Efficient prediction of attosecond two-colour pulses from an X-ray free-electron laser with machine learning.

X-ray free-electron lasers are sources of coherent, high-intensity X-rays with numerous applications in ultra-fast measurements and dynamic structural imaging. Due to the stochastic nature of the self-amplified spontaneous emission process and the difficulty in controlling injection of electrons, output pulses exhibit significant noise and limited temporal coherence. Standard measurement techniques used for characterizing two-coloured X-ray pulses are challenging, as they are either invasive or diagnostically expensive. In this work, we employ machine learning methods such as neural networks and decision trees to predict the central photon energies of pairs of attosecond fundamental and second harmonic pulses using parameters that are easily recorded at the high-repetition rate of a single shot. Using real experimental data, we apply a detailed feature analysis on the input parameters while optimizing the training time of the machine learning methods. Our predictive models are able to make predictions of central photon energy for one of the pulses without measuring the other pulse, thereby leveraging the use of the spectrometer without having to extend its detection window. We anticipate applications in X-ray spectroscopy using XFELs, such as in time-resolved X-ray absorption and photoemission spectroscopy, where improved measurement of input spectra will lead to better experimental outcomes.

Phenotypic Analysis of Circulating Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells and Their Subpopulations in Egyptian Females with Breast Cancer: A Single-Centre Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are immature myeloid cells with suppressive function that has been thoroughly documented in the setting of cancer. Our purpose was to evaluate levels of MDSC and their subsets in a cohort of Egyptian patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Evaluation of peripheral blood total MDSC and its subset was done using multicolor flowcytometry in 30 malignant, 10 benign breast tumor patients and 10 healthy control females. RESULTS: BC patients had higher total MDSC levels compared to controls (p= 0.01) particularly the Monocytic MDSC (M-MDSC) and abnormal MDSC subsets (p = 0.001 and p <0.001, respectively). A tumor size > 2 cm exhibited significantly higher granulocytic MDSCs (G-MDSCs) compared to tumor size < 2 cm (p= 0.02) whereas abnormal MDSCs were significantly higher in patients with a tumor size < 2 cm (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: MDSC and its subsets can be used as a prognostic marker of tumor size as well as a potential targets for treatment in breast cancer patients.

Links between socio-demographic characteristics and body mass index to colorectal cancer in North Borneo, Malaysia: A case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: The fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality and morbidity worldwide is colorectal cancer (CRC). Numerous reasons have contributed to the massive rise in CRC cases, for which Asian nations differ significantly in terms of risk incidence rates. The objectives of this study were to, first, identify the socio-demographic characteristics of those of North Borneo ethnicity and body mass index (BMI) and, second, determine the association of these factors with CRC. This research will contribute to preventing this form of cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study is an analysis of a matched case-control study with a ratio of 1:2. The case group contained 206 respondents, and the control group contained 412. All CRC cases were confirmed with the histological results. The control group was matched for links between age, sex and ethnicity with CRC. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences Statistics (SPSS) IBM version 28.0 was used to conduct descriptive analysis using chi-squared testing and simple logistic regression. The statistical significance was P < 0.05. RESULT: Overall, 618 respondents took part in this survey, of which 256 (41.4%) were female and 362 (58.6%) were male. The maximum age was 76, with a mean age ± SD of 53.17 ± 11.4. Those of Bajau ethnicity comprised 24.6% (152) of the population, followed by Dusun with 22.8% (141), Kadazan with 17.6% (109%), other North Borneo ethnic groups with 15.5% (96), Bugis with 9.7% (60), Brunei with 4.4% (27) and other predominant races with 5.3% (33). Regression analyses revealed that the incidence of CRC in North Borneo, Malaysia, was substantially correlated with income, occupation, other linked diseases and BMI. CONCLUSION: Various risk factors are linked to CRC, based on the findings related to socio-demographic characteristics and BMI. Therefore, to lower the nationwide prevalence of CRC, national public health campaigns should include collaboration with the regional authorities to highlight the incidence and risk factors of CRC based on ethnicity.

