 1937 sulfa drug tragedy, the drug regulations had a parallel growth along with the antibiotics and the antibiotic-based generic Pharma industries. This review article is focused on the scenario depicting current global Pharma industries based on generic antibiotics. Several regulatory aspects involved with these industries have been discussed along with the complexity of the market, issues that could affect their growth, their struggle for quality, and their compliance with the tightened regulations. With the skyrocketing commercialization of antibiotics through generics and the leveraging technologic renaissance, generic industries are involved in providing maximum safer benefits for the welfare of the people, highlighting its need today.. PMID:21430959

  19. Expert elicitation for deriving input data for probabilistic risk assessment of shipwrecks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landquist, H; Norrman, J; Lindhe, A; Norberg, T; Hassellöv, I-M; Lindgren, J F; Rosén, L

    2017-12-15

    The necessity of having a process in place for adequate risk assessment of shipwrecks that pose a threat to the marine environment is today internationally acknowledged. However, retrieving the desired data for such a risk assessment can prove challenging. One means of addressing this problem is to make use of experts' knowledge and experience. The purpose of this paper is therefore to present and analyse data for risk assessment of shipwrecks derived by expert elicitation. The main outcome is the experts' estimations of (i) the generic probability of an opening in a shipwreck due to the occurrence of a number of activities and (ii) estimations of the degree to which site-specific and wreck-specific indicators affect the probability of opening. Results show that the derived information is applicable in probabilistic shipwreck risk assessment and that the VRAKA framework now contains needed information for integrating generic and site-specific information using Bayesian updating. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Topological Hausdorff dimension and level sets of generic continuous functions on fractals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Balka, Richárd; Buczolich, Zoltán; Elekes, Márton

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We examine a new fractal dimension, the so called topological Hausdorff dimension. ► The generic continuous function has a level set of maximal Hausdorff dimension. ► This maximal dimension is the topological Hausdorff dimension minus one. ► Homogeneity implies that “most” level sets are of this dimension. ► We calculate the various dimensions of the graph of the generic function. - Abstract: In an earlier paper we introduced a new concept of dimension for metric spaces, the so called topological Hausdorff dimension. For a compact metric space K let dim H K and dim tH K denote its Hausdorff and topological Hausdorff dimension, respectively. We proved that this new dimension describes the Hausdorff dimension of the level sets of the generic continuous function on K, namely sup{ dim H f -1 (y):y∈R} =dim tH K-1 for the generic f ∈ C(K), provided that K is not totally disconnected, otherwise every non-empty level set is a singleton. We also proved that if K is not totally disconnected and sufficiently homogeneous then dim H f −1 (y) = dim tH K − 1 for the generic f ∈ C(K) and the generic y ∈ f(K). The most important goal of this paper is to make these theorems more precise. As for the first result, we prove that the supremum is actually attained on the left hand side of the first equation above, and also show that there may only be a unique level set of maximal Hausdorff dimension. As for the second result, we characterize those compact metric spaces for which for the generic f ∈ C(K) and the generic y ∈ f(K) we have dim H f −1 (y) = dim tH K − 1. We also generalize a result of B. Kirchheim by showing that if K is self-similar then for the generic f ∈ C(K) for every y∈intf(K) we have dim H f −1 (y) = dim tH K − 1. Finally, we prove that the graph of the generic f ∈ C(K) has the same Hausdorff and topological Hausdorff dimension as K.

  1. Generic Schemes for Single-Molecule Kinetics. 2: Information Content of the Poisson Indicator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avila, Thomas R; Piephoff, D Evan; Cao, Jianshu

    2017-08-24

    Recently, we described a pathway analysis technique (paper 1) for analyzing generic schemes for single-molecule kinetics based upon the first-passage time distribution. Here, we employ this method to derive expressions for the Poisson indicator, a normalized measure of stochastic variation (essentially equivalent to the Fano factor and Mandel's Q parameter), for various renewal (i.e., memoryless) enzymatic reactions. We examine its dependence on substrate concentration, without assuming all steps follow Poissonian kinetics. Based upon fitting to the functional forms of the first two waiting time moments, we show that, to second order, the non-Poissonian kinetics are generally underdetermined but can be specified in certain scenarios. For an enzymatic reaction with an arbitrary intermediate topology, we identify a generic minimum of the Poisson indicator as a function of substrate concentration, which can be used to tune substrate concentration to the stochastic fluctuations and to estimate the largest number of underlying consecutive links in a turnover cycle. We identify a local maximum of the Poisson indicator (with respect to substrate concentration) for a renewal process as a signature of competitive binding, either between a substrate and an inhibitor or between multiple substrates. Our analysis explores the rich connections between Poisson indicator measurements and microscopic kinetic mechanisms.

  2. Perception of the value of generic drugs in São Paulo, Brazil

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elene Paltrinieri Nardi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of opinion-leaders, patients and their accompanying family members or carers about generic drugs. Three groups of participants were surveyed: (i 50 customers while they were visiting commercial pharmacies located in São Paulo city, Brazil, (ii 25 patients and 25 companions while they were waiting at the university outpatient clinic, and (iii 50 healthcare opinion-leaders from government, hospitals, health plans, academia, and pharmaceutical companies. The questions explored socio-demographic characteristics and perceptions regarding value attributes of generic drugs compared to brand name drugs. Respondents had an average age of 52 years and 53% were women. Respondents believed generic drugs to be cheaper than brand name drugs (97%, and 31% thought generic drugs to be less effective than brand name drugs. Also, generic drugs were perceived by 54% of respondents to be as safe as brand name drugs and 74% would prefer brand name drugs if there was no price difference. In conclusion, multiple factors may contribute to the decision to buy generic drugs; among these, perceived effectiveness, safety and price appear to be the most important factors.

  3. Perception of the value of generic drugs in São Paulo, Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardi, Elene Paltrinieri; Ferraz, Marcos Bosi

    2016-02-01

    The objective of this study was to assess the perceptions of opinion-leaders, patients and their accompanying family members or carers about generic drugs. Three groups of participants were surveyed: (i) 50 customers while they were visiting commercial pharmacies located in São Paulo city, Brazil, (ii) 25 patients and 25 companions while they were waiting at the university outpatient clinic, and (iii) 50 healthcare opinion-leaders from government, hospitals, health plans, academia, and pharmaceutical companies. The questions explored socio-demographic characteristics and perceptions regarding value attributes of generic drugs compared to brand name drugs. Respondents had an average age of 52 years and 53% were women. Respondents believed generic drugs to be cheaper than brand name drugs (97%), and 31% thought generic drugs to be less effective than brand name drugs. Also, generic drugs were perceived by 54% of respondents to be as safe as brand name drugs and 74% would prefer brand name drugs if there was no price difference. In conclusion, multiple factors may contribute to the decision to buy generic drugs; among these, perceived effectiveness, safety and price appear to be the most important factors.

  4. The Acquisition of Generic Skills of Culturally-Diverse Student Cohorts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keneley, Monica; Jackling, Beverley

    2011-01-01

    The changing nature of higher education and the structure of graduate labour markets have increased emphasis on employability and graduate outcomes. Universities have responded to this changed environment by embedding generic skills in the curriculum. This paper examines the generic skills that students perceived they acquired in their accounting…

  5. Testing properties of generic functions

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jansson, P.; Jeuring, J.T.; Cabenda, L.; Engels, G.; Kleerekoper, J.; Mak, S.; Overeem, M.; Visser, Kees

    2007-01-01

    A datatype-generic function is a family of functions indexed by (the structure of) a type. Examples include equality tests, maps and pretty printers. Property based testing tools like QuickCheck and Gast support the de¯nition of properties and test-data generators, and they check if a

  6. How can pharmacist remuneration systems in Europe contribute to generic medicine dispensing?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dylst P

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available Generic medicines can generate larger savings to health care budgets when their use is supported by incentives on both the supply-side and the demand-side. Pharmacists’ remuneration is one factor influencing the dispensing of generic medicines.Objective: The aim of this article is to provide an overview of different pharmacist remuneration systems for generic medicines in Europe, with a view to exploring how pharmacist remuneration systems can contribute to generic medicine dispensing.Methods: Data were obtained from a literature review, a Master thesis in Pharmaceutical Care at the Catholic University of Leuven and a mailing sent to all members of the Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union with a request for information about the local remuneration systems of community pharmacists and the possible existence of reports on discounting practices.Results: Pharmacists remuneration in most European countries consists of the combination of a fixed fee per item and a certain percentage of the acquisition cost or the delivery price of the medicines. This percentage component can be fixed, regressive or capped for very high-cost medicines and acts as a disincentive for dispensing generic medicines. Discounting for generic medicines is common practice in several European countries but information on this practice tends to be confidential. Nevertheless, data for Belgium, France, the Netherlands and United Kingdom indicated that discounting percentages varied from 10% to 70% of the wholesale selling price.Conclusion: Pharmacists can play an important role in the development of a generic medicines market. Pharmacists should not be financially penalized for dispensing generic medicines. Therefore, their remuneration should move towards a fee-for-performance remuneration instead of a price-dependent reimbursement which is currently used in many European countries. Such a fee-for-performance remuneration system provides a stimulus for generic medicines

  7. Medication persistence and the use of generic and brand-name blood pressure-lowering agents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corrao, Giovanni; Soranna, Davide; La Vecchia, Carlo; Catapano, Alberico; Agabiti-Rosei, Enrico; Gensini, Gianfranco; Merlino, Luca; Mancia, Giuseppe

    2014-05-01

    Because of their lower cost, healthcare systems recommend physicians to prefer generic products, rather than brand-name medicaments. There is then considerable interest and debate concerning safety and effectiveness of generic products. Few studies have compared patients treated with brand-name and generic drugs for adherence to treatment, with somewhat inconsistent results. The primary objective of this study was to compare the risk of discontinuing antihypertensive drug therapy in patients treated with generic or brand-name agents. The 101,618 beneficiaries of the Healthcare system of Lombardy, Italy, aged 18 years or older who were newly treated on monotherapy with antihypertensive generic or brand-name drugs during 2008, were followed until the earliest date among those of the occurrence of treatment discontinuation to whatever antihypertensive drug therapy (outcome), or censoring (death, emigration, 12 months after treatment initiation). Hazard ratios of discontinuation associated with starting on generic or brand-name products (intention-to-treat analysis), and incidence rate ratio of discontinuation during periods on generic and brand-name products (as-treated analysis) were respectively estimated from a cohort and self-controlled case series analyses. Patients who started on generics did not experience a different risk of discontinuation compared with those starting on brand-name agents (hazard ratio: 1.00; 95% confidence interval 0.98-1.02). Discontinuation did not occur with different rates during periods covered by generics or brand-name agents (incidence rate ratio: 1.01; 95% confidence interval 0.96-1.11) within the same individuals. A number of sensitivity and subgroup analyses confirmed the robustness of these findings. Generic products are not responsible for the high rate of discontinuation from antihypertensive drug therapy. Assuming therapeutic equivalence, clinical implication is of prescribing generic drug therapies.

  8. [Acceptance of generic prescribing in general practice: effect of patient education and reference prices].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallès, J A; Barreiro, M; Cereza, G; Ferro, J J; Martínez, M J; Cucurull, E; Barceló, E

    2002-01-01

    To assess patient acceptance of the substitution of brand-name drugs for generic equivalents in the context of repeat prescriptions for chronic diseases. A prospective multicenter study of drug use was performed. Of the 31 centers included in the study, 8 were randomized to the intervention group and 23 to the control group. For 1 year, patients in the intervention group who visited the center to collect repeat prescriptions received verbal and written information on the advantages and disadvantages of generic and brand name drugs. Data on the number of patients taking brand-name drugs for which generic equivalents were available, as well as the reasons and variables related to refusal of generic drugs (age, gender, education, primary care centre, general practitioner, type of drug and total number of repeat prescriptions) were collected. The percentage of generic drugs among the total number of drugs prescribed was calculated at 2-monthly intervals. A total of 98.9% of the 4620 patients in the intervention group agreed to change to a generic formulation. The percentage of patients accepting generic drugs was significantly associated with the primary care centre, the class of drug, doctors' influence, and patient satisfaction with the drug. Generic prescriptions represented 5.9% in the intervention practices compared with 2.8% in controls. After the intervention, and before the application of reference prices, the percentages were 6.7% and 3.9%, respectively. Immediately after application of the reference prices, the percentages were 8.6% and 6.3%, respectively. Direct patient education is an effective strategy in increasing the prescription of generic equivalents. General practitioners' motivation and knowledge of generic drugs influenced their use. The application of reference prices increased the use of generic equivalents.

  9. Exploring knowledge perceptions and attitudes about generic medicines among finalyear health science students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Varsha Bangalee

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Background. The use of generic medicines to reduce healthcare costs has become a mandated policy in South Africa. An increase in the use of generics can be achieved through improved knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of generic medicine among healthcare professionals. Objective. To explore knowledge, attitudes and perceptions among final-year health science students on generic medication. Methods. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among the final-year audiology, dental therapy, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, optometry, speech-language and sport science students enrolled at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. A questionnaire was used as the study tool, developed using information adapted from literature reviews. Data analysis was completed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 21, and computed using descriptive statistics. Results. Total number of participants was 211, as follows: audiology (n=14, dental therapy (n=15, pharmacy (n=81, physiotherapy (n=41, occupational therapy (n=6, optometry (n=25, speech-language (n=6 and sport science (n=23. A total of 90.0% of students had heard of generic medicines, with 20.9% of them agreeing that generic medicines are less effective than brand-name medicines. Concerning safety, 30.4% believed that brand-name medicines are required to meet higher safety standards than generic medicines. Regarding the need for information on issues pertaining to safety and efficacy of medicines, 53.3% of participants felt that this need was not being met. Conclusion. All groups had knowledge deficits about the safety, quality and efficacy of generic medicines. The dissemination of information about generic medicines may strengthen future knowledge, attitudes and perceptions.

  10. Formulation of Generic Simulation Models for Analyzing Construction Claims

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rifat Rustom

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available While there are several techniques for analyzing the impact of claims on time schedule and productivity,very few are considered adequate and comprehensive to consider risks and uncertainties.A generic approach for claims analysis using simulation is proposed. The formulation of the generic methodology presented in this paper depends on three simulation models;As-Planned Model (APM,As-Built Model (ABM, and What-Would-HaveBeenModel(WWHBM. The proposed generic methodology as presented in this paper provides a good basis as a more elaborate approach to better analyze claims and their impacts on project time and productivity utilizing discrete event simulation.The approach proposed allows for scenario analysis to account for the disputed events and workflow disruptions. The proposed models will assist claimants in presenting their cases effectively and professionally.

  11. Generic Crystalline Disposal Reference Case

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Painter, Scott Leroy [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Chu, Shaoping [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Harp, Dylan Robert [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Perry, Frank Vinton [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Wang, Yifeng [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2015-02-20

    A generic reference case for disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in crystalline rock is outlined. The generic cases are intended to support development of disposal system modeling capability by establishing relevant baseline conditions and parameters. Establishment of a generic reference case requires that the emplacement concept, waste inventory, waste form, waste package, backfill/buffer properties, EBS failure scenarios, host rock properties, and biosphere be specified. The focus in this report is on those elements that are unique to crystalline disposal, especially the geosphere representation. Three emplacement concepts are suggested for further analyses: a waste packages containing 4 PWR assemblies emplaced in boreholes in the floors of tunnels (KBS-3 concept), a 12-assembly waste package emplaced in tunnels, and a 32-assembly dual purpose canister emplaced in tunnels. In addition, three failure scenarios were suggested for future use: a nominal scenario involving corrosion of the waste package in the tunnel emplacement concepts, a manufacturing defect scenario applicable to the KBS-3 concept, and a disruptive glaciation scenario applicable to both emplacement concepts. The computational approaches required to analyze EBS failure and transport processes in a crystalline rock repository are similar to those of argillite/shale, with the most significant difference being that the EBS in a crystalline rock repository will likely experience highly heterogeneous flow rates, which should be represented in the model. The computational approaches required to analyze radionuclide transport in the natural system are very different because of the highly channelized nature of fracture flow. Computational workflows tailored to crystalline rock based on discrete transport pathways extracted from discrete fracture network models are recommended.

  12. Place-based social contact and mixing: a typology of generic meeting places of relevance for infectious disease transmission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strömgren, M; Holm, E; Dahlström, Ö; Ekberg, J; Eriksson, H; Spreco, A; Timpka, T

    2017-09-01

    This study aims to develop a typology of generic meeting places based on social contact and mixing of relevance for infectious disease transmission. Data were collected by means of a contact diary survey conducted on a representative sample of the Swedish population. The typology is derived from a cluster analysis accounting for four dimensions associated with transmission risk: visit propensity and its characteristics in terms of duration, number of other persons present and likelihood of physical contact. In the analysis, we also study demographic, socio-economic and geographical differences in the propensity of visiting meeting places. The typology identifies the family venue, the fixed activity site, the family vehicle, the trading plaza and the social network hub as generic meeting places. The meeting place typology represents a spatially explicit account of social contact and mixing relevant to infectious disease modelling, where the social context of the outbreak can be highlighted in light of the actual infectious disease.

  13. The impact of generic language about ability on children's achievement motivation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cimpian, Andrei

    2010-09-01

    Nuances in how adults talk about ability may have important consequences for children's sustained involvement and success in an activity. In this study, I tested the hypothesis that children would be less motivated while performing a novel activity if they were told that boys or girls in general are good at this activity (generic language) than if they were told that a particular boy or girl is good at it (non-generic language). Generic language may be detrimental because it expresses normative societal expectations regarding performance. If these expectations are negative, they may cause children to worry about confirming them; if positive, they may cause worries about failing to meet them. Moreover, generic statements may be threatening because they imply that performance is the result of stable traits rather than effort. Ninety-seven 4- to 7-year-olds were asked to play a game in which they succeeded at first but then made a few mistakes. Since young children remain optimistic in achievement situations until the possibility of failure is made clear, I hypothesized that 4- and 5-year-olds would not be affected by the implications of generic language until after they made mistakes; 6- and 7-year-olds, however, may be susceptible earlier. As expected, the older children who heard that boys or girls are good at this game displayed lower motivation (e.g., more negative emotions, lower perceived competence) from the start, while they were still succeeding and receiving praise. Four- and 5-year-olds who heard these generic statements had a similar reaction, but only after they made mistakes. These findings demonstrate that exposure to generic language about ability can be an obstacle to children's motivation and, potentially, their success.

  14. Development of an Integrated Nonlinear Aeroservoelastic Flight Dynamic Model of the NASA Generic Transport Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nguyen, Nhan; Ting, Eric

    2018-01-01

    This paper describes a recent development of an integrated fully coupled aeroservoelastic flight dynamic model of the NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM). The integrated model couples nonlinear flight dynamics to a nonlinear aeroelastic model of the GTM. The nonlinearity includes the coupling of the rigid-body aircraft states in the partial derivatives of the aeroelastic angle of attack. Aeroservoelastic modeling of the control surfaces which are modeled by the Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap is also conducted. The R.T. Jones' method is implemented to approximate unsteady aerodynamics. Simulations of the GTM are conducted with simulated continuous and discrete gust loads..

  15. Impact of European pharmaceutical price regulation on generic price competition: a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puig-Junoy, Jaume

    2010-01-01

    Although economic theory indicates that it should not be necessary to intervene in the generic drug market through price regulation, most EU countries intervene in this market, both by regulating the maximum sale price of generics (price cap) and by setting the maximum reimbursement rate, especially by means of reference pricing systems. We analyse current knowledge of the impact of direct price-cap regulation of generic drugs and the implementation of systems regulating the reimbursement rate, particularly through reference pricing and similar tools, on dynamic price competition between generic competitors in Europe. A literature search was carried out in the EconLit and PubMed databases, and on Google Scholar. The search included papers published in English or Spanish between January 2000 and July 2009. Inclusion criteria included that studies had to present empirical results of a quantitative nature for EU countries of the impact of price capping and/or regulation of the reimbursement rate (reference pricing or similar systems) on price dynamics, corresponding to pharmacy sales, in the generic drug market. The available evidence indicates that price-cap regulation leads to a levelling off of generic prices at a higher level than would occur in the absence of this regulation. Reference pricing systems cause an obvious and almost compulsory reduction in the consumer price of all pharmaceuticals subject to this system, to a varying degree in different countries and periods, the reduction being greater for originator-branded drugs than for generics. In several countries with a reference pricing system, it was observed that generics with a consumer price lower than the reference price do not undergo price reductions until the reference price is reduced, even when there are other lower-priced generics on the market (absence of price competition below the reference price). Beyond the price reduction forced by the price-cap and/or reference pricing regulation itself

  16. Generic trajectory representation and trajectory following for wheeled robots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjærgaard, Morten; Andersen, Nils Axel; Ravn, Ole

    2014-01-01

    will drive. Safe: Avoid fatal collisions. Based on a survey of existing methods and algorithms the article presents a generic way to represent constraints for different types of robots, a generic way to represent trajectories using Bëzier curves, a method to convert the trajectory so it can be driven...... in a smooth motion, a method to create a safe velocity profile for the robot, and a path following controller....

  17. Generic and Brand Advertising Strategies in a Dynamic Duopoly

    OpenAIRE

    Frank M. Bass; Anand Krishnamoorthy; Ashutosh Prasad; Suresh P. Sethi

    2005-01-01

    To increase the sales of their products through advertising, firms must integrate their brand-advertising strategy for capturing market share from competitors and their generic-advertising strategy for increasing primary demand for the category. This paper examines whether, when, and how much brand advertising versus generic advertising should be done. Using differential game theory, optimal advertising decisions are obtained for a dynamic duopoly with symmetric or asymmetric competitors. We ...

  18. Complex dynamics of the generic and brand advertising strategies in duopoly

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qi Jie; Ding Yongsheng; Chen Liang

    2008-01-01

    By using the optimal profit adjusting strategies, a dynamic advertising competition model in duopoly is extended from Krishnamurthy's static model. Both generic and brand effects for advertising are considered. This model can create complex bifurcating and chaotic behavior for the generic advertising efforts, which lead to chaotic dynamics for the brand advertising and even for the whole system. The asymptotic properties of the symmetric system and the asymmetric system are also investigated, which reflect interactions between the two firms' advertising strategies and relationships between the brand and the generic advertising expenditures

  19. Complex dynamics of the generic and brand advertising strategies in duopoly

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Qi Jie [College of Information Sciences and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051 (China)], E-mail: jieqi@dhu.edu.cn; Ding Yongsheng [College of Information Sciences and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051 (China)], E-mail: ysding@dhu.edu.cn; Chen Liang [College of Information Sciences and Technology, Donghua University, Shanghai 200051 (China)

    2008-04-15

    By using the optimal profit adjusting strategies, a dynamic advertising competition model in duopoly is extended from Krishnamurthy's static model. Both generic and brand effects for advertising are considered. This model can create complex bifurcating and chaotic behavior for the generic advertising efforts, which lead to chaotic dynamics for the brand advertising and even for the whole system. The asymptotic properties of the symmetric system and the asymmetric system are also investigated, which reflect interactions between the two firms' advertising strategies and relationships between the brand and the generic advertising expenditures.

  20. 40 CFR 721.10097 - Disubstituted benzenesulfonic acid, alkali metal salt (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... chemical substance identified generically as disubstituted benzenesulfonic acid, alkali metal salt (PMN P... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Disubstituted benzenesulfonic acid, alkali metal salt (generic). 721.10097 Section 721.10097 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL...

  1. 76 FR 59379 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for Research in Development...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-09-26

    ...-XXXX. Type of Review: Generic Clearance Request. Title: Generic Clearance for Research in Development... information collected through qualitative evaluation methods will inform the disclosure form's design and... Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for Research in Development of...

  2. Interventions promoting the acceptance and uptake of generic medicines: a narrative review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Babar, Z U D; Kan, S W; Scahill, S

    2014-09-01

    The objective of this paper was to undertake a narrative review of the literature regarding strategies and interventions promoting the acceptance and uptake of generic medicines. A literature search was performed between November 2011 and January 2012 to identify published full text original research articles documenting interventions to promote the use of generic medicines. Keywords used were: "generic medicine", "generic drug", "intervention", "promotion", "acceptance", "uptake", "generic/therapeutic substitution" and their related root words. The electronic databases comprised of Embase (1980 - present), Google, Google Scholar, Medline (1948 - present), PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer Link and The Cochrane Library. An interpretative narrative synthesis was undertaken and emergent themes analysed and reported. Eighteen studies were included in the final analysis. There were seven main themes which including; education, financial incentives, advertising to promote generic medicines, free generic medicine trials, administrative forms and medicines use review (MUR). These themes were further classified into subthemes. Education was subdivided into consumer and physician education. Financial incentives included the influence of financial incentives on both consumers and physicians. The subthemes in the financial incentives category included the changes in co-payment for consumers, reward payment for physicians and fund-holding schemes. Advertising included the sub-themes of print media and the use of anthropomorphic images, while free generic medicines trial was made up of free vouchers for generic medicines and generic medicines sampling system. The studies have mixed results; some interventions in some settings were useful, while others were not. Not all interventions consistently improved the uptake of generic medicines. There was limited literature available and further work is required to develop a range of interventions to support the uptake of generic

  3. Promoting and regulating generic medicines: Brazil in comparative perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elize Massard da Fonseca

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Promoting the use of generic drugs can constitute a core instrument for countries’ national pharmaceutical policies, one that reduces drug expenditure while expanding health care access. Despite the potential importance of such policy measures and the differences among national practices, scholars embarking on comparative analysis lack a roadmap for determining which dimensions of generic drug policy to assess and compare. This report fills that gap by considering national rules and regulations across four dimensions deemed crucial to any evaluation: demonstrated therapeutic equivalence; pharmaceutical packaging and labeling; drug prescription; and drug substitution. Furthermore, this report examines how the diverse interests of public and private sector stakeholders might shape generic drug policy and its implementation. To illustrate the challenges and conflicts behind policy development and implementation, this report focuses on the case of Brazil.

