Re-enforcing Radicalisation with bad PR? The Nigerian Army's Handling of Boko Haram

The organisation formerly known as Jamā'at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da'wah wa'l-Jihād' and currently known as Wilāyat Gharb Ifrīqīyyah, better known as Boko Haram, rose to international prominence in April 2014, when it kidnapped over 250 school girls from the Nigerian village of Chibok. Although the organisation is active since 2002 and began its violent insurgency in 2009, the mass kidnapping of the “Chibok Girls” attracted worldwide attention to the conflict, in large part due to the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, which was actively supported by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama. The attention however also focused on the Nigerian government and raised questions about its fight against Boko Haram, why the kidnapping occurred, what could be done to save the girls and how the terrorists could be defeated. This focus put pressure on Goodluck Jonathan's presidency and the Nigerian army to react to the kidnappings and produce results, turning the Boko Haram insurgency into a full fledged propaganda war. While there have been many military and political changes in the eighteen months since, it could be argued that the propaganda war has turned into the main front, thereby raising numerous questions about its impact on the battlefield

Turbo-FLASH based arterial spin labeled perfusion MRI at 7 T.

Motivations of arterial spin labeling (ASL) at ultrahigh magnetic fields include prolonged blood T1 and greater signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, increased B0 and B1 inhomogeneities and increased specific absorption ratio (SAR) challenge practical ASL implementations. In this study, Turbo-FLASH (Fast Low Angle Shot) based pulsed and pseudo-continuous ASL sequences were performed at 7T, by taking advantage of the relatively low SAR and short TE of Turbo-FLASH that minimizes susceptibility artifacts. Consistent with theoretical predictions, the experimental data showed that Turbo-FLASH based ASL yielded approximately 4 times SNR gain at 7T compared to 3T. High quality perfusion images were obtained with an in-plane spatial resolution of 0.85×1.7 mm(2). A further functional MRI study of motor cortex activation precisely located the primary motor cortex to the precentral gyrus, with the same high spatial resolution. Finally, functional connectivity between left and right motor cortices as well as supplemental motor area were demonstrated using resting state perfusion images. Turbo-FLASH based ASL is a promising approach for perfusion imaging at 7T, which could provide novel approaches to high spatiotemporal resolution fMRI and to investigate the functional connectivity of brain networks at ultrahigh field

Implementasi Discrete Cosine Transform Pada Field Programmable Gate Array

Pengurangan jumlah perkalian, merupakan suatu cara untuk menghasilkan komputasi cepat Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT). Algoritma 1-D DCT Loeffler merupakan modifikasi dari persamaan 1-D DCT klasik yang mampu meminimumkan penggunaan operasi perkalian dari 64 pengali menjadi 11 pengali. Implementasi DCT ke perangkat keras FPGA Xilinx Spartan 3E dilakukan sebagai upaya efektifitas dan untuk mempercepat proses komputasi. Implementasi dengan FPGA artinya kita merancang sebuah perangkat keras langsung dengan cara mengkonfigurasi unit yang ada di FPGA. Pengkonfigurasian unit yang ada di dalam FPGA dapat dilakukan melalui skematic maupun dengan menggunakan Hardware Description Language (Verilog atau VHDL). Sumber data untuk implementasi DCT menggunakan mikrokontroler dengan operasi interupsi dengan pemicu clock FPGA. Akurasi perhitungan implementasi DCT menunjukkan adanya error yang masih dapat ditoleransi terhadap perhitungan DCT dengan MATLAB. Jumlah slice yang digunakan untuk implementasi unit 2-D DCT pada penelitian ini sebesar 54 % dari total 4656 slices

Inducible arginase 1 deficiency in mice leads to hyperargininemia and altered amino acid metabolism