Quantifying forest land-use changes using remote-sensing and CA-ANN model of Madhupur Sal Forests, Bangladesh.

The conversion of forest cover due to anthropogenic activities is of great concern in the Madhupur Sal Forest in Bangladesh. This study explored the land use changes in the Sal Forest area from 1991 to 2020, with the prediction of 2030 and 2040. This study examined and analyzed the changes in five land use classes viz., waterbodies, settlement, Sal Forest, other vegetation, and bare land, and predict those classes using Cellular Automated Artificial Neural Network (CA-ANN) model. The Sankey diagram was employed to represent the change percentage of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC). The LULC for 1991, 2000, 2010, and 2020 derived from Landsat TM and Landsat OLI images, were used to predict the periods of 2030 and 2040. During the last 30 years, the Sal Forest area decreased by 23.35%, whereas the settlement and bare land area increased by 107.19% and 160.89%. The greatest loss of the Sal Forest was observed from 1991 to 2000 by 46.20%. At the same period of time the settlements were increased by 92.68% indicating the encroachment of settlement in the Sal Forest area. The Sankey diagram revealed a major conversion was found between other vegetation and the Sal Forest area. There was a vis-à-vis between other vegetation and the Sal Forest area from 1991 to 2000 and from 2000 to 2010. Interestingly, there was no conversation of the Sal Forest area to other land use from 2010 to 2020, and the prediction showed that the Sal Forest area will be increased by 52.02% in 2040. The preservation and increment of the Sal Forest area suggested strong governmental policy implementation to preserve the forest.

Impact of Colchicine Monotherapy on the Risk of Acute Pericarditis Following Atrial Fibrillation Ablation.

BACKGROUND: Acute pericarditis is a known complication of ablation procedures for atrial fibrillation (AF). OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the benefits of colchicine monotherapy in terms of reducing the risk of pericarditis and related hospitalization rate in AF patients undergoing catheter ablation. METHODS: Consecutive AF patients undergoing first catheter ablation were classified into 3 groups based on their colchicine use: Group 1: no colchicine; group 2: colchicine from 7 days before to 1 month after ablation; and group 3: colchicine from the day of the procedure to 1 month after. Standard institutional protocol was used to follow all patients for 1 year. RESULTS: A total of 1,075 patients were classified into groups 1 (n = 607), 2 (n = 213), and 3 (n = 255). Symptoms of acute pericarditis were reported in 129 patients (12%): group 1: n = 106 (17.5%); group 2: n = 4 (1.9%); and group 3: n = 19 (7.5%); P < 0.001. Rate of mild-moderate as well as severe pericarditis were significantly lower in group 2. In the multivariable regression analysis, pre- and post-ablation colchicine use was seen to be associated with significantly lower risk of acute pericarditis and related hospitalization compared with the other 2 groups. In addition, at 1-year follow-up, arrhythmia-free survival rate was significantly higher in paroxysmal AF patients receiving colchicine compared with the no-colchicine population. CONCLUSIONS: Colchicine therapy starting 7 days before to 1 month after the ablation procedure was associated with significantly lower risk of acute pericarditis and related hospitalization. In addition, paroxysmal AF patients receiving colchicine had a higher arrhythmia-free survival rate compared with those not receiving colchicine.

Best ablation strategy in patients with premature ventricular contractions with multiple morphology: a single-centre experience.