  4. Savannah River Site generic data base development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blanchard, A.

    2000-01-01

    This report describes the results of a project to improve the generic component failure database for the Savannah River Site (SRS). Additionally, guidelines were developed further for more advanced applications of database values. A representative list of components and failure modes for SRS risk models was generated by reviewing existing safety analyses and component failure data bases and from suggestions from SRS safety analysts. Then sources of data or failure rate estimates were identified and reviewed for applicability. A major source of information was the Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability, or NUCLARR. This source includes an extensive collection of failure data and failure rate estimates for commercial nuclear power plants. A recent Idaho National Engineering Laboratory report on failure data from the Idaho Chemical Processing Plant was also reviewed. From these and other recent sources, failure data and failure rate estimates were collected for the components and failure modes of interest. For each component failure mode, this information was aggregated to obtain a recommended generic failure rate distribution (mean and error factor based on a lognormal distribution). Results are presented in a table in this report. A major difference between generic database and previous efforts is that this effort estimates failure rates based on actual data (failure events) rather than on existing failure rate estimates. This effort was successful in that over 75% of the results are now based on actual data. Also included is a section on guidelines for more advanced applications of failure rate data. This report describes the results of a project to improve the generic component failure database for the Savannah River site (SRS). Additionally, guidelines were developed further for more advanced applications of database values

  5. Generic Structure Potential of Christian Apologetics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Onwu Inya

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Religious texts have been examined by scholars from different theoretical standpoints. However, a close survey of the literature reveals that little attention has been paid to Christian apologetics from a linguistic perspective. Also, an examination of studies along the lines of Generic Structure Potential (henceforth GSP shows that the genre status of Christian apologetics has not been indicated. This gap provides the motivation for this paper, which investigates the GSP of Christian apologetics. Twenty texts written by various key contemporary apologetic writers were purposively selected for the study. The following generic structure potential catalogue was generated:The paper reveals that the elements of the GSP concertedly work to advance, argue for or defend the Christian belief system. The paper also suggests that the model could be applied to other forms of apologetic instances.

  6. Exploring the opinions and experiences of patients with generic substitution: a representative study of Polish society.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drozdowska, Aleksandra; Hermanowski, Tomasz

    2015-02-01

    Generics have the potential to contain drug therapy costs; successful implementation of generic substitution policy largely depends on consumers' willingness to choose generics. This study aims to analyse the opinions, experiences and preferences of Polish patients towards generic medicines. The study was performed in Poland. The survey was conducted in June 2013 by means of face-to-face interviews. Respondents were drawn from the general population according to a population structure. The study covered a representative sample of 1,000 Poles; the results can be generalized to apply to the Polish population at large. Fifty-two percent of respondents declared to be more often choosing generics, twenty-three percent did not have any specific preferences, and twenty-five percent were more willing to choose brand-name medicines. Past experience with cheaper generic medicines, secondary or lower education, low income and residence in specific regions of Poland were all significantly associated with an increased willingness to choose generics. Respondents' attitudes towards generics were mostly influenced by the opinions of doctors and pharmacists. According to respondents, attitudes towards generics among doctors, pharmacists, family and friends, and in the mass media were mostly positive. There was no relationship between the preference of respondents for generics and factors such as their age, life stage, gender, household size or urban/rural locality. As a result of substituting a brand-name drug with its generic equivalent, 72 % of respondents reported that they had not noticed any difference in drug effectiveness; 21 % had experienced a reduced effectiveness of treatment or increased side effects at least once; and 7 % claimed the generic worked better. The majority of respondents who used cheaper substitutes claimed that generics represented good or very good quality. The study demonstrates that, when choosing medicines, Poles rely mainly on the opinions of their

  7. Factors affecting the opinions of family physicians regarding generic drugs – a questionnaire based study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pawel Lewek

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available A range of factors are believed to exert a negative influence on opinions of physicians about generic drugs.The aim of this study was to survey the opinions of primary care doctors on generics, and determine the factors which may affect them. A questionnaire comprising thirty eight questions was distributed among primary care doctors working in seventy out-patient clinics of the Lodzkie province, Poland, during the period of January 1, 2010 – December 31, 2010. A total of170 of 183 participants completed the survey (average age 48.5; 70.0% women: a 92.9%response rate. While 38.8% of physicians claimed that generics were worse than brand name drugs, 54.1% considered them to be better. However, 36.5% of the doctors did not choose generics for their own use. Two key opinions were identified among the responses concerning the effectiveness of generic drugs: use of generic drugs by the physician (p<0.001, and their opinion that pharmacists do inform patients about generic drugs (p<0.05. Although existing evidence confirms that generic and brand name drugs are equally effective, many physicians doubt this, which prevents them from being used as cost effective drug therapy. In order to increase healthcare savings through the use of generics, these factors should be addressed: for example, convincing a physician to adopt generics for personal use may be an efficient way to support more cost effective treatment of his patients.

  8. 76 FR 21800 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Generic...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-18

    ... precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response... Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative... Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service...

  9. International experiences of promoting generics use and its implications to China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Jing

    2013-05-01

    To summarize international experiences in promoting use of generics and to extract essence for China's reference. This is a commentary of two systematic reviews about policies to promote use of generics and its implications to China. Price, reimbursement, and generic substitution policies in European countries, and approaches in low and middle income countries in promoting market competition, appropriate intellectual property right protection strategy, and necessary demand side incentives, are all meaningful for China to contain soaring pharmaceutical expenditures, and to maintain the achievements and outcomes of the national health system reform. Effective promotion of generics use must be practice based on the real situation. Tailor-made and comprehensive measures are needed to address both demand and supply sides barriers before achieving tangible cost containment effect without unexpected side effects. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and Chinese Cochrane Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University.

  10. Lack of efficacy during the switch from brand to generic allopurinol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Vuono, Antonio; Scicchitano, Francesca; Palleria, Caterina; Russo, Emilio; De Sarro, Giovambattista; Gallelli, Luca

    2013-07-01

    We report for the first time the lack of therapeutic effects after the switch from a brand formulation of allopurinol to a generic one. A 56-year-old man, with a 5 years history of well-treated gout arthropathy with allopurinol (Zyloric(®) 300 mg/die), developed acute gout arthropathy after the switch from the brand formulation of allopurinol to a generic one. Clinical evaluation and laboratory findings confirmed the diagnosis of acute gout arthropathy. Generic formulation of the drug was dismissed and Zyloric(®) was administered with an improvement of both clinical symptoms and laboratory findings. In conclusion, even if generic formulations are considered to have the same effects in comparison to the brand one, more data are necessaries in order to well define their effectiveness and rationale use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

  11. Perception of antiretroviral generic medicines: one-day survey of HIV-infected patients and their physicians in France.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christine Jacomet

    Full Text Available In the interest of cost effectiveness, switching antiretroviral brand name medications to generics is recommended in France since 2013. The study objective was to evaluate the perception of generics per se and antiretroviral generics in HIV-infected patients and their hospital physicians.556 out of 703 (79% adult HIV+ outpatients and 116 physicians in 33 clinics were included in a multicentric cross-sectional survey performed in September 2013. Patients completed a self-questionnaire on their perception and acceptability of generics. Physicians completed a questionnaire on their acceptability of switching antiretroviral to generic. Socio-demographic data, medical history and HIV history were collected. Among the 556 patients with a median HIV duration of 13 years, 77% were France native, 59% in active employment, 100% covered by social insurance, 95% on antiretroviral therapy. Seventy-six percent of the patients accepted generics and 55% trusted them overall. Antiretroviral generics were accepted by 44% of them but only by 17% if the pill burden was going to increase. The factor significantly associated with acceptability of antiretroviral generics was acceptance of generics per se (p<0.001. Among the 116 physicians following a median of 100 HIV-patients/year, 75% would prescribe generics, dropping to 26% if the combo had to be broken. Factors significantly associated with willingness to prescribe antiretroviral generics were the absence of concern regarding the chemical entity (OR = 0.33, being aware that the patient would accept generics for other pathologies (OR = 2.04 and would accept antiretroviral generics (OR = 1.94. No factor related to sociodemographic conditions, HIV status or comorbidities was associated with the acceptability of antiretroviral generics.Acceptability of antiretroviral generics in this French population was mostly dictated by the patient's and physician's knowledge and use of generics overall. It should be improved

  12. A new generic system for the pantropical Caesalpinia group (Leguminosae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edeline Gagnon

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The Caesalpinia group is a large pantropical clade of ca. 205 species in subfamily Caesalpinioideae (Leguminosae in which generic delimitation has been in a state of considerable flux. Here we present new phylogenetic analyses based on five plastid and one nuclear ribosomal marker, with dense taxon sampling including 172 (84% of the species and representatives of all previously described genera in the Caesalpinia group. These analyses show that the current classification of the Caesalpinia group into 21 genera needs to be revised. Several genera (Poincianella, Erythrostemon, Cenostigma and Caesalpinia sensu Lewis, 2005 are non-monophyletic and several previously unclassified Asian species segregate into clades that merit recognition at generic rank. In addition, the near-completeness of our taxon sampling identifies three species that do not belong in any of the main clades and these are recognised as new monospecific genera. A new generic classification of the Caesalpinia group is presented including a key for the identification of genera, full generic descriptions, illustrations (drawings and photo plates of all genera, and (for most genera the nomenclatural transfer of species to their correct genus. We recognise 26 genera, with reinstatement of two previously described genera (Biancaea Tod., Denisophytum R. Vig., re-delimitation and expansion of several others (Moullava, Cenostigma, Libidibia and Erythrostemon, contraction of Caesalpinia s.s. and description of four new ones (Gelrebia, Paubrasilia, Hererolandia and Hultholia, and make 75 new nomenclatural combinations in this new generic system.

  13. GenMed 010: a one day workshop on generic medicines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shankar PR

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available This report outlines the content of a one-day workshop onGeneric Medicines that was held at KIST Medical College,Lalitpur, Nepal on 13th December 2010, which was attendedby 32 delegates from different institutions in Nepal, includingpharmacists, pharmacologists and medical doctors. Rightmedicine, right patient, right dose, right frequency andduration, right information and right monitoring areconditions to be fulfilled for the rational use of medicine(RUM. The World Health Organization (WHO defines genericmedicine as ‘a pharmaceutical product, usually intended to beinterchangeable with the innovator product, marketed afterthe expiry of patent or other exclusivity rights’. Economicfactors, supportive legislation and regulation, public andprofessional acceptance and quality assurance are keyenabling factors promoting use of generics. Increased patentprotection for medicines and removing process patents is akey feature of new trade agreements and newer medicines fordiseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and infectious diseasesare likely to be more expensive. The Medicine andTherapeutics Committee (MTC can play a key role inpromoting generic medicine use in institutions.Nepal being among the Least Developed Countries (LDCsneed not provide patent protection for medicines until 31stDecember 2015. Only a few ‘true’ generics are available inNepal and there is huge cost variation in the price of differentbranded generics. Clinicians have concerns about the qualityof medicines in general, substitution of poor quality brands bypharmacists and about therapeutic substitution. Genericshave to meet the same regulatory requirements and bebioequivalent to reference preparations assuring their quality.

  14. Generic component failure data base

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eide, S.A.; Calley, M.B.

    1992-01-01

    This report discusses comprehensive component generic failure data base which has been developed for light water reactor probabilistic risk assessments. The Nuclear Computerized Library for Assessing Reactor Reliability (NUCLARR) was used to generate component failure rates. Using this approach, most of the failure rates are based on actual plant data rather then existing estimates

  15. Perception of antiretroviral generic medicines: one-day survey of HIV-infected patients and their physicians in France.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacomet, Christine; Allavena, Clotilde; Peyrol, Fleur; Pereira, Bruno; Joubert, Laurence Morand; Bagheri, Haleh; Cotte, Laurent; Garaffo, Rodolphe; Gerbaud, Laurent; Dellamonica, Pierre

    2015-01-01

    In the interest of cost effectiveness, switching antiretroviral brand name medications to generics is recommended in France since 2013. The study objective was to evaluate the perception of generics per se and antiretroviral generics in HIV-infected patients and their hospital physicians. 556 out of 703 (79%) adult HIV+ outpatients and 116 physicians in 33 clinics were included in a multicentric cross-sectional survey performed in September 2013. Patients completed a self-questionnaire on their perception and acceptability of generics. Physicians completed a questionnaire on their acceptability of switching antiretroviral to generic. Socio-demographic data, medical history and HIV history were collected. Among the 556 patients with a median HIV duration of 13 years, 77% were France native, 59% in active employment, 100% covered by social insurance, 95% on antiretroviral therapy. Seventy-six percent of the patients accepted generics and 55% trusted them overall. Antiretroviral generics were accepted by 44% of them but only by 17% if the pill burden was going to increase. The factor significantly associated with acceptability of antiretroviral generics was acceptance of generics per se (pantiretroviral generics were the absence of concern regarding the chemical entity (OR = 0.33), being aware that the patient would accept generics for other pathologies (OR = 2.04) and would accept antiretroviral generics (OR = 1.94). No factor related to sociodemographic conditions, HIV status or comorbidities was associated with the acceptability of antiretroviral generics. Acceptability of antiretroviral generics in this French population was mostly dictated by the patient's and physician's knowledge and use of generics overall. It should be improved with an efficient information of both patients and physicians.

  16. Perception of Antiretroviral Generic Medicines: One-Day Survey of HIV-Infected Patients and Their Physicians in France

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jacomet, Christine; Allavena, Clotilde; Peyrol, Fleur; Pereira, Bruno; Joubert, Laurence Morand; Bagheri, Haleh; Cotte, Laurent; Garaffo, Rodolphe; Gerbaud, Laurent; Dellamonica, Pierre

    2015-01-01

    Background In the interest of cost effectiveness, switching antiretroviral brand name medications to generics is recommended in France since 2013. The study objective was to evaluate the perception of generics per se and antiretroviral generics in HIV-infected patients and their hospital physicians Methods and Findings 556 out of 703 (79%) adult HIV+ outpatients and 116 physicians in 33 clinics were included in a multicentric cross-sectional survey performed in September 2013. Patients completed a self-questionnaire on their perception and acceptability of generics. Physicians completed a questionnaire on their acceptability of switching antiretroviral to generic. Socio-demographic data, medical history and HIV history were collected. Among the 556 patients with a median HIV duration of 13 years, 77% were France native, 59% in active employment, 100% covered by social insurance, 95% on antiretroviral therapy. Seventy-six percent of the patients accepted generics and 55% trusted them overall. Antiretroviral generics were accepted by 44% of them but only by 17% if the pill burden was going to increase. The factor significantly associated with acceptability of antiretroviral generics was acceptance of generics per se (pantiretroviral generics were the absence of concern regarding the chemical entity (OR = 0.33), being aware that the patient would accept generics for other pathologies (OR = 2.04) and would accept antiretroviral generics (OR = 1.94). No factor related to sociodemographic conditions, HIV status or comorbidities was associated with the acceptability of antiretroviral generics. Conclusions Acceptability of antiretroviral generics in this French population was mostly dictated by the patient’s and physician’s knowledge and use of generics overall. It should be improved with an efficient information of both patients and physicians. PMID:25658627

  17. Origami building blocks: Generic and special four-vertices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waitukaitis, Scott; van Hecke, Martin

    2016-02-01

    Four rigid panels connected by hinges that meet at a point form a four-vertex, the fundamental building block of origami metamaterials. Most materials designed so far are based on the same four-vertex geometry, and little is known regarding how different geometries affect folding behavior. Here we systematically categorize and analyze the geometries and resulting folding motions of Euclidean four-vertices. Comparing the relative sizes of sector angles, we identify three types of generic vertices and two accompanying subtypes. We determine which folds can fully close and the possible mountain-valley assignments. Next, we consider what occurs when sector angles or sums thereof are set equal, which results in 16 special vertex types. One of these, flat-foldable vertices, has been studied extensively, but we show that a wide variety of qualitatively different folding motions exist for the other 15 special and 3 generic types. Our work establishes a straightforward set of rules for understanding the folding motion of both generic and special four-vertices and serves as a roadmap for designing origami metamaterials.

  18. Generic safety documentation model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahn, J.A.

    1994-04-01

    This document is intended to be a resource for preparers of safety documentation for Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico facilities. It provides standardized discussions of some topics that are generic to most, if not all, Sandia/NM facilities safety documents. The material provides a ''core'' upon which to develop facility-specific safety documentation. The use of the information in this document will reduce the cost of safety document preparation and improve consistency of information

  19. On butterfly effect in higher derivative gravities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alishahiha, Mohsen [School of Physics, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM),P.O. Box 19395-5531, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Davody, Ali; Naseh, Ali; Taghavi, Seyed Farid [School of Particles and Accelerators, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM),P.O. Box 19395-5531, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2016-11-07

    We study butterfly effect in D-dimensional gravitational theories containing terms quadratic in Ricci scalar and Ricci tensor. One observes that due to higher order derivatives in the corresponding equations of motion there are two butterfly velocities. The velocities are determined by the dimension of operators whose sources are provided by the metric. The three dimensional TMG model is also studied where we get two butterfly velocities at generic point of the moduli space of parameters. At critical point two velocities coincide.

  20. On butterfly effect in higher derivative gravities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alishahiha, Mohsen; Davody, Ali; Naseh, Ali; Taghavi, Seyed Farid

    2016-01-01

    We study butterfly effect in D-dimensional gravitational theories containing terms quadratic in Ricci scalar and Ricci tensor. One observes that due to higher order derivatives in the corresponding equations of motion there are two butterfly velocities. The velocities are determined by the dimension of operators whose sources are provided by the metric. The three dimensional TMG model is also studied where we get two butterfly velocities at generic point of the moduli space of parameters. At critical point two velocities coincide.

  1. Inconsistency of Minkowski higher-derivative theories

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aglietti, Ugo G. [Universita di Roma ' ' La Sapienza' ' , Dipartimento di Fisica, Rome (Italy); Anselmi, Damiano [Universita di Pisa, Dipartimento di Fisica ' ' Enrico Fermi' ' , Pisa (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Pisa, Pisa (Italy)

    2017-02-15

    We show that Minkowski higher-derivative quantum field theories are generically inconsistent, because they generate nonlocal, non-hermitian ultraviolet divergences, which cannot be removed by means of standard renormalization procedures. By ''Minkowski theories'' we mean theories that are defined directly in Minkowski spacetime. The problems occur when the propagators have complex poles, so that the correlation functions cannot be obtained as the analytic continuations of their Euclidean versions. The usual power counting rules fail and are replaced by much weaker ones. Self-energies generate complex divergences proportional to inverse powers of D'Alembertians. Three-point functions give more involved nonlocal divergences, which couple to infrared effects. We illustrate the violations of the locality and hermiticity of counterterms in scalar models and higher-derivative gravity. (orig.)

  2. Derivation of Hamiltonians for accelerators

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Symon, K.R.

    1997-09-12

    In this report various forms of the Hamiltonian for particle motion in an accelerator will be derived. Except where noted, the treatment will apply generally to linear and circular accelerators, storage rings, and beamlines. The generic term accelerator will be used to refer to any of these devices. The author will use the usual accelerator coordinate system, which will be introduced first, along with a list of handy formulas. He then starts from the general Hamiltonian for a particle in an electromagnetic field, using the accelerator coordinate system, with time t as independent variable. He switches to a form more convenient for most purposes using the distance s along the reference orbit as independent variable. In section 2, formulas will be derived for the vector potentials that describe the various lattice components. In sections 3, 4, and 5, special forms of the Hamiltonian will be derived for transverse horizontal and vertical motion, for longitudinal motion, and for synchrobetatron coupling of horizontal and longitudinal motions. Hamiltonians will be expanded to fourth order in the variables.

  3. Development of generic soil profiles and soil data development for SSI analyses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Parker, Josh, E-mail: jparker@nuscalepower.com [NuScale Power, 1000 NE Circle Boulevard, Suite 10310, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States); Khan, Mohsin; Rajagopal, Raj [ARES Corporation, 1990N California Boulevard, Suite 500, Walnut Creek, CA 94596 (United States); Groome, John [NuScale Power, 1000 NE Circle Boulevard, Suite 10310, Corvallis, OR 97330 (United States)

    2014-04-01

    This paper presents the approach to developing generic soil profiles for the design of reactor building for small modular reactor (SMR) nuclear power plant developed by NuScale Power. The reactor building is a deeply embedded structure. In order to perform soil structure interaction (SSI) analyses, generic soil profiles are required to be defined for the standardized Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) designs for the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in a design control document (DCD). The development of generic soil profiles is based on utilization of information on generic soil profiles from the new standardized nuclear power plant designs already submitted to the NRC for license certification. Eleven generic soil profiles have been recommended, and those profiles cover a wide range of parameters such as soil depth, shear wave velocity, unit weight, Poisson's ratio, water table, and depth to rock strata. The soil profiles are developed for a range of shear wave velocities between bounds of 1000 fps and 8000 fps as inferred from NRC Standard Review Plan (NUREG 0800) Sections 3.7.1 and 3.7.2. To account for the soil degradation due to seismic events, the strain compatible soil properties are based on the EPRI generic soil degradation curves. In addition, one dimensional soil dynamic response analyses were performed to study the soil layer input motions for performing the SSI analyses.

  4. Biopharmaceutic Risk Assessment of Brand and Generic Lamotrigine Tablets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaithianathan, Soundarya; Raman, Siddarth; Jiang, Wenlei; Ting, Tricia Y; Kane, Maureen A; Polli, James E

    2015-07-06

    The therapeutic equivalence of generic and brand name antiepileptic drugs has been questioned by neurologists and the epilepsy community. A potential contributor to such concerns is pharmaceutical quality. The objective was to assess the biopharmaceutic risk of brand name Lamictal 100 mg tablets and generic lamotrigine 100 mg tablets from several manufacturers. Lamotrigine was characterized in terms of the Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS), including aqueous solubility and Caco-2 permeability. A panel of pharmaceutical quality tests was also performed on three batches of Lamictal, three batches of Teva generic, and one batch of each of four other generics: appearance, identity, assay, impurity, uniformity of dosage units, disintegration, dissolution, friability, and loss on drying. These market surveillance results indicate that all brand name and generic lamotrigine 100 mg tablets passed all tests and showed acceptable pharmaceutical quality and low biopharmaceutic risk. Lamotrigine was classified as a BCS class IIb drug, exhibiting pH-dependent aqueous solubility and dissolution. At pH 1.2 and 4.5, lamotrigine exhibited high solubility, whereas lamotrigine exhibited low solubility at pH 6.8, including non-sink dissolution. Lamotrigine showed high Caco-2 permeability. The apparent permeability (Papp) of lamotrigine was (73.7 ± 8.7) × 10(-6) cm/s in the apical-to-basolateral (AP-BL) direction and (41.4 ± 1.6) × 10(-6) cm/s in the BL-AP direction, which were higher than metoprolol's AP-BL Papp of (21.2 ± 0.9) × 10(-6) cm/s and BL-AP Papp of (34.6 ± 4.6) × 10(-6) cm/s. Overall, lamotrigine's favorable biopharmaceutics from a drug substance perspective and favorable quality characteristics from a tablet formulation perspective suggest that multisource lamotrigine tablets exhibit a low biopharmaceutic risk.

  5. Generic patch inference

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Jesper; Lawall, Julia

    2010-01-01

    A key issue in maintaining Linux device drivers is the need to keep them up to date with respect to evolutions in Linux internal libraries. Currently, there is little tool support for performing and documenting such changes. In this paper we present a tool, spdiff, that identifies common changes...... developers can use it to extract an abstract representation of the set of changes that others have made. Our experiments on recent changes in Linux show that the inferred generic patches are more concise than the corresponding patches found in commits to the Linux source tree while being safe with respect...

  6. Climate Change: Generic Implications for Agriculture

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Climate Change: Generic Implications for Agriculture. Increasing carbon dioxide: Good for most crops. Increase in mean temperature: orter ... Increasing rainfall intensity and dry days- more floods and droughts: Higher production variability. Himalayan glaciers to recede: irrigation in IGP gradually becomes less dependable ...

  7. Implementation of IEC Generic Model Type 1 Wind Turbine Generators using RTDS

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cha, Seung-Tae; Wu, Qiuwei; Zhao, Haoran

    With the ever increasing penetration of the wind power generation, transmission system operators (TSOs) and distribution system operators (DSOs) are demanding an accurate dynamic wind turbine generator (WTG) models for power system stability studies. However, the confidential requirements from wind...... are useful tools to evaluate the impact of the wind power on the power system stability. Thus, a strong stimulus exists for the development of a generic dynamic model in order to further investigate the dynamic response of WTG under grid disturbances. This paper presents the implementation of the IEC generic...... turbine manufacturers prevent the academia and researchers from working on a real or/and manufacturer specific models. A generic WTG model is of great interest that does not contain the confidential information meanwhile represents the manufacturer specific models. These generic dynamic simulation models...

