Fluctuating disinhibition: Implications for the understanding and treatment of alcohol and other substance use disorders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew eJones

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Disinhibition is present in various maladaptive behaviours, including substance use disorders. Most previous research has assumed that disinhibition is a psychological construct that is relatively stable within individuals. However, recent evidence suggests that the ability to inhibit behaviour fluctuates in response to environmental and psychological triggers. In this review we discuss some of the factors that cause (disinhibition to fluctuate, we examine whether these fluctuations contribute to subjective craving and substance consumption, and we ask if they might increase the risk of relapse in those who are attempting to abstain. The research that we discuss has furthered our understanding of the causal relationships between disinhibition and substance use disorders, and it also highlights opportunities to develop novel treatment interventions. We conclude that substance misusers and their therapists should be made aware of the triggers that can cause disinhibition to fluctuate, and we highlight the need for more research to investigate the effectiveness of inhibitory control training in clinical settings.

Childhood socioeconomic deprivation, but not current mood, is associated with behavioural disinhibition in adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tünde Paál

2015-05-01

Full Text Available There is evidence to suggest that impulsivity is predicted by socioeconomic background, with people from more deprived backgrounds tending to be more impulsive, and by current mood, with poorer mood associated with greater impulsivity. However, impulsivity is not a unitary construct, and previous research in this area has focused on measures of ‘waiting’ impulsivity rather than behavioural disinhibition. We administered a standard measure of behavioural disinhibition, the stop-signal task, to 58 adult participants from a community sample. We had measured socioeconomic background using participant postcode at age 16, and assigned participants to receive either a neutral or a negative mood induction. We found no effects of mood on behavioural disinhibition, but we found a significant effect of socioeconomic background. Participants who had lived in more deprived postcodes at age 16 showed longer stop-signal reaction times, and hence greater behavioural disinhibition. The pattern was independent of participant age and overall reaction time. Though caution is required inferring causality from correlation, it is possible that that experiencing socioeconomic deprivation in childhood and adolescence may lead to greater behavioural disinhibition in adulthood.

Recurring ethanol exposure induces disinhibited courtship in Drosophila.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyun-Gwan Lee

Full Text Available Alcohol has a strong causal relationship with sexual arousal and disinhibited sexual behavior in humans; however, the physiological support for this notion is largely lacking and thus a suitable animal model to address this issue is instrumental. We investigated the effect of ethanol on sexual behavior in Drosophila. Wild-type males typically court females but not males; however, upon daily administration of ethanol, they exhibited active intermale courtship, which represents a novel type of behavioral disinhibition. The ethanol-treated males also developed behavioral sensitization, a form of plasticity associated with addiction, since their intermale courtship activity was progressively increased with additional ethanol experience. We identified three components crucial for the ethanol-induced courtship disinhibition: the transcription factor regulating male sex behavior Fruitless, the ABC guanine/tryptophan transporter White and the neuromodulator dopamine. fruitless mutant males normally display conspicuous intermale courtship; however, their courtship activity was not enhanced under ethanol. Likewise, white males showed negligible ethanol-induced intermale courtship, which was not only reinstated but also augmented by transgenic White expression. Moreover, inhibition of dopamine neurotransmission during ethanol exposure dramatically decreased ethanol-induced intermale courtship. Chronic ethanol exposure also affected a male's sexual behavior toward females: it enhanced sexual arousal but reduced sexual performance. These findings provide novel insights into the physiological effects of ethanol on sexual behavior and behavioral plasticity.

Impact of restraint and disinhibition on PYY plasma levels and subjective feelings of appetite.

Science.gov (United States)

Martins, C; Robertson, M D; Morgan, L M

2010-10-01

The impact of eating behaviours on circulating levels of appetite-regulating hormones remains largely unknown. The aims of this study were to assess the role of restraint and disinhibition on fasting/postprandial peptide YY (PYY) plasma levels and subjective feelings of appetite in normal-weight individuals and to determine whether the effect was energy load dependent. 33 participants (12 men) were classified as restrained/unrestrained and low/high in disinhibition based on Three Factor Eating Questionnaire-18R and Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. The impact of restraint/disinhibition on PYY plasma levels and feelings of appetite was measured, after a 500kcal and 1000kcal breakfast, using a randomised crossover design. Restraint did not impact on either fasting or postprandial PYY plasma levels, but participants with high disinhibition had a tendency towards a blunted postprandial PYY response. Moreover, restrained eaters reported lower ratings of prospective food consumption postprandially, and a tendency towards higher fullness/lower hunger. In conclusion, circulating PYY is unaffected by restrained eating behaviour, despite being associated with increased fullness and reduced hunger in the fed state. High levels of disinhibition tend to be associated with a blunted PYY response and this may contribute towards the susceptibility to overconsumption and increased risk of weight gain characteristic of this trait.

Gender differences in self-reported drinking-induced disinhibition of sexual behaviours

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hesse, Morten; Tutenges, Sébastien

2008-01-01

administered the Drinking-Induced Disinhibition Scale (DIDS). We made several comparisons of behavioral patterns using the ARSD scale of the DIDS for each gender: kissing or having sex vs. no sexual contact, or having sex versus kissing or no contact. In general, men reported more ARSD than women. Men who......Sex and drinking go hand-in-hand in Western societies. Men also tend to report more sexual disinhibition under the influence of alcohol and drugs than women. At a vacation resort,we conducted a survey of young men and women regarding self-reported alcohol-related sexual disinhibition (ARSD), and we...... reported either kissing or having sex the night before reported significantly more ARSD than men not reporting either kissing or having sex. Women who had had sex the night before reported more ARSD than women who had either kissed or not reported any sexual contact on the night before, but women who had...

Let's inhibit our excitement: the relationships between Stroop, behavioral disinhibition, and the frontal lobes.

Science.gov (United States)

Heflin, Lara H; Laluz, Victor; Jang, Jung; Ketelle, Robin; Miller, Bruce L; Kramer, Joel H

2011-09-01

The Stroop (Stroop, 1935) is a frequently used neuropsychological test, with poor performance typically interpreted as indicative of disinhibition and frontal lobe damage. This study tested those interpretations by examining relationships between Stroop performance, behavioral disinhibition, and frontal lobe atrophy. Participants were 112 patients with mild cognitive impairment or dementia, recruited through UCSF's Memory and Aging Center. Participants received comprehensive dementia evaluations including structural MRI, neuropsychological testing, and informant interviews. Freesurfer, a semiautomated parcellation program, was used to analyze 1.5T MRI scans. Behavioral disinhibition was measured using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (Cummings, 1997; Cummings et al., 1994) Disinhibition Scale. The sample (n = 112) mean age was 65.40 (SD = 8.60) years, education was 16.64 (SD = 2.54) years, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE; Folstein et al., 1975) was 26.63 (SD = 3.32). Hierarchical linear regressions were used for data analysis. Controlling for age, MMSE, and color naming, Stroop performance was not significantly associated with disinhibition (β = 0.01, ΔR² = 0.01, p = .29). Hierarchical regressions controlling for age, MMSE, color naming, intracranial volume, and temporal and parietal lobes, examined whether left or right hemisphere regions predict Stroop performance. Bilaterally, parietal lobe atrophy best predicted poorer Stroop (left: β = 0.0004, ΔR² = 0.02, p = .002; right: β = 0.0004, ΔR² = 0.02, p = .002). Of frontal regions, only dorsolateral prefrontal cortex atrophy predicted poorer Stroop (β = 0.001, ΔR² = 0.01, p = .03); left and right anterior cingulate cortex atrophy predicted better Stroop (left: β = -0.003, ΔR² = 0.01, p = .02; right: β = -0.004, ΔR² = 0.01, p = .02). These findings suggest Stroop performance is a poor measure of behavioral disinhibition and frontal lobe atrophy even among a relatively high-risk population

Neurobiological indicators of disinhibition in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeh, Naomi; Spielberg, Jeffrey M; Miller, Mark W; Milberg, William P; Salat, David H; Amick, Melissa M; Fortier, Catherine B; McGlinchey, Regina E

2015-08-01

Deficits in impulse control are increasingly recognized in association with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). To our further understanding of the neurobiology of PTSD-related disinhibition, we examined alterations in brain morphology and network connectivity associated with response inhibition failures and PTSD severity. The sample consisted of 189 trauma-exposed Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans (89% male, ages 19-62) presenting with a range of current PTSD severity. Disinhibition was measured using commission errors on a Go/No-Go (GNG) task with emotional stimuli, and PTSD was assessed using a measure of current symptom severity. Whole-brain vertex-wise analyses of cortical thickness revealed two clusters associated with PTSD-related disinhibition (Monte Carlo cluster corrected P < 0.05). The first cluster included portions of right inferior and middle frontal gyri and frontal pole. The second cluster spanned portions of left medial orbital frontal, rostral anterior cingulate, and superior frontal gyrus. In both clusters, commission errors were associated with reduced cortical thickness at higher (but not lower) levels of PTSD symptoms. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging analyses revealed alterations in the functional connectivity of the right frontal cluster. Together, study findings suggest that reductions in cortical thickness in regions involved in flexible decision-making, emotion regulation, and response inhibition contribute to impulse control deficits in PTSD. Furthermore, aberrant coupling between frontal regions and networks involved in selective attention, memory/learning, and response preparation suggest disruptions in functional connectivity may also play a role. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Examining the associations between overeating, disinhibition, and hunger in a nonclinical sample of college women.

Science.gov (United States)

Mailloux, Geneviève; Bergeron, Sophie; Meilleur, Dominique; D'Antono, Bianca; Dubé, Isabelle

2014-04-01

Binge eating (BE) has long been identified as a correlate of overweight and obesity. However, less empirical attention has been given to overeating with and without loss of control (LOC) in nonclinical samples. The goal of the present study was to examine the association of (1) established correlates of BE, namely, weight and shape concerns, dietary restraint, and negative affect, and (2) three additional correlates, disinhibition, hunger, and interoceptive awareness (IA), to overeating in a nonclinical sample of college women. Female students (n = 1,447) aged 18 to 21 years recruited from colleges in three Canadian metropolitan areas completed self-report questionnaires in class to assess sociodemographic and anthropomorphic characteristics, overeating, LOC, dietary restraint, negative affect, weight and shape concerns, IA, disinhibition, and hunger. The established correlates of BE were significant correlates of all types of overeating and explained 33 % of the variance. Disinhibition was the most strongly associated correlate of overeating. Findings suggest that established correlates of BE are associated with other types of overeating such as objective overeating (OOE), as are disinhibition and hunger.

Sex differences in disinhibition and its relationship to physical abuse in a sample of stimulant-dependent patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Winhusen, Theresa; Lewis, Daniel

2013-04-01

Research suggests that impulsivity is a vulnerability factor for developing stimulant dependence, that women develop dependence more quickly than men, and that physical abuse can increase impulsivity and may have greater adverse health consequences in women. This study sought to tie these findings together by evaluating: (1) sex differences in disinhibition prior to lifetime initiation of stimulant abuse and (2) the relationship between physical abuse and disinhibition in stimulant-dependent patients. The Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe) is a reliable and valid self-report assessment of three neurobehavioral domains associated with frontal systems functioning (Apathy, Disinhibition, and Executive Dysfunction, summed for a Total), that assesses pre-morbid functioning and has a specific cutoff for defining clinically significant abnormalities. Six sites evaluating 12-step facilitation for stimulant abusers obtained the FrSBe from 118 methamphetamine- and/or cocaine-dependent participants. Lifetime physical abuse was measured by the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). The proportion reporting clinically significant disinhibition was significantly higher in women (64.9%) than in men (45.0%, p=0.04), with no significant difference on the other FrSBe scales. Physical abuse in women, but not men, was associated with worse functioning, with physically abused, relative to non-abused, women having a significantly greater proportion with clinically significant disinhibition (pabuse and that physical abuse in women is associated with greater disinhibition. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disinhibition outside receptive fields in the visual cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Gary A; Ohzawa, Izumi; Freeman, Ralph D

2002-07-01

By definition, the region outside the classical receptive field (CRF) of a neuron in the visual cortex does not directly activate the cell. However, the response of a neuron can be influenced by stimulation of the surrounding area. In previous work, we showed that this influence is mainly suppressive and that it is generally limited to a local region outside the CRF. In the experiments reported here, we investigate the mechanisms of the suppressive effect. Our approach is to find the position of a grating patch that is most effective in suppressing the response of a cell. We then use a masking stimulus at different contrasts over the grating patch in an attempt to disinhibit the response. We find that suppressive effects may be partially or completely reversed by use of the masking stimulus. This disinhibition suggests that effects from outside the CRF may be local. Although they do not necessarily underlie the perceptual analysis of a figure-ground visual scene, they may provide a substrate for this process.

Associations between behavioral disinhibition and cocaine use history in individuals with cocaine dependence.

Science.gov (United States)

Prisciandaro, James J; Korte, Jeffrey E; McRae-Clark, Aimee L; Brady, Kathleen T

2012-10-01

Behavioral disinhibition has been suggested as both a cause and consequence of substance use disorders. Many studies examining associations between behavioral disinhibition and substance use history have focused on individuals with alcohol dependence or non-dependent college students. In the present study, the relationship between behavioral disinhibition and cocaine use history in individuals with cocaine dependence is examined. Forty-six non-treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent men and women completed impulsivity (Barratt impulsiveness scale; BIS) and novelty seeking (temperament and character inventory; TCI) questionnaires at the baseline visit of an ongoing study. Unadjusted, and adjusted for gender and age, Pearson correlations were calculated between BIS, TCI, and cocaine use variables from the structured clinical interview for DSM-IV and timeline follow-back (age of onset, quantity/frequency of past 30 day cocaine use). As expected, elevated motor impulsivity and novelty seeking were each associated with younger age of dependence onset. Also, individuals with lower levels of persistence on the TCI reported more days of cocaine use over the previous month. Unexpectedly, increased novelty seeking and attentional impulsivity were associated with fewer days of cocaine use and less money spent on cocaine, respectively. Controlling for age and gender did not substantially change the pattern of observed associations. The present study provides preliminary evidence for associations between behavioral disinhibition and cocaine use history in cocaine-dependent individuals. Given our relatively small sample size and the correlational nature of our findings, further research is needed to replicate and extend our results. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour as relevant concepts in referred home reared children.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheper, F Y; Abrahamse, M E; Jonkman, C S; Schuengel, C; Lindauer, R J L; de Vries, A L C; Doreleijers, T A H; Jansen, L M C

2016-07-01

Disorders of attachment and social engagement have mainly been studied in children, reared in institutions and foster care. There are few studies amongst home reared children living with biological parents. The aim of this study was to test the clinical significance of inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour in young home reared children, referred for treatment of emotional and behavioural problems, compared with young children in treatment foster care. The Disturbances of Attachment Interview, Maltreatment Classification System, the Child Behaviour Checklist and Parenting Stress Index were used in 141 referred home reared children and 59 referred foster children, aged 2.0-7.9 years (M = 4.7, SE = 1.3), 71% boys. Inhibited attachment behaviour was less prevalent in the referred home reared group (9%) than in the foster care group (27%). Disinhibited social engagement behaviour was found in 42% of the home reared group, similar to the foster care group. Inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour were not associated with child maltreatment. More inhibited attachment behaviour was associated with clinical levels of child internalizing and externalizing behaviour in the home reared group, not in the foster care group. In both groups, more disinhibited social engagement behaviour was associated with clinical levels of externalizing behaviour and with more parenting stress. Even without evident links to maltreatment, results of this study suggest clinical significance of inhibited attachment behaviour and disinhibited social engagement behaviour in young home reared children referred for treatment of emotional and behavioural problems. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and behavioral disinhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Villemarette-Pittman, Nicole R; Stanford, Matthew S; Greve, Kevin W; Houston, Rebecca J; Mathias, Charles W

2004-01-01

Although obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is an Axis II diagnosis that is not commonly associated with behavioral disinhibition, the literature contains reports of occasional explosive aggressive outbursts. Existing explanations of OCPD etiology do not address the coexistence of compulsive and impulsive features witnessed in some subpopulations of patients. In this study, the authors present a compensatory theory of OCPD in an effort to explain clinical observations of an unexpectedly large number of OCPD diagnoses among patients clinic referred and self-referred for aggression problems.

Prolonged striatal disinhibition as a chronic animal model of tic disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Vinner, Esther; Israelashvili, Michal; Bar-Gad, Izhar

2017-12-01

Experimental findings and theoretical models have associated Tourette syndrome with abnormal striatal inhibition. The expression of tics, the hallmark symptom of this disorder, has been transiently induced in non-human primates and rodents by the injection of GABA A antagonists into the striatum, leading to temporary disinhibition. The novel chronic model of tic expression utilizes mini-osmotic pumps implanted subcutaneously in the rat's back for prolonged infusion of bicuculline into the dorsolateral striatum. Tics were expressed on the contralateral side to the infusion over a period of multiple days. Tic expression was stable, and maintained similar properties throughout the infusion period. Electrophysiological recordings revealed the existence of tic-related local field potential spikes and individual neuron activity changes that remained stable throughout the infusion period. The striatal disinhibition model provides a unique combination of face validity (tic expression) and construct validity (abnormal striatal inhibition) but is limited to sub-hour periods. The new chronic model extends the period of tic expression to multiple days and thus enables the study of tic dynamics and the effects of behavior and pharmacological agents on tic expression. The chronic model provides similar behavioral and neuronal correlates of tics as the acute striatal disinhibition model but over prolonged periods of time, thus providing a unique, basal ganglia initiated model of tic expression. Chronic expression of symptoms is the key to studying the time varying properties of Tourette syndrome and the effects of multiple internal and external factors on this disorder. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Screening for Disinhibited Disorder Cases in a College Population: Performance of the SMAST, DAST, SCID-II-Q, and PDQ-4

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Jeanette; James, Lisa M.; Bobadilla, Leonardo; Reeves, Mark D.

2008-01-01

Psychiatric disorders characterized by disinhibition--substance use disorders, antisocial personality disorder (PD), and borderline PD--represent a serious risk to the safety and health of college students. The ability of researchers and clinicians to identify students most at risk for disinhibited disorders associated with campus crime, violence,…

Self-control in Online Discussions: Disinhibited Online Behavior as a Failure to Recognize Social Cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Voggeser, Birgit J; Singh, Ranjit K; Göritz, Anja S

2017-01-01

In an online experiment we examined the role of self-control in recognizing social cues in the context of disinhibited online behavior (e.g., flaming and trolling). We temporarily lowered participants' self-control capacity with an ego depletion paradigm (i.e., color Stroop task). Next, we measured participants' sensitivity to social cues with an emotional Stroop task containing neutral, negative, and taboo words. Sensitivity to social cues is represented by the increase in reaction time to negative and especially taboo words compared to neutral words. As expected, undepleted participants were slower to process the color of negative and taboo words. By contrast, depleted participants (i.e., those with lowered self-control capacity) did not react differently to taboo or negative words than they did to neutral words. The experiment illustrates that self-control failure may manifest itself in a failure to recognize social cues. The finding underlines the importance of self-control in understanding disinhibited online behavior: Many instances of disinhibited online behavior may occur not because people are unable to control themselves, but because they do not realize that a situation calls for self-control in the first place.

Self-control in Online Discussions: Disinhibited Online Behavior as a Failure to Recognize Social Cues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Birgit J. Voggeser

2018-01-01

Full Text Available In an online experiment we examined the role of self-control in recognizing social cues in the context of disinhibited online behavior (e.g., flaming and trolling. We temporarily lowered participants' self-control capacity with an ego depletion paradigm (i.e., color Stroop task. Next, we measured participants' sensitivity to social cues with an emotional Stroop task containing neutral, negative, and taboo words. Sensitivity to social cues is represented by the increase in reaction time to negative and especially taboo words compared to neutral words. As expected, undepleted participants were slower to process the color of negative and taboo words. By contrast, depleted participants (i.e., those with lowered self-control capacity did not react differently to taboo or negative words than they did to neutral words. The experiment illustrates that self-control failure may manifest itself in a failure to recognize social cues. The finding underlines the importance of self-control in understanding disinhibited online behavior: Many instances of disinhibited online behavior may occur not because people are unable to control themselves, but because they do not realize that a situation calls for self-control in the first place.

The radiocarbon timescale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mook, W.G.

1977-01-01

The relation between the conventional 14 C timescale and the astronomical timescale is of increasing importance and interest. A concise review is given of the calibrations which have been carried out thus far on dendrochronologically dated tree rings. The causes of the discrepancies between both scales are briefly indicated. The reliability of the existing calibration curves, the problems which are encountered in using them and the necessity of further calibration measurements are discussed. (author)

Early Adolescent Outcomes for Institutionally-Deprived and Non-Deprived Adoptees. I: Disinhibited Attachment

Science.gov (United States)

Rutter, Michael; Colvert, Emma; Kreppner, Jana; Beckett, Celia; Castle, Jenny; Groothues, Christine; Hawkins, Amanda; O'Connor, Thomas G.; Stevens, Suzanne E.; Sonuga-Barke, Edmund J. S.

2007-01-01

Background: Disinhibited attachment is an important sequel of an institutional rearing, but questions remain regarding its measurement, its persistence, the specificity of the association with institutional rearing and on whether or not it constitutes a meaningful disorder. Method: Children initially reared in profoundly depriving institutions in…

The role of self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity versus neurocognitive measures of disinhibition and decision-making in the prediction of relapse in pathological gamblers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goudriaan, A. E.; Oosterlaan, J.; de Beurs, E.; van den Brink, W.

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Disinhibition and decision-making skills play an important role in theories on the cause and outcome of addictive behaviors such as substance use disorders and pathological gambling. In recent studies, both disinhibition and disadvantageous decision-making strategies, as measured by

The role of self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity versus neurocognitive measures of disinhibition and decision making in the prediction of relapse in pathological gamblers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goudriaan, A.E.; Oosterlaan, J.; de Beurs, E.; van den Brink, W.

2008-01-01

Background: Disinhibition and decision-making skills play an important role in theories on the cause and outcome of addictive behaviors such as substance use disorders and pathological gambling. In recent studies, both disinhibition and disadvantageous decision-making strategies, as measured by

Hindcasting of decadal‐timescale estuarine bathymetric change with a tidal‐timescale model

Science.gov (United States)

Ganju, Neil K.; Schoellhamer, David H.; Jaffe, Bruce E.

2009-01-01

Hindcasting decadal-timescale bathymetric change in estuaries is prone to error due to limited data for initial conditions, boundary forcing, and calibration; computational limitations further hinder efforts. We developed and calibrated a tidal-timescale model to bathymetric change in Suisun Bay, California, over the 1867–1887 period. A general, multiple-timescale calibration ensured robustness over all timescales; two input reduction methods, the morphological hydrograph and the morphological acceleration factor, were applied at the decadal timescale. The model was calibrated to net bathymetric change in the entire basin; average error for bathymetric change over individual depth ranges was 37%. On a model cell-by-cell basis, performance for spatial amplitude correlation was poor over the majority of the domain, though spatial phase correlation was better, with 61% of the domain correctly indicated as erosional or depositional. Poor agreement was likely caused by the specification of initial bed composition, which was unknown during the 1867–1887 period. Cross-sectional bathymetric change between channels and flats, driven primarily by wind wave resuspension, was modeled with higher skill than longitudinal change, which is driven in part by gravitational circulation. The accelerated response of depth may have prevented gravitational circulation from being represented properly. As performance criteria became more stringent in a spatial sense, the error of the model increased. While these methods are useful for estimating basin-scale sedimentation changes, they may not be suitable for predicting specific locations of erosion or deposition. They do, however, provide a foundation for realistic estuarine geomorphic modeling applications.

Intrinsic brain subsystem associated with dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger: an fMRI study.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Jizheng; Li, Mintong; Zhang, Yi; Song, Huaibo; von Deneen, Karen M; Shi, Yinggang; Liu, Yijun; He, Dongjian

2017-02-01

Eating behaviors are closely related to body weight, and eating traits are depicted in three dimensions: dietary restraint, disinhibition, and hunger. The current study aims to explore whether these aspects of eating behaviors are related to intrinsic brain activation, and to further investigate the relationship between the brain activation relating to these eating traits and body weight, as well as the link between function connectivity (FC) of the correlative brain regions and body weight. Our results demonstrated positive associations between dietary restraint and baseline activation of the frontal and the temporal regions (i.e., food reward encoding) and the limbic regions (i.e., homeostatic control, including the hypothalamus). Disinhibition was positively associated with the activation of the frontal motivational system (i.e., OFC) and the premotor cortex. Hunger was positively related to extensive activations in the prefrontal, temporal, and limbic, as well as in the cerebellum. Within the brain regions relating to dietary restraint, weight status was negatively correlated with FC of the left middle temporal gyrus and left inferior temporal gyrus, and was positively associated with the FC of regions in the anterior temporal gyrus and fusiform visual cortex. Weight status was positively associated with the FC within regions in the prefrontal motor cortex and the right ACC serving inhibition, and was negatively related with the FC of regions in the frontal cortical-basal ganglia-thalamic circuits responding to hunger control. Our data depicted an association between intrinsic brain activation and dietary restraint, disinhibition, and hunger, and presented the links of their activations and FCs with weight status.

Limbic correlates of fearlessness and disinhibition in incarcerated youth: Exploring the brain-behavior relationship with the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version.

Science.gov (United States)

Walters, Glenn D; Kiehl, Kent A

2015-12-15

The purpose of this study was to determine whether scores on two temperament dimensions (fearlessness and disinhibition) correlated differentially with gray matter volumes in two limbic regions (amygdala and hippocampus). It was predicted that the fearlessness dimension would correlate with low gray matter volumes in the amygdala and the disinhibition dimension would correlate with low gray matter volumes in the hippocampus after controlling for age, IQ, regular substance use, and total brain volume. Participants were 191 male adolescents (age range=13-19 years) incarcerated in a maximum-security juvenile facility. Structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) analysis of the limbic and paralimbic regions of the brain was conducted. The temperament dimensions were estimated with items from the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV: Forth et al., 2003). Analyses showed that the fearlessness dimension correlated negatively with gray matter volumes in the amygdala and the disinhibition dimension correlated negatively with gray matter volumes in the hippocampus but not vice versa. These findings provide preliminary support for the construct validity of the fearlessness and disinhibition temperament dimensions and offer confirmatory evidence for involvement of the amygdala and hippocampus in fear conditioning and behavioral inhibition, respectively. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disinhibited social engagement in postinstitutionalized children: differentiating normal from atypical behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawler, Jamie M; Hostinar, Camelia E; Mliner, Shanna B; Gunnar, Megan R

2014-05-01

The most commonly reported socially aberrant behavior in postinstitutionalized (PI) children is disinhibited social engagement (DSE; also known as indiscriminate friendliness). There is no gold standard for measurement of this phenomenon nor agreement on how to differentiate it from normative behavior. We adopted a developmental psychopathology approach (Cicchetti, 1984) to study this phenomenon by comparing it to normative social development and by studying its patterns over time in 50 newly adopted PI children (16-36 months at adoption) compared with 41 children adopted early from foster care overseas and 47 nonadopted (NA) controls. Using coded behavioral observations of the child's interaction with an unfamiliar adult, atypical behaviors were differentiated from normative behaviors. Principal components analysis identified two dimensions of social disinhibition. The nonphysical social dimension (e.g., initiations, proximity) showed wide variation in NA children and is therefore considered a typical form of sociability. Displays of physical contact and intimacy were rare in NA children, suggesting that they represent an atypical pattern of behavior. Both adopted groups demonstrated more physical DSE behavior than NA children. There were no group differences on the nonphysical factor, and it increased over time in all groups. Implications for understanding the etiology of DSE and future directions are discussed.

Timescale Halo: Average-Speed Targets Elicit More Positive and Less Negative Attributions than Slow or Fast Targets

Science.gov (United States)

Hernandez, Ivan; Preston, Jesse Lee; Hepler, Justin

2014-01-01

Research on the timescale bias has found that observers perceive more capacity for mind in targets moving at an average speed, relative to slow or fast moving targets. The present research revisited the timescale bias as a type of halo effect, where normal-speed people elicit positive evaluations and abnormal-speed (slow and fast) people elicit negative evaluations. In two studies, participants viewed videos of people walking at a slow, average, or fast speed. We find evidence for a timescale halo effect: people walking at an average-speed were attributed more positive mental traits, but fewer negative mental traits, relative to slow or fast moving people. These effects held across both cognitive and emotional dimensions of mind and were mediated by overall positive/negative ratings of the person. These results suggest that, rather than eliciting greater perceptions of general mind, the timescale bias may reflect a generalized positivity toward average speed people relative to slow or fast moving people. PMID:24421882

Theoretical exploration of the neural bases of behavioural disinhibition, apathy and executive dysfunction in preclinical Alzheimer's disease in people with Down's syndrome: potential involvement of multiple frontal-subcortical neuronal circuits.

Science.gov (United States)

Ball, S L; Holland, A J; Watson, P C; Huppert, F A

2010-04-01

planning, response inhibition and working memory) and an object memory task, (also thought to place high demands on working memory), while 'apathy' score significantly predicted performance on two different tasks, those measuring spatial reversal and prospective memory (p decline was associated only with performance on a delayed recall task while antidepressant medication use was associated with better performance on a working memory task (p underlying neural circuitry and supports the involvement of multiple frontal-subcortical circuits in the early stages of DAT in DS. However, the prominence of disinhibition in the behavioural profile (which more closely resembles that of disinhibited subtype of DFT than that of AD in the general population) leads us to postulate that the serotonergically mediated orbitofrontal circuit may be disproportionately affected. A speculative theory is developed regarding the biological basis for observed changes and discussion is focused on how this understanding may aid us in the development of treatments directly targeting underlying abnormalities.

Perspectives for short timescale variability studies with Gaia

Science.gov (United States)

Roelens, M.; Eyer, L.; Mowlavi, N.; Lecoeur-Taïbi, I.; Rimoldini, L.; Blanco-Cuaresma, S.; Palaversa, L.; Süveges, M.; Charnas, J.; Wevers, T.

2017-12-01

We assess the potential of Gaia for detecting and characterizing short timescale variables, i.e. at timescale from a few seconds to a dozen hours, through extensive light-curve simulations for various short timescale variable types, including both periodic and non-periodic variability. We evidence that the variogram analysis applied to Gaia photometry should enable to detect such fast variability phenomena, down to amplitudes of a few millimagnitudes, with limited contamination from longer timescale variables or constant sources. This approach also gives valuable information on the typical timescale(s) of the considered variation, which could complement results of classical period search methods, and help prepare ground-based follow-up of the Gaia short timescale candidates.

Disinhibition in learning and memory circuits: New vistas for somatostatin interneurons and long-term synaptic plasticity.

Science.gov (United States)

Artinian, Julien; Lacaille, Jean-Claude

2017-11-23

Neural circuit functions involve finely controlled excitation/inhibition interactions that allow complex neuronal computations and support high order brain functions such as learning and memory. Disinhibition, defined as a transient brake on inhibition that favors excitation, recently appeared to be a conserved circuit mechanism implicated in various functions such as sensory processing, learning and memory. Although vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) interneurons are considered to be the main disinhibitory cells, recent studies highlighted a pivotal role of somatostatin (SOM) interneurons in inhibiting GABAergic interneurons and promoting principal cell activation. Interestingly, long-term potentiation of excitatory input synapses onto hippocampal SOM interneurons is proposed as a lasting mechanism for regulation of disinhibition of principal neurons. Such regulation of network metaplasticity may be important for hippocampal-dependent learning and memory. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The role of self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity versus neurocognitive measures of disinhibition and decision-making in the prediction of relapse in pathological gamblers.

Science.gov (United States)

Goudriaan, A E; Oosterlaan, J; De Beurs, E; Van Den Brink, W

2008-01-01

Disinhibition and decision-making skills play an important role in theories on the cause and outcome of addictive behaviors such as substance use disorders and pathological gambling. In recent studies, both disinhibition and disadvantageous decision-making strategies, as measured by neurocognitive tests, have been found to influence the course of substance use disorders. Research on factors affecting relapse in pathological gambling is scarce. This study investigated the effect of both self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity, and neurocognitively assessed disinhibition and decision-making under conflicting contingencies, on relapse in a group of 46 pathological gamblers. Logistic regression analysis indicated that longer duration of the disorder and neurocognitive indicators of disinhibition (Stop Signal Reaction Time) and decision-making (Card Playing Task) were significant predictors of relapse (explaining 53% of the variance in relapse), whereas self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity did not significantly predict relapse. Overall classification accuracy was 76%, with a positive classification accuracy of 76% and a negative classification accuracy of 75%. Duration of the disorder and neurocognitive measures of disinhibition and decision-making are powerful predictors of relapse in pathological gambling. The results suggest that endophenotypical neurocognitive characteristics are more promising in the prediction of relapse in pathological gambling than phenotypical personality characteristics. Neurocognitive predictors may be useful to guide treatment planning of follow-up contacts and booster sessions.

Motor tics evoked by striatal disinhibition in the rat

Science.gov (United States)

Bronfeld, Maya; Yael, Dorin; Belelovsky, Katya; Bar-Gad, Izhar

2013-01-01

Motor tics are sudden, brief, repetitive movements that constitute the main symptom of Tourette syndrome (TS). Multiple lines of evidence suggest the involvement of the cortico-basal ganglia system, and in particular the basal ganglia input structure—the striatum in tic formation. The striatum receives somatotopically organized cortical projections and contains an internal GABAergic network of interneurons and projection neurons' collaterals. Disruption of local striatal GABAergic connectivity has been associated with TS and was found to induce abnormal movements in model animals. We have previously described the behavioral and neurophysiological characteristics of motor tics induced in monkeys by local striatal microinjections of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline. In the current study we explored the abnormal movements induced by a similar manipulation in freely moving rats. We targeted microinjections to different parts of the dorsal striatum, and examined the effects of this manipulation on the induced tic properties, such as latency, duration, and somatic localization. Tics induced by striatal disinhibition in monkeys and rats shared multiple properties: tics began within several minutes after microinjection, were expressed solely in the contralateral side, and waxed and waned around a mean inter-tic interval of 1–4 s. A clear somatotopic organization was observed only in rats, where injections to the anterior or posterior striatum led to tics in the forelimb or hindlimb areas, respectively. These results suggest that striatal disinhibition in the rat may be used to model motor tics such as observed in TS. Establishing this reliable and accessible animal model could facilitate the study of the neural mechanisms underlying motor tics, and the testing of potential therapies for tic disorders. PMID:24065893

Child Disinhibition, Parent Restriction, and Child Body Mass Index in Low-Income Preschool Families

Science.gov (United States)

Sparks, Martha A.; Radnitz, Cynthia L.

2013-01-01

Objective: To examine both unique and interactive effects of parent restrictive feeding and child disinhibited eating behavior on child body mass index (BMI) in low-income Latino and African American preschoolers. Methods: The sample included 229 parent-child pairs, the majority of whom were low-income and Latino (57%) or African American (25%).…

Potential Adverse Effects of Violent Video Gaming: Interpersonal- Affective Traits Are Rather Impaired Than Disinhibition in Young Adults

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ann-Christin S. Kimmig

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The increasing trend of mass shootings, which were associated with excessive use of violent video games, fueled the debate of possible effects violent video games may have on adolescents and young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible link between violent video gaming effects and the disposition of adverse behavior traits such as interpersonal-affective deficits and disinhibition. Data of 167 young adults, collected by an online questionnaire battery, were analyzed for lifetime video game exposure differences (i.e., non-gamers, non-violent video gamers, stopped violent video game users, and ongoing violent video game users as well as for recent exposure effects on adverse behavior traits (Levenson’s Psychopathy Scale, while controlling for other potentially confounding lifestyle factors. While interpersonal-affective deficits were significantly higher in participants with ongoing violent video game exposure compared to non-gamers and non-violent video gamers, disinhibition was significantly higher in both – stopped and ongoing – violent video game exposure groups compared to non-gamers. Recent violent video game exposure was a stronger predictor for interpersonal-affective deficits, but was also significant for disinhibition. Considering that we observed small to medium effects in a sample of young adults with little to moderate use of violent video games highlights the importance of further investigating the potential adverse effects of violent video games on quality of social relationships.

Potential Adverse Effects of Violent Video Gaming: Interpersonal- Affective Traits Are Rather Impaired Than Disinhibition in Young Adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimmig, Ann-Christin S; Andringa, Gerda; Derntl, Birgit

2018-01-01

The increasing trend of mass shootings, which were associated with excessive use of violent video games, fueled the debate of possible effects violent video games may have on adolescents and young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible link between violent video gaming effects and the disposition of adverse behavior traits such as interpersonal-affective deficits and disinhibition. Data of 167 young adults, collected by an online questionnaire battery, were analyzed for lifetime video game exposure differences (i.e., non-gamers, non-violent video gamers, stopped violent video game users, and ongoing violent video game users) as well as for recent exposure effects on adverse behavior traits (Levenson's Psychopathy Scale), while controlling for other potentially confounding lifestyle factors. While interpersonal-affective deficits were significantly higher in participants with ongoing violent video game exposure compared to non-gamers and non-violent video gamers, disinhibition was significantly higher in both - stopped and ongoing - violent video game exposure groups compared to non-gamers. Recent violent video game exposure was a stronger predictor for interpersonal-affective deficits, but was also significant for disinhibition. Considering that we observed small to medium effects in a sample of young adults with little to moderate use of violent video games highlights the importance of further investigating the potential adverse effects of violent video games on quality of social relationships.

Parental alcohol dependence and the transmission of adolescent behavioral disinhibition: a study of adoptive and non-adoptive families.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Serena M; Keyes, Margaret; Malone, Stephen M; Elkins, Irene; Legrand, Lisa N; Iacono, William G; McGue, Matt

2009-04-01

To examine the genetic and environmental influences of parental alcoholism on offspring disinhibited behavior. We compared the effect of parental alcoholism history on offspring in adoptive and non-adoptive families. In families with a history of parental alcohol dependence, we examined the effect of exposure to parental alcoholism symptoms during the life-time of the adolescent. Setting Assessments occurred at the University of Minnesota from 1998 to 2004. Adolescents adopted in infancy were ascertained systematically from records of three private Minnesota adoption agencies; non-adopted adolescents were ascertained from Minnesota birth records. Adolescents and their rearing parents participated in in-person assessments. For adolescents, measures included self- reports of delinquency, deviant peers, substance use, antisocial attitudes and personality. For parents, we conducted DSM-IV clinical assessments of alcohol abuse and dependence. A history of parental alcohol dependence was associated with higher levels of disinhibition only when adolescents were related biologically to their rearing parents. Within families with a history of parental alcoholism, exposure to parental alcohol misuse during the life-time of the adolescent was associated with increased odds of using alcohol in adopted adolescents only. These findings suggest that the association between a history of parental alcohol dependence and adolescent offspring behavioral disinhibition is attributable largely to genetic rather than environmental transmission. We also obtained some evidence for parental alcohol misuse as a shared environmental risk factor in adoptive families.

Validity of Evidence-Derived Criteria for Reactive Attachment Disorder: Indiscriminately Social/Disinhibited and Emotionally Withdrawn/Inhibited Types

Science.gov (United States)

Gleason, Mary Margaret; Fox, Nathan A.; Drury, Stacy; Smyke, Anna; Egger, Helen L.; Nelson, Charles A., III; Gregas, Matthew C.; Zeanah, Charles H.

2011-01-01

Objective: This study examined the validity of criteria for indiscriminately social/disinhibited and emotionally withdrawn/inhibited reactive attachment disorder (RAD). Method: As part of a longitudinal intervention trial of previously institutionalized children, caregiver interviews and direct observational measurements provided continuous and…

The role of self-reported impulsivity and reward sensitivity versus neurocognitive measures of disinhibition and decision making in the prediction of relapse in pathological gamblers

OpenAIRE

Goudriaan, A.E.; Oosterlaan, J.; de Beurs, E.; van den Brink, W.

2008-01-01

Background: Disinhibition and decision-making skills play an important role in theories on the cause and outcome of addictive behaviors such as substance use disorders and pathological gambling. In recent studies, both disinhibition and disadvantageous decision-making strategies, as measured by neurocognitive tests, have been found to influence the course of substance use disorders. Research on factors affecting relapse in pathological gambling is scarce. Method: This study investigated the e...

False recognition in behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia and Alzheimer’s disease – disinhibition or amnesia?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emma C Flanagan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Episodic memory recall processes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD and behavioural variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD can be similarly impaired, whereas recognition performance is more variable. A potential reason for this variability could be false-positive errors made on recognition trials and whether these errors are due to amnesia per se or a general over-endorsement of recognition items regardless of memory. The current study addressed this issue by analysing recognition performance on the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT in 39 bvFTD, 77 AD and 61 control participants from two centres (India, Australia, as well as disinhibition assessed using the Hayling test. Whereas both AD and bvFTD patients were comparably impaired on delayed recall, bvFTD patients showed intact recognition performance in terms of the number of correct hits. However, both patient groups endorsed significantly more false-positives than controls, and bvFTD and AD patients scored equally poorly on a sensitivity index (correct hits - false-positives. Furthermore, measures of disinhibition were significantly associated with false positives in both groups, with a stronger relationship with false-positives in bvFTD. Voxel-based morphometry analyses revealed similar neural correlates of false positive endorsement across bvFTD and AD, with both patient groups showing involvement of prefrontal and Papez circuitry regions, such as medial temporal and thalamic regions, and a DTI analysis detected an emerging but non-significant trend between false positives and decreased fornix integrity in bvFTD only. These findings suggest that false-positive errors on recognition tests relate to similar mechanisms in bvFTD and AD, reflecting deficits in episodic memory processes and disinhibition. These findings highlight that current memory tests are not sufficient to accurately distinguish between bvFTD and AD patients.

A hierarchy of intrinsic timescales across primate cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, John D; Bernacchia, Alberto; Freedman, David J; Romo, Ranulfo; Wallis, Jonathan D; Cai, Xinying; Padoa-Schioppa, Camillo; Pasternak, Tatiana; Seo, Hyojung; Lee, Daeyeol; Wang, Xiao-Jing

2014-12-01

Specialization and hierarchy are organizing principles for primate cortex, yet there is little direct evidence for how cortical areas are specialized in the temporal domain. We measured timescales of intrinsic fluctuations in spiking activity across areas and found a hierarchical ordering, with sensory and prefrontal areas exhibiting shorter and longer timescales, respectively. On the basis of our findings, we suggest that intrinsic timescales reflect areal specialization for task-relevant computations over multiple temporal ranges.

The discovery of timescale-dependent color variability of quasars

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Yu-Han; Wang, Jun-Xian; Chen, Xiao-Yang [CAS Key Laboratory for Research in Galaxies and Cosmology, Department of Astronomy, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Zheng, Zhen-Ya, E-mail: sunyh92@mail.ustc.edu.cn, E-mail: jxw@ustc.edu.cn [School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287 (United States)

2014-09-01

Quasars are variable on timescales from days to years in UV/optical and generally appear bluer while they brighten. The physics behind the variations in fluxes and colors remains unclear. Using Sloan Digital Sky Survey g- and r-band photometric monitoring data for quasars in Stripe 82, we find that although the flux variation amplitude increases with timescale, the color variability exhibits the opposite behavior. The color variability of quasars is prominent at timescales as short as ∼10 days, but gradually reduces toward timescales up to years. In other words, the variable emission at shorter timescales is bluer than that at longer timescales. This timescale dependence is clearly and consistently detected at all redshifts from z = 0 to 3.5; thus, it cannot be due to contamination to broadband photometry from emission lines that do not respond to fast continuum variations. The discovery directly rules out the possibility that simply attributes the color variability to contamination from a non-variable redder component such as the host galaxy. It cannot be interpreted as changes in global accretion rate either. The thermal accretion disk fluctuation model is favored in the sense that fluctuations in the inner, hotter region of the disk are responsible for short-term variations, while longer-term and stronger variations are expected from the larger and cooler disk region. An interesting implication is that one can use quasar variations at different timescales to probe disk emission at different radii.

The timescales of global surface-ocean connectivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Jönsson, Bror F; Watson, James R

2016-04-19

Planktonic communities are shaped through a balance of local evolutionary adaptation and ecological succession driven in large part by migration. The timescales over which these processes operate are still largely unresolved. Here we use Lagrangian particle tracking and network theory to quantify the timescale over which surface currents connect different regions of the global ocean. We find that the fastest path between two patches--each randomly located anywhere in the surface ocean--is, on average, less than a decade. These results suggest that marine planktonic communities may keep pace with climate change--increasing temperatures, ocean acidification and changes in stratification over decadal timescales--through the advection of resilient types.

Adaptive Equilibrium Regulation: A Balancing Act in Two Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Boker, Steven M.

2015-01-01

An equilibrium involves a balancing of forces. Just as one maintains upright posture in standing or walking, many self-regulatory and interpersonal behaviors can be framed as a balancing act between an ever changing environment and within-person processes. The emerging balance between person and environment, the equilibria, are dynamic and adaptive in response to development and learning. A distinction is made between equilibrium achieved solely due to a short timescale balancing of forces and a longer timescale preferred equilibrium which we define as a state towards which the system slowly adapts. Together, these are developed into a framework that this article calls Adaptive Equilibrium Regulation (ÆR), which separates a regulatory process into two timescales: a faster regulation that automatically balances forces and a slower timescale adaptation process that reconfigures the fast regulation so as to move the system towards its preferred equilibrium when an environmental force persists over the longer timescale. This way of thinking leads to novel models for the interplay between multiple timescales of behavior, learning, and development. PMID:27066197

Distinct timescales of population coding across cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Runyan, Caroline A; Piasini, Eugenio; Panzeri, Stefano; Harvey, Christopher D

2017-08-03

The cortex represents information across widely varying timescales. For instance, sensory cortex encodes stimuli that fluctuate over few tens of milliseconds, whereas in association cortex behavioural choices can require the maintenance of information over seconds. However, it remains poorly understood whether diverse timescales result mostly from features intrinsic to individual neurons or from neuronal population activity. This question remains unanswered, because the timescales of coding in populations of neurons have not been studied extensively, and population codes have not been compared systematically across cortical regions. Here we show that population codes can be essential to achieve long coding timescales. Furthermore, we find that the properties of population codes differ between sensory and association cortices. We compared coding for sensory stimuli and behavioural choices in auditory cortex and posterior parietal cortex as mice performed a sound localization task. Auditory stimulus information was stronger in auditory cortex than in posterior parietal cortex, and both regions contained choice information. Although auditory cortex and posterior parietal cortex coded information by tiling in time neurons that were transiently informative for approximately 200 milliseconds, the areas had major differences in functional coupling between neurons, measured as activity correlations that could not be explained by task events. Coupling among posterior parietal cortex neurons was strong and extended over long time lags, whereas coupling among auditory cortex neurons was weak and short-lived. Stronger coupling in posterior parietal cortex led to a population code with long timescales and a representation of choice that remained consistent for approximately 1 second. In contrast, auditory cortex had a code with rapid fluctuations in stimulus and choice information over hundreds of milliseconds. Our results reveal that population codes differ across cortex

INFLUENCE OF THE TIME OF DISINHIBITION TO TRANSIENTS AND WEAR OF THE FRICTION LININGS IN AN ASYNCHRONOUS MOTOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. V. Solencov

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Time and the stopping distance of the electric drive with frequent starting-and-braking modes that contain embedded asynchronous motor with a recessed combined braking device depend on the moment of an electromagnet disinhibition. At the same time other important criteria are taken into the account, i.e. wear resistance of the brake device and the smoothness of the deceleration of the electric drive. In general such an asynchronous motor contains asynchronous engine with squirrel-cage rotor, electromechanical normally-closed brake, electromagnetical slip clutch and control circuit. The mechanical characteristics of the deceleration of asynchronous motor with recessed combined brake device at different moments of an electromagnet disinhibition are presented. The mathematical model is featured and the transients in such a motor are presented. Formation models for computer research were carried out in the Fortran 2008 programming language. Calculation of the system of differential equations was fulfilled by the Runge – Kutta method. The deceleration of the electromechanical brake at various speeds caused different time values and stopping distances. The plots of stopping distance and the braking time at various moments of an electromagnet disinhibition are demonstrated. The optimum moment of switching on an electromechanical brake, providing small stopping distance and the braking time is the time when the speed wвкл = 0,6–0,8 of the nominal. In this case the acceptable number of brake applications for friction linings (compared with mechanical braking will increase by 1.6–2.8 times. The pilot study confirmed the validity of the obtained mathematical models and discovered patterns.

Associations of sleep duration and quality with disinhibited eating behaviors in adolescent girls at-risk for type 2 diabetes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Nichole R; Shomaker, Lauren B; Radin, Rachel M; Thompson, Katherine A; Cassidy, Omni L; Brady, Sheila; Mehari, Rim; Courville, Amber B; Chen, Kong Y; Galescu, Ovidiu A; Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian; Yanovski, Jack A

2016-08-01

Short sleep duration and daytime sleepiness have been associated with an increased risk for the onset of type 2 diabetes in adults. There has been far less attention to the characterization of sleep in adolescents at-risk for diabetes or to the possible behavioral mechanisms, such as disinhibited eating, through which sleep may affect metabolic functioning. We evaluated the associations of sleep duration and daytime sleepiness with a multi-modal assessment of disinhibited eating in 119 adolescent girls at-risk for type 2 diabetes based upon being overweight/obese and having a family history of diabetes. Girls also endorsed mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms. Adolescents reported sleep duration and daytime sleepiness with the Sleep Habits Survey and Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire. They were administered a series of successive test meals to measure total energy intake and eating in the absence of hunger (EAH). Adolescent binge eating was assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination interview. Accounting for age, race, puberty, body composition, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress, reported sleep duration was positively related to test meal total energy intake (p=0.04), but not to EAH. Adjusting for the same covariates, daytime sleepiness was associated with a greater odds of objective binge eating in the previous month (p=0.009). In adolescent girls at-risk for type 2 diabetes, reported sleep characteristics are associated with disinhibited eating behaviors that have been linked to excessive weight and adverse metabolic outcomes. Future studies are called for to evaluate these links using objective measures of sleep. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Building a Bridge to Deep Time: Sedimentary Systems Across Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Romans, B.; Castelltort, S.; Covault, J. A.; Walsh, J. P.

2013-12-01

It is increasingly important to understand the complex and interdependent processes associated with sediment production, transport, and deposition at timescales relevant to civilization (annual to millennial). However, predicting the response of sedimentary systems to global environmental change across a range of timescales remains a significant challenge. For example, a significant increase in global average temperature at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (55.8 Ma) is interpreted to have occurred over millennial timescales; however, the specific response of sedimentary systems (e.g., timing and magnitude of sediment flux variability in river systems) to that forcing is debated. Thus, using such environmental perturbations recorded in sedimentary archives as analogs for ongoing/future global change requires improved approaches to bridging across time. Additionally, the ability to bridge timescales is critical for addressing other questions about sedimentary system behavior, including signal propagation and signal versus ';noise' in the record. The geologic record provides information that can be used to develop a comprehensive understanding of process-response behavior at multiple timescales. The geomorphic ';snapshot' of present-day erosional and depositional landscapes can be examined to reconstruct the history of processes that created the observable configurations. Direct measurement and monitoring of active processes are used to constrain conceptual and numerical models and develop sedimentary system theory. But real-time observations of active Earth-surface processes are limited to the very recent, and how such processes integrate over longer timescales to transform into strata remains unknown. At longer timescales (>106 yr), the stratigraphic record is the only vestige of ancient sedimentary systems. Stratigraphic successions contain a complex record of sediment deposition and preservation, as well as the detrital material that originated in long since denuded

Reduced Inhibitory Control Mediates the Relationship Between Cortical Thickness in the Right Superior Frontal Gyrus and Body Mass Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Lavagnino, Luca; Mwangi, Benson; Bauer, Isabelle E; Cao, Bo; Selvaraj, Sudhakar; Prossin, Alan; Soares, Jair C

2016-08-01

Unhealthy eating behaviors often develop in the setting of inadequate inhibitory control, a function broadly ascribed to the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Regulation of inhibitory control by the PFC and its anatomical components and their contribution to increasing body mass index (BMI) are poorly understood. To study the role of PFC in the regulation of inhibitory control and body weight, we examined measures of cortical thickness in PFC sub-regions, inhibitory control (color-word interference task (CWIT)), and BMI in 91 healthy volunteers. We tested the predictive effect of PFC sub-regional cortical thickness on BMI and mediation by inhibitory control measured with CWIT. Measures of depression (BDI-II), anxiety (STAI-T) and trauma-related symptoms (TSC-40) were collected; the disinhibition scale of the three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ) was used to assess disinhibited eating. We then tested the relationship between BD-II, STAI-T, TSC-40, TFEQ, CWIT, and BMI with correlation analyses. Right superior frontal gyrus cortical thickness significantly predicted BMI (β=-0.91; t=-3.2; p=0.002). Mediation analysis showed a significant indirect effect of cortical thickness on BMI mediated by inhibitory control (95% CI=-6.1, -0.67). BMI was unrelated to BDI-II, STAI-T, TSC-40, or TFEQ scores. We found an inverse relationship between cortical thickness in the right-superior frontal gyrus and BMI, which was fully mediated by inhibitory control neurocognitive performance. Our results suggest possible targets for neuromodulation in obesity (ie superior frontal gyrus) and a quantifiable mediator of their effects (ie inhibitory control).

Do Core Interpersonal and Affective Traits of PCL-R Psychopathy Interact with Antisocial Behavior and Disinhibition to Predict Violence?

Science.gov (United States)

Kennealy, Patrick J.; Skeem, Jennifer L.; Walters, Glenn D.; Camp, Jacqueline

2010-01-01

The utility of psychopathy measures in predicting violence is largely explained by their assessment of social deviance (e.g., antisocial behavior; disinhibition). A key question is whether social deviance "interacts" with the core interpersonal-affective traits of psychopathy to predict violence. Do core psychopathic traits multiply the (already…

Complex phonic tic and disinhibition in Tourette syndrome: case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maia Débora Palmini

2001-01-01

Full Text Available Tourette syndrome (TS is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by a combination of multiple motor tics and at least one phonic tic. TS patients often have associated behavioral abnormalities such as obsessive compulsive disorder, attention deficit and hyperactive disorder. Coprolalia, defined as emission of obscenities or swearing, is one type of complex vocal tic, present in 8% to 26% of patients. The pathophysiology of coprolalia and other complex phonic tics remains ill-defined. We report a patient whose complex phonic tic was characterized by repetitively saying "breast cancer" on seeing the son of aunt who suffered from this condition. The patient was unable to suppress the tic and did not meet criteria for obsessive compulsive disorder. The phenomenology herein described supports the theory that complex phonic tics result from disinhibition of the loop connecting the basal ganglia with the limbic cortex.

Hunger and disinhibition but not cognitive restraint are associated with central norepinephrine transporter availability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bresch, A; Rullmann, M; Luthardt, J; Becker, G A; Patt, M; Ding, Y-S; Hilbert, A; Sabri, O; Hesse, S

2017-10-01

The relationship between food-intake related behaviours measured by the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) and in vivo norepinephrine transporter (NET) availability has not been explored yet. We investigated ten obese individuals (body mass index (BMI) 42.4 ± 3.7 kg/m 2 ) and ten normal-weight healthy controls (HC, BMI 23.9 ± 2.5 kg/m 2 ) with (S,S)-[ 11 C]-O-methylreboxetine ([ 11 C]MRB) positron emission tomography (PET). All participants completed the TFEQ, which measures cognitive restraint, disinhibition and hunger. Image analysis required magnetic resonance imaging data sets onto which volumes-of-interests were drawn. Tissue time activity curves (TACs) were obtained from the dynamic PET data followed by kinetic modeling of these regional brain TACs applying the multilinear reference tissue model (2 parameters) with the occipital cortex as reference region. Obese individuals scored significantly higher on the hunger subscale of the TFEQ. Correlative data analysis showed that a higher degree of hunger correlated negatively with the NET availability of the insular cortex in both obese individuals and HC; however, this finding was more pronounced in obesity. Further, for obese individuals, a negative correlation between disinhibition and NET BP ND of the locus coeruleus was detected. In conclusion, these initial data provide in vivo imaging support for the involvement of the central NE system in maladaptive eating behaviors such as susceptibility to hunger. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Drunk, Powerful, and in the Dark: How General Processes of Disinhibition Produce Both Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirsh, Jacob B; Galinsky, Adam D; Zhong, Chen-Bo

2011-09-01

Social power, alcohol intoxication, and anonymity all have strong influences on human cognition and behavior. However, the social consequences of each of these conditions can be diverse, sometimes producing prosocial outcomes and other times enabling antisocial behavior. We present a general model of disinhibition to explain how these seemingly contradictory effects emerge from a single underlying mechanism: The decreased salience of competing response options prevents activation of the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS). As a result, the most salient response in any given situation is expressed, regardless of whether it has prosocial or antisocial consequences. We review three distinct routes through which power, alcohol intoxication, and anonymity reduce the salience of competing response options, namely, through Behavioral Approach System (BAS) activation, cognitive depletion, and reduced social desirability concerns. We further discuss how these states can both reveal and shape the person. Overall, our approach allows for multiple domain-specific models to be unified within a common conceptual framework that explains how both situational and dispositional factors can influence the expression of disinhibited behavior, producing both prosocial and antisocial outcomes. © Association for Psychological Science 2011.

