Kaze No Daichi Taiko: Convergent Thoughts Colliding Sounds

By composing original works for kumi daiko, a Japanese group drumming musical style, I answer questions about authenticity and appropriation as an outsider playing this world music

An open-label randomized clinical trial of prophylactic paracetamol coadministered with 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine and hexavalent diphtheria toxoid, tetanus toxoid, 3-component acellular pertussis, hepatitis B, inactivated poliovirus, and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine

BACKGROUND: In two clinical trials, low-grade fever was observed more frequently after coadministration than after separate administration of two recommended routine pediatric vaccines. Since fever is an important issue with vaccine tolerability, we performed this open-label study on the efficacy and safety of prophylactic use of paracetamol (acetaminophen, Benuron(R)) in children administered routine 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV-7) coadministered with hexavalent vaccine (diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis-hepatitis B, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine [DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib]) in Germany. METHODS: Healthy infants (N = 301) who received a 3-dose infant series of PCV-7 and DTPa-HBV-IPV/Hib plus a toddler dose were randomly assigned 1:1 to prophylactic paracetamol (125 mg or 250 mg suppositories, based on body weight) at vaccination, and at 6--8 hour intervals thereafter, or a control group that received no paracetamol. Rectal temperature and local and other systemic reactions were measured for 4 days post vaccination; adverse events were collected throughout the study. RESULTS: In the intent-to-treat population, paracetamol reduced the incidence of fever >=38[degree sign]C, but this reduction was only significant for the infant series, with computed efficacy of 43.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.4, 61.2), and not significant after the toddler dose (efficacy 15.9%; 95% CI: -19.9, 41.3); results were similar in the per protocol (PP) population. Fever >39[degree sign]C was rare during the infant series, such that there were too few cases for assessment. After the toddler dose, paracetamol effectively reduced fever >39[degree sign]C, reaching statistical significance in the PP population only (efficacy 79%; 95% CI: 3.9, 97.7). Paracetamol also reduced reactogenicity, but there were few significant differences between groups after any dose. No vaccine-related serious adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Paracetamol effectively prevented fever and other reactions, mainly during the infant series. However, as events were generally mild and of no concern in either group our data support current recommendations to administer paracetamol to treat symptoms only and not for routine prophylaxis.Trial registration: NCT00294294

The evolution of top management: a forecast,

At head of title: Preliminary draft, for comment."Based upon a seminar given by the author at the Fourth IBM Personnel Research Conference, January 11, 1967.

Reproductive Strategies and Population Genetic Structure in Two Dryland River Floodplain Plants, Marsilea drummondii and Eleocharis acuta

Aquatic plants share a range of convergent reproductive strategies, such as the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually through vegetative growth. In dryland river systems, floodplain inundation is infrequent and irregular, and wetlands consist of discrete and unstable habitat patches. In these systems, life history strategies such as long-distance dispersal, seed longevity, self-fertilisation, and reproduction from vegetative propagules are important strategies that allow plants to persist. Using two aquatic plants, Marsilea drummondii and Eleocharis acuta, we investigated the proportions of sexual and asexual reproduction and self-fertilisation by employing next-generation sequencing approaches, and we used this information to understand the population genetic structure of a large inland floodplain in western New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Asexual vegetative reproduction and self-fertilisation were more common in M. drummondii, but both species used sexual reproduction as the main mode of reproduction. This resulted in a highly differentiated genetic structure between wetlands and a similar genetic structure within wetlands. The similarity in genetic structure was influenced by the wetland in the two species, highlighting the influence of the floodplain landscape and hydrology on structuring population genetic structure. The high levels of genetic variation among wetlands and the low variation within wetlands suggests that dispersal and pollination occur within close proximity and that gene flow is restricted. This suggests a reliance on locally sourced (persistent) seed, rather than asexual (clonal) reproduction or recolonisation via dispersal, for the population maintenance of plants in dryland rivers. This highlights the importance of floodplain inundation to promote seed germination, establishment, and reproduction in dryland regions

Gamma ray monitoring of a AGN and galactic black hole candidates by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory

The Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory's Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) has a powerful capability to provide nearly uninterrupted monitoring in the 25 keV-10 MeV range of both active galactic nuclei (AGN) and galactic black hole candidates (GBHC) such as Cygnus X-1, using the occultation of cosmic sources by the Earth. Since the Crab is detected by the BATSE Large Area Detectors with roughly 25(sigma) significance in the 15-125 keV range in a single rise or set, a variation by a factor of two of a source having one-tenth the strength of Cygnus X-1 should be detectable within a day. Methods of modeling the background are discussed which will increase the accuracy, sensitivity, and reliability of the results beyond those obtainable from a linear background fit with a single rise or set discontinuity