Identifying safety strategies for on-farm grain bins using risk analysis

The potential for grain bin accidents exists each year on Arkansas farms and farms across the nation. The trend toward increasing utilization of on-farm grain drying and storage could lead to an increase in grain bin accidents. The sharp contrast between a safe, efficient operation and one that leads to injury or death can be represented as sets of farmer-decisions and subsequent chance events. A model was constructed to define the risk associated with grain bin entry and inbin activity so that safety interventions could be identified and implemented to reduce the probability of injury and death. A survey was distributed to Arkansas grain farmers to gather data on the level of safety education, storage techniques, operations management, and other parameters. The data collected from the survey provided quantitative input of many of the model’s probability-distribution functions. Using a fault tree (with parallel modes of failure) in conjunction with a Monte Carlo simulation technique, we evaluated six safety intervention strategies and identified the one with the greatest potential for reducing the risk of serous injury or death. As part of senior design in biological engineering, plans are underway to design and test a probe that can locate and break bridged grain (a common risk factor in grain bin management) while working outside the bin on the ground

Eigenspectrum bounds for semirandom matrices with modular and spatial structure for neural networks

The eigenvalue spectrum of the matrix of directed weights defining a neural network model is informative of several stability and dynamical properties of network activity. Existing results for eigenspectra of sparse asymmetric random matrices neglect spatial or other constraints in determining entries in these matrices, and so are of partial applicability to cortical-like architectures. Here we examine a parameterized class of networks that are defined by sparse connectivity, with connection weighting modulated by physical proximity (i.e., asymmetric Euclidean random matrices), modular network partitioning, and functional specificity within the excitatory population. We present a set of analytical constraints that apply to the eigenvalue spectra of associated weight matrices, highlighting the relationship between connectivity rules and classes of network dynamics

An Extensible Timing Infrastructure for Adaptive Large-scale Applications

Real-time access to accurate and reliable timing information is necessary to profile scientific applications, and crucial as simulations become increasingly complex, adaptive, and large-scale. The Cactus Framework provides flexible and extensible capabilities for timing information through a well designed infrastructure and timing API. Applications built with Cactus automatically gain access to built-in timers, such as gettimeofday and getrusage, system-specific hardware clocks, and high-level interfaces such as PAPI. We describe the Cactus timer interface, its motivation, and its implementation. We then demonstrate how this timing information can be used by an example scientific application to profile itself, and to dynamically adapt itself to a changing environment at run time

A Retrospective Analysis of Treatment and Clinical Outsomes among Patients with Methicillin-Susceptible \u3cem\u3eStaphlococcus aureus\u3c/em\u3e Bloodstream Isolates Possessing detecable mecA by a Commercial PCR Assay Compared to Patients with Methicillin-Resistant \u3cem\u3eStaphylococcus aureus\u3c/em\u3e Bloodstream Isolates

mecA-positive Staphylococcus aureus isolates phenotypically susceptible to cefoxitin (mecA-methicillin-sensitive S. aureus[MSSA]) have been identified. We describe the treatment and outcomes among patients with mecA-MSSA bloodstream infections (BSI) and MRSA BSI matched 1:1 for age, BSI origin, and BSI type (n = 17 per group). Compared to MRSA BSI patients, mecA-MSSA BSI patients more often experienced clinical failure (58.8% and 11.8%, P = 0.010), driven largely by persistent bacteremia (35.3% and 11.8%). mecA-MSSA BSI patients may be at higher risk for poor clinical outcomes

The short-term impact of director trading in UK closed-end funds

Most closed-end funds are transparent entities that hold securities that are actively traded in liquid markets. In such a setting, the argument that director transactions mitigate information asymmetry has very limited applicability. Our results provide support for the theory of Barber and Odean [2008. “All that Glitters: The Effect of Attention and News on the Buying Behavior of Individual and Institutional Investors.” Review of Financial Studies 21: 785–818]: retail investor decision-making is influenced by attention-grabbing events. Director purchases are one such attention-grabbing event and are associated with significant positive price returns – the magnitudes of which are linked to the size of the purchase, the size of the fund, and the investment mandate. Trading volumes increase at the time of the purchase but most of the initial price responses and trading volumes dissipate over the following 15 days

Personality differentiation by cognitive ability:An application of the moderated factor model

The personality differentiation hypothesis holds that at higher levels of intellectual ability, personality structure is more differentiated. We tested differentiation at the primary and global factor levels in the US standardisation sample of the 16PF5 (n = 10,261; 5124 male; mean age = 32.69 years (SD = 12.83 years). We used a novel combined item response theory and moderated factor model approach that overcomes many of the limitations of previous tests. We found moderation of latent factor variances in five of the fifteen primary personality traits of the 16PF. At the domain level, we found no evidence of personality differentiation in Extraversion, Self-Control, or Independence. We found evidence of moderated factor loadings consistent with the personality differentiation for Anxiety, and moderated factor loadings consistent with anti-differentiation for Tough-Mindedness. As differentiation was restricted to a few personality factors with small effect sizes, we conclude that there is only very limited support for the personality differentiation hypothesis

Alternative outlets for sustaining photosynthetic electron transport during dark-to-light transitions.