AIMS: This study aimed to examine the clinical benefits of targeted ablation of all Premature ventricular complex (PVC) morphologies vs. predominant PVC only. METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 171 consecutive patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and ≥2 PVC morphology with high burden (>10%/day) undergoing their first ablation procedure were included in the analysis. At the initial procedure, prevalent PVC alone was ablated in the majority. However, at the redo, all PVC morphologies were targeted for ablation. : At the first procedure, 152 (89%) patients received ablation of the dominant PVC only. In the remaining 19 (11%) patients, all PVC morphologies were ablated. At two years, high PVC burden was detected in 89 (52%) patients. Repeat procedure was performed in 78 of 89, where all PVC morphologies were ablated. At 5 years after the repeat procedure, 71 (91%) had PVC burden of <5% [3.8 ± 1.1% vs. 15.4 ± 4.3% in successful vs. failed subjects (P < 0.001)]. In patients with low PVC burden after the initial procedure, LVEF improved from 37.5% to 41.6% [mean difference (MD): 3.39 ± 2.9%, P < 0.001], whereas a reduction in LVEF from 39.8% to 34.5% (MD: 6.45 ± 4.7%, P < 0.001) was recorded in patients with high PVC burden. One year after the repeat procedure, LVEF improved from 36.2% to 41.7% (MD: 5.5 ± 4.3%, P < 0.001) in patients with successful ablation. CONCLUSION: In this observational series, ablation of all PVC morphologies was associated with significantly lower PVC burden and improvement of LVEF at long-term follow-up, compared with ablation of the dominant morphology only.

Effect of simulated changes in pelvic tilt on hip joint forces.

Musculoskeletal modeling is commonly used to simulate and compare various movements between individuals. For conditions such as femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS), individuals tend to walk with more anterior pelvic tilt than those without FAIS. However, it is unknown whether accounting for pelvic tilt in musculoskeletal modeling would lead to a change in muscle forces and in turn, joint forces. Gait data of six individuals were collected and processed using Vicon and Visual3D. Each participant's pelvic tilt was adjusted by ± 10° at all time points during gait. Three analyses were performed per individual: no adjustment in tilt, one posterior (positive) tilt, and one anterior (negative) tilt. The resulting data were imported into OpenSim to determine muscle forces and the resulting femur-on-acetabulum (hip joint) forces in the pelvic and femoral reference frames. Data for each participant were normalized for gait cycle and body weight in MATLAB, and statistical parametric mapping was used to determine if the differences in joint and muscle forces were significant across different pelvic orientations. Shifting from posterior to anterior pelvic tilt reduced resultant forces. In the pelvic reference frame, anteriorly-directed joint forces decreased, while medially-directed forces increased. In the femoral reference frame, anteriorly- and medially-directed joint forces increased, while superiorly-directed forces decreased. Anterior gluteus medius and iliacus muscle forces decreased, while quadratus femoris, piriformis, and gemellus muscle forces increased. Given these results, future studies using musculoskeletal modeling should account for pelvic tilt in musculoskeletal models to obtain more realistic comparisons between healthy and pathological conditions.

Assessment of the Role of Omentopexy in Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A Tertiary Center Experience.

Background: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy is one of the most common bariatric procedures due its high success and low complication rates. However, acid reflux and food intolerance remain drawbacks of the procedure, with high frequency of postoperative gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and eating disorders reported by previous studies. Omentopexy is not a standard technique in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy and showed promising results in preventing these sequelae. The present study aimed to evaluate whether omentopexy would decrease the incidence of postoperative GERD, food intolerance, and gastric volvulus without increasing additional complications rates in comparison with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) without omentopexy. Patients and Methods: Our study included all the patients undergoing laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy in our bariatric unit, who were divided into two groups. Group II had the added step of omentopexy. Comparison between both groups was done regarding incidence of acid reflux, food tolerance, and postoperative complications. Results: Omentopexy decreased the incidence of acid reflux, gastric kink, volvulus, and intrathoracic migration. Moreover, food tolerance significantly improved in patients, which in turn led to higher compliance with the postoperative dietary plan and better outcome with regard to weight loss. In addition, omentopexy showed lower incidence of postoperative leakage. Conclusion: Omentopexy is a valuable step in laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, which should be considered a standard step in all cases.