Conformity and dietary disinhibition: a test of the ego-strength model of self-regulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kahan, Dana; Polivy, Janet; Herman, C Peter

2003-03-01

Ego-strength depletion was examined as an explanation for dietary disinhibition in restrained eaters. We predicted that the depletion of ego strength resulting from having to choose whether to conform would undermine dietary restraint. Participants completed an Asch-type conformity task, after which they completed a taste-rating task in which food intake was measured. As predicted, restrained eaters who repeatedly exercised choice ate significantly more than did restrained eaters who did not exercise choice. An ego-strength model of dietary restraint is discussed. Copyright 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ordovician timescale in Estonia: recent developments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hints, Olle

2006-06-01

Full Text Available Over 150 years of progress in the Ordovician geology and stratigraphy of Estonia has resulted in one of the most precise Ordovician timescales in the world. In this paper, an up-to-date version of the Ordovician timescale of Estonia is provided. Recent developments in graptolite, chitinozoan, and conodont biostratigraphy, and the correlation with the global standard are briefly commented upon. Application of the regional subseries rank is discussed and two new names are proposed: “Vinni” for the upper subseries of the Viru Series, and “Atla” for the upper subseries of the Harju Series.

Action Planning and the Timescale of Evidence Accumulation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konstantinos Tsetsos

Full Text Available Perceptual decisions are based on the temporal integration of sensory evidence for different states of the outside world. The timescale of this integration process varies widely across behavioral contexts and individuals, and it is diagnostic for the underlying neural mechanisms. In many situations, the decision-maker knows the required mapping between perceptual evidence and motor response (henceforth termed "sensory-motor contingency" before decision formation. Here, the integrated evidence can be directly translated into a motor plan and, indeed, neural signatures of the integration process are evident as build-up activity in premotor brain regions. In other situations, however, the sensory-motor contingencies are unknown at the time of decision formation. We used behavioral psychophysics and computational modeling to test if knowledge about sensory-motor contingencies affects the timescale of perceptual evidence integration. We asked human observers to perform the same motion discrimination task, with or without trial-to-trial variations of the mapping between perceptual choice and motor response. When the mapping varied, it was either instructed before or after the stimulus presentation. We quantified the timescale of evidence integration under these different sensory-motor mapping conditions by means of two approaches. First, we analyzed subjects' discrimination threshold as a function of stimulus duration. Second, we fitted a dynamical decision-making model to subjects' choice behavior. The results from both approaches indicated that observers (i integrated motion information for several hundred ms, (ii used a shorter than optimal integration timescale, and (iii used the same integration timescale under all sensory-motor mappings. We conclude that the mechanisms limiting the timescale of perceptual decisions are largely independent from long-term learning (under fixed mapping or rapid acquisition (under variable mapping of sensory

A BARYONIC EFFECT ON THE MERGER TIMESCALE OF GALAXY CLUSTERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Congyao; Yu, Qingjuan; Lu, Youjun

2016-01-01

Accurate estimation of the merger timescales of galaxy clusters is important for understanding the cluster merger process and further understanding the formation and evolution of the large-scale structure of the universe. In this paper, we explore a baryonic effect on the merger timescale of galaxy clusters by using hydrodynamical simulations. We find that the baryons play an important role in accelerating the merger process. The merger timescale decreases upon increasing the gas fraction of galaxy clusters. For example, the merger timescale is shortened by a factor of up to 3 for merging clusters with gas fractions of 0.15, compared with the timescale obtained with 0 gas fractions. The baryonic effect is significant for a wide range of merger parameters and is particularly more significant for nearly head-on mergers and high merging velocities. The baryonic effect on the merger timescale of galaxy clusters is expected to have an impact on the structure formation in the universe, such as the cluster mass function and massive substructures in galaxy clusters, and a bias of “no-gas” may exist in the results obtained from the dark matter-only cosmological simulations

Extended timescale atomistic modeling of crack tip behavior in aluminum

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, K L; Warner, D H

2012-01-01

Traditional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are limited not only by their spatial domain, but also by the time domain that they can examine. Considering that many of the events associated with plasticity are thermally activated, and thus rare at atomic timescales, the limited time domain of traditional MD simulations can present a significant challenge when trying to realistically model the mechanical behavior of materials. A wide variety of approaches have been developed to address the timescale challenge, each having their own strengths and weaknesses dependent upon the specific application. Here, we have simultaneously applied three distinct approaches to model crack tip behavior in aluminum at timescales well beyond those accessible to traditional MD simulation. Specifically, we combine concurrent multiscale modeling (to reduce the degrees of freedom in the system), parallel replica dynamics (to parallelize the simulations in time) and hyperdynamics (to accelerate the exploration of phase space). Overall, the simulations (1) provide new insight into atomic-scale crack tip behavior at more typical timescales and (2) illuminate the potential of common extended timescale techniques to enable atomic-scale modeling of fracture processes at typical experimental timescales. (paper)

Disinhibited Exposing Behavior, Hypersexuality, and Erectile Dysfunction as a Consequence of Posttraumatic Stress in a 42-Year-Old Male Patient.

Science.gov (United States)

Petri-Kelvasa, Mirja; Schulte-Herbrüggen, Olaf

2017-10-01

Research into sexual dysfunction and its explanations within a cognitive behavioral framework in patients with posttraumatic stress is sparse. In this report, we present the case of a 42-year-old male with severe posttraumatic stress symptoms who displayed apparent exhibitionistic behavior, hypersexual behavior in the form of excessive masturbation, and erectile dysfunction. Differential diagnostics showed that the presented exhibitionistic behavior could be more accurately classified as non-paraphilic disinhibited exposing behavior. Functional behavioral analysis of his sexual behavior suggested that disinhibited exposing and hypersexual behavior served as dysfunctional coping strategies for trauma-associated negative emotions. Erectile dysfunction seemed to be the result of trauma-associated hyperarousal and excessive masturbation. Within the context of operant learning processes, we propose that his sexual behaviors became highly automated and were used as the main strategies to regulate trauma-associated negative emotions. Implications for the diagnoses and suggestions for the conceptualization and incorporation into a cognitive behavioral therapy treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder are made.

Do core interpersonal and affective traits of PCL-R psychopathy interact with antisocial behavior and disinhibition to predict violence?

Science.gov (United States)

Kennealy, Patrick J; Skeem, Jennifer L; Walters, Glenn D; Camp, Jacqueline

2010-09-01

The utility of psychopathy measures in predicting violence is largely explained by their assessment of social deviance (e.g., antisocial behavior; disinhibition). A key question is whether social deviance interacts with the core interpersonal-affective traits of psychopathy to predict violence. Do core psychopathic traits multiply the (already high) risk of violence among disinhibited individuals with a dense history of misbehavior? This meta-analysis of 32 effect sizes (N = 10,555) tested whether an interaction between the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 2003) Interpersonal-Affective and Social Deviance scales predicted violence beyond the simple additive effects of each scale. Results indicate that Social Deviance is more uniquely predictive of violence (d = .40) than Interpersonal-Affective traits (d = .11), and these two scales do not interact (d = .00) to increase power in predicting violence. In fact, Social Deviance alone would predict better than the Interpersonal-Affective scale and any interaction in 81% and 96% of studies, respectively. These findings have fundamental practical implications for risk assessment and theoretical implications for some conceptualizations of psychopathy.

The timescales of plume generation caused by continental aggregation

Science.gov (United States)

Honda, Satoru; Yoshida, Masaki; Ootorii, Sakie; Iwase, Yasuyuki

2000-02-01

To understand the thermal evolution of the mantle following the aggregation of non-subductable thick continental lithosphere, we study a numerical model in which a supercontinent, simulated by high viscosity raft, HVR, covers a part of the top surface of a convection layer. We model infinite Prandtl number convection either in a three-dimensional (3D) spherical shell, 3D rectangular box (aspect ratios: 8 and 4) or two-dimensional (2D) rectangular box (aspect ratio: 8) and except for the HVR, we specify a constant viscosity. The HVR, which has a viscosity higher than that of its surrounding, is instantaneously placed on the top surface of a well-developed convection layer and its position is fixed. Our results from 3D spherical shell cases with and without phase transitions show the emergence of a large plume characterized by a long wavelength thermal anomaly (a degree one pattern) for a Pangea-like geometry. We analyze the volume averaged temperature under the HVR (=) the remaining (oceanic) area (=) and total area (=) to determine the timescale of plume generation. The difference between and (=Δ TCO) and show the existence of two characteristic timescales.Δ TCO exhibits an initial rapid increase and may become constant or continue to gradually increase. Meanwhile, shows a similar behavior but with a longer timescale. We find that these timescales associated with the increase of Δ TCO and can be attributed to the formation of large scale flow (i.e. plume) and response of the whole system to the emplacement of the HVR, respectively. For 3D spherical cases, we find that the timescale of plume generation is 1-2 Gyr, if the Rayleigh number is 10 6. To determine the effects of the viscosity of the HVR, 2D versus 3D modeling and the effects of the internal heating, we have also studied 2D and 3D rectangular box cases. A factor of about two variation exists in the timescale of plume generation. It appears that the timescale becomes greater for a smaller amount of

Towards a robust and consistent middle Eocene astronomical timescale

Science.gov (United States)

Boulila, Slah; Vahlenkamp, Maximilian; De Vleeschouwer, David; Laskar, Jacques; Yamamoto, Yuhji; Pälike, Heiko; Kirtland Turner, Sandra; Sexton, Philip F.; Westerhold, Thomas; Röhl, Ursula

2018-03-01

Until now, the middle Eocene has remained a poorly constrained interval of efforts to produce an astrochronological timescale for the entire Cenozoic. This has given rise to a so-called "Eocene astronomical timescale gap" (Vandenberghe et al., 2012). A high-resolution astrochronological calibration for this interval has proven to be difficult to realize, mainly because carbonate-rich deep-marine sequences of this age are scarce. In this paper, we present records from middle Eocene carbonate-rich sequences from the North Atlantic Southeast Newfoundland Ridge (IODP Exp. 342, Sites U1408 and U1410), of which the cyclical sedimentary patterns allow for an orbital calibration of the geologic timescale between ∼38 and ∼48 Ma. These carbonate-rich cyclic sediments at Sites U1408 and U1410 were deposited as drift deposits and exhibit prominent lithological alternations (couplets) between greenish nannofossil-rich clay and white nannofossil ooze. The principal lithological couplet is driven by the obliquity of Earth's axial tilt, and the intensity of their expression is modulated by a cyclicity of about 173 kyr. This cyclicity corresponds to the interference of secular frequencies s3 and s6 (related to the precession of nodes of the Earth and Saturn, respectively). This 173-kyr obliquity amplitude modulation cycle is exceptionally well recorded in the XRF (X-ray fluorescence)-derived Ca/Fe ratio. In this work, we first demonstrate the stability of the (s3-s6) cycles using the latest astronomical solutions. Results show that this orbital component is stable back to at least 50 Ma, and can thus serve as a powerful geochronometer in the mid-Eocene portion of the Cenozoic timescale. We then exploit this potential by calibrating the geochronology of the recovered middle Eocene timescale between magnetic polarity Chrons C18n.1n and C21n. Comparison with previous timescales shows similarities, but also notable differences in durations of certain magnetic polarity chrons. We

Ephemeral Channel Modelling at Historic timescales in Semi-arid Environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hutton, C. J.; Nicholas, A. P.; Nearing, M. A.; Brazier, R. E.

2009-01-01

There is an increasing need to understand how ephemeral channels mediate the movement of water through catchment systems, both to identify the quantity of groundwater and reservoir recharge and to inform flash flood prediction. At historic timescales (10 1 -10 2 years) it is recognised that this requires an understanding of the interactions between flow, sediment and vegetation which feedback to control morphological change and future flood wave propagation. Reduced-complexity models provide a means to develop such understanding. This paper presents a couple 1D-2D numerical model that can be applied at the catchment scale to account for transmission losses and flood wave propagation (1D model), but which also simulates local-scale flow patterns that may be applied to simulate geomorphic response to flood inundation (2D model). The initial model evaluation, conducted at the Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed, Arizona is presented. (Author) 6 refs.

Evidence for age-associated disinhibition of the wake drive provided by scoring principal components of the resting EEG spectrum in sleep-provoking conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Putilov, Arcady A; Donskaya, Olga G

2016-01-01

Age-associated changes in different bandwidths of the human electroencephalographic (EEG) spectrum are well documented, but their functional significance is poorly understood. This spectrum seems to represent summation of simultaneous influences of several sleep-wake regulatory processes. Scoring of its orthogonal (uncorrelated) principal components can help in separation of the brain signatures of these processes. In particular, the opposite age-associated changes were documented for scores on the two largest (1st and 2nd) principal components of the sleep EEG spectrum. A decrease of the first score and an increase of the second score can reflect, respectively, the weakening of the sleep drive and disinhibition of the opposing wake drive with age. In order to support the suggestion of age-associated disinhibition of the wake drive from the antagonistic influence of the sleep drive, we analyzed principal component scores of the resting EEG spectra obtained in sleep deprivation experiments with 81 healthy young adults aged between 19 and 26 and 40 healthy older adults aged between 45 and 66 years. At the second day of the sleep deprivation experiments, frontal scores on the 1st principal component of the EEG spectrum demonstrated an age-associated reduction of response to eyes closed relaxation. Scores on the 2nd principal component were either initially increased during wakefulness or less responsive to such sleep-provoking conditions (frontal and occipital scores, respectively). These results are in line with the suggestion of disinhibition of the wake drive with age. They provide an explanation of why older adults are less vulnerable to sleep deprivation than young adults.

Adaptive dynamics on an environmental gradient that changes over a geological time-scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortelius, Mikael; Geritz, Stefan; Gyllenberg, Mats; Toivonen, Jaakko

2015-07-07

The standard adaptive dynamics framework assumes two timescales, i.e. fast population dynamics and slow evolutionary dynamics. We further assume a third timescale, which is even slower than the evolutionary timescale. We call this the geological timescale and we assume that slow climatic change occurs within this timescale. We study the evolution of our model population over this very slow geological timescale with bifurcation plots of the standard adaptive dynamics framework. The bifurcation parameter being varied describes the abiotic environment that changes over the geological timescale. We construct evolutionary trees over the geological timescale and observe both gradual phenotypic evolution and punctuated branching events. We concur with the established notion that branching of a monomorphic population on an environmental gradient only happens when the gradient is not too shallow and not too steep. However, we show that evolution within the habitat can produce polymorphic populations that inhabit steep gradients. What is necessary is that the environmental gradient at some point in time is such that the initial branching of the monomorphic population can occur. We also find that phenotypes adapted to environments in the middle of the existing environmental range are more likely to branch than phenotypes adapted to extreme environments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accelerated Intoxication of GABAergic Synapses by Botulinum Neurotoxin A Disinhibits Stem Cell-Derived Neuron Networks Prior to Network Silencing

Science.gov (United States)

2015-04-23

administered BoNT can lead to central nervous system intoxication is currently being debated. Recent findings in vitro and in vivo suggest that BoNT...Literature 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Accelerated intoxication of GABAergic synapses by botulinum neurotoxin A disinhibits 5a...April 2015 Published: 23 April 2015 Citation: Beske PH, Scheeler SM, AdlerM and McNutt PM (2015) Accelerated intoxication of GABAergic synapses by

Solar Variability Magnitudes and Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Kopp, Greg

2015-08-01

The Sun’s net radiative output varies on timescales of minutes to many millennia. The former are directly observed as part of the on-going 37-year long total solar irradiance climate data record, while the latter are inferred from solar proxy and stellar evolution models. Since the Sun provides nearly all the energy driving the Earth’s climate system, changes in the sunlight reaching our planet can have - and have had - significant impacts on life and civilizations.Total solar irradiance has been measured from space since 1978 by a series of overlapping instruments. These have shown changes in the spatially- and spectrally-integrated radiant energy at the top of the Earth’s atmosphere from timescales as short as minutes to as long as a solar cycle. The Sun’s ~0.01% variations over a few minutes are caused by the superposition of convection and oscillations, and even occasionally by a large flare. Over days to weeks, changing surface activity affects solar brightness at the ~0.1% level. The 11-year solar cycle has comparable irradiance variations with peaks near solar maxima.Secular variations are harder to discern, being limited by instrument stability and the relatively short duration of the space-borne record. Proxy models of the Sun based on cosmogenic isotope records and inferred from Earth climate signatures indicate solar brightness changes over decades to millennia, although the magnitude of these variations depends on many assumptions. Stellar evolution affects yet longer timescales and is responsible for the greatest solar variabilities.In this talk I will summarize the Sun’s variability magnitudes over different temporal ranges, showing examples relevant for climate studies as well as detections of exo-solar planets transiting Sun-like stars.

Neurobiological evidence for attention bias to food, emotional dysregulation, disinhibition and deficient somatosensory awareness in obesity with binge eating disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Aviram-Friedman, Roni; Astbury, Nerys; Ochner, Christopher N; Contento, Isobel; Geliebter, Allan

2018-02-01

To refine the biobehavioral markers of binge eating disorder (BED). We conducted fMRI brain scans using images of high energy processed food (HEPF), low energy unprocessed food (LEUF), or non-foods (NF) in 42 adults (obese with BED [obese -BED; n=13] and obese with no BED [obese non-BED; n=29]) selected via ads. Two blood oxygenated level dependent (BOLD) signal contrast maps were examined: food versus nonfood, and HEPF versus LEUF. In addition, score differences on the disinhibition scale were correlated with BOLD signals. food versus nonfood showed greater BOLD activity for BED in emotional, motivational and somatosensory brain areas: insula, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), Brodmann areas (BA) 19 & 32, inferior parietal lobule (IPL), posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and lingual, postcentral, middle temporal and cuneate gyri (p≤0.005; k≥88). HEPF versus LEUF showed greater BOLD activity for BED in inhibitory brain regions: BA 6, middle and superior frontal gyri (pFood images elicited neural activity indicating attention bias (cuneate & PCG), emotion dysregulation (BA 19 & 32), and disinhibition (MFG, BA6 & SFG) in obese with BED. These may help tailor a treatment for the obesity with BED phenotype. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Lagrangian Timescales of Southern Ocean Upwelling in a Hierarchy of Model Resolutions

Science.gov (United States)

Drake, Henri F.; Morrison, Adele K.; Griffies, Stephen M.; Sarmiento, Jorge L.; Weijer, Wilbert; Gray, Alison R.

2018-01-01

In this paper we study upwelling pathways and timescales of Circumpolar Deep Water (CDW) in a hierarchy of models using a Lagrangian particle tracking method. Lagrangian timescales of CDW upwelling decrease from 87 years to 31 years to 17 years as the ocean resolution is refined from 1° to 0.25° to 0.1°. We attribute some of the differences in timescale to the strength of the eddy fields, as demonstrated by temporally degrading high-resolution model velocity fields. Consistent with the timescale dependence, we find that an average Lagrangian particle completes 3.2 circumpolar loops in the 1° model in comparison to 0.9 loops in the 0.1° model. These differences suggest that advective timescales and thus interbasin merging of upwelling CDW may be overestimated by coarse-resolution models, potentially affecting the skill of centennial scale climate change projections.

Potential Adverse Effects of Violent Video Gaming: Interpersonal- Affective Traits Are Rather Impaired Than Disinhibition in Young Adults

OpenAIRE

Ann-Christin S. Kimmig; Ann-Christin S. Kimmig; Gerda Andringa; Birgit Derntl; Birgit Derntl; Birgit Derntl

2018-01-01

The increasing trend of mass shootings, which were associated with excessive use of violent video games, fueled the debate of possible effects violent video games may have on adolescents and young adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible link between violent video gaming effects and the disposition of adverse behavior traits such as interpersonal-affective deficits and disinhibition. Data of 167 young adults, collected by an online questionnaire battery, were analyzed for...

COMPARISON OF KEPLER PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY WITH THE SUN ON DIFFERENT TIMESCALES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basri, Gibor; Walkowicz, Lucianne M.; Reiners, Ansgar

2013-01-01

We utilize Kepler data to study the precision differential photometric variability of solar-type and cooler stars at different timescales, ranging from half an hour to three months. We define a diagnostic that characterizes the median differential intensity change between data bins of a given timescale. We apply the same diagnostics to Solar and Heliospheric Observatory data that has been rendered comparable to Kepler. The Sun exhibits similar photometric variability on all timescales as comparable solar-type stars in the Kepler field. The previously defined photometric ''range'' serves as our activity proxy (driven by starspot coverage). We revisit the fraction of comparable stars in the Kepler field that are more active than the Sun. The exact active fraction depends on what is meant by ''more active than the Sun'' and on the magnitude limit of the sample of stars considered. This active fraction is between a quarter and a third (depending on the timescale). We argue that a reliable result requires timescales of half a day or longer and stars brighter than M Kep of 14, otherwise non-stellar noise distorts it. We also analyze main sequence stars grouped by temperature from 6500 to 3500 K. As one moves to cooler stars, the active fraction of stars becomes steadily larger (greater than 90% for early M dwarfs). The Sun is a good photometric model at all timescales for those cooler stars that have long-term variability within the span of solar variability.

Behavioral Sensitization to the Disinhibition Effect of Ethanol Requires the Dopamine/Ecdysone Receptor in Drosophila

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gissel P. Aranda

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Male flies under the influence of ethanol display disinhibited courtship, which is augmented with repeated ethanol exposures. We have previously shown that dopamine is important for this type of ethanol-induced behavioral sensitization but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here we report that DopEcR, an insect G-protein coupled receptor that binds to dopamine and steroid hormone ecdysone, is a major receptor mediating courtship sensitization. Upon daily ethanol administration, dumb and damb mutant males defective in D1 (dDA1/DopR1 and D5 (DAMB/DopR2 dopamine receptors, respectively, showed normal courtship sensitization; however, the DopEcR-deficient der males exhibited greatly diminished sensitization. der mutant males nevertheless developed normal tolerance to the sedative effect of ethanol, indicating a selective function of DopEcR in chronic ethanol-associated behavioral plasticity. DopEcR plays a physiological role in behavioral sensitization since courtship sensitization in der males was reinstated when DopEcR expression was induced during adulthood but not during development. When examined for the DopEcR’s functional site, the der mutant’s sensitization phenotype was fully rescued by restored DopEcR expression in the mushroom body (MB αβ and γ neurons. Consistently, we observed DopEcR immunoreactivity in the MB calyx and lobes in the wild-type Canton-S brain, which was barely detectable in the der brain. Behavioral sensitization to the locomotor-stimulant effect has been serving as a model for ethanol abuse and addiction. This is the first report elucidating the mechanism underlying behavioral sensitization to another stimulant effect of ethanol.

Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder in School-Aged Foster Children - A Confirmatory Approach to Dimensional Measures

OpenAIRE

Lehmann, Stine; Breivik, Kyrre; Heiervang, Einar; Havik, Toril; Havik, Odd E.

2015-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the factor structure and external correlates of the constructs Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The following were addressed: First, do our data support the DSM-5 conceptualization of RAD/DSED as two separate constructs? Second, are RAD and DSED distinct from other well-established dimensions of child psychopathology? Third, what are the ...

Decoding intention at sensorimotor timescales.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mathew Salvaris

Full Text Available The ability to decode an individual's intentions in real time has long been a 'holy grail' of research on human volition. For example, a reliable method could be used to improve scientific study of voluntary action by allowing external probe stimuli to be delivered at different moments during development of intention and action. Several Brain Computer Interface applications have used motor imagery of repetitive actions to achieve this goal. These systems are relatively successful, but only if the intention is sustained over a period of several seconds; much longer than the timescales identified in psychophysiological studies for normal preparation for voluntary action. We have used a combination of sensorimotor rhythms and motor imagery training to decode intentions in a single-trial cued-response paradigm similar to those used in human and non-human primate motor control research. Decoding accuracy of over 0.83 was achieved with twelve participants. With this approach, we could decode intentions to move the left or right hand at sub-second timescales, both for instructed choices instructed by an external stimulus and for free choices generated intentionally by the participant. The implications for volition are considered.

Global mapping of nonseismic sea level oscillations at tsunami timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Vilibić, Ivica; Šepić, Jadranka

2017-01-18

Present investigations of sea level extremes are based on hourly data measured at coastal tide gauges. The use of hourly data restricts existing global and regional analyses to periods larger than 2 h. However, a number of processes occur at minute timescales, of which the most ruinous are tsunamis. Meteotsunamis, hazardous nonseismic waves that occur at tsunami timescales over limited regions, may also locally dominate sea level extremes. Here, we show that nonseismic sea level oscillations at tsunami timescales (sea level extremes, up to 50% in low-tidal basins. The intensity of these oscillations is zonally correlated with mid-tropospheric winds at the 99% significance level, with the variance doubling from the tropics and subtropics to the mid-latitudes. Specific atmospheric patterns are found during strong events at selected locations in the World Ocean, indicating a globally predominant generation mechanism. Our analysis suggests that these oscillations should be considered in sea level hazard assessment studies. Establishing a strong correlation between nonseismic sea level oscillations at tsunami timescales and atmospheric synoptic patterns would allow for forecasting of nonseismic sea level oscillations for operational use, as well as hindcasting and projection of their effects under past, present and future climates.

A figurative proverb test for dementia: rapid detection of disinhibition, excuse and confabulation, causing discommunication.

Science.gov (United States)

Yamaguchi, Haruyasu; Maki, Yohko; Yamaguchi, Tomoharu

2011-12-01

Communicative disability is regarded as a prominent symptom of demented patients, and many studies have been devoted to analyze deficits of lexical-semantic operations in demented patients. However, it is often observed that even patients with preserved lexical-semantic skills might fail in interactive social communication. Whereas social interaction requires pragmatic language skills, pragmatic language competencies in demented subjects have not been well understood. We propose here a brief stress-free test to detect pragmatic language deficits, focusing on non-literal understanding of figurative expression. We hypothesized that suppression of the literal interpretation was required for figurative language interpretation.  We examined 69 demented subjects, 13 subjects with mild cognitive impairment and 61 healthy controls aged 65 years or more. The subjects were asked the meaning of a familiar proverb categorized as a figurative expression. The answers were analyzed based on five factors, and scored from 0 to 5. To consider the influence of cognitive inhibition on proverb comprehension, the scores of the Stroop Colour-Word Test were compared concerning correct and incorrect answers for each factor, respectively. Furthermore, the characteristics of answers were considered in the light of excuse and confabulation qualitatively. The proverb comprehension scores gradually decreased significantly as dementia progressed. The literal interpretation of the proverb, which showed difficulties in figurative language comprehension, was related to disinhibition. The qualitative analysis showed that excuse and confabulation increased as the dementia stage progressed. Deficits in cognitive inhibition partly explains the difficulties in interactive social communication in dementia. With qualitative analysis, asking the meaning of a proverb can be a brief test applied in a clinical setting to evaluate the stage of dementia, and to illustrate disinhibition, confabulation and

SIMULATED PERFORMANCE OF TIMESCALE METRICS FOR APERIODIC LIGHT CURVES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Findeisen, Krzysztof; Hillenbrand, Lynne [Cahill Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics, California Institute of Technology, MC 249-17, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Cody, Ann Marie, E-mail: krzys@astro.caltech.edu [Spitzer Science Center, California Institute of Technology, MC 314-6, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States)

2015-01-10

Aperiodic variability is a characteristic feature of young stars, massive stars, and active galactic nuclei. With the recent proliferation of time-domain surveys, it is increasingly essential to develop methods to quantify and analyze aperiodic variability. We develop three timescale metrics that have been little used in astronomy—Δm-Δt plots, peak-finding, and Gaussian process regression—and present simulations comparing their effectiveness across a range of aperiodic light curve shapes, characteristic timescales, observing cadences, and signal to noise ratios. We find that Gaussian process regression is easily confused by noise and by irregular sampling, even when the model being fit reflects the process underlying the light curve, but that Δm-Δt plots and peak-finding can coarsely characterize timescales across a broad region of parameter space. We make public the software we used for our simulations, both in the spirit of open research and to allow others to carry out analogous simulations for their own observing programs.

SIMULATED PERFORMANCE OF TIMESCALE METRICS FOR APERIODIC LIGHT CURVES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Findeisen, Krzysztof; Hillenbrand, Lynne; Cody, Ann Marie

2015-01-01

Aperiodic variability is a characteristic feature of young stars, massive stars, and active galactic nuclei. With the recent proliferation of time-domain surveys, it is increasingly essential to develop methods to quantify and analyze aperiodic variability. We develop three timescale metrics that have been little used in astronomy—Δm-Δt plots, peak-finding, and Gaussian process regression—and present simulations comparing their effectiveness across a range of aperiodic light curve shapes, characteristic timescales, observing cadences, and signal to noise ratios. We find that Gaussian process regression is easily confused by noise and by irregular sampling, even when the model being fit reflects the process underlying the light curve, but that Δm-Δt plots and peak-finding can coarsely characterize timescales across a broad region of parameter space. We make public the software we used for our simulations, both in the spirit of open research and to allow others to carry out analogous simulations for their own observing programs

TIMESCALES ON WHICH STAR FORMATION AFFECTS THE NEUTRAL INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stilp, Adrienne M.; Dalcanton, Julianne J.; Weisz, Daniel R.; Williams, Benjamin F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Washington, Box 351580, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Warren, Steven R. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, CSS Building, Room 1024, Stadium Drive, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Skillman, Evan [Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, University of Minnesota, 116 Church Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (United States); Ott, Juergen [National Radio Astronomy Observatory, P.O. Box O, 1003 Lopezville Road, Socorro, NM 87801 (United States); Dolphin, Andrew E. [Raytheon Company, 1151 East Hermans Road, Tucson, AZ 85756 (United States)

2013-08-01

Turbulent neutral hydrogen (H I) line widths are often thought to be driven primarily by star formation (SF), but the timescale for converting SF energy to H I kinetic energy is unclear. As a complication, studies on the connection between H I line widths and SF in external galaxies often use broadband tracers for the SF rate, which must implicitly assume that SF histories (SFHs) have been constant over the timescale of the tracer. In this paper, we compare measures of H I energy to time-resolved SFHs in a number of nearby dwarf galaxies. We find that H I energy surface density is strongly correlated only with SF that occurred 30-40 Myr ago. This timescale corresponds to the approximate lifetime of the lowest mass supernova progenitors ({approx}8 M{sub Sun }). This analysis suggests that the coupling between SF and the neutral interstellar medium is strongest on this timescale, due either to an intrinsic delay between the release of the peak energy from SF or to the coherent effects of many supernova explosions during this interval. At {Sigma}{sub SFR} > 10{sup -3} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} kpc{sup -2}, we find a mean coupling efficiency between SF energy and H I energy of {epsilon} = 0.11 {+-} 0.04 using the 30-40 Myr timescale. However, unphysical efficiencies are required in lower {Sigma}{sub SFR} systems, implying that SF is not the primary driver of H I kinematics at {Sigma}{sub SFR} < 10{sup -3} M{sub Sun} yr{sup -1} kpc{sup -2}.

Markov dynamic models for long-timescale protein motion.

KAUST Repository

Chiang, Tsung-Han

2010-06-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a well-established method for studying protein motion at the atomic scale. However, it is computationally intensive and generates massive amounts of data. One way of addressing the dual challenges of computation efficiency and data analysis is to construct simplified models of long-timescale protein motion from MD simulation data. In this direction, we propose to use Markov models with hidden states, in which the Markovian states represent potentially overlapping probabilistic distributions over protein conformations. We also propose a principled criterion for evaluating the quality of a model by its ability to predict long-timescale protein motions. Our method was tested on 2D synthetic energy landscapes and two extensively studied peptides, alanine dipeptide and the villin headpiece subdomain (HP-35 NleNle). One interesting finding is that although a widely accepted model of alanine dipeptide contains six states, a simpler model with only three states is equally good for predicting long-timescale motions. We also used the constructed Markov models to estimate important kinetic and dynamic quantities for protein folding, in particular, mean first-passage time. The results are consistent with available experimental measurements.

Markov dynamic models for long-timescale protein motion.

KAUST Repository

Chiang, Tsung-Han; Hsu, David; Latombe, Jean-Claude

2010-01-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is a well-established method for studying protein motion at the atomic scale. However, it is computationally intensive and generates massive amounts of data. One way of addressing the dual challenges of computation efficiency and data analysis is to construct simplified models of long-timescale protein motion from MD simulation data. In this direction, we propose to use Markov models with hidden states, in which the Markovian states represent potentially overlapping probabilistic distributions over protein conformations. We also propose a principled criterion for evaluating the quality of a model by its ability to predict long-timescale protein motions. Our method was tested on 2D synthetic energy landscapes and two extensively studied peptides, alanine dipeptide and the villin headpiece subdomain (HP-35 NleNle). One interesting finding is that although a widely accepted model of alanine dipeptide contains six states, a simpler model with only three states is equally good for predicting long-timescale motions. We also used the constructed Markov models to estimate important kinetic and dynamic quantities for protein folding, in particular, mean first-passage time. The results are consistent with available experimental measurements.

The propagation of varied timescale perturbations in landscapes

Science.gov (United States)

Bingham, N.; Johnson, K. N.; Bookhagen, B.; Chadwick, O.

2016-12-01

The classic assumption of steady-state landscapes greatly simplifies models of earth-surface processes. Theoretically, steady-state denotes time independence, but in real landscapes steady-state requires a timescale over which to assume (or document) no change. In the past, poor spatiotemporal resolution of eroding landscapes necessitated that shorter timescale perturbations be ignored in favor of regional formulations of rock uplift = erosion, 105, 6 years. Now, novel techniques and technologies provide an opportunity to define local landscape response to various timescales of perturbations; thus, allowing us to consider multiple steady-states on adjacent watersheds or even along a single watershed. This study seeks to identify the physical propagation of varied timescale perturbations in landscapes in order to provide an updated geomorphic context for interpreting critical zone processes. At our study site - Santa Cruz Island (SCI), CA - perturbations include sea level and climate fluctuations over 105 years coupled with pulses of overgrazing and extreme storm events during the last 200 years. Comprehensive knickpoint location maps and dated marine and fill terraces tighten the spatiotemporal constraints on erosion for SCI. In addition, the island hosts a wide range of lithologies, allowing us to compare lithologic effects on landscape response to perturbations. Our study uses lidar point clouds and high resolution (0.25 and 1 m) digital elevation model analysis to segment landscapes by the degree of their response to perturbations. Landscape response is measured by increases in topographic roughness. We ascertain roughness by analyzing the changes in different terrain attributes on multiple spatial scales: catchment, sub-catchments and individual hillslopes. Terrain attributes utilized include slope, curvature, local relief, flowpath length and contributing catchment area. Statistical analysis of these properties indicates narrower ranges in values for regions

NEA perspectives on timescales and criteria in post-closure safety of geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preter, P. de; Smith, P.; Pescatore, C.; Forinash, B.

2006-01-01

A key challenge in the development of safety cases for geological repositories is associated with the long periods of time over which radioactive wastes that are disposed of in repositories remain hazardous. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has recently examined issues related to timescales in the context of two projects under the auspices of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC): the Timescales Initiative and the Long-Term Safety Criteria (LTSC) Initiative. These projects examine, respectively, the treatment of timescales in actual safety cases and in the development of radiological protection criteria for geological disposal. They treat different aspects of timescales but have some overlap and have shown some convergence of the results achieved to date. Based on these projects, this paper examines general considerations in the handling of timescales, including ethical principles, evolution of the hazards of radioactive waste over time, and uncertainty in the evolution of repository systems (including geological features). The implications of these considerations are examined in terms of repository siting; levels of protection in regulations; planning for pre-closure and post-closure actions; and development and presentation of safety cases. A comparison is made with previous NEA work related to timescales, in order to show evolutions in current understanding. (authors)

NEA perspectives on timescales and criteria in post-closure safety of geological disposal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Preter, P. de [ONDRAF/NIRAS, Brussels (Belgium); Smith, P. [Safety Assessment Management Ltd, SAM Ltd. (United Kingdom); Pescatore, C.; Forinash, B. [OECD/NEA, Nuclear Energy Agency, 92 - Issy les Moulineaux (France)

2006-07-01

A key challenge in the development of safety cases for geological repositories is associated with the long periods of time over which radioactive wastes that are disposed of in repositories remain hazardous. The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has recently examined issues related to timescales in the context of two projects under the auspices of the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC): the Timescales Initiative and the Long-Term Safety Criteria (LTSC) Initiative. These projects examine, respectively, the treatment of timescales in actual safety cases and in the development of radiological protection criteria for geological disposal. They treat different aspects of timescales but have some overlap and have shown some convergence of the results achieved to date. Based on these projects, this paper examines general considerations in the handling of timescales, including ethical principles, evolution of the hazards of radioactive waste over time, and uncertainty in the evolution of repository systems (including geological features). The implications of these considerations are examined in terms of repository siting; levels of protection in regulations; planning for pre-closure and post-closure actions; and development and presentation of safety cases. A comparison is made with previous NEA work related to timescales, in order to show evolutions in current understanding. (authors)

Signal-independent timescale analysis (SITA) and its application for neural coding during reaching and walking.

Science.gov (United States)

Zacksenhouse, Miriam; Lebedev, Mikhail A; Nicolelis, Miguel A L

2014-01-01

What are the relevant timescales of neural encoding in the brain? This question is commonly investigated with respect to well-defined stimuli or actions. However, neurons often encode multiple signals, including hidden or internal, which are not experimentally controlled, and thus excluded from such analysis. Here we consider all rate modulations as the signal, and define the rate-modulations signal-to-noise ratio (RM-SNR) as the ratio between the variance of the rate and the variance of the neuronal noise. As the bin-width increases, RM-SNR increases while the update rate decreases. This tradeoff is captured by the ratio of RM-SNR to bin-width, and its variations with the bin-width reveal the timescales of neural activity. Theoretical analysis and simulations elucidate how the interactions between the recovery properties of the unit and the spectral content of the encoded signals shape this ratio and determine the timescales of neural coding. The resulting signal-independent timescale analysis (SITA) is applied to investigate timescales of neural activity recorded from the motor cortex of monkeys during: (i) reaching experiments with Brain-Machine Interface (BMI), and (ii) locomotion experiments at different speeds. Interestingly, the timescales during BMI experiments did not change significantly with the control mode or training. During locomotion, the analysis identified units whose timescale varied consistently with the experimentally controlled speed of walking, though the specific timescale reflected also the recovery properties of the unit. Thus, the proposed method, SITA, characterizes the timescales of neural encoding and how they are affected by the motor task, while accounting for all rate modulations.

Behavioral Disinhibition Can Foster Intentions to Healthy Lifestyle Change by Overcoming Commitment to Past Behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Fennis, Bob M; Andreassen, Tor W; Lervik-Olsen, Line

2015-01-01

To curb the trend towards obesity and unhealthy living, people may need to change their entire lifestyle to a healthier alternative, something that is frequently perceived to be problematic. The present research, using a large, representative community sample, hypothesized and found that a key factor responsible for why people do not intend to change lifestyles is a sense of commitment to past behavior. However we also found that the contribution of commitment was attenuated for individuals with a stronger tendency for behavioral disinhibition thus underscoring the "bright side" of this individual difference characteristic that traditionally has been mainly associated with impulsive and indulging behavior. Overall, the present findings add to our understanding of factors inhibiting and promoting healthy behavior change.

Signal-Independent Timescale Analysis (SITA and its Application for Neural Coding during Reaching and Walking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miriam eZacksenhouse

2014-08-01

Full Text Available What are the relevant timescales of neural encoding in the brain? This question is commonly investigated with respect to well-defined stimuli or actions. However, neurons often encode multiple signals, including hidden or internal, which are not experimentally controlled, and thus excluded from such analysis. Here we consider all rate modulations as the signal, and define the rate-modulations signal-to-noise ratio (RM-SNR as the ratio between the variance of the rate and the variance of the neuronal noise. As the bin-width increases, RM-SNR increases while the update rate decreases. This tradeoff is captured by the ratio of RM-SNR to bin-width, and its variations with the bin-width reveal the timescales of neural activity. Theoretical analysis and simulations elucidate how the interactions between the recovery properties of the unit and the spectral content of the encoded signals shape this ratio and determine the timescales of neural coding. The resulting signal-independent timescale analysis (SITA is applied to investigate timescales of neural activity recorded from the motor cortex of monkeys during: (i reaching experiments with Brain-Machine Interface (BMI, and (ii locomotion experiments at different speeds. Interestingly, the timescales during BMI experiments did not change significantly with the control mode or training. During locomotion, the analysis identified units whose timescale varied consistently with the experimentally controlled speed of walking, though the specific timescale reflected also the recovery properties of the unit. Thus, the proposed method, SITA, characterizes the timescales of neural encoding and how they are affected by the motor task, while accounting for all rate modulations.

Multiple dynamical time-scales in networks with hierarchically

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Modular networks; hierarchical organization; synchronization. ... we show that such a topological structure gives rise to characteristic time-scale separation ... This suggests a possible functional role of such mesoscopic organization principle in ...

Indian monsoon variability on millennial-orbital timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Kathayat, Gayatri; Cheng, Hai; Sinha, Ashish; Spötl, Christoph; Edwards, R Lawrence; Zhang, Haiwei; Li, Xianglei; Yi, Liang; Ning, Youfeng; Cai, Yanjun; Lui, Weiguo Lui; Breitenbach, Sebastian F M

2016-04-13

The Indian summer monsoon (ISM) monsoon is critical to billions of people living in the region. Yet, significant debates remain on primary ISM drivers on millennial-orbital timescales. Here, we use speleothem oxygen isotope (δ(18)O) data from Bittoo cave, Northern India to reconstruct ISM variability over the past 280,000 years. We find strong coherence between North Indian and Chinese speleothem δ(18)O records from the East Asian monsoon domain, suggesting that both Asian monsoon subsystems exhibit a coupled response to changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (NHSI) without significant temporal lags, supporting the view that the tropical-subtropical monsoon variability is driven directly by precession-induced changes in NHSI. Comparisons of the North Indian record with both Antarctic ice core and sea-surface temperature records from the southern Indian Ocean over the last glacial period do not suggest a dominant role of Southern Hemisphere climate processes in regulating the ISM variability on millennial-orbital timescales.

Rapid disinhibition by adjustment of PV intrinsic excitability during whisker map plasticity in mouse S1.

Science.gov (United States)

Gainey, Melanie A; Aman, Joseph W; Feldman, Daniel E

2018-04-20

Rapid plasticity of layer (L) 2/3 inhibitory circuits is an early step in sensory cortical map plasticity, but its cellular basis is unclear. We show that, in mice of either sex, 1 day whisker deprivation drives rapid loss of L4-evoked feedforward inhibition and more modest loss of feedforward excitation in L2/3 pyramidal (PYR) cells, increasing E-I conductance ratio. Rapid disinhibition was due to reduced L4-evoked spiking by L2/3 parvalbumin (PV) interneurons, caused by reduced PV intrinsic excitability. This included elevated PV spike threshold, associated with an increase in low-threshold, voltage activated delayed rectifier (presumed Kv1) and A-type potassium currents. Excitatory synaptic input and unitary inhibitory output of PV cells were unaffected. Functionally, the loss of feedforward inhibition and excitation were precisely coordinated in L2/3 PYR cells, so that peak feedforward synaptic depolarization remained stable. Thus, rapid plasticity of PV intrinsic excitability offsets early weakening of excitatory circuits to homeostatically stabilize synaptic potentials in PYR cells of sensory cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Inhibitory circuits in cerebral cortex are highly plastic, but the cellular mechanisms and functional importance of this plasticity are incompletely understood. We show that brief (1-day) sensory deprivation rapidly weakens parvalbumin (PV) inhibitory circuits by reducing the intrinsic excitability of PV neurons. This involved a rapid increase in voltage-gated potassium conductances that control near-threshold spiking excitability. Functionally, the loss of PV-mediated feedforward inhibition in L2/3 pyramidal cells was precisely balanced with the separate loss of feedforward excitation, resulting in a net homeostatic stabilization of synaptic potentials. Thus, rapid plasticity of PV intrinsic excitability implements network-level homeostasis to stabilize synaptic potentials in sensory cortex. Copyright © 2018 the authors.

Morphine disinhibits glutamatergic input to VTA dopamine neurons and promotes dopamine neuron excitation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming; Zhao, Yanfang; Yang, Hualan; Luan, Wenjie; Song, Jiaojiao; Cui, Dongyang; Dong, Yi; Lai, Bin; Ma, Lan; Zheng, Ping

2015-07-24

One reported mechanism for morphine activation of dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the disinhibition model of VTA-DA neurons. Morphine inhibits GABA inhibitory neurons, which shifts the balance between inhibitory and excitatory input to VTA-DA neurons in favor of excitation and then leads to VTA-DA neuron excitation. However, it is not known whether morphine has an additional strengthening effect on excitatory input. Our results suggest that glutamatergic input to VTA-DA neurons is inhibited by GABAergic interneurons via GABAB receptors and that morphine promotes presynaptic glutamate release by removing this inhibition. We also studied the contribution of the morphine-induced disinhibitory effect on the presynaptic glutamate release to the overall excitatory effect of morphine on VTA-DA neurons and related behavior. Our results suggest that the disinhibitory action of morphine on presynaptic glutamate release might be the main mechanism for morphine-induced increase in VTA-DA neuron firing and related behaviors.

Viral vector-mediated overexpression of estrogen receptor-alpha in striatum enhances the estradiol-induced motor activity in female rats and estradiol-modulated GABA release.

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Kristin N; von Esenwein, Silke A; Hu, Ming; Bennett, Amy L; Kennedy, Robert T; Musatov, Sergei; Toran-Allerand, C Dominique; Kaplitt, Michael G; Young, Larry J; Becker, Jill B

2009-02-11

Classical estrogen receptor-signaling mechanisms involve estradiol binding to intracellular nuclear receptors [estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha) and estrogen receptor-beta (ERbeta)] to promote changes in protein expression. Estradiol can also exert effects within seconds to minutes, however, a timescale incongruent with genomic signaling. In the brain, estradiol rapidly potentiates stimulated dopamine release in the striatum of female rats and enhances spontaneous rotational behavior. Furthermore, estradiol rapidly attenuates the K(+)-evoked increase of GABA in dialysate. We hypothesize that these rapid effects of estradiol in the striatum are mediated by ERalpha located on the membrane of medium spiny GABAergic neurons. This experiment examined whether overexpression of ERalpha in the striatum would enhance the effect of estradiol on rotational behavior and the K(+)-evoked increase in GABA in dialysate. Ovariectomized female rats were tested for rotational behavior or underwent microdialysis experiments after unilateral intrastriatal injections of a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) containing the human ERalpha cDNA (AAV.ERalpha) into the striatum; controls received either the same vector into areas outside the striatum or an AAV containing the human alkaline phosphatase gene into the striatum (AAV.ALP). Animals that received AAV.ERalpha in the striatum exhibited significantly greater estradiol-induced contralateral rotations compared with controls and exhibited behavioral sensitization of contralateral rotations induced by a low-dose of amphetamine. ERalpha overexpression also enhanced the inhibitory effect of estradiol on K(+)-evoked GABA release suggesting that disinhibition of dopamine release from terminals in the striatum resulted in the enhanced rotational behavior.

OWL representation of the geologic timescale implementing stratigraphic best practice

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, S. J.

2011-12-01

The geologic timescale is a cornerstone of the earth sciences. Versions are available from many sources, with the following being of particular interest: (i) The official International Stratigraphic Chart (ISC) is maintained by the International Commission for Stratigraphy (ICS), following principles developed over the last 40 years. ICS provides the data underlying the chart as part of a specialized software package, and the chart itself as a PDF using the standard colours; (ii) ITC Enschede has developed a representation of the timescale as a thesaurus in SKOS, used in a Web Map Service delivery system; (iii) JPL's SWEET ontology includes a geologic timescale. This takes full advantage of the capabilities of OWL. However, each of these has limitations - The ISC falls down because of incompatibility with web technologies; - While SKOS supports multilingual labelling, SKOS does not adequately support timescale semantics, in particular since it does not include ordering relationships; - The SWEET version (as of version 2) is not fully aligned to the model used by ICS, in particular not recognizing the role of the Global Boundary Stratotype Sections and Point (GSSP). Furthermore, it is distributed as static documents, rather than through a dynamic API using SPARQL. The representation presented in this paper overcomes all of these limitations as follows: - the timescale model is formulated as an OWL ontology - the ontology is directly derived from the UML representation of the ICS best practice proposed by Cox & Richard [2005], and subsequently included as the Geologic Timescale package in GeoSciML (http://www.geosciml.org); this includes links to GSSPs as per the ICS process - key properties in the ontology are also asserted to be subProperties of SKOS properties (topConcept and broader/narrower relations) in order to support SKOS-based queries; SKOS labelling is used to support multi-lingual naming and synonyms - the International Stratigraphic Chart is implemented

Insect olfactory coding and memory at multiple timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Nitin; Stopfer, Mark

2011-10-01

Insects can learn, allowing them great flexibility for locating seasonal food sources and avoiding wily predators. Because insects are relatively simple and accessible to manipulation, they provide good experimental preparations for exploring mechanisms underlying sensory coding and memory. Here we review how the intertwining of memory with computation enables the coding, decoding, and storage of sensory experience at various stages of the insect olfactory system. Individual parts of this system are capable of multiplexing memories at different timescales, and conversely, memory on a given timescale can be distributed across different parts of the circuit. Our sampling of the olfactory system emphasizes the diversity of memories, and the importance of understanding these memories in the context of computations performed by different parts of a sensory system. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Time-scale invariances in preseismic electromagnetic radiation, magnetization and damage evolution of rocks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Kawada

2007-10-01

Full Text Available We investigate the time-scale invariant changes in electromagnetic and mechanical energy releases prior to a rock failure or a large earthquake. The energy release processes are caused by damage evolutions such as crack propagation, motion of charged dislocation, area-enlargement of sheared asperities and repetitive creep-rate changes. Damage mechanics can be used to represent the time-scale invariant evolutions of both brittle and plastic damages. Irreversible thermodynamics applied to the damage mechanics reveals that the damage evolution produces the variations in charge, dipole and electromagnetic signals in addition to mechanical energy release, and yields the time-scale invariant patterns of Benioff electromagnetic radiation and cumulative Benioff strain-release. The irreversible thermodynamic framework of damage mechanics is also applicable to the seismo-magnetic effect, and the time-scale invariance is recognized in the remanent magnetization change associated with damage evolution prior to a rock failure.

Viral Vector Mediated Over-Expression of Estrogen Receptor–α in Striatum Enhances the Estradiol-induced Motor Activity in Female Rats and Estradiol Modulated GABA Release

Science.gov (United States)

Schultz, Kristin N.; von Esenwein, Silke A.; Hu, Ming; Bennett, Amy L.; Kennedy, Robert T.; Musatov, Sergei; Toran-Allerand, C. Dominique; Kaplitt, Michael G.; Young, Larry J.; Becker, Jill B.

2009-01-01

Classical estrogen receptor signaling mechanisms involve estradiol binding to intracellular nuclear receptors (estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and estrogen receptor-β (ERβ)) to promote changes in protein expression. Estradiol can also exert effects within seconds to minutes, however, a timescale incongruent with genomic signaling. In the brain, estradiol rapidly potentiates stimulated dopamine release in the striatum of female rats and enhances spontaneous rotational behavior. Furthermore, estradiol rapidly attenuates the K+- evoked increase of GABA in dialysate. We hypothesize that these rapid effects of estradiol in the striatum are mediated by ERα located on the membrane of medium spiny GABAergic neurons. This experiment examined whether over-expression of ERα in the striatum would enhance the effect of estradiol on rotational behavior and the K+- evoked increase in GABA in dialysate. Ovariectomized female rats were tested for rotational behavior or underwent microdialysis experiments after unilateral intrastriatal injections of a recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) containing the human ERα cDNA (AAV.ERα) into the striatum; controls received either the same vector into areas outside the striatum or an AAV containing the human alkaline phosphatase gene into the striatum (AAV.ALP). Animals that received AAV.ERα in the striatum exhibited significantly greater estradiol-induced contralateral rotations compared to controls and exhibited behavioral sensitization of contralateral rotations induced by a low dose of amphetamine. ERα over-expression also enhanced the inhibitory effect of estradiol on K+- evoked GABA release suggesting that disinhibition of dopamine release from terminals in the striatum resulted in the enhanced rotational behavior. PMID:19211896

Time-scale invariance as an emergent property in a perceptron with realistic, noisy neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Buhusi, Catalin V; Oprisan, Sorinel A

2013-05-01

In most species, interval timing is time-scale invariant: errors in time estimation scale up linearly with the estimated duration. In mammals, time-scale invariance is ubiquitous over behavioral, lesion, and pharmacological manipulations. For example, dopaminergic drugs induce an immediate, whereas cholinergic drugs induce a gradual, scalar change in timing. Behavioral theories posit that time-scale invariance derives from particular computations, rules, or coding schemes. In contrast, we discuss a simple neural circuit, the perceptron, whose output neurons fire in a clockwise fashion based on the pattern of coincidental activation of its input neurons. We show numerically that time-scale invariance emerges spontaneously in a perceptron with realistic neurons, in the presence of noise. Under the assumption that dopaminergic drugs modulate the firing of input neurons, and that cholinergic drugs modulate the memory representation of the criterion time, we show that a perceptron with realistic neurons reproduces the pharmacological clock and memory patterns, and their time-scale invariance, in the presence of noise. These results suggest that rather than being a signature of higher order cognitive processes or specific computations related to timing, time-scale invariance may spontaneously emerge in a massively connected brain from the intrinsic noise of neurons and circuits, thus providing the simplest explanation for the ubiquity of scale invariance of interval timing. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Physiological correlates of neurobehavioral disinhibition that relate to drug use and risky sexual behavior in adolescents with prenatal substance exposure.

Science.gov (United States)

Conradt, Elisabeth; Lagasse, Linda L; Shankaran, Seetha; Bada, Henrietta; Bauer, Charles R; Whitaker, Toni M; Hammond, Jane A; Lester, Barry M

2014-01-01

Physiological correlates of behavioral and emotional problems, substance use onset and initiation of risky sexual behavior have not been studied in adolescents with prenatal drug exposure. We studied the concordance between baseline respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) at age 3 and baseline cortisol levels at age 11. We hypothesized that children who showed concordance between RSA and cortisol would have lower neurobehavioral disinhibition scores which would in turn predict age of substance use onset and first sexual intercourse. The sample included 860 children aged 16 years participating in the Maternal Lifestyle Study, a multisite longitudinal study of children with prenatal exposure to cocaine and other substances. Structural equation modeling was used to test pathways between prenatal substance exposure, early adversity, baseline RSA, baseline cortisol, neurobehavioral disinhibition, drug use, and sexual behavior outcomes. Concordance was studied by examining separate male and female models in which there were statistically significant interactions between baseline RSA and cortisol. Prenatal substance exposure was operationalized as the number of substances to which the child was exposed. An adversity score was computed based on caregiver postnatal substance use, depression and psychological distress, number of caregiver changes, socioeconomic and poverty status, quality of the home environment, and child history of protective service involvement, abuse and neglect. RSA and cortisol were measured during a baseline period prior to the beginning of a task. Neurobehavioral disinhibition, based on composite scores of behavioral dysregulation and executive dysfunction, substance use and sexual behavior were derived from questionnaires and cognitive tests administered to the child. Findings were sex specific. In females, those with discordance between RSA and cortisol (high RSA and low cortisol or low RSA and high cortisol) had the most executive dysfunction which, in

Solar ramping distributions over multiple timescales and weather patterns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hodge, Bri-Mathias; Hummon, Marissa; Orwig, Kirsten [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, CO (United States)

2011-07-01

As greater amounts of solar power are included in the power system it is becoming increasingly important to have a better characterization of the variability of solar power over the timescales that are relevant to power system operations. In this paper, we examine the distribution of ramp events that occur in global horizontal irradiance measurements from a number of sites in the western United States. The distributions are found to be significantly non-normal over multiple timescales from 1 minute to 1 hour. A hyberbolic distribution is suggested for more accurately representing the observed ramp distributions. Additionally, the ramp distributions that occur during different classifications of weather patterns are characterized and significant differences are observed between patterns. (orig.)

