Chess endgames: 6-man data and strategy

While Nalimov’s endgame tables for Western Chess are the most used today, their Depth-to-Mate metric is not the most efficient or effective in use. The authors have developed and used new programs to create tables to alternative metrics and recommend better strategies for endgame play

Wild Trypanosoma cruzi I genetic diversity in Brazil suggests admixture and disturbance in parasite populations from the Atlantic Forest region

Background Trypanosoma cruzi (Kinetoplastida, Trypanosomatidae) infection is an ancient and widespread zoonosis distributed throughout the Americas. Ecologically, Brazil comprises several distinct biomes: Amazonia, Cerrado, Caatinga, Pantanal and the Atlantic Forest. Sylvatic T. cruzi transmission is known to occur throughout these biomes, with multiple hosts and vectors involved. Parasite species-level genetic diversity can be a useful marker for ecosystem health. Our aims were to: investigate sylvatic T. cruzi genetic diversity across different biomes, detect instances of genetic exchange, and explore the possible impact of ecological disturbance on parasite diversity at an intra-species level. Methods We characterised 107 isolates of T. cruzi I (TcI; discrete typing unit, DTU I) from different major Brazilian biomes with twenty-seven nuclear microsatellite loci. A representative subset of biologically cloned isolates was further characterised using ten mitochondrial gene loci. We compared these data generated from Brazilian TcI isolates from around America. Results Genetic diversity was remarkably high, including one divergent cluster that branched outside the known genetic diversity of TcI in the Americas. We detected evidence for mitochondrial introgression and genetic exchange between the eastern Amazon and Caatinga. Finally, we found strong signatures of admixture among isolates from the Atlantic Forest region by comparison to parasites from other study sites. Conclusions Atlantic Forest sylvatic TcI populations are highly fragmented and admixed by comparison to others around Brazil. We speculate on: the possible causes of Atlantic Forest admixture; the role of T. cruzi as a sentinel for ecosystem health, and the impact disrupted sylvatic transmission cycles might have on accurate source attribution in oral outbreaks

Improved bilinears in unquenched lattice QCD

We summarize the extent to which one can use Ward identities to non-perturbatively improve flavor singlet and non-singlet bilinears with three flavors of non-degenerate dynamical Wilson-like fermions.Comment: Lattice2003(improve) (3 pages, no figures

Experimental investigation of self coherent optical OFDM systems using fabry-perot filters for carrier extraction

We experimentally demonstrate self coherent optical OFDM transmission with IQ demultiplexing employing a Fabry-Perot-tunable filter for the extraction of the optical carrier. The performance is investigated and compared to a conventional CO-OFDM

11 x 224 Gb/s POLMUX-RZ-16QAM transmission over 670 km of SSMF with 50-Ghz channel spacing

We demonstrate the generation and transmission of eleven channels with 224-Gb/s polarization-multiplexed, return to zero, 16-level quadrature amplitude modulation (POLMUX-RZ-16QAM) over 670 km of standard single mode fiber (SSMF) with 50-GHz channel spacing and a spectral efficiency of 4.2 b/s/Hz. We report a penalty of around 4.3 dB in the performance at back-to-back in comparison to the theoretical limits, and a margin of 1 dB in Q-factor below the forward error correction (FEC) limit (assumed to be at a bit error rate of 3.8x10-3) after transmission over 670 km of SSMF

How effective are trained role model caregivers in prompt presumptive treatment of malaria of under 5 children in Kaduna state, North western Nigeria?

Objective: Malaria is Africa's leading cause of under 5 mortality, constituting 10% of the overall disease burden. A major strategy for reducing the burden of malaria is prompt access to effective antimalarials. Community Case Management of malaria (CCMm) can be used to achieve the 80% treatment target of uncomplicated malaria within 24 hours of onset of symptoms. CCMm aims to train selected community members to recognize symptoms of malaria and give appropriate early and prompt treatment. We conducted this study to assess CCMm in trained Role Model caregivers (RMCs) of under fives in Kaduna state, Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a descriptive cross sectional survey in Kaduna state. A sample of 308 RMCs were selected by multistage sampling and interviewed using a standardized questionnaire. The questionnaire had questions on sociodemographic characteristics, malaria transmission and treatment. Results: Mean age (SD) of RMCs was 35.34 years (±8.67). Females were 294(95.5%) and 285(92.5%) were literate. Out of 308, 294 (95.5%) correctly identified that malaria was transmitted by mosquitoes. Two hundred and sixty three (85.4 %) RMCs had treated a child under five years for presumptive malaria in the two weeks preceding the survey. Out of 267 children, 232 (88.2%) received the correct dose of antimalarials and 220 (84.3%) were treated within 24 hours of onset of symptoms. Level of education was significantly found to affect receiving the correct dose of antimalarials.(