Divergence and Shannon information in genomes

Shannon information (SI) and its special case, divergence, are defined for a DNA sequence in terms of probabilities of chemical words in the sequence and are computed for a set of complete genomes highly diverse in length and composition. We find the following: SI (but not divergence) is inversely proportional to sequence length for a random sequence but is length-independent for genomes; the genomic SI is always greater and, for shorter words and longer sequences, hundreds to thousands times greater than the SI in a random sequence whose length and composition match those of the genome; genomic SIs appear to have word-length dependent universal values. The universality is inferred to be an evolution footprint of a universal mode for genome growth.Comment: 4 pages, 3 tables, 2 figure

Developing Batam :Indonesian political economy under the new order

Since Batain Island was targeted for development by Soeharto's New Order government in the late-1960s, it has undergone a significant transformation, physically, economically and politically. This study describes and analyses that transformation. Whilst the results of development on Batam Island before 1988 were quite limited, and highly reliant on the oil industry, changes to the investment regime in 1989, as well as other reforms, has brought farreaching changes - a massive influx of investment and the growth of an export-oriented manufacturing sector. What was once a sparsely populated island of subsistence farmers and fishermen is today a seemingly thriving manufacturing, industrial and tourism area. Through an examination of domestic factors, such as state and non-state institutions, individuals and business, as well as external factors such as international economic conditions and foreign capital, the study also considers what the experiences of developing Batam Island tell us about the policy-making processes in Indonesia, and about Indonesian political economy under the New Order in general. It is argued that Indonesian political economy is characterised by what might best be described as elite politics. Patrimonialism and the closely-connected features of patronclient relationships and intra-elite politicking have consistently dominated the policymaking processes under the New Order government presided over by President Soeharto. This is not to deny the existence of other influences. Indonesian societal groups have demonstrated that they can have policy input. Likewise, external variables have affected the policy environment However, whilst societal influences are not a major constraint on the Indonesian state's policy-makers, it is recognised that policy-making is not confined simply to actors within the state apparatus. In tracing Batam's development, various political and economic interactions become apparent - between domestic and international variables, between public and private interests, between state and civil society, and within the state itself - illustrating that while the main focus of studies of Indonesian political economy should be on the state, nonstate influences must also be analysed in order to explain how political and economic actions in Indonesia are best understood

An Integrative Approach to Addressing Childhood Overweight: Inclusion of Parenting Information in Nutrition Education Programs

Research indicates that child overweight stems from many sources, including parent-child interactions and parenting styles. Focus groups with nutrition educators were used to explore the need for parenting resources in nutrition education. Results revealed that both parents and educators see parenting and family interaction patterns as barriers to implementing changes in children\u27s eating behaviors. Further, nutrition educators reported feeling unprepared to guide parents when making changes in children\u27s nutrition. Discussion focuses on recommendations for providing parents and educators with researched-based information on child development and effective family interactions related to nutrition and health behaviors

The Empirical Evidence for the Telemedicine Intervention in Diabetes Management

Objective: The research presented here assesses the scientific evidence for the telemedicine intervention in the management of diabetes (telediabetes), gestational diabetes, and diabetic retinopathy. The impetus derives from the confluence of high prevalence of these diseases, increasing incidence, and rising costs, while telemedicine promises to ameliorate, if not prevent, type 2 diabetes and its complications. Materials and Methods: A purposeful review of the literature identified relevant publications from January 2005 to December 2013. These were culled to retain only credible research articles for detailed review and analysis. The search yielded approximately 17,000 articles with no date constraints. Of these, 770 appeared to be research articles within our time frame. A review of the abstracts yielded 73 articles that met the criteria for inclusion in the final analysis. Evidence is organized by research findings regarding feasibility/acceptance, intermediate outcomes (e.g., use of service, and screening compliance), and health outcomes (control of glycemic level, lipids, body weight, and physical activity.) Results: Definitions of telediabetes varied from study to study vis-à-vis diabetes subtype, setting, technology, staffing, duration, frequency, and target population. Outcome measures also varied. Despite these vagaries, sufficient evidence was obtained from a wide variety of research studies, consistently pointing to positive effects of telemonitoring and telescreening in terms of glycemic control, reduced body weight, and increased physical exercise. The major contributions point to telemedicine's potential for changing behaviors important to diabetes control and prevention, especially type 2 and gestational diabetes. Similarly, screening and monitoring for retinopathy can detect symptoms early that may be controlled or treated. Conclusions: Overall, there is strong and consistent evidence of improved glycemic control among persons with type 2 and gestational diabetes as well as effective screening and monitoring of diabetic retinopathy.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140288/1/tmj.2015.0029.pd

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Water Quality Parameters in Cedar Lake (Cedarville, Ohio)