  8. Knowledge, attitudes and practices of community pharmacists on generic medicines in Palestine: a cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shraim, Naser Y; Al Taha, Tasneem A; Qawasmeh, Rawan F; Jarrar, Hiba N; Shtaya, Maram A N; Shayeb, Lama A; Sweileh, Waleed M

    2017-12-28

    Generic substitution in several countries has become a common practice. Besides, it is considered as a major cost minimizing strategy meant to contain pharmaceutical expenditure without compromising healthcare quality. However, the safety and quality issues of generic products are of top concerns of general practitioners and health work professionals. This study aimed to investigate community pharmacist's knowledge, attitudes and practices toward generic medicines in Palestine. This study was a cross-sectional observational study employing a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire was of four main sections: demographic and practice details of the participants, knowledge, attitudes and the influencing factors related to selection and dispensing of generic medicines. A convenience sampling technique was implemented in this study in which the data collection form was distributed in West Bank- Palestine among a set of practicing pharmacists. Mann-Whitney-U or Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to comparison of different issues as appropriate. P-values of marketing approval of generics, while 87.4% of participants agreed that they should be given the right to substitute generics and the majority (62.3%) support generic substitution for brand name drugs in all cases when a generic is available The main two factors affect pharmacists' selection and dispensing of generic medicines are personal faith in the product (86.1%) and cost effectiveness of generic medicines (84.1%). Generic medicines substitution among pharmacists is widespread and prevalent. Our data found that participant pharmacists in Palestine had basic knowledge with regards to generic medicine. However, their knowledge score pertaining the technical and regulatory aspects of bioequivalence and pharmacokinetic parameters in particular was insufficient.

  9. Patient knowledge, perceptions, and acceptance of generic medicines: a comprehensive review of the current literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alrasheedy AA

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Alian A Alrasheedy,1 Mohamed Azmi Hassali,1 Kay Stewart,2 David CM Kong,2 Hisham Aljadhey,3 Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim,4 Saleh Karamah Al-Tamimi1 1Discipline of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia; 2Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; 3Medication Safety Research Chair, Clinical Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 4College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar Background: Generic medicines have the same quality, safety, and efficacy as their counterpart original brand medicines. Generic medicines provide the same therapeutic outcomes but at a much cheaper cost, so are promoted in many countries to contain pharmaceutical expenditure and sustain the health care system. Thus, the perspective of patients and medicine consumers as end users of these medicines is an important factor to enhance the use and utilization of generic medicines. The objective of this paper is to review patients’ and consumers’ knowledge, perceptions, acceptance, and views of generic medicines in the current literature. Methods: An extensive literature search was performed in several databases, namely Scopus, PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, Proquest, and the Wiley online library, to identify relevant studies published in the English literature for the period 1990–2013. Results: A total of 53 studies were included in the review, comprising 24 studies from Europe, ten from North America, six from Asia, five from Australia and New Zealand, five from the Middle East, one from Africa, one from Latin America, and one from the Caribbean region. A large body of literature has reported misconceptions and negative perceptions about generic medicines on the part of patients and medicine consumers. Moreover, although it is reported in almost all countries, the percentage of consumers who had

  10. Development and application of non-invasive biomarkers for carcinogen-DNA adduct analysis in occupationally exposed populations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Talaska, G; Cudnik, J; Jaeger, M; Rothman, N; Hayes, R; Bhatnagar, V J; Kayshup, S J

    1996-07-17

    Biological monitoring of exposures to carcinogenic compounds in the workplace can be a valuable adjunct to environmental sampling and occupational medicine. Carcinogen-DNA adduct analysis has promise as a biomarker of effective dose if target organ samples can be obtained non-invasively. We have developed non-invasive techniques using exfoliated urothelial and bronchial cells collected in urine and sputum, respectively. First morning urine samples were collected from 33 workers exposed to benzidine or benzidine-based dyes and controls matched for age, education, and smoking status. Sufficient DNA for 32P-postlabelling analysis was obtained from every sample. Mean levels of a specific DNA adduct (which co-chromatographed with standard characterized by MS) were elevated significantly in the benzidine-exposed workers relative to controls. In addition, workers exposed to benzidine had higher adduct levels than those exposed to benzidine-based dyes. This study demonstrates the usefulness of these non-invasive techniques for exposure/effect assessment. To be useful in occupational studies, biomarkers must also be sensitive to exposure interventions. We have conducted topical application studies of used gasoline engine oils in mice and found that the levels of carcinogen-DNA adducts in skin and lung can be significantly lowered if skin cleaning is conducted in a timely manner. The combination of useful, non-invasive techniques to monitor exposure and effect and industrial hygiene interventions can be used to detect and prevent exposures to a wide range of carcinogens including those found in used gasoline engine oils and jet exhausts.

  11. A proposal for generic competence assessment in a serious game

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María José Bezanilla

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper focuses on the design of a serious game for the teaching and assessment of generic competences, placing particular emphasis on the competences assessment aspect. Taking into account important aspects of competence assessment such as context, feedback and transparency, among other aspects, and using the University of Deusto's Generic Competences Assessment Model based on the defining of levels, indicators and descriptors as a reference point, a serious game has been designed for the development and evaluation of two Generic Competences: Problem Solving and Entrepreneurship, aimed at final-year undergraduate and first-year postgraduate students. The design process shows that having a Competence Assessment Model based on levels, indicators and descriptors is of great help in defining the game's scenarios and learning and assessment activities. Serious games can also be excellent resources to help in the development and assessment of generic competences, but not as a unique tool, since the concept of competence in itself is highly complex (integrating knowledge, skills, attitudes and values and some elements might require other methods and techniques for its development. It also reveals the difficulties of evaluating competences in general and through serious games in particular.

  12. 40 CFR 721.5452 - Alkali metal salt of halogenated organoborate (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Alkali metal salt of halogenated... Specific Chemical Substances § 721.5452 Alkali metal salt of halogenated organoborate (generic). (a... generically as alkali metal salt of halogenated organoborate (PMN P-00-0638) is subject to reporting under...

  13. Determination of phosphorus in ortho-phorsphoric acid with high specific radioactivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuravlev, A.A.; Bigeliene, T.A.

    1983-01-01

    An advanced photocolorimetric method of phosphorus determination (g/ml) in the preparation of orthophosphoric acid labelled by carrier-free phosphorus-32 based on the qualitative reaction, is suggested. In the reaction, ammonium molybdate produces stable dying with phosphates in the presence of bensidine, i.e. oxidation-reduction process between phosphorus-molybdenum acid and benzidine, in the result of which products of molybdenum reduction and benzidine oxidation appear

  14. Generic drugs: myths, facts, and limitations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Marzo

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Bioequivalence (BE has always been an important pharmaceutical area, particularly (but not solely in Mediterranean region, where the use of generic drugs is a relatively recent development. The lack of new therapeutic molecules has concentrated primary research in the hands of a few large pharmaceutical companies. For smaller companies, this has created opportunities for the development of new formulations of existing drugs (orodispersible tablets that dissolve in the mouth, extended-release tablets, transdermal delivery systems, generic drugs. These applications take advantage of the Abridged New Drug Application (ANDA procedure, which exempts them from a series of expensive investigations and limits the requirement for clinical testing to bioequivalence trials. Since 1991, bioequivalence trials have been regulated by US Food and Drug Administration (FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA guidelines that provide precise indications on the most specific procedures to be adopted. In spite of these guidelines, however, some aspects of the process have not been fully defined, the most important of which regards the management of endogenous substances. Additional problems are how to manage bioequivalence protocols with drugs that have long half-lives and those whose clearance is characterized by high intrinsic variability. The view that bioequivalence data would be more reliable if they were based on studies in target populations is a myth to be discredited. The present paper reviews issues relative to pharmacokinetics (PK, bioavailability (BA, and bioequivalence, also from an historical viewpoint, and includes a stimulating “questions and answers” section on some key aspects of the bioequivalence of generic drugs.

  15. Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Technology: A Powerful, Generic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Molecularly Imprinted Polymer Technology: A Powerful, Generic, Facile and Cost Effective Alternative for Enantio-recognition and Separation: A Glance at Advances and Applications. ... Tanzania Journal of Science. Journal Home · ABOUT ...

  16. Impacts of Generic Competition and Benefit Management...

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — According to findings reported in Impacts of Generic Competition and Benefit Management Practices on Spending for Prescription Drugs - Evidence from Medicares Part D...

  17. Building generic anatomical models using virtual model cutting and iterative registration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hallgrímsson Benedikt

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Using 3D generic models to statistically analyze trends in biological structure changes is an important tool in morphometrics research. Therefore, 3D generic models built for a range of populations are in high demand. However, due to the complexity of biological structures and the limited views of them that medical images can offer, it is still an exceptionally difficult task to quickly and accurately create 3D generic models (a model is a 3D graphical representation of a biological structure based on medical image stacks (a stack is an ordered collection of 2D images. We show that the creation of a generic model that captures spatial information exploitable in statistical analyses is facilitated by coupling our generalized segmentation method to existing automatic image registration algorithms. Methods The method of creating generic 3D models consists of the following processing steps: (i scanning subjects to obtain image stacks; (ii creating individual 3D models from the stacks; (iii interactively extracting sub-volume by cutting each model to generate the sub-model of interest; (iv creating image stacks that contain only the information pertaining to the sub-models; (v iteratively registering the corresponding new 2D image stacks; (vi averaging the newly created sub-models based on intensity to produce the generic model from all the individual sub-models. Results After several registration procedures are applied to the image stacks, we can create averaged image stacks with sharp boundaries. The averaged 3D model created from those image stacks is very close to the average representation of the population. The image registration time varies depending on the image size and the desired accuracy of the registration. Both volumetric data and surface model for the generic 3D model are created at the final step. Conclusions Our method is very flexible and easy to use such that anyone can use image stacks to create models and

  18. Intermediates and Generic Convergence to Equilibria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marcondes de Freitas, Michael; Wiuf, Carsten; Feliu, Elisenda

    2017-01-01

    Known graphical conditions for the generic and global convergence to equilibria of the dynamical system arising from a reaction network are shown to be invariant under the so-called successive removal of intermediates, a systematic procedure to simplify the network, making the graphical conditions...

  19. Licensing of Generic Medicines: Are There Any Challenges Left? A Pharmaceutical Regulatory Perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borg, John Joseph; Tomasi, Paolo; Pani, Luca; Aislaitner, George; Pirozynski, Michal; Leufkens, Hubert; Melchiorri, Daniela

    2014-01-01

    When an innovative product (innovator) is not covered anymore by intellectual property rights, cheaper equivalent medicinal products (generic products) may be marketed and used in clinical practice. The regulation of generic products is well-established, and is primarily based on standard rules for quality, therapeutic equivalence requirements (the latter in most instances proven through a bioequivalence study), and safety data for the innovator. The extensive experience from bringing generic products to the market over the last decades allows the conclusion that they are well-accepted and provide a useful alternative option for cost-effective pharmacotherapy. While supporting this conclusion, there are a number of issues to be considered during the assessment of a generic product application. Six scenarios are described in total, from an efficacy and a safety perspective, where potential concerns with the current regulatory standards could arise in the approval of generic products. We also propose solutions to these scenarios in order to foster debate on these issues.

  20. Is There Evidence to Support Brand to Generic Interchange of the Mycophenolic Acid Products?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Karen; Reddy, Prabashni; Gabardi, Steven

    2017-02-01

    The uptake of generic immunosuppressants lags comparatively to other drug classes, despite that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses identical bioequivalence standards for all drugs. Transplant societies acknowledge the cost savings associated with generic immunosuppressants and support their use following heart, lung, kidney, or bone marrow transplantation. Seven studies of the pharmacokinetics or clinical efficacy of generic mycophenolate mofetil compared to the innovator product are published; all studies and products were ex-United States. Three studies did not demonstrate any pharmacokinetic differences between generic and innovator products in healthy subjects, achieving FDA bioequivalence requirements. Two studies in renal allograft recipients demonstrated no difference in area under the curves between generic and innovator products, and in one, the maximum concentration (Cmax) fell outside the FDA regulatory range. Two studies revealed no difference in acute organ rejection or graft function in renal allograft recipients. Patient surveys indicate that cost is a barrier to immunosuppressant adherence. Generics present a viable method to reduce costs to payers, patients, and health care systems. Adherence to immunosuppressants is crucial to prevent graft failure. An affordable regimen potentially confers greater adherence. Concerns regarding the presumed inferiority of generic immunosuppressants should be assuaged by regulatory requirements for bioequivalency testing, transplant society position statements, and pharmacokinetic and clinical studies.

  1. HIV/AIDS drugs for Sub-Saharan Africa: how do brand and generic supply compare?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Colleen V Chien

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Significant quantities of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs to treat HIV/AIDS have been procured for Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in their 20-year history. This presents a novel opportunity to empirically study the roles of brand and generic suppliers in providing access to ARVs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: An observational study of brand and generic supply based on a dataset of 2,162 orders of AIDS drugs for Sub-Saharan Africa reported to the Global Price Reporting Mechanism at the World Health Organization from January 2004-March 2006 was performed. Generic companies supplied 63% of the drugs studied, at prices that were on average about a third of the prices charged by brand companies. 96% of the procurement was of first line drugs, which were provided mostly by generic firms, while the remaining 4%, of second line drugs, was sourced primarily from brand companies. 85% of the generic drugs in the sample were manufactured in India, where the majority of the drugs procured were ineligible for patent protection. The remaining 15% was manufactured in South Africa, mostly under voluntary licenses provided by brand companies to a single generic company. In Sub-Saharan African countries, four first line drugs in the dataset were widely patented, however no general deterrent to generic purchasing based on a patent was detected. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Generic and brand companies have played distinct roles in increasing the availability of ARVs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Generic companies provided most of the drugs studied, at prices below those charged by brand companies, and until now, almost exclusively supplied several fixed-dose combination drugs. Brand companies have supplied almost all second line drugs, signed voluntary licenses with generic companies, and are not strictly enforcing patents in certain countries. Further investigation into how price reductions in second line drugs can be achieved and the cheapest drugs can

  2. Derivatives, forms and vector fields on the κ-deformed Euclidean space

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dimitrijevic, Marija; Moeller, Lutz; Tsouchnika, Efrossini

    2004-01-01

    The model of κ-deformed space is an interesting example of a noncommutative space, since it allows a deformed symmetry. In this paper, we present new results concerning different sets of derivatives on the coordinate algebra of κ-deformed Euclidean space. We introduce a differential calculus with two interesting sets of one-forms and higher-order forms. The transformation law of vector fields is constructed in accordance with the transformation behaviour of derivatives. The crucial property of the different derivatives, forms and vector fields is that in an n-dimensional spacetime there are always n of them. This is the key difference with respect to conventional approaches, in which the differential calculus is (n + 1)-dimensional. This work shows that derivative-valued quantities such as derivative-valued vector fields appear in a generic way on noncommutative spaces

  3. Comparison of Compounded, Generic, and Innovator-Formulated Itraconazole in Dogs and Cats.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renschler, Janelle; Albers, Amanda; Sinclair-Mackling, Hanna; Wheat, Lawrence Joseph

    2018-05-14

    The triazole antifungal itraconazole may be cost prohibitive in brand name form; therefore, compounded and generic products are often used as alternatives. Itraconazole blood concentrations have not been studied in clinical patients receiving these formulations. Itraconazole bioassay was performed on serum/plasma from 95 dogs and 20 cats receiving itraconazole (compounded from bulk powder, generic pelletized, or brand name) for systemic mycosis treatment. Mean itraconazole concentration was lower in the compounded group (n = 42) as compared with the generic (n = 40) or brand name (n = 33) groups (0.5 µg/mL versus 8.3 µg/mL and 6.5 µg/mL, respectively; P 10 µg/mL; 37.5 and 24%, respectively). Compounded itraconazole should be avoided, but generic itraconazole appears to serve as a reasonable alternative to brand name itraconazole. Therapeutic drug monitoring may be beneficial in all cases.

  4. Generic programming for deterministic neutron transport codes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Plagne, L.; Poncot, A.

    2005-01-01

    This paper discusses the implementation of neutron transport codes via generic programming techniques. Two different Boltzmann equation approximations have been implemented, namely the Sn and SPn methods. This implementation experiment shows that generic programming allows us to improve maintainability and readability of source codes with no performance penalties compared to classical approaches. In the present implementation, matrices and vectors as well as linear algebra algorithms are treated separately from the rest of source code and gathered in a tool library called 'Generic Linear Algebra Solver System' (GLASS). Such a code architecture, based on a linear algebra library, allows us to separate the three different scientific fields involved in transport codes design: numerical analysis, reactor physics and computer science. Our library handles matrices with optional storage policies and thus applies both to Sn code, where the matrix elements are computed on the fly, and to SPn code where stored matrices are used. Thus, using GLASS allows us to share a large fraction of source code between Sn and SPn implementations. Moreover, the GLASS high level of abstraction allows the writing of numerical algorithms in a form which is very close to their textbook descriptions. Hence the GLASS algorithms collection, disconnected from computer science considerations (e.g. storage policy), is very easy to read, to maintain and to extend. (authors)

  5. Generic Advertising Optimum Budget for Iran’s Milk Industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Shahbazi

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction One of the main targets of planners, decision makers and governments is increasing society health with promotion and production of suitable and healthy food. One of the basic commodities that have important role in satisfaction of required human food is milk. So, some part of government and producer healthy budget allocate to milk consumption promotion by using generic advertising. If effectiveness of advertising budget on profitability is more, producer will have more willing to spend for advertising. Determination of optimal generic advertising budget is one of important problem in managerial decision making in producing firm as well as increase in consumption and profit and decrease in wasting and non-optimality of budget. Materials and Methods: In this study, optimal generic advertising budget intensity index (advertising budget share of production cost was estimated under two different scenarios by using equilibrium replacement model. In equilibrium replacement model, producer surplus are maximized in respect to generic advertising in retail level. According to market where two levels of farm and processing before retail exist and there is trade in farm and retail level, we present different models. Fixed and variable proportion hypothesis is another one. Finally, eight relations are presented for determination of milk generic advertising optimum budget. So, we use data from several resources such as previous studies, national (Iran Static center and international institute (Fao formal data and own estimation. Because there are several estimations in previous studies, we identify some scenarios (in two general scenarios for calculation of milk generic advertising optimum budget. Results and Discussion: Estimation of milk generic advertising optimum budget in scenario 1 shows that in case of one market level, fixed supplies and no trade, optimum budget is 0.4672539 percent. In case of one market level and no trade, optimum

  6. Generic Principles for Resolving Intergroup Conflict.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fisher, Ronald J.

    1994-01-01

    Provides an initial statement of generic principles deemed effective for addressing protracted social conflicts between identity groups. These principles are compatible with certain values for societal organization and approaches to social change, raising questions of value differences between intervenors and the host culture(s). Three case…

  7. 77 FR 36568 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request: Generic Customer Satisfaction Surveys

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-19

    ... Collection; Comment Request: Generic Customer Satisfaction Surveys AGENCY: Office of the Chief Information.... This Notice also lists the following information: Title of Proposal: Generic--Customer Satisfaction... to gather this data directly from our customers. HUD will conduct various customer satisfaction...

  8. Might generic OCs create contraceptive price war?

    Science.gov (United States)

    1987-02-01

    Genora 1/35 and 1/50, the 1st generic oral contraceptives (OCs) in the world, are now being marketed in the US. Clinicians interviewed by "Contraceptive Technology Update" (CTU) offer differing opinions as to what this new OC may mean in the marketplace. Products of Rugby Laboratories, the pills are copy products of Ortho Pharmaceutical's ON 1/35 and ON 1/50 formulations. Most clinicians believe that Genora's success or failure in the OC market depends on its eventual retail price. The price difference of $3-$4 may be sufficiently substantial for retailers to charge less for the generic OCs. If that is the case, many doctors may prescribe a pill which will save their patients $4/month. Dr. Mildred Hanson, a Minneapolis gynecologist/obstetrician, feels any cost savings from Genora will have a significant impact on the OC market. She suggests that the less expensive OCs will catch the attention of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and the business of women who participate in such health plans. Yet James Burns, director of family planning services for the Hartford City Health Department, thinks that even a full-scale retail price war won't have much effect from a clinic standpoint. He reports that clinics are able to obtain contraceptive supplies rather inexpensively through the contracting system. Hanson also expressed doubt over the potential popularity of Genora 1/50 as clinical concerns about the effects of combined OCs on serum lipid levels and carbohydrate metabolism have resulted in a nationwide push toward OCs containing less than 50 micrograms of estrogen. He indicated concern that declines in pharmaceutical house products from pricing competition with generic pills might have a negative impact on contraceptive research and development. Dick Haskitt, director of business planning for Syntex Laboratories, Inc., who will produce the OCs for Rugby, reports that their market research shows that people are very interested in having a generic OC available

  9. Prioritization of generic safety issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emrit, R.; Minners, W.; VanderMolen, H.

    1983-12-01

    This report presents the priority rankings for generic safety issues related to nuclear power plants. The purpose of these rankings is to assist in the timely and efficient allocation of NRC resources for the resolution of those safety issues that have a significant potential for reducing risk. The report focuses on the prioritization of generic safety issues. Issues primarily concerned with the licensing process or environmental protection and not directly related to safety have been excluded from prioritization. The prioritized issues include: TMI Action Plan items under development; previously proposed issues covered by Task Action Plans, except issues designated at Unresolved Safety Issues (USIs) which had already been assigned high priority; and newly-proposed issues. Future supplements to this report will include the prioritization of additional issues. The safety priority rankings are HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, and DROP and have been assigned on the basis of risk significance estimates, the ratio of risk to costs and other impacts estimated to result if resolutions of the safety issues were implemented, and the consideration of uncertainties and other quantitative or qualitative factors. To the extent practical, estimates are quantitative

  10. Generic communications index: User's manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dean, R.S.; Steinbrecher, D.H.; Hennick, A.

    1987-12-01

    This report is a manual for providing information required to use a special computer program developed by the NRC for indexing generic communications. The program is written in a user-friendly menu driven form using dBASE III programming language. It facilitates use of the required dBASE III search and sort capabilities to access records in a database called Generic Communications Index. This index is made up of one record each for all bulletins, circulars, and information notices, including revisions and supplements, from 1971, when such documentation started, through 1986 (or to the latest update). The program is designed for use by anyone modestly acquainted with the general use of IBM-compatible personal computers. The manual contains both a brief overview and a detailed description of the program, as well as detailed instructions for getting started using the program on a personal computer with either a two-floppy disk or a hard disk system. Included at the end are a brief description of how to handle problems which might occur, and notes on the makeup of the program and database files for help in adding records of communications for future years

  11. High Generic Drug Prices and Market Competition: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dave, Chintan V; Kesselheim, Aaron S; Fox, Erin R; Qiu, Peihua; Hartzema, Abraham

    2017-08-01

    Prices for some generic drugs have increased in recent years, adversely affecting patients who rely on them. To determine the association between market competition levels and the change in generic drug prices in the United States. Retrospective cohort study. Prescription claims from commercial health plans between 2008 and 2013. The 5.5 years of data were divided into 11 study periods of 6 months each. The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI)-calculated by summing the squares of individual manufacturers' market shares, with higher values indicating a less competitive market-and average drug prices were estimated for the generic drugs in each period. The HHI value estimated in the baseline period (first half of 2008) was modeled as a fixed covariate. Models estimated price changes over time by level of competition, adjusting for drug shortages, market size, and dosage forms. From 1.08 billion prescription claims, a cohort of 1120 generic drugs was identified. After adjustment, drugs with quadropoly (HHI value of 2500, indicating relatively high levels of competition), duopoly (HHI value of 5000), near-monopoly (HHI value of 8000), and monopoly (HHI value of 10 000) levels of baseline competition were associated with price changes of -31.7% (95% CI, -34.4% to -28.9%), -11.8% (CI, -18.6% to -4.4%), 20.1% (CI, 5.5% to 36.6%), and 47.4% (CI, 25.4% to 73.2%), respectively, over the study period. Study findings may not be generalizable to drugs that became generic after 2008. Market competition levels were associated with a change in generic drug prices. Such measurements may be helpful in identifying older prescription drugs at higher risk for price change in the future. None.

  12. Individual Differences in Children's and Parents' Generic Language

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gelman, Susan A.; Ware, Elizabeth A.; Kleinberg, Felicia; Manczak, Erika M.; Stilwell, Sarah M.

    2014-01-01

    Generics ("'Dogs' bark") convey important information about categories and facilitate children's learning. Two studies with parents and their 2- or 4-year-old children (N = 104 dyads) examined whether individual differences in generic language use are as follows: (a) stable over time, contexts, and domains, and (b) linked…

  13. Sorption data bases for generic Swiss argillaceous rock systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bradbury, M. H.; Baeyens, B.; Thoenen, T.

    2010-09-01

    In Switzerland the site selection procedure for both high level waste (HLW) and low and intermediate level waste (L/ILW) repositories is specified by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy in the Sectoral Plan for Deep Geological Repositories. In the forthcoming stage 2 of this plan, potential sites will be identified within regions previously selected based on the presence of suitable host rocks, namely Opalinus Clay, 'Brauner Dogger', Effingen Member and Helvetic Marl. Preliminary safety analyses are an integral part of this procedure, and require, amongst other information, the radionuclide sorption properties of the host rock. This report describes a methodology to develop a Generic Rock Sorption Data Base (GR-SDB) for argillaceous rocks. The method will be used to compile specific SDBs for the above mentioned host rocks. Arguments are presented that the main factor influencing sorption on argillaceous rocks is the phyllosilicate mineral content. These minerals are particularly effective at binding metals to their surfaces by cation exchange and surface complexation. Generally, the magnitude of sorption is directly correlated with the phyllosilicate content (2:1 type clays: illite/smectite/illitesmectite mixed layers), and this parameter best reflects the sorption potential of a given mineral assembly. Consequently, sorption measurements on illite were preferably used as source data for the GR-SDB. The second component influencing radionuclide sorption is the porewater chemistry. In the present report, generic water compositions were extracted from the analytical ranges of deep ground waters in various sedimentary formations in Switzerland. In order to cover the range of ionic strength (I) and pH values of Swiss ground waters in argillaceous rocks, five types of generic water compositions were defined, combining low, intermediate and high values of ionic strength and pH. The GR-SDB for in situ conditions was derived using conversion factors (CF). As the name

  14. 40 CFR 721.10153 - Modified methyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate polymer (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ...-hydroxyethyl methacrylate polymer (generic). 721.10153 Section 721.10153 Protection of Environment...-hydroxyethyl methacrylate polymer (generic). (a) Chemical substance and significant new uses subject to... methacrylate polymer (PMN P-08-6) is subject to reporting under this section for the significant new uses...

