Nerve Conduction Through Dendrites via Proton Hopping

Background: In our previous studies of nerve conduction conducted by proton hopping, we have considered the axon, soma, synapse and the nodes of Ranvier. The role of proton hopping described the passage of information through each of these units of a typical nerve system. The synapse projects information from the axon to the dendrite and their associated spines. Methods: We have invoked the passage of protons via a hopping mechanism to illustrate the continuum of the impulse through the system, via the soma following the dendrites. This is proposed to be a continuum invoked by the proton hopping method. Results: With the proposal of the activity through the dendrites, via proton hopping, a complete model of the nerve function is invoked. At each step to the way, a water pathway is present and is invoked in the proposed model as the carrier of the message via proton hopping. The importance of the dendrites is evident by the presence of a vast number of spines, each possessing the possibility to carry unique messages through the nervous system. Conclusion: With this model of the role of dendrites, functioning with the presence of proton hopping, a complete model of the nerve system is presented. The validity of this model will be available for further studies and models to assess it\u27s validity

The Randic index and the diameter of graphs

The {\it Randi\'c index} $R(G)$ of a graph $G$ is defined as the sum of 1/\sqrt{d_ud_v} over all edges $uv$ of $G$, where $d_u$ and $d_v$ are the degrees of vertices $u$ and $v,$ respectively. Let $D(G)$ be the diameter of $G$ when $G$ is connected. Aouchiche-Hansen-Zheng conjectured that among all connected graphs $G$ on $n$ vertices the path $P_n$ achieves the minimum values for both $R(G)/D(G)$ and $R(G)- D(G)$. We prove this conjecture completely. In fact, we prove a stronger theorem: If $G$ is a connected graph, then $R(G)-(1/2)D(G)\geq \sqrt{2}-1$, with equality if and only if $G$ is a path with at least three vertices.Comment: 17 pages, accepted by Discrete Mathematic

SpinLink: An interconnection system for the SpiNNaker biologically inspired multi-computer

SpiNNaker is a large-scale biologically-inspired multi-computer designed to model very heavily distributed problems, with the flagship application being the simulation of large neural networks. The project goal is to have one million processors included in a single machine, which consequently span many thousands of circuit boards. A computer of this scale imposes large communication requirements between these boards, and requires an extensible method of connecting to external equipment such as sensors, actuators and visualisation systems. This paper describes two systems that can address each of these problems.Firstly, SpinLink is a proposed method of connecting the SpiNNaker boards by using time-division multiplexing (TDM) to allow eight SpiNNaker links to run at maximum bandwidth between two boards. SpinLink will be deployed on Spartan-6 FPGAs and uses a locally generated clock that can be paused while the asynchronous links from SpiNNaker are sending data, thus ensuring a fast and glitch-free response. Secondly, SpiNNterceptor is a separate system, currently in the early stages of design, that will build upon SpinLink to address the important external I/O issues faced by SpiNNaker. Specifically, spare resources in the FPGAs will be used to implement the debugging and I/O interfacing features of SpiNNterceptor

\u3ci\u3eDendroctonus Valens\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eHylastes Porculus\u3c/i\u3e (Coleoptera: Scolytidae): Vectors of Pathogenic Fungi (Ophiostomatales) Associated With Red Pine Decline Disease.

A study was conducted to determine whether Dendroctonus valens and Hylastes porculus could vector their commonly associated fungi to red pine. Field collected adult D. valens transmitted Leptographium terebrantis, Leptographium procerum and Ophiostoma ips into 45%, 30%, and 5%, respectively of the wounded red pine roots onto which they were caged. Field collected H. porculus transmitted L. terebrantis, L. procerum and O. ips into 55%, 40%, and 5%, respectively, of the wounded red pine roots onto which beetles were caged. None of the control roots, which were mechanically wounded only, were found to contain O. ips, whereas only one control root contained L. terebrantis and only one control root contained L. procerum. This work demonstrates that D. valens and H. porculus can vector their associated Leptographium fungi to red pine trees and that these organisms are likely involved in red pine decline disease

Fifty years after Martin Luther King’s speech, Obama’s gradual approach to political change still needs King’s visionary dream to play against

Last week saw the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, which was marked at an event by President Barack Obama. Rune Kier writes that while King’s speech was one which articulated abrupt and revolutionary change to achieve equality against an apparently stagnant establishment, Obama’s rhetoric is that of gradual, hard won, political change. Despite these differences, King’s speech is still the vision that Obama is striving for

Fifty years after Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, the European Union could still learn a lot from his words.

