ThinkFloat

Today’s Communication Age has provided people more ability to share and process information. This has much to do with the technological advancements in the latter of the last century such as the telephone, the computer, and the internet. These technologies are a brilliant resource for discovering knowledge about anything, at anytime. Therefore, with all of this information accessible, it whets our appetite for the exploration of the unknown. We are standing at a new threshold of curiosity and movement which is poised for more than idea-sharing over vast distances; we are ready physically to actualize these explorations. As inquisitive social beings we naturally have an urge to explore and that exploration brings about a new lifestyle; a transient lifestyle. The transient lifestyle has a value system that is not based upon trumped goods, but rather upon experiences of one’s own satisfaction while being mindful of the environment. This lifestyle has people that are driven by experiences, by discovery, by fi ghti ng boredom, by finding belief, and by freeing themselves the status quo. The transient lifestyle shifts towards something less influenced by aspiration to consume material products, and instead is more influenced by finding value and satisfaction in peace with the inner-self and the environment then obtaining this by spending more time with oneself, one’s family, or one’s new forms of spirituality. This transient lifestyle is the dawn of Mobile Architecture, where dwelling applicati ons and uses are limitless and have no borders. Mobile Architecture can be defined not merely as a movable structure but rather as a way to intelligently inhabit a specific environment at a specific time and place in a way that better reacts to Mobile Architecture, for the purpose of this project, is defined as a hybrid space dwelling, and is broken down into two applications: dwelling and mobile. Fusing these two different programs allows for creative possibilities of explorati on and personal freedom. A dwelling, a shelter from the natural elements as well as a community among its inhabitants, is the stati c component which allows comfort and security. Mobility, the capability of moving or being moved readily, is dynamic and responds quickly to impulses, emotions, expression, or mood. The hybridization of dwelling with mobility provides a freedom of movement and exploration. The desire for an active, mobile, and dynamic lifestyle; has to lend itself to stronger possibilities other than the stable ground. The dynamitic water has always been a hypnotizing place to be and new more people are discovering how it also intensifies the adventure of opportunities and explorations from the static land. On water, the phenomenon of daily life becomes ceremonial. A sunrise or sunset is routinely extraordinary, amplified by the glow of sky on water. Rain, the sound of water on water, becomes mesmerizing. The vast, bright expanses of uncluttered space gives water residents a rare sort of relationship with light. A floating dwelling is the solution for a transient lifestyle that values life experience and their personal peace of mind while being conscious of the environment. The goal is to create a sustainable self-sufficient hybrid parcel of mobile architecture on water that is off-grid and unrestrictive to the possibilities of explorations. This transient lifestyle affords serenity to oneself and family while experiencing the adventures of the unknown. We are at the time and place were architecture rolls, flows, inflates, breathes, expands, multiplies, and contracts, finally hoisting itself up, as Archigram predicted at the end of the 1960’s, to go in search of its next user

Journal of African Christian Biography

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: WOMEN --- 1. Biographies of Kimpa Vita by Norbert Brockman, Mark R. Lipschutz and R. Kent Rasmussen, and Tsimba Mabiala. 2. "The Life and Visions of Krəstos Śämra, a Fifteenth-Century Ethiopian Woman Saint,"--chapter from African Christian Biography: Stories, Lives and Challenges (D. L. Robert, editor) by Wendy Laura Belcher 3. "Queen Njinga and Her Faiths: Religion and Politics in Seventeenth-Century Angola"--chapter from African Christian Biography: Stories, Lives and Challenges (D. L. Robert, editor) by Linda Heywood. 4. Book Notes, by B. Restric

Tolerance and Efficacy of Emamectin Benzoate and Ivermectin for the Treatment of Pseudocapillaria tomentosa in Laboratory Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Tolerance of adult zebrafish and efficacy of emamectin benzoate and ivermectin in eliminating Pseudocapillaria tomentosa infection were evaluated. In the tolerance study, behavioral changes, fecundity, histopathology, and mortality were evaluated for in-feed administration of emamectin (0.05, 0.10, and 0.25 mg/kg) and ivermectin (0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg). All doses of emamectin were well tolerated. Ivermectin 0.05 mg/kg administration resulted in mild behavioral changes and a transient decrease in fecundity. Ivermectin 0.10 mg/kg administration resulted in severe behavioral changes and some mortality. In the efficacy study, emamectin (0.05 and 0.25 mg/kg) and ivermectin (0.05 mg/kg) were evaluated for their efficacy in eliminating P. tomentosa infection. Emamectin reduced parasite burden in infected zebrafish, and ivermectin eliminated intestinal nematode infections. Despite a small margin of safety, ivermectin 0.05 mg/kg was effective at eliminating P. tomentosa infection in adult zebrafish. Higher doses or a longer course of treatment may be needed for complete elimination of P. tomentosa infection using emamectin. In this study, we propose two possible treatments for intestinal nematode infections in zebrafish

In a secondary care setting, differences between neck pain subgroups classified using the Quebec task force classification system were typically small - A longitudinal study

