Forecasting of Suspended Sediment in Rivers Using Artificial Neural Networks Approach

Suspended sediment estimation is important to the water resources management and water quality problem. In this article, artificial neural networks (ANN), M5tree (M5T) approaches and statistical approaches such as Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Sediment Rating Curves (SRC) are used for estimation daily suspended sediment concentration from daily temperature of water and streamflow in river. These daily datas were measured at Iowa station in US. These prediction aproaches are compared to each other according to three statistical criteria, namely, mean square errors (MSE), mean absolute relative error (MAE) and correlation coefficient (R). When the results are compared ANN approach have better forecasts suspended sediment than the other estimation methods

Groundwater Level Predıctıon Usıng Artıfıcıal Neural Network and M5 Tree Models

Most of the fresh water resources in our world consist of underground water reserves. Estimation of fluctuations of groundwater level (GWL) is very important in the management of water resources. In this study, groundwater level (GWL) was investigated using artificial neural networks (ANN), M5tree (M5T) approaches in Reyhanlı region in Turkey. Total 196 data from 2000-2015 taken from 1 observation station belonging to Reyhanlı sub-basin located in Asi basin were used in the study. Using the monthly average precipatation and temperature, the change in GWL is modeled by artificial neural networks (ANN), M5tree (M5T) approaches. The results showed that (ANN) and M5tree (M5T) models were found to be very close to each other

Attention deficit hyperactivity symptoms predict problematic mobile phone use

Attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most commonly diagnosed childhood disorder characterised by inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, or both. Some of the key traits of ADHD have previously been linked to addictive and problematic behaviours. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between problematic mobile phone use, smartphone addiction risk and ADHD symptoms in an adult population. A sample of 273 healthy adult volunteers completed the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS), the Mobile Phone Problem Usage Scale (MPPUS), and the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS). A significant positive correlation was found between the ASRS and both scales. More specifically, inattention symptoms and age predicted smartphone addiction risk and problematic mobile phone use. Our results suggest that there is a positive relationship between ADHD traits and problematic mobile phone use. In particular, younger adults with higher level of inattention symptoms could be at higher risk of developing smartphone addiction. The implication of our findings for theoretical frameworks of problematic mobile phone use and clinical practice are discussed

Inter-subunit coupling enables fast CO2-fixation by reductive carboxylases

Enoyl-CoA carboxylases/reductases (ECRs) are some of the most efficient CO2-fixing enzymes described to date. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the extraordinary catalytic activity of ECRs on the level of the protein assembly remain elusive. Here we used a combination of ambient-temperature X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) and cryogenic synchrotron experiments to study the structural organization of the ECR from Kitasatospora setae. The K. setae ECR is a homotetramer that differentiates into a pair of dimers of open- and closed-form subunits in the catalytically active state. Using molecular dynamics simulations and structure-based mutagenesis, we show that catalysis is synchronized in the K. setae ECR across the pair of dimers. This conformational coupling of catalytic domains is conferred by individual amino acids to achieve high CO2-fixation rates. Our results provide unprecedented insights into the dynamic organization and synchronized inter- and intrasubunit communications of this remarkably efficient CO2-fixing enzyme during catalysis.

Genome-wide copy-number variation study of psychosis in Alzheimer’s disease

About 40–60% of patients with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) develop psychosis, which represents a distinct phenotype of more severe cognitive and functional deficits. The estimated heritability of AD+P is ~61%, which makes it a good target for genetic mapping. We performed a genome-wide copy-number variation (CNV) study on 496 AD cases with psychosis (AD+P), 639 AD subjects with intermediate psychosis (AD intermediate P) and 156 AD subjects without psychosis (AD−P) who were recruited at the University of Pittsburgh Alzheimer's Disease Research Center using over 1 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and CNV markers. CNV load analysis found no significant difference in total and average CNV length and CNV number in the AD+P or AD intermediate P groups compared with the AD−P group. Our analysis revealed a marginally significant lower number of duplication events in AD+P cases compared with AD−P controls (P=0.059) using multivariable regression model. The most interesting finding was the presence of a genome-wide significant duplication in the APC2 gene on chromosome 19, which was protective against developing AD+P (odds ratio=0.42; P=7.2E−10). We also observed suggestive associations of duplications with AD+P in the SET (P=1.95E−06), JAG2 (P=5.01E−07) and ZFPM1 (P=2.13E−07) genes and marginal association of a deletion in CNTLN (P=8.87E−04). We have identified potential novel loci for psychosis in Alzheimer's disease that warrant follow-up in large-scale independent studies

Morphological Differentiation May Mediate Mate-Choice between Incipient Species of Anopheles gambiae s.s.