Associations Between Core Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Both Binge and Restrictive Eating

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panagiota Kaisari

2018-03-01

Full Text Available IntroductionIt is unclear whether core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD relate to specific types of disordered eating and little is known about the mediating mechanisms. We investigated associations between core symptoms of ADHD and binge/disinhibited eating and restrictive eating behavior and assessed whether negative mood and/or deficits in awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues mediate these relationships.MethodsIn two independent studies, we used a dimensional approach to study ADHD and disordered eating. In Study 1, a community-based sample of 237 adults (72.6% female, 18–60 years [M = 26.8, SE = 0.6] completed an online questionnaire, assessing eating attitudes/behaviors, negative mood, awareness, and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues and ADHD symptomatology. In Study 2, 142 students (80.3% female, 18–32 years [M = 19.3, SE = 0.1] were recruited to complete the same questionnaires and complete tasks assessing interoceptive sensitivity and impulsivity in the laboratory.ResultsIn each study, core symptoms of ADHD correlated positively with both binge/disinhibited and restrictive eating and negative mood mediated the relationships. Deficits in awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety signals also mediated the association between inattentive symptoms of ADHD and disordered eating, especially binge/disinhibited eating. The results from both studies demonstrated that inattentive symptoms of ADHD were also directly related to binge/disinhibited eating behavior, while accounting for the indirect pathways of association via negative mood and awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety signals.ConclusionThis research provides evidence that core symptoms of ADHD are associated with both binge/disinhibited eating and restrictive eating behavior. Further investigation of the role of inattentive symptoms of ADHD in disordered eating may be helpful in developing novel

Associations Between Core Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Both Binge and Restrictive Eating.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaisari, Panagiota; Dourish, Colin T; Rotshtein, Pia; Higgs, Suzanne

2018-01-01

It is unclear whether core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relate to specific types of disordered eating and little is known about the mediating mechanisms. We investigated associations between core symptoms of ADHD and binge/disinhibited eating and restrictive eating behavior and assessed whether negative mood and/or deficits in awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues mediate these relationships. In two independent studies, we used a dimensional approach to study ADHD and disordered eating. In Study 1, a community-based sample of 237 adults (72.6% female, 18-60 years [M = 26.8, SE = 0.6]) completed an online questionnaire, assessing eating attitudes/behaviors, negative mood, awareness, and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues and ADHD symptomatology. In Study 2, 142 students (80.3% female, 18-32 years [M = 19.3, SE = 0.1]) were recruited to complete the same questionnaires and complete tasks assessing interoceptive sensitivity and impulsivity in the laboratory. In each study, core symptoms of ADHD correlated positively with both binge/disinhibited and restrictive eating and negative mood mediated the relationships. Deficits in awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety signals also mediated the association between inattentive symptoms of ADHD and disordered eating, especially binge/disinhibited eating. The results from both studies demonstrated that inattentive symptoms of ADHD were also directly related to binge/disinhibited eating behavior, while accounting for the indirect pathways of association via negative mood and awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety signals. This research provides evidence that core symptoms of ADHD are associated with both binge/disinhibited eating and restrictive eating behavior. Further investigation of the role of inattentive symptoms of ADHD in disordered eating may be helpful in developing novel treatments for both ADHD and binge eating.

QUASI-PERIODICITIES AT YEAR-LIKE TIMESCALES IN BLAZARS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandrinelli, A.; Treves, A. [Università degli Studi dell’Insubria, Dipartimento di Scienza ed Alta Tecnologia, Via Valleggio 11, I-22100 Como (Italy); Covino, S. [INAF—Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera, Via Emilio Bianchi 46, I-23807 Merate (Italy); Dotti, M. [Università degli Studi di Milano Bicocca, Dipartimento di Fisica G. Occhialini, Piazza della Scienza 3, I-20126 Milano (Italy)

2016-03-15

We searched for quasi-periodicities on year-like timescales in the light curves of six blazars in the optical—near-infrared bands and we made a comparison with the high energy emission. We obtained optical/NIR light curves from Rapid Eye Mounting photometry plus archival Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System data and we accessed the Fermi light curves for the γ-ray data. The periodograms often show strong peaks in the optical and γ-ray bands, which in some cases may be inter-related. The significance of the revealed peaks is then discussed, taking into account that the noise is frequency dependent. Quasi-periodicities on a year-like timescale appear to occur often in blazars. No straightforward model describing these possible periodicities is yet available, but some plausible interpretations for the physical mechanisms causing periodic variabilities of these sources are examined.

A Study on Time-Scales Ratio and Turbulent Prandtl Number in Ducts of Industrial Applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rokni, Masoud

2006-01-01

is solved using a two-equation heat flux model. The computed results compare satisfactory with the available experimental data. The time-scale ratio R is defined as the ratio between the dynamic time-scale (k/ε) and the scalar time-scale(0.5θθ/εθ). Based on existing DNS data and calculations in this work...... of heat exchangers for various applications area....

A model for AGN variability on multiple time-scales

Science.gov (United States)

Sartori, Lia F.; Schawinski, Kevin; Trakhtenbrot, Benny; Caplar, Neven; Treister, Ezequiel; Koss, Michael J.; Urry, C. Megan; Zhang, C. E.

2018-05-01

We present a framework to link and describe active galactic nuclei (AGN) variability on a wide range of time-scales, from days to billions of years. In particular, we concentrate on the AGN variability features related to changes in black hole fuelling and accretion rate. In our framework, the variability features observed in different AGN at different time-scales may be explained as realisations of the same underlying statistical properties. In this context, we propose a model to simulate the evolution of AGN light curves with time based on the probability density function (PDF) and power spectral density (PSD) of the Eddington ratio (L/LEdd) distribution. Motivated by general galaxy population properties, we propose that the PDF may be inspired by the L/LEdd distribution function (ERDF), and that a single (or limited number of) ERDF+PSD set may explain all observed variability features. After outlining the framework and the model, we compile a set of variability measurements in terms of structure function (SF) and magnitude difference. We then combine the variability measurements on a SF plot ranging from days to Gyr. The proposed framework enables constraints on the underlying PSD and the ability to link AGN variability on different time-scales, therefore providing new insights into AGN variability and black hole growth phenomena.

Improve projections of changes in southern African summer rainfall through comprehensive multi-timescale empirical statistical downscaling

Science.gov (United States)

Dieppois, B.; Pohl, B.; Eden, J.; Crétat, J.; Rouault, M.; Keenlyside, N.; New, M. G.

2017-12-01

The water management community has hitherto neglected or underestimated many of the uncertainties in climate impact scenarios, in particular, uncertainties associated with decadal climate variability. Uncertainty in the state-of-the-art global climate models (GCMs) is time-scale-dependant, e.g. stronger at decadal than at interannual timescales, in response to the different parameterizations and to internal climate variability. In addition, non-stationarity in statistical downscaling is widely recognized as a key problem, in which time-scale dependency of predictors plays an important role. As with global climate modelling, therefore, the selection of downscaling methods must proceed with caution to avoid unintended consequences of over-correcting the noise in GCMs (e.g. interpreting internal climate variability as a model bias). GCM outputs from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) have therefore first been selected based on their ability to reproduce southern African summer rainfall variability and their teleconnections with Pacific sea-surface temperature across the dominant timescales. In observations, southern African summer rainfall has recently been shown to exhibit significant periodicities at the interannual timescale (2-8 years), quasi-decadal (8-13 years) and inter-decadal (15-28 years) timescales, which can be interpret as the signature of ENSO, the IPO, and the PDO over the region. Most of CMIP5 GCMs underestimate southern African summer rainfall variability and their teleconnections with Pacific SSTs at these three timescales. In addition, according to a more in-depth analysis of historical and pi-control runs, this bias is might result from internal climate variability in some of the CMIP5 GCMs, suggesting potential for bias-corrected prediction based empirical statistical downscaling. A multi-timescale regression based downscaling procedure, which determines the predictors across the different timescales, has thus been used to

Multi-timescale sediment responses across a human impacted river-estuary system

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yining; Chen, Nengwang; Li, Yan; Hong, Huasheng

2018-05-01

Hydrological processes regulating sediment transport from land to sea have been widely studied. However, anthropogenic factors controlling the river flow-sediment regime and subsequent response of the estuary are still poorly understood. Here we conducted a multi-timescale analysis on flow and sediment discharges during the period 1967-2014 for the two tributaries of the Jiulong River in Southeast China. The long-term flow-sediment relationship remained linear in the North River throughout the period, while the linearity showed a remarkable change after 1995 in the West River, largely due to construction of dams and reservoirs in the upland watershed. Over short timescales, rainstorm events caused the changes of suspended sediment concentration (SSC) in the rivers. Regression analysis using synchronous SSC data in a wet season (2009) revealed a delayed response (average 5 days) of the estuary to river input, and a box-model analysis established a quantitative relationship to further describe the response of the estuary to the river sediment input over multiple timescales. The short-term response is determined by both the vertical SSC-salinity changes and the sediment trapping rate in the estuary. However, over the long term, the reduction of riverine sediment yield increased marine sediments trapped into the estuary. The results of this study indicate that human activities (e.g., dams) have substantially altered sediment delivery patterns and river-estuary interactions at multiple timescales.

Timescales of quartz crystallization and the longevity of the Bishop giant magma body.

Science.gov (United States)

Gualda, Guilherme A R; Pamukcu, Ayla S; Ghiorso, Mark S; Anderson, Alfred T; Sutton, Stephen R; Rivers, Mark L

2012-01-01

Supereruptions violently transfer huge amounts (100 s-1000 s km(3)) of magma to the surface in a matter of days and testify to the existence of giant pools of magma at depth. The longevity of these giant magma bodies is of significant scientific and societal interest. Radiometric data on whole rocks, glasses, feldspar and zircon crystals have been used to suggest that the Bishop Tuff giant magma body, which erupted ~760,000 years ago and created the Long Valley caldera (California), was long-lived (>100,000 years) and evolved rather slowly. In this work, we present four lines of evidence to constrain the timescales of crystallization of the Bishop magma body: (1) quartz residence times based on diffusional relaxation of Ti profiles, (2) quartz residence times based on the kinetics of faceting of melt inclusions, (3) quartz and feldspar crystallization times derived using quartz+feldspar crystal size distributions, and (4) timescales of cooling and crystallization based on thermodynamic and heat flow modeling. All of our estimates suggest quartz crystallization on timescales of magma bodies are ephemeral features that, once established, evolve on millennial timescales. We also suggest that zircon crystals, rather than recording the timescales of crystallization of a large pool of crystal-poor magma, record the extended periods of time necessary for maturation of the crust and establishment of these giant magma bodies.

Reliable Approximation of Long Relaxation Timescales in Molecular Dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Zhang

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Many interesting rare events in molecular systems, like ligand association, protein folding or conformational changes, occur on timescales that often are not accessible by direct numerical simulation. Therefore, rare event approximation approaches like interface sampling, Markov state model building, or advanced reaction coordinate-based free energy estimation have attracted huge attention recently. In this article we analyze the reliability of such approaches. How precise is an estimate of long relaxation timescales of molecular systems resulting from various forms of rare event approximation methods? Our results give a theoretical answer to this question by relating it with the transfer operator approach to molecular dynamics. By doing so we also allow for understanding deep connections between the different approaches.

Virtual collaboration: face-to-face versus videoconference, audioconference, and computer-mediated communications

Science.gov (United States)

Wainfan, Lynne; Davis, Paul K.

2004-08-01

As we increase our reliance on mediated communication, it is important to be aware the media's influence on group processes and outcomes. A review of 40+ years of research shows that all media-videoconference, audioconference, and computer-mediated communication--change the context of the communication to some extent, reducing cues used to regulate and understand conversation, indicate participants' power and status, and move the group towards agreement. Text-based computer-mediated communication, the "leanest" medum, reduces status effects, domination, and consensus. This has been shown useful in broadening the range of inputs and ideas. However, it has also been shown to increase polarization, deindividuation, and disinhibition, and the time to reach a conclusion. For decision-making tasks, computer-mediated communication can increase choice shift and the likelihood of more risky or extreme decisions. In both videoconference and audioconference, participants cooperate less with linked collaborators, and shift their opinions toward extreme options, compared with face-to-face collaboration. In videoconference and audioconference, local coalitions can form where participants tend to agree more with those in the same room than those on the other end of the line. There is also a tendency in audioconference to disagree with those on the other end of the phone. This paper is a summary of a much more extensive forthcoming report; it reviews the research literature and proposes strategies to leverage the benefits of mediated communication while mitigating its adverse effects.

The Exoplant Migration Timescale from K2 Young Clusters

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzuto, Aaron C.; Mann, Andrew; Kraus, Adam L.; Ireland, Michael

2017-01-01

Planetary Migration models for close-in exoplanets(a operate on timescales of ~100’s of Myr to ~1Gyr, a lengthier process than disk migration. It is unclear which of these is the dominating mechanism.The K2 mission has measured planet formation timescales and migration pathways by sampling groups of stars at key pre-main-sequence ages: Over the past 10 campaigns, multiple groups of young stars have been observed by K2, ranging from the 10 Myr Upper Scorpius OB association, through the ˜120 Myr Pleiades, the ˜600-800 Myr Hyades and Praesepe moving groups, to the original Kepler Field. The frequency, orbital and compositional properties of the exoplanet population in these samples of different age, with careful treatment of detection completeness, will be sufficient to address the question of exoplanet migration as their host stars are settling onto the main sequence.We will present the initial results of a program to directly address the question of planet migration with a uniform injection-recovery tests on a new K2 detrending pipeline that is optimized for the particular case of young, rotationally variable stars in K2 to robustly measure the detectability of planets of differing size and orbit. Initial results point towards a migration timescale of 200-700 Myr, which is consistent with the slower planet-planet scattering or Kozai migration models.

Orbitofrontal disinhibition of pain in migraine with aura: an interictal EEG-mapping study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lev, Rina; Granovsky, Yelena; Yarnitsky, David

2010-08-01

This study aimed to identify the cortical mechanisms underlying the processes of interictal dishabituation to experimental pain in subjects suffering from migraine with aura (MWA). In 21 subjects with MWA and 22 healthy controls, cortical responses to two successive trials of noxious contact-heat stimuli were analyzed using EEG-tomography software. When compared with controls, MWA patients showed significantly increased pain-evoked potential amplitudes accompanied by reduced activity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and increased activity in the pain matrix regions, including the primary somatosensory cortex (SI) (p < .05). Similarly to controls, MWA subjects displayed an inverse correlation between the OFC and SI activities, and positive interrelations between other pain-specific regions. The activity changes in the OFC negatively correlated with lifetime headache duration and longevity (p < .05). Reduced inhibitory functioning of the prefrontal cortex is a possible cause for disinhibition of the pain-related sensory cortices in migraine. The finding of OFC hypofunction over the disease course is in keeping with current concepts of migraine as a progressive brain disorder.

Behavioural disinhibition in the general population during the antiretroviral therapy roll-out in Sub-Saharan Africa: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Legemate, Eva M; Hontelez, Jan A C; Looman, Caspar W N; de Vlas, Sake J

2017-07-01

Improved life expectancy and reduced transmission probabilities due to ART may result in behavioural disinhibition - that is an increase in sexual risk behaviour in response to a perceived lower risk of HIV. We examined trends in sexual risk behaviour in the general population of sub-Saharan African countries 1999-2015. We systematically reviewed scientific literature of sexual behaviour and reviewed trends in Demographic and Health Surveys. A meta-analysis on four indicators of sexual risk behaviour was performed: unprotected sex, multiple sexual partners, commercial sex and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections. Only two peer-reviewed studies met our inclusion criteria, while our review of DHS data spanned 18 countries and 16 years (1999-2015). We found conflicting trends in sexual risk behaviour. Reported unprotected sex decreased consistently across the 18 countries, for both sexes. In contrast, reporting multiple partners was decreasing over the period 1999 to the mid-2000s, yet has been consistently increasing thereafter. Similar trends were found for reported sexually transmitted infections and commercial sex (men only). In conclusion, we found no clear evidence of behavioural disinhibition due to expanded access to ART in sub-Saharan Africa. Substantial increases in condom use coincided with increases in reported multiple partners, commercial sex and sexually transmitted infections, especially during the period of ART scale-up. Further research is needed into how these changes might affect HIV transmission. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Timescales of Quartz Crystallization and the Longevity of the Bishop Giant Magma Body

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gualda, Guilherme A.R.; Pamukcu, Ayla S.; Ghiorso, Mark S.; Anderson, Jr. , Alfred T.; Sutton, Stephen R.; Rivers, Mark L. (OFM Res.); (Vanderbilt); (UC)

2013-04-08

Supereruptions violently transfer huge amounts (100 s-1000 s km{sup 3}) of magma to the surface in a matter of days and testify to the existence of giant pools of magma at depth. The longevity of these giant magma bodies is of significant scientific and societal interest. Radiometric data on whole rocks, glasses, feldspar and zircon crystals have been used to suggest that the Bishop Tuff giant magma body, which erupted {approx}760,000 years ago and created the Long Valley caldera (California), was long-lived (>100,000 years) and evolved rather slowly. In this work, we present four lines of evidence to constrain the timescales of crystallization of the Bishop magma body: (1) quartz residence times based on diffusional relaxation of Ti profiles, (2) quartz residence times based on the kinetics of faceting of melt inclusions, (3) quartz and feldspar crystallization times derived using quartz+feldspar crystal size distributions, and (4) timescales of cooling and crystallization based on thermodynamic and heat flow modeling. All of our estimates suggest quartz crystallization on timescales of <10,000 years, more typically within 500-3,000 years before eruption. We conclude that large-volume, crystal-poor magma bodies are ephemeral features that, once established, evolve on millennial timescales. We also suggest that zircon crystals, rather than recording the timescales of crystallization of a large pool of crystal-poor magma, record the extended periods of time necessary for maturation of the crust and establishment of these giant magma bodies.

Considering timescales in the post-closure safety of geological disposal of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

A key challenge in the development of safety cases for the deep geological disposal of radioactive waste is handling the long time frame over which the radioactive waste remains hazardous. The intrinsic hazard of the waste decreases with time, but some hazard remains for extremely long periods. Safety cases for geological disposal typically address performance and protection for thousands to millions of years into the future. Over such periods, a wide range of events and processes operating over many different timescales may impact on a repository and its environment. Uncertainties in the predictability of such factors increase with time, making it increasingly difficult to provide definite assurances of a repository's performance and the protection it may provide over longer timescales. Timescales, the level of protection and the assurance of safety are all linked. Approaches to handling timescales for the geological disposal of radioactive waste are influenced by ethical principles, the evolution of the hazard over time, uncertainties in the evolution of the disposal system (and how these uncertainties themselves evolve) and the stability and predictability of the geological environment. Conversely, the approach to handling timescales can affect aspects of repository planning and implementation including regulatory requirements, siting decisions, repository design, the development and presentation of safety cases and the planning of pre- and post-closure institutional controls such as monitoring requirements. This is an area still under discussion among NEA member countries. This report reviews the current status and ongoing discussions of this issue. (author)

Doubly stochastic Poisson process models for precipitation at fine time-scales

Science.gov (United States)

Ramesh, Nadarajah I.; Onof, Christian; Xie, Dichao

2012-09-01

This paper considers a class of stochastic point process models, based on doubly stochastic Poisson processes, in the modelling of rainfall. We examine the application of this class of models, a neglected alternative to the widely-known Poisson cluster models, in the analysis of fine time-scale rainfall intensity. These models are mainly used to analyse tipping-bucket raingauge data from a single site but an extension to multiple sites is illustrated which reveals the potential of this class of models to study the temporal and spatial variability of precipitation at fine time-scales.

Dynamic hyporheic exchange at intermediate timescales: testing the relative importance of evapotranspiration and flood pulses

Science.gov (United States)

Larsen, Laurel G.; Harvey, Judson W.; Maglio, Morgan M.

2014-01-01

Hyporheic fluxes influence ecological processes across a continuum of timescales. However, few studies have been able to characterize hyporheic fluxes and residence time distributions (RTDs) over timescales of days to years, during which evapotranspiration (ET) and seasonal flood pulses create unsteady forcing. Here we present a data-driven, particle-tracking piston model that characterizes hyporheic fluxes and RTDs based on measured vertical head differences. We used the model to test the relative influence of ET and seasonal flood pulses in the Everglades (FL, USA), in a manner applicable to other low-energy floodplains or broad, shallow streams. We found that over the multiyear timescale, flood pulses that drive relatively deep (∼1 m) flow paths had the dominant influence on hyporheic fluxes and residence times but that ET effects were discernible at shorter timescales (weeks to months) as a break in RTDs. Cumulative RTDs on either side of the break were generally well represented by lognormal functions, except for when ET was strong and none of the standard distributions applied to the shorter timescale. At the monthly timescale, ET increased hyporheic fluxes by 1–2 orders of magnitude; it also decreased 6 year mean residence times by 53–87%. Long, slow flow paths driven by flood pulses increased 6 year hyporheic fluxes by another 1–2 orders of magnitude, to a level comparable to that induced over the short term by shear flow in streams. Results suggest that models of intermediate-timescale processes should include at least two-storage zones with different RTDs, and that supporting field data collection occur over 3–4 years.

Timescales of magma transport and mixing at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai’i

OpenAIRE

Rae, Auriol SP; Edmonds, Marie; Maclennan, John Campbell; Morgan, Daniel; Houghton, Bruce; Hartley, Margaret E; Sides, Isobel

2016-01-01

Modelling of volcanic processes is strongly limited by a poor knowledge of the timescales of storage, mixing and final ascent of magmas into the shallowest portions of volcanic 'plumbing' systems immediately prior to eruption. It is impossible to measure these timescales directly; however, micro-analytical techniques provide indirect estimates based on the extent of diffusion of species through melts and crystals. Here, diffusion in olivine phenocrysts from the 1959 Kīlauea Iki eruption is us...

Evidence for a Heritable Brain Basis to Deviance-Promoting Deficits in Self-Control.

Science.gov (United States)

Yancey, James R; Venables, Noah C; Hicks, Brian M; Patrick, Christopher J

2013-01-01

Classic criminological theories emphasize the role of impaired self-control in behavioral deviancy. Reduced amplitude of the P300 brain response is reliably observed in individuals with antisocial and substance-related problems, suggesting it may serve as a neurophysiological indicator of deficiencies in self-control that confer liability to deviancy. The current study evaluated the role of self-control capacity - operationalized by scores on a scale measure of trait disinhibition - in mediating the relationship between P300 brain response and behavioral deviancy in a sample of adult twins ( N =419) assessed for symptoms of antisocial/addictive disorders and P300 brain response. As predicted, greater disorder symptoms and higher trait disinhibition scores each predicted smaller P300 amplitude, and trait disinhibition mediated observed relations between antisocial/addictive disorders and P300 response. Further, twin modeling analyses revealed that trait disinhibition scores and disorder symptoms reflected a common genetic liability, and this genetic liability largely accounted for the observed phenotypic relationship between antisocial-addictive problems and P300 brain response. These results provide further evidence that heritable weaknesses in self-control capacity confer liability to antisocial/addictive outcomes and that P300 brain response indexes this dispositional liability.

Astronomical calibration of the geological timescale: closing the middle Eocene gap

Science.gov (United States)

Westerhold, T.; Röhl, U.; Frederichs, T.; Bohaty, S. M.; Zachos, J. C.

2015-09-01

To explore cause and consequences of past climate change, very accurate age models such as those provided by the astronomical timescale (ATS) are needed. Beyond 40 million years the accuracy of the ATS critically depends on the correctness of orbital models and radioisotopic dating techniques. Discrepancies in the age dating of sedimentary successions and the lack of suitable records spanning the middle Eocene have prevented development of a continuous astronomically calibrated geological timescale for the entire Cenozoic Era. We now solve this problem by constructing an independent astrochronological stratigraphy based on Earth's stable 405 kyr eccentricity cycle between 41 and 48 million years ago (Ma) with new data from deep-sea sedimentary sequences in the South Atlantic Ocean. This new link completes the Paleogene astronomical timescale and confirms the intercalibration of radioisotopic and astronomical dating methods back through the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, 55.930 Ma) and the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary (66.022 Ma). Coupling of the Paleogene 405 kyr cyclostratigraphic frameworks across the middle Eocene further paves the way for extending the ATS into the Mesozoic.

On which timescales do gas transfer velocities control North Atlantic CO2 flux variability?

Science.gov (United States)

Couldrey, Matthew P.; Oliver, Kevin I. C.; Yool, Andrew; Halloran, Paul R.; Achterberg, Eric P.

2016-05-01

The North Atlantic is an important basin for the global ocean's uptake of anthropogenic and natural carbon dioxide (CO2), but the mechanisms controlling this carbon flux are not fully understood. The air-sea flux of CO2, F, is the product of a gas transfer velocity, k, the air-sea CO2 concentration gradient, ΔpCO2, and the temperature- and salinity-dependent solubility coefficient, α. k is difficult to constrain, representing the dominant uncertainty in F on short (instantaneous to interannual) timescales. Previous work shows that in the North Atlantic, ΔpCO2 and k both contribute significantly to interannual F variability but that k is unimportant for multidecadal variability. On some timescale between interannual and multidecadal, gas transfer velocity variability and its associated uncertainty become negligible. Here we quantify this critical timescale for the first time. Using an ocean model, we determine the importance of k, ΔpCO2, and α on a range of timescales. On interannual and shorter timescales, both ΔpCO2 and k are important controls on F. In contrast, pentadal to multidecadal North Atlantic flux variability is driven almost entirely by ΔpCO2; k contributes less than 25%. Finally, we explore how accurately one can estimate North Atlantic F without a knowledge of nonseasonal k variability, finding it possible for interannual and longer timescales. These findings suggest that continued efforts to better constrain gas transfer velocities are necessary to quantify interannual variability in the North Atlantic carbon sink. However, uncertainty in k variability is unlikely to limit the accuracy of estimates of longer-term flux variability.

Continuous Timescale Long-Short Term Memory Neural Network for Human Intent Understanding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhibin Yu

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Understanding of human intention by observing a series of human actions has been a challenging task. In order to do so, we need to analyze longer sequences of human actions related with intentions and extract the context from the dynamic features. The multiple timescales recurrent neural network (MTRNN model, which is believed to be a kind of solution, is a useful tool for recording and regenerating a continuous signal for dynamic tasks. However, the conventional MTRNN suffers from the vanishing gradient problem which renders it impossible to be used for longer sequence understanding. To address this problem, we propose a new model named Continuous Timescale Long-Short Term Memory (CTLSTM in which we inherit the multiple timescales concept into the Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM recurrent neural network (RNN that addresses the vanishing gradient problem. We design an additional recurrent connection in the LSTM cell outputs to produce a time-delay in order to capture the slow context. Our experiments show that the proposed model exhibits better context modeling ability and captures the dynamic features on multiple large dataset classification tasks. The results illustrate that the multiple timescales concept enhances the ability of our model to handle longer sequences related with human intentions and hence proving to be more suitable for complex tasks, such as intention recognition.

Galactic Outflows, Star Formation Histories, and Timescales in Starburst Dwarf Galaxies from STARBIRDS

Science.gov (United States)

McQuinn, Kristen B. W.; Skillman, Evan D.; Heilman, Taryn N.; Mitchell, Noah P.; Kelley, Tyler

2018-03-01

Winds are predicted to be ubiquitous in low-mass, actively star-forming galaxies. Observationally, winds have been detected in relatively few local dwarf galaxies, with even fewer constraints placed on their timescales. Here, we compare galactic outflows traced by diffuse, soft X-ray emission from Chandra Space Telescope archival observations to the star formation histories derived from Hubble Space Telescope imaging of the resolved stellar populations in six starburst dwarfs. We constrain the longevity of a wind to have an upper limit of 25 Myr based on galaxies whose starburst activity has already declined, although a larger sample is needed to confirm this result. We find an average 16% efficiency for converting the mechanical energy of stellar feedback to thermal, soft X-ray emission on the 25 Myr timescale, somewhat higher than simulations predict. The outflows have likely been sustained for timescales comparable to the duration of the starbursts (i.e., 100's Myr), after taking into account the time for the development and cessation of the wind. The wind timescales imply that material is driven to larger distances in the circumgalactic medium than estimated by assuming short, 5-10 Myr starburst durations, and that less material is recycled back to the host galaxy on short timescales. In the detected outflows, the expelled hot gas shows various morphologies which are not consistent with a simple biconical outflow structure. The sample and analysis are part of a larger program, the STARBurst IRregular Dwarf Survey (STARBIRDS), aimed at understanding the lifecycle and impact of starburst activity in low-mass systems.

Microsecond time-scale kinetics of transient biochemical reactions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mitic, S.; Strampraad, M.J.F.; Hagen, W.R.; de Vries, S.

2017-01-01

To afford mechanistic studies in enzyme kinetics and protein folding in the microsecond time domain we have developed a continuous-flow microsecond time-scale mixing instrument with an unprecedented dead-time of 3.8 ± 0.3 μs. The instrument employs a micro-mixer with a mixing time of 2.7 μs

Fission time-scale in experiments and in multiple initiation model

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karamian, S. A., E-mail: karamian@nrmail.jinr.ru [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Russian Federation)

2011-12-15

Rate of fission for highly-excited nuclei is affected by the viscose character of the systemmotion in deformation coordinates as was reported for very heavy nuclei with Z{sub C} > 90. The long time-scale of fission can be described in a model of 'fission by diffusion' that includes an assumption of the overdamped diabatic motion. The fission-to-spallation ratio at intermediate proton energy could be influenced by the viscosity, as well. Within a novel approach of the present work, the cross examination of the fission probability, time-scales, and pre-fission neutron multiplicities is resulted in the consistent interpretation of a whole set of the observables. Earlier, different aspects could be reproduced in partial simulations without careful coordination.

Multiple Timescale Energy Scheduling for Wireless Communication with Energy Harvesting Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Xiao

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The primary challenge in wireless communication with energy harvesting devices is to efficiently utilize the harvesting energy such that the data packet transmission could be supported. This challenge stems from not only QoS requirement imposed by the wireless communication application, but also the energy harvesting dynamics and the limited battery capacity. Traditional solar predictable energy harvesting models are perturbed by prediction errors, which could deteriorate the energy management algorithms based on this models. To cope with these issues, we first propose in this paper a non-homogenous Markov chain model based on experimental data, which can accurately describe the solar energy harvesting process in contrast to traditional predictable energy models. Due to different timescale between the energy harvesting process and the wireless data transmission process, we propose a general framework of multiple timescale Markov decision process (MMDP model to formulate the joint energy scheduling and transmission control problem under different timescales. We then derive the optimal control policies via a joint dynamic programming and value iteration approach. Extensive simulations are carried out to study the performances of the proposed schemes.

Handling long timescales: approaches and issues in the context of geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preter, P. de; Smith, P.; Voinis, S.

2005-01-01

Geologic repositories are sited, designed and operated to protect humans and the environment from the hazards associated with radioactive waste. Most challengingly, they are required to provide protection after their closure and over timescales that are considerably in excess of those commonly considered in most engineering projects, often up to several thousand or even a million years. This requirement is laid down in international guidance and in many national regulations. Various processes and events will drive the evolution of a repository and its environment, and hence could affect the containment and lead to possible release of radioactive substances from the repository and their migration to the surface. These processes and events are characterised by timescales ranging from a few tens or hundreds of years for transient processes associated with, for example, the re-saturation of the repository and its immediate surroundings following closure, to perhaps millions of years for changes in the geological environment. Safety assessments must consider consequences of releases of radioactive substances and verify that targets set by regulation are complied with. In order to evaluate compliance with dose or risk criteria, assumptions must be made regarding the habits of potentially exposed groups (e.g., diet, lifestyle and land use), and these may change over timescales of just a few years. The need to deal with such a wide range of timescales gives rise to a range of issues related to the methods and presentation of safety assessments and of safety cases. (author)

Climate Response of Tree Radial Growth at Different Timescales in the Qinling Mountains.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Changfeng Sun

Full Text Available The analysis of the tree radial growth response to climate is crucial for dendroclimatological research. However, the response relationships between tree-ring indices and climatic factors at different timescales are not yet clear. In this study, the tree-ring width of Huashan pine (Pinus armandii from Huashan in the Qinling Mountains, north-central China, was used to explore the response differences of tree growth to climatic factors at daily, pentad (5 days, dekad (10 days and monthly timescales. Correlation function and linear regression analysis were applied in this paper. The tree-ring width showed a more sensitive response to daily and pentad climatic factors. With the timescale decreasing, the absolute value of the maximum correlation coefficient between the tree-ring data and precipitation increases as well as temperature (mean, minimum and maximum temperature. Compared to the other three timescales, pentad was more suitable for analysing the response of tree growth to climate. Relative to the monthly climate data, the association between the tree-ring data and the pentad climate data was more remarkable and accurate, and the reconstruction function based on the pentad climate was also more reliable and stable. We found that the major climatic factor limiting Huashan pine growth was the precipitation of pentads 20-35 (from April 6 to June 24 rather than the well-known April-June precipitation. The pentad was also proved to be a better timescale for analysing the climate and tree growth in the western and eastern Qinling Mountains. The formation of the earlywood density of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis from Shimenshan in western Qinling was mainly affected by the maximum temperature of pentads 28-32 (from May 16 to June 9. The maximum temperature of pentads 28-33 (from May 16 to June 14 was the major factor affecting the ring width of Chinese pine from Shirenshan in eastern Qinling.

Machine Learning Algorithms For Predicting the Instability Timescales of Compact Planetary Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Tamayo, Daniel; Ali-Dib, Mohamad; Cloutier, Ryan; Huang, Chelsea; Van Laerhoven, Christa L.; Leblanc, Rejean; Menou, Kristen; Murray, Norman; Obertas, Alysa; Paradise, Adiv; Petrovich, Cristobal; Rachkov, Aleksandar; Rein, Hanno; Silburt, Ari; Tacik, Nick; Valencia, Diana

2016-10-01

The Kepler mission has uncovered hundreds of compact multi-planet systems. The dynamical pathways to instability in these compact systems and their associated timescales are not well understood theoretically. However, long-term stability is often used as a constraint to narrow down the space of orbital solutions from the transit data. This requires a large suite of N-body integrations that can each take several weeks to complete. This computational bottleneck is therefore an important limitation in our ability to characterize compact multi-planet systems.From suites of numerical simulations, previous studies have fit simple scaling relations between the instability timescale and various system parameters. However, the numerically simulated systems can deviate strongly from these empirical fits.We present a new approach to the problem using machine learning algorithms that have enjoyed success across a broad range of high-dimensional industry applications. In particular, we have generated large training sets of direct N-body integrations of synthetic compact planetary systems to train several regression models (support vector machine, gradient boost) that predict the instability timescale. We find that ensembling these models predicts the instability timescale of planetary systems better than previous approaches using the simple scaling relations mentioned above.Finally, we will discuss how these models provide a powerful tool for not only understanding the current Kepler multi-planet sample, but also for characterizing and shaping the radial-velocity follow-up strategies of multi-planet systems from the upcoming Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, given its shorter observation baselines.

Discovery of a ∼5 day characteristic timescale in the Kepler power spectrum of Zw 229–15

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edelson, R.; Smith, K. L.; Mushotzky, R. [Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2421 (United States); Vaughan, S. [X-Ray and Observational Astronomy Group, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH (United Kingdom); Malkan, M. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1547 (United States); Kelly, B. C. [Department of Physics, Broida Hall, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-9530 (United States); Boyd, P. T., E-mail: redelson@astro.umd.edu [Astrophysics Science Division, NASA/GSFC, Code 660, Greenbelt, MD 20771 (United States)

2014-11-01

We present time series analyses of the full Kepler data set of Zw 229–15. This Kepler light curve—with a baseline greater than 3 yr, composed of virtually continuous, evenly sampled 30 minute measurements—is unprecedented in its quality and precision. We utilize two methods of power spectral analysis to investigate the optical variability and search for evidence of a bend frequency associated with a characteristic optical variability timescale. Each method yields similar results. The first interpolates across data gaps to use the standard Fourier periodogram. The second, using the CARMA-based time-domain modeling technique of Kelly et al., does not need evenly sampled data. Both methods find excess power at high frequencies that may be due to Kepler instrumental effects. More importantly, both also show strong bends (Δα ∼ 2) at timescales of ∼5 days, a feature similar to those seen in the X-ray power spectral densities of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) but never before in the optical. This observed ∼5 day timescale may be associated with one of several physical processes potentially responsible for the variability. A plausible association could be made with light-crossing dynamical or thermal timescales depending on the assumed value of the accretion disk size and on unobserved disk parameters such as α and H/R. This timescale is not consistent with the viscous timescale, which would be years in a ∼10{sup 7} M {sub ☉} AGN such as Zw 229–15. However, there must be a second bend on long (≳ 1 yr) timescales and that feature could be associated with the viscous timescale.

A Dynamical System Approach Explaining the Process of Development by Introducing Different Time-scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Hashemi Kamangar, Somayeh Sadat; Moradimanesh, Zahra; Mokhtari, Setareh; Bakouie, Fatemeh

2018-06-11

A developmental process can be described as changes through time within a complex dynamic system. The self-organized changes and emergent behaviour during development can be described and modeled as a dynamical system. We propose a dynamical system approach to answer the main question in human cognitive development i.e. the changes during development happens continuously or in discontinuous stages. Within this approach there is a concept; the size of time scales, which can be used to address the aforementioned question. We introduce a framework, by considering the concept of time-scale, in which "fast" and "slow" is defined by the size of time-scales. According to our suggested model, the overall pattern of development can be seen as one continuous function, with different time-scales in different time intervals.

Bringing global gyrokinetic turbulence simulations to the transport timescale using a multiscale approach

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jeffrey B.; LoDestro, Lynda L.; Told, Daniel; Merlo, Gabriele; Ricketson, Lee F.; Campos, Alejandro; Jenko, Frank; Hittinger, Jeffrey A. F.

2018-05-01

The vast separation dividing the characteristic times of energy confinement and turbulence in the core of toroidal plasmas makes first-principles prediction on long timescales extremely challenging. Here we report the demonstration of a multiple-timescale method that enables coupling global gyrokinetic simulations with a transport solver to calculate the evolution of the self-consistent temperature profile. This method, which exhibits resiliency to the intrinsic fluctuations arising in turbulence simulations, holds potential for integrating nonlocal gyrokinetic turbulence simulations into predictive, whole-device models.

Assessment of the methods for determining net radiation at different time-scales of meteorological variables

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ni An

2017-04-01

Full Text Available When modeling the soil/atmosphere interaction, it is of paramount importance to determine the net radiation flux. There are two common calculation methods for this purpose. Method 1 relies on use of air temperature, while Method 2 relies on use of both air and soil temperatures. Nowadays, there has been no consensus on the application of these two methods. In this study, the half-hourly data of solar radiation recorded at an experimental embankment are used to calculate the net radiation and long-wave radiation at different time-scales (half-hourly, hourly, and daily using the two methods. The results show that, compared with Method 2 which has been widely adopted in agronomical, geotechnical and geo-environmental applications, Method 1 is more feasible for its simplicity and accuracy at shorter time-scale. Moreover, in case of longer time-scale, daily for instance, less variations of net radiation and long-wave radiation are obtained, suggesting that no detailed soil temperature variations can be obtained. In other words, shorter time-scales are preferred in determining net radiation flux.

Fission time-scale from the measurement of pre-scission light ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

and hence can only probe a part of the fission time distribution. .... with the conclusion of recent fission time-scale measurements using the fission probability ... using the statistical model code JOANNE2 suitably modified to include the GDR ...

Partitioning controls on Amazon forest photosynthesis between environmental and biotic factors at hourly to interannual timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Jin; Guan, Kaiyu; Hayek, Matthew; Restrepo-Coupe, Natalia; Wiedemann, Kenia T; Xu, Xiangtao; Wehr, Richard; Christoffersen, Bradley O; Miao, Guofang; da Silva, Rodrigo; de Araujo, Alessandro C; Oliviera, Raimundo C; Camargo, Plinio B; Monson, Russell K; Huete, Alfredo R; Saleska, Scott R

2017-03-01

Gross ecosystem productivity (GEP) in tropical forests varies both with the environment and with biotic changes in photosynthetic infrastructure, but our understanding of the relative effects of these factors across timescales is limited. Here, we used a statistical model to partition the variability of seven years of eddy covariance-derived GEP in a central Amazon evergreen forest into two main causes: variation in environmental drivers (solar radiation, diffuse light fraction, and vapor pressure deficit) that interact with model parameters that govern photosynthesis and biotic variation in canopy photosynthetic light-use efficiency associated with changes in the parameters themselves. Our fitted model was able to explain most of the variability in GEP at hourly (R 2  = 0.77) to interannual (R 2  = 0.80) timescales. At hourly timescales, we found that 75% of observed GEP variability could be attributed to environmental variability. When aggregating GEP to the longer timescales (daily, monthly, and yearly), however, environmental variation explained progressively less GEP variability: At monthly timescales, it explained only 3%, much less than biotic variation in canopy photosynthetic light-use efficiency, which accounted for 63%. These results challenge modeling approaches that assume GEP is primarily controlled by the environment at both short and long timescales. Our approach distinguishing biotic from environmental variability can help to resolve debates about environmental limitations to tropical forest photosynthesis. For example, we found that biotically regulated canopy photosynthetic light-use efficiency (associated with leaf phenology) increased with sunlight during dry seasons (consistent with light but not water limitation of canopy development) but that realized GEP was nonetheless lower relative to its potential efficiency during dry than wet seasons (consistent with water limitation of photosynthesis in given assemblages of leaves). This work

Short timescale variability in the faint sky variability survey

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Morales-Rueda, L.; Groot, P.J.; Augusteijn, T.; Nelemans, G.A.; Vreeswijk, P.M.; Besselaar, E.J.M. van den

2006-01-01

We present the V-band variability analysis of the Faint Sky Variability Survey (FSVS). The FSVS combines colour and time variability information, from timescales of 24 minutes to tens of days, down to V = 24. We find that �1% of all point sources are variable along the main sequence reaching �3.5%

Shifting Timescales in Peer Group Interactions: A Multilingual Classroom Perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Erduyan, Isil

2017-01-01

In his model of classroom social identification and learning, Wortham (2006. "Learning Identity". New York: Cambridge University Press) conceptualizes identity processes as enveloped within multiple timescales unfolding simultaneously in varying paces. For Wortham (2008. "Shifting Identities in the Classroom." In "Identity…

North-South precipitation patterns in western North America on interannual-to-decadal timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Dettinger, M.D.; Cayan, D.R.; Diaz, Henry F.; Meko, D.M.

1998-01-01

The overall amount of precipitation deposited along the West Coast and western cordillera of North America from 25??to 55??N varies from year to year, and superimposed on this domain-average variability are varying north-south contrasts on timescales from at least interannual to interdecadal. In order to better understand the north-south precipitation contrasts, their interannual and decadal variations are studied in terms of how much they affect overall precipitation amounts and how they are related to large-scale climatic patterns. Spatial empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) and spatial moments (domain average, central latitude, and latitudinal spread) of zonally averaged precipitation anomalies along the westernmost parts of North America are analyzed, and each is correlated with global sea level pressure (SLP) and sea surface temperature series, on interannual (defined here as 3-7 yr) and decadal (>7 yr) timescales. The interannual band considered here corresponds to timescales that are particularly strong in tropical climate variations and thus is expected to contain much precipitation variability that is related to El Nino-Southern Oscillation; the decadal scale is defined so as to capture the whole range of long-term climatic variations affecting western North America. Zonal EOFs of the interannual and decadal filtered versions of the zonal-precipitation series are remarkably similar. At both timescales, two leading EOFs describe 1) a north-south seesaw of precipitation pivoting near 40??N and 2) variations in precipitation near 40??N, respectively. The amount of overall precipitation variability is only about 10% of the mean and is largely determined by precipitation variations around 40??-45??N and most consistently influenced by nearby circulation patterns; in this sense, domain-average precipitation is closely related to the second EOF. The central latitude and latitudinal spread of precipitation distributions are strongly influenced by precipitation

Reconciling radiocarbon and ice core timescales over the Holocene - Cosmogenic radionuclides as synchronization tools

Science.gov (United States)

Muscheler, R.; Adolphi, F.; Mekhaldi, F.

2015-12-01

The atmospheric production rates of cosmogenic radionuclides, such as 14C and 10Be, vary globally due to external processes, namely the solar and geomagnetic modulation of the galactic cosmic ray flux as well as solar proton events. This signature is recorded in various archives such as ice cores (10Be) and tree-rings (14C). Hence, cosmogenic radionuclides offer a means to continuously assess timescale differences between two of the most widely used timescales in paleoclimatology - the radiocarbon and the ice core timescales. Short lived solar proton events additionally provide distinct marker horizons that allow synchronization of discrete horizons at annual precision. We will present a cosmogenic radionuclide based synchronization of the Greenland ice core timescale (GICC05, Svensson et al., 2008) and the radiocarbon timescale (IntCal13, Reimer et al., 2013) over the Holocene. This synchronization allows radiocarbon dated and ice core paleoclimate records to be compared on a common timescale at down to sub-decadal precision. We will compare these results to independent discrete isochrones obtained from tephrochronology and solar proton events. In addition, we will discuss implications for the accuracy and uncertainty estimates of GICC05 over the Holocene. Reimer, P. J., Bard, E., Bayliss, A., Beck, J. W., Blackwell, P. G., Bronk Ramsey, C., Buck, C. E., Cheng, H., Edwards, R. L., Friedrich, M., Grootes, P. M., Guilderson, T. P., Haflidason, H., Hajdas, I., Hatté, C., Heaton, T. J., Hoffmann, D. L., Hogg, A. G., Hughen, K. A., Kaiser, K. F., Kromer, B., Manning, S. W., Niu, M., Reimer, R. W., Richards, D. A., Scott, E. M., Southon, J. R., Staff, R. A., Turney, C. S. M., and van der Plicht, J.: IntCal13 and Marine13 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves 0-50,000 Years cal BP, Radiocarbon, 55, 1869-1887, 10.2458/azu_js_rc.55.16947, 2013. Svensson, A., Andersen, K. K., Bigler, M., Clausen, H. B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Davies, S. M., Johnsen, S. J., Muscheler, R., Parrenin

Factors affecting the inter-annual to centennial timescale variability of Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Science.gov (United States)

Malik, Abdul; Brönnimann, Stefan

2018-06-01

The Modes of Ocean Variability (MOV) namely Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can have significant impacts on Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR) on different timescales. The timescales at which these MOV interacts with ISMR and the factors which may perturb their relationship with ISMR need to be investigated. We employ De-trended Cross-Correlation Analysis (DCCA), and De-trended Partial-Cross-Correlation Analysis (DPCCA) to study the timescales of interaction of ISMR with AMO, PDO, and ENSO using observational dataset (AD 1854-1999), and atmosphere-ocean-chemistry climate model simulations with SOCOL-MPIOM (AD 1600-1999). Further, this study uses De-trended Semi-Partial Cross-Correlation Analysis (DSPCCA) to address the relation between solar variability and the ISMR. We find statistically significant evidence of intrinsic correlations of ISMR with AMO, PDO, and ENSO on different timescales, consistent between model simulations and observations. However, the model fails to capture modulation in intrinsic relationship between ISRM and MOV due to external signals. Our analysis indicates that AMO is a potential source of non-stationary relationship between ISMR and ENSO. Furthermore, the pattern of correlation between ISMR and Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) is inconsistent between observations and model simulations. The observational dataset indicates statistically insignificant negative intrinsic correlation between ISMR and TSI on decadal-to-centennial timescales. This statistically insignificant negative intrinsic correlation is transformed to statistically significant positive extrinsic by AMO on 61-86-year timescale. We propose a new mechanism for Sun-monsoon connection which operates through AMO by changes in summer (June-September; JJAS) meridional gradient of tropospheric temperatures (ΔTTJJAS). There is a negative (positive) intrinsic correlation between ΔTTJJAS (AMO) and

A comparison of solar energetic particle event timescales with properties of associated coronal mass ejections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kahler, S. W.

2013-01-01

The dependence of solar energetic proton (SEP) event peak intensities Ip on properties of associated coronal mass ejections (CMEs) has been extensively examined, but the dependence of SEP event timescales is not well known. We define three timescales of 20 MeV SEP events and ask how they are related to speeds v CME or widths W of their associated CMEs observed by LASCO/SOHO. The timescales of the EPACT/Wind 20 MeV events are TO, the onset time from CME launch to SEP onset; TR, the rise time from onset to half the peak intensity (0.5Ip); and TD, the duration of the SEP intensity above 0.5Ip. This is a statistical study based on 217 SEP-CME events observed during 1996-2008. The large number of SEP events allows us to examine the SEP-CME relationship in five solar-source longitude ranges. In general, we statistically find that TO declines slightly with v CME , and TR and TD increase with both v CME and W. TO is inversely correlated with log Ip, as expected from a particle background effect. We discuss the implications of this result and find that a background-independent parameter TO+TR also increases with v CME and W. The correlations generally fall below the 98% significance level, but there is a significant correlation between v CME and W which renders interpretation of the timescale results uncertain. We suggest that faster (and wider) CMEs drive shocks and accelerate SEPs over longer times to produce the longer TR and TD SEP timescales.

A Formation Timescale of the Galactic Halo from Mg Isotopes in Dwarf Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Carlos, Marília; Karakas, Amanda I.; Cohen, Judith G.; Kobayashi, Chiaki; Meléndez, Jorge

2018-04-01

We determine magnesium isotopic abundances of metal-poor dwarf stars from the galactic halo, to shed light on the onset of asymptotic giant branch (AGB) star nucleosynthesis in the galactic halo and constrain the timescale of its formation. We observed a sample of eight new halo K dwarfs in a metallicity range of ‑1.9 ‑1.4 are somewhat higher (1–3σ) than previous chemical evolution model predictions, indicating perhaps higher yields of the neutron-rich isotopes. Our results using only AGB star enrichment suggest a timescale for formation for the galactic halo of about 0.3 Gyr, but considering also supernova enrichment, the upper limit for the timescale formation is about 1.5 Gyr. The data presented herein were obtained at the W. M. Keck Observatory, which is operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation.

Scale interactions on diurnal toseasonal timescales and their relevanceto model systematic errors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Yang

2003-06-01

Full Text Available Examples of current research into systematic errors in climate models are used to demonstrate the importance of scale interactions on diurnal,intraseasonal and seasonal timescales for the mean and variability of the tropical climate system. It has enabled some conclusions to be drawn about possible processes that may need to be represented, and some recommendations to be made regarding model improvements. It has been shown that the Maritime Continent heat source is a major driver of the global circulation but yet is poorly represented in GCMs. A new climatology of the diurnal cycle has been used to provide compelling evidence of important land-sea breeze and gravity wave effects, which may play a crucial role in the heat and moisture budget of this key region for the tropical and global circulation. The role of the diurnal cycle has also been emphasized for intraseasonal variability associated with the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO. It is suggested that the diurnal cycle in Sea Surface Temperature (SST during the suppressed phase of the MJO leads to a triggering of cumulus congestus clouds, which serve to moisten the free troposphere and hence precondition the atmosphere for the next active phase. It has been further shown that coupling between the ocean and atmosphere on intraseasonal timescales leads to a more realistic simulation of the MJO. These results stress the need for models to be able to simulate firstly, the observed tri-modal distribution of convection, and secondly, the coupling between the ocean and atmosphere on diurnal to intraseasonal timescales. It is argued, however, that the current representation of the ocean mixed layer in coupled models is not adequate to represent the complex structure of the observed mixed layer, in particular the formation of salinity barrier layers which can potentially provide much stronger local coupling between the atmosphere and ocean on diurnal to intraseasonal timescales.

Cooling Timescale of Dust Tori in Dying Active Galactic Nuclei

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ichikawa, Kohei [Department of Astronomy, Columbia University, 550 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027 (United States); Tazaki, Ryo, E-mail: k.ichikawa@astro.columbia.edu [Astronomical Institute, Tohoku University, 6-3 Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8578 (Japan)

2017-07-20

We estimate the dust torus cooling timescale once the active galactic nucleus (AGN) is quenched. In a clumpy torus system, once the incoming photons are suppressed, the cooling timescale of one clump from T {sub dust} = 1000 K to several 10 K is less than 10 years, indicating that the dust torus cooling time is mainly governed by the light crossing time of the torus from the central engine. After considering the light crossing time of the torus, the AGN torus emission at 12 μ m becomes over two orders of magnitude fainter within 100 years after the quenching. We also propose that those “dying” AGNs could be found using the AGN indicators with a different physical scale R such as 12 μ m band luminosity tracing AGN torus ( R ∼ 10 pc) and the optical [O iii] λ 5007 emission line tracing narrow line regions ( R = 10{sup 2–4} pc).

Universal timescales in the rheology of spheroid cell aggregates

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Miao; Mahtabfar, Aria; Beleen, Paul; Foty, Ramsey; Zahn, Jeffrey; Shreiber, David; Liu, Liping; Lin, Hao

2017-11-01

The rheological properties of tissue play important roles in key biological processes including embryogenesis, cancer metastasis, and wound healing. Spheroid cell aggregate is a particularly interesting model system for the study of these phenomena. In the long time, they behave like drops with a surface tension. In the short, viscoelasticity also needs to be considered. In this work, we discover two coupled and universal timescales for spheroid aggregates. A total of 12 aggregate types (total aggregate number n =290) derived from L and GBM (glioblastoma multiforme) cells are studied with microtensiometer to obtain their surface tension. They are also allowed to relax upon release of the compression forces. The two timescales are observed during the relaxation process; their values do not depend on compression time nor the degree of deformation, and are consistent among all 12 types. Following prior work (Yu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 115:128303; Liu et al., J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 98:309-329) we use a rigorous mathematical theory to interpret the results, which reveals intriguing properties of the aggregates on both tissue and cellular levels. The mechanics of multicellular organization reflects both complexity and regularity due to strong active regulation.

Bridging the Timescales of Single-Cell and Population Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Jafarpour, Farshid; Wright, Charles S.; Gudjonson, Herman; Riebling, Jedidiah; Dawson, Emma; Lo, Klevin; Fiebig, Aretha; Crosson, Sean; Dinner, Aaron R.; Iyer-Biswas, Srividya

2018-04-01

How are granular details of stochastic growth and division of individual cells reflected in smooth deterministic growth of population numbers? We provide an integrated, multiscale perspective of microbial growth dynamics by formulating a data-validated theoretical framework that accounts for observables at both single-cell and population scales. We derive exact analytical complete time-dependent solutions to cell-age distributions and population growth rates as functionals of the underlying interdivision time distributions, for symmetric and asymmetric cell division. These results provide insights into the surprising implications of stochastic single-cell dynamics for population growth. Using our results for asymmetric division, we deduce the time to transition from the reproductively quiescent (swarmer) to the replication-competent (stalked) stage of the Caulobacter crescentus life cycle. Remarkably, population numbers can spontaneously oscillate with time. We elucidate the physics leading to these population oscillations. For C. crescentus cells, we show that a simple measurement of the population growth rate, for a given growth condition, is sufficient to characterize the condition-specific cellular unit of time and, thus, yields the mean (single-cell) growth and division timescales, fluctuations in cell division times, the cell-age distribution, and the quiescence timescale.