  15. Relevance of variation in use of terminology to define generic pharmaceutical products

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elize Massard da Fonseca

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The World Health Organization (WHO promotes the use of generic drug policies to foster competition in the pharmaceutical sector, reduce drug prices, and increase access to therapeutic drugs. However, little is known about how countries implement these policies. This article describes different terminology adopted by national regulatory authorities to define generic versus proprietary drug products in developing countries, including those in Latin America, and challenges that arise in their application of WHO guidelines, such as labeling issues. The author concludes that variation in generics terminology in these countries is a result of institutional context (i.e., the public sector setting as well as the body of laws and regulations that exists in the country and policy legacies, such as intellectual property regimes, and highlights the need for further analysis of pharmaceutical regulations to improve understanding of the barriers and political implications of generic drug policies.

  16. Relevance of variation in use of terminology to define generic pharmaceutical products.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fonseca, Elize Massard da

    2015-02-01

    The World Health Organization (WHO) promotes the use of generic drug policies to foster competition in the pharmaceutical sector, reduce drug prices, and increase access to therapeutic drugs. However, little is known about how countries implement these policies. This article describes different terminology adopted by national regulatory authorities to define generic versus proprietary drug products in developing countries, including those in Latin America, and challenges that arise in their application of WHO guidelines, such as labeling issues. The author concludes that variation in generics terminology in these countries is a result of institutional context (i.e., the public sector setting as well as the body of laws and regulations that exists in the country) and policy legacies, such as intellectual property regimes, and highlights the need for further analysis of pharmaceutical regulations to improve understanding of the barriers and political implications of generic drug policies.

  17. A generic access to shot-based data for European Tokamaks

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Signoret, J.; Imbeaux, F. [Association EURATOM-CEA, CEA / DSM / Institut de Recherche sur la Fusion par confinement Magnetique, CEA-Cadarache, 13 - ST-Paul-Lez-Durance (France)

    2009-07-01

    The EFDA Integrated Tokamak Modeling Task Force has defined a data structure offering a generic representation of the properties of physics problems and tokamak subsystem characteristics. It gathers the hardware description, modeling results and data measured during experiments, structured in terms of Consistent Physical Objects (CPOs). A generic tool has been developed to retrieve shot-based data from the various European tokamak databases: Exp2ITM. A tokamak specific XML 'mapping file' is used to map the local data formats to the ITM (Integrated Tokamak Modeling) data format. Exp2ITM is then dynamically generated from the ITM data structure and uses generic procedures to import the shot-based data. Successful tests show we have managed to import into the ITM DB experimental data from Jet and Tore-Supra. This document is a poster. (authors)

  18. Generic two-qubit photonic gates implemented by number-resolving photodetection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uskov, Dmitry B.; Smith, A. Matthew; Kaplan, Lev

    2010-01-01

    We combine numerical optimization techniques [Uskov et al., Phys. Rev. A 79, 042326 (2009)] with symmetries of the Weyl chamber to obtain optimal implementations of generic linear-optical Knill-Laflamme-Milburn-type two-qubit entangling gates. We find that while any two-qubit controlled-U gate, including controlled-NOT (CNOT) and controlled-sign gates, can be implemented using only two ancilla resources with a success probability S>0.05, a generic SU(4) operation requires three unentangled ancilla photons, with success S>0.0063. Specifically, we obtain a maximal success probability close to 0.0072 for the B gate. We show that single-shot implementation of a generic SU(4) gate offers more than an order of magnitude increase in the success probability and a two-fold reduction in overhead ancilla resources compared to standard triple-CNOT and double-B gate decompositions.

  19. The global biopharma industry and the rise of Indian drug multinationals: implications for Australian generics policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Löfgren, Hans

    2007-06-01

    This article provides a synopsis of the new dynamics of the global biopharma industry. The emergence of global generics companies with capabilities approximating those of 'big pharma' has accelerated the blurring of boundaries between the innovator and generics sectors. Biotechnology-based products form a large and growing segment of prescription drug markets and regulatory pathways for biogenerics are imminent. Indian biopharma multinationals with large-scale efficient manufacturing plants and growing R&D capabilities are now major suppliers of Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) and generic drugs across both developed and developing countries. In response to generic competition, innovator companies employ a range of life cycle management techniques, including the launch of 'authorised generics'. The generics segment in Australia will see high growth rates in coming years but the prospect for local manufacturing is bleak. The availability of cheap generics in international markets has put pressure on Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) pricing arrangements, and a new policy direction was announced in November 2006. Lower generics prices will have a negative impact on some incumbent suppliers but industrial renewal policies for the medicines industry in Australia are better focused on higher value R&D activities and niche manufacturing of sophisticated products.

  20. Has the increase in the availability of generic drugs lowered the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Comparison of price ratios between the originator drug, lowest priced generic and international reference price values revealed that the originator drug prices had a median price ratio of 20.99 (interquartile range 7.31e53.46) and the lowest priced generics had a median price ratio of 4.28 (interquartile range 2.10e8.47).

  1. Generic versus brand-name drugs used in cardiovascular diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manzoli, Lamberto; Flacco, Maria Elena; Boccia, Stefania; D'Andrea, Elvira; Panic, Nikola; Marzuillo, Carolina; Siliquini, Roberta; Ricciardi, Walter; Villari, Paolo; Ioannidis, John P A

    2016-04-01

    This meta-analysis aimed to compare the efficacy and adverse events, either serious or mild/moderate, of all generic versus brand-name cardiovascular medicines. We searched randomized trials in MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trial Register, and ClinicalTrials.gov (last update December 1, 2014). Attempts were made to contact the investigators of all potentially eligible trials. Two investigators independently extracted and analyzed soft (including systolic blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and others) and hard efficacy outcomes (including major cardiovascular adverse events and death), minor/moderate and serious adverse events. We included 74 randomized trials; 53 reported ≥1 efficacy outcome (overall sample 3051), 32 measured mild/moderate adverse events (n = 2407), and 51 evaluated serious adverse events (n = 2892). We included trials assessing ACE inhibitors (n = 12), anticoagulants (n = 5), antiplatelet agents (n = 17), beta-blockers (n = 11), calcium channel blockers (n = 7); diuretics (n = 13); statins (n = 6); and others (n = 3). For both soft and hard efficacy outcomes, 100 % of the trials showed non-significant differences between generic and brand-name drugs. The aggregate effect size was 0.01 (95 % CI -0.05; 0.08) for soft outcomes; -0.06 (-0.71; 0.59) for hard outcomes. All but two trials showed non-significant differences in mild/moderate adverse events, and aggregate effect size was 0.07 (-0.06; 0.20). Comparable results were observed for each drug class and in each stratified meta-analysis. Overall, 8 serious possibly drug-related adverse events were reported: 5/2074 subjects on generics; 3/2076 subjects on brand-name drugs (OR 1.69; 95 % CI 0.40-7.20). This meta-analysis strengthens the evidence for clinical equivalence between brand-name and generic cardiovascular drugs. Physicians could be reassured about prescribing generic cardiovascular drugs, and health care organization about endorsing their wider

  2. Dynamic competition in pharmaceuticals. Patent expiry, generic penetration, and industry structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magazzini, Laura; Pammolli, Fabio; Riccaboni, Massimo

    2004-06-01

    This paper investigates patterns of industrial dynamics and competition in the pharmaceutical industry, with particular reference to the consequences of patent expiry in different countries. We focus on the competition at the level of single chemical entities, distinguishing between original brands and generic products. Quarterly data, spanning from July 1987 to December 1998, on sales of pharmaceutical products in four countries (USA, UK, Germany, and France) constitute the basis of our analysis. All the products containing major molecules whose patent expiration date lies between 1986 and 1996 are included in our sample. We show how diffusion of generics is linked to the characteristics of the market and investigate how price dynamics of original products are affected by generic competition. Our empirical investigation shows that the dynamics of drug prices and the competition by generic drugs vary significantly across countries. This heterogeneity notwithstanding, a clear distinction seems to emerge. On the one hand, systems that rely on market-based competition in pharmaceuticals promote a clear distinction between firms that act as innovators and firms that act as imitators after patent expiry. Here, original products enjoy premium prices and exclusivity profits under patent protection, and face fierce price competition after patent expiry. On the other hand, in systems that rely on administered prices, penetration by generic drugs tends to be rather limited. Its descriptive and preliminary nature notwithstanding, our analysis seems to have relevant implications at different levels of generality, especially for Europe.

  3. Canada's New Generic Pricing Policy: A Reasoned Approach to a Challenging Problem.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hollis, Aidan; Grootendorst, Paul

    2015-08-01

    Alberta, quickly followed by other Canadian provinces, has introduced a new pricing model for generic drugs, in which prices are inversely related to the number of generic manufacturers of the drug. This paper examines the rationale for the new policy. Copyright © 2015 Longwoods Publishing.

  4. Are generic and brand-name statins clinically equivalent? Evidence from a real data-base.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Corrao, Giovanni; Soranna, Davide; Arfè, Andrea; Casula, Manuela; Tragni, Elena; Merlino, Luca; Mancia, Giuseppe; Catapano, Alberico L

    2014-10-01

    Use of generic drugs can help contain drug spending. However, there is concern among patients and physicians that generic drugs may be clinically inferior to brand-name ones. This study aimed to compare patients treated with generic and brand-name statins in terms of therapeutic interruption and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes. 13,799 beneficiaries of the health care system of Lombardy, Italy, aged 40 years or older who were newly treated with generic or brand-name simvastatin during 2008, were followed until 2011 for the occurrence of two outcomes: 1) therapeutic discontinuation and 2) hospitalization for CV events. Hazard ratios (HR) associated with use of generic or brand-name at starting therapy (intention-to-treat analysis) and during follow-up (as-treated analysis) were estimated by fitting proportional hazard Cox models. A Monte-Carlo sensitivity analysis was performed to account for unmeasured confounders. Patients who started on generic did not experience a different risk of discontinuation (HR: 0.98; 95% CI 0.94 to 1.02) nor of CV outcomes (HR: 0.98; 95% CI 0.79 to 1.22) from those starting on brand-name. Patients who spent >75% of time of follow-up with statin available on generics did not experience a different risk of discontinuation (HR: 0.94; 95% CI 0.87 to 1.01), nor of CV outcomes (HR: 1.06; 95% CI 0.83 to 1.34), compared with those who mainly or only used brand-name statin. Our findings do not support the notion that in the real world clinical practice brand-name statins are superior to generics for keeping therapy and preventing CV outcomes. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Generic impact statement for commercial radioactive waste management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Unruh, C.M.

    1976-01-01

    ERDA is preparing a generic environmental impact statement on the treatment and disposal of waste resulting from commercial reactors and post fission operations in the light water reactor (LWR) fuel cycle. Expert contributions will be provided by many of the ERDA national laboratories and contractors. The waste management aspects of the statement will be based on available technology as presented in the recently issued ''Alternatives for Managing Waste from Reactors and Post Fission Operations in the LWR Fuel Cycle,'' ERDA-76-43 Document. This 1500 page, five volume Technical Alternative Document (TAD) describes the status of technology (to September, 1975) for handling post fission radioactive waste generated by the production of electricity by nuclear power light water reactor-generator systems. The statement will be generic in nature discussing typical or hypothetical facilities in typical or hypothetical environments. It is not intended to replace environmental statements required in support of specific projects nor for Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing procedures. A major purpose of the generic statement is to inform the public and to solicit comments on the ERDA program for: (1) the final disposition of commercial radioactive waste, (2) waste treatment, (3) waste interim storage, and (4) transportation of waste. The statement will discuss the ERDA contingency program to provide retrievable storage of such waste if they should be transferred to Federal custody prior to the availability of the geologic isolation facilities for terminal disposal. The generic statement will not address radioactive waste resulting from U.S. Defense Programs, the mining or milling of uranium, the management of waste from the breeder reactor program, waste from other nations, nor will it include an evaluation of the impact of waste resulting from power sources other than light water reactors

  6. The generic unfolding of a codimension-two connection to a two-fold singularity of planar Filippov systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novaes, Douglas D.; Teixeira, Marco A.; Zeli, Iris O.

    2018-05-01

    Generic bifurcation theory was classically well developed for smooth differential systems, establishing results for k-parameter families of planar vector fields. In the present study we focus on a qualitative analysis of 2-parameter families, , of planar Filippov systems assuming that Z 0,0 presents a codimension-two minimal set. Such object, named elementary simple two-fold cycle, is characterized by a regular trajectory connecting a visible two-fold singularity to itself, for which the second derivative of the first return map is nonvanishing. We analyzed the codimension-two scenario through the exhibition of its bifurcation diagram.

  7. Wilson polynomials/functions and intertwining operators for the generic quantum superintegrable system on the 2-sphere

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, W., Jr.; Li, Q.

    2015-04-01

    The Wilson and Racah polynomials can be characterized as basis functions for irreducible representations of the quadratic symmetry algebra of the quantum superintegrable system on the 2-sphere, HΨ = EΨ, with generic 3-parameter potential. Clearly, the polynomials are expansion coefficients for one eigenbasis of a symmetry operator L2 of H in terms of an eigenbasis of another symmetry operator L1, but the exact relationship appears not to have been made explicit. We work out the details of the expansion to show, explicitly, how the polynomials arise and how the principal properties of these functions: the measure, 3-term recurrence relation, 2nd order difference equation, duality of these relations, permutation symmetry, intertwining operators and an alternate derivation of Wilson functions - follow from the symmetry of this quantum system. This paper is an exercise to show that quantum mechancal concepts and recurrence relations for Gausian hypergeometrc functions alone suffice to explain these properties; we make no assumptions about the structure of Wilson polynomial/functions, but derive them from quantum principles. There is active interest in the relation between multivariable Wilson polynomials and the quantum superintegrable system on the n-sphere with generic potential, and these results should aid in the generalization. Contracting function space realizations of irreducible representations of this quadratic algebra to the other superintegrable systems one can obtain the full Askey scheme of orthogonal hypergeometric polynomials. All of these contractions of superintegrable systems with potential are uniquely induced by Wigner Lie algebra contractions of so(3, C) and e(2,C). All of the polynomials produced are interpretable as quantum expansion coefficients. It is important to extend this process to higher dimensions.

  8. Wilson polynomials/functions and intertwining operators for the generic quantum superintegrable system on the 2-sphere

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miller, W Jr; Li, Q

    2015-01-01

    The Wilson and Racah polynomials can be characterized as basis functions for irreducible representations of the quadratic symmetry algebra of the quantum superintegrable system on the 2-sphere, HΨ = EΨ, with generic 3-parameter potential. Clearly, the polynomials are expansion coefficients for one eigenbasis of a symmetry operator L 2 of H in terms of an eigenbasis of another symmetry operator L 1 , but the exact relationship appears not to have been made explicit. We work out the details of the expansion to show, explicitly, how the polynomials arise and how the principal properties of these functions: the measure, 3-term recurrence relation, 2nd order difference equation, duality of these relations, permutation symmetry, intertwining operators and an alternate derivation of Wilson functions - follow from the symmetry of this quantum system. This paper is an exercise to show that quantum mechancal concepts and recurrence relations for Gausian hypergeometrc functions alone suffice to explain these properties; we make no assumptions about the structure of Wilson polynomial/functions, but derive them from quantum principles. There is active interest in the relation between multivariable Wilson polynomials and the quantum superintegrable system on the n-sphere with generic potential, and these results should aid in the generalization. Contracting function space realizations of irreducible representations of this quadratic algebra to the other superintegrable systems one can obtain the full Askey scheme of orthogonal hypergeometric polynomials. All of these contractions of superintegrable systems with potential are uniquely induced by Wigner Lie algebra contractions of so(3, C) and e(2,C). All of the polynomials produced are interpretable as quantum expansion coefficients. It is important to extend this process to higher dimensions. (paper)

  9. Do generic utility measures capture what is important to the quality of life of people with multiple sclerosis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuspinar, Ayse; Mayo, Nancy E

    2013-04-25

    The three most widely used utility measures are the Health Utilities Index Mark 2 and 3 (HUI2 and HUI3), the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and the Short-Form-6D (SF-6D). In line with guidelines for economic evaluation from agencies such as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH), these measures are currently being used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different interventions in MS. However, the challenge of using such measures in people with a specific health condition, such as MS, is that they may not capture all of the domains that are impacted upon by the condition. If important domains are missing from the generic measures, the value derived will be higher than the real impact creating invalid comparisons across interventions and populations. Therefore, the objective of this study is to estimate the extent to which generic utility measures capture important domains that are affected by MS. The available study population consisted of men and women who had been registered after 1994 in three participating MS clinics in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Subjects were first interviewed on an individualized measure of quality of life (QOL) called the Patient Generated Index (PGI). The domains identified with the PGI were then classified and grouped together using the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and mapped onto the HUI2, HUI3, EQ-5D and SF-6D. A total of 185 persons with MS were interviewed on the PGI. The sample was relatively young (mean age 43) and predominantly female. Both men and women had mild disability with a median Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score of 2. The top 10 domains that patients identified to be the most affected by their MS were, work (62%), fatigue (48%), sports (39%), social life (28%), relationships (23%), walking/mobility (22%), cognition (21%), balance (14%), housework (12

  10. Towards a Generic Information Data Model for Verification, Validation & Accreditation VV&A

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Roza, Z.C.; Voogd, J.M.; Giannoulis, C.

    2008-01-01

    The Generic Methodology for Verification, Validation and Acceptance (GM-VV) is intended to provide a common generic framework for making formal and well balanced acceptance decisions on a specific usage of models, simulations and data. GM-VV will offer the international M&S community with a

  11. Deeply discounted medications: Implications of generic prescription drug wars.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czechowski, Jessica L; Tjia, Jennifer; Triller, Darren M

    2010-01-01

    To describe the history of generic prescription pricing programs at major pharmacy chains and their potential implications on prescribing, quality of care, and patient safety. Publicly available generic prescription discount program drug lists as of May 1, 2009. Fierce competition among major pharmacy chains such as Walgreens, CVS, and Walmart has led to a generic prescription pricing war with unclear public health implications. Introduced in 2006, currently 7 of the 10 largest pharmacy chains advertise a version of a deeply discounted medication (DDM) program, accounting for more than 25,000 locations nationally. By early 2008, almost 70 million Americans had used these programs. Although DDM programs lower drug costs for many patients, DDM formularies include potentially ineffective or harmful medications, have the potential to influence physician prescribing behavior, and may impair pharmacists' ability to review complete drug-dispensing records. DDMs are widespread but have the potential for unintended consequences on patients, providers, and the health care system. A systematic review of DDMs needs to evaluate the clinical, economic, and system-level implications of such programs.

  12. Generic superweak chaos induced by Hall effect

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ben-Harush, Moti; Dana, Itzhack

    2016-05-01

    We introduce and study the "kicked Hall system" (KHS), i.e., charged particles periodically kicked in the presence of uniform magnetic (B ) and electric (E ) fields that are perpendicular to each other and to the kicking direction. We show that for resonant values of B and E and in the weak-chaos regime of sufficiently small nonintegrability parameter κ (the kicking strength), there exists a generic family of periodic kicking potentials for which the Hall effect from B and E significantly suppresses the weak chaos, replacing it by "superweak" chaos (SWC). This means that the system behaves as if the kicking strength were κ2 rather than κ . For E =0 , SWC is known to be a classical fingerprint of quantum antiresonance, but it occurs under much less generic conditions, in particular only for very special kicking potentials. Manifestations of SWC are a decrease in the instability of periodic orbits and a narrowing of the chaotic layers, relative to the ordinary weak-chaos case. Also, for global SWC, taking place on an infinite "stochastic web" in phase space, the chaotic diffusion on the web is much slower than the weak-chaos one. Thus, the Hall effect can be relatively stabilizing for small κ . In some special cases, the effect is shown to cause ballistic motion for almost all parameter values. The generic global SWC on stochastic webs in the KHS appears to be the two-dimensional closest analog to the Arnol'd web in higher dimensional systems.

  13. Development of generic floor response spectra for equipment qualification for seismic loads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curren, J.R.; Costantino, C.J.

    1984-01-01

    A generic floor response spectra has been developed for use in the qualification of electrical and mechanical equipment in operating nuclear power plants. Actual PWR and BWR - Mark I structural models were used as representative of a class of structures. For each model, the stiffness properties were varied, with the same mass, so as to extend the fundamental base structure natural frequency from 2 cps to 36 cps. This resulted in fundamental mode coupled natural frequencies as low as 0.86 cps and as high as 30 cps. The characteristics of 1000 floor response spectra were studied to determine the generic spectra. A procedure for its application to any operating plant has been established. The procedure uses as much or as little information that currently exists at the plant relating to the question of equipment qualification. A generic floor response spectra is proposed for the top level of a generic structure. Reduction factors are applied to the peak acceleration for equipment at lower levels

  14. Development of generic floor response spectra for equipment qualification for seismic loads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Curreri, J.R.; Costantino, C.J.

    1984-10-01

    A generic floor response spectra has been developed for use in the qualification of electrical and mechanical equipment in operating nuclear power plants. Actual PWR and BWR - Mark I structural models were used as representative of a class of structures. For each model, the stiffness properties were varied, with the same mass, so as to extend the fundamental base structure natural frequency from 2 cps to 36 cps. This resulted in fundamental mode coupled natural frequencies as low as 0.86 cps and as high as 30 cps. The characteristics of 1000 floor response spectra were studied to determine the generic spectra. A procedure for its application to any operating plant has been established. The procedure uses as much or as little information that currently exists at the plant relating to the question of equipment qualification. A generic floor response spectra is proposed for the top level of a generic structure. Reduction factors are applied to the peak acceleration for equipment at lower levels

  15. Generic Sensor Failure Modeling for Cooperative Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jäger, Georg; Zug, Sebastian

    2018-01-01

    The advent of cooperative systems entails a dynamic composition of their components. As this contrasts current, statically composed systems, new approaches for maintaining their safety are required. In that endeavor, we propose an integration step that evaluates the failure model of shared information in relation to an application’s fault tolerance and thereby promises maintainability of such system’s safety. However, it also poses new requirements on failure models, which are not fulfilled by state-of-the-art approaches. Consequently, this work presents a mathematically defined generic failure model as well as a processing chain for automatically extracting such failure models from empirical data. By examining data of an Sharp GP2D12 distance sensor, we show that the generic failure model not only fulfills the predefined requirements, but also models failure characteristics appropriately when compared to traditional techniques. PMID:29558435

  16. An Internet of Things Generic Reference Architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bhalerao, Dipashree M.; Riaz, Tahir; Madsen, Ole Brun

    2013-01-01

    Internet of things Network is a future application of Internet. This network has three major basic blocks as business process or Application, core network or internetwork and peripheral network as Things or objects. The assembly has the basic intention of connecting all physical and virtual things......, and keeping track of all these things for monitoring and controlling some information. IoT architecture is studied from software architecture, overall system architecture and network architecture point of view. Paper puts forward the requirements of software architecture along with, its component...... and deployment diagram, process and interface diagram at abstract level. Paper proposes the abstract generic IoT reference and concrete abstract generic IoT reference architectures. Network architecture is also put up as a state of the art. Paper shortly gives overviews of protocols used for IoT. Some...

  17. The Generic Style Rules for Linguistics

    OpenAIRE

    Haspelmath, Martin

    2014-01-01

    The Generic Style Rules for Linguistics provide a style sheet that can be used by any linguistics journal or edited book, or for teaching purposes. They regulate aspects of text-structure style such as typographic highlighting, citation style, use of capitalization, and bibliographic style (based on the LSA's Unified Stylesheet for linguistics).

  18. IAEA's experience in compiling a generic component reliability data base

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomic, B.; Lederman, L.

    1991-01-01

    Reliability data are essential in probabilistic safety assessment, with component reliability parameters being particularly important. Component failure data which is plant specific would be most appropriate but this is rather limited. However, similar components are used in different designs. Generic data, that is all data that is not plant specific to the plant being analyzed but which relates to components more generally, is important. The International Atomic Energy Agency has compiled the Generic Component Reliability Data Base from data available in the open literature. It is part of the IAEA computer code package for fault/event tree analysis. The Data Base contains 1010 different records including most of the components used in probabilistic safety analyses of nuclear power plants. The data base input was quality controlled and data sources noted. The data compilation procedure and problems associated with using generic data are explained. (UK)

  19. Thrombopoietin has a differentiative effect on late-stage human erythropoiesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, W; Wang, M; Tang, D C; Ding, I; Rodgers, G P

    1999-05-01

    To further explore the mechanism of the effect of thrombopoietin (TPO) on erythropoiesis, we used a two-phase culture system to investigate the effect of TPO on late-stage human erythroid lineage differentiation. In serum-free suspension and semisolid cultures of human peripheral blood derived erythroid progenitors, TPO alone did not produce benzidine-positive cells. However, in serum-containing culture, TPO alone stimulated erythroid cell proliferation and differentiation, demonstrated by erythroid colony formation, production of benzidine-positive cells and haemoglobin (Hb) synthesis. Monoclonal anti-human erythropoietin antibody and anti-human erythropoietin receptor antibody completely abrogated the erythroid differentiative ability of TPO in the serum-containing systems. This implied that binding of EPO and EPO-R was essential for erythropoiesis and the resultant signal transduction may be augmented by the signals emanating from TPO-c-Mpl interaction. Experiment of withdrawal of TPO further demonstrated the involvement of TPO in late-stage erythropoiesis. RT-PCR results showed that there was EPO-R but not c-Mpl expression on developing erythroblasts induced by TPO in serum-containing system. Our results establish that TPO affects not only the proliferation of erythroid progenitors but also the differentiation of erythroid progenitors to mature erythroid cells.