Cedar Lake is a man-made lake that is central to Cedarville University’s campus. This focal point of the campus is a source of aesthetic appeal and beauty of Cedarville University. The lake ranges in depth from 0.6-3.7m, is 140m by 150m across, an approximate volume of 40,000 m3 and demonstrates normal capabilities to support fish and other life. There is, however, some concern over Cedar Lake’s level of productivity as undesirable algae blooms are common during warmer months. In October and November 2016 we began to assess the spatial and temporal variability of water chemistry by measuring temperature (℃), dissolved oxygen (DO), ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-), conductivity, and total dissolved solids. We recorded GPS coordinates of each sample location. We predicted that temperature and DO would be greatest at the surface (due to heating and mixing) and NH4+/NO3- near the shore (due to runoff). We measured the following parameter ranges: temperature of 10.4 - 12.5 (℃), DO = 8.03 - 10.01 mg/L, NH4+ 0.56 - 0.84 (mg/L), NO3- = 0.18 - 0.41 (mg/L), conductivity = 250.4 - 277.6 (mS/cm), and TDS 162.76 - 180.44 (g/L). We found that DO was significantly different (p \u3c 0.05) for both sampling date (October/November) and location (shallow/deep). Using spatial interpolation techniques in ArcGIS we we were able to provide supporting evidence for our hypothesis where NH4+/NO3- levels were greater near the lake’s edge. We also noted a spatial trend in surface DO as it declined from highest values in the northeastern portion of the lake to the lowest values near the outlet

Multi-axis fields boost SABRE hyperpolarization via new strategies

The inherently low signal-to-noise ratio of NMR and MRI is now being addressed by hyperpolarization methods. For example, iridium-based catalysts that reversibly bind both parahydrogen and ligands in solution can hyperpolarize protons (SABRE) or heteronuclei (X-SABRE) on a wide variety of ligands, using a complex interplay of spin dynamics and chemical exchange processes, with common signal enhancements between $10^3-10^4$. This does not approach obvious theoretical limits, and further enhancement would be valuable in many applications (such as imaging mM concentration species in vivo). Most SABRE/X-SABRE implementations require far lower fields (${\mu}T-mT$) than standard magnetic resonance (>1T), and this gives an additional degree of freedom: the ability to fully modulate fields in three dimensions. However, this has been underexplored because the standard simplifying theoretical assumptions in magnetic resonance need to be revisited. Here we take a different approach, an evolutionary strategy algorithm for numerical optimization, Multi-Axis Computer-aided HEteronuclear Transfer Enhancement for SABRE (MACHETE-SABRE). We find nonintuitive but highly efficient multi-axial pulse sequences which experimentally can produce a 10-fold improvement in polarization over continuous excitation. This approach optimizes polarization differently than traditional methods, thus gaining extra efficiency

First-principles study of (BiScO3){1-x}-(PbTiO3){x} piezoelectric alloys

We report a first-principles study of a class of (BiScO3)_{1-x}-(PbTiO3)_x (BS-PT) alloys recently proposed by Eitel et al. as promising materials for piezoelectric actuator applications. We show that (i) BS-PT displays very large structural distortions and polarizations at the morphotropic phase boundary (MPB) (we obtain a c/a of ~1.05-1.08 and P_tet of ~1.1 C/m^2); (ii) the ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties of BS-PT are dominated by the onset of hybridization between Bi/Pb-6p and O-2p orbitals, a mechanism that is enhanced upon substitution of Pb by Bi; and (iii) the piezoelectric responses of BS-PT and Pb(Zr_{1-x}Ti_x)O3 (PZT) at the MPB are comparable, at least as far as the computed values of the piezoelectric coefficient d_15 are concerned. While our results are generally consistent with experiment, they also suggest that certain intrinsic properties of BS-PT may be even better than has been indicated by experiments to date. We also discuss results for PZT that demonstrate the prominent role played by Pb displacements in its piezoelectric properties.Comment: 6 pages, with 3 postscript figures embedded. Uses REVTEX and epsf macros. Also available at http://www.physics.rutgers.edu/~dhv/preprints/ji_bi/index.htm

Actual neighborhood-level crime predicts body mass index z-score changes in a multi-racial/ethnic sample of children

Longitudinal studies are warranted to clarify the influence crime has on health outcomes in children especially children representing multiple racial/ethnic backgrounds. To address this need, the current study examined whether neighborhood-level crime predicted changes in body mass index z (BMIz) scores in 373 White (W), 627 African American (AA), 1020 Hispanic (H), and 88 Asian (A), five to ten year-old boys and girls living in urban neighborhoods. Heights and weights were assessed at baseline (2012) and three-years later and used to calculate BMIz scores. Characteristics of zip codes where students lived during the three-year period were obtained at baseline from various sources. The Crime Risk Index (CRI) for each zip code was calculated using actual crime statistics. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine associations between baseline CRI and follow-up BMIz scores while controlling for other variables including BMIz at baseline. The CRI and BMIz scores differed significantly by race/ethnicity with the highest values for both noted in H. Regression analyses indicated that the CRI accounted for a significant percentage of the variance in follow-up BMIz scores in the overall sample. When race/ethnicity was considered, the CRI predicted follow-up BMIz scores only in W children. The CRI was not significantly associated with BMIz scores in the other races/ethnicities. The impact actual, neighborhood-level crime has on BMI in children is complex. Based on the existing evidence, considering actual crime as a primary target in obesity prevention would be premature especially in racial/ethnicity minority children living in urban areas