Background report: Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

Development projects / Water resources / Social aspects / Population / Households / Income / Water supply / Sanitation / Wastewater / Water quality / Public health / Waterborne diseases / Land use / Land tenure / Legislation / Sri Lanka / Kurunegala / Wan Ela / Beu Ela

Fibonary Spray and Wait Routing in Delay Tolerant Networks

Although there has been a tremendous rise in places being connected through the Internet or any other network protocol, there still lie areas, which remain out of reach due to various reasons. For all such places the answer is a Delay Tolerant Network (DTN). A DTN is such a network where there is no fixed or predefined route for messages and no such guarantee whatsoever of all messages being correctly routed. DTN can be considered as a superset of networks wherein other networks such as adhoc, mobile, vehicular etc. form the subset. Therefore routing in DTN is a very chancy affair where one has to maximize on the present network scenarios to get any fruitful result other than depending on past information. Also protocols here need to be less complex and not increase the already high nodal overhead. In this paper we propose a new approach, the Fibonary Spray and Wait, which does exactly this. It forwards copies of a message in a modified Binary Spray and Wait manner so that it performs well even in non independent and identically distributed node structure. We have supported our statements with mathematical as well as simulation analysis

Analysis and Optimisation of an Organic Optical Link

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been historically used extensively for displays, and more recently for lighting applications. However, the low-cost of materials and direct-deposition manufacturing processes involved in organic semiconductor fabrication means that OLEDs are uniquely placed for low-cost integrated optical interconnects. This thesis presents novel high-speed analysis and optimisation of OLEDs for communications purposes. DC and small-signal measurement results for small-molecule OLEDs fabricated by Dr. Kou Yoshida at the University of St. Andrews are presented and are used to inform a detailed 5-layer OLED simulation model. Correlation is drawn between the experimental small signal impedance measurements and the experimental luminescent output, from which a novel electrical model is built to predict bandwidth. Extension of the OLED physical simulation shows for the first time that by using a constant fraction of the overall simulated device resistance (a ‘luminescent resistance’), this RC-based model can be used to predict device small signal bandwidths, which suggests validity of both the simulation and the electrical modelling approach, provided that the exciton lifetime is less than the RC time-constant. This simulation is then used to forecast trends in device performance, allowing traditional inorganic semiconductor engineering tools to be brought into the field of organic device optimisation. Finally, these OLEDs are used in an optical link to provide a world-record equalisation-free OLED communications data rate of 130 Mbps.EPSRC Studentship 1466721 EPSRC via the Ultra Parallel Visible Light Communication Project (EP/K00042X/1

La prevención del absentismo escolar en la Educación Primaria: propuesta de intervención psicopedagógica desde una perspectiva sistémica

El presente TFM trata de diseñar una propuesta de intervención psicopedagógica desde una perspectiva sistémica con el fin de prevenir el absentismo en la Educación Primaria. Esta temática resulta especialmente relevante en el marco de la acción social y educativa de los organismos nacionales e internacionales que obliga a cualquier profesional de la psicopedagogía a desarrollar su intervención en este campo. Para la elaboración de este programa se ha tenido en cuenta la fundamentación teórica del modelo sistémico, por lo que se han creado actividades dirigidas a los tintos agentes de la comunidad educativa, además de conferir un enfoque de tipo preventivo. Los ejes de acción principales que conforman este programa son la convivencia, la igualdad de género y la gestión emocional. Se conforma, por tanto, como un programa de intervención psicopedagógica de aplicación global y con una proyección pragmática para el desarrollo de la labor educativa y social en cualquier centro educativo y con el cual se puede paliar y prevenir el absentismo escolar.This Master Degree Proyect aims to design a psycho-pedagogical intervention proposal from a systemic perspective in order to prevent scholar truancy in Primary Schools. This subject is particularly relevant in the framework of the social and educational action of national and international organisations, which obliges any psychopedagogical professional to develop their intervention in this field. For the development of this programme, the theoretical basis of the systemic model has been taken into account, so that activities have been created aimed at the different agents of the educational community, in addition to conferring a preventive approach. The main lines of action that make up this programme are coexistence, gender equality and emotional management. It is therefore a psycho-pedagogical intervention programme with a global application and a pragmatic projection for the development of educational and social work in any educational centre and with which truancy can be alleviated and prevented.Departamento de PsicologíaMáster en Psicopedagogí

Advantages of continuous genotype values over genotype classes for GWAS in higher polyploids: a comparative study in hexaploid chrysanthemum

Background: Association studies are an essential part of modern plant breeding, but are limited for polyploid crops. The increased number of possible genotype classes complicates the differentiation between them. Available methods are limited with respect to the ploidy level or data producing technologies. While genotype classification is an established noise reduction step in diploids, it gains complexity with increasing ploidy levels. Eventually, the errors produced by misclassifications exceed the benefits of genotype classes. Alternatively, continuous genotype values can be used for association analysis in higher polyploids. We associated continuous genotypes to three different traits and compared the results to the output of the genotype caller SuperMASSA. Linear, Bayesian and partial least squares regression were applied, to determine if the use of continuous genotypes is limited to a specific method. A disease, a flowering and a growth trait with h(2) of 0.51, 0.78 and 0.91 were associated with a hexaploid chrysanthemum genotypes. The data set consisted of 55,825 probes and 228 samples. Results: We were able to detect associating probes using continuous genotypes for multiple traits, using different regression methods. The identified probe sets were overlapping, but not identical between the methods. Baysian regression was the most restrictive method, resulting in ten probes for one trait and none for the others. Linear and partial least squares regression led to numerous associating probes. Association based on genotype classes resulted in similar values, but missed several significant probes. A simulation study was used to successfully validate the number of associating markers. Conclusions: Association of various phenotypic traits with continuous genotypes is successful with both uni- and multivariate regression methods. Genotype calling does not improve the association and shows no advantages in this study. Instead, use of continuous genotypes simplifies the analysis, saves computational time and results more potential markers

RECQL4 is essential for the transport of p53 to mitochondria in normal human cells in the absence of exogenous stress

Mutations in RECQL4 helicase are associated with Rothmund–Thomson syndrome (RTS). A subset of RTS patients is predisposed to cancer and is sensitive to DNA damaging agents. The enhanced sensitivity of cells from RTS patients correlates with the accumulation of transcriptionally active nuclear p53. We found that in untreated normal human cells these two nuclear proteins, p53 and RECQL4, instead colocalize in the mitochondrial nucleoids. RECQL4 accumulates in mitochondria in all phases of the cell cycle except S phase and physically interacts with p53 only in the absence of DNA damage. p53–RECQL4 binding leads to the masking of the nuclear localization signal of p53. The N-terminal 84 amino acids of RECQL4 contain a mitochondrial localization signal, which causes the localization of RECQL4–p53 complex to the mitochondria. RECQL4–p53 interaction is disrupted after stress, allowing p53 translocation to the nucleus. In untreated normal cells RECQL4 optimizes de novo replication of mtDNA, which is consequently decreased in fibroblasts from RTS patients. Wild-type RECQL4-complemented RTS cells show relocalization of both RECQL4 and p53 to the mitochondria, loss of p53 activation, restoration of de novo mtDNA replication and resistance to different types of DNA damage. In cells expressing Δ84 RECQL4, which cannot translocate to mitochondria, all the above functions are compromised. The recruitment of p53 to the sites of de novo mtDNA replication is also regulated by RECQL4. Thus these findings elucidate the mechanism by which p53 is regulated by RECQL4 in unstressed normal cells and also delineates the mitochondrial functions of the helicase