SIMULATING THE TIMESCALE-DEPENDENT COLOR VARIATION IN QUASARS WITH A REVISED INHOMOGENEOUS DISK MODEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cai, Zhen-Yi; Wang, Jun-Xian; Sun, Yu-Han; Wu, Mao-Chun; Huang, Xing-Xing; Chen, Xiao-Yang [CAS Key Laboratory for Researches in Galaxies and Cosmology, University of Science and Technology of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Gu, Wei-Min, E-mail: zcai@ustc.edu.cn, E-mail: jxw@ustc.edu.cn [Department of Astronomy and Institute of Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361005 (China)

2016-07-20

The UV–optical variability of active galactic nuclei and quasars is useful for understanding the physics of the accretion disk and is gradually being attributed to stochastic fluctuations over the accretion disk. Quasars generally appear bluer when they brighten in the UV–optical bands; the nature of this phenomenon remains controversial. Recently, Sun et al. discovered that the color variation of quasars is timescale-dependent, in the way that faster variations are even bluer than longer term ones. While this discovery can directly rule out models that simply attribute the color variation to contamination from the host galaxies, or to changes in the global accretion rates, it favors the stochastic disk fluctuation model as fluctuations in the inner-most hotter disk could dominate the short-term variations. In this work, we show that a revised inhomogeneous disk model, where the characteristic timescales of thermal fluctuations in the disk are radius-dependent (i.e., τ ∼ r ; based on that originally proposed by Dexter and Agol), can reproduce well a timescale-dependent color variation pattern, similar to the observed one and unaffected by the uneven sampling and photometric error. This demonstrates that one may statistically use variation emission at different timescales to spatially resolve the accretion disk in quasars, thus opening a new window with which to probe and test the accretion disk physics in the era of time domain astronomy. Caveats of the current model, which ought to be addressed in future simulations, are discussed.

Dysregulated stress signal sensitivity and inflammatory disinhibition as a pathophysiological mechanism of stress-related chronic fatigue.

Science.gov (United States)

Strahler, Jana; Skoluda, Nadine; Rohleder, Nicolas; Nater, Urs M

2016-09-01

Chronic stress and its subsequent effects on biological stress systems have long been recognized as predisposing and perpetuating factors in chronic fatigue, although the exact mechanisms are far from being completely understood. In this review, we propose that sensitivity of immune cells to glucocorticoids (GCs) and catecholamines (CATs) may be the missing link in elucidating how stress turns into chronic fatigue. We searched for in vitro studies investigating the impact of GCs or CATs on mitogen-stimulated immune cells in chronically stressed or fatigued populations, with 34 original studies fulfilling our inclusion criteria. Besides mixed cross-sectional findings for stress- and fatigue-related changes of GC sensitivity under basal conditions or acute stress, longitudinal studies indicate a decrease with ongoing stress. Research on CATs is still scarce, but initial findings point towards a reduction of CAT sensitivity under chronic stress. In the long run, resistance of immune cells to stress signals under conditions of chronic stress might translate into self-maintaining inflammation and inflammatory disinhibition under acute stress, which in turn lead to fatigue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamics analysis of the fast-slow hydro-turbine governing system with different time-scale coupling

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Hao; Chen, Diyi; Wu, Changzhi; Wang, Xiangyu

2018-01-01

Multi-time scales modeling of hydro-turbine governing system is crucial in precise modeling of hydropower plant and provides support for the stability analysis of the system. Considering the inertia and response time of the hydraulic servo system, the hydro-turbine governing system is transformed into the fast-slow hydro-turbine governing system. The effects of the time-scale on the dynamical behavior of the system are analyzed and the fast-slow dynamical behaviors of the system are investigated with different time-scale. Furthermore, the theoretical analysis of the stable regions is presented. The influences of the time-scale on the stable region are analyzed by simulation. The simulation results prove the correctness of the theoretical analysis. More importantly, the methods and results of this paper provide a perspective to multi-time scales modeling of hydro-turbine governing system and contribute to the optimization analysis and control of the system.

Time-Scale Invariant Audio Data Embedding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mansour Mohamed F

2003-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a novel algorithm for high-quality data embedding in audio. The algorithm is based on changing the relative length of the middle segment between two successive maximum and minimum peaks to embed data. Spline interpolation is used to change the lengths. To ensure smooth monotonic behavior between peaks, a hybrid orthogonal and nonorthogonal wavelet decomposition is used prior to data embedding. The possible data embedding rates are between 20 and 30 bps. However, for practical purposes, we use repetition codes, and the effective embedding data rate is around 5 bps. The algorithm is invariant after time-scale modification, time shift, and time cropping. It gives high-quality output and is robust to mp3 compression.

Consideration of timescales in post-closure safety of geological disposal of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-11-01

A key challenge in the development of safety cases for geological repositories is associated with the long periods of time over which radioactive wastes that are disposed of in repositories remain hazardous. Over such periods, a wide range of events and processes characterised by many different timescales acts on a repository and its environment. These events and processes, their attendant uncertainties, and their possible impacts on repository evolution and performance must be identified, assessed and communicated in a safety case. The handling of issues related to timescales was discussed at an OECD/NEA workshop held in Paris in 2002 and a short report providing an account of the lessons learnt and issues raised at the workshop, was published in 2004. There is, however, an evolving understanding regarding the nature of the issues related to timescales and how they should be addressed, which provides the motivation for the present report. The report is based on the analysis of the responses to a questionnaire received from twenty-four organisations, representing both implementers and regulators from thirteen OECD member countries, as well as discussions that took place in several later meetings. The report is aimed at interested parties that already have some detailed background knowledge of safety assessment methodologies and safety cases, including safety assessment practitioners and regulators, project managers and scientific specialists in relevant disciplines. Its aims are: - to review the current status and ongoing discussions on the handling of issues related to timescales in the deep geological disposal of long-lived radioactive waste; - to highlight areas of consensus and points of difference between national programmes; and - to determine if there is room for further improvement in methodologies to handle these issues in safety assessment and in building and presenting safety cases. The handling of issues related to timescales in safety cases is affected

Climate variations of Central Asia on orbital to millennial timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Hai; Spötl, Christoph; Breitenbach, Sebastian F M; Sinha, Ashish; Wassenburg, Jasper A; Jochum, Klaus Peter; Scholz, Denis; Li, Xianglei; Yi, Liang; Peng, Youbing; Lv, Yanbin; Zhang, Pingzhong; Votintseva, Antonina; Loginov, Vadim; Ning, Youfeng; Kathayat, Gayatri; Edwards, R Lawrence

2016-11-11

The extent to which climate variability in Central Asia is causally linked to large-scale changes in the Asian monsoon on varying timescales remains a longstanding question. Here we present precisely dated high-resolution speleothem oxygen-carbon isotope and trace element records of Central Asia's hydroclimate variability from Tonnel'naya cave, Uzbekistan, and Kesang cave, western China. On orbital timescales, the supra-regional climate variance, inferred from our oxygen isotope records, exhibits a precessional rhythm, punctuated by millennial-scale abrupt climate events, suggesting a close coupling with the Asian monsoon. However, the local hydroclimatic variability at both cave sites, inferred from carbon isotope and trace element records, shows climate variations that are distinctly different from their supra-regional modes. Particularly, hydroclimatic changes in both Tonnel'naya and Kesang areas during the Holocene lag behind the supra-regional climate variability by several thousand years. These observations may reconcile the apparent out-of-phase hydroclimatic variability, inferred from the Holocene lake proxy records, between Westerly Central Asia and Monsoon Asia.

Timescale differences between SC-PDSI and SPEI for drought monitoring in China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Haiyan; Gao, Ge; An, Wei; Zou, Xukai; Li, Haitao; Hou, Meiting

2017-12-01

The Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) has been widely used to monitor drought. Its characteristics are more suitable for measuring droughts of longer timescales, and this fact has not received much attention. The Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) can better reflect the climatic water balance, owing to its combination of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration. In this study, we selected monthly average air temperature and precipitation data from 589 meteorological stations of China's National Meteorological Information Center, to compare the effects of applying a self-calibrating PDSI (SC-PDSI) and SPEI to monitor drought events in the station regions, with a special focus on differences of event timescale. The results show the following. 1) Comparative analysis using SC-PDSI and SPEI for drought years and characters of three dry periods from 1961 to 2011 in the Beijing region showed that durations of SC-PDSI-based dry spells were longer than those of 3-month and 6-month SPEIs, but equal to those of 12-month or longer timescale SPEIs. 2) For monitoring evolution of the fall 2009 to spring 2010 Southwest China drought and spring 2000 Huang-Huai drought, 3-month SPEI could better monitor the initiation, aggravation, alleviation and relief of drought in the two regions, whereas the SC-PDSI was insensitive to drought recovery because of its long-term memory of previous climate conditions. 3) Analysis of the relationship between SC-PDSI for different regions and SPEI for different timescales showed that correlation of the two indexes changed with region, and SC-PDSI was maximally correlated with SPEI of 9-19 months in China. Therefore, SC-PDSI is only suitable for monitoring mid- and long-term droughts, owing to the strong lagged autocorrelation such as 0.4786 for 12-month lagged ones in Beijing, whereas SPEI is suitable for both short- and long-term drought-monitoring and should have greater application prospects in China.

Short timescale photometric and polarimetric behavior of two BL Lacertae type objects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Covino, S.; Baglio, M. C.; Foschini, L.; Sandrinelli, A.; Tavecchio, F.; Treves, A.; Zhang, H.; Barres de Almeida, U.; Bonnoli, G.; Boettcher, M.; Cecconi, M.; D'Ammando, F.; Fabrizio, L. di; Giarrusso, M.; Leone, F.; Lindfors, E.; Lorenzi, V.; Molinari, E.; Paiano, S.; Prandini, E.; Raiteri, C. M.; Stamerra, A.; Tagliaferri, G.

2015-01-01

Context. Blazars are astrophysical sources whose emission is dominated by non-thermal processes, typically interpreted as synchrotron and inverse Compton emission. Although the general picture is rather robust and consistent with observations, many aspects are still unexplored. Aims. Polarimetric monitoring can offer a wealth of information about the physical processes in blazars. Models with largely different physical ingredients can often provide almost indistinguishable predictions for the total flux, but usually are characterized by markedly different polarization properties. We explore, with a pilot study, the possibility to derive structural information about the emitting regions of blazars by means of a joint analysis of rapid variability of the total and polarized flux at optical wavelengths. Methods. Short timescale (from tens of seconds to a couple of minutes) optical linear polarimetry and photometry for two blazars, BL Lacertae and PKS 1424+240, was carried out with the PAOLO polarimeter at the 3.6 m Telescopio Nazionale Galileo. Several hours of almost continuous observations were obtained for both sources. Results. Our intense monitoring allowed us to draw strongly different scenarios for BL Lacertae and PKS 1424+240, with the former characterized by intense variability on time-scales from hours to a few minutes and the latter practically constant in total flux. Essentially the same behavior is observed for the polarized flux and the position angle. The variability time-scales turned out to be as short as a few minutes, although involving only a few percent variation of the flux. The polarization variability time-scale is generally consistent with the total flux variability. Total and polarized flux appear to be essentially uncorrelated. However, even during our relatively short monitoring, different regimes can be singled out. Conclusions. No simple scenario is able to satisfactorily model the very rich phenomenology exhibited in our data. As a

What Can We Learn about GRB from the Variability Timescale Related Correlations?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xie, Wei; Lei, Wei-Hua; Wang, Ding-Xiong, E-mail: leiwh@hust.edu.cn [School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2017-04-01

Recently, two empirical correlations related to the minimum variability timescale (MTS) of the light curves are discovered in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). One is the anti-correlation between MTS and Lorentz factor Γ, and the other is the anti-correlation between the MTS and gamma-ray luminosity L {sub γ}. Both of the two correlations might be used to explore the activity of the central engine of GRBs. In this paper, we try to understand these empirical correlations by combining two popular black hole central engine models (namely, the Blandford and Znajek mechanism (BZ) and the neutrino-dominated accretion flow (NDAF)). By taking the MTS as the timescale of viscous instability of the NDAF, we find that these correlations favor the scenario in which the jet is driven by the BZ mechanism.

What Can We Learn about GRB from the Variability Timescale Related Correlations?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Wei; Lei, Wei-Hua; Wang, Ding-Xiong

2017-01-01

Recently, two empirical correlations related to the minimum variability timescale (MTS) of the light curves are discovered in gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). One is the anti-correlation between MTS and Lorentz factor Γ, and the other is the anti-correlation between the MTS and gamma-ray luminosity L γ . Both of the two correlations might be used to explore the activity of the central engine of GRBs. In this paper, we try to understand these empirical correlations by combining two popular black hole central engine models (namely, the Blandford and Znajek mechanism (BZ) and the neutrino-dominated accretion flow (NDAF)). By taking the MTS as the timescale of viscous instability of the NDAF, we find that these correlations favor the scenario in which the jet is driven by the BZ mechanism.

Anti-correlated cortical networks arise from spontaneous neuronal dynamics at slow timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Kodama, Nathan X; Feng, Tianyi; Ullett, James J; Chiel, Hillel J; Sivakumar, Siddharth S; Galán, Roberto F

2018-01-12

In the highly interconnected architectures of the cerebral cortex, recurrent intracortical loops disproportionately outnumber thalamo-cortical inputs. These networks are also capable of generating neuronal activity without feedforward sensory drive. It is unknown, however, what spatiotemporal patterns may be solely attributed to intrinsic connections of the local cortical network. Using high-density microelectrode arrays, here we show that in the isolated, primary somatosensory cortex of mice, neuronal firing fluctuates on timescales from milliseconds to tens of seconds. Slower firing fluctuations reveal two spatially distinct neuronal ensembles, which correspond to superficial and deeper layers. These ensembles are anti-correlated: when one fires more, the other fires less and vice versa. This interplay is clearest at timescales of several seconds and is therefore consistent with shifts between active sensing and anticipatory behavioral states in mice.

Non-Abelian Kubo formula and the multiple time-scale method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, X.; Li, J.

1996-01-01

The non-Abelian Kubo formula is derived from the kinetic theory. That expression is compared with the one obtained using the eikonal for a Chern endash Simons theory. The multiple time-scale method is used to study the non-Abelian Kubo formula, and the damping rate for longitudinal color waves is computed. copyright 1996 Academic Press, Inc

Timescales and Mechanisms of Sigh-Like Bursting and Spiking in Models of Rhythmic Respiratory Neurons.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yangyang; Rubin, Jonathan E

2017-12-01

Neural networks generate a variety of rhythmic activity patterns, often involving different timescales. One example arises in the respiratory network in the pre-Bötzinger complex of the mammalian brainstem, which can generate the eupneic rhythm associated with normal respiration as well as recurrent low-frequency, large-amplitude bursts associated with sighing. Two competing hypotheses have been proposed to explain sigh generation: the recruitment of a neuronal population distinct from the eupneic rhythm-generating subpopulation or the reconfiguration of activity within a single population. Here, we consider two recent computational models, one of which represents each of the hypotheses. We use methods of dynamical systems theory, such as fast-slow decomposition, averaging, and bifurcation analysis, to understand the multiple-timescale mechanisms underlying sigh generation in each model. In the course of our analysis, we discover that a third timescale is required to generate sighs in both models. Furthermore, we identify the similarities of the underlying mechanisms in the two models and the aspects in which they differ.

Acute disinhibiting effects of alcohol as a factor in risky driving behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Fillmore, Mark T.; Blackburn, Jaime S.; Harrison, Emily L. R.

2008-01-01

Automobile crash reports show that up to 40% of fatal crashes in the United States involve alcohol and that younger drivers are over-represented. Alcohol use among young drivers is associated with impulsive and risky driving behaviors, such as speeding, which could contribute to their over-representation in alcohol-related crash statistics. Recent laboratory studies show that alcohol increases impulsive behaviors by impairing the drinker’s ability to inhibit inappropriate actions and that this effect can be exacerbated in conflict situations where the expression and inhibition of behavior are equally motivating. The present study tested the hypothesis that this response conflict might also intensify the disruptive effects of alcohol on driving performance. Fourteen subjects performed a simulated driving and a cued go/no-go task that measured their inhibitory control. Conflict was motivated in these tasks by providing equal monetary incentives for slow, careful behavior (e.g., slow driving, inhibiting impulses) and for quick, abrupt behavior (fast driving, disinhibition). Subjects were tested under two alcohol doses (0.65 g/kg and a placebo) that were administered twice: when conflict was present and when conflict was absent. Alcohol interacted with conflict to impair inhibitory control and to increase risky and impaired driving behavior on the drive task. Also, individuals whose inhibitory control was most impaired by alcohol displayed the poorest driving performance under the drug. The study demonstrates potentially serious disruptions to driving performance as a function of alcohol intoxication and response conflict, and points to inhibitory control as an important underlying mechanism. PMID:18325693

Stochastic simulation of enzyme-catalyzed reactions with disparate timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Barik, Debashis; Paul, Mark R; Baumann, William T; Cao, Yang; Tyson, John J

2008-10-01

Many physiological characteristics of living cells are regulated by protein interaction networks. Because the total numbers of these protein species can be small, molecular noise can have significant effects on the dynamical properties of a regulatory network. Computing these stochastic effects is made difficult by the large timescale separations typical of protein interactions (e.g., complex formation may occur in fractions of a second, whereas catalytic conversions may take minutes). Exact stochastic simulation may be very inefficient under these circumstances, and methods for speeding up the simulation without sacrificing accuracy have been widely studied. We show that the "total quasi-steady-state approximation" for enzyme-catalyzed reactions provides a useful framework for efficient and accurate stochastic simulations. The method is applied to three examples: a simple enzyme-catalyzed reaction where enzyme and substrate have comparable abundances, a Goldbeter-Koshland switch, where a kinase and phosphatase regulate the phosphorylation state of a common substrate, and coupled Goldbeter-Koshland switches that exhibit bistability. Simulations based on the total quasi-steady-state approximation accurately capture the steady-state probability distributions of all components of these reaction networks. In many respects, the approximation also faithfully reproduces time-dependent aspects of the fluctuations. The method is accurate even under conditions of poor timescale separation.

Sea level oscillations over minute timescales: a global perspective

Science.gov (United States)

Vilibic, Ivica; Sepic, Jadranka

2016-04-01

Sea level oscillations occurring over minutes to a few hours are an important contributor to sea level extremes, and a knowledge on their behaviour is essential for proper quantification of coastal marine hazards. Tsunamis, meteotsunamis, infra-gravity waves and harbour oscillations may even dominate sea level extremes in certain areas and thus pose a great danger for humans and coastal infrastructure. Aside for tsunamis, which are, due to their enormous impact to the coastlines, a well-researched phenomena, the importance of other high-frequency oscillations to the sea level extremes is still underrated, as no systematic long-term measurements have been carried out at a minute timescales. Recently, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) established Sea Level Monitoring Facility portal (http://www.ioc-sealevelmonitoring.org), making 1-min sea level data publicly available for several hundred tide gauge sites in the World Ocean. Thereafter, a global assessment of oscillations over tsunami timescales become possible; however, the portal contains raw sea level data only, being unchecked for spikes, shifts, drifts and other malfunctions of instruments. We present a quality assessment of these data, estimates of sea level variances and contributions of high-frequency processes to the extremes throughout the World Ocean. This is accompanied with assessment of atmospheric conditions and processes which generate intense high-frequency oscillations.

Aging of black carbon particles under polluted urban environments: timescale, hygroscopicity and enhanced absorption and direct radiative forcing

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, J.; Hu, M.; Guo, S.; Du, Z.; Zheng, J.; Shang, D.; Levy Zamora, M.; Shao, M.; Wu, Y.; Zheng, J.; Wang, Y.; Zeng, L.; Collins, D. R.; Molina, M.; Zhang, R.

2017-12-01

Black carbon (BC) exerts profound impacts on air quality and climate because of its high absorption cross-section over a broad range of electromagnetic spectra, but the current results on absorption enhancement of BC particles during atmospheric aging remain conflicting. Here, we quantified the aging and variation in the hygroscopic and optical properties of BC particles under ambient conditions in Beijing, China, and Houston, United States, using an outdoor environmental chamber approach. BC aging exhibits two distinct stages, i.e., initial transformation from a fractal to spherical morphology with little absorption variation and subsequent growth of fully compact particles with a large absorption enhancement. The timescales to achieve complete morphology modification and an absorption amplification factor of 2.4 for BC particles are estimated to be 2.3 h and 4.6 h, respectively, in Beijing, compared with 9 h and 18 h, respectively, in Houston. The κ (kappa) values of coating materials are calculated as 0.04 at both subsaturation and supersaturation conditions, respectively, indicating that the initial photochemical aging of BC particles does not appreciably alter the BC hygroscopicity. Our findings suggest that BC aging under polluted urban environments could play an essential role in pollution development and contribute importantly to large positive radiative forcing. The variation in direct radiative forcing is dependent on the rate and timescale of BC aging, with a clear distinction between urban cities in developed and developing countries, i.e., a higher climatic impact in more polluted environments. We suggest that mediation in BC emissions achieves a cobenefit in simultaneously controlling air pollution and protecting climate, especially for developing countries.

A hierarchy of time-scales and the brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Kiebel, Stefan J; Daunizeau, Jean; Friston, Karl J

2008-11-01

In this paper, we suggest that cortical anatomy recapitulates the temporal hierarchy that is inherent in the dynamics of environmental states. Many aspects of brain function can be understood in terms of a hierarchy of temporal scales at which representations of the environment evolve. The lowest level of this hierarchy corresponds to fast fluctuations associated with sensory processing, whereas the highest levels encode slow contextual changes in the environment, under which faster representations unfold. First, we describe a mathematical model that exploits the temporal structure of fast sensory input to track the slower trajectories of their underlying causes. This model of sensory encoding or perceptual inference establishes a proof of concept that slowly changing neuronal states can encode the paths or trajectories of faster sensory states. We then review empirical evidence that suggests that a temporal hierarchy is recapitulated in the macroscopic organization of the cortex. This anatomic-temporal hierarchy provides a comprehensive framework for understanding cortical function: the specific time-scale that engages a cortical area can be inferred by its location along a rostro-caudal gradient, which reflects the anatomical distance from primary sensory areas. This is most evident in the prefrontal cortex, where complex functions can be explained as operations on representations of the environment that change slowly. The framework provides predictions about, and principled constraints on, cortical structure-function relationships, which can be tested by manipulating the time-scales of sensory input.

A hierarchy of time-scales and the brain.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stefan J Kiebel

2008-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we suggest that cortical anatomy recapitulates the temporal hierarchy that is inherent in the dynamics of environmental states. Many aspects of brain function can be understood in terms of a hierarchy of temporal scales at which representations of the environment evolve. The lowest level of this hierarchy corresponds to fast fluctuations associated with sensory processing, whereas the highest levels encode slow contextual changes in the environment, under which faster representations unfold. First, we describe a mathematical model that exploits the temporal structure of fast sensory input to track the slower trajectories of their underlying causes. This model of sensory encoding or perceptual inference establishes a proof of concept that slowly changing neuronal states can encode the paths or trajectories of faster sensory states. We then review empirical evidence that suggests that a temporal hierarchy is recapitulated in the macroscopic organization of the cortex. This anatomic-temporal hierarchy provides a comprehensive framework for understanding cortical function: the specific time-scale that engages a cortical area can be inferred by its location along a rostro-caudal gradient, which reflects the anatomical distance from primary sensory areas. This is most evident in the prefrontal cortex, where complex functions can be explained as operations on representations of the environment that change slowly. The framework provides predictions about, and principled constraints on, cortical structure-function relationships, which can be tested by manipulating the time-scales of sensory input.

Full-scale and time-scale heating experiments at Stripa: preliminary results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, N.G.W.; Hood, Michael; California Univ., Berkeley

1978-01-01

Two full-scale heating experiments and a time-scale heating experiment have recently been started in granite 340 meters below surface. The purpose of the full-scale heating experiments is to assess the near-field effects of thermal loading for the design of an underground repository of nuclear wastes. That of the time-scale heating experiments is to obtain field data of the interaction between heaters and its effect on the rock mass during a period of about two years, which corresponds to about twenty years of full-scale operation. Geological features of the rock around each experiment have been mapped carefully, and temperatures, stresses and displacements induced in the rock by heating have been calculated in advance of the experiments. Some 800 different measurements are recorded at frequent intervals by a computer system situated underground. These data can be compared at any time with predictions made earlier on video display units underground

Relationship between impulsivity, snack consumption and children's weight.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eline W M Scholten

Full Text Available Childhood overweight is a public health problem associated with psychosocial and physical problems. Personality traits, such as impulsivity, may contribute to the development of overweight.This study examines 1 the association between general impulsivity traits (reward sensitivity and disinhibition and children's weight, 2 the association between impulsivity traits and unhealthy snack consumption, and 3 the potential mediating role of unhealthy snack consumption in the relationship between impulsivity traits and children's weight.Included were 1,377 parent-child dyads participating in the IVO Nutrition and Physical Activity Child cohorT (INPACT. Children had a mean age of 10 years. Parents completed a questionnaire to measure children's unhealthy snack consumption. Children completed a door-opening task to assess reward sensitivity and completed a questionnaire to measure disinhibition. Children's height and weight were measured to calculate their BMI z-scores. Cross-sectional linear regression analyses were performed to test the associations.Disinhibition was positively associated with unhealthy snack consumption but not with BMI z-scores. Reward sensitivity was not related to unhealthy snack consumption or to BMI z-scores.No evidence was found for a mediating effect of unhealthy snack consumption in the relation between impulsivity traits and children's weight. However, disinhibition appears to have a negative influence on children's unhealthy snack consumption. Future research focusing on food-related impulsivity in addition to general impulsivity will provide additional insight into factors that influence children's unhealthy snack consumption and weight.

Relationship between impulsivity, snack consumption and children's weight.

Science.gov (United States)

Scholten, Eline W M; Schrijvers, Carola T M; Nederkoorn, Chantal; Kremers, Stef P J; Rodenburg, Gerda

2014-01-01

Childhood overweight is a public health problem associated with psychosocial and physical problems. Personality traits, such as impulsivity, may contribute to the development of overweight. This study examines 1) the association between general impulsivity traits (reward sensitivity and disinhibition) and children's weight, 2) the association between impulsivity traits and unhealthy snack consumption, and 3) the potential mediating role of unhealthy snack consumption in the relationship between impulsivity traits and children's weight. Included were 1,377 parent-child dyads participating in the IVO Nutrition and Physical Activity Child cohorT (INPACT). Children had a mean age of 10 years. Parents completed a questionnaire to measure children's unhealthy snack consumption. Children completed a door-opening task to assess reward sensitivity and completed a questionnaire to measure disinhibition. Children's height and weight were measured to calculate their BMI z-scores. Cross-sectional linear regression analyses were performed to test the associations. Disinhibition was positively associated with unhealthy snack consumption but not with BMI z-scores. Reward sensitivity was not related to unhealthy snack consumption or to BMI z-scores. No evidence was found for a mediating effect of unhealthy snack consumption in the relation between impulsivity traits and children's weight. However, disinhibition appears to have a negative influence on children's unhealthy snack consumption. Future research focusing on food-related impulsivity in addition to general impulsivity will provide additional insight into factors that influence children's unhealthy snack consumption and weight.

Timescale Correlation between Marine Atmospheric Exposure and Accelerated Corrosion Testing - Part 2

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Eliza L.; Calle, Luz Marina; Curran, Jerome C.; Kolody, Mark R.

2012-01-01

Evaluation of metals to predict service life of metal-based structures in corrosive environments has long relied on atmospheric exposure test sites. Traditional accelerated corrosion testing relies on mimicking the exposure conditions, often incorporating salt spray and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and exposing the metal to continuous or cyclic conditions similar to those of the corrosive environment. Their reliability to correlate to atmospheric exposure test results is often a concern when determining the timescale to which the accelerated tests can be related. Accelerated corrosion testing has yet to be universally accepted as a useful tool in predicting the long-term service life of a metal, despite its ability to rapidly induce corrosion. Although visual and mass loss methods of evaluating corrosion are the standard, and their use is crucial, a method that correlates timescales from accelerated testing to atmospheric exposure would be very valuable. This paper presents work that began with the characterization of the atmospheric environment at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Beachside Corrosion Test Site. The chemical changes that occur on low carbon steel, during atmospheric and accelerated corrosion conditions, were investigated using surface chemistry analytical methods. The corrosion rates and behaviors of panels subjected to long-term and accelerated corrosion conditions, involving neutral salt fog and alternating seawater spray, were compared to identify possible timescale correlations between accelerated and long-term corrosion performance. The results, as well as preliminary findings on the correlation investigation, are presented.

Trends and Correlation Estimation in Climate Sciences: Effects of Timescale Errors

Science.gov (United States)

Mudelsee, M.; Bermejo, M. A.; Bickert, T.; Chirila, D.; Fohlmeister, J.; Köhler, P.; Lohmann, G.; Olafsdottir, K.; Scholz, D.

2012-12-01

Trend describes time-dependence in the first moment of a stochastic process, and correlation measures the linear relation between two random variables. Accurately estimating the trend and correlation, including uncertainties, from climate time series data in the uni- and bivariate domain, respectively, allows first-order insights into the geophysical process that generated the data. Timescale errors, ubiquitious in paleoclimatology, where archives are sampled for proxy measurements and dated, poses a problem to the estimation. Statistical science and the various applied research fields, including geophysics, have almost completely ignored this problem due to its theoretical almost-intractability. However, computational adaptations or replacements of traditional error formulas have become technically feasible. This contribution gives a short overview of such an adaptation package, bootstrap resampling combined with parametric timescale simulation. We study linear regression, parametric change-point models and nonparametric smoothing for trend estimation. We introduce pairwise-moving block bootstrap resampling for correlation estimation. Both methods share robustness against autocorrelation and non-Gaussian distributional shape. We shortly touch computing-intensive calibration of bootstrap confidence intervals and consider options to parallelize the related computer code. Following examples serve not only to illustrate the methods but tell own climate stories: (1) the search for climate drivers of the Agulhas Current on recent timescales, (2) the comparison of three stalagmite-based proxy series of regional, western German climate over the later part of the Holocene, and (3) trends and transitions in benthic oxygen isotope time series from the Cenozoic. Financial support by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (FOR 668, FOR 1070, MU 1595/4-1) and the European Commission (MC ITN 238512, MC ITN 289447) is acknowledged.

Coulomb interaction rules timescales in potassium ion channel tunneling

Science.gov (United States)

De March, N.; Prado, S. D.; Brunnet, L. G.

2018-06-01

Assuming the selectivity filter of KcsA potassium ion channel may exhibit quantum coherence, we extend a previous model by Vaziri and Plenio (2010 New J. Phys. 12 085001) to take into account Coulomb repulsion between potassium ions. We show that typical ion transit timescales are determined by this interaction, which imposes optimal input/output parameter ranges. Also, as observed in other examples of quantum tunneling in biological systems, the addition of moderate noise helps coherent ion transport.

On the time-scales of magmatism at island-arc volcanoes.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, S P

2002-12-15

Precise information on time-scales and rates of change is fundamental to an understanding of natural processes and the development of quantitative physical models in the Earth sciences. U-series isotope studies are revolutionizing this field by providing time information in the range 10(2)-10(4) years, which is similar to that of many modern Earth processes. I review how the application of U-series isotopes has been used to constrain the time-scales of magma formation, ascent and storage beneath island-arc volcanoes. Different elements are distilled-off the subducting plate at different times and in different places. Contributions from subducted sediments to island-arc lava sources appear to occur some 350 kyr to 4 Myr prior to eruption. Fluid release from the subducting oceanic crust into the mantle wedge may be a multi-stage process and occurs over a period ranging from a few hundred kyr to less than one kyr prior to eruption. This implies that dehydration commences prior to the initiation of partial melting within the mantle wedge, which is consistent with recent evidence that the onset of melting is controlled by an isotherm and thus the thermal structure within the wedge. U-Pa disequilibria appear to require a component of decompression melting, possibly due to the development of gravitational instabilities. The preservation of large (226)Ra disequilibria permits only a short period of time between fluid addition and eruption. This requires rapid melt segregation, magma ascent by channelled flow and minimal residence time within the lithosphere. The evolution from basalt to basaltic andesite probably occurs rapidly during ascent or in magma reservoirs inferred from some geophysical data to lie within the lithospheric mantle. The flux across the Moho is broadly andesitic, and some magmas subsequently stall in more shallow crustal-level magma chambers, where they evolve to more differentiated compositions on time-scales of a few thousand years or less.

Global Effects of Superparameterization on Hydrothermal Land-Atmosphere Coupling on Multiple Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Qin, Hongchen; Pritchard, Michael S.; Kooperman, Gabriel J.; Parishani, Hossein

2018-02-01

Many conventional General Circulation Models (GCMs) in the Global Land-Atmosphere Coupling Experiment (GLACE) tend to produce what is now recognized as overly strong land-atmosphere (L-A) coupling. We investigate the effects of cloud Superparameterization (SP) on L-A coupling on timescales beyond diurnal where it has been recently shown to have a favorable muting effect hydrologically. Using the Community Atmosphere Model v3.5 (CAM3.5) and its Superparameterized counterpart SPCAM3.5, we conducted soil moisture interference experiments following the GLACE and Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) protocols. The results show that, on weekly-to-subseasonal timescales, SP also mutes hydrologic L-A coupling. This is detectable globally, and happens through the evapotranspiration-precipitation segment. But on seasonal timescales, SP does not exhibit detectable effects on hydrologic L-A coupling. Two robust regional effects of SP on thermal L-A coupling have also been explored. Over the Arabian Peninsula, SP reduces thermal L-A coupling through a straightforward control by mean rainfall reduction. More counterintuitively, over the Southwestern US and Northern Mexico, SP enhances the thermal L-A coupling in a way that is independent of rainfall and soil moisture. This signal is associated with a systematic and previously unrecognized effect of SP that produces an amplified Bowen ratio, and is detectable in multiple SP model versions and experiment designs. In addition to amplifying the present-day Bowen ratio, SP is found to amplify the climate sensitivity of Bowen ratio as well, which likely plays a role in influencing climate change predictions at the L-A interface.

Intrinsic dynamics of heart regulatory systems on short timescales: from experiment to modelling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khovanov, I A; Khovanova, N A; McClintock, P V E; Stefanovska, A

2009-01-01

We discuss open problems related to the stochastic modelling of cardiac function. The work is based on an experimental investigation of the dynamics of heart rate variability (HRV) in the absence of respiratory perturbations. We consider first the cardiac control system on short timescales via an analysis of HRV within the framework of a random walk approach. Our experiments show that HRV on timescales of less than a minute takes the form of free diffusion, close to Brownian motion, which can be described as a non-stationary process with stationary increments. Secondly, we consider the inverse problem of modelling the state of the control system so as to reproduce the experimentally observed HRV statistics of. We discuss some simple toy models and identify open problems for the modelling of heart dynamics

PROTOTYPING NON-EQUILIBRIUM VISCOUS-TIMESCALE ACCRETION THEORY USING LMC X-3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cambier, Hal J.; Smith, David M. [Physics Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States)

2013-04-10

Explaining variability observed in the accretion flows of black hole X-ray binary systems remains challenging, especially concerning timescales less than, or comparable to, the viscous timescale but much larger than the inner orbital period despite decades of research identifying numerous relevant physical mechanisms. We take a simplified but broad approach to study several mechanisms likely relevant to patterns of variability observed in the persistently high-soft Roche-lobe overflow system LMC X-3. Based on simple estimates and upper bounds, we find that physics beyond varying disk/corona bifurcation at the disk edge, Compton-heated winds, modulation of total supply rate via irradiation of the companion, and the likely extent of the partial hydrogen ionization instability is needed to explain the degree, and especially the pattern, of variability in LMC X-3 largely due to viscous dampening. We then show how evaporation-condensation may resolve or compound the problem given the uncertainties associated with this complex mechanism and our current implementation. We briefly mention our plans to resolve the question, refine and extend our model, and alternatives we have not yet explored.

Anti-control of chaos of single time-scale brushless DC motor.

Science.gov (United States)

Ge, Zheng-Ming; Chang, Ching-Ming; Chen, Yen-Sheng

2006-09-15

Anti-control of chaos of single time-scale brushless DC motors is studied in this paper. In order to analyse a variety of periodic and chaotic phenomena, we employ several numerical techniques such as phase portraits, bifurcation diagrams and Lyapunov exponents. Anti-control of chaos can be achieved by adding an external constant term or an external periodic term.

An assessment of transport timescales and return coefficient in adjacent tropical estuaries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andutta, Fernando P.; Helfer, Fernanda; de Miranda, Luiz Bruner; Deleersnijder, E.L.C.; Thomas, C.J.; Lemckert, Charles

2016-01-01

Transport timescales (TTS), namely residence time and exposure time, were computed for adjacent shallow meso-tidal tropical estuarines system using the Lagrangian model D-Waq Part coupled with the hydrodynamic model Delft3D-Flow, and the Constituent-oriented Age and Residence time Theory, CART.

An Estimation of the Logarithmic Timescale in Ergodic Dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez, Ignacio S.

An estimation of the logarithmic timescale in quantum systems having an ergodic dynamics in the semiclassical limit, is presented. The estimation is based on an extension of the Krieger’s finite generator theorem for discretized σ-algebras and using the time rescaling property of the Kolmogorov-Sinai entropy. The results are in agreement with those obtained in the literature but with a simpler mathematics and within the context of the ergodic theory. Moreover, some consequences of the Poincaré’s recurrence theorem are also explored.

Oceanic control of Northeast Pacific hurricane activity at interannual timescales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balaguru, Karthik; Ruby Leung, L; Yoon, Jin-ho

2013-01-01

Sea surface temperature (SST) is not the only oceanic parameter that can play a key role in the interannual variability of Northeast Pacific hurricane activity. Using several observational data sets and the statistical technique of multiple linear regression analysis, we show that, along with SST, the thermocline depth (TD) plays an important role in hurricane activity at interannual timescales in this basin. Based on the parameter that dominates, the ocean basin can be divided into two sub-regions. In the Southern sub-region, which includes the hurricane main development area, interannual variability of the upper-ocean heat content (OHC) is primarily controlled by TD variations. Consequently, the interannual variability in the hurricane power dissipation index (PDI), which is a measure of the intensity of hurricane activity, is driven by that of the TD. On the other hand, in the Northern sub-region, SST exerts the major control over the OHC variability and, in turn, the PDI. Our study suggests that both SST and TD have a significant influence on the Northeast Pacific hurricane activity at interannual timescales and that their respective roles are more clearly delineated when sub-regions along an approximate north–south demarcation are considered rather than the basin as a whole. (letter)

Relationship between sea level and climate forcing by CO2 on geological timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Foster, Gavin L; Rohling, Eelco J

2013-01-22

On 10(3)- to 10(6)-year timescales, global sea level is determined largely by the volume of ice stored on land, which in turn largely reflects the thermal state of the Earth system. Here we use observations from five well-studied time slices covering the last 40 My to identify a well-defined and clearly sigmoidal relationship between atmospheric CO(2) and sea level on geological (near-equilibrium) timescales. This strongly supports the dominant role of CO(2) in determining Earth's climate on these timescales and suggests that other variables that influence long-term global climate (e.g., topography, ocean circulation) play a secondary role. The relationship between CO(2) and sea level we describe portrays the "likely" (68% probability) long-term sea-level response after Earth system adjustment over many centuries. Because it appears largely independent of other boundary condition changes, it also may provide useful long-range predictions of future sea level. For instance, with CO(2) stabilized at 400-450 ppm (as required for the frequently quoted "acceptable warming" of 2 °C), or even at AD 2011 levels of 392 ppm, we infer a likely (68% confidence) long-term sea-level rise of more than 9 m above the present. Therefore, our results imply that to avoid significantly elevated sea level in the long term, atmospheric CO(2) should be reduced to levels similar to those of preindustrial times.

Extremes in East African hydroclimate and links to Indo-Pacific variability on interannual to decadal timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Ummenhofer, Caroline C.; Kulüke, Marco; Tierney, Jessica E.

2018-04-01

East African hydroclimate exhibits considerable variability across a range of timescales, with implications for its population that depends on the region's two rainy seasons. Recent work demonstrated that current state-of-the-art climate models consistently underestimate the long rains in boreal spring over the Horn of Africa while overestimating the short rains in autumn. This inability to represent the seasonal cycle makes it problematic for climate models to project changes in East African precipitation. Here we consider whether this bias also has implications for understanding interannual and decadal variability in the East African long and short rains. Using a consistent framework with an unforced multi-century global coupled climate model simulation, the role of Indo-Pacific variability for East African rainfall is compared across timescales and related to observations. The dominant driver of East African rainfall anomalies critically depends on the timescale under consideration: Interannual variations in East African hydroclimate coincide with significant sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies across the Indo-Pacific, including those associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the eastern Pacific, and are linked to changes in the Walker circulation, regional winds and vertical velocities over East Africa. Prolonged drought/pluvial periods in contrast exhibit anomalous SST predominantly in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) region, while eastern Pacific anomalies are insignificant. We assessed dominant frequencies in Indo-Pacific SST and found the eastern equatorial Pacific dominated by higher-frequency variability in the ENSO band, while the tropical Indian Ocean and IPWP exhibit lower-frequency variability beyond 10 years. This is consistent with the different contribution to regional precipitation anomalies for the eastern Pacific versus Indian Ocean and IPWP on interannual and decadal timescales, respectively. In the model

Bringing global gyrokinetic turbulence simulations to the transport timescale using a multiscale approach

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jeffrey; Lodestro, Lynda; Told, Daniel; Merlo, Gabriele; Ricketson, Lee; Campos, Alejandro; Jenko, Frank; Hittinger, Jeffrey

2017-10-01

Predictive whole-device simulation models will play an increasingly important role in ensuring the success of fusion experiments and accelerating the development of fusion energy. In the core of tokamak plasmas, a separation of timescales between turbulence and transport makes a single direct simulation of both processes computationally expensive. We present the first demonstration of a multiple-timescale method coupling global gyrokinetic simulations with a transport solver to calculate the self-consistent, steady-state temperature profile. Initial results are highly encouraging, with the coupling method appearing robust to the difficult problem of turbulent fluctuations. The method holds potential for integrating first-principles turbulence simulations into whole-device models and advancing the understanding of global plasma behavior. Work supported by US DOE under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and the Exascale Computing Project (17-SC-20-SC).

Solid triphenylmethanol: A molecular material that undergoes multiple internal reorientational processes on different timescales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitchin, Simon J.; Xu Mingcan; Serrano-Gonzalez, Heliodoro; Coates, Laura J.; Zaka Ahmed, S.; Glidewell, Christopher; Harris, Kenneth D.M.

2006-01-01

In solid triphenylmethanol, the molecules are arranged in hydrogen-bonded tetramers, and it is already well established that the hydrogen bonding in this material undergoes a dynamic switching process between different hydrogen bonding arrangements. In addition to this motion, we show here, from solid-state 2 H NMR studies of the deuterated material (C 6 D 5 ) 3 COH, that each phenyl ring in this material undergoes a 180 deg.-jump reorientation about the C 6 D 5 -C(OH) bond, with an activation energy of ca. 50 kJ mol -1 . The timescale for the phenyl ring dynamics is several orders of magnitude longer than the timescale for the hydrogen bond dynamics in this material, and is uncorrelated with the dynamics of the hydrogen bonding arrangement

Multiple time-scale methods in particle simulations of plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cohen, B.I.

1985-01-01

This paper surveys recent advances in the application of multiple time-scale methods to particle simulation of collective phenomena in plasmas. These methods dramatically improve the efficiency of simulating low-frequency kinetic behavior by allowing the use of a large timestep, while retaining accuracy. The numerical schemes surveyed provide selective damping of unwanted high-frequency waves and preserve numerical stability in a variety of physics models: electrostatic, magneto-inductive, Darwin and fully electromagnetic. The paper reviews hybrid simulation models, the implicitmoment-equation method, the direct implicit method, orbit averaging, and subcycling

Integrating Social-Contextual and Intrapersonal Mechanisms of "Maturing Out": Joint Influences of Familial-Role Transitions and Personality Maturation on Problem-Drinking Reductions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Matthew R; Ellingson, Jarrod M; Sher, Kenneth J

2015-09-01

"Maturing out" of problem drinking is associated with both role transitions (e.g., getting married) and personality development. However, little is known concerning how these 2 mechanisms jointly influence problem-drinking desistance. This study investigated whether salutary effects of role transitions and personality occur at different points in young-adult development and whether they mediate one another's effects. Participants were initially recruited as first-year undergraduates, with family history of alcoholism overrepresented by design (N = 489). Using 4 waves of data at roughly ages 21, 25, 29, and 34, cross-lagged panel models estimated prospective relations among familial-role transitions (marriage or parenthood), personality (disinhibition, conscientiousness, and neuroticism), and problem drinking. Mixed support was found for the prediction of roles being more strongly associated with earlier maturing out of problem drinking and personality being more strongly associated with later maturing out. Regarding mediation, no evidence was found for the expectation that role effects would be mediated by personality. However, results did support mediation of personality effects by role transitions. Specifically, lower disinhibition and higher conscientiousness in emerging adulthood predicted role adoption, which, in turn, predicted later problem-drinking reductions. Family history of alcoholism also distally influenced these mediation processes. The differential timing of role and personality effects is consistent with the notion of decreasing contextual influences and increasing intrapersonal influences across development. In light of role incompatibility theory, results suggest that, over the course of development, the association of familial roles with problem drinking may increasingly reflect problem-drinking effects on role entry (i.e., role selection) and decreasingly reflect role entry effects on problem drinking (i.e., role socialization). As emerging

Simulation of heat storages and associated heat budgets in the Pacific Ocean: 2. Interdecadal timescale

Science.gov (United States)

Auad, Guillermo; Miller, Arthur J.; White, Warren B.

1998-11-01

We use a primitive equation isopycnal model of the Pacific Ocean to simulate and diagnose the anomalous heat balance on interdecadal timescales associated with heat storage changes observed from 1970-1988 in the expendable bathythermograph (XBT) data set. Given the smallness of the interdecadal signals compared to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) signal, the agreement between model and observations is remarkably good. The total anomalous heat balance is made up of two parts, the diabatic part (from the model temperature equation) and the adiabatic part (from the model mass conservation equation) due to thermocline heave. We therefore describe our analysis of both the total and diabatic anomalous heat balances in four areas of the tropical and subtropical North Pacific Ocean in the upper 400 m. The interdecadal total (diabatic plus adiabatic) heat balance in the North Pacific Ocean is characterized by a complicated interplay of different physical processes, especially revealed in basin-scale averages of the heat budget components that have comparable amounts of variance. In smaller subregions, simpler balances hold. For example, in the western equatorial Pacific (area 1) the total heat content tendency term is nearly zero, so that a simple balance exists between surface heat flux, vertical heat transport, and horizontal mixing. In the western subtropical Pacific the total heat content tendency balances the three-dimensional divergence of the heat flux. We speculate that this complexity is indicative of multiple physical mechanisms involved in the generation of North Pacific interdecadal variability. The diabatic heat balance north of 24°N, a region of special interest to The World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE), can be simplified to a balance between the tendency term, surface heat flux, and meridional advection, the last term dominated by anomalous advection of mean temperature gradients. For the western equatorial region the diabatic heat content

Tree imbalance causes a bias in phylogenetic estimation of evolutionary timescales using heterochronous sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Duchêne, David; Duchêne, Sebastian; Ho, Simon Y W

2015-07-01

Phylogenetic estimation of evolutionary timescales has become routine in biology, forming the basis of a wide range of evolutionary and ecological studies. However, there are various sources of bias that can affect these estimates. We investigated whether tree imbalance, a property that is commonly observed in phylogenetic trees, can lead to reduced accuracy or precision of phylogenetic timescale estimates. We analysed simulated data sets with calibrations at internal nodes and at the tips, taking into consideration different calibration schemes and levels of tree imbalance. We also investigated the effect of tree imbalance on two empirical data sets: mitogenomes from primates and serial samples of the African swine fever virus. In analyses calibrated using dated, heterochronous tips, we found that tree imbalance had a detrimental impact on precision and produced a bias in which the overall timescale was underestimated. A pronounced effect was observed in analyses with shallow calibrations. The greatest decreases in accuracy usually occurred in the age estimates for medium and deep nodes of the tree. In contrast, analyses calibrated at internal nodes did not display a reduction in estimation accuracy or precision due to tree imbalance. Our results suggest that molecular-clock analyses can be improved by increasing taxon sampling, with the specific aims of including deeper calibrations, breaking up long branches and reducing tree imbalance. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Comparison of tropical cyclogenesis indices on seasonal to interannual timescales

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Menkes, Christophe E. [IRD/UPMC/CNRS/MNHN, IRD, Laboratoire d' Oceanographie et du Climat, Experimentation et Approches Numeriques (LOCEAN), Paris (France); IRD, Noumea Cedex (New Caledonia); Institut de Recherche Pour le Developpement, LOCEAN, IRD/UPMC/MNHN/CNRS, Noumea Cedex (New Caledonia); Lengaigne, Matthieu [IRD/UPMC/CNRS/MNHN, IRD, Laboratoire d' Oceanographie et du Climat, Experimentation et Approches Numeriques (LOCEAN), Paris (France); National Institute of Oceanography, IRD, Goa (India); Marchesiello, Patrick [Laboratoire d' Etudes en Geophysique et Oceanographie Spatiale (LEGOS), IRD, Toulouse (France); Jourdain, Nicolas C. [IRD, Noumea Cedex (New Caledonia); Vincent, Emmanuel M. [IRD/UPMC/CNRS/MNHN, IRD, Laboratoire d' Oceanographie et du Climat, Experimentation et Approches Numeriques (LOCEAN), Paris (France); Lefevre, Jerome [IRD, Noumea Cedex (New Caledonia); Laboratoire d' Etudes en Geophysique et Oceanographie Spatiale (LEGOS), IRD, Toulouse (France); Chauvin, Fabrice; Royer, Jean-Francois [Meteo-France, CNRM/GAME (Meteo-France/CNRS), Toulouse Cedex 01 (France)

2012-01-15

This paper evaluates the performances of four cyclogenesis indices against observed tropical cyclone genesis on a global scale over the period 1979-2001. These indices are: the Genesis Potential Index; the Yearly Genesis Parameter; the Modified Yearly Convective Genesis Potential Index; and the Tippett et al. Index (J Clim, 2011), hereafter referred to as TCS. Choosing ERA40, NCEP2, NCEP or JRA25 reanalysis to calculate these indices can yield regional differences but overall does not change the main conclusions arising from this study. By contrast, differences between indices are large and vary depending on the regions and on the timescales considered. All indices except the TCS show an equatorward bias in mean cyclogenesis, especially in the northern hemisphere where this bias can reach 5 . Mean simulated genesis numbers for all indices exhibit large regional discrepancies, which can commonly reach up to {+-}50%. For the seasonal timescales on which the indices are historically fitted, performances also vary widely in terms of amplitude although in general they all reproduce the cyclogenesis seasonality adequately. At the seasonal scale, the TCS seems to be the best fitted index overall. The most striking feature at interannual scales is the inability of all indices to reproduce the observed cyclogenesis amplitude. The indices also lack the ability to reproduce the general interannual phase variability, but they do, however, acceptably reproduce the phase variability linked to El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) - a major driver of tropical cyclones interannual variations. In terms of cyclogenesis mechanisms that can be inferred from the analysis of the index terms, there are wide variations from one index to another at seasonal and interannual timescales and caution is advised when using these terms from one index only. They do, however, show a very good coherence at ENSO scale thus inspiring confidence in the mechanism interpretations that can be obtained by

Multi-timescale Modeling of Activity-Dependent Metabolic Coupling in the Neuron-Glia-Vasculature Ensemble

KAUST Repository

Jolivet, Renaud; Coggan, Jay S.; Allaman, Igor; Magistretti, Pierre J.

2015-01-01

time integrates the respective timescales at which energy metabolism and neuronal excitability occur. The model is constrained by relative neuronal and astrocytic oxygen and glucose utilization, by the concentration of metabolites at rest

Time-scale effects in the interaction between a large and a small herbivore

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuijper, D. P. J.; Beek, P.; van Wieren, S.E.; Bakker, J. P.

2008-01-01

In the short term, grazing will mainly affect plant biomass and forage quality. However, grazing can affect plant species composition by accelerating or retarding succession at longer time-scales. Few studies concerning interactions among herbivores have taken the change in plant species composition

A tale of two timescales: Mixing, mass generation, and phase transitions in the early universe

Science.gov (United States)

Dienes, Keith R.; Kost, Jeff; Thomas, Brooks

2016-02-01

Light scalar fields such as axions and string moduli can play an important role in early-universe cosmology. However, many factors can significantly impact their late-time cosmological abundances. For example, in cases where the potentials for these fields are generated dynamically—such as during cosmological mass-generating phase transitions—the duration of the time interval required for these potentials to fully develop can have significant repercussions. Likewise, in scenarios with multiple scalars, mixing amongst the fields can also give rise to an effective timescale that modifies the resulting late-time abundances. Previous studies have focused on the effects of either the first or the second timescale in isolation. In this paper, by contrast, we examine the new features that arise from the interplay between these two timescales when both mixing and time-dependent phase transitions are introduced together. First, we find that the effects of these timescales can conspire to alter not only the total late-time abundance of the system—often by many orders of magnitude—but also its distribution across the different fields. Second, we find that these effects can produce large parametric resonances which render the energy densities of the fields highly sensitive to the degree of mixing as well as the duration of the time interval over which the phase transition unfolds. Finally, we find that these effects can even give rise to a "reoverdamping" phenomenon which causes the total energy density of the system to behave in novel ways that differ from those exhibited by pure dark matter or vacuum energy. All of these features therefore give rise to new possibilities for early-universe phenomenology and cosmological evolution. They also highlight the importance of taking into account the time dependence associated with phase transitions in cosmological settings.

Nutrient responses to ecosystem disturbances from annual to multi-millennial timescales

Science.gov (United States)

B. Buma

2014-01-01

The Novus Network annual meeting was held at H. J. Andrews Experimental Forest in Oregon, USA, from 22 May to 24 May 2013. The topic was: ‘Nutrient responses to ecosystem disturbances from annual to multi-millennial timescales’. The 2013 workshop brought together 28 researchers from 21 institutions spread across three continents. The participants – 17 faculty members,...

Dancing to CHANGA: a self-consistent prediction for close SMBH pair formation time-scales following galaxy mergers

Science.gov (United States)

Tremmel, M.; Governato, F.; Volonteri, M.; Quinn, T. R.; Pontzen, A.

2018-04-01

We present the first self-consistent prediction for the distribution of formation time-scales for close supermassive black hole (SMBH) pairs following galaxy mergers. Using ROMULUS25, the first large-scale cosmological simulation to accurately track the orbital evolution of SMBHs within their host galaxies down to sub-kpc scales, we predict an average formation rate density of close SMBH pairs of 0.013 cMpc-3 Gyr-1. We find that it is relatively rare for galaxy mergers to result in the formation of close SMBH pairs with sub-kpc separation and those that do form are often the result of Gyr of orbital evolution following the galaxy merger. The likelihood and time-scale to form a close SMBH pair depends strongly on the mass ratio of the merging galaxies, as well as the presence of dense stellar cores. Low stellar mass ratio mergers with galaxies that lack a dense stellar core are more likely to become tidally disrupted and deposit their SMBH at large radii without any stellar core to aid in their orbital decay, resulting in a population of long-lived `wandering' SMBHs. Conversely, SMBHs in galaxies that remain embedded within a stellar core form close pairs in much shorter time-scales on average. This time-scale is a crucial, though often ignored or very simplified, ingredient to models predicting SMBH mergers rates and the connection between SMBH and star formation activity.

Examining the Interplay of Processes Across Multiple Time-Scales: Illustration With the Intraindividual Study of Affect, Health, and Interpersonal Behavior (iSAHIB).

Science.gov (United States)

Ram, Nilam; Conroy, David E; Pincus, Aaron L; Lorek, Amy; Rebar, Amanda; Roche, Michael J; Coccia, Michael; Morack, Jennifer; Feldman, Josh; Gerstorf, Denis

Human development is characterized by the complex interplay of processes that manifest at multiple levels of analysis and time-scales. We introduce the Intraindividual Study of Affect, Health and Interpersonal Behavior (iSAHIB) as a model for how multiple time-scale study designs facilitate more precise articulation of developmental theory. Combining age heterogeneity, longitudinal panel, daily diary, and experience sampling protocols, the study made use of smartphone and web-based technologies to obtain intensive longitudinal data from 150 persons age 18-89 years as they completed three 21-day measurement bursts ( t = 426 bursts, t = 8,557 days) wherein they provided reports on their social interactions ( t = 64,112) as they went about their daily lives. We illustrate how multiple time-scales of data can be used to articulate bioecological models of development and the interplay among more 'distal' processes that manifest at 'slower' time-scales (e.g., age-related differences and burst-to-burst changes in mental health) and more 'proximal' processes that manifest at 'faster' time-scales (e.g., changes in context that progress in accordance with the weekly calendar and family influence processes).

