Cooperative games under precedence constraints have been introduced by Faigle and Kern [1] , [4] as a generalization of classical cooperative games. An important notion in cooperative game theory is the core of the game, as it contains the rational imputations for players. We propose two definitions for the core of a distributive game, the first one is called the precore and is a direct general...

Hepatitis B virus genotype B (HBV/B) has been classified into 5 subgenotypes. Except for Bj/B1 in Japan, the subgenotypes (Ba/B2-B5) have undergone recombination with HBV/C in the core promoter/precore/core genomic region. Phylogenetic analyses of complete sequences show that the Arctic strains belong to a novel subgenotype (HBV/B6) without the recombination, analogous to what is seen with Bj/B...

Lamivudine exhibits potent antiviral activity in chronic hepatitis B. YMDD mutations in west is around 32% (5 years) but reports from East are scarce. To evaluate frequency of lamivudine resistance and compare the results with the West, a total of 100 chronic hepatitis B patients were given Lamivudine 100 mg before breakfast. Out of 81 patients (19 no follow up), (85%) males and (15%) females. ...

To investigate the clinical significance of mutation in hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface gene, DNA sequence analysis of the "a" determinant was performed on sera from 27 carrier children with immunoprophylaxis, their mothers, and 21 carriers without vaccination. A precore mutant (G to A) at nucleotide 1896 was detected in sera from 11 carriers without vaccination. Mutations in the "a" determinan...

In the United Kingdom, the National Screening Programme for identification of hepatitits B virus (HBV) infection in pregnant women uses HBV e antigen (HBeAg) and antibody to HBeAg (anti-HBe) as markers of infectivity to determine use of immunoglobulin for hepatitis B. Serum samples from 114 HBV-infected women were analyzed. Viral loads correlated with HBeAg/anti-HBe status and viral genotypes. ...

Serological markers are key elements in diagnosing acute hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and determining its possible evolution towards chronicity. Once treatment of chronic HBV is initiated with approved anti-hepadnaviral agents, such as lamivudine, interferon-alpha, or adefovir dipivoxil, the measurement of HBV DNA in serum can not only help monitor treatment efficacy but also indicates bre...

A statistical analysis of the nucleotide sequence variability in 14 published hepatitis B virus (HBV) genomes was carried out using parametric and nonparametric methods. A parametric statistical model revealed that the different regions of the genome differed significantly in their variability. The conclusion was supported by a nonparametric kernel-density model of the HBV genome. Genes S, C, a...