Compound strip method for the buckling analysis of continuous plates

A special finite strip method is developed for the analysis of linear buckling of flat plate systems that are continuous over non-rigid supports. This approach incorporates the effect of support elements in a direct stiffness methodology. The stiffness contribution of the support elements adds directly to the plate strip stiffness matrices at the element level prior to assembly. This summation of plate and support stiffness contributions forms a substructure, which is termed a compound strip. The compound strip methodology may be readily employed for the enhancement of computer programs based on traditional finite strip procedures. The validity of the compound strip method for elastic buckling analysis is demonstrated in two examples. The critical loads based on compound strip methodology compare favorably with those obtained with the finite element method.     

Does psi exist? Lack of replication of an anomalous process of information transfer.

D. J. Bern and C. Honorton (1994) recently presented in this journal a set of ganzfeld extrasensory perception (ESP) experiments conducted by C. Honorton that appeared to support the existence of a communication anomaly. In this article, the authors present a meta analysis of 30 ganzfeld ESP studies from 7 independent laboratories adhering to the same stringent methodological guidelines that C. Honorton followed. The studies failed to confirm his main effect of participants scoring above change on the ESP task, Souffer z?=?0.70, p?=?.24, one-tailed; M effect size (z/N1/2)?=?0.013, SD?=?0.23. The new studies included replication attempts of 3 out of 5 internal effects reported as statistically significant by D. J. Bern and C. Honorton. Only 1 was confirmed, and the authors found the D. J. Bern and C. Honorton were mistaken in describing the original effect as being statistically significant. The authors conclude that the ganzfeld technique does not at present offer a replicable method for producing ESP in the laboratory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Native state kinetic stabilization as a strategy to ameliorate protein misfolding diseases: a focus on the transthyretin amyloidoses

Small molecule-mediated protein stabilization inside or outside of the cell is a promising strategy to treat protein misfolding/misassembly diseases. Herein we focus on the transthyretin (TTR) amyloidoses and demonstrate that preferential ligand binding to and stabilization of the native state over the dissociative transition state raises the kinetic barrier of dissociation (rate-limiting for amyloidogenesis), slowing and in many cases preventing TTR amyloid fibril formation. Since T119M-TTR subunit incorporation into tetramers otherwise composed of disease-associated subunits also imparts kinetic stability on the tetramer and ameliorates amyloidosis in humans, it is likely that small molecule-mediated native state kinetic stabilization will also alleviate TTR amyloidoses.     

An interleaved sampling scheme for the characterization of single qubit dynamics

In this paper, we demonstrate that interleaved sampling techniques can be used to characterize the Hamiltonian of a qubit and its environmental decoherence rate. The technique offers a significant advantage in terms of the number of measurements that are required to characterize a qubit. When compared to the standard Nyquist?CShannon sampling rate, the saving in the total measurement time for the interleaved method is approximately proportional to the ratio of the sample rates.     

Effects of exposure to oil sands process-affected water from experimental reclamation ponds on Chironomus dilutus

Effective detoxification of oil sands process-affected water (OSPW) is one issue associated with bitumen extraction in the Alberta oil sands. It has been suggested that reclamation ponds can be used to passively treat OSPW, potentially allowing for its safe return to the environment. In this study, OSPW was sampled in two batches (A and B) from the Syncrude Canada Ltd. West In-Pit (WIP) settling pond and from three experimental reclamation ponds - Big Pit, FE5, and TPW. Acute (10 d) and chronic (until adult emergence) exposures of Chironomus dilutus larvae to OSPW were conducted and survival, growth, development, and behavior were assessed. Masses of larvae exposed to WIP-OSPW were 64-77% less than the freshwater control (p < 0.001). Similarly, chronic exposure to WIP-OSPW resulted in significantly (p < 0.05) less pupation than in the freshwater control, with 31% (A) and 71% (B) less pupation of larvae exposed to WIP-OSPW. Rates of emergence were significantly less for larvae exposed to WIP-OSPW, with only 13% (A) and 8% (B) of larvae emerging as adults when exposed to WIP-OSPW, compared to 81% in the freshwater control (p < 0.0001). Pupation and emergence rates were significantly less in TPW than freshwater control (p < 0.05), but there were no differences observed in Big Pit or FE5. Lesser toxicity was observed in reclaimed OSPW compared to fresh OSPW and this coincided with lesser concentrations of NAs. The results presented are consistent with the hypothesis that an organic fraction is the cause of the toxicity of OSPW toward C. dilutus and that OSPW aged in reclamation ponds retains toxicity and therefore, more aggressive, targeted treatment of OSPW is required to accelerate decreases.     

Comment: There is no unmet requirement of optical coherence for continuous-variable quantum teleportation

Abstract

It has been argued that continuous-variable quantum teleportation at optical frequencies has not been achieved because the source used (a laser) was not ‘truly coherent’. Here it is shown that ‘true coherence’ is always illusory, as the concept of absolute time on a scale beyond direct human experience is meaningless. A laser is as good a clock as any other, even in principle, and this objection to teleportation experiments is baseless.