STELLAR POPULATION GRADIENTS IN ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES: IMPLICATIONS FOR GAS INFLOW TIMESCALES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soto, Kurt T.; Martin, Crystal L.

2010-01-01

Using longslit, optical spectra of ultraluminous infrared galaxies, we measure the evolution in the star formation intensity during galactic mergers. In individual galaxies, we resolve kiloparsec scales allowing comparison of the nucleus, inner disk, and outer disk. We find that the strength of the Hβ absorption line increases with the projected distance from the center of the merger, typically reaching about 9 A around 10 kpc. At these radii, the star formation intensity must have rapidly decreased about 300-400 Myr ago; only stellar populations deficient in stars more massive than Type A produce such strong Balmer absorption. In contrast, we find the star formation history in the central kiloparsec consistent with continuous star formation. Our measurements indicate that gas depletion occurs from the outer disk inward during major mergers. This result is consistent with merger-induced gas inflow and empirically constrains the gas inflow timescale. Numerical simulations accurately calculate the total amount of infalling gas but often assume the timescale for infall. These new measurements are therefore central to modeling merger-induced star formation and active galactic nucleus activity.

Impulsivity in binge eating disorder: food cues elicit increased reward responses and disinhibition.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathrin Schag

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Binge eating disorder (BED represents a distinct eating disorder diagnosis. Current approaches assume increased impulsivity to be one factor leading to binge eating and weight gain. We used eye tracking to investigate both components of impulsivity, namely reward sensitivity and rash-spontaneous behaviour towards food in BED for the first time. METHODS: Overweight and obese people with BED (BED+; n = 25, without BED (BED-; n = 26 and healthy normal-weight controls (NWC; n = 25 performed a free exploration paradigm measuring reward sensitivity (experiment 1 and a modified antisaccade paradigm measuring disinhibited, rash-spontaneous behaviour (experiment 2 using food and nonfood stimuli. Additionally, trait impulsivity was assessed. RESULTS: In experiment 1, all participants located their initial fixations more often on food stimuli and BED+ participants gazed longer on food stimuli in comparison with BED- and NWC participants. In experiment 2, BED+ participants had more difficulties inhibiting saccades towards food and nonfood stimuli compared with both other groups in first saccades, and especially towards food stimuli in second saccades and concerning sequences of first and second saccades. BED- participants did not differ significantly from NWC participants in both experiments. Additionally, eye tracking performance was associated with self-reported reward responsiveness and self-control. CONCLUSIONS: According to these results, food-related reward sensitivity and rash-spontaneous behaviour, as the two components of impulsivity, are increased in BED in comparison with weight-matched and normal-weight controls. This indicates that BED represents a neurobehavioural phenotype of obesity that is characterised by increased impulsivity. Interventions for BED should target these special needs of affected patients.

Assessment of the Impact of Stochastic Day-Ahead SCUC on Economic and Reliability Metrics at Multiple Timescales: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, H.; Ela, E.; Krad, I.; Florita, A.; Zhang, J.; Hodge, B. M.; Ibanez, E.; Gao, W.

2015-03-01

This paper incorporates the stochastic day-ahead security-constrained unit commitment (DASCUC) within a multi-timescale, multi-scheduling application with commitment, dispatch, and automatic generation control. The stochastic DASCUC is solved using a progressive hedging algorithm with constrained ordinal optimization to accelerate the individual scenario solution. Sensitivity studies are performed in the RTS-96 system, and the results show how this new scheduling application would impact costs and reliability with a closer representation of timescales of system operations in practice.

Timescales of Coherent Dynamics in the Light Harvesting Complex 2 (LH2) of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Science.gov (United States)

Fidler, Andrew F; Singh, Ved P; Long, Phillip D; Dahlberg, Peter D; Engel, Gregory S

2013-05-02

The initial dynamics of energy transfer in the light harvesting complex 2 from Rhodobacter sphaeroides were investigated with polarization controlled two-dimensional spectroscopy. This method allows only the coherent electronic motions to be observed revealing the timescale of dephasing among the excited states. We observe persistent coherence among all states and assign ensemble dephasing rates for the various coherences. A simple model is utilized to connect the spectroscopic transitions to the molecular structure, allowing us to distinguish coherences between the two rings of chromophores and coherences within the rings. We also compare dephasing rates between excited states to dephasing rates between the ground and excited states, revealing that the coherences between excited states dephase on a slower timescale than coherences between the ground and excited states.

Reorientation Timescales and Pattern Dynamics for Titan's Dunes: Does the Tail Wag the Dog or the Dragon?

Science.gov (United States)

Ewing, R. C.; Hayes, A. G.; McCormick, C.; Ballard, C.; Troy, S. A.

2012-04-01

Fields of bedform patterns persist across many orders of magnitude, from cm-scale sub-aqueous current ripples to km-scale aeolian dunes, and form with surprisingly little difference in expression despite a range of formative environments. Because of the remarkable similarity among bedform patterns, extracting information about climate and environment from these patterns is a challenge. For example, crestline orientation is not diagnostic of a particular flow regime; similar patterns form under many different flow configurations. On Titan, these challenges have played out with many attempts to reconcile dune crestline orientation with modeled and expected wind regimes. We propose that thinking about the time-scale of the change in dune orientation, rather than the orientation itself, can provide new insights on the long-term stability of the dune-field patterns and the formative wind regime. In this work, we apply the crestline re-orientation model developed by Werner and Kocurek [Geology, 1997] to the equatorial dune fields of Titan. We use Cassini Synthetic Aperture Radar images processed through a de-noising algorithm recently developed by Lucas et al. [LPSC, 2012] to measure variations in pattern parameters (crest spacing, crest length and defect density, which is the number of defect pairs per total crest length) both within and between Titan's dune fields to describe pattern maturity and identify areas where changes in dune orientation are likely to occur (or may already be occurring). Measured defect densities are similar to Earth's largest linear dune fields, such as the Namib Sand Sea and the Simpson Desert. We use measured defect densities in the Werner and Kocurek model to estimate crestline reorientation rates. We find reorientation timescales varying from ten to a hundred thousand times the average migration timescale (time to migrate a bedform one meter, ~1 Titan year according to Tokano (Aeolian Research, 2010)). Well-organized patterns have the

Orbit-related sea level errors for TOPEX altimetry at seasonal to decadal timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Esselborn, Saskia; Rudenko, Sergei; Schöne, Tilo

2018-03-01

Interannual to decadal sea level trends are indicators of climate variability and change. A major source of global and regional sea level data is satellite radar altimetry, which relies on precise knowledge of the satellite's orbit. Here, we assess the error budget of the radial orbit component for the TOPEX/Poseidon mission for the period 1993 to 2004 from a set of different orbit solutions. The errors for seasonal, interannual (5-year), and decadal periods are estimated on global and regional scales based on radial orbit differences from three state-of-the-art orbit solutions provided by different research teams: the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), the Groupe de Recherche de Géodésie Spatiale (GRGS), and the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). The global mean sea level error related to orbit uncertainties is of the order of 1 mm (8 % of the global mean sea level variability) with negligible contributions on the annual and decadal timescales. In contrast, the orbit-related error of the interannual trend is 0.1 mm yr-1 (27 % of the corresponding sea level variability) and might hamper the estimation of an acceleration of the global mean sea level rise. For regional scales, the gridded orbit-related error is up to 11 mm, and for about half the ocean the orbit error accounts for at least 10 % of the observed sea level variability. The seasonal orbit error amounts to 10 % of the observed seasonal sea level signal in the Southern Ocean. At interannual and decadal timescales, the orbit-related trend uncertainties reach regionally more than 1 mm yr-1. The interannual trend errors account for 10 % of the observed sea level signal in the tropical Atlantic and the south-eastern Pacific. For decadal scales, the orbit-related trend errors are prominent in a several regions including the South Atlantic, western North Atlantic, central Pacific, South Australian Basin, and the Mediterranean Sea. Based on a set of test orbits calculated at GFZ, the sources of the

Orbit-related sea level errors for TOPEX altimetry at seasonal to decadal timescales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Esselborn

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Interannual to decadal sea level trends are indicators of climate variability and change. A major source of global and regional sea level data is satellite radar altimetry, which relies on precise knowledge of the satellite's orbit. Here, we assess the error budget of the radial orbit component for the TOPEX/Poseidon mission for the period 1993 to 2004 from a set of different orbit solutions. The errors for seasonal, interannual (5-year, and decadal periods are estimated on global and regional scales based on radial orbit differences from three state-of-the-art orbit solutions provided by different research teams: the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ, the Groupe de Recherche de Géodésie Spatiale (GRGS, and the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC. The global mean sea level error related to orbit uncertainties is of the order of 1 mm (8 % of the global mean sea level variability with negligible contributions on the annual and decadal timescales. In contrast, the orbit-related error of the interannual trend is 0.1 mm yr−1 (27 % of the corresponding sea level variability and might hamper the estimation of an acceleration of the global mean sea level rise. For regional scales, the gridded orbit-related error is up to 11 mm, and for about half the ocean the orbit error accounts for at least 10 % of the observed sea level variability. The seasonal orbit error amounts to 10 % of the observed seasonal sea level signal in the Southern Ocean. At interannual and decadal timescales, the orbit-related trend uncertainties reach regionally more than 1 mm yr−1. The interannual trend errors account for 10 % of the observed sea level signal in the tropical Atlantic and the south-eastern Pacific. For decadal scales, the orbit-related trend errors are prominent in a several regions including the South Atlantic, western North Atlantic, central Pacific, South Australian Basin, and the Mediterranean Sea. Based on a set of test

Relevant findings from the timescales initiative of the IGSC (2006)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Preter, P. de; Umeki, H.; Forinash, E.

2008-01-01

P. de Preter explained that regulations specify what needs to be shown, and in some cases over what time frames. He presented the conclusion that the limits to the predictability of the repository and the environment need to be acknowledged in safety cases, and that calculated doses are only 'potential doses' since actual dose and risk to future generations cannot be forecast with certainty. He recognised that stylized assumptions are used regarding the biosphere and human lifestyle or actions, and that conservative assumptions are made in order not to underestimate future impacts. The Timescales Group reached a consensus on the fact that the safety case (not necessarily calculations) should cover at least ∼ 10 6 years, when meaningful prognosis is possible for well chosen. site/design. An important issue is the argumentation for safety in the very long term because of the limited meaningfulness of some indicators and assessments in the very far future. Complementary fines of evidence or other more qualitative considerations are therefore often given more weight at longer times. These include comparisons with natural situations, arguments for continuing isolation and more qualitative concepts (optimisation and BAT). P. de Preter questioned our ability and responsibility to protect the environment in the very remote future. Peter de Preter concluded that the range of timescales to be addressed in safety cases presents considerable challenges and that consideration of ethical principles is required. He acknowledged also that competing ethical principles need to he balanced. (authors)

Timescale Correlation between Marine Atmospheric Exposure and Accelerated Corrosion Testing

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, Eliza L.; Calle, Luz Marina; Curran, Jerone C.; Kolody, Mark R.

2011-01-01

Evaluation of metal-based structures has long relied on atmospheric exposure test sites to determine corrosion resistance in marine environments. Traditional accelerated corrosion testing relies on mimicking the exposure conditions, often incorporating salt spray and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and exposing the metal to continuous or cyclic conditions of the corrosive environment. Their success for correlation to atmospheric exposure is often a concern when determining the timescale to which the accelerated tests can be related. Accelerated laboratory testing, which often focuses on the electrochemical reactions that occur during corrosion conditions, has yet to be universally accepted as a useful tool in predicting the long term service life of a metal despite its ability to rapidly induce corrosion. Although visual and mass loss methods of evaluating corrosion are the standard and their use is imperative, a method that correlates timescales from atmospheric exposure to accelerated testing would be very valuable. This work uses surface chemistry to interpret the chemical changes occurring on low carbon steel during atmospheric and accelerated corrosion conditions with the objective of finding a correlation between its accelerated and long-term corrosion performance. The current results of correlating data from marine atmospheric exposure conditions at the Kennedy Space Center beachside corrosion test site, alternating seawater spray, and immersion in typical electrochemical laboratory conditions, will be presented. Key words: atmospheric exposure, accelerated corrosion testing, alternating seawater spray, marine, correlation, seawater, carbon steel, long-term corrosion performance prediction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy.

Time-scales of erosion and weathering processes in the Himalayan river system: Element and isotope approach using the U-series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Granet, M.

2007-06-01

The time-scales of erosion and weathering processes are key parameters which need to be determined to understand the response of the reliefs to external forcing like tectonics, climate and human activities. They were recovered by using U-series nuclides analyzed in sediments and suspended materials carried by the Himalayan rivers of the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins. In the Ganges basin, the time-scales of weathering determined from the study of coarse sediments carried by the Kali Gandaki range from several ky, where the uplift is located, to 350 ky. Such values indicate that the bed-rocks are in situ weathered for a long period before the weathering residual products get transported in the rivers as coarse sediments. At the outlet of the high range, these sediments are carried by the tributaries of the Ganges, the Gandak and Ghaghara, during a transfer period of about 100 ka. The study of the sediments at the outlet of the Brahmaputra tributaries allows to propose time-scales of weathering ranging from 110 to 270 ky. Such long periods confirm that during their transfer in the plains, the sediments are temporarily trapped at several places in the basins. In the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, the time-scales of sedimentary transfer are 575 and 160 ky, respectively. These values, which are of the same order as their response times, are much longer than the timescales of the Quaternary climate oscillations. It confirms the buffering action of the asiatic alluvial plains for the high-frequency sediment flux variations in response to external forcing in the chain. The study of suspended materials suggests that their chemical compositions result from the mixing of coarse river sediments with fine particles from various locations in the basin which are affected by vegetation recycling. By contrast to coarse sediments, the time-scales of transfer for the suspended materials are fast, e.g. a few ky, pointing the potential of U-series nuclides to assess particle transport

Brown dwarf accretion: Nonconventional star formation over very long timescales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ćirković Milan M.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available We investigate the process of accretion of interstellar gas by the Galactic population of brown dwarfs over very long timescales typical for physical eschatology. In particular, we use the classical Hoyle-Lyttleton-Bondi accretion model to investigate the rate at which brown dwarfs collect enough additional mass to become red dwarfs, accretion-induced changes in the mass function of the low- mass objects, and the corresponding accretion heating of brown dwarfs. In addition, we show how we can make the definition of the final mass function for stellar objects more precise.

The different timescales versus the regulatory framework and public acceptance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vigfusson, J.O.; Gay, D.

2002-01-01

Both introductory presentations and the ensuing discussions suggested that one key issue ultimately underlies any consideration about timescales and regulation: the issue of how to balance information relative to short- and distant-time risks and hence how to address the question of compliance judgement in different time frames. 'Can we judge in the same way an impact occurring now and in 50 000 or 1 million years?' was thus a central question for discussion in this group. This issue was tackled from three different points of view: ethics, science and public acceptance. (authors)

The sensitivity of the atmospheric branch of the global water cycle to temperature fluctuations at synoptic to decadal time-scales in different satellite- and model-based products

Science.gov (United States)

Nogueira, Miguel

2018-02-01

Spectral analysis of global-mean precipitation, P, evaporation, E, precipitable water, W, and surface temperature, Ts, revealed significant variability from sub-daily to multi-decadal time-scales, superposed on high-amplitude diurnal and yearly peaks. Two distinct regimes emerged from a transition in the spectral exponents, β. The weather regime covering time-scales 1-2 years, while at time-scales global-ocean and full-globe averages, ρDCCA showed large spread of the C-C importance for P and E variability amongst different datasets at multi-year time-scales, ranging from negligible (governing mechanisms.

A Two-Timescale Response to Ozone Depletion: Importance of the Background State

Science.gov (United States)

Seviour, W.; Waugh, D.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2015-12-01

It has been recently suggested that the response of Southern Ocean sea-ice extent to stratospheric ozone depletion is time-dependent; that the ocean surface initially cools due to enhanced northward Ekman drift caused by a poleward shift in the eddy-driven jet, and then warms after some time due to upwelling of warm waters from below the mixed layer. It is therefore possible that ozone depletion could act to favor a short-term increase in sea-ice extent. However, many uncertainties remain in understanding this mechanism, with different models showing widely differing time-scales and magnitudes of the response. Here, we analyze an ensemble of coupled model simulations with a step-function ozone perturbation. The two-timescale response is present with an approximately 30 year initial cooling period. The response is further shown to be highly dependent upon the background ocean temperature and salinity stratification, which is influenced by both natural internal variability and the isopycnal eddy mixing parameterization. It is suggested that the majority of inter-model differences in the Southern Ocean response to ozone depletion is caused by differences in stratification.

Consensus for linear multi-agent system with intermittent information transmissions using the time-scale theory

Science.gov (United States)

Taousser, Fatima; Defoort, Michael; Djemai, Mohamed

2016-01-01

This paper investigates the consensus problem for linear multi-agent system with fixed communication topology in the presence of intermittent communication using the time-scale theory. Since each agent can only obtain relative local information intermittently, the proposed consensus algorithm is based on a discontinuous local interaction rule. The interaction among agents happens at a disjoint set of continuous-time intervals. The closed-loop multi-agent system can be represented using mixed linear continuous-time and linear discrete-time models due to intermittent information transmissions. The time-scale theory provides a powerful tool to combine continuous-time and discrete-time cases and study the consensus protocol under a unified framework. Using this theory, some conditions are derived to achieve exponential consensus under intermittent information transmissions. Simulations are performed to validate the theoretical results.

Phenomenology dependent timescales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouzounian, G.

2002-01-01

As required by the French act, Dec. 1991, construction projects for disposing of radioactive wastes have to be submitted to the Parliament by 2006. One of the most important points to allow for a decision at this time will be to gain confidence. The major difficulty in such a technical and societal project is to be able to carry out a demonstration of the safety ver timescales which are out of the scope of any experiment. Among the arguments involved for the safety case are a series of simulations which objective is to assess the level of safety which can be reached, and its robustness to various internal defects (construction of the drifts, welding of canisters...) or external events (intrusion with deep boreholes, climate change, faulting...). Confidence in the simulations can be achieved if they are transparent, based on well understood processes. However, the complexity of the disposal system is such that temptation was great by the past to simplify the models, with a poor level of reporting on justifications, thus leading to what has been described as black-box models. In the frame of the demonstration to be brought out for 2006, ANDRA has developed an approach consisting first to describe and analyse all the processes occurring over time and space in the repository. Once this type of information has been gathered in a structured way, then further analyses leading to abstractions, simplifications can be performed in order to facilitate simulations as required for the safety demonstration. The first stage of the approach has been called the phenomenological analysis of the repository situations PARS). This work gives rise to a reference book in which our knowledge has been reported before being used for the safety demonstration. If also represent a reference for all technical and scientific knowledge based applications, such as digital modeling which is the basis for simulations, the repository design, the reversibility study, including the definition of a

On the intrinsic timescales of temporal variability in measurements of the surface solar radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Bengulescu, Marc; Blanc, Philippe; Wald, Lucien

2018-01-01

This study is concerned with the intrinsic temporal scales of the variability in the surface solar irradiance (SSI). The data consist of decennial time series of daily means of the SSI obtained from high-quality measurements of the broadband solar radiation impinging on a horizontal plane at ground level, issued from different Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) ground stations around the world. First, embedded oscillations sorted in terms of increasing timescales of the data are extracted by empirical mode decomposition (EMD). Next, Hilbert spectral analysis is applied to obtain an amplitude-modulation-frequency-modulation (AM-FM) representation of the data. The time-varying nature of the characteristic timescales of variability, along with the variations in the signal intensity, are thus revealed. A novel, adaptive null hypothesis based on the general statistical characteristics of noise is employed in order to discriminate between the different features of the data, those that have a deterministic origin and those being realizations of various stochastic processes. The data have a significant spectral peak corresponding to the yearly variability cycle and feature quasi-stochastic high-frequency variability components, irrespective of the geographical location or of the local climate. Moreover, the amplitude of this latter feature is shown to be modulated by variations in the yearly cycle, which is indicative of nonlinear multiplicative cross-scale couplings. The study has possible implications on the modeling and the forecast of the surface solar radiation, by clearly discriminating the deterministic from the quasi-stochastic character of the data, at different local timescales.

Associations Between Core Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Both Binge and Restrictive Eating

OpenAIRE

Panagiota Kaisari; Colin T. Dourish; Pia Rotshtein; Suzanne Higgs

2018-01-01

IntroductionIt is unclear whether core symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) relate to specific types of disordered eating and little is known about the mediating mechanisms. We investigated associations between core symptoms of ADHD and binge/disinhibited eating and restrictive eating behavior and assessed whether negative mood and/or deficits in awareness and reliance on internal hunger/satiety cues mediate these relationships.MethodsIn two independent studies, we used...

Sulfide Precipitation in Wastewater at Short Timescales

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiilerich, Bruno; van de Ven, Wilbert; Nielsen, Asbjørn Haaning

2017-01-01

Abatement of sulfides in sewer systems using iron salts is a widely used strategy. When dosing at the end of a pumping main, the reaction kinetics of sulfide precipitation becomes important. Traditionally the reaction has been assumed to be rapid or even instantaneous. This work shows that this i......Abatement of sulfides in sewer systems using iron salts is a widely used strategy. When dosing at the end of a pumping main, the reaction kinetics of sulfide precipitation becomes important. Traditionally the reaction has been assumed to be rapid or even instantaneous. This work shows...... that this is not the case for sulfide precipitation by ferric iron. Instead, the reaction time was found to be on a timescale where it must be considered when performing end-of-pipe treatment. For real wastewaters at pH 7, a stoichiometric ratio around 14 mol Fe(II) (mol S(−II))−1 was obtained after 1.5 s, while the ratio...

Decadal to monthly timescales of magma transfer and reservoir growth at a caldera volcano.

Science.gov (United States)

Druitt, T H; Costa, F; Deloule, E; Dungan, M; Scaillet, B

2012-02-01

Caldera-forming volcanic eruptions are low-frequency, high-impact events capable of discharging tens to thousands of cubic kilometres of magma explosively on timescales of hours to days, with devastating effects on local and global scales. Because no such eruption has been monitored during its long build-up phase, the precursor phenomena are not well understood. Geophysical signals obtained during recent episodes of unrest at calderas such as Yellowstone, USA, and Campi Flegrei, Italy, are difficult to interpret, and the conditions necessary for large eruptions are poorly constrained. Here we present a study of pre-eruptive magmatic processes and their timescales using chemically zoned crystals from the 'Minoan' caldera-forming eruption of Santorini volcano, Greece, which occurred in the late 1600s BC. The results provide insights into how rapidly large silicic systems may pass from a quiescent state to one on the edge of eruption. Despite the large volume of erupted magma (40-60 cubic kilometres), and the 18,000-year gestation period between the Minoan eruption and the previous major eruption, most crystals in the Minoan magma record processes that occurred less than about 100 years before the eruption. Recharge of the magma reservoir by large volumes of silicic magma (and some mafic magma) occurred during the century before eruption, and mixing between different silicic magma batches was still taking place during the final months. Final assembly of large silicic magma reservoirs may occur on timescales that are geologically very short by comparison with the preceding repose period, with major growth phases immediately before eruption. These observations have implications for the monitoring of long-dormant, but potentially active, caldera systems.

Extending the relationship between global warming and cumulative carbon emissions to multi-millennial timescales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frölicher, Thomas L; Paynter, David J

2015-01-01

The transient climate response to cumulative carbon emissions (TCRE) is a highly policy-relevant quantity in climate science. The TCRE suggests that peak warming is linearly proportional to cumulative carbon emissions and nearly independent of the emissions scenario. Here, we use simulations of the Earth System Model (ESM) from the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) to show that global mean surface temperature may increase by 0.5 °C after carbon emissions are stopped at 2 °C global warming, implying an increase in the coefficient relating global warming to cumulative carbon emissions on multi-centennial timescales. The simulations also suggest a 20% lower quota on cumulative carbon emissions allowed to achieve a policy-driven limit on global warming. ESM estimates from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5–ESMs) qualitatively agree on this result, whereas Earth System Models of Intermediate Complexity (EMICs) simulations, used in the IPCC 5th assessment report to assess the robustness of TCRE on multi-centennial timescales, suggest a post-emissions decrease in temperature. The reason for this discrepancy lies in the smaller simulated realized warming fraction in CMIP5–ESMs, including GFDL ESM2M, than in EMICs when carbon emissions increase. The temperature response to cumulative carbon emissions can be characterized by three different phases and the linear TCRE framework is only valid during the first phase when carbon emissions increase. For longer timescales, when emissions tape off, two new metrics are introduced that better characterize the time-dependent temperature response to cumulative carbon emissions: the equilibrium climate response to cumulative carbon emissions and the multi-millennial climate response to cumulative carbon emissions. (letter)

The role of working memory sub-components in food choice and dieting success.

Science.gov (United States)

Whitelock, Victoria; Nouwen, Arie; van den Akker, Olga; Higgs, Suzanne

2018-05-01

Evidence suggests a role for self-reported working memory (WM) in self-reported food intake, but it is not known which WM sub-components are involved. It is also important to consider how individual differences in dietary restraint and disinhibition influence WM and the impact of this on food choice. The current study assessed the relationship between WM sub-components and food choice, using computerised measures of WM sub-components and a direct assessment of food intake. The role of dieting success (measured by restraint and disinhibition) as a distal predictor of food choice that influences food choices via WM, and the role of WM more generally in dieting success were investigated. Female undergraduate students (N = 117, mean age: 18.9 years, mean BMI: 21.6 kg/m 2 ) completed computer tasks assessing three components of WM (updating, phonological loop and visuospatial sketchpad) and a snack food taste-test. Greater visuospatial WM span was associated with a higher (lower) percentage of food intake that was low (high) energy dense. It was also found that unsuccessful dieters (high restraint, high disinhibition) had poorer visuospatial WM span and consumed a lower (higher) percentage of low (high) energy dense food. Visuospatial WM span significantly mediated the relationship between dieting success and percentage of low energy dense food intake. Further, dietary restraint was associated with poorer updating ability, irrespective of disinhibition. These findings suggest that better visuospatial WM is associated with a greater (reduced) preference for low (high) energy dense foods, and that deficits in visuospatial WM may undermine dieting attempts. Future work should assess whether the ability to deal with food cravings mediates the relationship between visuospatial WM and dieting success and investigate how WM may influence the mechanisms underlying behavioural control. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

THE LONGEST TIMESCALE X-RAY VARIABILITY REVEALS EVIDENCE FOR ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI IN THE HIGH ACCRETION STATE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Youhong

2011-01-01

The All Sky Monitor (ASM) on board the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer has continuously monitored a number of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with similar sampling rates for 14 years, from 1996 January to 2009 December. Utilizing the archival ASM data of 27 AGNs, we calculate the normalized excess variances of the 300-day binned X-ray light curves on the longest timescale (between 300 days and 14 years) explored so far. The observed variance appears to be independent of AGN black-hole mass and bolometric luminosity. According to the scaling relation of black-hole mass (and bolometric luminosity) from galactic black hole X-ray binaries (GBHs) to AGNs, the break timescales that correspond to the break frequencies detected in the power spectral density (PSD) of our AGNs are larger than the binsize (300 days) of the ASM light curves. As a result, the singly broken power-law (soft-state) PSD predicts the variance to be independent of mass and luminosity. Nevertheless, the doubly broken power-law (hard-state) PSD predicts, with the widely accepted ratio of the two break frequencies, that the variance increases with increasing mass and decreases with increasing luminosity. Therefore, the independence of the observed variance on mass and luminosity suggests that AGNs should have soft-state PSDs. Taking into account the scaling of the break timescale with mass and luminosity synchronously, the observed variances are also more consistent with the soft-state than the hard-state PSD predictions. With the averaged variance of AGNs and the soft-state PSD assumption, we obtain a universal PSD amplitude of 0.030 ± 0.022. By analogy with the GBH PSDs in the high/soft state, the longest timescale variability supports the standpoint that AGNs are scaled-up GBHs in the high accretion state, as already implied by the direct PSD analysis.

Understanding Crystal Populations: The Role of Textural Analysis in Determining Magmatic Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Jerram, D. A.

2006-12-01

Crystal populations in igneous rocks that erupt at the Earths surface act as records of magma chamber processes at depth, predominantly recording episodes of growth/nucleation and geochemical changes within the host body. Detailed inspection of such crystal populations, however, reveals a complex crystal cargo that comprises crystals which have grown directly from the host, crystals that have spent one or more protracted periods being isolated from the host magma and crystals that originated from a completely different magma body and/or country rock. To further interrogate this crystal cargo we can use textural analysis techniques to fully quantify the crystal population and gather important information about the population, such as crystal morphology, spatial distribution and size relationships. When quantified, such data can be used to better constrain the different components of the resultant crystal population and how they relate to each other. Additionally, by combining textural analysis information with geochemical analysis, a powerful measure of magma timescales and magma chamber processes results. In this contribution the different types of textural analysis techniques in 2D and 3D are introduced with examples from both plutonic and volcanic systems presented to highlight the roll of this approach to quantifying magma timescales.

Acute hunger modifies responses on the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire hunger and disinhibition, but not restraint, scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeomans, Martin R; McCrickerd, Keri

2017-03-01

It is widely assumed that responses on the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ) represent long-term (trait) attitudes to eating behaviour. However, the questionnaire requires agreement with a number of food related statements, and it is possible that some are easier to agree with when assessed hungry than sated. To test this potential state-dependency, participants completed a 100 mm visual analogue scale rating of their current hunger at the time they completed the TFEQ. Data were collected from two cohorts: Cohort 1 (507 women and 119 men) completed both measures on paper, while the hunger rating was computerised in Cohort 2 (179 women). Regression analysis revealed significant effects of rated hunger on scores on the hunger (TFEQ-H) and disinhibition (TFEQ-D) but not restraint (TFEQ-R) subscales, with higher TFEQ-H and TFEQ-D scores when participants were more hungry. In addition, 61 women and two men from Cohort 1 completed the measures on two separate occasions. Here, scores on TFEQ-H were higher on days when these participants were hungrier, but no differences in TFEQ-D or TFEQ-R were found. Overall these data suggest TFEQ-H could be interpreted as an indirect measure of current hunger, that scores on TFEQ-D are partly moderated by hunger but TFEQ-R is a more trait-like measure of restraint. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reorientation Timescales and Pattern Dynamics for Titan's Dunes: Does the Tail Wag the Dog or the Dragon?

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, A. G.; Ewing, R. C.; Cassini Radar Science Team, T.

2011-12-01

Fields of bedform patterns persist across many orders of magnitude, from cm-scale sub-aqueous current ripples to km-scale aeolian dunes, and form with surprisingly little difference in expression despite a range of formative environments. Because of the remarkable similarity between and among patterns, extracting information about climate and environment from these patterns is a challenge. For example, crest orientation is not diagnostic of a particular flow regime; similar patterns form under many different flow configurations. On Titan, these challenges have played out with many attempts to reconcile dune-field patterns with modeled and expected wind regimes. We propose that thinking about the change in dune orientation, rather than the orientation itself, can provide new insights on the long-term stability of the dune-field patterns and the formative wind regime. In this work, we apply the re-orientation model presented by Werner and Kocurek [Geology, 1997] to the equatorial dune fields of Titan. We measure variations in pattern parameters (crest spacing, crest length and defect density, which is the number of defect pairs per total crest length) both within and between Titan's dune fields to describe pattern maturity and identify areas where changes in dune orientation are likely to occur (or may already be occurring). Measured defect densities are similar to Earth's largest linear dune fields, such as the Namib Sand Sea and the Simpson Desert. We use measured defect densities in the Werner and Kocurek model to estimate crestline reorientation rates. We find reorientation timescales varying from ten to a hundred thousand times the average migration timescale (time to migrate a bedform one meter, ~1 Titan year according to Tokano (Aeolian Research, 2010)). Well organized patterns have the longest reorientation time scales (~10^5 migration timescales), while the topographically or spatially isolated patches of dunes show the shortest reorientation times (~10

Endogenous Cholinergic Inputs and Local Circuit Mechanisms Govern the Phasic Mesolimbic Dopamine Response to Nicotine

Science.gov (United States)

Graupner, Michael; Maex, Reinoud; Gutkin, Boris

2013-01-01

Nicotine exerts its reinforcing action by stimulating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and boosting dopamine (DA) output from the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Recent data have led to a debate about the principal pathway of nicotine action: direct stimulation of the DAergic cells through nAChR activation, or disinhibition mediated through desensitization of nAChRs on GABAergic interneurons. We use a computational model of the VTA circuitry and nAChR function to shed light on this issue. Our model illustrates that the α4β2-containing nAChRs either on DA or GABA cells can mediate the acute effects of nicotine. We account for in vitro as well as in vivo data, and predict the conditions necessary for either direct stimulation or disinhibition to be at the origin of DA activity increases. We propose key experiments to disentangle the contribution of both mechanisms. We show that the rate of endogenous acetylcholine input crucially determines the evoked DA response for both mechanisms. Together our results delineate the mechanisms by which the VTA mediates the acute rewarding properties of nicotine and suggest an acetylcholine dependence hypothesis for nicotine reinforcement. PMID:23966848

A statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition technique to predict rainfall during flood period over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Yijia; Zhong, Zhong; Zhu, Yimin; Ha, Yao

2018-04-01

In this paper, a statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition method is established to do the seasonal prediction of the rainfall during flood period (FPR) over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley (MLYRV). This method decomposites the rainfall over the MLYRV into three time-scale components, namely, the interannual component with the period less than 8 years, the interdecadal component with the period from 8 to 30 years, and the interdecadal component with the period larger than 30 years. Then, the predictors are selected for the three time-scale components of FPR through the correlation analysis. At last, a statistical forecast model is established using the multiple linear regression technique to predict the three time-scale components of the FPR, respectively. The results show that this forecast model can capture the interannual and interdecadal variation of FPR. The hindcast of FPR during 14 years from 2001 to 2014 shows that the FPR can be predicted successfully in 11 out of the 14 years. This forecast model performs better than the model using traditional scheme without time-scale decomposition. Therefore, the statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition technique has good skills and application value in the operational prediction of FPR over the MLYRV.

A MAD Explanation for the Correlation between Bulk Lorentz Factor and Minimum Variability Timescale

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd-Ronning, Nicole; Lei, Wei-hua; Xie, Wei

2018-04-01

We offer an explanation for the anti-correlation between the minimum variability timescale (MTS) in the prompt emission light curve of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and the estimated bulk Lorentz factor of these GRBs, in the context of a magnetically arrested disk (MAD) model. In particular, we show that previously derived limits on the maximum available energy per baryon in a Blandford-Znajek jet leads to a relationship between the characteristic MAD timescale in GRBs and the maximum bulk Lorentz factor: tMAD∝Γ-6, somewhat steeper than (although within the error bars of) the fitted relationship found in the GRB data. Similarly, the MAD model also naturally accounts for the observed anti-correlation between MTS and gamma-ray luminosity L in the GRB data, and we estimate the accretion rates of the GRB disk (given these luminosities) in the context of this model. Both of these correlations (MTS - Γ and MTS - L) are also observed in the AGN data, and we discuss the implications of our results in the context of both GRB and blazar systems.

Bayesian inference of radiation belt loss timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Camporeale, E.; Chandorkar, M.

2017-12-01

Electron fluxes in the Earth's radiation belts are routinely studied using the classical quasi-linear radial diffusion model. Although this simplified linear equation has proven to be an indispensable tool in understanding the dynamics of the radiation belt, it requires specification of quantities such as the diffusion coefficient and electron loss timescales that are never directly measured. Researchers have so far assumed a-priori parameterisations for radiation belt quantities and derived the best fit using satellite data. The state of the art in this domain lacks a coherent formulation of this problem in a probabilistic framework. We present some recent progress that we have made in performing Bayesian inference of radial diffusion parameters. We achieve this by making extensive use of the theory connecting Gaussian Processes and linear partial differential equations, and performing Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling of radial diffusion parameters. These results are important for understanding the role and the propagation of uncertainties in radiation belt simulations and, eventually, for providing a probabilistic forecast of energetic electron fluxes in a Space Weather context.

A quantitative approach to evaluating the GWP timescale through implicit discount rates

OpenAIRE

Sarofim, Marcus C.; Giordano, Michael R.

2018-01-01

The 100-year Global Warming Potential (GWP) is the primary metric used to compare the climate impacts of different greenhouse gases (GHGs). The GWP relies on radiative forcing rather than damages, assumes constant future concentrations, and integrates over a timescale of 100 years without discounting: these choices lead to a metric which is transparent and simple to calculate, but have also been criticized. In this paper, we take a quantitative approach to evaluating the choice of time-horizo...

Conformational Rigidity and Protein Dynamics at Distinct Timescales Regulate PTP1B Activity and Allostery.

Science.gov (United States)

Choy, Meng S; Li, Yang; Machado, Luciana E S F; Kunze, Micha B A; Connors, Christopher R; Wei, Xingyu; Lindorff-Larsen, Kresten; Page, Rebecca; Peti, Wolfgang

2017-02-16

Protein function originates from a cooperation of structural rigidity, dynamics at different timescales, and allostery. However, how these three pillars of protein function are integrated is still only poorly understood. Here we show how these pillars are connected in Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B (PTP1B), a drug target for diabetes and cancer that catalyzes the dephosphorylation of numerous substrates in essential signaling pathways. By combining new experimental and computational data on WT-PTP1B and ≥10 PTP1B variants in multiple states, we discovered a fundamental and evolutionarily conserved CH/π switch that is critical for positioning the catalytically important WPD loop. Furthermore, our data show that PTP1B uses conformational and dynamic allostery to regulate its activity. This shows that both conformational rigidity and dynamics are essential for controlling protein activity. This connection between rigidity and dynamics at different timescales is likely a hallmark of all enzyme function. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quantifying the timescales over which exogenous and endogenous conditions affect soil respiration.

Science.gov (United States)

Barron-Gafford, Greg A; Cable, Jessica M; Bentley, Lisa Patrick; Scott, Russell L; Huxman, Travis E; Jenerette, G Darrel; Ogle, Kiona

2014-04-01

Understanding how exogenous and endogenous factors and above-ground-below-ground linkages modulate carbon dynamics is difficult because of the influences of antecedent conditions. For example, there are variable lags between above-ground assimilation and below-ground efflux, and the duration of antecedent periods are often arbitrarily assigned. Nonetheless, developing models linking above- and below-ground processes is crucial for estimating current and future carbon dynamics. We collected data on leaf-level photosynthesis (Asat ) and soil respiration (Rsoil ) in different microhabitats (under shrubs vs under bunchgrasses) in the Sonoran Desert. We evaluated timescales over which endogenous and exogenous factors control Rsoil by analyzing data in the context of a semimechanistic temperature-response model of Rsoil that incorporated effects of antecedent exogenous (soil water) and endogenous (Asat ) conditions. For both microhabitats, antecedent soil water and Asat significantly affected Rsoil , but Rsoil under shrubs was more sensitive to Asat than that under bunchgrasses. Photosynthetic rates 1 and 3 d before the Rsoil measurement were most important in determining current-day Rsoil under bunchgrasses and shrubs, respectively, indicating a significant lag effect. Endogenous and exogenous controls are critical drivers of Rsoil , but the relative importance and the timescale over which each factor affects Rsoil depends on above-ground vegetation and ecosystem structure characteristics. © 2014 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2014 New Phytologist Trust.

Formation Timescales of Amosphous Rims on Lunar Grains Derived from ARTEMIS Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Poppe, A. R.; Farrell, W. M.; Halekas, Jasper S.

2018-01-01

The weathering of airless bodies exposed to space is a fundamental process in the formation and evolution of planetary surfaces. At the Moon, space weathering induces a variety of physical, chemical, and optical changes including the formation of nanometer-sized amorphous rims on individual lunar grains. These rims are formed by vapor redeposition from micrometeoroid impacts and ion irradiation-induced amorphization of the crystalline matrix. For ion irradiation-induced rims, however, laboratory experiments of the depth and formation timescales of these rims stand in stark disagreement with observations of lunar soil grains. We use observations by the Acceleration, Reconnection, Turbulence, and Electrodynamics of the Moon's Interaction with the Sun (ARTEMIS) spacecraft in orbit around the Moon to compute the mean ion flux to the lunar surface between 10 eV and 5 MeV and convolve this flux with ion irradiation-induced vacancy production rates as a function of depth calculated using the Stopping Range of Ions in Matter model. By combining these results with laboratory measurements of the critical fluence for charged-particle amorphization in olivine, we can predict the formation timescale of amorphous rims as a function of depth in olivinic grains. This analysis resolves two outstanding issues: (1) the provenance of >100 nm amorphous rims on lunar grains and (2) the nature of the depth-age relationship for amorphous rims on lunar grains.

Rash impulsiveness and reward sensitivity in relation to risky drinking by university students: potential roles of frontal systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyvers, Michael; Duff, Helen; Basch, Vanessa; Edwards, Mark S

2012-08-01

Two forms of impulsivity, rash impulsiveness and reward sensitivity, have been proposed to reflect aspects of frontal lobe functioning and promote substance use. The present study examined these two forms of impulsivity as well as frontal lobe symptoms in relation to risky drinking by university students. University undergraduates aged 18-26years completed the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe), and a demographics questionnaire assessing age, gender, and age of onset of weekly drinking (AOD). AUDIT-defined harmful drinkers reported earlier AOD and scored higher on BIS-11, the Sensitivity to Reward (SR) scale of the SPSRQ, and the Disinhibition and Executive Dysfunction scales of the FrSBe compared to lower risk groups. Differences remained significant after controlling for duration of alcohol exposure. Path analyses indicated that the influence of SR on AUDIT was mediated by FrSBe Disinhibition, whereas the influence of BIS-11 on AUDIT was mediated by both Disinhibition and Executive Dysfunction scales of the FrSBe. Findings tentatively suggest that the influence of rash impulsiveness on drinking may reflect dysfunction in dorsolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal systems, whereas the influence of reward sensitivity on drinking may primarily reflect orbitofrontal dysfunction. Irrespective of the underlying functional brain systems involved, results appear to be more consistent with a pre-drinking trait interpretation than effects of alcohol exposure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Online state of charge and model parameter co-estimation based on a novel multi-timescale estimator for vanadium redox flow battery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Zhongbao; Lim, Tuti Mariana; Skyllas-Kazacos, Maria; Wai, Nyunt; Tseng, King Jet

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Battery model parameters and SOC co-estimation is investigated. • The model parameters and OCV are decoupled and estimated independently. • Multiple timescales are adopted to improve precision and stability. • SOC is online estimated without using the open-circuit cell. • The method is robust to aging levels, flow rates, and battery chemistries. - Abstract: A key function of battery management system (BMS) is to provide accurate information of the state of charge (SOC) in real time, and this depends directly on the precise model parameterization. In this paper, a novel multi-timescale estimator is proposed to estimate the model parameters and SOC for vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) in real time. The model parameters and OCV are decoupled and estimated independently, effectively avoiding the possibility of cross interference between them. The analysis of model sensitivity, stability, and precision suggests the necessity of adopting different timescales for each estimator independently. Experiments are conducted to assess the performance of the proposed method. Results reveal that the model parameters are online adapted accurately thus the periodical calibration on them can be avoided. The online estimated terminal voltage and SOC are both benchmarked with the reference values. The proposed multi-timescale estimator has the merits of fast convergence, high precision, and good robustness against the initialization uncertainty, aging states, flow rates, and also battery chemistries.

Inside-out Planet Formation. IV. Pebble Evolution and Planet Formation Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Xiao; Tan, Jonathan C.; Zhu, Zhaohuan; Chatterjee, Sourav; Birnstiel, Tilman; Youdin, Andrew N.; Mohanty, Subhanjoy

2018-04-01

Systems with tightly packed inner planets (STIPs) are very common. Chatterjee & Tan proposed Inside-out Planet Formation (IOPF), an in situ formation theory, to explain these planets. IOPF involves sequential planet formation from pebble-rich rings that are fed from the outer disk and trapped at the pressure maximum associated with the dead zone inner boundary (DZIB). Planet masses are set by their ability to open a gap and cause the DZIB to retreat outwards. We present models for the disk density and temperature structures that are relevant to the conditions of IOPF. For a wide range of DZIB conditions, we evaluate the gap-opening masses of planets in these disks that are expected to lead to the truncation of pebble accretion onto the forming planet. We then consider the evolution of dust and pebbles in the disk, estimating that pebbles typically grow to sizes of a few centimeters during their radial drift from several tens of astronomical units to the inner, ≲1 au scale disk. A large fraction of the accretion flux of solids is expected to be in such pebbles. This allows us to estimate the timescales for individual planet formation and the entire planetary system formation in the IOPF scenario. We find that to produce realistic STIPs within reasonable timescales similar to disk lifetimes requires disk accretion rates of ∼10‑9 M ⊙ yr‑1 and relatively low viscosity conditions in the DZIB region, i.e., a Shakura–Sunyaev parameter of α ∼ 10‑4.

A Bayesian method for construction of Markov models to describe dynamics on various time-scales.

Science.gov (United States)

Rains, Emily K; Andersen, Hans C

2010-10-14

The dynamics of many biological processes of interest, such as the folding of a protein, are slow and complicated enough that a single molecular dynamics simulation trajectory of the entire process is difficult to obtain in any reasonable amount of time. Moreover, one such simulation may not be sufficient to develop an understanding of the mechanism of the process, and multiple simulations may be necessary. One approach to circumvent this computational barrier is the use of Markov state models. These models are useful because they can be constructed using data from a large number of shorter simulations instead of a single long simulation. This paper presents a new Bayesian method for the construction of Markov models from simulation data. A Markov model is specified by (τ,P,T), where τ is the mesoscopic time step, P is a partition of configuration space into mesostates, and T is an N(P)×N(P) transition rate matrix for transitions between the mesostates in one mesoscopic time step, where N(P) is the number of mesostates in P. The method presented here is different from previous Bayesian methods in several ways. (1) The method uses Bayesian analysis to determine the partition as well as the transition probabilities. (2) The method allows the construction of a Markov model for any chosen mesoscopic time-scale τ. (3) It constructs Markov models for which the diagonal elements of T are all equal to or greater than 0.5. Such a model will be called a "consistent mesoscopic Markov model" (CMMM). Such models have important advantages for providing an understanding of the dynamics on a mesoscopic time-scale. The Bayesian method uses simulation data to find a posterior probability distribution for (P,T) for any chosen τ. This distribution can be regarded as the Bayesian probability that the kinetics observed in the atomistic simulation data on the mesoscopic time-scale τ was generated by the CMMM specified by (P,T). An optimization algorithm is used to find the most

Streamflow response of a small forested catchment on different timescales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Zabaleta

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The hydrological response of a catchment to rainfall on different timescales is result of a complex system involving a range of physical processes which may operate simultaneously and have different spatial and temporal influences. This paper presents the analysis of streamflow response of a small humid-temperate catchment (Aixola, 4.8 km² in the Basque Country on different timescales and discusses the role of the controlling factors. Firstly, daily time series analysis was used to establish a hypothesis on the general functioning of the catchment through the relationship between precipitation and discharge on an annual and multiannual scale (2003–2008. Second, rainfall-runoff relationships and relationships among several hydrological variables, including catchment antecedent conditions, were explored at the event scale (222 events to check and improve the hypothesis. Finally, the evolution of electrical conductivity (EC during some of the monitored storm events (28 events was examined to identify the time origin of waters. Quick response of the catchment to almost all the rainfall events as well as a considerable regulation capacity was deduced from the correlation and spectral analyses. These results agree with runoff event scale data analysis; however, the event analysis revealed the non-linearity of the system, as antecedent conditions play a significant role in this catchment. Further, analysis at the event scale made possible to clarify factors controlling (precipitation, precipitation intensity and initial discharge the different aspects of the runoff response (runoff coefficient and discharge increase for this catchment. Finally, the evolution of EC of the waters enabled the time origin (event or pre-event waters of the quickflow to be established; specifically, the conductivity showed that pre-event waters usually represent a high percentage of the total discharge during runoff peaks. The importance of soil waters in the

Impact of the initialisation on the predictability of the Southern Ocean sea ice at interannual to multi-decadal timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Zunz, Violette; Goosse, Hugues; Dubinkina, Svetlana

2015-04-01

In this study, we assess systematically the impact of different initialisation procedures on the predictability of the sea ice in the Southern Ocean. These initialisation strategies are based on three data assimilation methods: the nudging, the particle filter with sequential importance resampling and the nudging proposal particle filter. An Earth system model of intermediate complexity is used to perform hindcast simulations in a perfect model approach. The predictability of the Antarctic sea ice at interannual to multi-decadal timescales is estimated through two aspects: the spread of the hindcast ensemble, indicating the uncertainty of the ensemble, and the correlation between the ensemble mean and the pseudo-observations, used to assess the accuracy of the prediction. Our results show that at decadal timescales more sophisticated data assimilation methods as well as denser pseudo-observations used to initialise the hindcasts decrease the spread of the ensemble. However, our experiments did not clearly demonstrate that one of the initialisation methods systematically provides with a more accurate prediction of the sea ice in the Southern Ocean than the others. Overall, the predictability at interannual timescales is limited to 3 years ahead at most. At multi-decadal timescales, the trends in sea ice extent computed over the time period just after the initialisation are clearly better correlated between the hindcasts and the pseudo-observations if the initialisation takes into account the pseudo-observations. The correlation reaches values larger than 0.5 in winter. This high correlation has likely its origin in the slow evolution of the ocean ensured by its strong thermal inertia, showing the importance of the quality of the initialisation below the sea ice.

EFL Teacher Motivation In-Situ: Co-Adaptive Processes, Openness and Relational Motivation over Interacting Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Sampson, Richard J.

2016-01-01

This paper presents an exploratory case study of the classroom motivational dynamics of an English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher at a Japanese technology college. The article examines how motivation evolved in-context over various timescales through interactions with affect and identity. An introspective research journal generated rich,…

Dyadic Affective Flexibility and Emotional Inertia in Relation to Youth Psychopathology: An Integrated Model at Two Timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Mancini, Kathryn J; Luebbe, Aaron M

2016-06-01

The current review examines characteristics of temporal affective functioning at both the individual and dyadic level. Specifically, the review examines the following three research questions: (1) How are dyadic affective flexibility and emotional inertia operationalized, and are they related to youth psychopathology? (2) How are dyadic affective flexibility and emotional inertia related, and does this relation occur at micro- and meso-timescales? and (3) How do these constructs combine to predict clinical outcomes? Using the Flex3 model of socioemotional flexibility as a frame, the current study proposes that dyadic affective flexibility and emotional inertia are bidirectionally related at micro- and meso-timescales, which yields psychopathological symptoms for youth. Specific future directions for examining individual, dyadic, and cultural characteristics that may influence relations between these constructs and psychopathology are also discussed.

A Constraint on the Formation Timescale of the Young Open Cluster NGC 2264: Lithium Abundance of Pre-main Sequence Stars

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Beomdu; Sung, Hwankyung; Kim, Jinyoung S.; Bessell, Michael S.; Hwang, Narae; Park, Byeong-Gon

2016-11-01

The timescale of cluster formation is an essential parameter in order to understand the formation process of star clusters. Pre-main sequence (PMS) stars in nearby young open clusters reveal a large spread in brightness. If the spread were considered to be a result of a real spread in age, the corresponding cluster formation timescale would be about 5-20 Myr. Hence it could be interpreted that star formation in an open cluster is prolonged for up to a few tens of Myr. However, difficulties in reddening correction, observational errors, and systematic uncertainties introduced by imperfect evolutionary models for PMS stars can result in an artificial age spread. Alternatively, we can utilize Li abundance as a relative age indicator of PMS star to determine the cluster formation timescale. The optical spectra of 134 PMS stars in NGC 2264 have been obtained with MMT/Hectochelle. The equivalent widths have been measured for 86 PMS stars with a detectable Li line (3500\\lt {T}{eff}[{{K}}]≤slant 6500). Li abundance under the condition of local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) was derived using the conventional curve of growth method. After correction for non-LTE effects, we find that the initial Li abundance of NGC 2264 is A({Li})=3.2+/- 0.2. From the distribution of the Li abundances, the underlying age spread of the visible PMS stars is estimated to be about 3-4 Myr and this, together with the presence of embedded populations in NGC 2264, suggests that the cluster formed on a timescale shorter than 5 Myr.

Seamless Modeling for Research & Predictability of Severe Tropical Storms from Weather-to-Climate Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Ramaswamy, V.; Chen, J. H.; Delworth, T. L.; Knutson, T. R.; Lin, S. J.; Murakami, H.; Vecchi, G. A.

2017-12-01

Damages from catastrophic tropical storms such as the 2017 destructive hurricanes compel an acceleration of scientific advancements to understand the genesis, underlying mechanisms, frequency, track, intensity, and landfall of these storms. The advances are crucial to provide improved early information for planners and responders. We discuss the development and utilization of a global modeling capability based on a novel atmospheric dynamical core ("Finite-Volume Cubed Sphere or FV3") which captures the realism of the recent tropical storms and is a part of the NOAA Next-Generation Global Prediction System. This capability is also part of an emerging seamless modeling system at NOAA/ Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory for simulating the frequency of storms on seasonal and longer timescales with high fidelity e.g., Atlantic hurricane frequency over the past decades. In addition, the same modeling system has also been employed to evaluate the nature of projected storms on the multi-decadal scales under the influence of anthropogenic factors such as greenhouse gases and aerosols. The seamless modeling system thus facilitates research into and the predictability of severe tropical storms across diverse timescales of practical interest to several societal sectors.

Uncertainties in soil-plant interactions in advanced models for long-timescale dose assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klos, R. [Aleksandria Sciences Ltd. (United Kingdom); Limer, L. [Limer Scientific Ltd. (United Kingdom); Perez-Sanchez, D. [Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas - CIEMAT (Spain); Xu, S.; Andersson, P. [Swedish Radiation Safty Authority (Sweden)

2014-07-01

Traditional models for long-timescale dose assessment are generally conceptually straightforward, featuring one, two or three spatial compartments in the soil column and employing data based on annually averaged parameters for climate characteristics. The soil-plant system is usually modelled using concentration ratios. The justification for this approach is that the timescales relevant to the geologic disposal of radioactive waste are so long that simple conceptual models are necessary to account for the inherent uncertainties over the timescale of the dose assessment. In the past few years, attention has been given to more detailed 'advanced' models for use dose assessment that have a high degree of site-specific detail. These recognise more features, events and processes since they have higher spatial and temporal resolution. This modelling approach has been developed to account for redox sensitive radionuclides, variability of the water table position and accumulation in non-agricultural ecosystems prior to conversion to an agricultural ecosystem. The models feature higher spatial and temporal resolution in the soil column (up to ten layers with spatially varying k{sub d}s dependent on soil conditions) and monthly rather than annually averaged parameters. Soil-plant interaction is treated as a dynamic process, allowing for root uptake as a function of time and depth, according to the root profile. Uncertainty in dose assessment models associated with the treatment of prior accumulations in agricultural soils has demonstrated the importance of the model's representation of the soil-plant interaction. The treatment of root uptake as a dynamic process as opposed to a simple concentration ratio implies a potentially important difference despite the dynamic soil-plant transfer rate being based on established concentration ratio values. These discrepancies have also appeared in the results from the higher spatio-temporal resolution models. This paper

Information management and technology strategy in healthcare: local timescales and national requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Les Smith

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The UK National Health Service’s strategic switch-back is well documented and each centrally originated change results in various attempts to record the repercussions and predict the outcomes. The most recent shift is embodied in the Department of Health’s information strategy, Information for health published in September 1998. This document provides the context for an examination of the issue of developing an Information Management and Technology (IM&T strategy at the local level within the changing national requirements for NHS information management. The particular pressures on an individual unit and the need to react to them alongside the requirements of the national strategy are the subjects of this article. The case detailed is that of Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO on Merseyside, the second largest centre of its type in the UK. Its initial investigation of information needs preceded the publication of the national strategy and its implementation straddled the timescale devised by the NHS Information Authority. The inevitable incompatibility between timescales for the local and the national developments is examined within the case. The work of the new NHS Information Authority and its supporting guidance in its Circular, Information for Health: Initial Local Implementation Strategies, is evaluated as a tool in aligning local and national strategy. Information Managers in other centrally governed organisations within the public sector and large corporations are often alert to similar issues.