  20. Pharmaceutical quality of seven generic Levodopa/Benserazide products compared with original Madopar® / Prolopa®.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasser, Urs E; Fischer, Anton; Timmermans, Jan P; Arnet, Isabelle

    2013-04-23

    By definition, a generic product is considered interchangeable with the innovator brand product. Controversy exists about interchangeability, and attention is predominantly directed to contaminants. In particular for chronic, degenerative conditions such as in Parkinson's disease (PD) generic substitution remains debated among physicians, patients and pharmacists. The objective of this study was to compare the pharmaceutical quality of seven generic levodopa/benserazide hydrochloride combination products marketed in Germany with the original product (Madopar® / Prolopa® 125, Roche, Switzerland) in order to evaluate the potential impact of Madopar® generics versus branded products for PD patients and clinicians. Madopar® / Prolopa® 125 tablets and capsules were used as reference material. The generic products tested (all 100 mg/25 mg formulations) included four tablet and three capsule formulations. Colour, appearance of powder (capsules), disintegration and dissolution, mass of tablets and fill mass of capsules, content, identity and amounts of impurities were assessed along with standard physical and chemical laboratory tests developed and routinely practiced at Roche facilities. Results were compared to the original "shelf-life" specifications in use by Roche. Each of the seven generic products had one or two parameters outside the specifications. Deviations for the active ingredients ranged from +8.4% (benserazide) to -7.6% (levodopa) in two tablet formulations. Degradation products were measured in marked excess (+26.5%) in one capsule formulation. Disintegration time and dissolution for levodopa and benserazide hydrochloride at 30 min were within specifications for all seven generic samples analysed, however with some outliers. Deviations for the active ingredients may go unnoticed by a new user of the generic product, but may entail clinical consequences when switching from original to generic during a long-term therapy. Degradation products may pose

  1. 76 FR 44014 - Generic Drug User Fee; Public Meeting; Request for Comments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-22

    ... generic drug user fees. New legislation would be required for FDA to establish and collect user fees for... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0381] Generic Drug User Fee; Public Meeting; Request for Comments AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS...

  2. 76 FR 24035 - Generic Drug User Fee; Public Meeting; Request for Comments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-29

    ... legislation would be required for FDA to establish and collect user fees for generic drugs, and FDA is... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2010-N-0381] Generic Drug User Fee; Public Meeting; Request for Comments AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS...

  3. A generic library for large scale solution of PDEs on modern heterogeneous architectures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Glimberg, Stefan Lemvig; Engsig-Karup, Allan Peter

    2012-01-01

    Adapting to new programming models for modern multi- and many-core architectures requires code-rewriting and changing algorithms and data structures, in order to achieve good efficiency and scalability. We present a generic library for solving large scale partial differential equations (PDEs......), capable of utilizing heterogeneous CPU/GPU environments. The library can be used for fast proto-typing of PDE solvers, based on finite difference approximations of spatial derivatives in one, two, or three dimensions. In order to efficiently solve large scale problems, we keep memory consumption...... and memory access low, using a low-storage implementation of flexible-order finite difference operators. We will illustrate the use of library components by assembling such matrix-free operators to be used with one of the supported iterative solvers, such as GMRES, CG, Multigrid or Defect Correction...

  4. A lifeline to treatment: the role of Indian generic manufacturers in supplying antiretroviral medicines to developing countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waning, Brenda; Diedrichsen, Ellen; Moon, Suerie

    2010-09-14

    Indian manufacturers of generic antiretroviral (ARV) medicines facilitated the rapid scale up of HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries though provision of low-priced, quality-assured medicines. The legal framework in India that facilitated such production, however, is changing with implementation of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, and intellectual property measures being discussed in regional and bilateral free trade agreement negotiations. Reliable quantitative estimates of the Indian role in generic global ARV supply are needed to understand potential impacts of such measures on HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries. We utilized transactional data containing 17,646 donor-funded purchases of ARV tablets made by 115 low- and middle-income countries from 2003 to 2008 to measure market share, purchase trends and prices of Indian-produced generic ARVs compared with those of non-Indian generic and brand ARVs. Indian generic manufacturers dominate the ARV market, accounting for more than 80% of annual purchase volumes. Among paediatric ARV and adult nucleoside and non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor markets, Indian-produced generics accounted for 91% and 89% of 2008 global purchase volumes, respectively. From 2003 to 2008, the number of Indian generic manufactures supplying ARVs increased from four to 10 while the number of Indian-manufactured generic products increased from 14 to 53. Ninety-six of 100 countries purchased Indian generic ARVs in 2008, including high HIV-burden sub-Saharan African countries. Indian-produced generic ARVs used in first-line regimens were consistently and considerably less expensive than non-Indian generic and innovator ARVs. Key ARVs newly recommended by the World Health Organization are three to four times more expensive than older regimens. Indian generic producers supply the majority of ARVs in developing countries. Future scale up using newly

  5. Pharmacokinetics and 48-week safety and efficacy of generic lopinavir/ritonavir in Thai HIV-infected patients

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ramautarsing, Reshmie A.; van der Lugt, Jasper; Gorowara, Meena; Sophonphan, Jiratchaya; Ananworanich, Jintanat; Lange, Joep M. A.; Burger, David M.; Phanuphak, Praphan; Ruxthungtham, Kiat; Avihingsanon, Anchalee

    2013-01-01

    Background: Generic products reduce the costs of HIV treatment. Few generic second-line antiretroviral products are available. We assessed pharmacokinetics, safety and efficacy of generic lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) produced by the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) of Thailand in Thai

  6. In vitro disintegration studies of weekly generic and branded risedronate sodium formulations available in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, A D; Adachi, J D

    2011-09-01

    The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro disintegration of the five newly available Canadian generic risedronate 35 mg tablets compared to the innovator (branded) product, ACTONEL * *ACTONEL is a registered trade name of Warner Chilcott Company, LLC. (risedronate sodium) 35 mg. Tablets were inspected for colour and appearance. Disintegration times were determined using United States Pharmacopeia 33 (USP33-NF 28) methods. Disintegration onset time was also evaluated. The mean disintegration onset time values for the generic risedronate 35 mg tablets ranged from 2 to 29 seconds, and the mean disintegration completion times ranged from 81 to 260 seconds. The mean disintegration onset and completion time values for the ACTONEL 35 mg tablets were 23 and 43 seconds respectively. Four out of the five generic tablets tested had shorter disintegration onset times than the branded product; two of the generic tablet products had very fast disintegration onset times i.e. 2-3 seconds. Disintegration completion time for all five generic products tested was longer than that observed for the branded product; two generic products had disintegration completion time values five to six times longer than the branded product. Differences in the in vitro disintegration times were observed between the generic risedronate 35 mg tablets commercially available in Canada and the branded product, ACTONEL. The rapid disintegration onset times of two generic products may be important as this could increase the possibility of drug exposure in both the mouth and the esophagus during swallowing, resulting in unwanted localized irritation. However, it should be noted that an in vitro/in vivo correlation has not been established. Until such studies are completed it may be important to be aware of such in vitro disintegration differences when evaluating patients with newly presenting upper gastrointestinal complaints upon being switched from the branded product to generic formulations.

  7. Increasing generic engineering competences using coaching and personal feedback

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Ivan Harald Holger; Marker-Villumsen, Niels

    2014-01-01

    problem solving methodology. In order to create an environment for the students to practice their generic engineering competences they are throughout the course provided personal feedback by the teacher using a four step feedback model. The course was evaluated using the Course Evaluation Questionnaire...... objective, teaching activities and the assessment are presented and it is demonstrated how coaching and personal feedback – often used in the industry – is used to improve the generic engineering competences of the students in alignment with CDIO. The course is conducted as if it was a project in a company...

  8. Generic Checklist for Day Care Monitoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Children's Services Monitoring Transfer Consortium.

    This guide presents the results of research on day care monitoring methods conducted by the Children's Services Monitoring Transfer Consortium. It suggests a set of generic predictor items that can be used to monitor day care providers' compliance with standards. The predictor items are at the licensing or minimal compliance level and have been…

  9. Different initiatives across Europe to enhance losartan utilization post generics: impact and implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, James C.; Godman, Brian; Petzold, Max; Alvarez-Madrazo, Samantha; Bennett, Kathleen; Bishop, Iain; Bucsics, Anna; Hesse, Ulrik; Martin, Andrew; Simoens, Steven; Zara, Corinne; Malmström, Rickard E.

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: There is an urgent need for health authorities across Europe to fully realize potential savings from increased use of generics to sustain their healthcare systems. A variety of strategies were used across Europe following the availability of generic losartan, the first angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) to be approved and marketed, to enhance its prescribing vs. single-sourced drugs in the class. Demand-side strategies ranged from 100% co-payment for single-sourced ARBs in Denmark to no specific measures. We hypothesized this heterogeneity of approaches would provide opportunities to explore prescribing in a class following patent expiry. Objective: Contrast the impact of the different approaches among European countries and regions to the availability of generic losartan to provide future guidance. Methodology: Retrospective segmented regression analyses applying linear random coefficient models with country specific intercepts and slopes were used to assess the impact of the various initiatives across Europe following the availability of generic losartan. Utilization measured in defined daily doses (DDDs). Price reductions for generic losartan were also measured. Results: Utilization of losartan was over 90% of all ARBs in Denmark by the study end. Multiple measures in Sweden and one English primary care group also appreciably enhanced losartan utilization. Losartan utilization actually fell in some countries with no specific demand-side measures. Considerable differences were seen in the prices of generic losartan. Conclusion: Delisting single-sourced ARBs produced the greatest increase in losartan utilization. Overall, multiple demand-side measures are needed to change physician prescribing habits to fully realize savings from generics. There is no apparent “spill over” effect from one class to another to influence future prescribing patterns even if these are closely related. PMID:25339902

  10. Modeling HIV/AIDS drug price determinants in Brazil: is generic competition a myth?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meiners, Constance; Sagaon-Teyssier, Luis; Hasenclever, Lia; Moatti, Jean-Paul

    2011-01-01

    Brazil became the first developing country to guarantee free and universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) being delivered to nearly 190,000 patients. The analysis of ARV price evolution and market dynamics in Brazil can help anticipate issues soon to afflict other developing countries, as the 2010 revision of the World Health Organization guidelines shifts demand towards more expensive treatments, and, at the same time, current evolution of international legislation and trade agreements on intellectual property rights may reduce availability of generic drugs for HIV care. Our analyses are based on effective prices paid for ARV procurement in Brazil between 1996 and 2009. Data panel structure was exploited to gather ex-ante and ex-post information and address various sources of statistical bias. In-difference estimation offered in-depth information on ARV market characteristics which significantly influence prices. Although overall ARV prices follow a declining trend, changing characteristics in the generic segment help explain recent increase in generic ARV prices. Our results show that generic suppliers are more likely to respond to factors influencing demand size and market competition, while originator suppliers tend to set prices strategically to offset compulsory licensing threats and generic competition. In order to guarantee the long term sustainability of access to antiretroviral treatment, our findings highlight the importance of preserving and stimulating generic market dynamics to sustain developing countries' bargaining power in price negotiations undertaken with originator companies.

  11. Modeling HIV/AIDS drug price determinants in Brazil: is generic competition a myth?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Constance Meiners

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Brazil became the first developing country to guarantee free and universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, with antiretroviral drugs (ARVs being delivered to nearly 190,000 patients. The analysis of ARV price evolution and market dynamics in Brazil can help anticipate issues soon to afflict other developing countries, as the 2010 revision of the World Health Organization guidelines shifts demand towards more expensive treatments, and, at the same time, current evolution of international legislation and trade agreements on intellectual property rights may reduce availability of generic drugs for HIV care. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Our analyses are based on effective prices paid for ARV procurement in Brazil between 1996 and 2009. Data panel structure was exploited to gather ex-ante and ex-post information and address various sources of statistical bias. In-difference estimation offered in-depth information on ARV market characteristics which significantly influence prices. Although overall ARV prices follow a declining trend, changing characteristics in the generic segment help explain recent increase in generic ARV prices. Our results show that generic suppliers are more likely to respond to factors influencing demand size and market competition, while originator suppliers tend to set prices strategically to offset compulsory licensing threats and generic competition. SIGNIFICANCE: In order to guarantee the long term sustainability of access to antiretroviral treatment, our findings highlight the importance of preserving and stimulating generic market dynamics to sustain developing countries' bargaining power in price negotiations undertaken with originator companies.

  12. Factors influencing consumer purchasing patterns of generic versus brand name over-the-counter drugs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kohli, Erol; Buller, Allison

    2013-02-01

    US consumers spend more than $20 billion/year on over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. Although generic and brand name OTC drugs share the same active ingredients and undergo the same rigorous Food and Drug Administration approval process, brand name formulations continue to lead the OTC drug market with a higher market share. There is a limited amount of publicly available information regarding consumer perceptions and awareness about generic and brand name OTC drugs. The main objective of this research was to understand what factors influence US consumers to purchase generic versus brand name OTC drugs. The researchers used a 20-question, self-administered, multiple-choice survey to collect data on the factors influencing consumers' preferences for generic versus brand name OTC drugs. Results revealed that the single most influential factor for participants when purchasing OTC drugs was lower cost. Although economic factors play an important role in influencing consumers to choose generic formulations, a variety of other factors including advertisements, duration of the OTC effectiveness, severity of sickness, preferable form of OTC medication, safety of the OTC, relief of multiple symptoms, and preferred company will persuade others to pay more for brand name drugs. Ultimately, increased awareness and use of generic OTC drugs may result in substantial cost savings for consumers.

  13. Generic lamotrigine versus brand-name Lamictal bioequivalence in patients with epilepsy: A field test of the FDA bioequivalence standard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ting, Tricia Y; Jiang, Wenlei; Lionberger, Robert; Wong, Jessica; Jones, Jace W; Kane, Maureen A; Krumholz, Allan; Temple, Robert; Polli, James E

    2015-09-01

    To test the current U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bioequivalence standard in a comparison of generic and brand-name drug pharmacokinetic (PK) performance in "generic-brittle" patients with epilepsy under clinical use conditions. This randomized, double-blind, multiple-dose, steady-state, fully replicated bioequivalence study compared generic lamotrigine to brand-name Lamictal in "generic-brittle" patients with epilepsy (n = 34) who were already taking lamotrigine. Patients were repeatedly switched between masked Lamictal and generic lamotrigine. Intensive PK blood sampling at the end of each 2-week treatment period yielded two 12-h PK profiles for brand-name and generic forms for each patient. Steady-state area under the curve (AUC), peak plasma concentration (Cmax ), and minimum plasma concentration (Cmin ) data were subjected to conventional average bioequivalence (ABE) analysis, reference-scaled ABE analysis, and within-subject variability (WSV) comparisons. In addition, generic-versus-brand comparisons in individual patients were performed. Secondary clinical outcomes included seizure frequency and adverse events. Generic demonstrated bioequivalence to brand. The 90% confidence intervals of the mean for steady-state AUC, Cmax , and Cmin for generic-versus-brand were 97.2-101.6%, 98.8-104.5%, and 93.4-101.0%, respectively. The WSV of generic and brand were also similar. Individual patient PK ratios for generic-versus-brand were similar but not identical, in part because brand-versus-brand profiles were not identical, even though subjects were rechallenged with the same product. Few subjects had seizure exacerbations or tolerability issues with product switching. One subject, however, reported 267 focal motor seizures, primarily on generic, although his brand and generic PK profiles were practically identical. Some neurologists question whether bioequivalence in healthy volunteers ensures therapeutic equivalence of brand and generic antiepileptic drugs

  14. A Generic Methodology for Superstructure Optimization of Different Processing Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bertran, Maria-Ona; Frauzem, Rebecca; Zhang, Lei

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we propose a generic computer-aided methodology for synthesis of different processing networks using superstructure optimization. The methodology can handle different network optimization problems of various application fields. It integrates databases with a common data architecture......, a generic model to represent the processing steps, and appropriate optimization tools. A special software interface has been created to automate the steps in the methodology workflow, allow the transfer of data between tools and obtain the mathematical representation of the problem as required...

  15. Optimizing relational algebra operations using generic equivalence discriminators and lazy products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henglein, Fritz

    2010-01-01

    We show how to efficiently evaluate generic map-filter-product queries, generalizations of select-project-join (SPJ) queries in re- lational algebra, based on a combination of two novel techniques: generic discrimination-based joins and lazy (formal) products. Discrimination-based joins are based...... that discriminators can be constructed generically (by structural recursion on equivalence expressions), purely func- tionally, and efficiently (worst-case linear time). The array-based basic multiset discrimination algorithm of Cai and Paige (1995) provides a base discriminator that is both asymptotically and prac...... on relational algebra equalities, without need for a query preprocessing phase. They require no indexes and behave purely functionally. They can be considered a form of symbolic execution of set expressions that automate and encapsulate dynamic program transformation of such expressions and lead to asymptotic...

  16. The Inculcation of Generic Skills among Juveniles through Technical and Vocational Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wan-Mohamed, Wan Azlinda; Yunus, Mohamed Hafis

    2009-01-01

    Generic skills are skills which contribute towards individual's effective and successful participation in the workplace. For juveniles, Technical and Vocational Education (TVE) is one of the platforms that provide them generic skills which enable them to compete for job market. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of generic…

  17. 40 CFR 721.10048 - Substituted anthraquinone (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ..., and consumer activities. Requirements as specified in § 721.80(s) (4,500 kilograms). (ii) [Reserved... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Substituted anthraquinone (generic). 721.10048 Section 721.10048 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED...

  18. 76 FR 9819 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Generic Clearance for the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-22

    ...; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery; Correction AGENCY...: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on... Regulatory Commission, Office of Personnel Management, Small Business Administration, and U.S. Agency for...

  19. [The patents game. Generic and biosimilar drugs].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villamañán, E; González, D; Armada, E; Ruano, M; Álvarez-Sala, R; Herrero, A

    2016-01-01

    The protection provided by patents on medicines has a limited duration. The expiry of patents expiration allows copies of the drugs to be released, competing with original. At first, they were identical to the original, known as generic drugs, but in recent years, due to the marketing of biological therapies and the expiry of many of their patents, biosimilar drugs have also emerged. These are not exact copies of the original, but, like generic drugs, biosimilar drugs have to demonstrate equivalence to the reference drugs in quality, safety and efficacy. Nevertheless, despite their importance and contribution to sustainability of health system, doctors are sometimes unaware of differences between them, and their impact in terms of clinical and economic effects. An attempt is made to review and clarify certain aspects often unknown by physicians, despite their involvement in their use. Copyright © 2015 SECA. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  20. Development and validation of a tool to assess knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines among students in Greece: The ATtitude TOwards GENerics (ATTOGEN questionnaire.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Philip J Domeyer

    Full Text Available The use of generic medicines is a cost-effective policy, often dictated by fiscal restraints. To our knowledge, no fully validated tool exploring the students' knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines exists. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a questionnaire exploring the knowledge and attitudes of M.Sc. in Health Care Management students and recent alumni's towards generic drugs in Greece.The development of the questionnaire was a result of literature review and pilot-testing of its preliminary versions to researchers and students. The final version of the questionnaire contains 18 items measuring the respondents' knowledge and attitude towards generic medicines on a 5-point Likert scale. Given the ordinal nature of the data, ordinal alpha and polychoric correlations were computed. The sample was randomly split into two halves. Exploratory factor analysis, performed in the first sample, was used for the creation of multi-item scales. Confirmatory factor analysis and Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Model analysis (GLLAMM with the use of the rating scale model were used in the second sample to assess goodness of fit. An assessment of internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity was also performed.Among 1402 persons contacted, 986 persons completed our questionnaire (response rate = 70.3%. Overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.871. The conjoint use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a six-scale model, which seemed to fit the data well. Five of the six scales, namely trust, drug quality, state audit, fiscal impact and drug substitution were found to be valid and reliable, while the knowledge scale suffered only from low inter-scale correlations and a ceiling effect. However, the subsequent confirmatory factor and GLLAMM analyses indicated a good fit of the model to the data.The ATTOGEN instrument proved to be a reliable and valid tool, suitable for assessing students

  1. Health-related quality of life of food allergic patients measured with generic and disease-specific questionnaires

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Flokstra-de Blok, B. M. J.; van der Velde, J. L.; Vlieg-Boerstra, B. J.; Oude Elberink, J. N. G.; DunnGalvin, A.; Hourihane, J. O.'B.; Duiverman, E. J.; Dubois, A. E. J.

    2010-01-01

    Health-related quality of life (HRQL) has never been measured with both generic and disease-specific questionnaires in the same group of food allergic patients. The aim of this study was to compare HRQL of food allergic patients as measured with generic and disease-specific questionnaires. Generic

  2. Generic skills in medical education: developing the tools for successful lifelong learning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah; Whittle, Sue

    2012-01-01

    Higher education has invested in defining the role of generic skills in developing effective, adaptable graduates fit for a changing workplace. Research confirms that the development of generic skills that underpin effectiveness and adaptability in graduates is highly context-dependent and is shaped by the discipline within which these skills are conceptualised, valued and taught. This places the responsibility for generic skills enhancement clearly within the remit of global medical education. Many factors will influence the skill set with which students begin their medical training and experience at entry needs to be taken into account. Learning and teaching environments enhance effective skill development through active learning, teaching for understanding, feedback, and teacher-student and student-student interaction. Medical curricula need to provide students with opportunities to practise and develop their generic skills in a range of discipline-specific contexts. Curricular design should include explicit and integrated generic skills objectives against which students' progress can be monitored. Assessment and feedback serve as valuable reinforcements of the professed importance of generic skills to both learner and teacher, and will encourage students to self-evaluate and take responsibility for their own skill development. The continual need for students to modify their practice in response to changes in their environment and the requirements of their roles will help students to develop the ability to transfer these skills at transition points in their training and future careers. If they are to take their place in an ever-changing profession, medical students need to be competent in the skills that underpin lifelong learning. Only then will the doctors of the future be well placed to adapt to changes in knowledge, update their practice in line with the changing evidence base, and continue to contribute effectively as societal needs change. © Blackwell

  3. The Great Personhole Cover Debate Revisited: A Test of the Generic "Man."

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Anne Messerly

    In an attempt to determine whether the generic "man" has a strong association with maleness, 307 college students (122 males and 185 females) were polled to assess their attitudes about whether people "outgrow" the limited definition of man or whether the generic still retains an exclusionary, "mostly males" coloring. In order to prevent the…

  4. Examining Generic Competitive Strategy Types in U.S. and European Markets

    OpenAIRE

    Susan P Douglas; Dong Kee Rhee

    1989-01-01

    Identification of generic competitive strategy types has recently attracted considerable attention. Most of this research has, however, focused on competitive strategy of U.S. businesses in their domestic market. The present study extends these findings to markets outside the United States, and more specifically Europe, based on a sample of industrial businesses drawn from the PIMS database. Similar dimensions underlying competitive strategy, and similar generic types are found among business...

  5. 75 FR 38775 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for Customer Satisfaction...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-06

    ...; Generic Clearance for Customer Satisfaction Research AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY... Bureau is requesting an extension of the generic clearance to conduct customer satisfaction research... on feedback from its various customer satisfaction research efforts. Each research design is reviewed...

  6. 76 FR 79702 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-22

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), HHS... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

  7. 78 FR 40729 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request: Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-08

    ... precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Washington Headquarters Service (WHS), DOD. ACTION: 30... (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery...

  8. 76 FR 21746 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-18

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

  9. 76 FR 41280 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-13

    ... proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential non-response bias, the... Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative...): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' to OMB for...

  10. Generic atorvastatin, the Belgian statin market and the cost-effectiveness of statin therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simoens, Steven; Sinnaeve, Peter R

    2013-02-01

    This study examines how the market entry of generic atorvastatin influences the Belgian statin market and the cost-effectiveness of statin therapy. Using IMS Health data, the Belgian 2000-2011 statin market was analyzed in terms of total expenditure, annual price of statin treatment, and patient numbers. A simulation analysis projected statin market shares from 2012 to 2015 following market entry of generic atorvastatin. This analysis was based on three scenarios regarding the number of patients taking specific statins. Savings associated with an atorvastatin price reduction of 50-70 % were calculated. A literature review of economic evaluations assessed the cost-effectiveness of generic atorvastatin. Statin expenditure increased from €113 million in 2000 to €285 million in 2011 due to higher expenditure on atorvastatin and rosuvastatin. Although the number of patients treated with simvastatin increased by nearly 800 %, the resulting increase in expenditure was partially offset by price reductions. Atorvastatin is projected to become the dominant product in the Belgian statin market (market share of 47-66 % by 2015). Annual savings would attain €108.6-€153.7 million for a 50 % reduction in the atorvastatin price and €152.0-€215.2 million for a 70 % price reduction. The literature suggests that generic atorvastatin is cost-effective as compared to simvastatin. The limited evidence about the cost-effectiveness of rosuvastatin as compared with generic atorvastatin is inconclusive. Generic atorvastatin is cost-effective as compared to simvastatin, is projected to become the dominant product in the Belgian statin market and is expected to generate substantial savings to health care payers.