Impact of Bariatric Surgery on Male Sexual Health: a Prospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a worldwide prevalent problem which negatively affects most of the human body systems. Male sexual dysfunction is a frequent problem in obese individuals. Nowadays, bariatric surgery is the most successful way for the management of morbid obesity. Recent research has concluded that it has a significant improving effect on sexual function. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to assess the long-term effect of bariatric surgery on male sexual function. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty-six male patients indicated for bariatric surgery were enrolled in this prospective study. Only forty-eight of them completed the study. Patients were invited to fill the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) questionnaire twice, preoperatively (T1) and 12 months postoperatively (T2). Simultaneously, patients' serum testosterone levels were assayed. RESULTS: At T2, the patients showed highly significant increase in the IIEF scores and the serum testosterone levels (p<0.001). Only weight and BMI were significant predictors of the IIEF scores. The same factors as well as the patients' age were predictors of the serum testosterone levels. CONCLUSION: Bariatric surgery improves male sexual health. It is associated with significant increase in IIEF score and serum testosterone levels.

Immediate Tendon Transfer with Nerve Repair in Low Combined Ulnar and Median Nerve Injury.

BACKGROUND: Combined median-ulnar nerve injury at the level of distal forearm (below the musculotendinous junction) causes a detrimental effect on hand functions, which have a great impact on patients' hands as well as a financial burden. Many previous authors advocated early or immediate tendon transfer in solitary median or ulnar nerve injuries. METHODS: This study included 20 patients with combined distal ulnar-median nerve injury, who were divided into 2 groups. Group I (control) included 10 patients who underwent primary (group fascicular) repair of both nerves only. Group II (study) included 10 patients underwent primary (group fascicular) repair with immediate tendon transfer simultaneously: opponenplasty using extensor indicies and adductoplasty extensor carpi radialis brevis with appropriate splinting, postoperative rehabilitation, and biofeedback facilities. RESULTS: Twenty patients (age: 18-38 years) were affected. The response of median and ulnar nerves showed invariable results in both groups, whilst the hand grip, hand pinch, and opposition showed marked improvements in group II. Moreover, inter-phalangeal and metacarpophalangeal joints of thumb showed no deformities in group II in comparison with high level of deformities in group I, owing to early regain of thumb movements. CONCLUSIONS: Immediate (during neurorrhaphy) tendon transfer may offer additional merits over nerve repair only for distal combined ulnar and median injury, as it offers scarless field, no adhesion, and no joint edema, leading to very early return to normal hand functions with a consequent decrease of thumb deformities, better hand grip, and key pinch.

Changes of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness After Sleeve Gastrectomy in High Cardiovascular Risk Patients: a Prospective Study.

PURPOSE: There are insufficient data showing the impact of laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) on carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). Therefore, in the current work, we investigated the improvement of metabolic syndrome and CIMT in patients with obesity after LSG. METHODS: This study involved 120 consecutively selected Egyptian patients with a high cardiovascular risk who underwent LSG and were followed up for 12 months. RESULTS: CIMT declined from 0.95 ± 0.17 mm to 0.83 ± 0.12 (p < 0.001) after 12 months. In addition, the mean fasting blood glucose and fasting inulin level dropped significantly from 153.3 ± 63.6 to 108.8 ± 33.8 mg/dl and from 23.1 ± 7.1 mU/ml to 14.1 ± 6.4 respectively (p < 0.001). Furthermore, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) declined from 7.02 ± 1.7 to 5.5 ± 0.96 (p < 0.001). At the end of the follow-up period, metabolic parameters such as HOMA-IR, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, AST, and ALT decreased significantly from their respective baselines (p value < 0.001). Moreover, the reduction in CIMT showed a strong positive correlation with the degree of weight loss at 6 months and 12 months of follow-up. CONCLUSION: LSG led to a substantial decrease in CIMT. Moreover, it significantly impacted cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance, lipid profile, and inflammatory markers.

