A high-wavenumber boundary-element method for an acoustic scattering problem

In this paper we show stability and convergence for a novel Galerkin boundary element method approach to the impedance boundary value problem for the Helmholtz equation in a half-plane with piecewise constant boundary data. This problem models, for example, outdoor sound propagation over inhomogeneous flat terrain. To achieve a good approximation with a relatively low number of degrees of freedom we employ a graded mesh with smaller elements adjacent to discontinuities in impedance, and a special set of basis functions for the Galerkin method so that, on each element, the approximation space consists of polynomials (of degree $\nu$) multiplied by traces of plane waves on the boundary. In the case where the impedance is constant outside an interval $[a,b]$, which only requires the discretization of $[a,b]$, we show theoretically and experimentally that the $L_2$ error in computing the acoustic field on $[a,b]$ is ${\cal O}(\log^{\nu+3/2}|k(b-a)| M^{-(\nu+1)})$, where $M$ is the number of degrees of freedom and $k$ is the wavenumber. This indicates that the proposed method is especially commendable for large intervals or a high wavenumber. In a final section we sketch how the same methodology extends to more general scattering problems

Evolving AVX512 Parallel C Code Using GP

Using 512 bit Advanced Vector Extensions, previous development history and Intel documentation, BNF grammar based genetic improvement automatically ports RNAfold to AVX, giving up to a 1.77 fold speed up. The evolved code pull request is an accepted GI software maintenance update to bioinformatics package ViennaRNA

The importance of cultural aspects in impact assessment and project: developmentreflections from a case study of a hydroelectric dam in Brazil

Failure to consider the cultural and social factors of projects can lead to situations where mitigation does not effectively address the impacts they were intended to alleviate, and can even create other impacts. We critically analyse the processes of designing and implementing a social and environmental compensation program for the Lajeado Hydroelectric Dam in the Amazon region of central-northern Brazil. This mitigation program caused a wide range of social and environmental impacts on the Xerente Indigenous people, such as intra-group conflict, and changes in agricultural practices and food regime. Based on qualitative fieldwork and an extensive document analysis, we present a contextualization of the region, the project, the Xerente people, and their cosmological understandings. We consider the perspectives of a broad range of stakeholders about the compensation program and its outcomes, and demonstrate how traditional cultural practices and values played a role in the unfolding of the program. Better comprehension of sociocultural aspects through the use of ethnography, ongoing consultation, and meaningful community participation in the planning and implementation of mitigation measures are recommended.</p

Expression of a fungal ferulic acid esterase in suspension cultures of tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) decreases cell wall feruloylation and increases rates of cell wall digestion

In the cell walls of grasses ferulic acid is esterified to arabinosyl residues in arabinoxylans that can then undergo oxidative coupling reactions to form ferulate dehydrodimers, trimers and oligomers which function to cross-link cell-wall polysaccharides, limiting cell wall degradability. Fungal ferulic acid esterase can release both esterified monomeric and dimeric ferulic acids from these cell wall arabinoxylans making the cell wall more susceptible to further enzymatic attack and increasing cell wall degradability. Non-embryogenic cell suspension cultures of Festuca arundinacea expressing a Aspergillus niger ferulic acid esterase (faeA) targeted to either the apoplast, or endoplasmic reticulum under the control of a constitutive actin promoter, or to the vacuole under the control of a soybean heat shock promoter, were established and FAE activity determined in the cells and medium during a growth cycle. Analysis of the ester-linked ferulates of the cell walls showed that all three transformed cell lines had both reduced ferulate levels and increased levels of xylanase mediated release of wall phenolics on autodigestion as well as increased rates of cell wall digestion in a simulated rumen environment, when compared to control non-transformed cells. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11240-017-1168-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Manipulating the Phenolic Acid Content and Digestibility of Forage Grasses by Targeted Expression of Fungal Cell Wall Degrading Enzymes

Grass cell walls constitute 30-80% of forage dry matter, representing a major source of energy for ruminants. Ferulic acid (4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-cinnamic acid) and other hydroxycinnamic acids are ester linked to arabinosyl residues in arabinoxylans of grass cell walls and undergo oxidative coupling reactions resulting in the formation of a variety of dehydrodiferulate dimers which cross-link cell wall polymers. Although such cross-links have a number of important roles in the cell wall, they also hinder the rate and extent of cell wall degradation by ruminant microbial and fungal enzymes. We have shown previously the expression of a ferulic acid esterase gene from Aspergillus niger in Festuca arundinacea and the potential of the expressed FAE to break phenolic cross-links and release monomeric and dimeric ferulic acids on cell death in vacuole targeted FAE plants. This was enhanced several fold by the addition of exogenous recombinant xylanase (Buanafina et al., 2002). We propose to decrease the level of phenolic cross-linking of cell wall carbohydrate by inducible expression of FAE to the apoplast, ER and golgi and by co-expressing FAE and endo-ß-1,4-xylanase from Trichoderma reesei to the apoplast and vacuole

Chamanismos guaraní contemporáneos en Brasil: un estudio de transfiguración cultural