Multiple timescale analysis and factor analysis of energy ecological footprint growth in China 1953-2006

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Chengzhong; Lin Zhenshan

2008-01-01

Scientific analysis of energy consumption and its influencing factors is of great importance for energy strategy and policy planning. The energy consumption in China 1953-2006 is estimated by applying the energy ecological footprint (EEF) method, and the fluctuation periods of annual China's per capita EEF (EEF cpc ) growth rate are analyzed with the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) method in this paper. EEF intensity is analyzed to depict energy efficiency in China. The main timescales of the 37 factors that affect the annual growth rate of EEF cpc are also discussed based on EMD and factor analysis methods. Results show three obvious undulation cycles of the annual growth rate of EEF cpc , i.e., 4.6, 14.4 and 34.2 years over the last 53 years. The analysis findings from the common synthesized factors of IMF1, IMF2 and IMF3 timescales of the 37 factors suggest that China's energy policy-makers should attach more importance to stabilizing economic growth, optimizing industrial structure, regulating domestic petroleum exploitation and improving transportation efficiency

The measurement of dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger: an examination of the factor structure of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ).

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, M J; McDowell, A J; Wilkinson, J Y

2001-06-01

To conduct separate factor analyses of the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R, TFEQ-D and TFEQ-H) scales and provide initial evidence of the construct validity of the obtained solutions. A cross-sectional survey with a 12 month retest of a subsample of subjects. A total of 553 undergraduate university women with a mean age of 25.0 y. The retest sample comprised 64 subjects with a mean age at retest of 25.7 y. In addition to the TFEQ, age, body mass index (BMI), satisfaction with current weight, nutrition knowledge and current exercise level were recorded. Three restraint (strategic dieting behaviour, attitude to self-regulation, avoidance of fattening foods), three disinhibition (habitual susceptibility, emotional susceptibility, situational susceptibility) and two hunger constructs (internal locus for hunger, external locus for hunger) were identified. Initial evidence of the validity of these constructs was provided. The explanation of disordered eating behaviour is likely to be refined more by specific constructs, such as those presented, rather than by the more general constructs measured by the original TFEQ-R, TFEQ-D and TFEQ-H scales. Further examination of the factor structures presented is therefore encouraged.

Full-scale and time-scale heating experiments at Stripa: preliminary results. Technical project report No. 11

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cook, N.G.W.; Hood, M.

1978-12-01

Two full-scale heating experiments and a time-scale heating experiment have recently been started in granite 340 meters below surface. The purpose of the full-scale heating experiments is to assess the near-field effects of thermal loading for the design of an underground repository of nuclear wastes. That of the time-scale heating experiments is to obtain field data of the interaction between heaters and its effect on the rock mass during a period of about two years, which corresponds to about twenty years of full-scale operation. Geological features of the rock around each experiment have been mapped carefully, and temperatures, stresses and displacements induced in the rock by heating have been calculated in advance of the experiments. Some 800 different measurements are recorded at frequent intervals by a computer system situated underground. These data can be compared at any time with predictions made earlier on video display units underground

Eruption and emplacement timescales of ignimbrite super-eruptions from thermo-kinetics of glass shards

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yan eLavallée

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Super-eruptions generating hundreds of cubic kilometres of pyroclastic density currents are commonly recorded by thick, welded and lava-like ignimbrites. Despite the huge environmental impact inferred for this type of eruption, little is yet known about the timescales of deposition and post-depositional flow. Without these timescales, the critical question of the duration of any environmental impact, and the ensuing gravity of its effects for the Earth system, eludes us. The eruption and welding of ignimbrites requires three transects of the glass transition. Magma needs to: 1 fragment during ascent, 2 liquefy and relax during deposition, agglutination and welding (sintering, and 3 quench by cooling into the glassy state. Here we show that welding is a rapid, syn-depositional process and that the welded ignimbrite sheet may flow for up to a few hours before passing through the glass transition a final time. Geospeedometry reveals that the basal vitrophyre of the Grey’s Landing ignimbrite underwent the glass transition at a rate of ~0.1 °C.min^-1 at 870 °C; that is, 30-180 °C below pre-eruptive geothermometric estimates. Application of a 1-D cooling model constrains the timescale of deposition, agglutination, and welding of the basal vitrophyre to less than 1 hour, and possibly even tens of minutes. Thermo-mechanical iteration of the sintering process indicates an optimal temperature solution for the emplacement of the vitrophyres at 966 °C. The vitrophyres reveal a Newtonian rheology up to 46 MPa, which suggests that the ash particles annealed entirely during welding and that viscous energy dissipation is unlikely from loading conditions alone, unless shear stresses imposed by the overlying ash flow were excessively high and sustained over long distances. The findings underline the value of the term 'lava-like' flow to describe the end rheology of Snake River-type ignimbrites, fully consistent with the typical lithofacies observed.

Predictability of tropical cyclone events on intraseasonal timescales with the ECMWF monthly forecast model

Science.gov (United States)

Elsberry, Russell L.; Jordan, Mary S.; Vitart, Frederic

2010-05-01

The objective of this study is to provide evidence of predictability on intraseasonal time scales (10-30 days) for western North Pacific tropical cyclone formation and subsequent tracks using the 51-member ECMWF 32-day forecasts made once a week from 5 June through 25 December 2008. Ensemble storms are defined by grouping ensemble member vortices whose positions are within a specified separation distance that is equal to 180 n mi at the initial forecast time t and increases linearly to 420 n mi at Day 14 and then is constant. The 12-h track segments are calculated with a Weighted-Mean Vector Motion technique in which the weighting factor is inversely proportional to the distance from the endpoint of the previous 12-h motion vector. Seventy-six percent of the ensemble storms had five or fewer member vortices. On average, the ensemble storms begin 2.5 days before the first entry of the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) best-track file, tend to translate too slowly in the deep tropics, and persist for longer periods over land. A strict objective matching technique with the JTWC storms is combined with a second subjective procedure that is then applied to identify nearby ensemble storms that would indicate a greater likelihood of a tropical cyclone developing in that region with that track orientation. The ensemble storms identified in the ECMWF 32-day forecasts provided guidance on intraseasonal timescales of the formations and tracks of the three strongest typhoons and two other typhoons, but not for two early season typhoons and the late season Dolphin. Four strong tropical storms were predicted consistently over Week-1 through Week-4, as was one weak tropical storm. Two other weak tropical storms, three tropical cyclones that developed from precursor baroclinic systems, and three other tropical depressions were not predicted on intraseasonal timescales. At least for the strongest tropical cyclones during the peak season, the ECMWF 32-day ensemble provides

EARTH’S ROTATIONAL DECELERATION: DETERMINATION OF TIDAL FRICTION INDEPENDENT OF TIMESCALES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deines, Steven D.; Williams, Carol A.

2016-01-01

This paper determines Earth's rotational deceleration without relying on atomic or ephemeris timescales. Earth's rotation defines the civil time standard called Universal Time (UT). Our previous paper did not examine tidal friction in depth when analyzing the timescale divergence between UT and International Atomic Time (TAI). We examine all available paleontological fossils and deposits for the direct measurements of Earth's past rotation rates, because that record includes all contributing effects. We examine paleontological reports that date Earth's rotation rate using corals, bivalves, brachiopods, rhythmites, and stromatolites. Contributions that vary Earth's moment of inertia, such as continental plate drifts, coastline changes, ice age formations, and viscous glacial rebounds, are superimposed with the secular deceleration. The average deceleration of Earth's rotation rate from all available fossil data is found to be (5.969 ± 1.762) × 10 −7 rad yr −2 . Our value is 99.8% of the total rotational deceleration determined by Christodoulidis et al., who used artificial satellite data, and our value is 96.6% of the expected tidal friction value obtained by Stephenson and Morrison. Taking the derivative of conserved angular momentum, the predicted lunar orbital deceleration caused by the average rotational deceleration corresponds closely to lunar models. When evaluating the significant time gaps between UT and TAI, Earth's rotational deceleration is a minor contributing factor. Also, the secular deceleration rate is necessary to correctly date ancient astronomical events. We strongly encourage that more ocean paleontological evidence be found to supplement the record to separate the many periodic variations embedded in these data

EARTH’S ROTATIONAL DECELERATION: DETERMINATION OF TIDAL FRICTION INDEPENDENT OF TIMESCALES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deines, Steven D. [Donatech Corporation, Fairfield, IA 52556 (United States); Williams, Carol A., E-mail: steven.deines@gmail.com, E-mail: cw@math.usf.edu [Department of Mathematics and Statistics (Prof. emeritus), University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa, FL 33620 (United States)

2016-04-15

This paper determines Earth's rotational deceleration without relying on atomic or ephemeris timescales. Earth's rotation defines the civil time standard called Universal Time (UT). Our previous paper did not examine tidal friction in depth when analyzing the timescale divergence between UT and International Atomic Time (TAI). We examine all available paleontological fossils and deposits for the direct measurements of Earth's past rotation rates, because that record includes all contributing effects. We examine paleontological reports that date Earth's rotation rate using corals, bivalves, brachiopods, rhythmites, and stromatolites. Contributions that vary Earth's moment of inertia, such as continental plate drifts, coastline changes, ice age formations, and viscous glacial rebounds, are superimposed with the secular deceleration. The average deceleration of Earth's rotation rate from all available fossil data is found to be (5.969 ± 1.762) × 10{sup −7} rad yr{sup −2}. Our value is 99.8% of the total rotational deceleration determined by Christodoulidis et al., who used artificial satellite data, and our value is 96.6% of the expected tidal friction value obtained by Stephenson and Morrison. Taking the derivative of conserved angular momentum, the predicted lunar orbital deceleration caused by the average rotational deceleration corresponds closely to lunar models. When evaluating the significant time gaps between UT and TAI, Earth's rotational deceleration is a minor contributing factor. Also, the secular deceleration rate is necessary to correctly date ancient astronomical events. We strongly encourage that more ocean paleontological evidence be found to supplement the record to separate the many periodic variations embedded in these data.

Towards an Integrated Geomagnetic Polarity Reversal Timescale for the Pleistocene

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rivera, Tiffany; Storey, Michael; Kuiper, Klaudia

The development of the geomagnetic polarity timescale (GPTS) in the mid 20th century led to the greater understanding of seafloor spreading and plate tectonics (Heirtzler et al., 1968). Over 40 years later, the GPTS continues to be refined, particularly in terms of integrating multiple dating...... minerals. Each of these ages is then compared to independent astronomical ages for the events in order to define tie-points for constructing a Pleistocene a multi-chronometer GPTS. Although only three reversals are addressed here, the methodology applied shows promise to refining short-lived excursions...... to enable further understanding of the wavering magnetic field. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007-2013] under grant agreement no. 215458....

The phase space and stellar populations of cluster galaxies at z ∼ 1: simultaneous constraints on the location and timescale of satellite quenching

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muzzin, Adam; Van der Burg, R. F. J.; McGee, Sean L.; Balogh, Michael; Franx, Marijn; Hoekstra, Henk [Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands); Hudson, Michael J. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 (Canada); Noble, Allison; Taranu, Dan S.; Yee, H. K. C. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada); Webb, Tracy [Department of Physics, McGill University, Montréal, QC (Canada); Wilson, Gillian [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States)

2014-11-20

We investigate the velocity versus position phase space of z ∼ 1 cluster galaxies using a set of 424 spectroscopic redshifts in nine clusters drawn from the GCLASS survey. Dividing the galaxy population into three categories, that is, quiescent, star-forming, and poststarburst, we find that these populations have distinct distributions in phase space. Most striking are the poststarburst galaxies, which are commonly found at small clustercentric radii with high clustercentric velocities, and appear to trace a coherent 'ring' in phase space. Using several zoom simulations of clusters, we show that the coherent distribution of the poststarbursts can be reasonably well reproduced using a simple quenching scenario. Specifically, the phase space is best reproduced if these galaxies are quenched with a rapid timescale (0.1 <τ {sub Q} < 0.5 Gyr) after they make their first passage of R ∼ 0.5 R {sub 200}, a process that takes a total time of ∼1 Gyr after first infall. The poststarburst phase space is not well reproduced using long quenching timescales (τ {sub Q} > 0.5 Gyr) or by quenching galaxies at larger radii (R ∼ R {sub 200}). We compare this quenching timescale to the timescale implied by the stellar populations of the poststarburst galaxies and find that the poststarburst spectra are well-fit by a rapid quenching (τ {sub Q} = 0.4{sub −0.4}{sup +0.3} Gyr) of a typical star-forming galaxy. The similarity between the quenching timescales derived from these independent indicators is a strong consistency check of the quenching model. Given that the model implies satellite quenching is rapid and occurs well within R {sub 200}, this would suggest that ram-pressure stripping of either the hot or cold gas component of galaxies are the most plausible candidates for the physical mechanism. The high cold gas consumption rates at z ∼ 1 make it difficult to determine whether hot or cold gas stripping is dominant; however, measurements of the redshift

Isotopic exchange of carbon-bound hydrogen over geologic timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Sessions, Alex L.; Sylva, Sean P.; Summons, Roger E.; Hayes, John M.

2004-04-01

The increasing popularity of compound-specific hydrogen isotope (D/H) analyses for investigating sedimentary organic matter raises numerous questions about the exchange of carbon-bound hydrogen over geologic timescales. Important questions include the rates of isotopic exchange, methods for diagnosing exchange in ancient samples, and the isotopic consequences of that exchange. This article provides a review of relevant literature data along with new data from several pilot studies to investigate such issues. Published experimental estimates of exchange rates between organic hydrogen and water indicate that at warm temperatures (50-100°C) exchange likely occurs on timescales of 104 to 108 yr. Incubation experiments using organic compounds and D-enriched water, combined with compound-specific D/H analyses, provide a new and highly sensitive method for measuring exchange at low temperatures. Comparison of δD values for isoprenoid and n-alkyl carbon skeletons in sedimentary organic matter provides no evidence for exchange in young (exchange in ancient (>350 Ma) rocks. Specific rates of exchange are probably influenced by the nature and abundance of organic matter, pore-water chemistry, the presence of catalytic mineral surfaces, and perhaps even enzymatic activity. Estimates of equilibrium fractionation factors between organic H and water indicate that typical lipids will be depleted in D relative to water by ∼75 to 140‰ at equilibrium (30°C). Thus large differences in δD between organic molecules and water cannot be unambiguously interpreted as evidence against hydrogen exchange. A better approach may be to use changes in stereochemistry as a proxy for hydrogen exchange. For example, estimated rates of H exchange in pristane are similar to predicted rates for stereochemical inversion in steranes and hopanes. The isotopic consequences of this exchange remain in question. Incubations of cholestene with D2O indicate that the number of D atoms incorporated during

Restless 'rest': intrinsic sensory hyperactivity and disinhibition in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Clancy, Kevin; Ding, Mingzhou; Bernat, Edward; Schmidt, Norman B; Li, Wen

2017-07-01

deficits, respectively). Therefore, sensory aberrations help construct a vicious cycle in post-traumatic stress disorder that is in action even at rest, implicating dysregulated triangular sensory-prefrontal-cortex-amygdala circuitry: intrinsic sensory hyperactivity and disinhibition give rise to frontal overload and disrupt executive control, fuelling and perpetuating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. Absent in generalized anxiety disorder, these aberrations highlight a unique sensory pathology of post-traumatic stress disorder (ruling out effects merely reflecting anxious hyperarousal), motivating new interventions targeting sensory processing and the sensory brain in these patients. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Reconstructing disturbances and their biogeochemical consequences over multiple timescales

Science.gov (United States)

McLauchlan, Kendra K.; Higuera, Philip E.; Gavin, Daniel G.; Perakis, Steven S.; Mack, Michelle C.; Alexander, Heather; Battles, John; Biondi, Franco; Buma, Brian; Colombaroli, Daniele; Enders, Sara K.; Engstrom, Daniel R.; Hu, Feng Sheng; Marlon, Jennifer R.; Marshall, John; McGlone, Matt; Morris, Jesse L.; Nave, Lucas E.; Shuman, Bryan; Smithwick, Erica A.H.; Urrego, Dunia H.; Wardle, David A.; Williams, Christopher J.; Williams, Joseph J.

2014-01-01

Ongoing changes in disturbance regimes are predicted to cause acute changes in ecosystem structure and function in the coming decades, but many aspects of these predictions are uncertain. A key challenge is to improve the predictability of postdisturbance biogeochemical trajectories at the ecosystem level. Ecosystem ecologists and paleoecologists have generated complementary data sets about disturbance (type, severity, frequency) and ecosystem response (net primary productivity, nutrient cycling) spanning decadal to millennial timescales. Here, we take the first steps toward a full integration of these data sets by reviewing how disturbances are reconstructed using dendrochronological and sedimentary archives and by summarizing the conceptual frameworks for carbon, nitrogen, and hydrologic responses to disturbances. Key research priorities include further development of paleoecological techniques that reconstruct both disturbances and terrestrial ecosystem dynamics. In addition, mechanistic detail from disturbance experiments, long-term observations, and chronosequences can help increase the understanding of ecosystem resilience.

A Review of Time-Scale Modification of Music Signals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Driedger

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Time-scale modification (TSM is the task of speeding up or slowing down an audio signal’s playback speed without changing its pitch. In digital music production, TSM has become an indispensable tool, which is nowadays integrated in a wide range of music production software. Music signals are diverse—they comprise harmonic, percussive, and transient components, among others. Because of this wide range of acoustic and musical characteristics, there is no single TSM method that can cope with all kinds of audio signals equally well. Our main objective is to foster a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of TSM procedures. To this end, we review fundamental TSM methods, discuss typical challenges, and indicate potential solutions that combine different strategies. In particular, we discuss a fusion approach that involves recent techniques for harmonic-percussive separation along with time-domain and frequency-domain TSM procedures.

Predicting Instability Timescales in Closely-Packed Planetary Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Tamayo, Daniel; Hadden, Samuel; Hussain, Naireen; Silburt, Ari; Gilbertson, Christian; Rein, Hanno; Menou, Kristen

2018-04-01

Many of the multi-planet systems discovered around other stars are maximally packed. This implies that simulations with masses or orbital parameters too far from the actual values will destabilize on short timescales; thus, long-term dynamics allows one to constrain the orbital architectures of many closely packed multi-planet systems. A central challenge in such efforts is the large computational cost of N-body simulations, which preclude a full survey of the high-dimensional parameter space of orbital architectures allowed by observations. I will present our recent successes in training machine learning models capable of reliably predicting orbital stability a million times faster than N-body simulations. By engineering dynamically relevant features that we feed to a gradient-boosted decision tree algorithm (XGBoost), we are able to achieve a precision and recall of 90% on a holdout test set of N-body simulations. This opens a wide discovery space for characterizing new exoplanet discoveries and for elucidating how orbital architectures evolve through time as the next generation of spaceborne exoplanet surveys prepare for launch this year.

Chimeric β-Lactamases: Global Conservation of Parental Function and Fast Time-Scale Dynamics with Increased Slow Motions

Science.gov (United States)

Clouthier, Christopher M.; Morin, Sébastien; Gobeil, Sophie M. C.; Doucet, Nicolas; Blanchet, Jonathan; Nguyen, Elisabeth; Gagné, Stéphane M.; Pelletier, Joelle N.

2012-01-01

Enzyme engineering has been facilitated by recombination of close homologues, followed by functional screening. In one such effort, chimeras of two class-A β-lactamases – TEM-1 and PSE-4 – were created according to structure-guided protein recombination and selected for their capacity to promote bacterial proliferation in the presence of ampicillin (Voigt et al., Nat. Struct. Biol. 2002 9:553). To provide a more detailed assessment of the effects of protein recombination on the structure and function of the resulting chimeric enzymes, we characterized a series of functional TEM-1/PSE-4 chimeras possessing between 17 and 92 substitutions relative to TEM-1 β-lactamase. Circular dichroism and thermal scanning fluorimetry revealed that the chimeras were generally well folded. Despite harbouring important sequence variation relative to either of the two ‘parental’ β-lactamases, the chimeric β-lactamases displayed substrate recognition spectra and reactivity similar to their most closely-related parent. To gain further insight into the changes induced by chimerization, the chimera with 17 substitutions was investigated by NMR spin relaxation. While high order was conserved on the ps-ns timescale, a hallmark of class A β-lactamases, evidence of additional slow motions on the µs-ms timescale was extracted from model-free calculations. This is consistent with the greater number of resonances that could not be assigned in this chimera relative to the parental β-lactamases, and is consistent with this well-folded and functional chimeric β-lactamase displaying increased slow time-scale motions. PMID:23284969

Investigations into the Regional and Local Timescale Variations of Subglacial Drainage Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Hiester, Justin

Subglacial water plays an important role in the regulation of an ice sheet's mass balance. It may be the dominant control on the velocities of ice streams and outlet glaciers on scales of months to millennia. Recent satellite observations of ice surface elevation changes have given researchers new insights into how subglacial water is stored and transported. Localized uplift and settling of the ice surface implies that lakes exist beneath the ice sheet that are being filled and drained on relatively short time scales. At the base of an ice sheet water can be transported through a variety of drainage networks or stored in subglacial lakes. Here, a numerical investigation of the mechanisms of transport and storage of subglacial water and the associated time scales is presented. Experiments are carried out using a finite element model of coupled ice and water flow. The first experiment seeks to understand the relationship between the depth of a basal depression and the area over which the feature affects basal water flow. It is found that as the perturbation to a topographic depression's depth is increased, water is rerouted in response to the perturbation. Additionally it is found that the relationship between perturbation depth and the extent upstream to which its effects reach is nonlinear. The second experiment examines how the aspect ratio of bed features (prolate, oblate, or equidimensional) influences basal water flow. It is found that the systems that develop and their interactions are mediated by both the topography and the feedbacks taken into account by the coupling of the systems in the model. Features oriented parallel to ice and water flow are associated with distributed fan systems that develop branches which migrate laterally across the domain and interact with one another on monthly and yearly timescales. Laterally oriented features develop laterally extensive ponds. As the ratio of longitudinal to lateral dimension of the topography is increased, a

Characterisation of seasonal flood types according to timescales in mixed probability distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Svenja; Schumann, Andreas; Schulte, Markus

2016-08-01

When flood statistics are based on annual maximum series (AMS), the sample often contains flood peaks, which differ in their genesis. If the ratios among event types change over the range of observations, the extrapolation of a probability distribution function (pdf) can be dominated by a majority of events that belong to a certain flood type. If this type is not typical for extraordinarily large extremes, such an extrapolation of the pdf is misleading. To avoid this breach of the assumption of homogeneity, seasonal models were developed that differ between winter and summer floods. We show that a distinction between summer and winter floods is not always sufficient if seasonal series include events with different geneses. Here, we differentiate floods by their timescales into groups of long and short events. A statistical method for such a distinction of events is presented. To demonstrate their applicability, timescales for winter and summer floods in a German river basin were estimated. It is shown that summer floods can be separated into two main groups, but in our study region, the sample of winter floods consists of at least three different flood types. The pdfs of the two groups of summer floods are combined via a new mixing model. This model considers that information about parallel events that uses their maximum values only is incomplete because some of the realisations are overlaid. A statistical method resulting in an amendment of statistical parameters is proposed. The application in a German case study demonstrates the advantages of the new model, with specific emphasis on flood types.

Calculating the spatio-temporal variability of bedrock exposure on seasonal hydrograph timescales as a prerequisite to modeling bedrock river evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Hurst, A. A.; Anderson, R. S.; Tucker, G. E.

2017-12-01

Erosion of bedrock river channels exerts significant control on landscape evolution because it communicates climatic and tectonic signals across a landscape by setting the lower erosional boundaries for hillslopes. Hillslope erosion delivers sediment to the channels, which then either store or transport the sediment. At times of high storage, access to the bedrock floor of the channel is limited, inhibiting bedrock erosion. This affects the timescale of channel response to imposed base-level lowering, which in turn affects hillslope erosion. Because occasional exposure of the bedrock bed is a minimum prerequisite for bedrock erosion, we seek to understand the evolution of sediment cover, or scour history, with sufficient resolution to answer when and where the bed is exposed. The scour history at a site is governed by grain size, bed and channel morphology, sediment concentration in the water, and seasonal flow conditions (hydrograph). The transient nature of bedrock exposure during high-flow events implies that short-term sediment cover dynamics are important for predicting long-term bedrock incision rates. Models of channel profile evolution, or of landscape evolution, generally ignore evolution of sediment cover on the hydrograph timescale. To develop insight into the necessary and sufficient conditions for bedrock exposure followed by reburial, we have developed a 1-D model of the evolution of alluvial cover thickness in a long channel profile in response to a seasonal hydrograph. This model tracks erosion, deposition, and the concentration of sediment in the water column separately, and generates histories of scour and fill over the course of the hydrograph. We compare the model's predictions with net-scour measurements in tributaries of the Grand Canyon and with scour-chain and accelerometer measurements in the Cedar River, Washington. By addressing alluvial scour on short timescales, we acknowledge the processes required to allow bedrock incision and

An anchored astronomical time-scale for the Turonian reference sections in the Umbria-Marche Basin, Italy

Science.gov (United States)

De Vleeschouwer, D.; Montanari, A.; Coccioni, R.

2012-04-01

In the Umbria-Marche basin, the aftermath of Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (OAE2, Bonarelli Level) is represented by the Turonian part of the Scaglia Rossa Formation. The Scaglia Rossa pelagic limestones were studied in the classic Contessa and Bottaccione sections near Gubbio, in the Umbria-Marche region of the northeastern Apennines of Italy. Oscillations between radiolarian cherts interbedded with foram-coccolith pelagic limestones are interpreted to follow the rhythm of precession and show hierarchical bundles, which are suggestive of eccentricity-related grouping. Eccentricity-bundles are correlated amongst the two studied sections. Moreover, the magnetic susceptibility signal of the Bottaccione section and the δ18O and δ13C record of both sections clearly demonstrate the imprint of precession and eccentricity. Eccentricity minima are associated with relatively warm periods (δ18O minima), characterized by an increased magnetic susceptibility signal and radiolarian blooms, which are expressed by frequent chert beds. Radiolarian blooms seem to hamper primary productivity, given that they correlate with δ13C minima. The delineated astronomical cycles constitute an eccentricity-based cyclostratigraphy for the Turonian part of the Scaglia Rossa. Moreover, the constructed cyclostratigraphy is anchored to numerical time by calibration with the astronomical solution La2010 (Laskar et al., 2011) and with recent radioisotopic ages from the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary interval near the GSSP in Colorado, USA (Meyers et al., 2012). The numerical age (93.9 ± 0.15 Ma; Meyers et al., 2012) of the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary (0.75 m above the top of the Bonarelli Level in the Contessa section; Tsikos et al., 2004; Kennedy et al., 2005) is used as the pinpoint to which our astronomical time-scale is anchored. Using the anchored astronomical time-scale for the Turonian of the Umbria-Marche basin, the top of the Bonarelli Level is placed at 93.97 ± 0.25 Ma, and the boundary

Reduced linear noise approximation for biochemical reaction networks with time-scale separation: The stochastic tQSSA+

Science.gov (United States)

Herath, Narmada; Del Vecchio, Domitilla

2018-03-01

Biochemical reaction networks often involve reactions that take place on different time scales, giving rise to "slow" and "fast" system variables. This property is widely used in the analysis of systems to obtain dynamical models with reduced dimensions. In this paper, we consider stochastic dynamics of biochemical reaction networks modeled using the Linear Noise Approximation (LNA). Under time-scale separation conditions, we obtain a reduced-order LNA that approximates both the slow and fast variables in the system. We mathematically prove that the first and second moments of this reduced-order model converge to those of the full system as the time-scale separation becomes large. These mathematical results, in particular, provide a rigorous justification to the accuracy of LNA models derived using the stochastic total quasi-steady state approximation (tQSSA). Since, in contrast to the stochastic tQSSA, our reduced-order model also provides approximations for the fast variable stochastic properties, we term our method the "stochastic tQSSA+". Finally, we demonstrate the application of our approach on two biochemical network motifs found in gene-regulatory and signal transduction networks.

Serotonergic neurons signal reward and punishment on multiple timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Jeremiah Y; Amoroso, Mackenzie W; Uchida, Naoshige

2015-01-01

Serotonin's function in the brain is unclear. One challenge in testing the numerous hypotheses about serotonin's function has been observing the activity of identified serotonergic neurons in animals engaged in behavioral tasks. We recorded the activity of dorsal raphe neurons while mice experienced a task in which rewards and punishments varied across blocks of trials. We ‘tagged’ serotonergic neurons with the light-sensitive protein channelrhodopsin-2 and identified them based on their responses to light. We found three main features of serotonergic neuron activity: (1) a large fraction of serotonergic neurons modulated their tonic firing rates over the course of minutes during reward vs punishment blocks; (2) most were phasically excited by punishments; and (3) a subset was phasically excited by reward-predicting cues. By contrast, dopaminergic neurons did not show firing rate changes across blocks of trials. These results suggest that serotonergic neurons signal information about reward and punishment on multiple timescales. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.06346.001 PMID:25714923

BROAD ABSORPTION LINE DISAPPEARANCE ON MULTI-YEAR TIMESCALES IN A LARGE QUASAR SAMPLE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filiz Ak, N.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, D. P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Hall, P. B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3 (Canada); Anderson, S. F.; Gibson, R. R. [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Lundgren, B. F. [Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States); Myers, A. D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Petitjean, P. [Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, Universite Paris 6, F-75014, Paris (France); Ross, Nicholas P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 92420 (United States); Shen Yue [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS-51, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); York, D. G. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Enrico Fermi Institute, University of Chicago, 5640 S. Ellis Ave., Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Bizyaev, D.; Brinkmann, J.; Malanushenko, E.; Oravetz, D. J.; Pan, K.; Simmons, A. E. [Apache Point Observatory, P.O. Box 59, Sunspot, NM 88349-0059 (United States); Weaver, B. A., E-mail: nfilizak@astro.psu.edu [Center for Cosmology and Particle Physics, New York University, New York, NY 10003 (United States)

2012-10-01

We present 21 examples of C IV broad absorption line (BAL) trough disappearance in 19 quasars selected from systematic multi-epoch observations of 582 bright BAL quasars (1.9 < z < 4.5) by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-I/II (SDSS-I/II) and SDSS-III. The observations span 1.1-3.9 yr rest-frame timescales, longer than have been sampled in many previous BAL variability studies. On these timescales, Almost-Equal-To 2.3% of C IV BAL troughs disappear and Almost-Equal-To 3.3% of BAL quasars show a disappearing trough. These observed frequencies suggest that many C IV BAL absorbers spend on average at most a century along our line of sight to their quasar. Ten of the 19 BAL quasars showing C IV BAL disappearance have apparently transformed from BAL to non-BAL quasars; these are the first reported examples of such transformations. The BAL troughs that disappear tend to be those with small-to-moderate equivalent widths, relatively shallow depths, and high outflow velocities. Other non-disappearing C IV BALs in those nine objects having multiple troughs tend to weaken when one of them disappears, indicating a connection between the disappearing and non-disappearing troughs, even for velocity separations as large as 10,000-15,000 km s{sup -1}. We discuss possible origins of this connection including disk-wind rotation and changes in shielding gas.

Integrating river incision rates over timescales in the Ecuadorian Andes: from uplift history to current erosion rates

Science.gov (United States)

Campforts, Benjamin; Govers, Gerard; Vanacker, Veerle; Tenorio, Gustavo

2013-04-01

River profile development is studied at different timescales, from the response to uplift over millions of years over steady state erosion rates over millennia to the response to a single event, such as a major landslide. At present, few attempts have been made to compare data obtained over various timescales. Therefore we do not know to what extent data and model results are compatible: do long-term river profile development models yield erosion rates that are compatible with information obtained over shorter time spans, both in terms of absolute rates and spatial patterns or not? Such comparisons could provide crucial insights into the nature of river development and allow us to assess the confidence we may have when predicting river response at different timescales (e.g. Kirchner et al., 2001). A major issue hampering such comparison is the uncertainty involved in the calibration of long-term river profile development models. Furthermore, calibration data on different timescales are rarely available for a specific region. In this research, we set up a river profile development model similar to the one used by Roberts & White (2010) and successfully calibrated it for the northern Ecuadorian Andes using detailed uplift and sedimentological data. Subsequently we used the calibrated model to simulate river profile development in the southern Ecuadorian Andes. The calibrated model allows to reconstruct the Andean uplift history in southern Ecuador, which is characterized by a very strong uplift phase during the last 5 My. Erosion rates derived from the modeled river incision rates were then compared with 10Be derived basin-wide erosion rates for a series of basins within the study area. We found that the model-inferred erosion rates for the last millennia are broadly compatible with the cosmogenic derived denudation rates, both in terms of absolute erosion rates as well as in terms of their spatial distribution. Hence, a relatively simple river profile development

Predictive power of the DASA-IV: Variations in rating method and timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Nqwaku, Mphindisi; Draycott, Simon; Aldridge-Waddon, Luke; Bush, Emma-Louise; Tsirimokou, Alexandra; Jones, Dominic; Puzzo, Ignazio

2018-05-10

This project evaluated the predictive validity of the Dynamic Appraisal of Situational Aggression - Inpatient Version (DASA-IV) in a high-secure psychiatric hospital in the UK over 24 hours and over a single nursing shift. DASA-IV scores from three sequential nursing shifts over a 24-hour period were compared with the mean (average of three scores across the 24-hour period) and peak (highest of the three scores across the 24-hour period) scores across these shifts. In addition, scores from a single nursing shift were used to predict aggressive incidents over each of the following three shifts. The DASA-IV was completed by nursing staff during handover meetings, rating 43 male psychiatric inpatients over a period of 6 months. Data were compared to incident reports recorded over the same period. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and generalized estimating equations assessed the predictive ability of various DASA-IV scores over 24-hour and single-shift timescales. Scores from the DASA-IV based on a single shift had moderate predictive ability for aggressive incidents occurring the next calendar day, whereas scores based on all three shifts had excellent predictive ability. DASA-IV scores from a single shift showed moderate predictive ability for each of the following three shifts. The DASA-IV has excellent predictive ability for aggressive incidents within a secure setting when data are summarized over a 24-hour period, as opposed to when a single rating is taken. In addition, it has moderate value for predicting incidents over even shorter timescales. © 2018 Australian College of Mental Health Nurses Inc.

Effects of cooling timescale and non-ideaness of the gas in the shockwaves

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohsen Nejad-Asghar

2017-09-01

Full Text Available According to the suddenly compression of the matters in some regions of the compressible fluids, the density and temperature suddenly increases, and shockwaves can be produced. The cooling of post-shock region and non-idealness of the equation of state, $p=(k_B/mu m_prho T (1+brho equivmathcal{K}rho T (1+eta R$, where $mu m_p$ is the relative density of the post-shock gas and $Requiv rho_2 / rho_1$ is the non-idealness parameter, may affect on the shocked gases. In this article, we study the effects of both cooling timescale and non-idealness of the shocked gases, on the relative density of the post-shock region. For simplicity, the shock is assumed planar and steady in which the deceleration is negligible and there is no any instabilities through the cooling layer. Conservation of mass, momentum, and energy across the shock front are given by the Rankine-Hugoniot conditions. The most important factor through the shock is the energy lost per unit mass during the shock process, $Q=frac{n_2 Lambda}{mu_2 m_p} t_{dur}$, where $Lambda (erg cm^{-3} s^{-1}$ is the cooling function at the post-shock region with density $n_2} and mean particle mass $mu_2 m_p$, and $t_{dur}$ is the duration time of the post-shock process. Accurate determination of the cooling timescale requires specifying the elemental abundance of the post-shock region, but a simple estimate can be obtained using $t_{cool}approx k_B T_2/(n_2Lambda$. Eliminating the $n_2 Lambda$, we approximately have $Q/c^2approx lambda T$, where $c equiv sqrt{K_1 T_1}$ is the pre-shock sound speed, $lambda  equiv t_{dur}/t_{cool}$ and $T equiv K_2 T_2/K_1 T_1$. We would be interested to consider the collision of two gas sheets with velocities $v_0$ in the rest frame of the laboratory. Defining the Mach number as $M_0 equiv v_0/c$, we obtain a third degree polynomial equation for $R$, with coefficients as functions of the three parameters $eta$, $lambda$, and $M_0$. We numerically solved this three

Precise Receiver Clock Offset Estimations According to Each Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Thongtan, Thayathip; Tirawanichakul, Pawit; Satirapod, Chalermchon

2017-12-01

Each GNSS constellation operates its own system times; namely, GPS system time (GPST), GLONASS system time (GLONASST), BeiDou system time (BDT) and Galileo system time (GST). They could be traced back to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) scale and are aligned to GPST. This paper estimates the receiver clock offsets to three timescales: GPST, GLONASST and BDT. The two measurement scenarios use two identical multi-GNSS geodetic receivers connected to the same geodetic antenna through a splitter. One receiver is driven by its internal oscillators and another receiver is connected to the external frequency oscillators, caesium frequency standard, kept as the Thailand standard time scale at the National Institute of Metrology (Thailand) called UTC(NIMT). The three weeks data are observed at 30 seconds sample rate. The receiver clock offsets with respected to the three system time are estimated and analysed through the geodetic technique of static Precise Point Positioning (PPP) using a data processing software developed by Wuhan University - Positioning And Navigation Data Analyst (PANDA) software. The estimated receiver clock offsets are around 32, 33 and 18 nanoseconds from GPST, GLONASST and BDT respectively. This experiment is initially stated that each timescale is inter-operated with GPST and further measurements on receiver internal delay has to be determined for clock comparisons especially the high accuracy clock at timing laboratories.

Similar star formation rate and metallicity variability time-scales drive the fundamental metallicity relation

Science.gov (United States)

Torrey, Paul; Vogelsberger, Mark; Hernquist, Lars; McKinnon, Ryan; Marinacci, Federico; Simcoe, Robert A.; Springel, Volker; Pillepich, Annalisa; Naiman, Jill; Pakmor, Rüdiger; Weinberger, Rainer; Nelson, Dylan; Genel, Shy

2018-06-01

The fundamental metallicity relation (FMR) is a postulated correlation between galaxy stellar mass, star formation rate (SFR), and gas-phase metallicity. At its core, this relation posits that offsets from the mass-metallicity relation (MZR) at a fixed stellar mass are correlated with galactic SFR. In this Letter, we use hydrodynamical simulations to quantify the time-scales over which populations of galaxies oscillate about the average SFR and metallicity values at fixed stellar mass. We find that Illustris and IllustrisTNG predict that galaxy offsets from the star formation main sequence and MZR oscillate over similar time-scales, are often anticorrelated in their evolution, evolve with the halo dynamical time, and produce a pronounced FMR. Our models indicate that galaxies oscillate about equilibrium SFR and metallicity values - set by the galaxy's stellar mass - and that SFR and metallicity offsets evolve in an anticorrelated fashion. This anticorrelated variability of the metallicity and SFR offsets drives the existence of the FMR in our models. In contrast to Illustris and IllustrisTNG, we speculate that the SFR and metallicity evolution tracks may become decoupled in galaxy formation models dominated by feedback-driven globally bursty SFR histories, which could weaken the FMR residual correlation strength. This opens the possibility of discriminating between bursty and non-bursty feedback models based on the strength and persistence of the FMR - especially at high redshift.

A timescale for evolution, population expansion, and spatial spread of an emerging clone of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nübel, Ulrich; Dordel, Janina; Kurt, Kevin

2010-01-01

Due to the lack of fossil evidence, the timescales of bacterial evolution are largely unknown. The speed with which genetic change accumulates in populations of pathogenic bacteria, however, is a key parameter that is crucial for understanding the emergence of traits such as increased virulence...

Impact of period and timescale of FDDA analysis nudging on the numerical simulation of tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal

KAUST Repository

Viswanadhapalli, Yesubabu

2014-06-22

In this study, the impact of four-dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) analysis nudging is examined on the prediction of tropical cyclones (TC) in the Bay of Bengal to determine the optimum period and timescale of nudging. Six TCs (SIDR: November 13–16, 2007; NARGIS: April 29–May 02, 2008; NISHA: November 25–28, 2008; AILA: May 23–26, 2009; LAILA: May 18–21, 2010; JAL: November 04–07, 2010) were simulated with a doubly nested Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model with a horizontal resolution of 9 km in the inner domain. In the control run for each cyclone, the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Global Forecast System (GFS) analysis and forecasts at 0.5_ resolution are used for initial and boundary conditions. In the FDDA experiments available surface, upper air observations obtained from NCEP Atmospheric Data Project (ADP) data sets were used for assimilation after merging with the first guess through objective analysis procedure. Analysis nudging experiments with different nudging periods (6, 12, 18, and 24 h) indicated a period of 18 or 24 h of nudging during the pre-forecast stage provides maximum impact on simulations in terms of minimum track and intensity forecasts. To determine the optimum timescale of nudging, two cyclone cases (NARGIS: April 28–May 02, 2008; NISHA: November 25–28, 2008) were simulated varying the inverse timescales as 1.0e-4 to 5.0e-4 s−1 in steps of 1.0e-4 s−1. A positive impact of assimilation is found on the simulated characteristics with a nudging coefficient of either 3.0e-4 or 4.0e-4 s−1 which corresponds to a timescale of about 1 h for nudging dynamic (u,v) and thermodynamical (t,q) fields.

A multi-timescale estimator for battery state of charge and capacity dual estimation based on an online identified model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Zhongbao; Zhao, Jiyun; Ji, Dongxu; Tseng, King Jet

2017-01-01

Highlights: •SOC and capacity are dually estimated with online adapted battery model. •Model identification and state dual estimate are fully decoupled. •Multiple timescales are used to improve estimation accuracy and stability. •The proposed method is verified with lab-scale experiments. •The proposed method is applicable to different battery chemistries. -- Abstract: Reliable online estimation of state of charge (SOC) and capacity is critically important for the battery management system (BMS). This paper presents a multi-timescale method for dual estimation of SOC and capacity with an online identified battery model. The model parameter estimator and the dual estimator are fully decoupled and executed with different timescales to improve the model accuracy and stability. Specifically, the model parameters are online adapted with the vector-type recursive least squares (VRLS) to address the different variation rates of them. Based on the online adapted battery model, the Kalman filter (KF)-based SOC estimator and RLS-based capacity estimator are formulated and integrated in the form of dual estimation. Experimental results suggest that the proposed method estimates the model parameters, SOC, and capacity in real time with fast convergence and high accuracy. Experiments on both lithium-ion battery and vanadium redox flow battery (VRB) verify the generality of the proposed method on multiple battery chemistries. The proposed method is also compared with other existing methods on the computational cost to reveal its superiority for practical application.

Study of the subduction-related magmatism and of the continental erosion, by uranium-series: constraints on the processes and the timescale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dosseto, A.

2003-01-01

(The first part of this research thesis in geochemistry proposes an overview of knowledge and a description of the contribution of uranium-series to the magmatism in subduction zones. The second part addresses the continental erosion, and more particularly the alteration regimes and the dynamics of transfer of sediments constrained by uranium-series. Already published articles complete this report: U-Th-Pa-Ra study of the Kamchatka arc: new constraints on genesis of arc basalts; Dehydration and partial melting in subduction zones: constraints from U-series disequilibria; Timescale and conditions of chemical weathering under tropical climate: study of the Amazon basin with U-series; Timescale and conditions of chemical weathering in the Bolivian Andes and their fore-land basin

A Two-Timescale Response of the Southern Ocean to Ozone Depletion: Importance of the Background State

Science.gov (United States)

Seviour, W.; Waugh, D.; Gnanadesikan, A.

2016-02-01

It has been recently suggested that the response of Southern Ocean sea-ice extent to stratospheric ozone depletion is time-dependent; that the ocean surface initially cools due to enhanced northward Ekman drift caused by a poleward shift in the eddy-driven jet, and then warms after some time due to upwelling of warm waters from below the mixed layer. It is therefore possible that ozone depletion could act to favor a short-term increase in sea-ice extent. However, many uncertainties remain in understanding this mechanism, with different models showing widely differing time-scales and magnitudes of the response. Here, we analyze an ensemble of coupled model simulations with a step-function ozone perturbation. The two-timescale response is present with an approximately 30 year initial cooling period. The response is further shown to be highly dependent upon the background ocean temperature and salinity stratification, which is influenced by both natural internal variability and the isopycnal eddy mixing parameterization. It is suggested that the majority of inter-model differences in the Southern Ocean response to ozone depletion are caused by differences in stratification.

Synthesis of soil-hydraulic properties and infiltration timescales in wildfire-affected soils

Science.gov (United States)

Ebel, Brian A.; Moody, John A.

2017-01-01

We collected soil-hydraulic property data from the literature for wildfire-affected soils, ash, and unburned soils. These data were used to calculate metrics and timescales of hydrologic response related to infiltration and surface runoff generation. Sorptivity (S) and wetting front potential (Ψf) were significantly different (lower) in burned soils compared with unburned soils, whereas field-saturated hydraulic conductivity (Kfs) was not significantly different. The magnitude and duration of the influence of capillarity during infiltration was greatly reduced in burned soils, causing faster ponding times in response to rainfall. Ash had large values of S and Kfs but moderate values of Ψf, compared with unburned and burned soils, indicating ash has long ponding times in response to rainfall. The ratio of S2/Kfs was nearly constant (~100 mm) for unburned soils but more variable in burned soils, suggesting that unburned soils have a balance between gravity and capillarity contributions to infiltration that may depend on soil organic matter, whereas in burned soils the gravity contribution to infiltration is greater. Changes in S and Kfs in burned soils act synergistically to reduce infiltration and accelerate and amplify surface runoff generation. Synthesis of these findings identifies three key areas for future research. First, short timescales of capillary influences on infiltration indicate the need for better measurements of infiltration at times less than 1 min to accurately characterize S in burned soils. Second, using parameter values, such as Ψf, from unburned areas could produce substantial errors in hydrologic modeling when used without adjustment for wildfire effects, causing parameter compensation and resulting underestimation of Kfs. Third, more thorough measurement campaigns that capture soil-structural changes, organic matter impacts, quantitative water repellency trends, and soil-water content along with soil-hydraulic properties could drive the

Climate scenarios for Olkiluoto on a time-scale of 120,000 years

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pimenoff, N.; Venaelaeinen, A.; Jaervinen, H. [Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki (Finland)

2011-12-15

Posiva Oy is planning to dispose of spent nuclear fuel in a repository, to be constructed at a depth of 400 m in the crystalline bedrock at Olkiluoto, Finland. Planning the storage requires careful consideration of many aspects, including an assessment of long-term repository safety. For estimating possible climate states at Olkiluoto on a time-scale of 120,000 years, we analyze climate simulations of an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity (CLIMBER-2) coupled with an ice sheet model (SICOPOLIS). The simulations into the future clearly show that the onset of the next glaciation is strongly dependent on the Earth's orbital variations and the atmospheric CO{sub 2} concentration. It is evident that due to global warming, the climate of the next centuries will be warmer and wetter than at present. Most likely, due to global warming and low variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun, the present interglacial will last for at least the next 30,000 years. Further, the future simulations showed that the insolation minima on the Northern Hemisphere 50,000-60,000 and 90,000-100,000 years after the present hold a potential for the onset of the next glaciation. Hence, on a time-scale of 120,000 years, one must take into account climate periods lasting several thousand years having the following features: an interglacial climate, a periglacial climate, a climate with an ice sheet margin near Olkiluoto, a glacial climate with an ice sheet covering Olkiluoto, and a climate with Olkiluoto being depressed below sea level after glaciation due to isostatic depression. Due to the uncertainties related to the evolution of the future climate, it is recommended the simulations into the far future to be used only qualitatively. Quantitative information about glacial climate is achieved from the reconstructions and simulations of the past climate. (orig.)

Climate scenarios for Olkiluoto on a time-scale of 120,000 years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pimenoff, N.; Venaelaeinen, A.; Jaervinen, H.

2011-12-01

Posiva Oy is planning to dispose of spent nuclear fuel in a repository, to be constructed at a depth of 400 m in the crystalline bedrock at Olkiluoto, Finland. Planning the storage requires careful consideration of many aspects, including an assessment of long-term repository safety. For estimating possible climate states at Olkiluoto on a time-scale of 120,000 years, we analyze climate simulations of an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity (CLIMBER-2) coupled with an ice sheet model (SICOPOLIS). The simulations into the future clearly show that the onset of the next glaciation is strongly dependent on the Earth's orbital variations and the atmospheric CO 2 concentration. It is evident that due to global warming, the climate of the next centuries will be warmer and wetter than at present. Most likely, due to global warming and low variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun, the present interglacial will last for at least the next 30,000 years. Further, the future simulations showed that the insolation minima on the Northern Hemisphere 50,000-60,000 and 90,000-100,000 years after the present hold a potential for the onset of the next glaciation. Hence, on a time-scale of 120,000 years, one must take into account climate periods lasting several thousand years having the following features: an interglacial climate, a periglacial climate, a climate with an ice sheet margin near Olkiluoto, a glacial climate with an ice sheet covering Olkiluoto, and a climate with Olkiluoto being depressed below sea level after glaciation due to isostatic depression. Due to the uncertainties related to the evolution of the future climate, it is recommended the simulations into the far future to be used only qualitatively. Quantitative information about glacial climate is achieved from the reconstructions and simulations of the past climate. (orig.)

Climate scenarios for Olkiluoto on a time-scale of 100,000 years

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pimenoff, N.; Venaelaeinen, A.; Jaervinen, H.

2011-01-01

Posiva Oy is planning to dispose of spent nuclear fuel in a repository, to be constructed at a depth of 400 m in the crystalline bedrock at Olkiluoto, Finland. Planning the storage requires careful consideration of many aspects, including an assessment of long-term repository safety. For estimating possible climate states at Olkiluoto on a time-scale of 100,000 years, we analyze climate simulations of an Earth System Model of Intermediate Complexity (CLIMBER-2) coupled with an ice sheet model (SICOPOLIS). The simulations into the future clearly show that the onset of the next glaciation is strongly dependent on the Earth's orbital variations and the atmospheric CO 2 concentration. It is evident that due to global warming, the climate of the next centuries will be warmer and wetter than at present. Most likely, due to global warming and low variations in the Earth's orbit around the sun, the present interglacial will last for at least the next 30,000 years. Further, the future simulations showed that the insolation minima on the Northern Hemisphere 50,000-60,000 and 90,000-100,000 years after the present hold a potential for the onset of the next glaciation. Hence, on a time-scale of 100,000 years, one must take into account climate periods lasting several thousand years having the following features: an interglacial climate, a periglacial climate, a climate with an ice sheet margin near Olkiluoto, a glacial climate with an ice sheet covering Olkiluoto, and a climate with Olkiluoto being depressed below sea level after glaciation due to isostatic depression. Due to the uncertainties related to the evolution of the future climate, it is recommended the simulations into the far future to be used only qualitatively. Quantitative information about glacial climate is achieved from the reconstructions and simulations of the past climate. (orig.)

Sensation Seeking and Risk-Taking Propensity as Mediators in the Relationship between Childhood Abuse and HIV-Related Risk Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Bornovalova, Marina A.; Gwadz, Marya A.; Kahler, Christopher; Aklin, W. M.; Lejuez, C. W.

2008-01-01

Objectives: Although a wealth of literature suggests that childhood physical, emotional, and sexual abuse are related to later-life HIV-related risk behaviors, few studies have explored disinhibition (e.g., impulsivity, risk-taking propensity, and sensation-seeking) as a risk factor in this relationship. Method: This cross-sectional study examined…

An Interactionistic Approach to Soldiers’ Mental Persistence in the Context of Operational Deployments

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-01

substance abuse and sexual risk-taking (Brady & Donenberg, 2006), with enjoyment of fight and violence (Hoffner & Levine, 2005), with risk propensity...through the mind and senses, called Experience Seeking (ES), 3) attitudes regarding social and sexual stimulation, labelled Disinhibition (DIS) and 4...Differences, 29, 921–932. [55] Netter, P., Henning, J., & Roed, I. S. (1994). Serotonin and dopamine as mediators of sensation seeking behaviour

Relationship between impulsivity, snack consumption and children's weight

OpenAIRE

Scholten, Eline W. M.; Schrijvers, Carola; Nederkoorn, Chantal; Kremers, Stef; Rodenburg, Gerda

2014-01-01

textabstractBackground: Childhood overweight is a public health problem associated with psychosocial and physical problems. Personality traits, such as impulsivity, may contribute to the development of overweight. Objective: This study examines 1) the association between general impulsivity traits (reward sensitivity and disinhibition) and children's weight, 2) the association between impulsivity traits and unhealthy snack consumption, and 3) the potential mediating role of unhealthy snack co...

Nonlinear interactions between the Amazon River basin and the Tropical North Atlantic at interannual timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Builes-Jaramillo, Alejandro; Marwan, Norbert; Poveda, Germán; Kurths, Jürgen

2018-04-01

We study the physical processes involved in the potential influence of Amazon (AM) hydroclimatology over the Tropical North Atlantic (TNA) Sea Surface Temperatures (SST) at interannual timescales, by analyzing time series of the precipitation index (P-E) over AM, as well as the surface atmospheric pressure gradient between both regions, and TNA SSTs. We use a recurrence joint probability based analysis that accounts for the lagged nonlinear dependency between time series, which also allows quantifying the statistical significance, based on a twin surrogates technique of the recurrence analysis. By means of such nonlinear dependence analysis we find that at interannual timescales AM hydrology influences future states of the TNA SSTs from 0 to 2 months later with a 90-95% statistical confidence. It also unveils the existence of two-way feedback mechanisms between the variables involved in the processes: (1) precipitation over AM leads the atmospheric pressure gradient between TNA and AM from 0 to 2 month lags, (2) the pressure gradient leads the trade zonal winds over the TNA from 0 to 3 months and from 7 to 12 months, (3) the zonal winds lead the SSTs from 0 to 3 months, and (4) the SSTs lead precipitation over AM by 1 month lag. The analyses were made for time series spanning from 1979 to 2008, and for extreme precipitation events in the AM during the years 1999, 2005, 2009 and 2010. We also evaluated the monthly mean conditions of the relevant variables during the extreme AM droughts of 1963, 1980, 1983, 1997, 1998, 2005, and 2010, and also during the floods of 1989, 1999, and 2009. Our results confirm that the Amazon River basin acts as a land surface-atmosphere bridge that links the Tropical Pacific and TNA SSTs at interannual timescales. The identified mutual interactions between TNA and AM are of paramount importance for a deeper understanding of AM hydroclimatology but also of a suite of oceanic and atmospheric phenomena over the TNA, including recently

Mechanism of transient force augmentation varying with two distinct timescales for interacting vortex rings

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Zhidong; Qin, Suyang; Liu, Hong

2014-01-01

The dynamics of dual vortex ring flows is studied experimentally and numerically in a model system that consists of a piston-cylinder apparatus. The flows are generated by double identical strokes which have the velocity profile characterized by the sinusoidal function of half the period. By calculating the total wake impulse in two strokes in the experiments, it is found that the average propulsive force increases by 50% in the second stroke for the sufficiently small stroke length, compared with the first stroke. In the numerical simulations, two types of transient force augmentation are revealed, there being the transient force augmentation for the small stroke lengths and the absolute transient force augmentation for the large stroke lengths. The relative transient force augmentation increases to 78% for L/D = 1, while the absolute transient force augmentation for L/D = 4 is twice as much as that for L/D = 1. Further investigation demonstrates that the force augmentation is attributed to the interaction between vortex rings, which induces transport of vortex impulse and more evident fluid entrainment. The critical situation of vortex ring separation is defined and indicated, with vortex spacing falling in a narrow gap when the stroke lengths vary. A new model is proposed concerning the limiting process of impulse, further suggesting that apart from vortex formation timescale, vortex spacing should be interpreted as an independent timescale to reflect the dynamics of vortex interaction.