Background: The component of the Quebec Task Force Classification System that subgroups patients based on the extent of their radiating pain and neurological signs has been demonstrated to have prognostic implications for patients with low back pain but has not been tested on patients with neck pain (NP). The main aim of this study was to examine the association between these subgroups, their baseline characteristics and outcome in chronic NP patients referred to an outpatient hospital department. Methods: This was an observational study of longitudinal data extracted from systematically collected, routine clinical data. Patients were classified into Local NP only, NP + arm pain above the elbow, NP + arm pain below the elbow, and NP with signs of nerve root involvement (NP + NRI). Outcome was pain intensity and activity limitation. Associations were tested in longitudinal linear mixed models. Results: A total of 1,852 people were classified into subgroups (64 % females, mean age 49 years). Follow ups after 3, 6 and 12 months were available for 45 %, 32 % and 40 % of those invited to participate at each time point. A small improvement in pain was observed over time in all subgroups. There was a significant interaction between subgroups and time, but effect sizes were small. The local NP subgroup improved slightly less after 3 months as compared with all other groups, but continued to have the lowest level of pain. After 6 and 12 months, those with NP + pain above the elbow had improved the least and patients with NP + NRI had experienced the largest improvements in pain intensity. Similar results were obtained for activity limitation. Conclusions: This study found baseline and outcome differences between neck pain subgroups classified using the Quebec Task Force Classification System. However, differences in outcome were typically small in size and mostly differentiated the local NP subgroup from the other subgroups. A caveat to these results is that they were obtained in a cohort of chronic neck pain patients who only displayed small improvements over time and the results may not apply to other cohorts, such as people at earlier stages of their clinical course and in other clinical settings

Phylogenetic comparative assembly

Husemann P, Stoye J. Phylogenetic Comparative Assembly. Algorithms for Molecular Biology. 2010;5(1): 3.BACKGROUND:Recent high throughput sequencing technologies are capable of generating a huge amount of data for bacterial genome sequencing projects. Although current sequence assemblers successfully merge the overlapping reads, often several contigs remain which cannot be assembled any further. It is still costly and time consuming to close all the gaps in order to acquire the whole genomic sequence. RESULTS:Here we propose an algorithm that takes several related genomes and their phylogenetic relationships into account to create a graph that contains the likelihood for each pair of contigs to be adjacent. Subsequently, this graph can be used to compute a layout graph that shows the most promising contig adjacencies in order to aid biologists in finishing the complete genomic sequence. The layout graph shows unique contig orderings where possible, and the best alternatives where necessary. CONCLUSIONS:Our new algorithm for contig ordering uses sequence similarity as well as phylogenetic information to estimate adjacencies of contigs. An evaluation of our implementation shows that it performs better than recent approaches while being much faster at the same tim

Image measurement and simulation for minimally invasive medical procedures

研究科: 千葉大学大学院自然科学研究

A high-resolution map of human evolutionary constraint using 29 mammals.

The comparison of related genomes has emerged as a powerful lens for genome interpretation. Here we report the sequencing and comparative analysis of 29 eutherian genomes. We confirm that at least 5.5% of the human genome has undergone purifying selection, and locate constrained elements covering ∼4.2% of the genome. We use evolutionary signatures and comparisons with experimental data sets to suggest candidate functions for ∼60% of constrained bases. These elements reveal a small number of new coding exons, candidate stop codon readthrough events and over 10,000 regions of overlapping synonymous constraint within protein-coding exons. We find 220 candidate RNA structural families, and nearly a million elements overlapping potential promoter, enhancer and insulator regions. We report specific amino acid residues that have undergone positive selection, 280,000 non-coding elements exapted from mobile elements and more than 1,000 primate- and human-accelerated elements. Overlap with disease-associated variants indicates that our findings will be relevant for studies of human biology, health and disease

Fifteen new risk loci for coronary artery disease highlight arterial-wall-specific mechanisms

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although 58 genomic regions have been associated with CAD thus far, most of the heritability is unexplained, indicating that additional susceptibility loci await identification. An efficient discovery strategy may be larger-scale evaluation of promising associations suggested by genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Hence, we genotyped 56,309 participants using a targeted gene array derived from earlier GWAS results and performed meta-analysis of results with 194,427 participants previously genotyped, totaling 88,192 CAD cases and 162,544 controls. We identified 25 new SNP-CAD associations (P < 5 × 10(-8), in fixed-effects meta-analysis) from 15 genomic regions, including SNPs in or near genes involved in cellular adhesion, leukocyte migration and atherosclerosis (PECAM1, rs1867624), coagulation and inflammation (PROCR, rs867186 (p.Ser219Gly)) and vascular smooth muscle cell differentiation (LMOD1, rs2820315). Correlation of these regions with cell-type-specific gene expression and plasma protein levels sheds light on potential disease mechanisms

Junior staffing changes and the temporal ecology of adverse incidents in acute psychiatric wards

Aim.  This paper reports an examination of the relationship between adverse incident rates, the arrival of new junior staff on wards, and days of the week on acute psychiatric wards. Background.  Incidents of violence, absconding and self-harm in acute inpatient services pose risks to patients and staff. Previous research suggests that the arrival of inexperienced new staff may trigger more adverse incidents. Findings on the relationship between incidents and the weekly routine are inconsistent. Method.  A retrospective analysis was conducted of formally reported incident rates, records of nursing student allocations and junior doctor rotation patterns, using Poisson Regression. Variance between days of the week was explored using contingency table analysis. The data covered 30 months on 17 psychiatric wards, and were collected in 2002–2004. Findings.  The arrival of new and inexperienced staff on the wards was not associated with increases in adverse incident rates. Most types of incidents were less frequent at weekends and midweek. Incident rates were unchanged on ward-round days, but increased rates were found on the days before and after ward rounds. Conclusion.  Increased patient tension is associated with raised incident rates. It may be possible to reduce incident rates by moderating stimulation in the environment and by mobilizing support for patients during critical periods