  11. Thermodynamics and kinetics of the glass transition: A generic geometric approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutzow, I.; Ilieva, D.; Babalievski, F.; Yamakov, V.

    2000-01-01

    A generic phenomenological theory of the glass transition is developed in the framework of a quasilinear formulation of the thermodynamics of irreversible processes. Starting from one of the basic principles of this science in its approximate form given by de Donder's equation, after a change of variables the temperature dependence of the structural parameter ξ(T), the thermodynamic potentials ΔG(tilde sign)(T), the thermodynamic functions and the time of molecular relaxation τ of vitrifying systems is constructed. In doing so, a new effect in the ΔG(tilde sign)(T) course is observed. The analysis of the higher derivatives of the thermodynamic potential, and especially the nullification of the second derivative of the configurational specific heats ΔC(tilde sign) p (T) of the vitrifying liquid defines glass transition temperature T(tilde sign) g and leads directly to the basic dependence of glass transition kinetics: the Frenkel-Kobeko-Reiner equation. The conditions guaranteeing the fulfillment of this equation specify the temperature dependence of the activation energy U(T,ξ(tilde sign)) for viscous flow and give a natural differentiation of glass formers into fragile and strong liquids. The effect of thermal prehistory on the temperature dependence of both thermodynamic functions and kinetic coefficients is established by an appropriate separation of de Donder's equation. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

  12. 77 FR 72361 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-05

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery SUMMARY: As part of a Federal Government-wide effort to... Information Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback...

  13. 76 FR 44938 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Generic Clearance...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-27

    ... calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods for assessing potential... Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery: National Cancer Center (NCI) ACTION: 30-Day notice of... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

  14. Competition in prescription drug markets: the roles of trademarks, advertising, and generic names.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feldman, Roger; Lobo, Félix

    2013-08-01

    We take on two subjects of controversy among economists-advertising and trademarks-in the context of the market for generic drugs. We outline a model in which trademarks for drug names reduce search costs but increase product differentiation. In this particular framework, trademarks may not benefit consumers. In contrast, the generic names of drugs or "International Nonproprietary Names" (INN) have unquestionable benefits in both economic theory and empirical studies. We offer a second model where advertising of a brand-name drug creates recognition for the generic name. The monopoly patent-holder advertises less than in the absence of a competitive spillover.

  15. 77 FR 45629 - Animal Generic Drug User Fee Rates and Payment Procedures for Fiscal Year 2013

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-01

    ..., beginning with the letters ``AG'', from the upper right-hand corner of your completed Animal Generic Drug...] Animal Generic Drug User Fee Rates and Payment Procedures for Fiscal Year 2013 AGENCY: Food and Drug... payment procedures for fiscal year (FY) 2013 generic new animal drug user fees. The Federal Food, Drug...

  16. A Novel Generic Ball Recognition Algorithm Based on Omnidirectional Vision for Soccer Robots

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Zhang

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available It is significant for the final goal of RoboCup to realize the recognition of generic balls for soccer robots. In this paper, a novel generic ball recognition algorithm based on omnidirectional vision is proposed by combining the modified Haar-like features and AdaBoost learning algorithm. The algorithm is divided into offline training and online recognition. During the phase of offline training, numerous sub-images are acquired from various panoramic images, including generic balls, and then the modified Haar-like features are extracted from them and used as the input of the AdaBoost learning algorithm to obtain a classifier. During the phase of online recognition, and according to the imaging characteristics of our omnidirectional vision system, rectangular windows are defined to search for the generic ball along the rotary and radial directions in the panoramic image, and the learned classifier is used to judge whether a ball is included in the window. After the ball has been recognized globally, ball tracking is realized by integrating a ball velocity estimation algorithm to reduce the computational cost. The experimental results show that good performance can be achieved using our algorithm, and that the generic ball can be recognized and tracked effectively.

  17. Performance Assessment Modeling and Sensitivity Analyses of Generic Disposal System Concepts.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sevougian, S. David; Freeze, Geoffrey A.; Gardner, William Payton; Hammond, Glenn Edward; Mariner, Paul

    2014-09-01

    directly, rather than through simplified abstractions. It also a llows for complex representations of the source term, e.g., the explicit representation of many individual waste packages (i.e., meter - scale detail of an entire waste emplacement drift). This report fulfills the Generic Disposal System Analysis Work Packa ge Level 3 Milestone - Performance Assessment Modeling and Sensitivity Analyses of Generic Disposal System Concepts (M 3 FT - 1 4 SN08080 3 2 ).

  18. HTGR generic technology program. Semiannual report ending March 31, 1980

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1980-05-01

    This document reports the technical accomplishments on the HTGR Generic Technology Program at General Atomic during the first half of FY-80. It covers a period when the design direction of the National HTGR Program is in the process of an overall review. The HTGR Generic Technology Program activities have continued so as to provide the basic technology required for all HTGR applications. The activities include the need to develop an MEU fuel and the need to qualify materials and components for the higher temperatures of the gas turbine and process heat plants

  19. 16 CFR 303.41 - Use of fiber trademarks and generic names in advertising.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... use of a fiber trademark shall require a full disclosure of the fiber content information required by... or generic name is used in non-required information in advertising, such fiber trademark or generic... advertising. 303.41 Section 303.41 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REGULATIONS UNDER SPECIFIC...

  20. Towards Generic Interaction Styles for Product Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Buur, Jacob; Stienstra, Marcelle

    2008-01-01

    a wider range of interactive products. In this paper we report on five years of continued research into interaction styles for telephones, kitchen equipment, HiFi products and medical devices, and we show how it is indeed possible and beneficial to formulate a set of generic interaction styles....

  1. A prioritization of generic safety issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emrit, R.; Riggs, R.; Milstead, W.; Pittman, J.

    1991-07-01

    This report presents the priority rankings for generic safety issues and related to nuclear power plants. The purpose of these rankings is to assist in the timely and efficient allocation of NRC resources for the resolution of those safety issues that have a significant potential for reducing risk. The report focuses on the prioritization of generic safety issues. Issues primarily concerned with the licensing process or environmental protection and not directly related to safety have been excluded from prioritization. The prioritized issues include: TMI Action Plan items under development; previously proposed issues covered by Task Action Plans, except issues designated as Un-resolved Safety Issues (USIs) which had already been assigned high priority; and newly-proposed issues. Future supplements to this report will include the prioritization of additional issues. The safety priority rankings are High, Medium, Low, and Drop and have been assigned on the basis of risk significance estimates, the ratio of risk to costs and other impacts estimated to result if resolutions of the safety issues were implemented, and the consideration of uncertainties and other quantitative or qualitative factors. To the extent practical, estimates are quantitative. 1310 refs

  2. Generic Drugs: The Same Medicine for Less Money

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... about brand-name drugs. Resources Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs can help you find lower-cost generic drugs. ... produced by Consumers Union and Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs , a public information project supported by grants from ...

  3. Generic Safety Requirements for Developing Safe Insulin Pump Software

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yi; Jetley, Raoul; Jones, Paul L; Ray, Arnab

    2011-01-01

    Background The authors previously introduced a highly abstract generic insulin infusion pump (GIIP) model that identified common features and hazards shared by most insulin pumps on the market. The aim of this article is to extend our previous work on the GIIP model by articulating safety requirements that address the identified GIIP hazards. These safety requirements can be validated by manufacturers, and may ultimately serve as a safety reference for insulin pump software. Together, these two publications can serve as a basis for discussing insulin pump safety in the diabetes community. Methods In our previous work, we established a generic insulin pump architecture that abstracts functions common to many insulin pumps currently on the market and near-future pump designs. We then carried out a preliminary hazard analysis based on this architecture that included consultations with many domain experts. Further consultation with domain experts resulted in the safety requirements used in the modeling work presented in this article. Results Generic safety requirements for the GIIP model are presented, as appropriate, in parameterized format to accommodate clinical practices or specific insulin pump criteria important to safe device performance. Conclusions We believe that there is considerable value in having the diabetes, academic, and manufacturing communities consider and discuss these generic safety requirements. We hope that the communities will extend and revise them, make them more representative and comprehensive, experiment with them, and use them as a means for assessing the safety of insulin pump software designs. One potential use of these requirements is to integrate them into model-based engineering (MBE) software development methods. We believe, based on our experiences, that implementing safety requirements using MBE methods holds promise in reducing design/implementation flaws in insulin pump development and evolutionary processes, therefore improving

  4. Generic qualitative research: a design for qualitative research in emergency care?

    OpenAIRE

    Cooper, S; Endacott, R

    2007-01-01

    The frequency of qualitative studies in the Emergency Medicine Journal, while still low, has increased over the last few years. All take a generic approach and rarely conform to established qualitative approaches such as phenomenology, ethnography and grounded theory. This generic approach is no doubt selected for pragmatic reasons but can be weakened by a lack of rigor and understanding of qualitative research. This paper explores qualitative approaches and then focuses on “best practice” fo...

  5. Safety and efficacy of generic drugs with respect to brand formulation

    OpenAIRE

    Gallelli, Luca; Palleria, Caterina; De Vuono, Antonio; Mumoli, Laura; Vasapollo, Piero; Piro, Brunella; Russo, Emilio

    2013-01-01

    Generic drugs are equivalent to the brand formulation if they have the same active substance, the same pharmaceutical form and the same therapeutic indications and a similar bioequivalence respect to the reference medicinal product. The use of generic drugs is indicated from many countries in order to reduce medication price. However some points, such as bioequivalence and the role of excipients, may be clarified regarding the clinical efficacy and safety during the switch from brand to gener...

  6. Differential invariants of generic parabolic Monge–Ampère equations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferraioli, D Catalano; Vinogradov, A M

    2012-01-01

    Some new results on the geometry of classical parabolic Monge–Ampère equations (PMAs) are presented. PMAs are either integrable, or non-integrable according to the integrability of its characteristic distribution. All integrable PMAs are locally equivalent to the equation u xx = 0. We study non-integrable PMAs by associating with each of them a one-dimensional distribution on the corresponding first-order jet manifold, called the directing distribution. According to some property of this distribution, non-integrable PMAs are subdivided into three classes, one generic and two special. Generic PMAs are completely characterized by their directing distributions, and we study canonical models of the latter, projective curve bundles (PCB). A PCB is a one-dimensional sub-bundle of the projectivized cotangent bundle of a four-dimensional manifold. Differential invariants of projective curves composing such a bundle are used to construct a series of contact differential invariants for corresponding PMAs. These give a solution of the equivalence problem for generic PMAs with respect to contact transformations. The introduced invariants measure the nonlinearity of PMAs in an exact manner. (paper)

  7. Some drugs more equal than others: pseudo-generics and commercial practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Probyn, Andrew J

    2004-11-08

    This article analyses the impact of the Department of Health and Ageing's brand price premium policy for some products listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. The policy, introduced in 1990, allows pharmaceutical companies to charge patients an out-of-pocket expense for post-patent brands of pharmaceuticals. One of the policy's intended goals was to increase consumer awareness of price differentials between competing brands, with a view to encouraging greater use of cheaper generic products. More than fourteen years since its introduction, it is debatable whether the policy has achieved this aim. This article looks at how the brand price premium policy can be exploited by global pharmaceutical giants to entrench big-name brands in the Australian pharmaceutical market and, in some cases, prevent 'true' competition from generic pharmaceuticals. This is being done through the establishment of 'pseudo-generics' that are sourced from the same factory floor as the original product.

  8. Social Traces of Generic Humans Increase the Value of Everyday Objects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Job, Veronika; Nikitin, Jana; Zhang, Sophia X; Carr, Priyanka B; Walton, Gregory M

    2017-06-01

    Past research finds that people behave as though the particular qualities of specific, strongly valenced individuals "rub off" on objects. People thus value a sweater worn by George Clooney but are disgusted by one worn by Hitler. We hypothesized that social traces of generic humans can also adhere to objects, increasing their value. Experiments 1 and 2 found that simply marking that consumer products (mugs, giftwrap) were made by generic strangers (e.g., "by people using machines" vs. "by machines run by people") increased their perceived value. Experiment 3 demonstrated that this effect was mediated by thoughts about attention the object received from other people, which, in turn, led people to see the object as possessing more positive social qualities (e.g., friendly), increasing valuation. The results suggest that generic humans are perceived positively, possessing warm social qualities, and these can "rub off" and adhere to everyday objects increasing their value.

  9. You Can’t Beat Relating with God for Spiritual Well-Being: Comparing a Generic Version with the Original Spiritual Well-Being Questionnaire Called SHALOM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John Fisher

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available The Spiritual Health And Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM is a 20-item instrument that assesses the quality of relationships of the respondent with self, others, the environment and/or a Transcendent Other. In the Transcendental domain, four of the five items had the words ‘God, ‘Divine’ and ‘Creator’ replaced by the word ‘Transcendent’ to make the survey more generic by removing any implied reference to any god or religion. Invitations to complete a web survey were sent to people who had published papers in spirituality, or belonged to associations for spirituality or religious studies, as well as the Australian Atheist Forum. 409 respondents from 14 geographic regions, completed the survey. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the modified, generic form of SHALOM showed acceptable model fit, comprising four clearly delineated domains of spiritual well-being. The paper analyses the results derived from using the modified, generic version and, in comparison with results of applications of the original survey instrument, concludes with discussion of the comparative utility of each of the versions of SHALOM. Further studies with more people are warranted, but, from evidence presented here, it looks like you can’t beat relating with God for spiritual well-being.

  10. “No generics, Doctor!” The perspective of general practitioners in two French regions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Béatrice Riner

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Generic medicines are essential to controlling health expenditures. Their market share is still small in France. The discourse and practices of prescribers may play a major role in their use. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes and practices of general practitioners (GPs toward generic medicines in two French regions with the lowest penetration rate of these products. Methods An observational study was carried out from October 2015 to February 2016 in Guadeloupe and Martinique. The first qualitative phase involved a diversified sample of 14 GPs who underwent semi-structured interviews. The second phase involved a random sample of 316 GPs (response rate = 74% who were administered a structured questionnaire developed from the results of the first phase. Results Seventy-eight percent of the participants defined a generic drug as a drug containing an active substance identical to a brand-name drug, but only 11% considered generic drugs to be equivalent to brand-name drugs, and the same proportion believed that the generic drugs were of doubtful quality. The primary recognized advantage of generic medicines was their lower cost (82%. The main drawbacks cited were the variability of their presentation (44%, the confusion that they caused for some patients (47%, frequent allegations of adverse side effects (37% and a lack of efficacy (24%, and frequent refusal by patients (26%. Seventy-four percent of the participants stated that they adapted their prescribing practices to the situation, and of this group, 47% prescribed the originator product simply on demand. Conclusion Most surveyed GPs were not hostile towards generic medicines. They were caught between the requirements of health insurance regimes and the opposition of numerous users and suggested that the patient information provided by health authorities should be improved and that drug composition and packaging should be made uniform.

  11. The effect of generic switching on concerns about medicine and non-persistence among Danish adults in a general practice setting

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Østergaard Rathe, Jette

    BACKGROUND: Generic substitution means that one medicinal product is replaced by another product containing the same active substance. Generic substitution has existed in Denmark since 1991, and pharmacies are obliged to substitute a generic version of a medication, unless the general practitioner...... international studies have shown that most patients have positive attitudes towards generic substitution. The severity of disease is known to be associated with patients being more concerned about generic substitution. The generic substitution scheme implies changing from one drug to another that may vary...... in brand-name, form, size, colour and taste. Speculations have been raised as to whether these medication changes between generic brands or from brand-name drugs to generics or vice versa may cause patient concerns. Qualitative studies have shown problems in recognising the substituted medicine and lack...

  12. [General awareness and use of generic medication among citizens of Tubarão, state of Santa Catarina, Brazil].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blatt, Carine Raquel; Trauthman, Silvana Cristina; Schmidt, Edegar Henrique; Marchesan, Samuel; da Silva, Luana May; Martins, João Luiz

    2012-01-01

    Although generic medication has been introduced in the country to offer an accessible alternative to brand-name medication, it represents only 14% of sales in number of units within the pharmaceutical market. The aim of this work was to research the level of awareness and the use of generic products among residents of the municipality of Tubarão, State of Santa Catarina, Brazil. A transversal study was carried out with a sample of 234 interviewees, distributed among municipal areas. With regard to use, the majority of those interviewed had used generic medication, and half of them had at least one such product in their home. To verify awareness of different types of medication, pictures with the generic, brand name and similar packaging for paracetamol and atenolol were shown and 91% were able to identify all products correctly. To be of higher economic standing, already having used generic products, believing that the generic medication has the same effect as the brand name medication, finding generic products in drugstores easily and being accustomed to buy generic products, were factors that were positively associated with the correct identification.

  13. MAAP4 CANDU analysis of a generic CANDU-6 plant: preliminary results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Petoukhov, S.M.; Mathew, P.M

    2001-10-01

    To support the generic probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) program at AECL, in particular to conduct Level 2 PSA analysis of a CANDU 6 plant undergoing a postulated severe accident, the capability to conduct severe accident consequence analysis for a CANDU plant is required. For this purpose, AECL selected MAAP4 CANDU from a number of other severe accident codes. The necessary models for a generic CANDU 6 station have been implemented in the code, and the code version 0.2 beta was tested using station data, which were assembled for a generic CANDU 6 station. This paper describes the preliminary results of the consequence analysis using MAAP4 CANDU for a generic CANDU 6 station, when it undergoes a station blackout and a large loss-of-coolant accident scenario. The analysis results show that the plant response is consistent with the physical phenomena modeled and the failure criteria used. The results also confirm that the CANDU design is robust with respect to severe accidents, which is reflected in the calculated long times that are available for administering accident management measures to arrest the accident progression before the calandria vessel or containment become at risk. (author)

  14. [Policies encouraging price competition in the generic drug market: Lessons from the European experience].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Puig-Junoy, Jaume

    2010-01-01

    To describe alternative policies aimed at encouraging price competition in generic drug markets in countries with strict price regulation, and to present some case studies drawn from the European experience. Systematic literature review of articles and technical reports published after 1999. The shortcomings in consumer price competition observed in some European generic markets, including Spain, may be reduced through three types of public reimbursement or financing reforms: policies aimed at improving the design of current maximum reimbursement level policies; policies aimed at monitoring competitive prices in order to reimburse real acquisition cost to pharmacies; and, more radical and market-oriented policies such as competitive tendering of public drug purchases. The experience of recent reforms adopted in Germany, Belgium, Holland, Norway, and Sweden offers a useful guide for highly price-regulated European countries, such as Spain, currently characterized by limited consumer price competition and the high discounts offered to pharmacy purchases. Direct price regulation and/or the generic reference pricing systems used to reduce generic drug prices in many European countries can be successfully reformed by adopting measures more closely aimed at encouraging consumer price competition in generic drug markets. Copyright 2009 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  15. Generic safety insights for inspection of boiling water reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Higgins, J.C.; Taylor, J.H.; Fresco, A.N.; Hillman, B.M.

    1987-01-01

    As the number of operating nuclear power plants (NPP) increases, safety inspection has increased in importance. However, precisely what is important, and what is not important? What should one focus inspection efforts on. Over the last two years Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PR) techniques have been developed to aid in the inspection process. Broad interest in generic PRA-based methods has arisen in the past year, since only about 25% of the US nuclear power plants have completed PRAs, and also, inspectors want PRA-based tools for these plants. This paper describes the BNL program to develop generic BWR PRA-based inspection insights or inspection guidance designed to be applied to plants without PRAs

  16. Developing Generic Competences in Online Virtual Education Programmes at the University of Deusto

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gvaramadze, Irakli

    2012-01-01

    Purpose: The current paper focuses on the increasing demand for generic competences both from governments and industries. Despite this fact, there is insufficient awareness and information in education systems on how to equip graduates with appropriate generic competences for the world of work and citizenship. This is even more complicated in…

  17. Generic roll-to-roll compatible method for insolubilizing and stabilizing conjugated active layers based on low energy electron irradiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Helgesen, Martin; Carlé, Jon Eggert; Helt-Hansen, Jakob

    2014-01-01

    Irradiation of organic multilayer films is demonstrated as a powerful method to improve several properties of polymer thin films and devices derived from them. The chemical cross‐linking that is the direct result of the irradiation with ∼100 keV electrons is fast and has a penetration power...... stability. The method is fast, generic, contactless, and fully compatible with high‐speed roll‐to‐roll processing of i.e. polymer solar cells at web speeds in excess of 60 m min−1. We employ fully printed, flexible, and foil‐based indium‐tin‐oxide free polymer solar cells in this study to demonstrate...

  18. Generic versus brand-name North American topical glaucoma drops.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mammo, Zaid N; Flanagan, John G; James, David F; Trope, Graham E

    2012-02-01

    To determine whether brand-name glaucoma drops differ from generic equivalents in bottle design, viscosity, surface tension, and volume in North America. Experimental study. We studied 5 bottles each of 11 kinds of glaucoma drops. Density-based calculations of drop volume were assessed using 0.1 mg analytic balance. Viscosity was measured using rotational rheometery. Bottle tip diameter was measured using 0.05 mm Vernier calipers. Surface tension was measured using a Fisher Scientific (Ottawa, ON) tensiometer. For the American brand-name Timoptic XE, the average drop volume was 38 ± 3.1 μL versus 24 ± 1.5 μL of Timolol GFS (p brand-name Timoptic XE, the average drop volume was 42 ± 4.0 μL versus 25 ± 2 μL of timolol maleate EX (p brand-name Timoptic drop volume was 28 ± 1.4 μL versus 35 ± 1.9 μL Apo-Timop (p brand-name Timoptic delivered significantly smaller drop volumes than generic Apo-Timop. Careful consideration should be given to drop viscosity and bottle design when generic ophthalmic products are evaluated for interchangeability and market entry. Copyright © 2012 Canadian Ophthalmological Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. The impact of generic substitution on the activities of pharmaceutical companies - a survey from the companies' perspective one year and five years after the introduction of generic substitution in finland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Timonen, Johanna; Bengtström, Marina; Karttunen, Pekka; Ahonen, Riitta

    2010-10-22

    Mandatory generic substitution (GS) was introduced in Finland on 1 April 2003. The aim of this study was to explore and compare the impacts of GS on the activities of pharmaceutical companies representing mainly original or generic pharmaceutical products in Finland. The self-reported impact of GS from pharmaceutical companies' perspective was explored with a focus on the number of employees, the range of sales packages on the market, the marketing activities, the research and development of new pharmaceutical products and storage of pharmaceuticals. A cross-sectional postal survey was conducted among pharmaceutical companies with an office in Finland and substitutable medicines in the Finnish pharmaceutical market one year (2004) and five years (2008) after the introduction of GS. Completed questionnaires were returned by 16 original and 7 generic product companies in 2004 (response rate 56%, n = 41) and by 16 original and 6 generic product companies in 2008 (response rate 56%, n = 39). Descriptive statistical analyses were performed. The number of employees (2004: n = 6/16, 2008: n = 7/16) and the amount of prescription medicine marketing (2004: n = 7/16, 2008: n = 8/16) decreased in many of the original product companies after the introduction of GS. GS resulted in problems related to the storage of pharmaceuticals in the original product companies shortly after GS was introduced (p = 0.032 between 2004 and 2008). In the generic product companies, the prescription medicine representatives' visits to pharmacies increased at the beginning of GS (p = 0.021 between 2004 and 2008). In addition, GS caused problems with the storage of pharmaceuticals one year and five years after the reform (2004: n = 4/7, 2008: n = 3/6). The differences between original and generic product companies regarding the impacts of GS were not, however, statistically significant. GS did not affect on the range of sales packages on the market or the research activities of the majority of

  20. Generic multiset programming with discrimination-based joins and symbolic Cartesian products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Henglein, Fritz; Larsen, Ken Friis

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents GMP, a library for generic, SQL-style programming with multisets. It generalizes the querying core of SQL in a number of ways: Multisets may contain elements of arbitrary first-order data types, including references (pointers), recur- sive data types and nested multisets......: symbolic (term) repre- sentations of multisets, specifically for Cartesian products, for facilitating dynamic symbolic computation, which intersperses algebraic simplification steps with conventional data pro- cessing; and discrimination-based joins, a generic technique for computing equijoins based...

  1. Transforming Cobol Legacy Software to a Generic Imperative Model

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Moraes, DinaL

    1999-01-01

    .... This research develops a transformation system to convert COBOL code into a generic imperative model, recapturing the initial design and deciphering the requirements implemented by the legacy code...

  2. Generic methods for aero-engine exhaust emission prediction

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shakariyants, S.A.

    2008-01-01

    In the thesis, generic methods have been developed for aero-engine combustor performance, combustion chemistry, as well as airplane aerodynamics, airplane and engine performance. These methods specifically aim to support diverse emission prediction studies coupled with airplane and engine

  3. Potential Cost Savings from Generic Medicines - Protecting the ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    ... a pro-generic policy since the introduction of the National Drug Policy in 1996. ... Medicines provided outside of hospitals accounted for 17% of medical aid ... in the chronic disease algorithms set out by the Council for Medical Schemes ...

