Spectral Evolution of Anomalous Cosmic Rays at Voyager 1 beyond the Termination Shock

When the Voyager 1 spacecraft crossed the termination shock (TS) on 2004 December 16, the energy spectra of anomalous cosmic rays (ACRs) could not have been produced by steady-state diffusive shock acceleration. However, over the next few years, in the declining phase of the solar cycle, the spectra began to evolve into the expected power-law profile. Observations at the shock led to a broad range of alternative theories for ACR acceleration. In spite of that, in this work we show that the observations could be explained by assuming ACRs are accelerated at the TS. In this paper, we propose that the solar cycle had an important effect on the unrolling of the spectra in the heliosheath. To investigate the spectral evolution of ACRs, a magnetohydrodynamic background model with stationary solar-wind inner boundary conditions was used to model the transport of helium and oxygen ions. We used a backward-in-time stochastic integration technique where phase-space trajectories are integrated until the so-called "injection energy" is reached. Our simulation results were compared with Voyager 1 observations using three different diffusion models. It is shown that the spectral evolution of ACRs in the heliosheath at Voyager 1 could be explained by an increase in the source strength and an enhancement in diffusion as a result of a decrease of the turbulent correlation length in the declining phase of the solar cycle. At the same time, drift effects seem to have had a smaller effect on the evolution of the spectra

Re-purposing Ac/Ds transgenic system for CRISPR/dCas9 modulation of enhancers and non-coding RNAs in zebrafish

Due to its genetic amenability coupled with recent advances in genome editing, the zebrafish serves as an excellent model to examine the function of both coding and non-coding elements. Recently, the non-coding genome has gained prominence due to its critical role in development and disease. Here, we have re-purposed the Ac/Ds maize transposition system to reliably screen and efficiently characterise zebrafish enhancers, with or without germline propagation. We further utilised the system to stably express guide RNAs in microinjected embryos enabling tissue-specific CRISPR/dCas9-interference (CRISPRi) knockdown of lncRNA and enhancer activity without disrupting the underlying genetic sequence. Our study highlights the utility of Ac/Ds transposition for transient epigenome modulation of non-coding elements in zebrafish

Adopting and Implementing Waste Management Practices in the Printing Industry- A Sri Lankan Case

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to examine why and to what extent aprinting company in Sri Lanka adopts and implements waste managementpractices.Design/methodology/approach-The study employed the case study method. Theannual report provided the basis as the starting point of information for the study.Thereafter, the primary data were collected by conducting semi structuredinterviews which were supported by the researchers’ observations at the factorypremises. Further, as secondary sources of data company web site, magazines andhandouts issued were used.Findings –The study identifies that the printing company had started wastemanagement practices with a view of supporting its profit maximization motive.The company has managed to continue waste management practices in a holisticmanner during last three years. The study demonstrates how waste managementsystems can be applied successfully, despite initial challenges.Research limitations/implications – The results of the study are difficult togeneralize due to the contextual characteristics which are unique to this companyand its environment.Originality/value – The paper attempts to fill the paucity of research in the printingindustry in developing countries especially in emerging South Asian countries. Thefindings of the study will be useful for the organizations to develop and maintainsound waste management systems, particularly in the printing industry.Keywords- Developing countries; environmental management accounting; printingindustry; waste management.Paper type- Case Stud

Comparison of the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS-4D) and Child Health Utility Index (CHU-9D) in children with oral diseases

First published: 09 October 2023. OnlinePublOBJECTIVE: Accurate assessment of child oral health is important for guiding economic evaluations and informing healthcare decision-making. Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS-4D) is a preference-based instrument that measures the oral health-related quality of life of young children. The aim of this study was to compare the utility scores of ECOHIS-4D and Child Health Utility Index (CHU-9D), against an oral health indicator to evaluate which utility score corresponds better with the oral health indicator. METHOD: The ECOHIS-4D and CHU-9D were applied to 314 parent/child dyads from preschools in a primary healthcare setting in Perth, Western Australia. Four parameters were used to assess which instrument corresponds better with the oral health indicator (decayed, missing and filled teeth score-dmft score): (i) discrimination, the ability to discriminate between different clinical severity groups, (ii) external responsiveness, how much the utility values relate to the changes in dmft scores, (iii) correlation, the association between the two instruments and the related dimensions and (iv) differences in the utility values across the two instruments. RESULTS: Most participants (81%) were 2-6 years old, and nearly 50% had a dmft score <3. ECOHIS-4D demonstrated a superior ability to differentiate between dmft severity groups and respond to changes in dmft scores. A significant weak correlation was observed between dmft and ECOHIS-4D (-0.26, 95%, CI -0.36 to -0.15) compared to a non-significant very poor correlation between dmft and CHU-9D (0.01, 95% CI -0.12 to 0.10). The utility scores of the two instruments had relatively good agreement towards good health and weak agreement towards poor health. CONCLUSIONS: ECOHIS-4D, the oral health-specific instrument, is more sensitive in assessing children's oral health-related quality of life than the generic CHU-9D. Thus, ECOHIS-4D is more appropriate for utility estimates in economic evaluations of oral health-related interventions and resource allocation decision-making.Sucharitha R. Weerasuriya, Ruvini M. Hettiarachchi, Sanjeewa Kularatna, Alexia Rohde, Peter Arrow, Lisa Jamieson, Utsana Tonmukayakul, Sameera Senanayak