Environmental stresses dramatically impact the balance between the production of photosynthetically derived energetic electrons and Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle (CBBC) activity; an imbalance promotes accumulation of reactive oxygen species and causes cell damage. Hence, photosynthetic organisms have developed several strategies to route electrons toward alternative outlets that allow for storage or harmless dissipation of their energy. In this work, we explore the activities of three essential outlets associated with Chlamydomonas reinhardtii photosynthetic electron transport: (i) reduction of O2 to H2O through flavodiiron proteins (FLVs) and (ii) plastid terminal oxidases (PTOX) and (iii) the synthesis of starch. Real-time measurements of O2 exchange have demonstrated that FLVs immediately engage during dark-to-light transitions, allowing electron transport when the CBBC is not fully activated. Under these conditions, we quantified maximal FLV activity and its overall capacity to direct photosynthetic electrons toward O2 reduction. However, when starch synthesis is compromised, a greater proportion of the electrons is directed toward O2 reduction through both the FLVs and PTOX, suggesting an important role for starch synthesis in priming/regulating CBBC and electron transport. Moreover, partitioning energized electrons between sustainable (starch; energetic electrons are recaptured) and nonsustainable (H2O; energetic electrons are not recaptured) outlets is part of the energy management strategy of photosynthetic organisms that allows them to cope with the fluctuating conditions encountered in nature. Finally, unmasking the repertoire and control of such energetic reactions offers new directions for rational redesign and optimization of photosynthesis to satisfy global demands for food and other resources

Implementing a Reconciliation and Balancing Model in the U.s. Industry Accounts

As part of the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis’ integration initiative (Yuskavage, 2000; Moyer et al., 2004a, 2004b; Lawson et al., 2006), the Industry Accounts Directorate is drawing upon the Stone method (Stone et al., 1942) and Chen (2006) to reconcile the gross operating surplus component of value-added from the 2002 expenditure-based benchmark input-output accounts and the 2002 income-based gross domestic product-by-industry accounts. The objective of the reconciliation is to use information regarding the relative reliabilities of underlying data in both the benchmark input-output use table and the gross domestic product-by-industry accounts in a balanced input-output framework in order to improve intermediate input estimates and gross operating surplus estimates in both accounts. Given a balanced input-output framework, the Stone method also provides a tool for balancing the benchmark use table. This paper presents work by the Industry Accounts Directorate to develop and implement the reconciliation and balancing model. The paper provides overviews of the benchmark use table and gross domestic product-by-industry accounts, including features of external source data and adjustment methodologies that are relevant for the reconciliation. In addition, the paper presents the empirical model that the Industry Accounts Directorate is building and briefly describes the technology used to solve the model. Preliminary work during development of the model shows that reconciling and balancing a large system with disaggregated data is computationally feasible and efficient in pursuit of an economically accurate and reliable benchmark use table and gross domestic product-by-industry accounts.

Effects of Warm Up Intensity on Factors Related to Subsequent Performance of Submaximal Exercise

Introduction: Athletes often warm up (WU) prior to exercise to improve performance. However, there are no clear directives regarding the intensity of the WU that is most effective in improving physiological responses related to enhanced aerobic performance. Methods: Nine college-aged men (age, ht, mass, 20.6 yr, 1.7 m, 84.8 kg, respectively) performed WU of varying intensities, 60% ventilatory threshold (VT), 100%VT, and 120%VT prior to performing 5 min of steady state exercise at 80%VT on a cycle ergometer. O2 deficit, RPE, steady state heart rate (HRss), and steady state VO2 (VO2ss) were measured during the exercise bout. Results: There was a significant decrease in O2 deficit as WU intensity increased ((2,9)= 9.15, p = .002, 2=0.53) with the deficit being lowest after WU at 120%VT. RPE were significantly lower after WU at 120%VT than both 60% and 100%VT (=(2,9)=6.88, p=.007, 2=0.46). However, WU intensity did not significantly affect either HRss (F(2,9)=0.48, p=0.63) or VO2ss (F(2,9)=1.10, p=0.36) during the exercise bout. Conclusion: The findings suggest that a higher intensity WU improves factors related to improved aerobic performance, i.e. decreased O2 deficit and RPE, without adversely affecting factors that could lead to a decline in performance, i.e. increased HRss and VO2ss