Familial hemiplegic migraine with cerebellar ataxia and paroxysmal psychosis

Familial hemiplegic migraine is a rare autosomal dominant disorder associated with stereotypic neurologic au ra phenomena including hemiparesis, So far two chromosomal loci have been identified. Families linked to the chromosome 19 locus display missense mutations within the CACNL1A4 gene. Here we report on a family with familial hemiplegic migraine and cerebellar ataxia with recurrent episodes of acute paranoid psychosis with anxiety and visual hallucinations associated with migraine attacks. Based on the clinical and haplotype evidence indicating linkage to chromosome 19 in this family, we hypothesize that a dysfunction of the mutated calcium channel may be involved not only in the development of hemiplegic migraine but also in the acute psychotic episodes observed in these patients

Density functional theory for a model quantum dot: Beyond the local-density approximation

We study both static and transport properties of model quantum dots, employing density functional theory as well as (numerically) exact methods. For the lattice model under consideration the accuracy of the local-density approximation generally is poor. For weak interaction, however, accurate results are achieved within the optimized effective potential method, while for intermediate interaction strengths a method combining the exact diagonalization of small clusters with density functional theory is very successful. Results obtained from the latter approach yield very good agreement with density matrix renormalization group studies, where the full Hamiltonian consisting of the dot and the attached leads has to be diagonalized. Furthermore we address the question whether static density functional theory is able to predict the exact linear conductance through the dot correctly - with, in general, negative answer.Comment: 8 page

Three-dimensional elliptic grid generation technique with application to turbomachinery cascades

Described is a numerical method for generating 3-D grids for turbomachinery computational fluid dynamic codes. The basic method is general and involves the solution of a quasi-linear elliptic partial differential equation via pointwise relaxation with a local relaxation factor. It allows specification of the grid point distribution on the boundary surfaces, the grid spacing off the boundary surfaces, and the grid orthogonality at the boundary surfaces. A geometry preprocessor constructs the grid point distributions on the boundary surfaces for general turbomachinery cascades. Representative results are shown for a C-grid and an H-grid for a turbine rotor. Two appendices serve as user's manuals for the basic solver and the geometry preprocessor

Attoyac Bayou Recreational Use Attainability Analysis

The Attoyac Bayou, Segment 0612, is one sub-watershed within the Upper Neches River Watershed that is experiencing changes in its hydrologic regime, and subsequent changes in water quality. Watershed dynamics have changed over time and environmental stressors have been exacerbated through expanded human influences and increasing demand for water resources, increasing pollutant load and the concentration of pollutant loads. These changes have resulted in the elevation of bacteria and nutrient levels relative to Texas Surface Water Quality Standards (TSWQS). The Bayou extends approximately 82 miles from its headwaters in Rusk County and flows through Nacogdoches, San Augustine and Shelby Counties before emptying into Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The watershed contains several named communities including Chireno, Attoyac, Martinsville, Grigsby, Garrison and others; however, these are small rural communities. Chireno and Garrison are the only two with Census Bureau estimated populations for 2007 of 419 and 858 respectively. The remainder of the area is predominantly managed for agricultural (cattle and poultry), silvicultural, recreational and wildlife uses and contains many rural residents and four known permitted wastewater discharges totaling a maximum of 338,000 gallons per day. The Attoyac Bayou watershed is one of many rural watersheds that are included in the Texas Water Quality Inventory and 303(d) List as an impaired water body due to excessive E. coli levels, and currently does not support the primary contact recreation use as defined by TSWQS. The TSWQS designates the Attoyac Bayou for primary contact recreation use (TCEQ 2010a). Amendments made to TSWQS in 2010 include the expansion of three use categories for contact recreation: Primary Contact Recreation (PCR), Secondary Contact Recreation 1 (SCR1), and Secondary Contact Recreation 2 (SCR2). Also included in TSWQS is the category of Noncontact Recreation (NCR). The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), utilizes the use attainability analysis (UAA) process to identify and assign attainable uses and criteria to individual water bodies throughout the state taking into consideration the unique physical, chemical, biological, and economic factors affecting the attainment of the waterbody’s use (40 Code of Federal Regulations §131.10(g)). A specific kind of UAA, the recreational use attainability analysis (RUAA), is employed when determining the appropriate recreational use of a waterbody, and was implemented in this study. The objective of this project is to conduct a Comprehensive RUAA to assess the physical, chemical, biological, and economic factors affecting attainment of recreation use in the Attoyac Bayou (Segment 0612), Terrapin Creek (Segment 0612A), Waffelow Creek (Segment 0612B), Naconiche Creek, Big Iron Ore Creek and West Creek. Methods used shall be consistent with the TCEQ Recreational Use-Attainability Analyses – Procedures for a Comprehensive Recreational UAA and a Basic UAA Survey (TCEQ 2009)

Changing Labor Market Opportunities for Women and the Quality of Teachers 1957-1992

School officials and policy makers have grown increasingly concerned about their ability to attract and retain talented teachers. A number of authors have shown that in recent years the brightest students at least those with the highest verbal and math scores on standardized tests are less likely to enter teaching. In addition, it is frequently claimed that the ability of schools to attract these top students has been steadily declining for years. There is, however, surprisingly little evidence measuring the extent to which this popular proposition is true. We have good reason to suspect that the quality of those entering teaching has fallen over time. Teaching has remained a predominately female profession for years; at the same time, the employment opportunities for talented women outside of teaching have soared. In this paper, we combine data from four longitudinal surveys of high school graduates spanning the years 1957-1992 to examine how the propensity for talented women to enter teaching has changed over time. We find that while the quality of the average new female teacher has fallen only slightly over this period, the likelihood that a female from the top of her high school class will eventually enter teaching has fallen dramatically from 1964 to 1992 by our estimation, from almost 20% to under 4%.