OPTICAL AND INFRARED PHOTOMETRY OF THE BLAZAR PKS 0537-441: LONG AND SHORT TIMESCALE VARIABILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Impiombato, D.; Treves, A.; Covino, S.; Foschini, L.; Fugazza, D.; Pian, E.; Tosti, G.; Ciprini, S.; Nicastro, L.

2011-01-01

We present a large collection of photometric data on the blazar PKS 0537-441 in the VRIJHK bands taken in 2004-2009. At least three flare-like episodes with months duration and >3 mag amplitude are apparent. The spectral energy distribution is consistent with a power law, and no indication of a thermal component is found. We searched for short timescale variability, and an interesting event was identified in the J band, with a duration of ∼25 minutes.

The predictability of a lake phytoplankton community, over time-scales of hours to years

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thomas, Mridul K.; Fontana, Simone; Reyes, Marta

2018-01-01

monitoring data (biological, physical and chemical) to assess the predictability of phytoplankton cell density in one lake across an unprecedented range of time-scales. Communities were highly predictable over hours to months: model R2 decreased from 0.89 at 4 hours to 0.74 at 1 month, and in a long......Forecasting changes to ecological communities is one of the central challenges in ecology. However, nonlinear dependencies, biotic interactions and data limitations have limited our ability to assess how predictable communities are. Here, we used a machine learning approach and environmental...

An approach to handling timescales in post-closure safety assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, L.; Littleboy, A.

2002-01-01

Previous Nirex post-closure assessments of deep geological disposal have been based on the use of probabilistic safety analysis covering many millions of years. However, Nirex has also published an assessment methodology in which the assessment timescale is divided into a number of discrete periods of time (time frames). Nirex is currently at the stage of planning the next update to its generic post-closure performance assessment and is considering the merits of using an assessment methodology based on time frames, in order to improve links with operational assessments and the provision of advice on the packaging of wastes, and to encourage stakeholder dialogue. This paper has been prepared as part of Nirex's aim, wherever possible, to 'preview', or seek input from others on, its ideas for new work to generate discussion and feedback. It describes an evolution of Nirex's published assessment methodology and outlines how it could be applied in an updated post-closure performance assessment of the Nirex generic phased disposal concept. (authors)

A mechanical characterisation on multiple timescales of electroconductive magnetorheological elastomers

Science.gov (United States)

Schümann, M.; Morich, J.; Kaufhold, T.; Böhm, V.; Zimmermann, K.; Odenbach, S.

2018-05-01

Magnetorheological elastomers are a type of smart hybrid material which combines elastic properties of a soft elastomer matrix with magnetic properties of magnetic micro particles. This leads to a material with magnetically controllable mechanical properties of which the magnetorheological effect is the best known. The addition of electroconductive particles to the polymer mix adds electrical properties to the material behaviour. The resulting electrical resistance of the sample can be manipulated by external magnetic fields and mechanical loads. This results in a distinct interplay of mechanical, electrical and magnetic effects with a highly complex time behaviour. In this paper a mechanical characterisation on multiple time scales was conducted to get an insight on the short and long-term electrical and mechanical behaviour of this novel material. The results show a complex resistivity behaviour on several timescales, sensitive to magnetic fields and strain velocity. The observed material exhibits fatigue and relaxation behaviour, whereas the magnetorheological effect appears not to interfere with the piezoresistive properties.

Spatial and temporal analysis of Air Pollution Index and its timescale-dependent relationship with meteorological factors in Guangzhou, China, 2001–2011

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Li; Qian, Jun; Ou, Chun-Quan; Zhou, Ying-Xue; Guo, Cui; Guo, Yuming

2014-01-01

There is an increasing interest in spatial and temporal variation of air pollution and its association with weather conditions. We presented the spatial and temporal variation of Air Pollution Index (API) and examined the associations between API and meteorological factors during 2001–2011 in Guangzhou, China. A Seasonal-Trend Decomposition Procedure Based on Loess (STL) was used to decompose API. Wavelet analyses were performed to examine the relationships between API and several meteorological factors. Air quality has improved since 2005. APIs were highly correlated among five monitoring stations, and there were substantial temporal variations. Timescale-dependent relationships were found between API and a variety of meteorological factors. Temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and wind speed were negatively correlated with API, while diurnal temperature range and atmospheric pressure were positively correlated with API in the annual cycle. Our findings should be taken into account when determining air quality forecasts and pollution control measures. - Highlights: • Air pollution is still serious in Guangzhou, China. • Air Pollution Index was associated with a variety of meteorological parameters. • The temporal relationships were timescale-dependent. • The findings should be taken into account in air quality forecasts and pollution control. - Spatial and temporal variation of API and its timescale-dependent relationship with meteorological factors in Guangzhou were demonstrated

BROAD ABSORPTION LINE VARIABILITY ON MULTI-YEAR TIMESCALES IN A LARGE QUASAR SAMPLE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Filiz Ak, N.; Brandt, W. N.; Schneider, D. P. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802 (United States); Hall, P. B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, Ontario, M3J 1P3 (Canada); Anderson, S. F. [Astronomy Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195 (United States); Hamann, F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-2055 (United States); Lundgren, B. F. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Myers, Adam D. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071 (United States); Pâris, I. [Departamento de Astronomía, Universidad de Chile, Casilla 36-D, Santiago (Chile); Petitjean, P. [Universite Paris 6, Institut d' Astrophysique de Paris, 75014, Paris (France); Ross, Nicholas P. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 92420 (United States); Shen, Yue [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden St., MS-51, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); York, Don, E-mail: nfilizak@astro.psu.edu [The University of Chicago, Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2013-11-10

We present a detailed investigation of the variability of 428 C IV and 235 Si IV broad absorption line (BAL) troughs identified in multi-epoch observations of 291 quasars by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey-I/II/III. These observations primarily sample rest-frame timescales of 1-3.7 yr over which significant rearrangement of the BAL wind is expected. We derive a number of observational results on, e.g., the frequency of BAL variability, the velocity range over which BAL variability occurs, the primary observed form of BAL-trough variability, the dependence of BAL variability upon timescale, the frequency of BAL strengthening versus weakening, correlations between BAL variability and BAL-trough profiles, relations between C IV and Si IV BAL variability, coordinated multi-trough variability, and BAL variations as a function of quasar properties. We assess implications of these observational results for quasar winds. Our results support models where most BAL absorption is formed within an order-of-magnitude of the wind-launching radius, although a significant minority of BAL troughs may arise on larger scales. We estimate an average lifetime for a BAL trough along our line-of-sight of a few thousand years. BAL disappearance and emergence events appear to be extremes of general BAL variability, rather than being qualitatively distinct phenomena. We derive the parameters of a random-walk model for BAL EW variability, finding that this model can acceptably describe some key aspects of EW variability. The coordinated trough variability of BAL quasars with multiple troughs suggests that changes in 'shielding gas' may play a significant role in driving general BAL variability.

Reactive Attachment Disorder and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder in School-Aged Foster Children--A Confirmatory Approach to Dimensional Measures.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehmann, Stine; Breivik, Kyrre; Heiervang, Einar R; Havik, Toril; Havik, Odd E

2016-04-01

This study aimed to investigate the factor structure and external correlates of the constructs Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The following were addressed: First, do our data support the DSM-5 conceptualization of RAD/DSED as two separate constructs? Second, are RAD and DSED distinct from other well-established dimensions of child psychopathology? Third, what are the external correlates of RAD/DSED in this sample? The study sample included 122 foster children aged 6-10 years. Foster parents completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and the RAD/DSED-scale from the Developmental and Well-Being Assessment. Child protection caseworkers completed a questionnaire regarding exposure to maltreatment and placement history. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the RAD/DSED items identified a good fit for a model with a two-factor structure, which is congruent with the DSM-5 definition of RAD and DSED. A new CFA model, which included the RAD and DSED factors together with the four problem factors of the SDQ (emotional, conduct, hyperactivity-inattention, and peer problems), also demonstrated a good fit with our data. RAD and DSED were associated with the SDQ Impact scale and help seeking behavior. This was partly explained by the SDQ externalizing and peer problem subscales. Our findings lend support for the DSM-5 conceptualization of RAD and DSED as separate dimensions of child psychopathology. Thus, the assessment of RAD and DSED provides information beyond other mental health problems.

Temperamental correlates of disruptive behavior disorders in young children: preliminary findings.

Science.gov (United States)

Hirshfeld-Becker, Dina R; Biederman, Joseph; Faraone, Stephen V; Violette, Heather; Wrightsman, Jessica; Rosenbaum, Jerrold F

2002-04-01

Our objective was to test the hypothesis that temperamental behavioral disinhibition measured in early childhood would be associated with disruptive behavior disorders. We used variables from laboratory-based behavioral observations originally devised to assess behavioral inhibition to construct a theory-based a priori definition of "behavioral disinhibition" in 200 young children at-risk for panic disorder, depression, or both and 84 children of parents without anxiety or major depressive disorder. We then compared behaviorally disinhibited and nonbehaviorally disinhibited children on rates of DSM-III-R disorders and measures of academic and social dysfunction. Behavioral disinhibition was significantly associated with higher rates of disruptive behavior disorders and mood disorders. Children with behavioral disinhibition were significantly more likely than nondisinhibited, noninhibited children to have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to have comorbid mood and disruptive behavior disorders. Moreover, disinhibited children had lower Global Assessment of Functioning Scale scores and were more likely to have been in special classes and to have problems with school behavior and leisure activities. These results suggest that behavioral disinhibition may represent a temperamental precursor to disruptive behavior problems, particularly ADHD. Longitudinal studies using behavioral assessments of behavioral disinhibition are needed to confirm these findings.

Mediation Analysis with Multiple Mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

VanderWeele, T J; Vansteelandt, S

2014-01-01

Recent advances in the causal inference literature on mediation have extended traditional approaches to direct and indirect effects to settings that allow for interactions and non-linearities. In this paper, these approaches from causal inference are further extended to settings in which multiple mediators may be of interest. Two analytic approaches, one based on regression and one based on weighting are proposed to estimate the effect mediated through multiple mediators and the effects through other pathways. The approaches proposed here accommodate exposure-mediator interactions and, to a certain extent, mediator-mediator interactions as well. The methods handle binary or continuous mediators and binary, continuous or count outcomes. When the mediators affect one another, the strategy of trying to assess direct and indirect effects one mediator at a time will in general fail; the approach given in this paper can still be used. A characterization is moreover given as to when the sum of the mediated effects for multiple mediators considered separately will be equal to the mediated effect of all of the mediators considered jointly. The approach proposed in this paper is robust to unmeasured common causes of two or more mediators.

Benzodiazepines - Their role in aggression and why GPs should prescribe with caution.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Katy A; Nielsen, Suzanne; Bruno, Raimondo; Frei, Matthew; Lubman, Dan I

2011-11-01

Benzodiazepines are widely prescribed in Australia, despite concerns about their potential for abuse and dependence. Paradoxical reactions, disinhibition and amnesia are all associated with benzodiazepine use, misuse and intoxication. While violent and aggressive behaviour may be a consequence of such disinhibition, there is limited information available regarding the links between benzodiazepine use and violence. This article aims to examine the existing evidence on the relationship between benzodiazepines, violence and aggression. While current evidence suggests that benzodiazepines rarely induce violence, it is important to note that the available literature is limited in its scope and that benzodiazepine related violence is often severe and of potential concern to frontline workers. Mediating risk factors for benzodiazepine related violence include concurrent alcohol use, benzodiazepine dose, a history of aggression and underlying impulsivity. Comprehensive assessment and alternate nonpharmacological treatment options should be considered before prescribing benzodiazepines within primary care.

Earth History databases and visualization - the TimeScale Creator system

Science.gov (United States)

Ogg, James; Lugowski, Adam; Gradstein, Felix

2010-05-01

The "TimeScale Creator" team (www.tscreator.org) and the Subcommission on Stratigraphic Information (stratigraphy.science.purdue.edu) of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (www.stratigraphy.org) has worked with numerous geoscientists and geological surveys to prepare reference datasets for global and regional stratigraphy. All events are currently calibrated to Geologic Time Scale 2004 (Gradstein et al., 2004, Cambridge Univ. Press) and Concise Geologic Time Scale (Ogg et al., 2008, Cambridge Univ. Press); but the array of intercalibrations enable dynamic adjustment to future numerical age scales and interpolation methods. The main "global" database contains over 25,000 events/zones from paleontology, geomagnetics, sea-level and sequence stratigraphy, igneous provinces, bolide impacts, plus several stable isotope curves and image sets. Several regional datasets are provided in conjunction with geological surveys, with numerical ages interpolated using a similar flexible inter-calibration procedure. For example, a joint program with Geoscience Australia has compiled an extensive Australian regional biostratigraphy and a full array of basin lithologic columns with each formation linked to public lexicons of all Proterozoic through Phanerozoic basins - nearly 500 columns of over 9,000 data lines plus hot-curser links to oil-gas reference wells. Other datapacks include New Zealand biostratigraphy and basin transects (ca. 200 columns), Russian biostratigraphy, British Isles regional stratigraphy, Gulf of Mexico biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy, high-resolution Neogene stable isotope curves and ice-core data, human cultural episodes, and Circum-Arctic stratigraphy sets. The growing library of datasets is designed for viewing and chart-making in the free "TimeScale Creator" JAVA package. This visualization system produces a screen display of the user-selected time-span and the selected columns of geologic time scale information. The user can change the

Conditions and timescales for welding block-and-ash flow deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Heap, M. J.; Kolzenburg, S.; Russell, J. K.; Campbell, M. E.; Welles, J.; Farquharson, J. I.; Ryan, A.

2014-12-01

Welding of pyroclastic deposits to reform a coherent rock mass is a common phenomenon, especially for pumiceous pyroclastic density current deposits (i.e., ignimbrites). However, and despite the pervasive abundance of block-and-ash flow (BAF) deposits in the geological and modern record, instances of strongly welded BAF deposits are few. Here, we present a series of high-temperature (800-900 °C) compaction experiments designed to map the conditions (deposit thickness/stress and temperature/viscosity) and timescales that permit or inhibit the welding of BAF deposits. Our experiments were performed on unconsolidated aggregates (containing an ash and lapilli component) derived from crushed and sieved lava blocks (containing 25% crystals) taken from the well-documented welded BAF deposit at Mount Meager volcano (British Columbia, Canada). The experiments demonstrate that welding efficiency increases with increasing time and temperature. Progressive welding is expressed by increasing axial strain, porosity loss, and bulk density. The rate of change of each of these physical properties reduces as welding progresses. Microstructural analysis of the experimental products shows that the loss of interclast porosity during welding results from the progressive sintering and amalgamation of vitric fragments, and that the pore shape changes from sub-equant pores to stretched lenses sandwiched between vitric and crystal fragments. The coincidence between the microstructure and rock physical properties of the natural and experimental samples highlight that we have successfully reproduced welded BAF in the laboratory. Furthermore, our permeability measurements highlight a hysteresis in the return journey of the "there-and-back-again" volcanic permeability cycle (expressed by an increase in permeability due to vesiculation and fragmentation followed by a decrease due to welding). This hysteresis cannot be described by a single porosity-permeability power law relationship and

Similarities in temperature-dependent gene expression plasticity across timescales in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus).

Science.gov (United States)

Metzger, David C H; Schulte, Patricia M

2018-04-14

Phenotypic plasticity occurs at a variety of timescales, but little is known about the degree to which plastic responses at different timescales are associated with similar underlying molecular processes, which is critical for assessing the effects of plasticity on evolutionary trajectories. To address this issue, we identified differential gene expression in response to developmental temperature in the muscle transcriptome of adult threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) exposed to 12, 18 and 24°C until hatch and then held at 18°C for 9 months and compared these results to differential gene expression in response to adult thermal acclimation in stickleback developed at 18°C and then acclimated to 5 and 25°C as adults. Adult thermal acclimation affected the expression of 7,940 and 7,015 genes in response to cold and warm acclimation, respectively, and 4,851 of these genes responded in both treatments. In contrast, the expression of only 33 and 29 genes was affected by cold and warm development, respectively. The majority of the genes affected by developmental temperature were also affected by adult acclimation temperature. Many genes that were differentially expressed as a result of adult acclimation were associated with previously identified temperature-dependent effects on DNA methylation patterns, suggesting a role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating gene expression plasticity during acclimation. Taken together, these results demonstrate similarities between the persistent effects of developmental plasticity on gene expression and the effects of adult thermal acclimation, emphasizing the potential for mechanistic links between plasticity acting at these different life stages. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Differential effects of cognitive inhibition and intelligence on creativity

OpenAIRE

Benedek, Mathias; Franz, Fabiola; Heene, Moritz; Neubauer, Aljoscha C.

2012-01-01

There are different conceptions about how cognitive inhibition is related to creativity. Creativity has either been associated with effective inhibition, or with disinhibition, or with an adaptive engagement of inhibition. In this study, we examined the relationship of cognitive inhibition, assessed by means of the random motor generation task, with different measures of creativity. We also analyzed whether this relation is mediated by intelligence. We generally found a positive correlation o...

Constraining the Timescales of Rehydration in Nominally Anhydrous Minerals Using 3D Numerical Diffusion Models

Science.gov (United States)

Lynn, K. J.; Warren, J. M.

2017-12-01

Nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs) are important for characterizing deep-Earth water reservoirs, but the water contents of olivine (ol), orthopyroxene (opx), and clinopyroxene (cpx) in peridotites generally do not reflect mantle equilibrium conditions. Ol is typically "dry" and decoupled from H in cpx and opx, which is inconsistent with models of partial melting and/or diffusive loss of H during upwelling beneath mid-ocean ridges. The rehydration of mantle pyroxenes via late-stage re-fertilization has been invoked to explain their relatively high water contents. Here, we use sophisticated 3D diffusion models (after Shea et al., 2015, Am Min) of H in ol, opx, and cpx to investigate the timescales of rehydration across a range of conditions relevant for melt-rock interaction and serpentinization of peridotites. Numerical crystals with 1 mm c-axis lengths and realistic crystal morphologies are modeled using recent H diffusivities that account for compositional variation and diffusion anisotropy. Models were run over timescales of minutes to millions of years and temperatures from 300 to 1200°C. Our 3D models show that, at the high-T end of the range, H concentrations in the cores of NAMs are partially re-equilibrated in as little as a few minutes, and completely re-equilibrated within hours to weeks. At low-T (300°C), serpentinization can induce considerable diffusion in cpx and opx. H contents are 30% re-equilibrated after continuous exposure to hydrothermal fluids for 102 and 105 years, respectively, which is inconsistent with previous interpretations that there is no effect on H in opx under similar conditions. Ol is unaffected after 1 Myr due to the slower diffusivity of the proton-vacancy mechanism at 300°C (2-4 log units lower than for opx). In the middle of the T range (700-1000°C), rehydration of opx and cpx occurs over hours to days, while ol is somewhat slower to respond (days to weeks), potentially allowing the decoupling observed in natural samples to

Shape effects on time-scale divergence at athermal jamming transition of frictionless non-spherical particles

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Ye; Jin, Weiwei; Liu, Lufeng; Li, Shuixiang

2017-10-01

The critical behaviors of a granular system at the jamming transition have been extensively studied from both mechanical and thermodynamic perspectives. In this work, we numerically investigate the jamming behaviors of a variety of frictionless non-spherical particles, including spherocylinder, ellipsoid, spherotetrahedron and spherocube. In particular, for a given particle shape, a series of random configurations at different fixed densities are generated and relaxed to minimize interparticle overlaps using the relaxation algorithm. We find that as the jamming point (i.e., point J) is approached, the number of iteration steps (defined as the "time-scale" for our systems) required to completely relax the interparticle overlaps exhibits a clear power-law divergence. The dependence of the detailed mathematical form of the power-law divergence on particle shapes is systematically investigated and elucidated, which suggests that the shape effects can be generally categorized as elongation and roundness. Importantly, we show the jamming transition density can be accurately determined from the analysis of time-scale divergence for different non-spherical shapes, and the obtained values agree very well with corresponding ones reported in literature. Moreover, we study the plastic behaviors of over-jammed packings of different particles under a compression-expansion procedure and find that the jamming of ellipsoid is much more robust than other non-spherical particles. This work offers an alternative approximate procedure besides conventional packing algorithms for studying athermal jamming transition in granular system of frictionless non-spherical particles.

Accessible methods for the dynamic time-scale decomposition of biochemical systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Surovtsova, Irina; Simus, Natalia; Lorenz, Thomas; König, Artjom; Sahle, Sven; Kummer, Ursula

2009-11-01

The growing complexity of biochemical models asks for means to rationally dissect the networks into meaningful and rather independent subnetworks. Such foregoing should ensure an understanding of the system without any heuristics employed. Important for the success of such an approach is its accessibility and the clarity of the presentation of the results. In order to achieve this goal, we developed a method which is a modification of the classical approach of time-scale separation. This modified method as well as the more classical approach have been implemented for time-dependent application within the widely used software COPASI. The implementation includes different possibilities for the representation of the results including 3D-visualization. The methods are included in COPASI which is free for academic use and available at www.copasi.org. irina.surovtsova@bioquant.uni-heidelberg.de Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Temperature induced syllable breaking unveils nonlinearly interacting timescales in birdsong motor pathway.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Matías A Goldin

Full Text Available The nature of telencephalic control over premotor and motor circuits is debated. Hypotheses range from complete usurping of downstream circuitry to highly interactive mechanisms of control. We show theoretically and experimentally, that telencephalic song motor control in canaries is consistent with a highly interactive strategy. As predicted from a theoretical model of respiratory control, mild cooling of a forebrain nucleus (HVC led to song stretching, but further cooling caused progressive restructuring of song, consistent with the hypothesis that respiratory gestures are subharmonic responses to a timescale present in the output of HVC. This interaction between a life-sustaining motor function (respiration and telencephalic song motor control suggests a more general mechanism of how nonlinear integration of evolutionarily new brain structures into existing circuitry gives rise to diverse, new behavior.

Impact of period and timescale of FDDA analysis nudging on the numerical simulation of tropical cyclones in the Bay of Bengal

KAUST Repository

Viswanadhapalli, Yesubabu; Srinivas, C. V.; Ramakrishna, S. S V S; Hari Prasad, K. B R R

2014-01-01

In this study, the impact of four-dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) analysis nudging is examined on the prediction of tropical cyclones (TC) in the Bay of Bengal to determine the optimum period and timescale of nudging. Six TCs (SIDR: November 13

Chronic stress enhances synaptic plasticity due to disinhibition in the anterior cingulate cortex and induces hyper-locomotion in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Ito, Hiroshi; Nagano, Masatoshi; Suzuki, Hidenori; Murakoshi, Takayuki

2010-01-01

The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is involved in the pathophysiology of a variety of mental disorders, many of which are exacerbated by stress. There are few studies, however, of stress-induced modification of synaptic function in the ACC that is relevant to emotional behavior. We investigated the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on behavior and synaptic function in layers II/III of the ACC in mice. The duration of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) was longer in CRS mice than in control mice. The frequency of miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) recorded by whole-cell patch-clamping was reduced in CRS mice, while miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) remained unchanged. Paired-pulse ratios (PPRs) of the fEPSP and evoked EPSC were larger in CRS. There was no difference in NMDA component of evoked EPSCs between the groups. Both long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression of fEPSP were larger in CRS mice than in control mice. The differences between the groups in fEPSP duration, PPRs and LTP level were not observed when the GABA(A) receptor was blocked by bicuculline. Compared to control mice, CRS mice exhibited hyper-locomotive activity in an open field test, while no difference was observed between the groups in anxiety-like behavior in a light/dark choice test. CRS mice displayed decreased freezing behavior in fear conditioning tests compared to control mice. These findings suggest that CRS facilitates synaptic plasticity in the ACC via increased excitability due to disinhibition of GABA(A) receptor signalling, which may underlie induction of behavioral hyper-locomotive activity after CRS. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DO PERIODICITIES IN EXTINCTION-WITH POSSIBLE ASTRONOMICAL CONNECTIONS-SURVIVE A REVISION OF THE GEOLOGICAL TIMESCALE?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Melott, Adrian L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 (United States); Bambach, Richard K. [Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 121, Washington, DC 20013-7012 (United States)

2013-08-10

A major revision of the geological timescale was published in 2012. We re-examine our past finding of a 27 Myr periodicity in marine extinction rates by re-assigning dates to the extinction data used previously. We find that the spectral power in this period is somewhat increased, and persists at a narrow bandwidth, which supports our previous contention that the Nemesis hypothesis is untenable as an explanation for the periodicity that was first noted by Raup and Sepkoski in the 1980s. We enumerate a number of problems in a recent study comparing extinction rates with time series models.

Time-scale and extent at which large-scale circulation modes determine the wind and solar potential in the Iberian Peninsula

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jerez, Sonia; Trigo, Ricardo M

2013-01-01

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the East Atlantic (EA) and the Scandinavian (SCAND) modes are the three main large-scale circulation patterns driving the climate variability of the Iberian Peninsula. This study assesses their influence in terms of solar (photovoltaic) and wind power generation potential (SP and WP) and evaluates their skill as predictors. For that we use a hindcast regional climate simulation to retrieve the primary meteorological variables involved, surface solar radiation and wind speed. First we identify that the maximum influence of the various modes occurs on the interannual variations of the monthly mean SP and WP series, being generally more relevant in winter. Second we find that in this time-scale and season, SP (WP) varies up to 30% (40%) with respect to the mean climatology between years with opposite phases of the modes, although the strength and the spatial distribution of the signals differ from one month to another. Last, the skill of a multi-linear regression model (MLRM), built using the NAO, EA and SCAND indices, to reconstruct the original wintertime monthly series of SP and WP was investigated. The reconstructed series (when the MLRM is calibrated for each month individually) correlate with the original ones up to 0.8 at the interannual time-scale. Besides, when the modeled series for each individual month are merged to construct an October-to-March monthly series, and after removing the annual cycle in order to account for monthly anomalies, these correlate 0.65 (0.55) with the original SP (WP) series in average. These values remain fairly stable when the calibration and reconstruction periods differ, thus supporting up to a point the predictive potential of the method at the time-scale assessed here. (letter)

Multiple time-scale optimization scheduling for islanded microgrids including PV, wind turbine, diesel generator and batteries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Xiao, Zhao xia; Nan, Jiakai; Guerrero, Josep M.

2017-01-01

A multiple time-scale optimization scheduling including day ahead and short time for an islanded microgrid is presented. In this paper, the microgrid under study includes photovoltaics (PV), wind turbine (WT), diesel generator (DG), batteries, and shiftable loads. The study considers the maximum...... efficiency operation area for the diesel engine and the cost of the battery charge/discharge cycle losses. The day-ahead generation scheduling takes into account the minimum operational cost and the maximum load satisfaction as the objective function. Short-term optimal dispatch is based on minimizing...

The developmental progression of age 14 behavioral disinhibition, early age of sexual initiation, and subsequent sexual risk-taking behavior.

Science.gov (United States)

Samek, Diana R; Iacono, William G; Keyes, Margaret A; Epstein, Marina; Bornovalova, Marina A; McGue, Matt

2014-07-01

Research has demonstrated a consistent relationship between early sexual experience and subsequent sexual risk-taking behaviors. We hypothesized that this relationship is due to a general predisposition toward behavioral disinhibition (BD), and that relationships among BD, early sex, and subsequent risky sexual behavior may be influenced by common genetic influences for males and common environmental influences for females. A prospective sample of 1,512 same-sex adolescent twins (50.2% female) was used. Adolescent BD was measured by clinical symptom counts of conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and self-reported delinquent behavior (age 14). Age of sexual initiation was defined as first age of consensual oral or penetrative sex (mean age ~17). Adult risky sexual behavior was defined by sexual behaviors under the influence of drugs and alcohol and number of casual sexual partners in the past year (age 24). Multivariate analyses showed evidence for substantial common genetic variance among age 14 BD, age at sexual initiation, and adult risky sexual behavior for males, but not females. There was no significant difference in the degree of common environmental influence on these variables for females compared to males. Notably, age of sexual initiation was not significantly correlated with age 24 risky sexual behavior for females. The relationship between early sex and later risky sex can be better understood through a general liability toward BD, which is influenced primarily by genetic factors for males. The association between age 14 BD and age of sexual initiation was influenced through a combination of genetic and environmental factors for females; however, age of sexual initiation does not appear to be a salient predictor of adult women’s sexual risk-taking behavior. Findings suggest that prevention programs aimed at reducing sexual risk behavior might target youth exhibiting BD by age 14, particularly males. More research is needed on what predicts

CONSTRAINING THE SPIN-DOWN TIMESCALE OF THE WHITE DWARF PROGENITORS OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meng, Xiangcun; Podsiadlowski, Philipp

2013-01-01

Justham and Di Stefano et al. proposed that the white dwarf progenitor of a Type Ia supernova (SN Ia) may have to spin down before it can explode. As the white dwarf spin-down timescale is not well known theoretically, here we try to constrain it empirically (within the framework of this spin-down model) for progenitor systems that contain a giant donor and for which circumbinary material has been detected after the explosion: we obtain an upper limit of a few 10 7 yr. Based on the study of Di Stefano and Kilic, this means that it is too early to rule out the existence of a surviving companion in SNR 0509–67.5

Instability timescale for the inclination instability in the solar system

Science.gov (United States)

Zderic, Alexander; Madigan, Ann-Marie; Fleisig, Jacob

2018-04-01

The gravitational influence of small bodies is often neglected in the study of solar system dynamics. However, this is not always an appropriate assumption. For example, mutual secular torques between low mass particles on eccentric orbits can result in a self-gravity instability (`inclination instability'; Madigan & McCourt 2016). During the instability, inclinations increase exponentially, eccentricities decrease (detachment), and orbits cluster in argument of perihelion. In the solar system, the orbits of the most distant objects show all three of these characteristics (high inclination: Volk & Malhotra (2017), detachment: Delsanti & Jewitt (2006), and argument of perihelion clustering: Trujillo & Sheppard (2014)). The inclination instability is a natural explanation for these phenomena.Unfortunately, full N-body simulations of the solar system are unfeasible (N ≈ O(1012)), and the behavior of the instability depends on N, prohibiting the direct application of lower N simulations. Here we present the instability timescale's functional dependence on N, allowing us to extrapolate our simulation results to that appropriate for the solar system. We show that ~5 MEarth of small icy bodies in the Sedna region is sufficient for the inclination instability to occur in the outer solar system.

Exploring Market State and Stock Interactions on the Minute Timescale.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lei Tan

Full Text Available A stock market is a non-stationary complex system. The stock interactions are important for understanding the state of the market. However, our knowledge on the stock interactions on the minute timescale is limited. Here we apply the random matrix theory and methods in complex networks to study the stock interactions and sector interactions. Further, we construct a new kind of cross-correlation matrix to investigate the correlation between the stock interactions at different minutes within one trading day. Based on 50 million minute-to-minute price data in the Shanghai stock market, we discover that the market states in the morning and afternoon are significantly different. The differences mainly exist in three aspects, i.e. the co-movement of stock prices, interactions of sectors and correlation between the stock interactions at different minutes. In the afternoon, the component stocks of sectors are more robust and the structure of sectors is firmer. Therefore, the market state in the afternoon is more stable. Furthermore, we reveal that the information of the sector interactions can indicate the financial crisis in the market, and the indicator based on the empirical data in the afternoon is more effective.

Exploring Market State and Stock Interactions on the Minute Timescale.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Lei; Chen, Jun-Jie; Zheng, Bo; Ouyang, Fang-Yan

2016-01-01

A stock market is a non-stationary complex system. The stock interactions are important for understanding the state of the market. However, our knowledge on the stock interactions on the minute timescale is limited. Here we apply the random matrix theory and methods in complex networks to study the stock interactions and sector interactions. Further, we construct a new kind of cross-correlation matrix to investigate the correlation between the stock interactions at different minutes within one trading day. Based on 50 million minute-to-minute price data in the Shanghai stock market, we discover that the market states in the morning and afternoon are significantly different. The differences mainly exist in three aspects, i.e. the co-movement of stock prices, interactions of sectors and correlation between the stock interactions at different minutes. In the afternoon, the component stocks of sectors are more robust and the structure of sectors is firmer. Therefore, the market state in the afternoon is more stable. Furthermore, we reveal that the information of the sector interactions can indicate the financial crisis in the market, and the indicator based on the empirical data in the afternoon is more effective.

Time-Scale and Time-Frequency Analyses of Irregularly Sampled Astronomical Time Series

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Roques

2005-09-01

Full Text Available We evaluate the quality of spectral restoration in the case of irregular sampled signals in astronomy. We study in details a time-scale method leading to a global wavelet spectrum comparable to the Fourier period, and a time-frequency matching pursuit allowing us to identify the frequencies and to control the error propagation. In both cases, the signals are first resampled with a linear interpolation. Both results are compared with those obtained using Lomb's periodogram and using the weighted waveletZ-transform developed in astronomy for unevenly sampled variable stars observations. These approaches are applied to simulations and to light variations of four variable stars. This leads to the conclusion that the matching pursuit is more efficient for recovering the spectral contents of a pulsating star, even with a preliminary resampling. In particular, the results are almost independent of the quality of the initial irregular sampling.

Nanosecond-timescale spin transfer using individual electrons in a quadruple-quantum-dot device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baart, T. A.; Jovanovic, N.; Vandersypen, L. M. K. [QuTech and Kavli Institute of Nanoscience, Delft University of Technology, P.O. Box 5046, 2600 GA Delft (Netherlands); Reichl, C.; Wegscheider, W. [Solid State Physics Laboratory, ETH Zürich, 8093 Zürich (Switzerland)

2016-07-25

The ability to coherently transport electron-spin states between different sites of gate-defined semiconductor quantum dots is an essential ingredient for a quantum-dot-based quantum computer. Previous shuttles using electrostatic gating were too slow to move an electron within the spin dephasing time across an array. Here, we report a nanosecond-timescale spin transfer of individual electrons across a quadruple-quantum-dot device. Utilizing enhanced relaxation rates at a so-called hot spot, we can upper bound the shuttle time to at most 150 ns. While actual shuttle times are likely shorter, 150 ns is already fast enough to preserve spin coherence in, e.g., silicon based quantum dots. This work therefore realizes an important prerequisite for coherent spin transfer in quantum dot arrays.

Control of modular multilevel converters based on time-scale analysis and orthogonal functions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zarri, L.; Tani, A.; Mengoni, M.

2014-01-01

current is still a complex task and cannot be fully tackled with traditional linear control techniques. In this paper a multiple time-scale analysis is proposed to determine an approximated model of the MMC that can be used to solve the control problem of the capacitor voltages. In addition, it is shown...... that the reference signal of the circulating current can be built by combining orthogonal functions of the measured voltages and currents. Numerical simulations are used to test the feasibility of the developed approach.......Modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a promising multilevel topology for high-voltage applications that has been developed in recent years. The control of MMCs has been analyzed in detail in many papers, showing that the converter capacitors can be kept charged and balanced by controlling...

Searching for the optimal drought index and timescale combination to detect drought: a case study from the lower Jinsha River basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Fluixá-Sanmartín, Javier; Pan, Deng; Fischer, Luzia; Orlowsky, Boris; García-Hernández, Javier; Jordan, Frédéric; Haemmig, Christoph; Zhang, Fangwei; Xu, Jijun

2018-02-01

Drought indices based on precipitation are commonly used to identify and characterize droughts. Due to the general complexity of droughts, the comparison of index-identified events with droughts at different levels of the complete system, including soil humidity or river discharges, relies typically on model simulations of the latter, entailing potentially significant uncertainties. The present study explores the potential of using precipitation-based indices to reproduce observed droughts in the lower part of the Jinsha River basin (JRB), proposing an innovative approach for a catchment-wide drought detection and characterization. Two indicators, namely the Overall Drought Extension (ODE) and the Overall Drought Indicator (ODI), have been defined. These indicators aim at identifying and characterizing drought events on the basin scale, using results from four meteorological drought indices (standardized precipitation index, SPI; rainfall anomaly index, RAI; percent of normal precipitation, PN; deciles, DEC) calculated at different locations of the basin and for different timescales. Collected historical information on drought events is used to contrast results obtained with the indicators. This method has been successfully applied to the lower Jinsha River basin in China, a region prone to frequent and severe droughts. Historical drought events that occurred from 1960 to 2014 have been compiled and cataloged from different sources, in a challenging process. The analysis of the indicators shows a good agreement with the recorded historical drought events on the basin scale. It has been found that the timescale that best reproduces observed events across all the indices is the 6-month timescale.

Exploring Relationships among Tree-Ring Growth, Climate Variability, and Seasonal Leaf Activity on Varying Timescales and Spatial Resolutions

OpenAIRE

Bhuyan, Upasana;Zang, Christian;Vicente-Serrano, Sergio;Menzel, Annette

2018-01-01

In the first section of this study, we explored the relationship between ring width index (RWI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series on varying timescales and spatial resolutions, hypothesizing positive associations between RWI and current and previous- year NDVI at 69 forest sites scattered in the Northern Hemisphere. We noted that the relationship between RWI and NDVI varies over space and between tree types (deciduous versus coniferous), bioclimatic zones, cumulati...

Exploring Relationships among Tree-Ring Growth, Climate Variability, and Seasonal Leaf Activity on Varying Timescales and Spatial Resolutions

OpenAIRE

Upasana Bhuyan; Christian Zang; Sergio M. Vicente-Serrano; Annette Menzel

2017-01-01

In the first section of this study, we explored the relationship between ring width index (RWI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) time series on varying timescales and spatial resolutions, hypothesizing positive associations between RWI and current and previous- year NDVI at 69 forest sites scattered in the Northern Hemisphere. We noted that the relationship between RWI and NDVI varies over space and between tree types (deciduous versus coniferous), bioclimatic zones, cumulati...

Amplification of local changes along the timescale processing hierarchy.

Science.gov (United States)

Yeshurun, Yaara; Nguyen, Mai; Hasson, Uri

2017-08-29

Small changes in word choice can lead to dramatically different interpretations of narratives. How does the brain accumulate and integrate such local changes to construct unique neural representations for different stories? In this study, we created two distinct narratives by changing only a few words in each sentence (e.g., "he" to "she" or "sobbing" to "laughing") while preserving the grammatical structure across stories. We then measured changes in neural responses between the two stories. We found that differences in neural responses between the two stories gradually increased along the hierarchy of processing timescales. For areas with short integration windows, such as early auditory cortex, the differences in neural responses between the two stories were relatively small. In contrast, in areas with the longest integration windows at the top of the hierarchy, such as the precuneus, temporal parietal junction, and medial frontal cortices, there were large differences in neural responses between stories. Furthermore, this gradual increase in neural differences between the stories was highly correlated with an area's ability to integrate information over time. Amplification of neural differences did not occur when changes in words did not alter the interpretation of the story (e.g., sobbing to "crying"). Our results demonstrate how subtle differences in words are gradually accumulated and amplified along the cortical hierarchy as the brain constructs a narrative over time.

Nuclear waste in the anthropocene. Uncertainties and unforeseeable timescales in the disposal of nuclear waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brunnengraeber, Achim [Freie Univ. Berlin (Germany). Environmental Policy Research Centre (FFU); Goerg, Christoph [Klagenfurt Univ., Vienna (Austria). Inst. of Social Ecology

2017-09-01

From a scientific perspective, in particular following the Working Group on the Anthropocene of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (WGA-ISC), the major challenge for determining the Anthropocene and its start is the search for a ''golden spike''. The WGA-ISC agreed on nuclear fallout from disasters. For a full understanding of the Anthropocene, it however seems necessary to go further than that. We obtain a much broader understanding of the challenges that the new era represents for humanity if we take into account the so-called civilian use of nuclear energy and in particular the challenges posed by nuclear waste - long timescales and scientific uncertainties.

Nuclear waste in the anthropocene. Uncertainties and unforeseeable timescales in the disposal of nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunnengraeber, Achim; Goerg, Christoph

2017-01-01

From a scientific perspective, in particular following the Working Group on the Anthropocene of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (WGA-ISC), the major challenge for determining the Anthropocene and its start is the search for a ''golden spike''. The WGA-ISC agreed on nuclear fallout from disasters. For a full understanding of the Anthropocene, it however seems necessary to go further than that. We obtain a much broader understanding of the challenges that the new era represents for humanity if we take into account the so-called civilian use of nuclear energy and in particular the challenges posed by nuclear waste - long timescales and scientific uncertainties.

Rapid mixing and short storage timescale in the magma dynamics of a steady-state volcano

Science.gov (United States)

Petrone, Chiara Maria; Braschi, Eleonora; Francalanci, Lorella; Casalini, Martina; Tommasini, Simone

2018-06-01

Steady-state volcanic activity implies equilibrium between the rate of magma replenishment and eruption of compositionally homogeneous magmas, lasting for tens to thousands of years in an open conduit system. The Present-day activity of Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands, Southern Italy) has long been recognised as typical of a steady-state volcano, with a shallow magmatic reservoir (highly porphyritic or hp-magma) continuously refilled by more mafic magma (with low phenocryst content or lp-magma) at a constant rate and accompanied by mixing, crystallisation and eruption. Our aim is to clarify the timescale and dynamics of the plumbing system at the establishment of the Present-day steady-state activity (volcanoes.

Spatio-temporal manipulation of small GTPase activity at subcellular level and on timescale of seconds in living cells.

Science.gov (United States)

DeRose, Robert; Pohlmeyer, Christopher; Umeda, Nobuhiro; Ueno, Tasuku; Nagano, Tetsuo; Kuo, Scot; Inoue, Takanari

2012-03-09

Dynamic regulation of the Rho family of small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases) with great spatiotemporal precision is essential for various cellular functions and events(1, 2). Their spatiotemporally dynamic nature has been revealed by visualization of their activity and localization in real time(3). In order to gain deeper understanding of their roles in diverse cellular functions at the molecular level, the next step should be perturbation of protein activities at a precise subcellular location and timing. To achieve this goal, we have developed a method for light-induced, spatio-temporally controlled activation of small GTPases by combining two techniques: (1) rapamycin-induced FKBP-FRB heterodimerization and (2) a photo-caging method of rapamycin. With the use of rapamycin-mediated FKBP-FRB heterodimerization, we have developed a method for rapidly inducible activation or inactivation of small GTPases including Rac(4), Cdc42(4), RhoA(4) and Ras(5), in which rapamycin induces translocation of FKBP-fused GTPases, or their activators, to the plasma membrane where FRB is anchored. For coupling with this heterodimerization system, we have also developed a photo-caging system of rapamycin analogs. A photo-caged compound is a small molecule whose activity is suppressed with a photocleavable protecting group known as a caging group. To suppress heterodimerization activity completely, we designed a caged rapamycin that is tethered to a macromolecule such that the resulting large complex cannot cross the plasma membrane, leading to virtually no background activity as a chemical dimerizer inside cells(6). Figure 1 illustrates a scheme of our system. With the combination of these two systems, we locally recruited a Rac activator to the plasma membrane on a timescale of seconds and achieved light-induced Rac activation at the subcellular level(6).

Mediation Analysis with Multiple Mediators

OpenAIRE

VanderWeele, T.J.; Vansteelandt, S.

2014-01-01

Recent advances in the causal inference literature on mediation have extended traditional approaches to direct and indirect effects to settings that allow for interactions and non-linearities. In this paper, these approaches from causal inference are further extended to settings in which multiple mediators may be of interest. Two analytic approaches, one based on regression and one based on weighting are proposed to estimate the effect mediated through multiple mediators and the effects throu...

Hydrograph variances over different timescales in hydropower production networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zmijewski, Nicholas; Wörman, Anders

2016-08-01

The operation of water reservoirs involves a spectrum of timescales based on the distribution of stream flow travel times between reservoirs, as well as the technical, environmental, and social constraints imposed on the operation. In this research, a hydrodynamically based description of the flow between hydropower stations was implemented to study the relative importance of wave diffusion on the spectrum of hydrograph variance in a regulated watershed. Using spectral decomposition of the effluence hydrograph of a watershed, an exact expression of the variance in the outflow response was derived, as a function of the trends of hydraulic and geomorphologic dispersion and management of production and reservoirs. We show that the power spectra of involved time-series follow nearly fractal patterns, which facilitates examination of the relative importance of wave diffusion and possible changes in production demand on the outflow spectrum. The exact spectral solution can also identify statistical bounds of future demand patterns due to limitations in storage capacity. The impact of the hydraulic description of the stream flow on the reservoir discharge was examined for a given power demand in River Dalälven, Sweden, as function of a stream flow Peclet number. The regulation of hydropower production on the River Dalälven generally increased the short-term variance in the effluence hydrograph, whereas wave diffusion decreased the short-term variance over periods of white noise) as a result of current production objectives.

Tracing time in the ocean: Unraveling depositional and preservational timescales using compound-specific radiocarbon analysis of biomarkers from marine sediments

OpenAIRE

Kusch, Stephanie

2010-01-01

Carbon cycle dynamics between the different inorganic and organic carbon pools play an important role in controlling the atmospheric chemical composition, thus, regulating the Earth’s climate. Atmospheric CO2 is fixed into biomass by photosynthesis of terrestrial and marine primary producers. Until final burial in marine sediments, the biologically fixed carbon that escapes remineralisation undergoes exchange between various active carbon reservoirs. Until now, the timescales o...

The Distribution and Magnitude of Glacial Erosion on 103-year Timescales at Engabreen, Norway

Science.gov (United States)

Rand, C.; Goehring, B. M.

2017-12-01

We derive the magnitudes of glacial erosion integrated over 103-year timescales across a transect transverse to the direction of ice flow at Engabreen, Norway. Understanding the distribution of glacial erosion is important for several reasons, including sediment budgeting to fjord environments, development of robust landscape evolution models, and if a better understanding between erosion and ice-bed interface properties (e.g., sliding rate, basal water pressure) can be developed, we can use records of glacial erosion to infer glaciological properties that can ultimately benefit models of past and future glaciers. With few exceptions, measurements of glacial erosion are limited to the historical past and even then are rare owing to the difficulty of accessing the glacier bed. One method proven useful in estimating glacial erosion on 103-year timescales is to measure the remaining concentrations of cosmogenic nuclides that accumulate in exposed bedrock during periods of retracted glacier extent and are removed by glacial erosion and radioactive decay during ice cover. Here we will present measurements of 14C and 10Be measured in proglacial bedrock from Engabreen. Our transects are ca. 600 and 400 meters in front of the modern ice front, and based on historical imagery, was ice covered until the recent past. Initial 10Be results show an increase in concentrations of nearly an order of magnitude from the samples near the center of the glacial trough to those on the lateral margin, consistent with conceptual models of glacial erosion parameterized in terms of sliding velocity. Naïve exposure ages that assume no subglacial erosion range from 0.22 - 9.04 ka. More importantly, we can estimate erosion depths by assuming zero erosion of the highest concentration sample along the two transects and calculate the amount of material removed to yield the lower concentrations elsewhere along the two transects. Results indicate minimum erosion depths of 1-183 cm for most ice

Determination of Arctic sea ice variability modes on interannual timescales via nonhierarchical clustering

Science.gov (United States)

Fučkar, Neven-Stjepan; Guemas, Virginie; Massonnet, François; Doblas-Reyes, Francisco

2015-04-01

Over the modern observational era, the northern hemisphere sea ice concentration, age and thickness have experienced a sharp long-term decline superimposed with strong internal variability. Hence, there is a crucial need to identify robust patterns of Arctic sea ice variability on interannual timescales and disentangle them from the long-term trend in noisy datasets. The principal component analysis (PCA) is a versatile and broadly used method for the study of climate variability. However, the PCA has several limiting aspects because it assumes that all modes of variability have symmetry between positive and negative phases, and suppresses nonlinearities by using a linear covariance matrix. Clustering methods offer an alternative set of dimension reduction tools that are more robust and capable of taking into account possible nonlinear characteristics of a climate field. Cluster analysis aggregates data into groups or clusters based on their distance, to simultaneously minimize the distance between data points in a given cluster and maximize the distance between the centers of the clusters. We extract modes of Arctic interannual sea-ice variability with nonhierarchical K-means cluster analysis and investigate the mechanisms leading to these modes. Our focus is on the sea ice thickness (SIT) as the base variable for clustering because SIT holds most of the climate memory for variability and predictability on interannual timescales. We primarily use global reconstructions of sea ice fields with a state-of-the-art ocean-sea-ice model, but we also verify the robustness of determined clusters in other Arctic sea ice datasets. Applied cluster analysis over the 1958-2013 period shows that the optimal number of detrended SIT clusters is K=3. Determined SIT cluster patterns and their time series of occurrence are rather similar between different seasons and months. Two opposite thermodynamic modes are characterized with prevailing negative or positive SIT anomalies over the

Mediation analysis with time varying exposures and mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

VanderWeele, Tyler J; Tchetgen Tchetgen, Eric J

2017-06-01

In this paper we consider causal mediation analysis when exposures and mediators vary over time. We give non-parametric identification results, discuss parametric implementation, and also provide a weighting approach to direct and indirect effects based on combining the results of two marginal structural models. We also discuss how our results give rise to a causal interpretation of the effect estimates produced from longitudinal structural equation models. When there are time-varying confounders affected by prior exposure and mediator, natural direct and indirect effects are not identified. However, we define a randomized interventional analogue of natural direct and indirect effects that are identified in this setting. The formula that identifies these effects we refer to as the "mediational g-formula." When there is no mediation, the mediational g-formula reduces to Robins' regular g-formula for longitudinal data. When there are no time-varying confounders affected by prior exposure and mediator values, then the mediational g-formula reduces to a longitudinal version of Pearl's mediation formula. However, the mediational g-formula itself can accommodate both mediation and time-varying confounders and constitutes a general approach to mediation analysis with time-varying exposures and mediators.

Response timescales for martian ice masses and implications for ice flow on Mars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Koutnik, Michelle Rebecca; Waddington, E.D.; Winebrener, D.P.

2013-01-01

a predictable shape, which is a function of ice temperature, ice rheology, and surface mass-exchange rate. In addition, the time for surface-shape adjustment is shorter than the characteristic time for significant deformation or displacement of internal layers within a flowing ice mass; as a result, surface......On Earth and on Mars, ice masses experience changes in precipitation, temperature, and radiation. In a new climate state, flowing ice masses will adjust in length and in thickness, and this response toward a new steady state has a characteristic timescale. However, a flowing ice mass has...... topography is more diagnostic of flow than are internal-layer shapes. Because the shape of Gemina Lingula, North Polar Layered Deposits indicates that it flowed at some time in the past, we use its current topography to infer characteristics of those past ice conditions, or past climate conditions, in which...

Unifying practice schedules in the timescales of motor learning and performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Verhoeven, F Martijn; Newell, Karl M

2018-06-01

In this article, we elaborate from a multiple time scales model of motor learning to examine the independent and integrated effects of massed and distributed practice schedules within- and between-sessions on the persistent (learning) and transient (warm-up, fatigue) processes of performance change. The timescales framework reveals the influence of practice distribution on four learning-related processes: the persistent processes of learning and forgetting, and the transient processes of warm-up decrement and fatigue. The superposition of the different processes of practice leads to a unified set of effects for massed and distributed practice within- and between-sessions in learning motor tasks. This analysis of the interaction between the duration of the interval of practice trials or sessions and parameters of the introduced time scale model captures the unified influence of the between trial and session scheduling of practice on learning and performance. It provides a starting point for new theoretically based hypotheses, and the scheduling of practice that minimizes the negative effects of warm-up decrement, fatigue and forgetting while exploiting the positive effects of learning and retention. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Olfactory bulb glomerular NMDA receptors mediate olfactory nerve potentiation and odor preference learning in the neonate rat.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebecca Lethbridge

Full Text Available Rat pup odor preference learning follows pairing of bulbar beta-adrenoceptor activation with olfactory input. We hypothesize that NMDA receptor (NMDAR-mediated olfactory input to mitral cells is enhanced during training, such that increased calcium facilitates and shapes the critical cAMP pattern. Here, we demonstrate, in vitro, that olfactory nerve stimulation, at sniffing frequencies, paired with beta-adrenoceptor activation, potentiates olfactory nerve-evoked mitral cell firing. This potentiation is blocked by a NMDAR antagonist and by increased inhibition. Glomerular disinhibition also induces NMDAR-sensitive potentiation. In vivo, in parallel, behavioral learning is prevented by glomerular infusion of an NMDAR antagonist or a GABA(A receptor agonist. A glomerular GABA(A receptor antagonist paired with odor can induce NMDAR-dependent learning. The NMDA GluN1 subunit is phosphorylated in odor-specific glomeruli within 5 min of training suggesting early activation, and enhanced calcium entry, during acquisition. The GluN1 subunit is down-regulated 3 h after learning; and at 24 h post-training the GluN2B subunit is down-regulated. These events may assist memory stability. Ex vivo experiments using bulbs from trained rat pups reveal an increase in the AMPA/NMDA EPSC ratio post-training, consistent with an increase in AMPA receptor insertion and/or the decrease in NMDAR subunits. These results support a model of a cAMP/NMDA interaction in generating rat pup odor preference learning.

The Lifecycles of Drought: Informing Responses Across Timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Pulwarty, R. S.; Schubert, S. D.

2014-12-01

Drought is a slow-onset hazard that is a normal part of climate. Drought onset and demise are difficult to determine. Impacts are mostly nonstructural, spread over large geographical areas, and can persist long after precipitation deficits end. These factors hinder development of accurate, timely estimates of drought severity and resultant responses. Drivers of drought range from SST anomalies and global scale atmospheric response, through regional forcing and local land-surface feedbacks. Key climatological questions related to drought risk assessment, perception and management include, "Does a drought end by a return to normal precipitation; how much moisture is required and over what period; can the end of a drought be defined by the diminishing impacts e.g. soil moisture, reservoir volumes; will precipitation patterns on which management systems rely, change in the future?" Effective early warning systems inform strategic responses that anticipate crises and crisis evolution across climate timescales. While such "early information" is critical for defining event onset, it is even more critical for identifying the potential for increases in severity. Many social and economic systems have buffers in place to respond to onset (storage, transfers and purchase of grain) but lack response capabilities as drought intensifies, as buffers are depleted. Throughout the drought lifecycle (and between events), monitoring, research and risk assessments are required to: Map decision-making processes and resource capabilities including degradation of water and ecosystems Place multiple climate and land surface indicators within a consistent triggering framework (e.g. climate and vegetation mapping) before critical thresholds are reached Identify policies and practices that impede or enable the flow of information, through policy gaming and other exercises The presentation will outline the capabilities and framework needed to ensure improved scientific inputs to preparedness

Interventional Effects for Mediation Analysis with Multiple Mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

Vansteelandt, Stijn; Daniel, Rhian M

2017-03-01

The mediation formula for the identification of natural (in)direct effects has facilitated mediation analyses that better respect the nature of the data, with greater consideration of the need for confounding control. The default assumptions on which it relies are strong, however. In particular, they are known to be violated when confounders of the mediator-outcome association are affected by the exposure. This complicates extensions of counterfactual-based mediation analysis to settings that involve repeatedly measured mediators, or multiple correlated mediators. VanderWeele, Vansteelandt, and Robins introduced so-called interventional (in)direct effects. These can be identified under much weaker conditions than natural (in)direct effects, but have the drawback of not adding up to the total effect. In this article, we adapt their proposal to achieve an exact decomposition of the total effect, and extend it to the multiple mediator setting. Interestingly, the proposed effects capture the path-specific effects of an exposure on an outcome that are mediated by distinct mediators, even when-as often-the structural dependence between the multiple mediators is unknown, for instance, when the direction of the causal effects between the mediators is unknown, or there may be unmeasured common causes of the mediators.

Long-term monitoring of UK river basins: the disconnections between the timescales of hydrological processes and watershed management planning

Science.gov (United States)

Howden, N. J. K.; Burt, T.; Worrall, F.

2016-12-01

The UK has a wealth of hydrological monitoring data that has both good coverage in space since the early 1970s, and also a few locations where records have been kept continuously for almost 150 years. Such datasets offer unique opportunities for the hydrologist to consider how the concepts of stationarity, change, and definitions of "baseline" resources should be used to shape how we build models of these systems, and how we devise appropriate and sustainable watershed management strategies. In this paper we consider some of the UK's longest hydrological and biogeochemical records, to explore how long records can be used to shape such understanding and, in some cases, how they can be used to identify new modes of behaviour that need to be incorporated into management planning, from the scale of individual watersheds right up to the national scale. We also consider how key timescales of hydrological responses that are evident within the data may pose major problems for watershed management unless appropriate attention is paid to the potential impacts of processes that work over decadal timescales - much longer than sub-decadal water industry investment cycles or short-term projects for watershed management planning. We use our long-term records to show how key processes can be identified, and to illustrate how careful interpretation of shorter term records will improve decision-making for water resource management.

