Rare regions and Griffiths singularities at a clean critical point: The five-dimensional disordered contact process

We investigate the nonequilibrium phase transition of the disordered contact process in five space dimensions by means of optimal fluctuation theory and Monte Carlo simulations. We find that the critical behavior is of mean-field type, i.e., identical to that of the clean five-dimensional contact process. It is accompanied by off-critical power-law Griffiths singularities whose dynamical exponent $z'$ saturates at a finite value as the transition is approached. These findings resolve the apparent contradiction between the Harris criterion which implies that weak disorder is renormalization-group irrelevant and the rare-region classification which predicts unconventional behavior. We confirm and illustrate our theory by large-scale Monte-Carlo simulations of systems with up to $70^5$ sites. We also relate our results to a recently established general relation between the Harris criterion and Griffiths singularities [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 112}, 075702 (2014)], and we discuss implications for other phase transitions.Comment: 10 pages, 5 eps figures included, applies the optimal fluctuation theory of arXiv:1309.0753 to the contact proces

Robotic Therapy: The Tipping Point

The last two decades have seen a remarkable shift in the neurorehabilitation paradigm. Neuroscientists and clinicians moved away from the perception that the brain is static and hardwired to a new dynamic understanding that plasticity is a fundamental property of the adult human brain and might be harnessed to remap or create new neural pathways. Capitalizing on this innovative understanding, the authors introduced a paradigm shift in the clinical practice in 1989 when they initiated the development of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Manus robot for neurorehabilitation and deployed it in the clinic in 1994 (Krebs et al. 1998). Since then, the authors and others have developed and tested a multitude of robotic devices for stroke, spinal cord injury, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson disease. Here, the authors discuss whether robotic therapy has achieved a level of maturity to justify its broad adoption in the clinical realm as a tool for motor recovery.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant 1 R01-HD045343)Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Cente

Camera-driven Beamforming for Better Audio Capture

Background noise picked up by microphones can be mitigated using audio beamforming. However, if a user loses alignment with the beam, the user’s speech can be severely attenuated or lost in the noise. This disclosure utilizes a camera, with user permission, to obtain coordinate information for a user that is providing audio input, e.g., in a voice/video call, during an audio recording, etc. The information is utilized to dynamically adjust the direction of the beam of an audio beamformer such that a user’s speech, e.g., as received by the beamformer is consistent regardless of the current position or movement of the user

Development and Validation of Sports Betting Addictive Behaviour Scale

There has been growing societal problems relating to gambling particularly those related to crime Recently gambling has been tilting towards sports betting since other forms of gambling are gradually fading away Unfortunately there is no specific tool to measure addiction to sports gambling This informed the development and validation of sports betting addictive behaviour scale A total of 366 Male 325 Female 39 sports bettors were selected from three major towns in Benue state including Makurdi Gboko and Otukpo Using literature review and focused group discussion 59 items were generated Using 5 lecturers and 2 Postgraduate students content and face validity were established respectively The already standardized gambling addictive behaviour for adolescents scale was used to establish convergent validit

XatA, an AT-1 autotransporter important for the virulence of Xylella fastidiosa Temecula1.

Xylella fastidiosa Temecula1 is the causative agent of Pierce's disease of grapevine, which is spread by xylem-feeding insects. An important feature of the infection cycle is the ability of X. fastidiosa to colonize and interact with two distinct environments, the xylem of susceptible plants and the insect foregut. Here, we describe our characterization of XatA, the X. fastidiosa autotransporter protein encoded by PD0528. XatA, which is classified as an AT-1 (classical) autotransporter, has a C-terminal β-barrel domain and a passenger domain composed of six tandem repeats of approximately 50 amino acids. Localization studies indicate that XatA is present in both the outer membrane and membrane vesicles and its passenger domain can be found in the supernatant. Moreover, XatA is important for X. fastidiosa autoaggregation and biofilm formation based on mutational analysis and the discovery that Escherichia coli expressing XatA acquire these traits. The xatA mutant also shows a significant decrease in Pierce's disease symptoms when inoculated into grapevines. Finally, X. fastidiosa homologs to XatA, which can be divided into three distinct groups based on synteny, form a single, well-supported clade, suggesting that they arose from a common ancestor