Arginase deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive disorder resulting from a loss of the liver arginase isoform, arginase 1 (ARG1), which is the final step in the urea cycle for detoxifying ammonia. ARG1 deficiency leads to hyperargininemia, characterized by progressive neurological impairment, persistent growth retardation and infrequent episodes of hyperammonemia. Using the Cre/loxP-directed conditional gene knockout system, we generated an inducible Arg1-deficient mouse model by crossing "floxed" Arg1 mice with CreER(T2) mice. The resulting mice (Arg-Cre) die about two weeks after tamoxifen administration regardless of the starting age of inducing the knockout. These treated mice were nearly devoid of Arg1 mRNA, protein and liver arginase activity, and exhibited symptoms of hyperammonemia. Plasma amino acid analysis revealed pronounced hyperargininemia and significant alterations in amino acid and guanidino compound metabolism, including increased citrulline and guanidinoacetic acid. Despite no alteration in ornithine levels, concentrations of other amino acids such as proline and the branched-chain amino acids were reduced. In summary, we have generated and characterized an inducible Arg1-deficient mouse model exhibiting several pathologic manifestations of hyperargininemia. This model should prove useful for exploring potential treatment options of ARG1 deficiency

Strategies to rescue the consequences of inducible arginase-1 deficiency in mice

Arginase-1 catalyzes the conversion of arginine to ornithine and urea, which is the final step of the urea cycle used to remove excess ammonia from the body. Arginase-1 deficiency leads to hyperargininemia in mice and man with severe lethal consequences in the former and progressive neurological impairment to varying degrees in the latter. In a tamoxifen-induced arginase-1 deficient mouse model, mice succumb to the enzyme deficiency within 2 weeks after inducing the knockout and retain <2 % enzyme in the liver. Standard clinical care regimens for arginase-1 deficiency (low-protein diet, the nitrogen-scavenging drug sodium phenylbutyrate, ornithine supplementation) either failed to extend lifespan (ornithine) or only minimally prolonged lifespan (maximum 8 days with low-protein diet and drug). A conditional, tamoxifen-inducible arginase-1 transgenic mouse strain expressing the enzyme from the Rosa26 locus modestly extended lifespan of neonatal mice, but not that of 4-week old mice, when crossed to the inducible arginase-1 knockout mouse strain. Delivery of an arginase-1/enhanced green fluorescent fusion construct by adeno-associated viral delivery (rh10 serotype with a strong cytomegalovirus-chicken beta-actin hybrid promoter) rescued about 30% of male mice with lifespan prolongation to at least 6 months, extensive hepatic expression and restoration of significant enzyme activity in liver. In contrast, a vector of the AAV8 serotype driven by the thyroxine-binding globulin promoter led to weaker liver expression and did not rescue arginase-1 deficient mice to any great extent. Since the induced arginase-1 deficient mouse model displays a much more severe phenotype when compared to human arginase-1 deficiency, these studies reveal that it may be feasible with gene therapy strategies to correct the various manifestations of the disorder and they provide optimism for future clinical studies

The differential effects of intimate terrorism and situational couple violence on mental health outcomes among abused Chinese women: a mixed-method study

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Influence of traditional ecological knowledge on conservation of the skywalker hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) outside nature reserves

Although many species are threatened by hunting or resource extraction from indigenous human communities, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of local communities has the potential to support management and conservation of natural resources and wildlife. The newly described skywalker hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) is found on the border of China and Myanmar, and a large proportion of the remaining population in China occurs outside nature reserves. We surveyed this species across its range in China, and interviewed 622 people in 99 villages to evaluate the relationship between gibbon status and TEK of local communities. The total confirmed population was estimated to be less than 150 individuals. Gibbon subpopulations appear to have remained stable from 2009 to 2017 both within and outside nature reserves. Sociological and environmental correlates of gibbon survival outside the reserve were: (1) more Lisu than Han people present in villages; (2) greater forest cover; (3) greater distance from county towns; (4) existence of traditional taboos on hunting gibbons; and (5) higher dependency on forest resources by villagers. Interviewees living closer to surviving gibbon populations were more knowledgeable about gibbons, although interviewees living more than 25 km away also knew more about gibbons. Formal education level was also correlated with better knowledge of gibbons, and men were better informed about gibbons than women. TEK appears to limit poaching of gibbons, thus contributing to their survival. The persistence of gibbons outside nature reserves may depend on incorporating TEK within community-based conservation strategies

