‘Sufurias cannot bring blessings’: change, continuity and resilience in the world of Marakwet pottery, a case from western Kenya

Drawing on fieldwork conducted over multiple seasons between 2012 and 2015, this paper explores aspects of the socio-economic and political history of the Marakwet of Kenya. It does so by focusing on a particular material culture category – pottery – and tracing transformations in its production, use and exchange over several generations from the early twentieth century to the present day. This approach serves to unearth a series of personal and quotidian narratives that not only comprise a unique account of Marakwet’s past, but also shed light on the material consequences of various ongoing processes of infrastructural and economic development. Complementing our previous work on Marakwet farming, landscape and ecological change, we here demonstrate the multiple ways in which change has been dynamically negotiated and enacted throughout the last century via various shifting daily practices. The historical innovations, adaptations and movements that we explore attest to a resilience deeply rooted in Marakwet society that continues to be articulated in the contemporary world

Landscape, time and cultural resilience: a brief history of agriculture in Pokot and Marakwet, Kenya

The Marakwet and Pokot communities of northwest Kenya are keen farmers, known notably for their creation of extensive pre-colonial irrigation networks. Over the last century both communities have been subjected to a range of external agricultural interventions but Marakwet and Pokot farming remains largely based on practices with a deeper history. We argue, however, that this continuity through time also masks smaller-scale innovations, movements and changes that attest to a dynamic, yet hidden ‘cultural resilience' spanning several centuries. We explore this deeper history through a range of archaeological, ethnographic and historical data and use this analysis to re-think the various agricultural narratives and interventions previously employed in the region

A Digital Health Solution for Child Growth Monitoring at Home: Testing the Accuracy of a Novel “GrowthMonitor” Smartphone Application to Detect Abnormal Height and Body Mass Indices

Objective: To develop and evaluate a smartphone application that accurately measures height and provides notifications when abnormalities are detected. Patients and Methods: A total of 145 (75 boys) participants with a mean age ± SD of 8.7±4.5 years (range, 1.0-17.0 years), from the Children’s Hospital at Barts Health Trust, London, United Kingdom, were enrolled in the study. “GrowthMonitor” (UCL Creatives) iPhone application (GMA) measures height using augmented reality. Using population-based (UK-WHO) references, algorithms calculated height SD score (HSDS), distance from target height (THSDSDEV), and HSDS change over time (ΔHSDS). Pre-established thresholds discriminated normal/abnormal growth. The GMA and a stadiometer (Harpenden; gold standard) measured standing heights of children at routine clinic visits. A subset of parents used GMA to measure their child’s height at home. Outcome targets were 95% of GMA measurements within ±0.5 SDS of the stadiometer and the correct identification of abnormal HSDS, THSDSDEV, and ΔHSDS. Results: Bland-Altman plots revealed no appreciable bias in differences between paired study team GMA and stadiometer height measurements, with a mean of the differences of 0.11 cm with 95% limits of agreement of −2.21 to 2.42 cm. There was no evidence of greater bias occurring for either shorter/younger children or taller/older children. The 2 methods of measurements were highly correlated (R=0.999). GrowthMonitor iPhone application measurements performed by parents in clinic and at home were slightly less accurate. The κ coefficient indicated reliable and consistent agreement of flag alerts for HSDS (κ=0.74) and THSDSDEV (κ=0.88) between 83 paired GMA and stadiometer measurements. GrowthMonitor iPhone application yielded a detection rate of 96% and 97% for HSDS-based and THSDSDEV-based red flags, respectively. Forty-two (18 boys) participants had GMA calculated ΔHSDS using an additional height measurement 6-16 months later, and no abnormal flag alerts were triggered for ΔHSDS values. Conclusion: GrowthMonitor iPhone application provides the potential for parents/carers and health care professionals to capture serial height measurements at home and without specialized equipment. Reliable interpretation and flagging of abnormal measurements indicate the potential of this technology to transform childhood growth monitoring

The Significance of the CC-Numerical Range and the Local CC-Numerical Range in Quantum Control and Quantum Information

