Probability distributions and weak limit theorems of quaternionic quantum walks in one dimension

The discrete-time quantum walk (QW) is determined by a unitary matrix whose component is complex number. Konno (2015) extended the QW to a walk whose component is quaternion.We call this model quaternionic quantum walk (QQW). The probability distribution of a class of QQWs is the same as that of the QW. On the other hand, a numerical simulation suggests that the probability distribution of a QQW is different from the QW. In this paper, we clarify the difference between the QQW and the QW by weak limit theorems for a class of QQWs.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, Interdisciplinary Information Sciences (in press

Masculinity and sexual violence: Comparison between Japan and the United States

Japan has received considerable attention in the field of criminology in its unique features, such as its low crime rate. Available research seems to suggest that the Japanese rate of sexual violence, like other crimes, is equally lower compared to the United States. The present study examines the potential influence of gender construction on sexual violence, building upon previous research on the Confluence Model of Sexual Aggression by Malamuth and his colleagues. Data from the General Social Survey in the United States and Japan were used to compare elements that relate to gender roles, gender identity, and sexual behavior to test this hypothesis. The results seem to suggest complex interaction between gender construction and sexual violence across cultures

Updated Trends in Child Maltreatment, 2013.

New national data for 2013 show continued declines in child maltreatment, after a one year discontinuity (2012) in which some rates briefly increased. But from 2012 to 2013, sexual abuse declined 4%, physical abuse declined 3%, child maltreatment fatalities declined 7% and overall substantiated child maltreatment declined 1%. Neglect by contrast rose 1%

Justice System Outcomes of Children Referred for Sexual Offenses

The proliferation of increasingly punitive sex crime legislation in the United States have extended to include children adjudicated of sexual offenses. Using data from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, this dissertation examined the impact of three factors on sentencing outcomes for children referred for illegal sexual behaviors: race, same-sex victim, and county of referral. (1) Black children were disproportionately arrested for sexual offenses compared to any other racial/ethnic group. However, Black children in the sample were less likely to face harsher outcomes compared to Caucasian children, such as adjudication and ordered to register as a sex offender. (2) Children whose alleged sexual offenses involved a same-sex victim were significantly more likely to be committed and ordered to register as sex offenders. (3) Charges processed in counties that tended to lean Republican in presidential elections or had a higher concentration of Black residents were significantly more likely to face harsher consequences, such as commitment, adjudication, and sex offender registration. Moreover, accounting for across-county variations eliminated disparities in outcomes between Hispanic and Caucasian children. While offense characteristics had the largest effect sizes that predicted harsher sentencing outcomes, the present study adds to the existing body of scientific literature that raised concerns about subjecting children to the sex offender registry, when such orders appeared to be influenced by nonlegal factors

Trust in scientists on climate change and vaccines

On climate change and other topics, conservatives have taken positions at odds with a strong scientific consensus. Claims that this indicates a broad conservative distrust of science have been countered by assertions that while conservatives might oppose the scientific consensus on climate change or evolution, liberals oppose scientists on some other domains such as vaccines. Evidence for disproportionately liberal bias against science on vaccines has been largely anecdotal, however. Here, we test this proposition of opposite biases using 2014 survey data from Oregon and New Hampshire. Across vaccine as well as climate change questions on each of these two surveys, we find that Democrats are most likely to say they trust scientists for information, and Tea Party supporters are least likely, contradicting the proposition of opposite bias. Moreover, partisan divisions tend to widen with education. Theoretical explanations that have been offered for liberal trust or conservative distrust of science in other specific domains such as climate change or environmental protection fit less well with these results on vaccines. Given the much different content of climate change and vaccine issues, the common political pattern appears more consistent with hypotheses of broader ideological divisions on acceptance of science

Updated trends in Child Maltreatment, 2012.

National statistics from 2012 showed increases in some forms of child maltreatment for the first time in many years. While overall substantiated child maltreatment was flat from 2011 to 2012, there was a 2% rise in sexual abuse and a 5% rise in physical abuse. Neglect declined 3%, but child maltreatment fatalities rose 4% from 1557 to 1620

High-resolution Identification and Separation of Living Cell Types by Multiple microRNA-responsive Synthetic mRNAs

合成RNAを利用した生細胞の高精度な同定と分離. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2016-02-25.The precise identification and separation of living cell types is critical to both study cell function and prepare cells for medical applications. However, intracellular information to distinguish live cells remains largely inaccessible. Here, we develop a method for high-resolution identification and separation of cell types by quantifying multiple microRNA (miRNA) activities in live cell populations. We found that a set of miRNA-responsive, in vitro synthesized mRNAs identify a specific cell population as a sharp peak and clearly separate different cell types based on less than two-fold differences in miRNA activities. Increasing the number of miRNA-responsive mRNAs enhanced the capability for cell identification and separation, as we precisely and simultaneously distinguished different cell types with similar miRNA profiles. In addition, the set of synthetic mRNAs separated HeLa cells into subgroups, uncovering heterogeneity of the cells and the level of resolution achievable. Our method could identify target live cells and improve the efficiency of cell purification from heterogeneous populations

Scenario-based application of neighborhood greening methods towards mitigating urban heat environment in a world heritage site - Malacca, Malaysia

Malacca city, located on the west coast of the central part of the Malaysian Peninsula, has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At present, it is feared that the urban heat environmental condition will gradually worsen in the future. Employing a new design approach that modifies the surrounding heat environment by creating organically linked neighborhood green spaces, which encourage pedestrian walkability, will assist in efforts to conserve and improve the town as a sustainable heritage site. Through this research, firstly, future greening potential area were extracted based on the field survey and the results of the overlaid site appraisals which encompass microclimatic factor, visibility to the historical landscape elements and theoretical pedestrian movements by implementing computer simulation techniques. Based on the identified potential greening area, the three neighborhood greening scenarios were set: 1) based on the existing condition, 2) type of following existing conservation design guideline, and 3) type of maximized greening area with new pedestirian pathways. Then, the microclimate simulation was carried out for respective scenarios and the comparative study was made specifically from the viewpoint of where and how much each scenario could contribute to the urban heat environment mitigation through the investigation of changes of micrclimate conditions such as ambient temperature and surface temperature. From the results, we confirmed that the neighborhood greening approaches proposed through this study has been effectively functioned as a streetscape conservation-oriented urban heat environment improvement methods for historical town in a tropical region

Numerical operations in living cells by programmable RNA devices

細胞内の複数のマイクロRNAを同時に検知して細胞を生きたまま精密に分けることに成功. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2019-08-30.Integrated bioengineering systems can make executable decisions according to the cell state. To sense the state, multiple biomarkers are detected and processed via logic gates with synthetic biological devices. However, numerical operations have not been achieved. Here, we show a design principle for messenger RNA (mRNA) devices that recapitulates intracellular information by multivariate calculations in single living cells. On the basis of this principle and the collected profiles of multiple microRNA activities, we demonstrate that rationally programmed mRNA sets classify living human cells and track their change during differentiation. Our mRNA devices automatically perform multivariate calculation and function as a decision-maker in response to dynamic intracellular changes in living cells