Intimate partner sexual aggression against Chinese women: a mixed methods study

Abstract Background: Although intimate partner sexual aggression has been shown to be associated with adverse mental health outcomes, there is scant information about sexual aggression in Chinese intimate relationships in general and about its mental health impact in particular. This article aimed to investigate sexual aggression in Chinese intimate relationships, including the use of force or threat of force and non-physical coercive tactics in unwanted sex. Methods: The quantitative and qualitative data used in this paper were drawn from a prospective cohort study conducted in Hong Kong between September 2010 and September 2012. A total of 745 Chinese women aged 18 or older who had been in an intimate relationship in the preceding 12 months were recruited from sites in all districts of Hong Kong. Multiple logistic regression analysis, ordinary linear regression, and t-tests were used in quantitative analysis. Directed content analysis was used to analyze the transcripts of 59 women who revealed experiences of intimate partner sexual aggression in individual in-depth interviews. Results: Of the 745 Chinese women in the study, 348 (46.7%) had experienced intimate partner physical violence in the past year, and 179 (24%) had experienced intimate partner physical violence and sexual aggression in the past year. Intimate partner sexual aggression significantly predicted PTSD and depressive symptoms after controlling for intimate partner physical violence. Among the 179 women reporting intimate partner physical violence and sexual coercion in the past year, 75 indicated that their partners used force or threat of force to make them have sex, and 104 of them reported that they gave in to sex because of non-physical coercive tactics used by their partners. Qualitative data revealed a variety of non-physical coercive tactics with different degrees of subtlety used to coerce women into unwanted sex with their partners. Chinese women experiencing physically forced sex had significantly more depressive symptoms and PTSD symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that sexual aggression in Chinese intimate relationships has specific mental health consequences over and above those associated with physical violence. Assessment of partner violence in Chinese relationships should include screening for sexual aggression in order to provide appropriate interventions. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials gov NCT01206192 Keywords: Intimate partner, Sexual aggression, Mental health, Women, Chinesepublished_or_final_versio

An improved immersed boundary method with new forcing point searching scheme for simulation of bodies in free surface flows

An improved immersed boundary method is proposed and applied to simulate fluid-structure interactions by combining a level set method for free water surface capturing. An efficient Navier-Stokes equation solver adopting the fractional step method at a staggered Cartesian grid system is used to solve the incompressible fluid motion. A new efficient algorithm to search forcing points near the immersed body boundary is developed. The searching schemes for forcing points located both inside and outside the solid phase with the linear interpolation schemes for the determination of velocities at forcing points are presented and compared via the case of dam break over obstacles. The accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed forcing point searching schemes are further demonstrated by the study of wave propagation over a submerged bar and more challenging cases of wedge with prescribed velocity or falling freely into the water. By the extensive comparison of present numerical results with other experimental and numerical data, it suggests that the present improved immersed boundary method with the new forcing point searching scheme has a better performance and is very promising due to its accuracy, efficiency and ease of implementation. Furthermore, the present numerical results show that the outside forcing scheme is superior over the inside forcing scheme

Innovation through Wearable Sensors to Collect Real-Life Data among Pediatric Patients with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

Background. While increasing evidence links environments to health behavior, clinicians lack information about patients’ physical activity levels and lifestyle environments. We present mobile health tools to collect and use spatio-behavioural lifestyle data for personalized physical activity plans in clinical settings. Methods. The Dyn@mo lifestyle intervention was developed at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center to promote physical activity and reduce sedentary time among children with cardiometabolic risk factors. Mobility, physical activity, and heart rate were measured in free-living environments during seven days. Algorithms processed data to generate spatio-behavioural indicators that fed a web-based interactive mapping application for personalised counseling. Proof of concept and tools are presented using data collected among the first 37 participants recruited in 2011. Results. Valid accelerometer data was available for 5.6 (SD=1.62) days in average, heart rate data for 6.5 days, and GPS data was available for 6.1 (2.1) days. Spatio-behavioural indicators were shared between patients, parents, and practitioners to support counseling. Conclusion. Use of wearable sensors along with data treatment algorithms and visualisation tools allow to better measure and describe real-life environments, mobility, physical activity, and physiological responses. Increased specificity in lifestyle interventions opens new avenues for remote patient monitoring and intervention