This paper shows how C-numerical-range related new strucures may arise from practical problems in quantum control--and vice versa, how an understanding of these structures helps to tackle hot topics in quantum information. We start out with an overview on the role of C-numerical ranges in current research problems in quantum theory: the quantum mechanical task of maximising the projection of a point on the unitary orbit of an initial state onto a target state C relates to the C-numerical radius of A via maximising the trace function |\tr \{C^\dagger UAU^\dagger\}|. In quantum control of n qubits one may be interested (i) in having U\in SU(2^n) for the entire dynamics, or (ii) in restricting the dynamics to {\em local} operations on each qubit, i.e. to the n-fold tensor product SU(2)\otimes SU(2)\otimes >...\otimes SU(2). Interestingly, the latter then leads to a novel entity, the {\em local} C-numerical range W_{\rm loc}(C,A), whose intricate geometry is neither star-shaped nor simply connected in contrast to the conventional C-numerical range. This is shown in the accompanying paper (math-ph/0702005). We present novel applications of the C-numerical range in quantum control assisted by gradient flows on the local unitary group: (1) they serve as powerful tools for deciding whether a quantum interaction can be inverted in time (in a sense generalising Hahn's famous spin echo); (2) they allow for optimising witnesses of quantum entanglement. We conclude by relating the relative C-numerical range to problems of constrained quantum optimisation, for which we also give Lagrange-type gradient flow algorithms.Comment: update relating to math-ph/070200

Whole-exome sequencing gives additional benefits compared to candidate gene sequencing in the molecular diagnosis of children with growth hormone or IGF-1 insensitivity

Ipsen UK!(HLS). Sandoz Pharmaceutical

The impact of formative testing on study behaviour and study performance of (bio)medical students: a smartphone application intervention study.

BACKGROUND: Formative testing can increase knowledge retention but students often underuse available opportunities. Applying modern technology to make the formative tests more attractive for students could enhance the implementation of formative testing as a learning tool. This study aimed to determine whether formative testing using an internet-based application ("app") can positively affect study behaviour as well as study performance of (bio)medical students. METHODS: A formative testing app "Physiomics, to the next level" was introduced during a 4-week course to a large cohort (n = 461) of Dutch first year (bio)medical students of the Radboud University. The app invited students to complete 7 formative tests throughout the course. Each module was available for 3-4 days to stimulate the students to distribute their study activities throughout the 4-week course. RESULTS: 72% of the students used the app during the course. Study time significantly increased in intensive users (p < 0.001), while no changes were observed in moderate (p = 0.07) and non-users (p = 0.25). App-users obtained significantly higher grades during the final exam of the course (p < 0.05). Non-users more frequently failed their final exam (34%, OR 3.6, 95% CI: 2.0-6.4) compared to moderate users (19%) and intensive users (12%). Students with an average grade <6.5 during previous courses benefitted most from the app, as intensive (5.8 ± 0.9 / 36%) and moderate users (5.8 ± 0.9 / 33%) obtained higher grades and failed their exam less frequently compared to non-users (5.2 ± 1.1 / 61%). The app was also well appreciated by students; students scored the app with a grade of 7.3 ± 1.0 out of 10 and 59% of the students indicated that they would like the app to be implemented in future courses. CONCLUSIONS: A smartphone-based application of formative testing is an effective and attractive intervention to stimulate study behaviour and improve study performance in (bio) medical students

A randomised, open label, active comparator trial assessing the effects of 26 weeks of liraglutide or sitagliptin on cardiovascular function in young obese adults with type 2 diabetes

Aim To compare the effects of a glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonist and a dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 inhibitor on magnetic resonance imaging‐derived measures of cardiovascular function. Materials and methods In a prospective, randomized, open‐label, blinded endpoint trial liraglutide (1.8 mg) and sitagliptin (100 mg) were compared in asymptomatic, non‐insulin treated young (aged 18‐50 years) adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes. The primary outcome was difference in circumferential peak early diastolic strain rate change (PEDSR), a biomarker of cardiac diastolic dysfunction 26 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcomes included other indices of cardiac structure and function, HbA1c and body weight. Results Seventy‐six participants were randomized (54% female, mean ± SD age 44 ± 6 years, diabetes duration 4.4 years, body mass index 35.3 ± 6.1 kg m−2), of whom 65% had ≥1 cardiovascular risk factor. Sixty‐one participants had primary outcome data available. There were no statistically significant between‐group differences (intention‐to‐treat; mean [95% confidence interval]) in PEDSR change (−0.01 [−0.07, +0.06] s−1), left ventricular ejection fraction (−1.98 [−4.90, +0.94]%), left ventricular mass (+1.14 [−5.23, +7.50] g) or aortic distensibility (−0.35 [−0.98, +0.28] mmHg−1 × 10−3) after 26 weeks. Reductions in HbA1c (−4.57 [−9.10, −0.37] mmol mol−1) and body weight (−3.88 [−5.74, −2.01] kg) were greater with liraglutide. Conclusion There were no differences in cardiovascular structure or function after short‐term use of liraglutide and sitagliptin in younger adults with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Longer studies in patients with more severe cardiac dysfunction may be necessary before definitive conclusions can be made about putative pleiotropic properties of incretin‐based therapies