Attoyac Bayou Recreational Use Attainability Analysis

The Attoyac Bayou, Segment 0612, is one sub-watershed within the Upper Neches River Watershed that is experiencing changes in its hydrologic regime, and subsequent changes in water quality. Watershed dynamics have changed over time and environmental stressors have been exacerbated through expanded human influences and increasing demand for water resources, increasing pollutant load and the concentration of pollutant loads. These changes have resulted in the elevation of bacteria and nutrient levels relative to Texas Surface Water Quality Standards (TSWQS). The Bayou extends approximately 82 miles from its headwaters in Rusk County and flows through Nacogdoches, San Augustine and Shelby Counties before emptying into Sam Rayburn Reservoir. The watershed contains several named communities including Chireno, Attoyac, Martinsville, Grigsby, Garrison and others; however, these are small rural communities. Chireno and Garrison are the only two with Census Bureau estimated populations for 2007 of 419 and 858 respectively. The remainder of the area is predominantly managed for agricultural (cattle and poultry), silvicultural, recreational and wildlife uses and contains many rural residents and four known permitted wastewater discharges totaling a maximum of 338,000 gallons per day. The Attoyac Bayou watershed is one of many rural watersheds that are included in the Texas Water Quality Inventory and 303(d) List as an impaired water body due to excessive E. coli levels, and currently does not support the primary contact recreation use as defined by TSWQS. The TSWQS designates the Attoyac Bayou for primary contact recreation use (TCEQ 2010a). Amendments made to TSWQS in 2010 include the expansion of three use categories for contact recreation: Primary Contact Recreation (PCR), Secondary Contact Recreation 1 (SCR1), and Secondary Contact Recreation 2 (SCR2). Also included in TSWQS is the category of Noncontact Recreation (NCR). The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), utilizes the use attainability analysis (UAA) process to identify and assign attainable uses and criteria to individual water bodies throughout the state taking into consideration the unique physical, chemical, biological, and economic factors affecting the attainment of the waterbody’s use (40 Code of Federal Regulations §131.10(g)). A specific kind of UAA, the recreational use attainability analysis (RUAA), is employed when determining the appropriate recreational use of a waterbody, and was implemented in this study. The objective of this project is to conduct a Comprehensive RUAA to assess the physical, chemical, biological, and economic factors affecting attainment of recreation use in the Attoyac Bayou (Segment 0612), Terrapin Creek (Segment 0612A), Waffelow Creek (Segment 0612B), Naconiche Creek, Big Iron Ore Creek and West Creek. Methods used shall be consistent with the TCEQ Recreational Use-Attainability Analyses – Procedures for a Comprehensive Recreational UAA and a Basic UAA Survey (TCEQ 2009)

Quantum-measurement backaction from a Bose-Einstein condensate coupled to a mechanical oscillator

We study theoretically the dynamics of a hybrid optomechanical system consisting of a macroscopic mechanical membrane magnetically coupled to a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate via a nanomagnet attached at the membrane center. We demonstrate that this coupling permits us to monitor indirectly the center-of-mass position of the membrane via measurements of the spin of the condensed atoms. These measurements normally induce a significant backaction on the membrane motion, which we quantify for the cases of thermal and coherent initial states of the membrane. We discuss the possibility of measuring this quantum backaction via repeated measurements. We also investigate the potential to generate nonclassical states of the membrane, in particular Schrödinger-cat states, via such repeated measurements

Kuramoto model with coupling through an external medium

Synchronization of coupled oscillators is often described using the Kuramoto model. Here we study a generalization of the Kuramoto model where oscillators communicate with each other through an external medium. This generalized model exhibits interesting new phenomena such as bistability between synchronization and incoherence and a qualitatively new form of synchronization where the external medium exhibits small-amplitude oscillations. We conclude by discussing the relationship of the model to other variations of the Kuramoto model including the Kuramoto model with a bimodal frequency distribution and the Millennium Bridge problem.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

Palaeolimnology of Lake Sapanca and identification of historic earthquake signals, Northern Anatolian Fault Zone (Turkey)

Lake Sapanca is located on a strand of the Northern Anatolian Fault Zone (NAFZ, Turkey), where a series of strong earthquakes (Ms >6.0) have occurred over the past hundred years. Identifying prehistoric earthquakes in and around Lake Sapanca is key to a better understanding of plate movements along the NAFZ. This study contributes to the development of palaeolimnological tools to identify past earthquakes in Lake Sapanca. To this end several promising proxies were investigated, specifically lithology, magnetic susceptibility, grain size (thin-section and laser analysis), geochemistry, pollen concentration, diatom assemblages, 137Cs and 210Pb. Sedimentological indicators provided evidence for reworked, turbidite-like or homogeneous facies (event layers) in several short cores (<45 cm). Other indicators of sediment input and the historical chronicles available for the area suggest that three of these event layers likely originated from the AD 1957, 1967 and 1999 earthquakes. Recent changes in sediment deposition and nutrient levels have also been identified, but are probably not related to earthquakes. This study demonstrates that a combination of indicators can be used to recognize earthquake-related event layers in cores that encompass a longer period of time