Location and content of counselling and acceptance of postpartum IUD in Sri Lanka

Background: The immediate postpartum IUD (PPIUD) is a long-acting, reversible method of contraception that can be used safely and effectively following a birth. To appropriately facilitate the immediate postpartum insertion of IUDs, women must be informed of the method’s availability and must be counselled on its benefits and risks prior to entering the delivery room. We examine the relationship between the location and quality of antenatal counselling and women’s acceptance of immediate postpartum IUD (PPIUD) in four hospitals in Sri Lanka. Methods: Data were collected between January 2015 and May 2015. Modified Poisson regressions with robust standard errors are used to assess the relationships between place of counselling, indicators of counselling quality, and PPIUD uptake following delivery. Results: We find that women who were counselled in hospital antenatal clinics and admission wards were much more likely to have a PPIUD inserted than women who were counselled in field clinics or during home visits. Hospital-based counselling had higher quality indicators for providing information on PPIUD, and women were more likely to receive PPIUD information leaflets in hospital locations than in lower-tiered clinics or during home visits. Women who were counselled at hospital locations also reported a higher level of satisfaction with the counselling that they received. Receipt of hospital-based counselling was also linked to higher PPIUD uptake, in spite of the fact that women were more likely to be given information about the risks and alternatives to PPIUD in hospitals. The information about the risks of and alternatives to PPIUD, whether provided in hospital or in non-hospital settings, tended to lower the likelihood of acceptance to have a PPIUD insertion. Counselling in hospital admission wards was focused on women who had not been counselled at field clinics. Conclusions: The study findings call for efforts that improve the training of midwives who provide PPIUD counselling at field clinics and during the home visits. We also recommend that routine PPIUD counselling be conducted in hospitals, even if women have already been counselled elsewhere

From Pioneer to Repressor: Bimodal foxd3 Activity Dynamically Remodels Neural Crest Regulatory Landscape In Vivo

The neural crest (NC) is a transient embryonic stem cell-like population characterized by its multipotency and broad developmental potential. Here, we perform NC-specific transcriptional and epigenomic profiling of foxd3-mutant cells in vivo to define the gene regulatory circuits controlling NC specification. Together with global binding analysis obtained by foxd3 biotin-ChIP and single cell profiles of foxd3-expressing premigratory NC, our analysis shows that, during early steps of NC formation, foxd3 acts globally as a pioneer factor to prime the onset of genes regulating NC specification and migration by re-arranging the chromatin landscape, opening cis-regulatory elements and reshuffling nucleosomes. Strikingly, foxd3 then gradually switches from an activator to its well-described role as a transcriptional repressor and potentially uses differential partners for each role. Taken together, these results demonstrate that foxd3 acts bimodally in the neural crest as a switch from "permissive" to "repressive" nucleosome and chromatin organization to maintain multipotency and define cell fates

MULTIPLE CURRENT SHEET SYSTEMS IN THE OUTER HELIOSPHERE: ENERGY RELEASE AND TURBULENCE

Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal, March 21, 201

Candidates in Astroviruses, Seadornaviruses, Cytorhabdoviruses and Coronaviruses for +1 frame overlapping genes accessed by leaky scanning

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Overlapping genes are common in RNA viruses where they serve as a mechanism to optimize the coding potential of compact genomes. However, annotation of overlapping genes can be difficult using conventional gene-finding software. Recently we have been using a number of complementary approaches to systematically identify previously undetected overlapping genes in RNA virus genomes. In this article we gather together a number of promising candidate new overlapping genes that may be of interest to the community.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Overlapping gene predictions are presented for the astroviruses, seadornaviruses, cytorhabdoviruses and coronaviruses (families <it>Astroviridae</it>, <it>Reoviridae</it>, <it>Rhabdoviridae </it>and <it>Coronaviridae</it>, respectively).</p