This week saw the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, which was marked at an event by US President Barack Obama. Rune Kier writes that while King’s speech still has a great deal of relevance for Americans; Europeans could also learn from it in the context of the Eurozone crisis. He argues that Europe lacks the kind of vision shown by King, with minimal aims of maintaining the status quo tending to trump grand goals for the future. Without a ‘dream’ to aim for, it will be difficult for Europeans to fully embrace the integration project

Primary Grade Students’ Expressive Oral Language in Social Situations

This research discusses the relationship between oral language development and social development. The primary goal of the study was to explore the use of expressive oral language within social situations in primary aged children. Data were collected over the course of six weeks. Data were collected using audio recordings, pre and post interviews and surveys, and observations. The data were analyzed to determine if and how students use oral language in social situations. The findings proved that students were able to improve their oral language skills within social situations

Scalable collision detection for distributed virtual environments

PhD ThesisDistributed Virtual Environments (DVEs) provide a mechanism whereby dispersed users can interact with one-another within a shared \'irtual world. DVEs commonly allow users to interact with one-another in ways analogous to the real-world, e.g. mimicking Newtonian physics. A scalable DVE should enable large numbers of users to participate simultaneously, regardless of the In geographical location and hardware configurations of individual users. addition, these users should perceive a mutually-consistent virtual world in which each user perceives a consistent series of events in real-time. Collision detection and response is a fundamental requirement of most virtual environments and simulations. It is a computationally-expensive operation which must be perfonned at frequent intervals in all virtual environments which simulate the motion of solid objects. Collision detection has received large amounts of research interest and as a result a number of efficient collision detection algorithms have been proposed. However, these collision detection approaches are designed to detect collisions efficiently in simulations run on a single machine and are not capable of overcoming problems associated with scalability and consistency, which are of paramount importance in DVEs. This thesis presents a new collision detection approach, tenned distributed collision detection, which provides high-levels of scalability, consistency and responsiveness. This thesis presents the algorithms and theory which underpin the distributed collision detection approach and provides experimental results demonstrating its scalability and responsiveness

School Choice and the Necessity of Vision, A Literature Review

School-choice has met opposition at the state level of politics in recent years despite growing support for all the policies covered under that broad category — Educational Savings Accounts, Tax-Credit scholarships, charter schools, and vouchers to name the primary policy options — from the voting public as well as the parents with children in schools. Because the predominant audience for reviews has been directed to state legislators, there is a gap that needs filling. That gap should be aimed at federal legislators and executive members to re-consider the purpose of the United States\u27 universal public education in order that we might strengthen weaknesses of choice programs, strengthen strong performers, bolster those in the middle, and, ultimately, improve the traditional public school options. The literature on school-choice can be divided into four categories: (1) Statistical Analysis of the efficacy of programs, (2) Curriculum reform, (3) Social reform, and (4) Social imaginary reform. A clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each literature type naturally leads to a realization that states and localities are in need of some help to infuse their struggling schools with funding, offer tweaks to their middling programs, and to allow their strong districts to keep doing what they are doing well. The current system that funds localities do not help traditional public schools in high-poverty areas. Ideally, this literature review unveils the weaknesses of the funding system for education would accomplish a few things: It would clarify the purpose of education and allow for localities or states to make that decision, It would generate research for potential funding mechanisms for under-funded schools, It would alleviate the stress on existing schools in under-funded districts by encouraging successful school-choice options, and It would clarify the most successful school-choice policies to apply The implications for policy are simple, school-choice is a viable option to relieve stress on existing schools that are performing poorly. Finding ways to encourage a both/and process that funds struggling schools and provides options for parents whose children are stuck in failing schools would best serve the people