CT tractography in anterior abdominal stab wounds: a proposed algorithm.

PURPOSE: This study evaluates the accuracy of IV contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) tractography in the detection of peritoneal violation in anterior abdominal stab wounds (AASW) and its impact on the management algorithm. METHODS: This prospective study included 61 patients who presented to Kasr Alainy Hospital with AASW. According to the IV contrast-enhanced CT tractography, they were classified into penetrating, equivocal and non-penetrating injuries. The former two were subjected to diagnostic laparoscopy (DL), while the non-penetrating group was subjected to serial abdominal examination (SAE). The accuracy of CT tractography to detect peritoneal violation was assessed by correlating its findings with management outcome. RESULTS: CT tractography stratified the injuries into non penetrating (54.1%), equivocal (14.8%) and penetrating (31.1%). All non-penetrating stabs were managed successfully by SAE. DL proved negative for peritoneal violation in all equivocal injuries and positive in all injuries designated as penetrating. Consequently, sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values and accuracy of CT tractography in detecting peritoneal violation was 100%. No missed injuries were encountered in this study. CONCLUSION: IV contrast-enhanced CT tractography is an effective tool in the evaluation of patients with AASW. Patients with negative tractography can be safely managed by SAE. Positive tractography accurately indicates peritoneal violation which warrants further management. Patients with equivocal findings were all negative for peritoneal violation by laparoscopy, therefore, they might be reallocated for frequent SAE to reduce the rate of non-therapeutic interventions.

Proposal of a novel predictive radiological method to assess the possibility of closed reduction in late presenting developmental dysplasia of the hip: the femoro-acetabular zones.

Late presentation of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) remains a major orthopedic problem. However, existing management is not standardized and is highly surgeon dependent. The theory behind femoro-acetabular zones (FAZ) system is to find a relationship between acetabular maturity and severity of dislocation in one hand, and the outcome of closed reduction, on the other hand in late presenting cases. A retrospective study was performed on children with untreated DDH that underwent closed treatment. Our series consisted of 65 hips; mean patient age was 24 months (range: 9-30 months) with a minimum follow-up of 3 years. FAZ classification was applied to the pre-reduction pelvic radiograph, while the results were evaluated according to Severin's scoring system. Overall, 37 of 65 hips (57%) achieved a satisfactory outcome (Severin I and II), while 22 hips (33%) were found to be unsatisfactory (Severin III). Six hips (10%) needed an open reduction. FAZ expressed a simple and reliable classification in predicting the success of closed reduction. This novel X-ray-based classification system can easily predict patients with DDH in whom a closed reduction is likely to succeed and defer patients with higher grades to surgical intervention. Yet, its validity has to be verified in larger cohort studies and directly compared to the established International Hip Dysplasia Institute classification.

Endoscopic intervention in a case proven latterly to be a COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the newly developed worldwide outbreak of coronavirus disease with a high rate of mortality especially among elderly and multiple co-morbid personnel. Asymptomatic COVID-19-infected patients are a well-known source of transmission of infection. The risk of exposure to respiratory secretions and/or feces is hardly avoidable during the endoscopic procedure; also, the aerosol and droplets take up to an hour disperse, so they remain a risk to staff and other patients after they leave the room; therefore, strict infectious precautions should be taken by all health care workers to limit the virus spread. MAIN BODY: We present an endoscopic trial of duodenal stent insertion in non-operable gastric carcinoma that is proven 2 days later to be a COVID-19-positive case. Fortunately, no one of the health care workers that came in contact with the case becomes infected owing to the proper infection control measures. CONCLUSION: We recommended that the endoscopy examination and procedures should be strictly limited to urgent cases to minimize the risk of virus infection among health care workers.

Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy as day-case surgery: a review of the literature.