  4. The Clinical and Economic Impact of Generic Locking Plate Utilization at a Level II Trauma Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mcphillamy, Austin; Gurnea, Taylor P; Moody, Alastair E; Kurnik, Christopher G; Lu, Minggen

    2016-12-01

    In today's climate of cost containment and fiscal responsibility, generic implant alternatives represent an interesting area of untapped resources. As patents have expired on many commonly used trauma implants, generic alternatives have recently become available from a variety of sources. The purpose of this study was to examine the clinical and economic impact of a cost containment program using high quality, generic orthopaedic locking plates. The implants available for study were anatomically precontoured plates for the clavicle, proximal humerus, distal radius, proximal tibia, distal tibia, and distal fibula. Retrospective review. Level II Trauma center. 828 adult patients with operatively managed clavicle, proximal humerus, distal radius, proximal tibia, tibial pilon, and ankle fractures. Operative treatment with conventional or generic implants. The 414 patients treated with generic implants were compared with 414 patients treated with conventional implants. There were no significant differences in age, sex, presence of diabetes, smoking history or fracture type between the generic and conventional groups. No difference in operative time, estimated blood loss or intraoperative complication rate was observed. No increase in postoperative infection rate, hardware failure, hardware loosening, malunion, nonunion or need for hardware removal was noted. Overall, our hospital realized a 56% reduction in implant costs, an average savings of $1197 per case, and a total savings of $458,080 for the study period. Use of generic orthopaedic implants has been successful at our institution, providing equivalent clinical outcomes while significantly reducing implant expenditures. Based on our data, the use of generic implants has the potential to markedly reduce operative costs as long as quality products are used. Therapeutic Level III.

  5. GOoDA: The Generic Optimization Data Analyzer

    CERN Multimedia

    CERN. Geneva

    2012-01-01

    To address this issue, a generic decomposition of how a microprocessor is using the consumed cycles allows code developers to quickly understand which of the myriad of microarchitectural complexities they are battling, without requiring a detailed knowledge of the microarchitecture. When this approach is intrinsically integrated into a performance data analysis tool,...

  6. 76 FR 13020 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-09

    ... precision requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response... Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: Department of... Collection Request (Generic ICR): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency...

  7. Evaluation of the Latest Generic Data for PSA Applications of Domestic Nuclear Plants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Seok Won; Oh, Ji Yong; Lee, Byung Sik

    2009-01-01

    Generic data of domestic PSAs have mostly referred to 'Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) Utility Requirements Document (URD) 'issued by EPRI. Generally, current data of domestic PSA have been customized with the generic and plant specific data through Bayesian analysis. The generic reference has established by collecting US nuclear plant practices from mid 1980s to early 1990s. Over the decade, US plants had showed low performances and capabilities in operation. On the other hand, the current domestic nuclear plants shows world class performance in operation and maintenance compared with the corresponding US nuclear plants in URD. Therefore, it is necessary to apply proper generic sources which can represent the current domestic plant performances and status. In 2007, the latest generic source (NUREG/CR-6928) is published by US NRC, which deals with new types of failure modes and analysis methods. A fundamental improvement in NUREG/CR-6928 compared with previous data source is the distinction between standby and alternating/running component basic events, which shows different failure mechanisms. Significant differences were also noted running failure events occurred within and beyond the first hour for emergency diesel generators, cooling units, and pumps. This was done because the historical perspective on running failure rates indicated approximately a factor of 15 differences between the two failure rates for several component types. ALWR URD uses lognormal distribution in the estimation of failure rates. On the contrary, NUREG/CR-6928 uses beta and gamma distributions for demand and running failures, respectively. This work has proposed an approach to the application of NUREG/CR-6928 to current PSA practice by comparing it with URD data. Moreover, this attempt results in eliciting substantial insights of the establishment of the domestic generic database

  8. Do Lions Have Manes? For Children, Generics Are about Kinds Rather than Quantities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brandone, Amanda C.; Cimpian, Andrei; Leslie, Sarah-Jane; Gelman, Susan A.

    2012-01-01

    Generic statements (e.g., "Lions have manes") make claims about kinds (e.g., lions as a category) and, for adults, are distinct from quantificational statements (e.g., "Most lions have manes"), which make claims about how many individuals have a given property. This article examined whether young children also understand that generics do not…

  9. Computer aided planning of orthopaedic surgeries: the definition of generic planning steps for bone removal procedures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putzer, David; Moctezuma, Jose Luis; Nogler, Michael

    2017-11-01

    An increasing number of orthopaedic surgeons are using computer aided planning tools for bone removal applications. The aim of the study was to consolidate a set of generic functions to be used for a 3D computer assisted planning or simulation. A limited subset of 30 surgical procedures was analyzed and verified in 243 surgical procedures of a surgical atlas. Fourteen generic functions to be used in 3D computer assisted planning and simulations were extracted. Our results showed that the average procedure comprises 14 ± 10 (SD) steps with ten different generic planning steps and four generic bone removal steps. In conclusion, the study shows that with a limited number of 14 planning functions it is possible to perform 243 surgical procedures out of Campbell's Operative Orthopedics atlas. The results may be used as a basis for versatile generic intraoperative planning software.

  10. A generic service interfacing approach for home networking

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, S.; Lukkien, J.J.; Bosman, R.P.; Verhoeven, R.

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents a generic service interfacing approach which enables the interoperability of networked devices and the reusability of services. Services are specified through a set of interfaces which are language and deployment platform independent. External service orchestration is applied to

  11. GENERIC VERIFICATION PROTOCOL FOR AQUEOUS CLEANER RECYCLING TECHNOLOGIES

    Science.gov (United States)

    This generic verification protocol has been structured based on a format developed for ETV-MF projects. This document describes the intended approach and explain plans for testing with respect to areas such as test methodology, procedures, parameters, and instrumentation. Also ...

  12. A comparison of generic drug prices in seven European countries: a methodological analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wouters, Olivier J; Kanavos, Panos G

    2017-03-31

    Policymakers and researchers frequently compare the prices of medicines between countries. Such comparisons often serve as barometers of how pricing and reimbursement policies are performing. The aim of this study was to examine methodological challenges to comparing generic drug prices. We calculated all commonly used price indices based on 2013 IMS Health data on sales of 3156 generic drugs in seven European countries. There were large differences in generic drug prices between countries. However, the results varied depending on the choice of index, base country, unit of volume, method of currency conversion, and therapeutic category. The results also differed depending on whether one looked at the prices charged by manufacturers or those charged by pharmacists. Price indices are a useful statistical approach for comparing drug prices across countries, but researchers and policymakers should interpret price indices with caution given their limitations. Price-index results are highly sensitive to the choice of method and sample. More research is needed to determine the drivers of price differences between countries. The data suggest that some governments should aim to reduce distribution costs for generic drugs.

  13. Firm- and drug-specific patterns of generic drug payments by US medicaid programs: 1991-2008.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelton, Christina M L; Chang, Lenisa V; Guo, Jeff J; Yu, Yan; Berry, Edmund A; Bian, Boyang; Heaton, Pamela C

    2014-04-01

    The entry of generic drugs into markets previously monopolized by patented, branded drugs often represents large potential savings for healthcare payers in the USA. Our objectives were to describe and explain the trends in drug reimbursement by public Medicaid programmes post-generic entry for as many drug markets and for as long a time period as possible. The data were the Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data maintained by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Quarterly utilization and expenditure data from 1991 to 2008 were extracted for 83 drugs, produced by 229 firms, that experienced initial generic entry between 1992 and 2004. A relative 'price' for a specific drug, firm and quarter was constructed as Medicaid reimbursement per unit (e.g. tablet, capsule or vial) divided by average reimbursement per unit for the branded drug the year before entry. Fixed-effects models controlling for time-, firm- and drug-specific differences were estimated to explain reimbursement. Twelve quarters after generic entry, 18 % of drugs had average per-unit reimbursement less than 50 % of the original branded-drug reimbursement. For each additional firm manufacturing the drug, reimbursement per unit, relative to the pre-generic-entry branded-drug reimbursement, was estimated to fall by 17 (p < 0.01) and 3 (p < 0.01) percentage points for generic and branded-drug companies, respectively. Each additional quarter post-generic entry brought a 2 (p < 0.01) percentage point drop in relative reimbursement. State Medicaid programmes generally have been able to obtain relief from high drug prices following patent expirations for many branded-drug medications by adjusting reimbursement following the expanded competition in the pharmaceutical market.

  14. 76 FR 37825 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-28

    ... requirements or power calculations that justify the proposed sample size, the expected response rate, methods... Activities; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery AGENCY: U...): ``Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery '' to OMB for...

  15. Generic Performance Measures. Chapter 8

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daube-Witherspoon, M. E. [Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    2014-12-15

    The generic nuclear medicine imager, whether a gamma camera, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) system or positron emission tomography (PET) scanner, comprises several main components: a detection system, a form of collimation to select γ rays at specific angles, electronics and a computing system to create the map of the radiotracer distribution. This section discusses these components in more detail. The first stage of a generic nuclear medicine imager is the detection of the γ rays emitted by the radionuclide. In the case of PET, the radiation of interest are the 511 keV annihilation photons that result from the interaction of the positron emitted by the radionuclide with an electron in the tissue. For general nuclear medicine and SPECT, there is one or sometimes more than one γ ray of interest, with energies in the range of <100 to >400 keV. The γ rays are detected when they interact and deposit energy in the crystal(s) of the imaging system. There are two main types of detector: crystals that give off light that can be converted to an electrical signal when the γ ray interacts (‘scintillators’) and semiconductors, crystals that generate an electrical signal directly when the γ ray deposits energy in the crystal. Scintillation detectors include NaI(Tl), bismuth germanate (BGO) and lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO); semiconductor detectors used in nuclear medicine imagers include cadmium zinc telluride (CZT). Radiation detectors are described in more detail in Chapter 6.

  16. Generic quality of life in persons with hearing loss: a systematic literature review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nordvik, Øyvind; Laugen Heggdal, Peder O; Brännström, Jonas; Vassbotn, Flemming; Aarstad, Anne Kari; Aarstad, Hans Jørgen

    2018-01-01

    To the best of our knowledge, no empirically based consensus has been reached as to if, and to what extent, persons with hearing loss (HL) have reduced generic Quality of life (QoL). There seems to be limited knowledge regarding to what extent a hearing aid (HA) would improve QoL. The main aim of the present study was to review studies about the relationship between HL and QoL. A supporting aim was to study the association between distress and HL. Literature databases (Cinahl, Pub Med and Web of Science) were searched to identify relevant journal articles published in the period from January 2000 to March 17, 2016. We performed a primary search pertaining to the relationship between HL, HA and QoL (search number one) followed by a supporting search pertaining to the relationship between distress/mood/anxiety and HL (search number two). After checking for duplications and screening the titles of the papers, we read the abstracts of the remaining papers. The most relevant papers were read thoroughly, leaving us with the journal articles that met the inclusion criteria. Twenty journal articles were included in the present review: 13 were found in the primary search (HL and QoL), and seven in the supporting search (HL and distress). The literature yields equivocal findings regarding the association between generic QoL and HL. A strong association between distress and HL was shown, where distressed persons tend to have a lowered generic QoL. It is suggested that QoL is lowered among HL patients. Some studies suggest an increased generic QoL following the use of HA, especially during the first few months after initiation of treatment. Other studies suggest that HA use is one of several possible factors that contribute to improve generic QoL. The majority of the studies suggest that HL is associated with reduced generic QoL. Using hearing aids seem to improve general QoL at follow-up within the first year. HL is a risk factor for distress. Further research is needed to

  17. A Generic Solution Approach to Nurse Rostering

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Anders Dohn; Mason, Andrew; Ryan, David

    In this report, we present a solution approach to the nurse rostering problem. The problem is defined by a generic model that is able to capture close to all of the problem characteristics that we have seen in the literature and in the realistic problems at hand. The model is used directly in the...

  18. Generic Certificates. Agricultural Economic Report Number 594.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glauber, Joseph W.

    The Food Security Act of 1985 authorizes the U.S. Department of Agriculture to issue generic certificates in lieu of cash payments due to program participants and merchants of agricultural products under provisions of several programs. The certificates may be used to acquire stocks held as collateral on government loans or owned by the Commodity…

  19. Generic nano-imprint process for fabrication of nanowire arrays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pierret, Aurelie; Hocevar, Moira; Algra, Rienk E; Timmering, Eugene C; Verschuuren, Marc A; Immink, George W G; Verheijen, Marcel A; Bakkers, Erik P A M [Philips Research Laboratories Eindhoven, High Tech Campus 11, 5656 AE Eindhoven (Netherlands); Diedenhofen, Silke L [FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics c/o Philips Research Laboratories, High Tech Campus 4, 5656 AE Eindhoven (Netherlands); Vlieg, E, E-mail: e.p.a.m.bakkers@tue.nl [IMM, Solid State Chemistry, Radboud University Nijmegen, Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen (Netherlands)

    2010-02-10

    A generic process has been developed to grow nearly defect-free arrays of (heterostructured) InP and GaP nanowires. Soft nano-imprint lithography has been used to pattern gold particle arrays on full 2 inch substrates. After lift-off organic residues remain on the surface, which induce the growth of additional undesired nanowires. We show that cleaning of the samples before growth with piranha solution in combination with a thermal anneal at 550 deg. C for InP and 700 deg. C for GaP results in uniform nanowire arrays with 1% variation in nanowire length, and without undesired extra nanowires. Our chemical cleaning procedure is applicable to other lithographic techniques such as e-beam lithography, and therefore represents a generic process.

  20. Hospitals plan to start their own generic drug company

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robbins RA

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The New York Times reports that groups representing more than 450 hospitals plan to form their own generic drug company (1. Intermountain Healthcare is leading the collaboration with several other large hospital groups, Ascension, SSM Health and Trinity Health, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to form a not-for-profit drug company. The new firm is looking to create generic versions of about 20 existing drugs that the group says cost too much now or are in short supply. The article did not name the drugs targeted but expects the first of its pharmaceutical products to become available in 2019. Members of the consortium will contribute funds to finance the new drug company.

  1. Comparison of adherence to generic multi-tablet regimens vs. brand multi-tablet and brand single-tablet regimens likely to incorporate generic antiretroviral drugs by breaking or not fixed-dose combinations in HIV-infected patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rwagitinywa, Joseph; Lapeyre-Mestre, Maryse; Bourrel, Robert; Montastruc, Jean-Louis; Sommet, Agnès

    2018-03-05

    Adherence to antiretroviral (ARV) is crucial to achieve viral load suppression in HIV-infected patients. This study aimed to compare adherence to generic multi-tablet regimens (MTR) vs. brand MTR likely to incorporate ARV drugs without breaking fixed-dose combinations (FDC) and brand single-tablet regimens (STR) likely to incorporate generics by breaking the FDC. Patients aged of 18 years or over exposed to one of the generic or the brand of lamivudine (3TC), zidovudine/lamivudine (AZT/TC), nevirapine (NVP), or efavirenz (EFV), or the brand STR of efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir (EFV/FTC/TDF). Adherence was measured by medication possession ratio (MPR) using both defined daily dose (DDD) and daily number of tablet recommended for adults (DNT). Adherence to generic MTR vs. brand MTR and brand STR was compared using Kruskal-Wallis. The overall median adherence was 0.97 (IQR 0.13) by DNT method and 0.97 (0.14) by DDD method. Adherence in patients exposed to generic MTR (n = 165) vs. brand MTR (n = 481) and brand STR (n = 470) was comparable by DNT and DDD methods. In conclusion, adherence to generic MTR was high and comparable with adherence to brand MTR and to STR. Utilization of DDD instead DNT to measure the MPR led to small but nonsignificant difference that has no clinical impact. © 2018 Société Française de Pharmacologie et de Thérapeutique.

  2. Efficient probabilistic inference in generic neural networks trained with non-probabilistic feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Orhan, A Emin; Ma, Wei Ji

    2017-07-26

    Animals perform near-optimal probabilistic inference in a wide range of psychophysical tasks. Probabilistic inference requires trial-to-trial representation of the uncertainties associated with task variables and subsequent use of this representation. Previous work has implemented such computations using neural networks with hand-crafted and task-dependent operations. We show that generic neural networks trained with a simple error-based learning rule perform near-optimal probabilistic inference in nine common psychophysical tasks. In a probabilistic categorization task, error-based learning in a generic network simultaneously explains a monkey's learning curve and the evolution of qualitative aspects of its choice behavior. In all tasks, the number of neurons required for a given level of performance grows sublinearly with the input population size, a substantial improvement on previous implementations of probabilistic inference. The trained networks develop a novel sparsity-based probabilistic population code. Our results suggest that probabilistic inference emerges naturally in generic neural networks trained with error-based learning rules.Behavioural tasks often require probability distributions to be inferred about task specific variables. Here, the authors demonstrate that generic neural networks can be trained using a simple error-based learning rule to perform such probabilistic computations efficiently without any need for task specific operations.

  3. New Product Development in the Pharmaceutical Industry: Evidence from a generic market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousefi, Nazila; Mehralian, Gholamhossein; Rasekh, Hamid Reza; Yousefi, Mina

    2017-01-01

    In today's competitive world, there are several strategies to deal with the fast changing environment, among which New product development (NPD) is a common strategy. However, almost half of the resources that companies devote to NPD are spent on products that may fail. This issue is particularly highlighted in the pharmaceutical industry mainly because of a long development-time, low success rate, high capital requirement, and market uncertainty. This study identifies critical success factors of NPD based on the relevant literatures and expert opinions in Iranian pharmaceutical industry, then prioritizes them using the methodology of multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) through analyzing 50 filled questionnaires structured based on the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) approach. Although the NPD success factors seem the same in both generic and bio-generic pharmaceutical industries, the underlying factors and related sub-factors show the different importance in these two industries. However, this study reveal that, the company capabilities is the most important factor affecting new product development success in both pharmaceutical generic and bio-generic industry. The results of this study contribute to create baseline information for pharmaceutical industry especially Iranian pharmaceutical companies to be more effective in budget allocation on improving NPD success factors so that they can boost the success rate of NPD more effectively.

  4. Enhancing regulatory effectiveness by improving the process for identifying and resolving generic issues

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vander Molen, Harold J.

    2001-01-01

    The Generic Issues Program first began formally in response to a Commission directive in October of 1976. In 1983, it became one of the first programs to make successful use of probabilistic risk information to aid in regulatory decision-making. In the 16 years since the program became quantitative, 836 issues have been processed. Of these, 106 reactor safety issues were prioritized as requiring further evaluation to determine the final resolution. Approximately a dozen generic issues remain unresolved. Although there is far less reactor licensing activity than in the 1970s, new issues continue to be identified from research and operational experience. These issues often involve complex and controversial questions of safety and regulation, and an efficient and effective means of addressing these issues is essential for regulatory effectiveness. Issues that involve a significant safety question require swift, effective, enforceable, and cost-effective regulatory actions. Issues that are of little safety significance must be quickly shown to be so and dismissed in an expeditious manner so as to avoid unnecessary expenditure of limited resources and to reduce regulatory uncertainty. Additionally, in the time since the generic issue program began, probabilistic risk assessment techniques have advanced significantly while agency resources have continued to diminish. Accordingly, the paper discusses the steps that have been taken to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the generic issue resolution process. Additionally, four resolved issues are discussed, along with key elements of a proposed new procedure for resolving potential generic issues

  5. Application of a generic biosphere model for dose assessments to five European sites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Q; Kowe, R; Mobbs, S F; Proehl, G; Olyslaegers, G; Zeevaert, T; Kanyar, B; Pinedo, P; Simon, I; Bergstroem, U; Hallberg, B; Jones, J A; Oatway, W B; Watson, S J

    2006-01-01

    The BIOMOSA (BIOsphere MOdels for Safety Assessment of radioactive waste disposal) project was part of the EC fifth framework research programme. The main goal of this project was to improve the scientific basis for the application of biosphere models in the framework of long-term safety studies of radioactive waste disposal facilities and to enhance the confidence in using biosphere models for performance assessments. The study focused on the development and application of a generic biosphere tool BIOGEM (BIOsphere GEneric Model) using the IAEA BIOMASS reference biosphere methodology, and the comparison between BIOGEM and five site-specific biosphere models. The site-specific models and the generic model were applied to five typical locations in Europe, resulting in estimates of the annual effective individual doses to the critical groups and the ranking of the importance of the exposure pathways for each of the sites. Uncertainty in the results was also estimated by means of stochastic calculations based on variation of the site-specific parameter values. This paper describes the generic model and the deterministic and stochastic results obtained when it was applied to the five sites. Details of the site-specific models and the corresponding results are described in two companion papers. This paper also presents a comparison of the results between the generic model and site-specific models. In general, there was an acceptable agreement of the BIOGEM for both the deterministic and stochastic results with the results from the site-specific models

  6. Switching from originator brand medicines to generic equivalents in selected developing countries: how much could be saved?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cameron, Alexandra; Mantel-Teeuwisse, Aukje K; Leufkens, Hubert G M; Laing, Richard Ogilvie

    2012-01-01

    In low- and middle-income countries, patients and reimbursement agencies that purchase medicines in the private sector pay more for originator brands when generic equivalents exist. We estimated the savings that could be obtained from a hypothetical switch in medicine consumption from originator brands to lowest-priced generic equivalents for a selection of medicines in 17 countries. In this cost minimization analysis, the prices of originator brands and their lowest-priced generic equivalents were obtained from facility-based surveys conducted by using a standard methodology. Fourteen medicines most commonly included in the surveys, plus three statins, were included in the analysis. For each medicine, the volume of private sector consumption of the originator brand product was obtained from IMS Health, Inc. Volumes were applied to the median unit prices for both originator brands and their lowest-priced generics to estimate cost savings. Prices were adjusted to 2008 by using consumer price index data and were adjusted for purchasing power parity. For the medicines studied, an average of 9% to 89% could be saved by an individual country from a switch in private sector purchases from originator brands to lowest-priced generics. In public hospitals in China, US $ 370 million could be saved from switching only four medicines, saving an average of 65%. Across individual medicines, average potential savings ranged from 11% for beclometasone inhaler to 73% for ceftriaxone injection. Substantial savings could be achieved by switching private sector purchases from originator brand medicines to lowest-priced generic equivalents. Strategies to promote generic uptake, such as generic substitution by pharmacists and increasing confidence in generics by professionals and the public, should be included in national medicines policies. Copyright © 2012 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Superspace higher derivative terms in two dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farakos, Fotis; Kočí, Pavel; Unge, Rikard von

    2017-01-01

    We study (2,2) and (4,4) supersymmetric theories with superspace higher derivatives in two dimensions. A characteristic feature of these models is that they have several different vacua, some of which break supersymmetry. Depending on the vacuum, the equations of motion describe different propagating degrees of freedom. Various examples are presented which illustrate their generic properties. As a by-product we see that these new vacua give a dynamical way of generating non-linear realizations. In particular, our 2D (4,4) example is the dimensional reduction of a 4D N=2 model, and gives a new way for the spontaneous breaking of extended supersymmetry.

  8. Superspace higher derivative terms in two dimensions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Farakos, Fotis [Dipartimento di Fisica “Galileo Galilei”, Università di Padova,Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Padova,Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova (Italy); Kočí, Pavel; Unge, Rikard von [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Masaryk University,611 37 Brno (Czech Republic)

    2017-04-03

    We study (2,2) and (4,4) supersymmetric theories with superspace higher derivatives in two dimensions. A characteristic feature of these models is that they have several different vacua, some of which break supersymmetry. Depending on the vacuum, the equations of motion describe different propagating degrees of freedom. Various examples are presented which illustrate their generic properties. As a by-product we see that these new vacua give a dynamical way of generating non-linear realizations. In particular, our 2D (4,4) example is the dimensional reduction of a 4D N=2 model, and gives a new way for the spontaneous breaking of extended supersymmetry.

  9. GLAD: a generic lattice debugger

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, M.J.

    1992-01-01

    Today, numerous simulation and analysis codes exist for the design, commission, and operation of accelerator beam lines. There is a need to develop a common user interface and database link to run these codes interactively. This paper will describe a proposed system, GLAD (Generic LAttice Debugger), to fulfill this need. Specifically, GLAD can be used to find errors in beam lines during commissioning, control beam parameters during operation, and design beam line optics and error correction systems for the next generation of linear accelerators and storage rings. (author)

  10. Generic maximum likely scale selection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Kim Steenstrup; Loog, Marco; Markussen, Bo

    2007-01-01

    in this work is on applying this selection principle under a Brownian image model. This image model provides a simple scale invariant prior for natural images and we provide illustrative examples of the behavior of our scale estimation on such images. In these illustrative examples, estimation is based......The fundamental problem of local scale selection is addressed by means of a novel principle, which is based on maximum likelihood estimation. The principle is generally applicable to a broad variety of image models and descriptors, and provides a generic scale estimation methodology. The focus...

  11. Evaluation of a Generic Virtual Power Plant Framework Using Service Oriented Architecture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Peter Bach; Poulsen, Bjarne; Decker, Morten

    2008-01-01

    interesting properties that can influence the future shape of power markets. The concept holds many promises including cheaper power to the consumer, a more flexible and responsive power production and the support of a more environment- friendly development. In order to realize a software solution supporting...... the generic virtual power plant, an array of different software design principles, patterns and architectures must be applied. Especially Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) can aid in implementing the generic virtual power plant. An analysis of the Nordic power market has been carried out in order...... to identify potential issues and barriers, henceforth mentioned as challenges, connected with the introduction of the generic virtual power plant concept. In this paper, three use case scenarios will show how each of these challenges can be overcome by the proposed solution framework. The use case scenarios...