On the Algebraic Reformulation of the Partition Function

The partition function has long enchanted the minds of great mathematicians, dating from Euler\u27s attempts at calculating the value of this function in the 1700\u27s, to Hardy and Ramanujan\u27s asymptotic approach in the early twentieth century, through to Rademacher\u27s representation as an explicit infinite series mid-century. This thesis will explore the historical attempts at grasping the behavior of this function, with particular attention paid to Euler\u27s Pentagonal Number Theorem and Rademacher\u27s Infinite Sum. We will then explore two reformulations due to Ono et al., with sample calculations from the recent algebraic reformulation, announced January, 2011

Channel development on unreclaimed surface mines in the Beaver Creek watershed, Tucker County, West Virginia

Surface mining has impacted channels in the Beaver Creek watershed of Tucker County, West Virginia. Three streams located in areas with similar geology, topography, climate, and mining disturbances were assessed to define similarities in channel development. Soil properties, vegetation coverage, bank stability, and geomorphology were quantified to determine dominant controls on stream form and process.;Streams were unstable and readjusting as evident by inconsistent width-depth ratios, bank instabilities, variable channel gradients, knickpoints, channel incisions, and erosive channels. Dominant controls on channel form were gradient alteration, bank failures, and vegetation coverage. Six classifications of channel types were established.;Without human intervention, instabilities in these streams will continue for many years. If applied adequately, natural channel designs would benefit the restoration of these streams. Reference reaches could be used as the basis of channel re-design. Potential reference reaches were identified, yet most unstable reaches did not satisfy necessary requirements for data extrapolation

A reinterpretation of the Yalta Conference with particular emphasis on the role of Franklin D. Roosevelt

We know that World War II did not bring the lasting peace everyone hoped and assumed it would bring. The United States, along with other Western powers, now finds itself in a seeming life and death struggle with the Soviet Union and its satellites, with both sides arming for another possible global war. Everyday brings new and deeper problems for the United States and the West in both Asia and Europe. The Yalta Conference was the culminating and most far-reaching of all the conferences of Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. At Yalta the basic decisions were made regarding what these leaders intended to do with the world that would be in their hands as a result of their nations’ defeat of Germany and Japan. Thus, what was decided at Yalta is greatly connected with the state of the world today

Kebijakan Rusia untuk Bertahan Menghadapi Sanksi Ekonomi Uni-Eropa di Tahun 2016-2020 Melalui Strategi Import Substitution

In the dynamics of Russia's relations with the European Union, at the beginning of the administration of President Vladimir Putin, Russia tried to approach the European Union as a trading partner. However, after Russia's intervention in Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea and the imposition of economic sanctions by the European Union on Russia in 2014, relations between the two entities became strained. Both parties impose sanctions on each other. Russia and the EU are two entities that have not much different influence and power. Therefore, this theme is important as an analysis of Russia's defense stance against the European Union Economic sanctions in 2016-2020 through the Import Substitution strategy. The author uses a national interest approach to analyze this problem. In this paper the author argues that the Import Substitution strategy is a form of policy to survive the economic sanctions of the European Union and as Russia's national interest over economic sovereignty

Retail Beef Tenderness Surveillance: Assessment of Warner-Bratzler Shear, Slice Shear and Sensory Panel Ratings for Beef From US Retail Establishments

The purpose of this study was to obtain beef top loin steaks (n=1,613) from retail stores in four cities across the United States for WBS, SSF and consumer sensory determinations. The study was conducted over a 12-month period by four universities (California Polytechnic State University, Colorado State University, University of Missouri and Texas A&M University). The 12-month period was separated into four quarters with each collaborating university responsible for the collection of 100 steaks from their assigned metropolitan area per quarter. Measurements for SSF were obtained from the lateral portion of steaks (n=751). WBS measurements were obtained from the lateral, middle, and medial portion of steaks (n=749). Subjective measurements were obtained on steaks (n=112) from consumer laboratory panels. Enhanced/blade tenderized top loin steaks had the lowest (P < 0.05) WBS and SSF values, whereas non-enhanced top loin, bone-in had the highest (P < 0.05) WBS and SSF values. Enhanced/blade tenderized top loin steaks received the highest (P < 0.05) ratings by consumers for palatability scores whereas non-enhanced top loin, bone-in steaks had the lowest (P < 0.05) consumer panelist ratings. USDA quality grade did have an effect (P < 0.05) on the tenderness of the non-enhanced steaks. The WBS values and consumer sensory values for top loin steaks were comparable to the 2010 National Beef Tenderness Survey, signifying that no drastic changes in tenderness have occurred due to changes in antemortem or postmortem conditions