Day-case surgery (DCS) in digestive surgery is a hot topic, and new indications for DCS in the field of gastrointestinal surgery have recently been described. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has become a popular bariatric procedure in recent years. LSG is a reproducible, standardized procedure with a short operating time and possibly simple perioperative management. It therefore meets the criteria to be performed as a DCS procedure. Recently published series of LSG as DCS have demonstrated its feasibility. In this review on LSG performed as DCS, we focused on the management of risks associated with DCS and the results of such type of management. A literature search was conducted in the PubMed and Embase databases. Six studies were selected, comprising a total of 6227 patients. Most published series were retrospective single-center studies. Inclusion criteria were similar between most studies (primary sleeve gastrectomy for most series, patients with a body mass index ≥40 kg/m2 or a body mass index ≥35 kg/m2 in the presence of co-morbidities), while exclusion criteria were based on literature data for some studies (using series on risk factors for morbidity and mortality after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) and personal experience for other series. The mortality rate of LSG as DCS ranges 0%-.08%, while the overall complication rate ranges 0%-10%. The unplanned overnight admission rate after LSG ranges .8%-8%. The unscheduled hospitalization rates range 2.1%-8.5%. LSG performed as DCS is feasible with good results, but cannot be proposed for all patients. Good selection is necessary in others to avoid increased risk of morbidity and mortality.

New potentiometric sensor based on molecularly imprinted nanoparticles for cocaine detection.

Here we present a potentiometric sensor for cocaine detection based on molecularly imprinted polymer nanoparticles (nanoMIPs) produced by the solid-phase imprinting method. The composition of polymers with high affinity for cocaine was optimised using molecular modelling. Four compositions were selected and polymers prepared using two protocols: chemical polymerisation in water and UV-initiated polymerisation in organic solvent. All synthesised nanoparticles had very good affinity to cocaine with dissociation constants between 0.6nM and 5.3nM. Imprinted polymers produced in organic solvent using acrylamide as a functional monomer demonstrated the highest yield and affinity, and so were selected for further sensor development. For this, nanoparticles were incorporated within a PVC matrix which was then used to prepare an ion-selective membrane integrated with a potentiometric transducer. It was demonstrated that the sensor was able to quantify cocaine in blood serum samples in the range of concentrations between 1nM and 1mM.

Residues of organochlorine pesticides in surface soil and raw foods from rural areas of the Republic of Tajikistan.

The central Asian Republic of Tajikistan has been an area of extensive historical agricultural pesticide use as well as large scale burials of banned chlorinated insecticides. The current investigation was a four year study of legacy organochlorine pesticides in surface soil and raw foods in four rural areas of Tajikistan. Study areas included the pesticide burial sites of Konibodom and Vakhsh, and family farms of Garm and Chimbuloq villages. These areas were selected to represent a diversity of pesticide disposal histories and to allow assessment of local pesticide contamination in Tajikistan. Each site was visited multiple times and over 500 samples of surface soil and raw foods were collected and analyzed for twenty legacy organochlorine pesticides. Various local food products were sampled to represent the range of raw foods potentially containing residues of banned pesticides, including dairy products, meat, edible plant and cotton seed products. The pesticide analytes included DDTs (DDT, DDD, DDE), lindane isomers (α, ß, γ, δ BHC), endosulfan isomers (endosulfan I, II, sulfate), other cyclodienes (aldrin, α and γ chlordanes, dieldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde and ketone, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide), and methoxychlor. Pesticide analytes were selected based on availability of commercial standards and known or suspected historical pesticide use and burial. Pesticide contamination was highest in soil and generally low in meat, dairy, and plant products. DDT was consistently the highest measured individual pesticide at each of the four sampling areas, along with BHC isomers and endosulfan II. Soil concentrations of pesticides were extremely heterogeneous at the Vakhsh and Konibodam disposal sites with many soil samples greater than 10 ppm. In contrast, samples from farms in Chimbuloq and Garm had low concentrations of pesticides. Pesticide contamination in raw foods was generally low, indicating minimal transfer from the pesticide sites into local food chains.