This paper examines the adoption of ayahuasca and other ritual practices in the&nbsp;Guarani village Mbiguaçu (Santa Catarina, Brazil). This adoption is the productof the dialogue that has emerged in the ritual performances shared with non-Indian&nbsp;groups and the circulation of concepts and discourses present in Brazilian public&nbsp;policies and alternative spiritual movements. The actors involved in the formation&nbsp;of the network examined here share common ideas and images, such as indigenous&nbsp;knowledge, the ‘ecological’ and ‘spiritual’ native, indigenousness, and ‘traditional&nbsp;medicine’. We demonstrate that the appropriation of these rituals and ideas is part of&nbsp;an ongoing ethnopolitical movement of cultural transfiguration among the Guarani&nbsp;of the Brazilian coast. https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472X74Este artículo examina la adopción del uso de la ayahuasca y otras prácticas rituales en&nbsp;el pueblo guaraní Mbiguaçu (Santa Catarina, Brasil). Esta adopción es producto del&nbsp;diálogo que ha surgido a través de performances rituales compartidas con grupos no&nbsp;indígenas, en las que circulan conceptos y discursos presentes en las políticas públicas&nbsp;y en el movimiento de prácticas alternativas espirituales. Los actores involucrados en la&nbsp;formación de la red de relaciones que examinamos comparten ideas e imágenes en&nbsp;común,&nbsp;como conocimiento indígena, el nativo “ecológico” y “espiritual”, indigenidad&nbsp;y “medicina tradicional”. Demostramos que la apropiación de estos rituales e ideas es&nbsp;parte del movimiento etnopolítico de transfiguración cultural en desarrollo entre los&nbsp;guaraní en el litoral brasileño. https://doi.org/10.22380/2539472X7

Learning ability correlates with brain atrophy and disability progression in RRMS

Objective To assess the prognostic value of practice effect on Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) in multiple sclerosis. Methods We compared screening (day a '14) and baseline (day 0) PASAT scores of 1009 patients from the FTY720 Research Evaluating Effects of Daily Oral therapy in Multiple Sclerosis (FREEDOMS) trial. We grouped patients into high and low learners if their PASAT score change was above or below the median change in their screening PASAT quartile group. We used Wilcoxon test to compare baseline disease characteristics between high and low learners, and multiple regression models to assess the respective impact of learning ability, baseline normalised brain volume and treatment on brain volume loss and 6-month confirmed disability progression over 2 years. Results The mean PASAT score at screening was 45.38, increasing on average by 3.18 from day a '14 to day 0. High learners were younger (p=0.003), had lower Expanded Disability Status Scale score (p=0.031), higher brain volume (p&lt;0.001) and lower T2 lesion volume (p=0.009) at baseline. Learning status was not significantly associated with disability progression (HR=0.953, p=0.779), when adjusting for baseline normalised brain volume, screening PASAT score and treatment arm. However, the effect of fingolimod on disability progression was more pronounced in high learners (HR=0.396, p&lt;0.001) than in low learners (HR=0.798, p=0.351; p for interaction=0.05). Brain volume loss at month 24 tended to be higher in low learners (0.17%, p=0.058), after adjusting for the same covariates. Conclusions Short-term practice effects on PASAT are related to brain volume, disease severity and age and have clinically meaningful prognostic implications. High learners benefited more from fingolimod treatment

Learning ability correlates with brain atrophy and disability progression in RRMS

Objective To assess the prognostic value of practice effect on Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT) in multiple sclerosis. Methods We compared screening (day a '14) and baseline (day 0) PASAT scores of 1009 patients from the FTY720 Research Evaluating Effects of Daily Oral therapy in Multiple Sclerosis (FREEDOMS) trial. We grouped patients into high and low learners if their PASAT score change was above or below the median change in their screening PASAT quartile group. We used Wilcoxon test to compare baseline disease characteristics between high and low learners, and multiple regression models to assess the respective impact of learning ability, baseline normalised brain volume and treatment on brain volume loss and 6-month confirmed disability progression over 2 years. Results The mean PASAT score at screening was 45.38, increasing on average by 3.18 from day a '14 to day 0. High learners were younger (p=0.003), had lower Expanded Disability Status Scale score (p=0.031), higher brain volume (p<0.001) and lower T2 lesion volume (p=0.009) at baseline. Learning status was not significantly associated with disability progression (HR=0.953, p=0.779), when adjusting for baseline normalised brain volume, screening PASAT score and treatment arm. However, the effect of fingolimod on disability progression was more pronounced in high learners (HR=0.396, p<0.001) than in low learners (HR=0.798, p=0.351; p for interaction=0.05). Brain volume loss at month 24 tended to be higher in low learners (0.17%, p=0.058), after adjusting for the same covariates. Conclusions Short-term practice effects on PASAT are related to brain volume, disease severity and age and have clinically meaningful prognostic implications. High learners benefited more from fingolimod treatment

Syncretism or correlation: Teilhard and Tillich's contrasting methodological approaches to science and theology

This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the article, published in Zygon 40(3) pp.739-750, which has been published in final form at http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/118699350/issueThis paper revisits Paul Tillich’s theological methodology, and contrasts his practice of correlation with the syncretistic methodological practices of Teilhard de Chardin. I argue that the method of correlation, as referred to in Robert John Russell’s 2001 Zygon article, fails to uphold Tillich’s self-limitation of his own methodology with regard to Tillich’s insistence upon the theological circle. I assert that the theological circle, as taken from Systematic Theology I, is a central facet within Tillich’s methodology and that this often ignored concept needs to be resuscitated if one is to remain authentically Tillichian in one’s approach to the science and theology dialogue