The M and S molecular forms of Anopheles gambiae s.s. have been considered incipient species for more than ten years, yet the mechanism underlying assortative mating of these incipient species has remained elusive. The discovery of the importance of harmonic convergence of wing beat frequency in mosquito mating and its relation to wing size have laid the foundation for exploring phenotypic divergence in wing size of wild populations of the two forms. In this study, wings from field collected mosquitoes were measured for wing length and wing width from two parts of the sympatric distribution, which differ with respect to the strength of assortative mating. In Mali, where assortative mating is strong, as evidenced by low rates of hybridization, mean wing lengths and wing widths were significantly larger than those from Guinea-Bissau. In addition, mean wing widths in Mali were significantly different between molecular forms. In Guinea-Bissau, assortative mating appears comparatively reduced and wing lengths and widths did not differ significantly between molecular forms. The data presented in this study support the hypothesis that wing beat frequency may mediate assortative mating in the incipient species of A. gambiae and represent the first documentation of a morphological difference between the M and S molecular forms

Internet addiction, fatigue, and sleep problems among adolescent students: a large-scale study

Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine the association between Internet Addiction (IA), fatigue, and sleep problems among university students. Methods: A total of 3,000 Turkish students aged 18 to 25 years were approached and 2,350 students (78.3%) participated in this cross-sectional study from April 2017 to September 2017 in public and private universities in Istanbul. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire including socio-demographic details, lifestyle and dietary habits, Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Fatigue Scale, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS]. Descriptive statistics, multivariate and factorial analyses were performed. Results: The overall prevalence of IA among the studied population was 17.7%. There were significant differences between gender, family income, father’s occupation, school performance, frequency and duration of watching television, physical activity, internet use duration, and sleep duration (all p<0.001). Significant differences were also found between participants with IA and those without IA in having headaches, blurred vision, double vision, hurting eyes, hearing problems, and eating fast food frequently (all p<0.001). Using multivariate regression analysis, the duration of internet use, physical and mental symptoms, headache, hurting eyes, tired eyes, hearing problems and ESS scores were significantly associated with (and primary predictors of) IA. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that IA was associated with poor dietary habits, sleep problems, and fatigue symptoms

Implementing GDPR in the Charity Sector: A Case Study

Due to their organisational characteristics, many charities are poorly prepared for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). We present an exemplar process for implementing GDPR and the DPIA Data Wheel, a DPIA framework devised as part of the case study, that accounts for these characteristics. We validate this process and framework by conducting a GDPR implementation with a charity that works with vulnerable adults. This charity processes both special category (sensitive) and personally identifiable data. This GDPR implementation was conducted and devised for the charity sector, but can be equally applied in any organisation that needs to implement GDPR or conduct DPIAs

Disgust sensitivity relates to attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women across 31 nations

Previous work has reported a relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice toward various social groups, including gay men and lesbian women. It is currently unknown whether this association is present across cultures, or specific to North America. Analyses of survey data from adult heterosexuals (N = 11,200) from 31 countries showed a small relation between pathogen disgust sensitivity (an individual-difference measure of pathogen-avoidance motivations) and measures of antigay attitudes. Analyses also showed that pathogen disgust sensitivity relates not only to antipathy toward gay men and lesbians, but also to negativity toward other groups, in particular those associated with violations of traditional sexual norms (e.g., prostitutes). These results suggest that the association between pathogen-avoidance motivations and antigay attitudes is relatively stable across cultures and is a manifestation of a more general relation between pathogen-avoidance motivations and prejudice towards groups associated with sexual norm violations

Association analysis of PON2 genetic variants with serum paraoxonase activity and systemic lupus erythematosus

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Low serum paraoxonase (PON) activity is associated with the risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our prior studies have shown that the <it>PON1</it>/rs662 (p.Gln192Arg), <it>PON1</it>/rs854560 (p.Leu55Met), <it>PON3</it>/rs17884563 and <it>PON3</it>/rs740264 SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) significantly affect serum PON activity. Since <it>PON1, PON2 </it>and <it>PON3 </it>share high degree of structural and functional properties, in this study, we examined the role of <it>PON2 </it>genetic variation on serum PON activity, risk of SLE and SLE-related clinical manifestations in a Caucasian case-control sample.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p><it>PON2 </it>SNPs were selected from HapMap and SeattleSNPs databases by including at least one tagSNP from each bin defined in these resources. A total of nineteen <it>PON2 </it>SNPs were successfully genotyped in 411 SLE cases and 511 healthy controls using pyrosequencing, restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) or TaqMan allelic discrimination methods.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Our pair-wise linkage disequilibrium (LD) analysis, using an <it>r</it>^{<it>2 </it>}cutoff of 0.7, identified 14 <it>PON2 </it>tagSNPs that captured all 19 <it>PON2 </it>variants in our sample, 12 of which were not in high LD with known <it>PON1 </it>and <it>PON3 </it>SNP modifiers of PON activity. Stepwise regression analysis of PON activity, including the known modifiers, identified five <it>PON2 </it>SNPs [rs6954345 (p.Ser311Cys), rs13306702, rs987539, rs11982486, and rs4729189; <it>P </it>= 0.005 to 2.1 × 10^-6] that were significantly associated with PON activity. We found no association of <it>PON2 </it>SNPs with SLE risk but modest associations were observed with lupus nephritis (rs11981433, rs17876205, rs17876183) and immunologic disorder (rs11981433) in SLE patients (<it>P </it>= 0.013 to 0.042).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data indicate that <it>PON2 </it>genetic variants significantly affect variation in serum PON activity and have modest effects on risk of lupus nephritis and SLE-related immunologic disorder.</p