Panel by panel: Changing personal narratives through the creation of sequential art and the graphic novel.

The creation of comics, or sequential art, as a therapeutic tool offers a way for artists and clients alike to transform their personal narratives through a medium that transcends both spoken and written language. Artists and writers have frequently used comics to translate stories of hardship, mental health, trauma, healing, and grief in the form of memoirs and autobiographical graphic novels. Recently, the field of mental health and creative arts therapies have begun to incorporate reading and creation of comics with clients in the therapeutic space. This research uses an arts-based heuristic methodology to examine the process of combining narrative therapy concepts and interventions with comics creation in order to add further dimension to the re-storying process. This is achieved through the creation of the author’s own autobiographical graphic novella exploring a year of her early adolescence. Using the artmaking experience and the final product as a source for the collection of data, this research explores how combining literary and visual storytelling devices with narrative therapy interventions can facilitate therapeutic change. This research examines the possibilities of using comics creation in therapeutic spaces and illuminates the benefits of using graphic novels as an accessible tool of support and psychoeducation in populations with minimal access to mental health services

Multiplication of ternary complementary pairs

We present a computer-search method for concatenating or multiplying binary or ternary complementary pairs. All multiplications by a particular number m are considered. The computer-search method is new and leads to a large set of new results. The results and equivalences are discussed and some applications and numerical consequences are shown

Achievable data rates on simultaneously connected bluetooth low energy devices

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has been optimized for low power and targets low data rate applications. However, there are applications where several peripherals are simultaneously connected to a central device, with the requirement of achieving moderate data rates for each connection. Available hardware and software stacks place limitations on the number of simultaneous connections as well as on the achievable data rates. This paper presents measurement results for different scenarios. On the central device side the explored options cover tablets based on Android and iOS as well as dongles that can be connected through a USB port. On the peripheral side several selected hardware set-ups (chips and modules) are measured and compared. Analysis of captured packets provides insight into why the reached data rates are often significantly lower than theoretically expected

Cytoadhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes and the infected placenta: a two-way pathway

This find is registered at Portable Antiquities of the Netherlands with number PAN-0005548

Simultaneously connecting devices through bluetooth smart

Modern data loggers record and store large amounts of data from many different types of sensors. This enables their use in various applications to capture different measurands. However wireless access to the recorded data opens countless possibilities for novel and innovative applications, for example in the health monitoring of humans or livestock. In many of these applications a central device connects simultaneously to several data loggers. This paper discusses the experiences made during the design, implementation and test of an energy efficient wireless interface to a data logger. The implemented system serves as an application example for Bluetooth Smart. It allows a user to monitor ongoing measurements of several data loggers through a smartphone. Additionally the recorded data of several loggers can be simultaneously uploaded to a central gateway. The available Bluetooth Smart chips and software stacks place limitations on usable bandwidth as well as on the number of simultaneous connections. Although most modern smartphones include hardware for Bluetooth Smart, implementations differ widely across platforms, thus creating additional effort for the app programmer. This paper presents measurement results and introduces the implemented approaches to optimize these parameters

Cytoadhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes and the infected placenta: a two-way pathway

Malaria is undoubtedly the world's most devastating parasitic disease, affecting 300 to 500 million people every year. Some cases of Plasmodium falciparum infection progress to the deadly forms of the disease responsible for 1 to 3 million deaths annually. P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes adhere to host receptors in the deep microvasculature of several organs. The cytoadhesion of infected erythrocytes to placental syncytiotrophoblast receptors leads to pregnancy-associated malaria (PAM). This specific maternal-fetal syndrome causes maternal anemia, low birth weight and the death of 62,000 to 363,000 infants per year in sub-Saharan Africa, and thus has a poor outcome for both mother and fetus. However, PAM and non-PAM parasites have been shown to differ antigenically and genetically. After multiple pregnancies, women from different geographical areas develop adhesion-blocking antibodies that protect against placental parasitemia and clinical symptoms of PAM. The recent description of a new parasite ligand encoded by the var2CSA gene as the only gene up-regulated in PAM parasites renders the development of an anti-PAM vaccine more feasible. The search for a vaccine to prevent P. falciparum sequestration in the placenta by eliciting adhesion-blocking antibodies and a cellular immune response, and the development of new methods for evaluating such antibodies should be key priorities in mother-child health programs in areas of endemic malaria. This review summarizes the main molecular, immunological and physiopathological aspects of PAM, including findings related to new targets in the P. falciparum var gene family. Finally, we focus on a new methodology for mimicking cytoadhesion under blood flow conditions in human placental tissue.1525153

The Influence of Treatment Latency on Suicide-Specific Treatment Outcomes

Introduction The Attempted Suicude Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) provides an effective and cost-effective treatment option for people who have attempted suicide. Studies suggest that longer treatment latency is associated with poorer response to therapy, more severe symptomatology, and more suicide attempts This study examined the influence of treatment latency (time between suicide attempt and initiation of therapy) on the number of suicide attempts over the long-term course of ASSIP and the influence of treatment relationship on the extent of suicidal ideation. Method Survival and regression analyses were performed on 60 participants who had recently attempted suicide and received ASSIP at an outpatient psychiatric clinic. 60% were women and 40% were men. Results The results found no significant association between treatment outcome in ASSIP and treatment latency (HR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.92- 1.21, p = .44). Treatment relationship significantly influenced suicidal ideation at time t4 (B = − .35, t(55) = −3.21, p = .002), but treatment latency was not significantly associated with suicidal ideation (B = .02, t(55) = 0.87, p = .39). Conclusion No relationship between treatment latency and treatment outcome could be found, suggesting that ASSIP can be implemented at any time after the last suicide attempt. In contrast, the treatment relationship plays a central role in ASSIP

Pituitary duplication and nasopharyngeal teratoma in a newborn: CT, MRI, US and correlative histopathological findings

The computed tomography and MRI imaging findings in a case of pituitary duplication and epipharyngeal teratoma are described in a newborn baby girl with respiratory difficulties. Associated skull base and central nervous system malformations are presented. Teratoma diagnosis was confirmed by histology. The embryological pathogenesis is discusse