  12. Cross-boundary working: a generic worker for older people in the community.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hek, Gill; Singer, Lorna; Taylor, Pat

    2004-06-01

    The care of older people often crosses the boundaries of health and social care. The new role of a health and social care trained generic worker was developed to provide comprehensive care for older people living at home. The role is a cross between a nursing auxiliary, health care assistant and a community support worker. The evaluation of the one-year pilot project demonstrated that clients were very satisfied with the care they received, particularly the emotional aspects of care. A high proportion of the generic workers time was spent listening and responding to their clients' mental health needs, and providing comfort and emotional support. Having been trained by local health professionals, the generic workers felt valued and respected, better able to communicate with their health colleagues, and therefore able to provide holistic care to their clients.

  13. An In Vitro Aerosolization Efficiency Comparison of Generic and Branded Salbutamol Metered Dose Inhalers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara Rahimkhani, Saeed Ghanbarzadeh, Ali Nokhodchi, Hamed Hamishehkar

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Due to the high rate of pulmonary diseases, respiratory drug delivery systems have been attracted excessive attention for the past decades. Because of limitations and growing drug bill, physicians are encouraged to prescribe generically whenever possible. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there was any significant difference in aerosolization performance between a reference brand Salbutamol (A Metered Dose Inhalers (MDIs and two generic products (B and C. Methods: The aerosolization performance of MDIs was evaluated by calculating aerosolization indexes including fine particle fraction (FPF, fine particle dose (FPD, geometric standard deviation (GSD and mass median aerodynamic diameters (MMAD by using the next generation impactor. Results: Although aerosolization indexes of MDI A were superior than the Iranian brands, but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: These results verified that generic MDIs deliver similar quantities of Salbutamol to the reference brand and aerosolization performance parameters of generic Salbutamol MDIs did not differ significantly from the reference brand.

  14. A generic biokinetic model for predicting the behaviour of the lanthanide elements in the human body

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, D.M.; Leggett, R.W.

    2003-01-01

    Information on the biokinetics of the 15 elements of the lanthanide series, 57 La to 71 Lu, is too sparse to permit individual development of meaningful biokinetic models to describe the behaviour of each of the elements in humans. The lanthanides show a regular gradation in chemical properties across the series, and animal studies indicate that this is reflected in regular differences in their deposition in tissues such as the liver and skeleton. These regular differences in chemical and biological behaviour have been utilised to construct a generic lanthanide biokinetic model and to define element-specific parameters for each element in the series. This report describes the use of the available biokinetic data for humans and animals to derive the parameters for each of the elements. (author)

  15. Highly damped quasinormal modes of generic single-horizon black holes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daghigh, Ramin G [Physics Department, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 2E9 (Canada); Kunstatter, Gabor [Winnipeg Institute for Theoretical Physics, Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada)

    2005-10-07

    We calculate analytically the highly damped quasinormal mode spectra of generic single-horizon black holes using the rigorous WKB techniques of Andersson and Howls (2004 Class. Quantum Grav. 21 1623). We thereby provide a firm foundation for previous analysis, and point out some of their possible limitations. The numerical coefficient in the real part of the highly damped frequency is generically determined by the behaviour of coupling of the perturbation to the gravitational field near the origin, as expressed in tortoise coordinates. This fact makes it difficult to understand how the famous ln(3) could be related to the quantum gravitational microstates near the horizon.

  16. Quality of generic medicines in South Africa: Perceptions versus Reality – A qualitative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Patel Aarti

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Generic Medicines are an important policy option allowing for access to affordable, essential medicines. Quality of generic medicines must be guaranteed through the activities of national medicines regulatory authorities. Existing negative perceptions surrounding the quality of generic medicines must be addressed to ensure that people use them with confidence. Campaigns to increase the uptake of generic medicines by consumers and providers of healthcare need to be informed by local norms and practices. This study sought to compare South African consumers’ and healthcare providers’ perceptions of quality of generics to the actual quality of selected products. Methods The study was conducted at the local level in three cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Purposive sampling was used to recruit consumer participants (n = 73 and random sampling used to recruit healthcare providers from public and private sectors (n = 15. Data were obtained through twelve focus group discussions with consumers and semi-structured interviews (n = 15 with healthcare providers in order to gain familiarity with perceptions of quality. One hundred and thirty five products comprising paracetamol tablets (n = 47, amoxicillin capsules (n = 45 and hydrochlorothiazide tablets (n = 43 were sourced from public and private sector healthcare providers. These products were subjected to in vitro dissolution, uniformity of weight and identity (Fourier Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy tests using prescribed methods from the British (2005 and United States Pharmacopeias (2006. Results Respondents described drug quality in relation to the effect on symptoms. Procurement and use behavior of healthcare providers was influenced by prior experience, manufacturers’ names and consumers’ ability to pay. All formulations passed the in vitro tests for quality. Conclusions This study showed clear differences between

  17. Prescribing Generic Medication in Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Patients: An Issue of Representations, Trust, and Experience in a Swiss Cohort.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valérie Piguet

    Full Text Available Parallel to an ever stronger advocacy for the use of generics, various sources of information report concerns regarding substitution. The literature indicates that information regarding substitution is not univocal. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore patients' representations regarding generics in patients suffering from non-specific disabling chronic musculoskeletal pain, as these patients are confronted with the issue of the prescription and/or substitution of original formulations with generics.Qualitative methods were selected because the aim was to access the range of patients' representations and to consider their conceptions. Standardized face-to-face semi-structured interviews were used, and transcripts were submitted to content analysis.Patients' representations suggest that they might be confident in taking a generic medication: when he/she has an understanding of generics as resulting from a development process that has become part of the public domain; the generic medication is prescribed by the physician; each prescription is discussed, i.e., the patient is prescribed the generic version of a given medication and not a generic medication.Economic arguments are not sufficient to justify substitution, and may even raise issues calling upon cognitive dissonance. Even in non-life-threatening diseases, negative cues require attention and need be de-emphasized - in particular lower price as an indication of lower quality, and generic status as contradictory with advocating individualization of medication.

  18. The physical properties of generic latanoprost ophthalmic solutions are not identical

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kolko, Miriam; Koch Jensen, Peter

    2017-01-01

    was determined by linear regression of timed gravity flow from a vertical syringe through a 21-G cannula. The hardness of the bottles was evaluated by gradually increasing tension on a hook placed around each bottle until a drop was expelled reading the tension on an attached spring scale. RESULTS: Drop sizes...... products. Finally, the viscosity revealed a significant variability between brands. Remarkable differences were found in bottle shapes, bottle hardness and costs of the latanoprost generics. CONCLUSION: Generic latanoprost eye drops should not be considered identical to the original brand version...

  19. Work-related teaching and learning methods to foster generic skills in Higher Education. An Italian experience

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Frison

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Within the framework of modernisation of higher education systems in Europe, universities are invited to go beyond a knowledge-based perspective focused on disciplinary approaches and to be more concentrated on encouraging generic skills to deal with today’s complex and unpredictable career paths. The literature about Work-Related Learning and Work-Integrated Learning offers evidence to research regarding contributions of work-related experiences to the development of generic skills. The first part of the article presents a literature review carried out following the matching among three main keywords: work-related learning, generic skills, and higher education. Resources focused on the integration/teaching of generic skills in formal curriculum or in co-curriculum work-related activities and they were collected in order to explore the link between work-related learning in higher education and the development of generic skills. The focus is to identify valuable considerations to improve teaching strategies and methods. The second part presents an Italian work-related experience developed within the course of “Organizational Intervention Research Methods,” which involved 22 master’s degree students. The work-related assignment will be described in addition to the content analysis process of the 22 collected texts and the findings about the development of generic skills.

  20. Molten salts processes and generic simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ogawa, Toru; Minato, Kazuo

    2001-01-01

    Development of dry separation process (pyrochemical process) using molten salts for the application of spent-nuclear fuel reprocessing requires a rather complete fundamental database as well as process simulation technique with wide applicability. The present report concerns recent progress and problems in this field taking behaviors of co-electrodeposition of UO 2 and PuO 2 in molten salts as an example, and using analytical simulation of local equilibrium combined with generic diffusion. (S. Ohno)

  1. Generic Software Architecture for Prognostics (GSAP) User Guide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teubert, Christopher Allen; Daigle, Matthew John; Watkins, Jason; Sankararaman, Shankar; Goebel, Kai

    2016-01-01

    The Generic Software Architecture for Prognostics (GSAP) is a framework for applying prognostics. It makes applying prognostics easier by implementing many of the common elements across prognostic applications. The standard interface enables reuse of prognostic algorithms and models across systems using the GSAP framework.

  2. 40 CFR 721.10006 - Mixed metal oxide (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mixed metal oxide (generic). 721.10006 Section 721.10006 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC SUBSTANCES...) of this section. (2) The significant new uses are: (i) Industrial, commercial, and consumer...

  3. 40 CFR 721.10163 - Chloro fluoro alkane (generic).

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Chloro fluoro alkane (generic). 721.10163 Section 721.10163 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC...)(2) of this section. (2) The significant new uses are: (i) Industrial, commercial, and consumer...

  4. A generic RNA-pulsed dendritic cell vaccine strategy for renal cell carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Geiger, Christiane; Regn, Sybille; Weinzierl, Andreas; Noessner, Elfriede; Schendel, Dolores J

    2005-01-01

    We present a generic dendritic cell (DC) vaccine strategy for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) based on the use of RNA as a source of multiplex tumor-associated antigens (TAAs). Instead of preparing RNA from tumor tissue of each individual RCC patient, we propose to substitute RNA prepared from a well characterized highly immunogenic RCC cell line (RCC-26 tumor cells) as a generic source of TAAs for loading of DCs. We demonstrate here that efficient RNA transfer can be achieved using lipofection of immature DCs, which are subsequently matured with a cytokine cocktail to express high levels of MHC and costimulatory molecules as well as the chemokine receptor CCR7. Neither RNA itself nor the lipid component impacted on the phenotype or the cytokine secretion of mature DCs. Following RNA loading, DCs derived from HLA-A2-positive donors were able to activate effector-memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) specific for a TAA ligand expressed by the RCC-26 cell line. CTL responses to RNA-loaded DCs reached levels comparable to those stimulated directly by the RCC-26 tumor cells. Furthermore, DCs expressing tumor cell RNA primed naïve T cells, yielding T cell lines with cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion after contact with RCC tumor cells. RCC-26 cell lines are available as good manufacturing practice (GMP)-certified reagents enabling this source of RNA to be easily standardized and adapted for clinical testing. In addition, well defined immune monitoring tools, including the use of RNA expressing B cell lines, are available. Thus, this DC vaccine strategy can be directly compared with an ongoing gene therapy trial using genetically-engineered variants of the RCC-26 cell line as vaccines for RCC patients with metastatic disease. PMID:16045799

  5. A generic RNA-pulsed dendritic cell vaccine strategy for renal cell carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noessner Elfriede

    2005-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract We present a generic dendritic cell (DC vaccine strategy for patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC based on the use of RNA as a source of multiplex tumor-associated antigens (TAAs. Instead of preparing RNA from tumor tissue of each individual RCC patient, we propose to substitute RNA prepared from a well characterized highly immunogenic RCC cell line (RCC-26 tumor cells as a generic source of TAAs for loading of DCs. We demonstrate here that efficient RNA transfer can be achieved using lipofection of immature DCs, which are subsequently matured with a cytokine cocktail to express high levels of MHC and costimulatory molecules as well as the chemokine receptor CCR7. Neither RNA itself nor the lipid component impacted on the phenotype or the cytokine secretion of mature DCs. Following RNA loading, DCs derived from HLA-A2-positive donors were able to activate effector-memory cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs specific for a TAA ligand expressed by the RCC-26 cell line. CTL responses to RNA-loaded DCs reached levels comparable to those stimulated directly by the RCC-26 tumor cells. Furthermore, DCs expressing tumor cell RNA primed naïve T cells, yielding T cell lines with cytotoxicity and cytokine secretion after contact with RCC tumor cells. RCC-26 cell lines are available as good manufacturing practice (GMP-certified reagents enabling this source of RNA to be easily standardized and adapted for clinical testing. In addition, well defined immune monitoring tools, including the use of RNA expressing B cell lines, are available. Thus, this DC vaccine strategy can be directly compared with an ongoing gene therapy trial using genetically-engineered variants of the RCC-26 cell line as vaccines for RCC patients with metastatic disease.

  6. Family of probability distributions derived from maximal entropy principle with scale invariant restrictions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonnino, Giorgio; Steinbrecher, György; Cardinali, Alessandro; Sonnino, Alberto; Tlidi, Mustapha

    2013-01-01

    Using statistical thermodynamics, we derive a general expression of the stationary probability distribution for thermodynamic systems driven out of equilibrium by several thermodynamic forces. The local equilibrium is defined by imposing the minimum entropy production and the maximum entropy principle under the scale invariance restrictions. The obtained probability distribution presents a singularity that has immediate physical interpretation in terms of the intermittency models. The derived reference probability distribution function is interpreted as time and ensemble average of the real physical one. A generic family of stochastic processes describing noise-driven intermittency, where the stationary density distribution coincides exactly with the one resulted from entropy maximization, is presented.

  7. The What, Why and How of Generic Skills: A Financial Planning Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig Cameron

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Financial planning in Australia is moving away from its traditional characterisation as an “industry” and towards a “profession”. A key feature of any profession is an educational framework that facilitates the development of technical knowledge and generic skills by students so that they can successfully transition into the workplace. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC is currently reviewing changes to that educational framework (ASIC 2011; ASIC 2013, while the Financial Planning Association (FPA has recently introduced revised and enhanced educational requirements through the Financial Planning Education Council (FPEC (FPA 2010; FPEC 2012. Stakeholder input will be critical for the development of financial planning education programs that meet the higher standards of a profession. In particular, what are the generic skills needed by financial planners; and which are currently seen to be most deficient? This paper is an instrumental case study involving interviews with 24 financial planning firms which explore the what, why and how of generic skills. This qualitative study provides a greater insight into generic skills by identifying skill importance and deficiency, as well as possible solutions to assist with the financial planning industry moving to a profession.

  8. A generic approach for the design of organizational decision support systems (ODSS)

    OpenAIRE

    Chalal, Rachid; National Institute of Computer Science; Nader, Fahima; National Institute of Computer Science

    2007-01-01

    The paper proposes a generic approach to design and develop an Organizational Decision Support System (ODSS). This approach is based at the follows definition: the ODSS is considered as the experts' memory and their decision-taking. Therefore, the ODSS is constituted by two elements, a strategic DSS and a specific referential of the decision situation. Our generic approach for ODSS design is based on the MUSIC (Management and Use of Co-operative Information Systems) model. An illustration of ...

  9. Generic Skills for Graduate Accountants: The Bigger Picture, a Social and Economic Imperative in the New Knowledge Economy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bunney, Diane; Sharplin, Elaine; Howitt, Christine

    2015-01-01

    The case for integrating generic skills in university accounting programmes is well documented in the literature, but the implementation of strategies designed to teach generic skills in the context of accounting courses has posed ongoing challenges for academics and course administrators. The imperative for generic skills in accounting programmes…

  10. The generic structures and lexico-grammaticality in English ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    To this end, the generic structures, as well as lexicogrammaticality systems inbuilt in introduction sections of English academic research papers of three different disciplines, linguistics, chemistry and software engineering, were explored. To collect the data, a corpus consisting of 90 papers, 30 for each discipline, published ...

  11. Maximum potential cost-savings attributable to generic substitution ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    D. Husselmann

    community. ... Conclusions: Potential economic benefits can be generated with generic substitution. ... Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ... supply of safe, cost-effective drugs of acceptable quality to all citizens of South Africa, and the rational use of drugs by .... different types of schizophrenic diagnosis) with a claim.

  12. Request for information related to the resolution of generic issue 130, ''Essential service water system failures at multi-unit sites,'' pursuant to 10 CFR 50.54(f) - Generic Letter 91-13

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Partlow, J.G.

    1993-01-01

    The essential service water system (ESWS) is important in maintaining plant safety during power operation, shutdown, and accident conditions. As part of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC) evaluation of loss of essential service water (LOSW), extensive analyses of this issue were performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL). In addition, the NRC staff performed a regulatory analysis to evaluate the safety benefits and implementation costs associated with various equipment and the administrative-type improvements that were considered. These analyses assume that the flushing and flow testing provisions of Generic Letter (GL) 89-13, ''Service Water System Problems Affecting Safety-Related Equipment,'' will be applied to the crosstie lines as part of addressees' implementation of the resolution of GI-51, ''Improving the Reliability of Open-Cycle Service Water Systems'' (GL 89-13 and Supplement 1). On the basis of results of these evaluations of this generic safety issue, the NRC staff has concluded that the following administrative-type improvements would significantly enhance the availability of the ESWS in affected plants, and their implementation is warranted in view of the safety benefit to be derived and the cost of implementation: technical specification (TS) changes contained in Enclosure 1 to enhance the availability of the ESWS as applied to the design configuration of affected plants; and improvement of emergency procedures for a LOSW using existing design features, specifically: (a) operating and maintaining high-pressure injection (HPI) pump integrity in the event of loss of reactor coolant pump (RCP) seals as a result of ESWS failure, and (b) testing and manipulating the ESWS crosstie between the units during a LOSW accident

  13. Can authorities appreciably enhance the prescribing of oral generic risperidone to conserve resources? Findings from across Europe and their implications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Godman, Brian; Petzold, Max; Bennett, Kathleen; Bennie, Marion; Bucsics, Anna; Finlayson, Alexander E; Martin, Andrew; Persson, Marie; Piessnegger, Jutta; Raschi, Emanuel; Simoens, Steven; Zara, Corinne; Barbui, Corrado

    2014-06-13

    Generic atypical antipsychotic drugs offer health authorities opportunities for considerable savings. However, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders are complex diseases that require tailored treatments. Consequently, generally there have been limited demand-side measures by health authorities to encourage the preferential prescribing of generics. This is unlike the situation with hypertension, hypercholaesterolaemia or acid-related stomach disorders.The objectives of this study were to compare the effect of the limited demand-side measures in Western European countries and regions on the subsequent prescribing of risperidone following generics; to utilise the findings to provide future guidance to health authorities; and where possible, to investigate the utilisation of generic versus originator risperidone and the prices for generic risperidone. Principally, this was a segmented regression analysis of retrospective time-series data of the effect of the various initiatives in Belgium, Ireland, Scotland and Sweden following the introduction of generic risperidone. The study included patients prescribed at least one atypical antipsychotic drug up to 20 months before and up to 20 months after generic risperidone. In addition, retrospective observational studies were carried out in Austria and Spain (Catalonia) from 2005 to 2011 as well as one English primary care organisation (Bury Primary Care Trust (PCT)). There was a consistent steady reduction in risperidone as a percentage of total selected atypical antipsychotic utilisation following generics. A similar pattern was seen in Austria and Spain, with stable utilisation in one English PCT. However, there was considerable variation in the utilisation of generic risperidone, ranging from 98% of total risperidone in Scotland to only 14% in Ireland. Similarly, the price of generic risperidone varied considerably. In Scotland, generic risperidone was only 16% of pre-patent loss prices versus 72% in Ireland. Consistent

  14. DQM4HEP - A Generic Online Monitor for Particle Physics Experiments

    CERN Document Server

    Irles, Adrián; Coates, Tom; Salvatore, Fabrizio; Cussans, David; Éte, Remi; Mirabito, Laurent; Pingault, Antoine; Wing, Matthew

    2017-01-01

    There is currently a lot of activity in R&D for future collider experiments. Multiple detector prototypes are being tested, each one with slightly different requirements regarding the format of the data to be analysed. This has generated a variety of ad-hoc solutions for data acquisition and online data monitoring. We present a generic C++11 online monitoring framework called DQM4HEP, which is designed for use as a generic online monitor for particle physics experiments, ranging from small tabletop experiments to large multi-detector testbeams, such as those currently ongoing/planned at the DESY2 or CERN SPS beamlines. We present results obtained using DQM4HEP at several testbeams where the CALICE AHCAL, SDHCAL and SiWECAL detector prototypes have been tested. During these testbeams, online analysis using DQM4HEP's framework has been developed and used. We also present the currently ongoing work to integrate DQM4HEP within the EUDAQ tool. EUDAQ is a tool for common and generic data acquisition within the ...

  15. Knowledge and perceptions of physicians from private medical centres towards generic medicines: a nationwide survey from Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Rohit; Hassali, Mohamed Azmi; Saleem, Fahad; Alrasheedy, Alian A; Kaur, Navneet; Wong, Zhi Yen; Kader, Muhamad Ali Sk Abdul

    2015-01-01

    Generic medicine prescribing has become a common practice in public hospitals. However, the trend in private medical centres seems to be different. The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge, perceptions and behavior of physicians from private medical centres in Malaysia regarding generic medicines. This study was a cross-sectional nationwide survey targeting physicians from private medical centres in Malaysia. The survey was conducted using questionnaire having (i) background and demographic data of the physicians, volume of prescription in a day, stock of generic medicines in their hospital pharmacy etc. (ii) their knowledge about bioequivalence (iii) prescribing behavior (iv) physicians' knowledge of quality, safety and efficacy of generic medicines, and their cost (v) perceptions of physicians towards issues pertaining to generic medicines utilization. A total of 263 questionnaires out of 735 were received, giving a response rate of 35.8%. Of the respondents, 214 (81.4%) were male and 49 (18.6%) were females. The majority of the participants were in the age range of 41-50 years and comprised 49.0% of the respondents. Only 2.3% of physicians were aware of the regulatory limits of bioequivalence standards in Malaysia. Of the respondents, 23.2% agreed that they 'always' write their prescriptions using originator product name whereas 50.2% do it 'usually'. A number of significant associations were found between their knowledge, perceptions about generic medicines and their demographic characteristics. The majority of the physicians from private medical centres in Malaysia had negative perceptions about safety, quality and the efficacy of generic medicines. These negative perceptions could be the cause of the limited use of generic medicines in the private medical centres. Therefore, in order to facilitate their use, it is recommended that the physicians need to be reassured and educated about the drug regulatory authority approval system of generic

  16. Generic Bell inequalities for multipartite mulit-dimensional systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Son, W.; Lee, J.; Kim, M.S.

    2005-01-01

    Full text: We present generic Bell inequalities for multipartite multi-dimensional systems. They utilize the set of measurements, which are coincident with the generalized version of Greenberger, Horne and Zeilinger (GHZ) paradox. The inequalities that must be satisfied by any local realistic theories are violated by quantum mechanics for even-dimensional multipartite systems. It is also shown that the maximal violation of the inequality is obtained by the generalized GHZ state, which is true multi-body nonseparable state. As a special case for the multipartite two-dimensional systems, it can be shown that the inequality agrees with Bell-Mermin version of inequality. Large sets of variants are shown to naturally emerge from the generic Bell inequalities. We will discuss the particular variants of Bell inequalities that are violated for all the systems including odd-dimensional multipartite systems. Interestingly the variants can be reduced into the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality as well as Ardehali inequality. (author)

  17. Generic Module for Collecting Data in Smart Cities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez, A.; Ramirez, F.; Estrada, H.; Torres, L. A.

    2017-09-01

    The Future Internet brings new technologies to the common life of people, such as Internet of Things, Cloud Computing or Big Data. All this technologies have change the way people communicate and also the way the devices interact with the context, giving rise to new paradigms, as the case of smart cities. Currently, the mobile devices represent one of main sources of information for new applications that take into account the user context, such as apps for mobility, health, of security. Several platforms have been proposed that consider the development of Future Internet applications, however, no generic modules can be found that implement the collection of context data from smartphones. In this research work we present a generic module to collect data from different sensors of the mobile devices and also to send, in a standard manner, this data to the Open FIWARE Cloud to be stored or analyzed by software tools. The proposed module enables the human-as-a-sensor approach for FIWARE Platform.

  18. Using generic tool kits to build intelligent systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, David J.

    1994-01-01

    The Intelligent Systems and Robots Center at Sandia National Laboratories is developing technologies for the automation of processes associated with environmental remediation and information-driven manufacturing. These technologies, which focus on automated planning and programming and sensor-based and model-based control, are used to build intelligent systems which are able to generate plans of action, program the necessary devices, and use sensors to react to changes in the environment. By automating tasks through the use of programmable devices tied to computer models which are augmented by sensing, requirements for faster, safer, and cheaper systems are being satisfied. However, because of the need for rapid cost-effect prototyping and multi-laboratory teaming, it is also necessary to define a consistent approach to the construction of controllers for such systems. As a result, the Generic Intelligent System Controller (GISC) concept has been developed. This concept promotes the philosophy of producing generic tool kits which can be used and reused to build intelligent control systems.

  19. Baldrige Theory into Practice: A Generic Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arif, Mohammed

    2007-01-01

    Purpose: The education system globally has moved from a push-based or producer-centric system to a pull-based or customer centric system. Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award (MBQA) model happens to be one of the latest additions to the pull based models. The purpose of this paper is to develop a generic framework for MBQA that can be used by…

  20. Crystallization Kinetics within a Generic Modelling Framework

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meisler, Kresten Troelstrup; von Solms, Nicolas; Gernaey, Krist

    2013-01-01

    An existing generic modelling framework has been expanded with tools for kinetic model analysis. The analysis of kinetics is carried out within the framework where kinetic constitutive models are collected, analysed and utilized for the simulation of crystallization operations. A modelling...... procedure is proposed to gain the information of crystallization operation kinetic model analysis and utilize this for faster evaluation of crystallization operations....