Genetic Variability of Exotic Sugarcane Genotypes.

Sugarcane is the main sugar producing crop in Bangladesh. However, improvement of this crop through breeding is limited due to lack of genetic diversity. Therefore, genetic variability and diversity assessment are necessarily important for the foreign introduced materials. Experiment was conducted with 9 exotic sugarcane genotypes at Regional Station, Bangladesh Sugar Crop Research Institute, Gazipur, during 2012-13, following RCBD. Data were collected on different growth and yield contributing characters. Individual cane weight exhibited high genotypic coefficient of variation and phenotypic coefficient of variation. Leaf blade length, leaf blade width, fresh leaf weight, dried leaf weight, number of tillers, millable cane, bud size, cane diameter, internodes number, internode length, plant height, stalk length, brix%, and individual cane weight showed high heritability. Individual cane weight showed highly significant and positive correlation with cane diameter, internode length, and stalk length, whereas path coefficient analysis revealed that cane diameter had maximum positive direct effect on individual cane weight followed by internode length, number of tillers, and chlorophyll content. Results indicate that the genotypes should be selected on the basis of individual cane weight, cane diameter, and millable canes number for future breeding to get higher sugarcane yield in respect to juice and brix content.

"This is a question we have to ask everyone": asking young people about self-harm and suicide.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: An essential part of the mental health assessment is to evaluate the risk of harm to self. Fundamentally this involves asking directly about self-harming behaviour and suicidal thoughts or urges, but practitioners often find it difficult to open up these conversations. This evaluation of risk is particularly important as self-harm and suicidal thoughts are frequently found in young people who attend mental health services. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: Young people are not always routinely asked directly about self-harm or suicidal thoughts when they are assessed. There are two ways that mental health practitioners introduce this topic: first, by building up to it by initially asking about general feelings, and second by stating that it is a requirement to ask everyone. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: These questions should not be avoided by mental health practitioners just because they are difficult. We offer suggestions as to how to ask questions about self-harm and suicide based on real-world practice. ABSTRACT: Introduction Questions about self-harm and suicide are essential in risk assessments with children and young people, yet little is known about how mental health practitioners do this. Aim The core aim was to examine how questions about self-harm and suicidal ideation are asked in real-world practice. Method A qualitative design was employed to analyse 28 video-recorded naturally occurring mental health assessments in a child and adolescent mental health service. Data were analysed using conversation analysis (CA). Results In 13 cases young people were asked about self-harm and suicide, but 15 were not. Analysis revealed how practitioners asked these questions. Two main styles were revealed. First was an incremental approach, beginning with inquiries about emotions and behaviours, building to asking about self-harm and suicidal intent. Second was to externalize the question as being required by outside agencies. Discussion The study concluded that the design of risk questions to young people had implications for how open they were to engaging with the practitioner. Implications for practice The study has implications for training and practice for psychiatric nurses and other mental health practitioners in feeling more confident in communicating with young people about self-harm and suicidal ideation.

Gender and Women Development Initiatives in Bangladesh: A Study of Rural Mother Center.

Women-focused development initiatives have become a controversial issue connected with women's health and welfare. Previous studies indicated that development initiatives might increase women's workload, family conflict, and marital violence. This study explored the gendered characteristics of a development initiative Rural Mother Center in Bangladesh. Data incorporated policy document and interviews of social workers working with the mother centers in two northwest subdistricts. The qualitative content analysis of data emerged a general theme of expanding women's responsibility while maintaining male privilege explaining gendered design and practice of the development initiative. The theme was supported by two gendered categories related to the design: (a) essentializing women's participation; (b) maintaining traditional gender, and four categories related to the practice; (c) inadequate gender knowledge and skills; (d) reinforcing traditional gender; (e) using women for improving office performance; and (f) upholding male privilege. The study suggests that though women-focused development initiatives need to be embraced with gender-redistributive policies, the social workers should be trained for attaining gender-transformative motivation and competencies.