Context. Using Greenwich sunspot data for 120 years it was recently observed that activity regions on the Sun’s surface tend to lie along smoothly changing longitude strips 180◦apart from each other. After critique of the original paper, the new arguments were found to substantiate the claim. Aims. In this paper we analyse new arguments in some detail. Methods. To check basic arguments about pe...

OBJECTIVE To examine the prevalence of and risk factors for cornea guttata in a rural southwestern island of Japan. DESIGN Cross-sectional, population-based study. All residents of Kumejima Island, Japan, located in southwestern Japan (eastern longitude, 126° 48'; northern latitude, 26° 20'), 40 years or older were asked to undergo a comprehensive questionnaire and ocular examination, includi...

The geographic distribution of genetic variation reflects trends in past population migrations and can be used to make inferences about these migrations. It has been proposed that the east-west orientation of the Eurasian landmass facilitated the rapid spread of ancient technological innovations across Eurasia, while the north-south orientation of the Americas led to a slower diffusion of techn...

In reinforcement learning, we often define goals by specifying rewards within desirable states. One problem with this approach is that we typically need to redefine the rewards each time the goal changes, which often requires some understanding of the solution in the agent’s environment. When humans are learning to complete tasks, we regularly utilize alternative sources that guide our understa...

In low nutrient alpine lakes, the littoral zone is the most productive part of the ecosystem, and it is a biodiversity hotspot. It is not entirely clear how the scale and physical heterogeneity of surrounding catchment, its ecological composition, and larger landscape gradients work together to sustain littoral communities. A total of 113 alpine lakes from the central Pyrenees were surveyed to ...

The recent advances in the understanding of psoriasis pathogenesis have clarified the pivotal role of interleukin (IL)-23. It is a heterodimeric cytokine consisting of two subunits, the unique p19 and the p40, which are shared with IL-12. The basic role of IL-23 in psoriasis is the activation and maintenance of the T-helper 17 pathway. New research findings indicate that IL-23 is more important...

OBJECTIVE To examine the use of the Medical Outcomes Study short form 36-item (SF-36) health status measure in older patients receiving health care; to explore the influence of age and physical and cognitive status on response to and completion of the SF-36 questionnaire. DESIGN Prospective observational study. SETTINGS Hospital and ambulatory patients aged 65 years and over in the medical ...

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