Estimation of causal mediation effects for a dichotomous outcome in multiple-mediator models using the mediation formula.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Wei; Nelson, Suchitra; Albert, Jeffrey M

2013-10-30

Mediators are intermediate variables in the causal pathway between an exposure and an outcome. Mediation analysis investigates the extent to which exposure effects occur through these variables, thus revealing causal mechanisms. In this paper, we consider the estimation of the mediation effect when the outcome is binary and multiple mediators of different types exist. We give a precise definition of the total mediation effect as well as decomposed mediation effects through individual or sets of mediators using the potential outcomes framework. We formulate a model of joint distribution (probit-normal) using continuous latent variables for any binary mediators to account for correlations among multiple mediators. A mediation formula approach is proposed to estimate the total mediation effect and decomposed mediation effects based on this parametric model. Estimation of mediation effects through individual or subsets of mediators requires an assumption involving the joint distribution of multiple counterfactuals. We conduct a simulation study that demonstrates low bias of mediation effect estimators for two-mediator models with various combinations of mediator types. The results also show that the power to detect a nonzero total mediation effect increases as the correlation coefficient between two mediators increases, whereas power for individual mediation effects reaches a maximum when the mediators are uncorrelated. We illustrate our approach by applying it to a retrospective cohort study of dental caries in adolescents with low and high socioeconomic status. Sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the robustness of conclusions regarding mediation effects when the assumption of no unmeasured mediator-outcome confounders is violated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Estimation of Causal Mediation Effects for a Dichotomous Outcome in Multiple-Mediator Models using the Mediation Formula

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Suchitra; Albert, Jeffrey M.

2013-01-01

Mediators are intermediate variables in the causal pathway between an exposure and an outcome. Mediation analysis investigates the extent to which exposure effects occur through these variables, thus revealing causal mechanisms. In this paper, we consider the estimation of the mediation effect when the outcome is binary and multiple mediators of different types exist. We give a precise definition of the total mediation effect as well as decomposed mediation effects through individual or sets of mediators using the potential outcomes framework. We formulate a model of joint distribution (probit-normal) using continuous latent variables for any binary mediators to account for correlations among multiple mediators. A mediation formula approach is proposed to estimate the total mediation effect and decomposed mediation effects based on this parametric model. Estimation of mediation effects through individual or subsets of mediators requires an assumption involving the joint distribution of multiple counterfactuals. We conduct a simulation study that demonstrates low bias of mediation effect estimators for two-mediator models with various combinations of mediator types. The results also show that the power to detect a non-zero total mediation effect increases as the correlation coefficient between two mediators increases, while power for individual mediation effects reaches a maximum when the mediators are uncorrelated. We illustrate our approach by applying it to a retrospective cohort study of dental caries in adolescents with low and high socioeconomic status. Sensitivity analysis is performed to assess the robustness of conclusions regarding mediation effects when the assumption of no unmeasured mediator-outcome confounders is violated. PMID:23650048

Causal mediation analysis with multiple causally non-ordered mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

Taguri, Masataka; Featherstone, John; Cheng, Jing

2018-01-01

In many health studies, researchers are interested in estimating the treatment effects on the outcome around and through an intermediate variable. Such causal mediation analyses aim to understand the mechanisms that explain the treatment effect. Although multiple mediators are often involved in real studies, most of the literature considered mediation analyses with one mediator at a time. In this article, we consider mediation analyses when there are causally non-ordered multiple mediators. Even if the mediators do not affect each other, the sum of two indirect effects through the two mediators considered separately may diverge from the joint natural indirect effect when there are additive interactions between the effects of the two mediators on the outcome. Therefore, we derive an equation for the joint natural indirect effect based on the individual mediation effects and their interactive effect, which helps us understand how the mediation effect works through the two mediators and relative contributions of the mediators and their interaction. We also discuss an extension for three mediators. The proposed method is illustrated using data from a randomized trial on the prevention of dental caries.

Mediatization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjarvard, Stig

2017-01-01

Mediatization research shares media effects studies' ambition of answering the difficult questions with regard to whether and how media matter and influence contemporary culture and society. The two approaches nevertheless differ fundamentally in that mediatization research seeks answers...... to these general questions by distinguishing between two concepts: mediation and mediatization. The media effects tradition generally considers the effects of the media to be a result of individuals being exposed to media content, i.e. effects are seen as an outcome of mediated communication. Mediatization...... research is concerned with long-term structural changes involving media, culture, and society, i.e. the influences of the media are understood in relation to how media are implicated in social and cultural changes and how these processes come to create new conditions for human communication and interaction...

Timescales of carbon turnover in soils with mixed crystalline mineralogies

Science.gov (United States)

Khomo, Lesego; Trumbore, Susan; Bern, Carleton R.; Chadwick, Oliver A.

2017-01-01

TTs averaging 190 ± 190 years in surface horizons. Summed over the bulk soil profile, we found that smectite content correlated with the mean TT of bulk soil C across varied lithologies. The SRO mineral content in KNP soils was generally very low, except for the soils developed on gabbros under more humid climate that also had very high Fe and C contents with a surprisingly short, mean C TTs. In younger landscapes, SRO minerals are metastable and sequester C for long timescales. We hypothesize that in the KNP, SRO minerals represent a transient stage of mineral evolution and therefore lock up C for a shorter time. Overall, we found crystalline Fe-oxyhydroxides (determined as the difference between Fe in dithionate citrate and oxalate extractions) to be the strongest predictor for soil C content, while the mean TT of soil C was best predicted from the amount of smectite, which was also related to more easily measured bulk properties such as cation exchange capacity or pH. Combined with previous research on C turnover times in 2 : 1 vs. 1 : 1 clays, our results hold promise for predicting C inventory and persistence based on intrinsic timescales of specific carbon-mineral interactions.

Brain Potentials and Personality: A New Look at Stress Susceptibility.

Science.gov (United States)

1987-09-01

disinhibition (Dis) measures a hedonistic , extraverted lifestyle including drinking, parties, sex, and gambling; boredom susceptibility (BS) indicates an...adventure seeking; ES = Experience seeking; Dis = Disinhibition; BS = Boredom susceptibility. 1 14 I N i*5’ Table 4 Correlation of Auditory Evoked...20. aTAS = Thrill and adventure seeking; ES = Experience seeking; Dis = Disinhibition; BS = Boredom susceptibility. < .05. 15 I The present study

Timescales of isotropic and anisotropic cluster collapse

Science.gov (United States)

Bartelmann, M.; Ehlers, J.; Schneider, P.

1993-12-01

From a simple estimate for the formation time of galaxy clusters, Richstone et al. have recently concluded that the evidence for non-virialized structures in a large fraction of observed clusters points towards a high value for the cosmological density parameter Omega0. This conclusion was based on a study of the spherical collapse of density perturbations, assumed to follow a Gaussian probability distribution. In this paper, we extend their treatment in several respects: first, we argue that the collapse does not start from a comoving motion of the perturbation, but that the continuity equation requires an initial velocity perturbation directly related to the density perturbation. This requirement modifies the initial condition for the evolution equation and has the effect that the collapse proceeds faster than in the case where the initial velocity perturbation is set to zero; the timescale is reduced by a factor of up to approximately equal 0.5. Our results thus strengthens the conclusion of Richstone et al. for a high Omega0. In addition, we study the collapse of density fluctuations in the frame of the Zel'dovich approximation, using as starting condition the analytically known probability distribution of the eigenvalues of the deformation tensor, which depends only on the (Gaussian) width of the perturbation spectrum. Finally, we consider the anisotropic collapse of density perturbations dynamically, again with initial conditions drawn from the probability distribution of the deformation tensor. We find that in both cases of anisotropic collapse, in the Zel'dovich approximation and in the dynamical calculations, the resulting distribution of collapse times agrees remarkably well with the results from spherical collapse. We discuss this agreement and conclude that it is mainly due to the properties of the probability distribution for the eigenvalues of the Zel'dovich deformation tensor. Hence, the conclusions of Richstone et al. on the value of Omega0 can be

Intercultural Mediation

OpenAIRE

Dragos Marian Radulescu; Denisa Mitrut

2012-01-01

The Intercultural Mediator facilitates exchanges between people of different socio-cultural backgrounds and acts as a bridge between immigrants and national and local associations, health organizations, services and offices in order to foster integration of every single individual. As the use mediation increases, mediators are more likely to be involved in cross-cultural mediation, but only the best mediators have the opportunity to mediate cross border business disputes or international poli...

Mediation analysis with multiple versions of the mediator.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderweele, Tyler J

2012-05-01

The causal inference literature has provided definitions of direct and indirect effects based on counterfactuals that generalize the approach found in the social science literature. However, these definitions presuppose well-defined hypothetical interventions on the mediator. In many settings, there may be multiple ways to fix the mediator to a particular value, and these various hypothetical interventions may have very different implications for the outcome of interest. In this paper, we consider mediation analysis when multiple versions of the mediator are present. Specifically, we consider the problem of attempting to decompose a total effect of an exposure on an outcome into the portion through the intermediate and the portion through other pathways. We consider the setting in which there are multiple versions of the mediator but the investigator has access only to data on the particular measurement, not information on which version of the mediator may have brought that value about. We show that the quantity that is estimated as a natural indirect effect using only the available data does indeed have an interpretation as a particular type of mediated effect; however, the quantity estimated as a natural direct effect, in fact, captures both a true direct effect and an effect of the exposure on the outcome mediated through the effect of the version of the mediator that is not captured by the mediator measurement. The results are illustrated using 2 examples from the literature, one in which the versions of the mediator are unknown and another in which the mediator itself has been dichotomized.

mediation: R Package for Causal Mediation Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dustin Tingley

2014-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we describe the R package mediation for conducting causal mediation analysis in applied empirical research. In many scientific disciplines, the goal of researchers is not only estimating causal effects of a treatment but also understanding the process in which the treatment causally affects the outcome. Causal mediation analysis is frequently used to assess potential causal mechanisms. The mediation package implements a comprehensive suite of statistical tools for conducting such an analysis. The package is organized into two distinct approaches. Using the model-based approach, researchers can estimate causal mediation effects and conduct sensitivity analysis under the standard research design. Furthermore, the design-based approach provides several analysis tools that are applicable under different experimental designs. This approach requires weaker assumptions than the model-based approach. We also implement a statistical method for dealing with multiple (causally dependent mediators, which are often encountered in practice. Finally, the package also offers a methodology for assessing causal mediation in the presence of treatment noncompliance, a common problem in randomized trials.

mediation: R package for causal mediation analysis

OpenAIRE

Tingley, Dustin; Yamamoto, Teppei; Hirose, Kentaro; Keele, Luke; Imai, Kosuke

2012-01-01

In this paper, we describe the R package mediation for conducting causal mediation analysis in applied empirical research. In many scientific disciplines, the goal of researchers is not only estimating causal effects of a treatment but also understanding the process in which the treatment causally affects the outcome. Causal mediation analysis is frequently used to assess potential causal mechanisms. The mediation package implements a comprehensive suite of statistical tools for conducting su...

A selective inhibitor of protein kinase A induces behavioural and neurological antidepressant-like effect in rats

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Liebenberg, Nico; Müller, Heidi Kaastrup; Elfving, Betina

2011-01-01

the direct inhibition of PKA. This result may be explained either by PKA-dependent mechanisms, for example the disinhibition of a variety of G-protein coupled receptor subtypes (e.g. adrenergic-, dopaminergic- and metabotropic glutamate receptors), or by cAMP-mediated, PKA-independent mechanisms...... demonstrated antidepressant-like activity following the direct activation of PKA [3]. In this project we critically evaluate this notion by investigating the mood-altering actions of a PKA inhibitor, Rp-8-Br-cAMPS, in the rat forced swim test (FST) while correlating these results with the cAMP concentration...

Intra-individual gait patterns across different time-scales as revealed by means of a supervised learning model using kernel-based discriminant regression.

Science.gov (United States)

Horst, Fabian; Eekhoff, Alexander; Newell, Karl M; Schöllhorn, Wolfgang I

2017-01-01

Traditionally, gait analysis has been centered on the idea of average behavior and normality. On one hand, clinical diagnoses and therapeutic interventions typically assume that average gait patterns remain constant over time. On the other hand, it is well known that all our movements are accompanied by a certain amount of variability, which does not allow us to make two identical steps. The purpose of this study was to examine changes in the intra-individual gait patterns across different time-scales (i.e., tens-of-mins, tens-of-hours). Nine healthy subjects performed 15 gait trials at a self-selected speed on 6 sessions within one day (duration between two subsequent sessions from 10 to 90 mins). For each trial, time-continuous ground reaction forces and lower body joint angles were measured. A supervised learning model using a kernel-based discriminant regression was applied for classifying sessions within individual gait patterns. Discernable characteristics of intra-individual gait patterns could be distinguished between repeated sessions by classification rates of 67.8 ± 8.8% and 86.3 ± 7.9% for the six-session-classification of ground reaction forces and lower body joint angles, respectively. Furthermore, the one-on-one-classification showed that increasing classification rates go along with increasing time durations between two sessions and indicate that changes of gait patterns appear at different time-scales. Discernable characteristics between repeated sessions indicate continuous intrinsic changes in intra-individual gait patterns and suggest a predominant role of deterministic processes in human motor control and learning. Natural changes of gait patterns without any externally induced injury or intervention may reflect continuous adaptations of the motor system over several time-scales. Accordingly, the modelling of walking by means of average gait patterns that are assumed to be near constant over time needs to be reconsidered in the context of

What carries a mediation process? Configural analysis of mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

von Eye, Alexander; Mun, Eun Young; Mair, Patrick

2009-09-01

Mediation is a process that links a predictor and a criterion via a mediator variable. Mediation can be full or partial. This well-established definition operates at the level of variables even if they are categorical. In this article, two new approaches to the analysis of mediation are proposed. Both of these approaches focus on the analysis of categorical variables. The first involves mediation analysis at the level of configurations instead of variables. Thus, mediation can be incorporated into the arsenal of methods of analysis for person-oriented research. Second, it is proposed that Configural Frequency Analysis (CFA) can be used for both exploration and confirmation of mediation relationships among categorical variables. The implications of using CFA are first that mediation hypotheses can be tested at the level of individual configurations instead of variables. Second, this approach leaves the door open for different types of mediation processes to exist within the same set. Using a data example, it is illustrated that aggregate-level analysis can overlook mediation processes that operate at the level of individual configurations.

Profession of mediator as the professional provider of the mediation process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jernej Šoštar

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The civil mediation programme, which is a court-connected programme, established as a form of alternative dispute resolution, is increasingly gaining ground as a field with its own theoretical and practical knowledge, principles and basic rules. Mediation has already set up its own body of knowledge, based on studies, classification of cases and the analyses of the results. In this article, we examine whether in the context of the development of mediation in Slovenia we might already talk about the profession of the mediator, defined as a provider of the mediation process. We examine the court-connected civil mediation and mediators who mediate at the court-connected civil mediation, and define them theoretically. By interviewing the mediation experts and mediators we examine their opinions about mediators and the court mediation. We examine the legal basis for the court-connected mediation programmes in Slovenia as well as in the European Union. Proceeding from our findings we conclude that the legal regulation of the court mediation in Slovenia is well established, and that the mediators of the court-connected civil mediation programmes can be accepted as the professional providers of the mediation process.

Nanosecond-Timescale Intra-Bunch-Train Feedback for the Linear Collider: Results of the FONT2 Run

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barlow, R.; Dufau, M.; Kalinin, A.; Daresbury; Myatt, G.; Perry, C.; Oxford U.; Burrows, P.N.; Hartin, T.; Hussain, S.M.; Molloy, S.; White, G.R.; Queen Mary, U. of London; Adolphsen, C.; Frisch, J.C.; Hendrickson, L.; Jobe, R.K.; Markiewicz, T.; McCormick, D.J.; Nelson, J.; Ross, M.C.; Smith, S.; Smith, T.J.; SLAC

2005-01-01

We report on experimental results from the December 2003/January 2004 data run of the Feedback On Nanosecond Timescales (FONT) experiment at the Next Linear Collider Test Accelerator at SLAC. We built a second-generation prototype intra-train beam-based feedback system incorporating beam position monitors, fast analogue signal processors, a feedback circuit, fast-risetime amplifiers and stripline kickers. We applied a novel real-time charge-normalization scheme to account for beam current variations along the train. We used the system to correct the position of the 170-nanosecond-long bunchtrain at NLCTA. We achieved a latency of 53 nanoseconds, representing a significant improvement on FONT1 (2002), and providing a demonstration of intra-train feedback for the Linear Collider

Timescales of carbon turnover in soils with mixed crystalline mineralogies

Science.gov (United States)

Khomo, Lesego; Trumbore, Susan E.; Bern, Carleton R.; Chadwick, Oliver A.

2017-01-01

-sized material by 2 % hydrogen peroxide had TTs averaging 190 ± 190 years in surface horizons. Summed over the bulk soil profile, we found that smectite content correlated with the mean TT of bulk soil C across varied lithologies. The SRO mineral content in KNP soils was generally very low, except for the soils developed on gabbros under more humid climate that also had very high Fe and C contents with a surprisingly short, mean C TTs. In younger landscapes, SRO minerals are metastable and sequester C for long timescales. We hypothesize that in the KNP, SRO minerals represent a transient stage of mineral evolution and therefore lock up C for a shorter time. Overall, we found crystalline Fe-oxyhydroxides (determined as the difference between Fe in dithionate citrate and oxalate extractions) to be the strongest predictor for soil C content, while the mean TT of soil C was best predicted from the amount of smectite, which was also related to more easily measured bulk properties such as cation exchange capacity or pH. Combined with previous research on C turnover times in 2 : 1 vs. 1 : 1 clays, our results hold promise for predicting C inventory and persistence based on intrinsic timescales of specific carbon–mineral interactions.

Emergence timescales for detection of anthropogenic climate change in US tropical cyclone loss data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crompton, Ryan P; McAneney, K John; Pielke, Roger A Jr

2011-01-01

Recent reviews have concluded that efforts to date have yet to detect or attribute an anthropogenic climate change influence on Atlantic tropical cyclone (of at least tropical storm strength) behaviour and concomitant damage. However, the possibility of identifying such influence in the future cannot be ruled out. Using projections of future tropical cyclone activity from a recent prominent study we estimate the time that it would take for anthropogenic signals to emerge in a time series of normalized US tropical cyclone losses. Depending on the global climate model(s) underpinning the projection, emergence timescales range between 120 and 550 years, reflecting a large uncertainty. It takes 260 years for an 18-model ensemble-based signal to emerge. Consequently, under the projections examined here, the detection or attribution of an anthropogenic signal in tropical cyclone loss data is extremely unlikely to occur over periods of several decades (and even longer). This caution extends more generally to global weather-related natural disaster losses.

A drainage basin scale model for earthflow-prone landscapes over geomorphic timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Booth, A. M.; Roering, J. J.

2009-12-01

Landscape evolution models can be informative tools for understanding how sediment transport processes, regulated by tectonic and climatic forcing, interact to control fundamental landscape characteristics such as relief, channel network organization, and hillslope form. Many studies have proposed simple mathematical geomorphic transport laws for modeling hillslope and fluvial processes, and these models are capable of generating synthetic landscapes similar to many of those observed in nature. However, deep-seated mass movements dominate the topographic development of many tectonically active landscapes, yet few compelling transport laws exist for accurately describing these processes at the drainage basin scale. Specifically, several detailed field and theoretical studies describe the mechanics of deep-seated earthflows, such as those found throughout the northern California coast ranges, but these studies are often restricted to a single earthflow site. Here, we generalize earthflow behavior to larger spatial and geomorphically significant temporal scales using a mathematical model to determine how interactions between earthflow, weathering, hillslope, and fluvial processes control sediment flux and topographic form. The model couples the evolution of the land surface with the evolution of a weathered zone driven by fluctuations in the groundwater table. The lower boundary of this weathered zone sets the potential failure plane for earthflows, which occur once the shear stress on this plane exceeds a threshold value. Earthflows deform downslope with a non-Newtonian viscous rheology while gullying, modeled with a stream power equation, and soil creep, modeled with a diffusion equation, continuously act on the land surface. To compare the intensities of these different processes, we define a characteristic timescale for each modeled process, and demonstrate how the ratios of these timescales control the steady-state topographic characteristics of the simulated

Estimation of Causal Mediation Effects for a Dichotomous Outcome in Multiple-Mediator Models using the Mediation Formula

OpenAIRE

Wang, Wei; Nelson, Suchitra; Albert, Jeffrey M.

2013-01-01

Mediators are intermediate variables in the causal pathway between an exposure and an outcome. Mediation analysis investigates the extent to which exposure effects occur through these variables, thus revealing causal mechanisms. In this paper, we consider the estimation of the mediation effect when the outcome is binary and multiple mediators of different types exist. We give a precise definition of the total mediation effect as well as decomposed mediation effects through individual or sets ...

Tracking niche variation over millennial timescales in sympatric killer whale lineages.

Science.gov (United States)

Foote, Andrew D; Newton, Jason; Ávila-Arcos, María C; Kampmann, Marie-Louise; Samaniego, Jose A; Post, Klaas; Rosing-Asvid, Aqqalu; Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S; Gilbert, M Thomas P

2013-10-07

Niche variation owing to individual differences in ecology has been hypothesized to be an early stage of sympatric speciation. Yet to date, no study has tracked niche width over more than a few generations. In this study, we show the presence of isotopic niche variation over millennial timescales and investigate the evolutionary outcomes. Isotopic ratios were measured from tissue samples of sympatric killer whale Orcinus orca lineages from the North Sea, spanning over 10 000 years. Isotopic ratios spanned a range similar to the difference in isotopic values of two known prey items, herring Clupea harengus and harbour seal Phoca vitulina. Two proxies of the stage of speciation, lineage sorting of mitogenomes and genotypic clustering, were both weak to intermediate indicating that speciation has made little progress. Thus, our study confirms that even with the necessary ecological conditions, i.e. among-individual variation in ecology, it is difficult for sympatric speciation to progress in the face of gene flow. In contrast to some theoretical models, our empirical results suggest that sympatric speciation driven by among-individual differences in ecological niche is a slow process and may not reach completion. We argue that sympatric speciation is constrained in this system owing to the plastic nature of the behavioural traits under selection when hunting either mammals or fish.

A model study of warming-induced phosphorus-oxygen feedbacks in open-ocean oxygen minimum zones on millennial timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Niemeyer, Daniela; Kemena, Tronje P.; Meissner, Katrin J.; Oschlies, Andreas

2017-05-01

Observations indicate an expansion of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) over the past 50 years, likely related to ongoing deoxygenation caused by reduced oxygen solubility, changes in stratification and circulation, and a potential acceleration of organic matter turnover in a warming climate. The overall area of ocean sediments that are in direct contact with low-oxygen bottom waters also increases with expanding OMZs. This leads to a release of phosphorus from ocean sediments. If anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, higher temperatures will cause enhanced weathering on land, which, in turn, will increase the phosphorus and alkalinity fluxes into the ocean and therefore raise the ocean's phosphorus inventory even further. A higher availability of phosphorus enhances biological production, remineralisation and oxygen consumption, and might therefore lead to further expansions of OMZs, representing a positive feedback. A negative feedback arises from the enhanced productivity-induced drawdown of carbon and also increased uptake of CO2 due to weathering-induced alkalinity input. This feedback leads to a decrease in atmospheric CO2 and weathering rates. Here, we quantify these two competing feedbacks on millennial timescales for a high CO2 emission scenario. Using the University of Victoria (UVic) Earth System Climate Model of intermediate complexity, our model results suggest that the positive benthic phosphorus release feedback has only a minor impact on the size of OMZs in the next 1000 years. The increase in the marine phosphorus inventory under assumed business-as-usual global warming conditions originates, on millennial timescales, almost exclusively (> 80 %) from the input via terrestrial weathering and causes a 4- to 5-fold expansion of the suboxic water volume in the model.

A model study of warming-induced phosphorus–oxygen feedbacks in open-ocean oxygen minimum zones on millennial timescales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Niemeyer

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Observations indicate an expansion of oxygen minimum zones (OMZs over the past 50 years, likely related to ongoing deoxygenation caused by reduced oxygen solubility, changes in stratification and circulation, and a potential acceleration of organic matter turnover in a warming climate. The overall area of ocean sediments that are in direct contact with low-oxygen bottom waters also increases with expanding OMZs. This leads to a release of phosphorus from ocean sediments. If anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions continue unabated, higher temperatures will cause enhanced weathering on land, which, in turn, will increase the phosphorus and alkalinity fluxes into the ocean and therefore raise the ocean's phosphorus inventory even further. A higher availability of phosphorus enhances biological production, remineralisation and oxygen consumption, and might therefore lead to further expansions of OMZs, representing a positive feedback. A negative feedback arises from the enhanced productivity-induced drawdown of carbon and also increased uptake of CO2 due to weathering-induced alkalinity input. This feedback leads to a decrease in atmospheric CO2 and weathering rates. Here, we quantify these two competing feedbacks on millennial timescales for a high CO2 emission scenario. Using the University of Victoria (UVic Earth System Climate Model of intermediate complexity, our model results suggest that the positive benthic phosphorus release feedback has only a minor impact on the size of OMZs in the next 1000 years. The increase in the marine phosphorus inventory under assumed business-as-usual global warming conditions originates, on millennial timescales, almost exclusively (> 80 % from the input via terrestrial weathering and causes a 4- to 5-fold expansion of the suboxic water volume in the model.

Drawing from Memory: Hand-Eye Coordination at Multiple Scales

Science.gov (United States)

Spivey, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Eyes move to gather visual information for the purpose of guiding behavior. This guidance takes the form of perceptual-motor interactions on short timescales for behaviors like locomotion and hand-eye coordination. More complex behaviors require perceptual-motor interactions on longer timescales mediated by memory, such as navigation, or designing and building artifacts. In the present study, the task of sketching images of natural scenes from memory was used to examine and compare perceptual-motor interactions on shorter and longer timescales. Eye and pen trajectories were found to be coordinated in time on shorter timescales during drawing, and also on longer timescales spanning study and drawing periods. The latter type of coordination was found by developing a purely spatial analysis that yielded measures of similarity between images, eye trajectories, and pen trajectories. These results challenge the notion that coordination only unfolds on short timescales. Rather, the task of drawing from memory evokes perceptual-motor encodings of visual images that preserve coarse-grained spatial information over relatively long timescales as well. PMID:23554894

THE YOUNG SOLAR ANALOGS PROJECT. I. SPECTROSCOPIC AND PHOTOMETRIC METHODS AND MULTI-YEAR TIMESCALE SPECTROSCOPIC RESULTS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gray, R. O.; Briley, M. M.; Lambert, R. A.; Fuller, V. A.; Newsome, I. M.; Seeds, M. F. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 26808 (United States); Saken, J. M.; Kahvaz, Y. [Department of Physics and Physical Science, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25755 (United States); Corbally, C. J. [Vatican Observatory Research Group, Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85721-0065 (United States)

2015-12-15

This is the first in a series of papers presenting methods and results from the Young Solar Analogs Project, which began in 2007. This project monitors both spectroscopically and photometrically a set of 31 young (300–1500 Myr) solar-type stars with the goal of gaining insight into the space environment of the Earth during the period when life first appeared. From our spectroscopic observations we derive the Mount Wilson S chromospheric activity index (S{sub MW}), and describe the method we use to transform our instrumental indices to S{sub MW} without the need for a color term. We introduce three photospheric indices based on strong absorption features in the blue-violet spectrum—the G-band, the Ca i resonance line, and the Hydrogen-γ line—with the expectation that these indices might prove to be useful in detecting variations in the surface temperatures of active solar-type stars. We also describe our photometric program, and in particular our “Superstar technique” for differential photometry which, instead of relying on a handful of comparison stars, uses the photon flux in the entire star field in the CCD image to derive the program star magnitude. This enables photometric errors on the order of 0.005–0.007 magnitude. We present time series plots of our spectroscopic data for all four indices, and carry out extensive statistical tests on those time series demonstrating the reality of variations on timescales of years in all four indices. We also statistically test for and discover correlations and anti-correlations between the four indices. We discuss the physical basis of those correlations. As it turns out, the “photospheric” indices appear to be most strongly affected by emission in the Paschen continuum. We thus anticipate that these indices may prove to be useful proxies for monitoring emission in the ultraviolet Balmer continuum. Future papers in this series will discuss variability of the program stars on medium (days–months) and short

Air plasma treatment of liquid covered tissue: long timescale chemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lietz, Amanda M; Kushner, Mark J

2016-01-01

Atmospheric pressure plasmas have shown great promise for the treatment of wounds and cancerous tumors. In these applications, the sample is usually covered by a thin layer of a biological liquid. The reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) generated by the plasma activate and are processed by the liquid before the plasma produced activation reaches the tissue. The synergy between the plasma and the liquid, including evaporation and the solvation of ions and neutrals, is critical to understanding the outcome of plasma treatment. The atmospheric pressure plasma sources used in these procedures are typically repetitively pulsed. The processes activated by the plasma sources have multiple timescales—from a few ns during the discharge pulse to many minutes for reactions in the liquid. In this paper we discuss results from a computational investigation of plasma–liquid interactions and liquid phase chemistry using a global model with the goal of addressing this large dynamic range in timescales. In modeling air plasmas produced by a dielectric barrier discharge over liquid covered tissue, 5000 voltage pulses were simulated, followed by 5 min of afterglow. Due to the accumulation of long-lived species such as ozone and N x O y , the gas phase dynamics of the 5000th discharge pulse are different from those of the first pulse, particularly with regards to the negative ions. The consequences of applied voltage, gas flow, pulse repetition frequency, and the presence of organic molecules in the liquid on the gas and liquid reactive species are discussed. (paper)

Air plasma treatment of liquid covered tissue: long timescale chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Lietz, Amanda M.; Kushner, Mark J.

2016-10-01

Atmospheric pressure plasmas have shown great promise for the treatment of wounds and cancerous tumors. In these applications, the sample is usually covered by a thin layer of a biological liquid. The reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) generated by the plasma activate and are processed by the liquid before the plasma produced activation reaches the tissue. The synergy between the plasma and the liquid, including evaporation and the solvation of ions and neutrals, is critical to understanding the outcome of plasma treatment. The atmospheric pressure plasma sources used in these procedures are typically repetitively pulsed. The processes activated by the plasma sources have multiple timescales—from a few ns during the discharge pulse to many minutes for reactions in the liquid. In this paper we discuss results from a computational investigation of plasma-liquid interactions and liquid phase chemistry using a global model with the goal of addressing this large dynamic range in timescales. In modeling air plasmas produced by a dielectric barrier discharge over liquid covered tissue, 5000 voltage pulses were simulated, followed by 5 min of afterglow. Due to the accumulation of long-lived species such as ozone and N x O y , the gas phase dynamics of the 5000th discharge pulse are different from those of the first pulse, particularly with regards to the negative ions. The consequences of applied voltage, gas flow, pulse repetition frequency, and the presence of organic molecules in the liquid on the gas and liquid reactive species are discussed.

Variability in the air–sea interaction patterns and timescales within the south-eastern Bay of Biscay, as observed by HF radar data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Fontán

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Two high-frequency (HF radar stations were installed on the coast of the south-eastern Bay of Biscay in 2009, providing high spatial and temporal resolution and large spatial coverage of currents in the area for the first time. This has made it possible to quantitatively assess the air–sea interaction patterns and timescales for the period 2009–2010. The analysis was conducted using the Barnett–Preisendorfer approach to canonical correlation analysis (CCA of reanalysis surface winds and HF radar-derived surface currents. The CCA yields two canonical patterns: the first wind–current interaction pattern corresponds to the classical Ekman drift at the sea surface, whilst the second describes an anticyclonic/cyclonic surface circulation. The results obtained demonstrate that local winds play an important role in driving the upper water circulation. The wind–current interaction timescales are mainly related to diurnal breezes and synoptic variability. In particular, the breezes force diurnal currents in waters of the continental shelf and slope of the south-eastern Bay. It is concluded that the breezes may force diurnal currents over considerably wider areas than that covered by the HF radar, considering that the northern and southern continental shelves of the Bay exhibit stronger diurnal than annual wind amplitudes.

Experimental evidence for millisecond activation timescales using the Fast IN Chamber (FINCH) measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Bundke, U.; Jaenicke, R.; Klein, H.; Nillius, B.; Reimann, B.; Wetter, T.; Bingemer, H.

2009-04-01

Ice formation in clouds is a subject of great practical and fundamental importance since the occurrence of ice particle initializes dramatic changes in the microphysical structure of the cloud, which finally ends in the formation of precipitation. The initially step of ice formation is largely unknown. Homogenous nucleation of ice occurs only below -40 °C. If an ice nucleus (IN) is present, heterogeneous nucleation may occur at higher temperature. Here deposition freezing, condensation and immersion freezing as well as contact freezing are known. Also growth rates of ice particles are known as function of crystal surface properties, temperature and super saturation. Timescales for homogenous freezing activation in the order of 0.01 seconds and nucleation rates have been measured by Anderson et al. (1980) and Hagen et al., (1981) using their expansion cloud chamber. This contribution of deposition mode freezing measurements by the ice nucleus counter FINCH presents evidence that the activation timescale of this freezing mode is in the order of 1E-3 seconds. FINCH is an Ice Nucleus counter which activates IN in a supersaturated environment at freezing temperatures. The activation conditions are actively controlled by mixing three gas flows (aerosol, particle-free cold-dry and warm-humid flows).See Bundke et al. 2008 for details. In a special operation mode of FINCH we are able to produce a controlled peak super saturation in the order of 1 ms duration. For several test aerosols the results observed in this particular mode are comparable to normal mode operations, where the maximum super saturation remains for more than a second, thus leading to the conclusion that the time for activation is in the order of 1ms or less. References: R.J. Anderson et al, "A Study of Homogeneous Condensation Freezing Nucleation of Small Water Droplets in an Expansion Cloud Chamber, Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, Vol. 37, 2508-2520, 1980 U.Bundke et al., "The fast Ice Nucleus

Causal mediation analysis with multiple mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

Daniel, R M; De Stavola, B L; Cousens, S N; Vansteelandt, S

2015-03-01

In diverse fields of empirical research-including many in the biological sciences-attempts are made to decompose the effect of an exposure on an outcome into its effects via a number of different pathways. For example, we may wish to separate the effect of heavy alcohol consumption on systolic blood pressure (SBP) into effects via body mass index (BMI), via gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and via other pathways. Much progress has been made, mainly due to contributions from the field of causal inference, in understanding the precise nature of statistical estimands that capture such intuitive effects, the assumptions under which they can be identified, and statistical methods for doing so. These contributions have focused almost entirely on settings with a single mediator, or a set of mediators considered en bloc; in many applications, however, researchers attempt a much more ambitious decomposition into numerous path-specific effects through many mediators. In this article, we give counterfactual definitions of such path-specific estimands in settings with multiple mediators, when earlier mediators may affect later ones, showing that there are many ways in which decomposition can be done. We discuss the strong assumptions under which the effects are identified, suggesting a sensitivity analysis approach when a particular subset of the assumptions cannot be justified. These ideas are illustrated using data on alcohol consumption, SBP, BMI, and GGT from the Izhevsk Family Study. We aim to bridge the gap from "single mediator theory" to "multiple mediator practice," highlighting the ambitious nature of this endeavor and giving practical suggestions on how to proceed. © 2014 The Authors Biometrics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Biometric Society.

mma: An R Package for Mediation Analysis with Multiple Mediators

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qingzhao Yu

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Mediation refers to the effect transmitted by mediators that intervene in the relationship between an exposure and a response variable. Mediation analysis has been broadly studied in many fields. However, it remains a challenge for researchers to consider complicated associations among variables and to differentiate individual effects from multiple mediators. [1] proposed general definitions of mediation effects that were adaptable to all different types of response (categorical or continuous, exposure, or mediation variables. With these definitions, multiple mediators of different types can be considered simultaneously, and the indirect effects carried by individual mediators can be separated from the total effect. Moreover, the derived mediation analysis can be performed with general predictive models. That is, the relationships among variables can be modeled using not only generalized linear models but also nonparametric models such as the Multiple Additive Regression Trees. Therefore, more complicated variable transformations and interactions can be considered in analyzing the mediation effects. The proposed method is realized by the R package 'mma'. We illustrate in this paper the proposed method and how to use 'mma' to estimate mediation effects and make inferences.

Causal Mediation Analysis of Survival Outcome with Multiple Mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Yen-Tsung; Yang, Hwai-I

2017-05-01

Mediation analyses have been a popular approach to investigate the effect of an exposure on an outcome through a mediator. Mediation models with multiple mediators have been proposed for continuous and dichotomous outcomes. However, development of multimediator models for survival outcomes is still limited. We present methods for multimediator analyses using three survival models: Aalen additive hazard models, Cox proportional hazard models, and semiparametric probit models. Effects through mediators can be characterized by path-specific effects, for which definitions and identifiability assumptions are provided. We derive closed-form expressions for path-specific effects for the three models, which are intuitively interpreted using a causal diagram. Mediation analyses using Cox models under the rare-outcome assumption and Aalen additive hazard models consider effects on log hazard ratio and hazard difference, respectively; analyses using semiparametric probit models consider effects on difference in transformed survival time and survival probability. The three models were applied to a hepatitis study where we investigated effects of hepatitis C on liver cancer incidence mediated through baseline and/or follow-up hepatitis B viral load. The three methods show consistent results on respective effect scales, which suggest an adverse estimated effect of hepatitis C on liver cancer not mediated through hepatitis B, and a protective estimated effect mediated through the baseline (and possibly follow-up) of hepatitis B viral load. Causal mediation analyses of survival outcome with multiple mediators are developed for additive hazard and proportional hazard and probit models with utility demonstrated in a hepatitis study.

CHROMOSPHERIC VARIABILITY IN SLOAN DIGITAL SKY SURVEY M DWARFS. II. SHORT-TIMESCALE Hα VARIABILITY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruse, E. A.; Berger, E.; Laskar, T.; Knapp, G. R.; Gunn, J. E.; Loomis, C. P.; Lupton, R. H.; Schlegel, D. J.

2010-01-01

We present the first comprehensive study of short-timescale chromospheric Hα variability in M dwarfs using the individual 15 minute spectroscopic exposures for 52, 392 objects from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. Our sample contains about 10 3 -10 4 objects per spectral type bin in the range M0-M9, with a typical number of three exposures per object (ranging up to a maximum of 30 exposures). Using this extensive data set, we find that about 16% of the sources exhibit Hα emission in at least one exposure, and of those about 45% exhibit Hα emission in all of the available exposures. As in previous studies of Hα activity (L Hα /L bol ), we find a rapid increase in the fraction of active objects from M0-M6. However, we find a subsequent decline in later spectral types that we attribute to our use of the individual spectra. Similarly, we find saturated activity at a level of L Hα /L bol ∼ 10 -3.6 for spectral types M0-M5 followed by a decline to about 10 -4.3 in the range M7-M9. Within the sample of objects with Hα emission, only 26% are consistent with non-variable emission, independent of spectral type. The Hα variability, quantified in terms of the ratio of maximum to minimum Hα equivalent width (R EW ), exhibits a rapid rise from M0 to M5, followed by a plateau and a possible decline in M9 objects. In particular, variability with R EW ∼> 10 is only observed in objects later than M5, and survival analysis indicates a probability of ∼ EW values for M0-M4 and M5-M9 are drawn from the same distribution. We further find that for an exponential distribution, the R EW values follow N(R EW ) ∝ exp[ - (R EW - 1)/2.3] for M0-M4 and ∝exp[ - (R EW - 1)/2.9] for M5-M9. Finally, comparing objects with persistent and intermittent Hα emission, we find that the latter exhibit greater variability. Based on these results, we conclude that Hα variability in M dwarfs on timescales of 15 minutes to 1 hr increases with later spectral type, and that the variability is

Hydration-dependent dynamics of human telomeric oligonucleotides in the picosecond timescale: A neutron scattering study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sebastiani, F.; Comez, L.; Sacchetti, F. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via A. Pascoli, 06123 Perugia (Italy); CNR, Istituto Officina dei Materiali, Unità di Perugia, c/o Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, Università di Perugia, 06123 Perugia (Italy); Longo, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via A. Pascoli, 06123 Perugia (Italy); Elettra—Sincrotrone Trieste, 34149 Basovizza, Trieste (Italy); Orecchini, A.; Petrillo, C.; Paciaroni, A., E-mail: alessandro.paciaroni@fisica.unipg.it [Dipartimento di Fisica e Geologia, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Via A. Pascoli, 06123 Perugia (Italy); De Francesco, A. [CNR-IOM OGG c/o Institut Laue-Langevin, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS20156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France); Muthmann, M. [Jülich Centre for Neutron Science, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Outstation at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum, Lichtenbergstrasse 1, 85747 Garching (Germany); Teixeira, S. C. M. [EPSAM, Keele University, Staffordshire ST5 5BG (United Kingdom); Institut Laue–Langevin, 71 Avenue des Martyrs, CS20156, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9 (France)

2015-07-07

The dynamics of the human oligonucleotide AG{sub 3}(T{sub 2}AG{sub 3}){sub 3} has been investigated by incoherent neutron scattering in the sub-nanosecond timescale. A hydration-dependent dynamical activation of thermal fluctuations in weakly hydrated samples was found, similar to that of protein powders. The amplitudes of such thermal fluctuations were evaluated in two different exchanged wave-vector ranges, so as to single out the different contributions from intra- and inter-nucleotide dynamics. The activation energy was calculated from the temperature-dependent characteristic times of the corresponding dynamical processes. The trends of both amplitudes and activation energies support a picture where oligonucleotides possess a larger conformational flexibility than long DNA sequences. This additional flexibility, which likely results from a significant relative chain-end contribution to the average chain dynamics, could be related to the strong structural polymorphism of the investigated oligonucleotides.

Long timescale plasma dynamics and explosive growth driven by the double tearing mode in reversed shear plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Y.; Azumi, M.; Kishimoto, Y.; Leboeuf, J.N.

2003-01-01

A new nonlinear destabilization process is found in the nonlinear phase of the double tearing mode (DTM) by using reduced MHD equations with helical symmetry. The nonlinear destabilization causes the abrupt growth of the DTM and subsequent collapse after long timescale evolution in the Rutherford-type regime. The nonlinear growth of the DTM is suddenly triggered, when the triangular deformation of magnetic islands with a sharp current point at the X-point around the outer rational surface exceeds a certain value. Decreasing the resistivity increases the sharpness of the triangularity and the spontaneous growth rate in the abrupt growth phase is almost independent of the resistivity. Current point formation is also confirmed in multi-helicity simulations, where the magnetic fields become stochastic between two rational surfaces. (author)

Parental smoking and adolescent problem behavior: an adoption study of general and specific effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Keyes, Margaret; Legrand, Lisa N; Iacono, William G; McGue, Matt

2008-10-01

It is essential to understand the effect of parental smoking on offspring tobacco use. In biologically related families, parents who smoke may transmit a nonspecific genetic risk for offspring disinhibited behavior, including tobacco use. Studying adoptive families allows one to control for genetic confounding when examining the environmental effect of exposure to parental smoking. The purpose of this study was to examine the genetic and environmental contributions to the risk represented by exposure to parental smoking and to assess the specificity of that risk. Adolescents adopted in infancy were systematically ascertained from records of three private Minnesota adoption agencies; nonadopted adolescents were ascertained from Minnesota birth records. Adolescents and their rearing parents participated in all assessments in person. The main outcome measures were self-reports of behavioral deviance, substance use, and personality, as well as DSM-IV clinical assessments of childhood disruptive disorders. The data from adoptive families suggest that exposure to parental smoking represents an environmental risk for substance use in adolescent offspring. In biologically related families, the effect of exposure to parental smoking is larger and more diverse, including substance use, disruptive behavior disorders, delinquency, deviant peer affiliations, aggressive attitudes, and preference for risk taking. This study provides evidence for an environmentally mediated pathway by which parental smoking increases risk specifically for substance use in adolescent offspring. The data are also consistent with a genetically mediated pathway by which nonadoptive parents who smoke may also transmit a nonspecific genetic risk to their offspring for disinhibited behavior.

Global dysrhythmia of cerebro-basal ganglia-cerebellar networks underlies motor tics following striatal disinhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

McCairn, Kevin W; Iriki, Atsushi; Isoda, Masaki

2013-01-09

Motor tics, a cardinal symptom of Tourette syndrome (TS), are hypothesized to arise from abnormalities within cerebro-basal ganglia circuits. Yet noninvasive neuroimaging of TS has previously identified robust activation in the cerebellum. To date, electrophysiological properties of cerebellar activation and its role in basal ganglia-mediated tic expression remain unknown. We performed multisite, multielectrode recordings of single-unit activity and local field potentials from the cerebellum, basal ganglia, and primary motor cortex using a pharmacologic monkey model of motor tics/TS. Following microinjections of bicuculline into the sensorimotor putamen, periodic tics occurred predominantly in the orofacial region, and a sizable number of cerebellar neurons showed phasic changes in activity associated with tic episodes. Specifically, 64% of the recorded cerebellar cortex neurons exhibited increases in activity, and 85% of the dentate nucleus neurons displayed excitatory, inhibitory, or multiphasic responses. Critically, abnormal discharges of cerebellar cortex neurons and excitatory-type dentate neurons mostly preceded behavioral tic onset, indicating their central origins. Latencies of pathological activity in the cerebellum and primary motor cortex substantially overlapped, suggesting that aberrant signals may be traveling along divergent pathways to these structures from the basal ganglia. Furthermore, the occurrence of tic movement was most closely associated with local field potential spikes in the cerebellum and primary motor cortex, implying that these structures may function as a gate to release overt tic movements. These findings indicate that tic-generating networks in basal ganglia mediated tic disorders extend beyond classical cerebro-basal ganglia circuits, leading to global network dysrhythmia including cerebellar circuits.

mma: An R Package for Mediation Analysis with Multiple Mediators

OpenAIRE

Qingzhao Yu; Bin Li

2017-01-01

Mediation refers to the effect transmitted by mediators that intervene in the relationship between an exposure and a response variable. Mediation analysis has been broadly studied in many fields. However, it remains a challenge for researchers to consider complicated associations among variables and to differentiate individual effects from multiple mediators. [1] proposed general definitions of mediation effects that were adaptable to all different types of response (categorical or continuous...

Modeling the Population-Level Processes of Biodiversity Gain and Loss at Geological Timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Fortelius, Mikael; Geritz, Stefan; Gyllenberg, Mats; Raia, Pasquale; Toivonen, Jaakko

2015-12-01

The path of species diversification is commonly observed by inspecting the fossil record. Yet, how species diversity changes at geological timescales relate to lower-level processes remains poorly understood. Here we use mathematical models of spatially structured populations to show that natural selection and gradual environmental change give rise to discontinuous phenotype changes that can be connected to speciation and extinction at the macroevolutionary level. In our model, new phenotypes arise in the middle of the environmental gradient, while newly appearing environments are filled by existing phenotypes shifting their adaptive optima. Slow environmental change leads to loss of phenotypes in the middle of the extant environmental range, whereas fast change causes extinction at one extreme of the environmental range. We compared our model predictions against a well-known yet partially unexplained pattern of intense hoofed mammal diversification associated with grassland expansion during the Late Miocene. We additionally used the model outcomes to cast new insight into Cope's law of the unspecialized. Our general finding is that the rate of environmental change determines where generation and loss of diversity occur in the phenotypic and physical spaces.

“I cannot stand the boredom.” Binge drinking expectancies in adolescence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roberta Biolcati

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The main aim of this study is to improve our knowledge on binge drinking behavior in adolescents. In particular, we tested a model of predictors of binge drinking focusing on boredom proneness; we also examined the predictive and mediating role of drinking expectancies on binge drinking. Methods: A questionnaire designed to assess current drinking behavior, such as binge drinking, drinking expectancies and boredom proneness, was administered to 721 Italian adolescents (61% females aged between 13 and 19 years (M = 15.98, SD = 1.61. Results: Structural equation modeling confirmed the evidence on drinking expectancies as predicted by boredom proneness and as predictive of adolescents' binge drinking. Interestingly, disinhibition and relief from pain seem to play a more important mediating role between boredom and alcohol outcome. Conversely, no mediation was found for interpersonal and social confidence expectancies on binge drinking. Conclusions: In general, the results suggest that preventative interventions on alcohol misuse should focus on personality traits and underlying drinking expectancies.

Identifying multiple timescale rainfall controls on Mojave Desert ecohydrology using an integrated data and modeling approach for Larrea tridentata

Science.gov (United States)

Ng, Gene-Hua Crystal; Bedford, David R.; Miller, David M.

2015-01-01

The perennial shrub Larrea tridentata is widely successful in North American warm deserts but is also susceptible to climatic perturbations. Understanding its response to rainfall variability requires consideration of multiple timescales. We examine intra-annual to multi-year relationships using model simulations of soil moisture and vegetation growth over 50 years in the Mojave National Preserve in southeastern California (USA). Ecohydrological model parameters are conditioned on field and remote sensing data using an ensemble Kalman filter. Although no specific periodicities were detected in the rainfall record, simulated leaf-area-index exhibits multi-year dynamics that are driven by multi-year (∼3-years) rains, but with up to a 1-year delay in peak response. Within a multi-year period, Larrea tridentata is more sensitive to winter rains than summer. In the most active part of the root zone (above ∼80 cm), >1-year average soil moisture drives vegetation growth, but monthly average soil moisture is controlled by root uptake. Moisture inputs reach the lower part of the root zone (below ∼80 cm) infrequently, but once there they can persist over a year to help sustain plant growth. Parameter estimates highlight efficient plant physiological properties facilitating persistent growth and high soil hydraulic conductivity allowing deep soil moisture stores. We show that soil moisture as an ecological indicator is complicated by bidirectional interactions with vegetation that depend on timescale and depth. Under changing climate, Larrea tridentata will likely be relatively resilient to shorter-term moisture variability but will exhibit higher sensitivity to shifts in seasonal to multi-year moisture inputs.

Variability of the Tropical Ocean Surface Temperatures at Decadal-Multidecadal Timescales. Part I: The Atlantic Ocean.

Science.gov (United States)

Mehta, Vikram M.

1998-09-01

Gridded time series from the Global Ocean Surface Temperature Atlas were analyzed with a variety of techniques to identify spatial structures and oscillation periods of the tropical Atlantic sea surface temperature (SST) variations at decadal timescales, and to develop physical interpretations of statistical patterns of decadal SST variations. Each time series was 110 yr (1882-1991) long. The tropical Atlantic SST variations were compared with decadal variations in a 74-yr-long (1912-85) north Nordeste Brazil rainfall time series and a 106-yr-long (1886-1991) tropical Atlantic cyclone activity index time series. The tropical Atlantic SST variations were also compared with decadal variations in the extratropical Atlantic SST.Multiyear to multidecadal variations in the cross-equatorial dipole pattern identified as a dominant empirical pattern of the tropical Atlantic SST variations in earlier and present studies are shown to be variations in the approximately north-south gradient of SST anomalies. It is also shown that there was no dynamical-thermodynamical, dipole mode of SST variations during the analysis period. There was a distinct decadal timescale (12-13 yr) of SST variations in the tropical South Atlantic, whereas no distinct decadal timescale was found in the tropical North Atlantic SST variations. Approximately 80% of the coherent decadal variance in the cross-equatorial SST gradient was `explained' by coherent decadal oscillations in the tropical South Atlantic SSTs. There were three, possibly physical, modes of decadal variations in the tropical Atlantic SSTs during the analysis period. In the more energetic mode of the North Atlantic decadal SST variations, anomalies traveled into the tropical North Atlantic from the extratropical North Atlantic along the eastern boundary of the basin. The anomalies strengthened and resided in the tropical North Atlantic for several years, then frequently traveled northward into the mid-high-latitude North Atlantic along

Complex Mediation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bødker, Susanne; Andersen, Peter Bøgh

2005-01-01

This article has its starting point in a large number of empirical findings regarding computer-mediated work. These empirical findings have challenged our understanding of the role of mediation in such work; on the one hand as an aspect of communication and cooperation at work and on the other hand...... as an aspect of human engagement with instruments of work. On the basis of previous work in activity-theoretical and semiotic human—computer interaction, we propose a model to encompass both of these aspects. In a dialogue with our empirical findings we move on to propose a number of types of mediation...... that have helped to enrich our understanding of mediated work and the design of computer mediation for such work....

Long timescales, low risks: rational containment objectives that account for ethics, resources, feasibility and public expectations some thoughts to provoke discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, N.A.

2002-01-01

This paper discusses a range of technical and non-technical factors related to long timescales for deep geological repositories. It is intended to provoke discussion between implementers, regulators and the public about realistic containment and protection objectives for long-lived wastes such as spent fuel and HLW. The ethical and practical aspects of providing protection are discussed, along with society's perceptions of hazard, protection and time. A proposal is made for a series of time-graded containment levels that reflect objectively achievable and ethically reasonable protection for future generations. (authors)

A Double-Edged Sword: Social Media as a Tool of Online Disinhibition Regarding American Sign Language and Deaf Cultural Experience Marginalization, and as a Tool of Cultural and Linguistic Exposure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Crom Saunders

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Social media has become a venue for social awareness and change through forum discussions and exchange of viewpoints and information. The rate at which awareness and cultural understanding regarding specific issues has not been quantified, but examining awareness about issues relevant to American Sign Language (ASL and American Deaf culture indicates that progress in increasing awareness and cultural understanding via social media faces greater friction and less progress compared to issues relevant to other causes and communities, such as feminism, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT community, or people of color. The research included in this article examines online disinhibition, cyberbullying, and audism as it appears in the real world and online, advocacy for and against Deafness as a cultural identity, and a history of how Deaf people are represented in different forms of media, including social media. The research itself is also examined in terms of who conducts the research. The few incidents of social media serving the Deaf community in a more positive manner are also examined. This is to provide contrast to determine which factors may contribute to greater progress in fostering greater awareness of Deaf cultural issues without the seemingly constant presence of resistance and lack of empathy for the Deaf community’s perspectives on ASL and Deaf culture.

Timescale stretch parameterization of Type Ia supernova B-band light curves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldhaber, G.; Groom, D.E.; Kim, A.; Aldering, G.; Astier, P.; Conley, A.; Deustua, S.E.; Ellis, R.; Fabbro, S.; Fruchter, A.S.; Goobar, A.; Hook, I.; Irwin, M.; Kim, M.; Knop, R.A.; Lidman, C.; McMahon, R.; Nugent, P.E.; Pain, R.; Panagia, N.; Pennypacker, C.R.; Perlmutter, S.; Ruiz-Lapuente, P.; Schaefer, B.; Walton, N.A.; York, T.

2001-01-01

R-band intensity measurements along the light curve of Type Ia supernovae discovered by the Cosmology Project (SCP) are fitted in brightness to templates allowing a free parameter the time-axis width factor w identically equal to s times (1+z). The data points are then individually aligned in the time-axis, normalized and K-corrected back to the rest frame, after which the nearly 1300 normalized intensity measurements are found to lie on a well-determined common rest-frame B-band curve which we call the ''composite curve.'' The same procedure is applied to 18 low-redshift Calan/Tololo SNe with Z < 0.11; these nearly 300 B-band photometry points are found to lie on the composite curve equally well. The SCP search technique produces several measurements before maximum light for each supernova. We demonstrate that the linear stretch factor, s, which parameterizes the light-curve timescale appears independent of z, and applies equally well to the declining and rising parts of the light curve. In fact, the B band template that best fits this composite curve fits the individual supernova photometry data when stretched by a factor s with chi 2/DoF ∼ 1, thus as well as any parameterization can, given the current data sets. The measurement of the data of explosion, however, is model dependent and not tightly constrained by the current data. We also demonstrate the 1 + z light-cure time-axis broadening expected from cosmological expansion. This argues strongly against alternative explanations, such as tired light, for the redshift of distant objects

Flexible Mediation Analysis With Multiple Mediators.

Science.gov (United States)

Steen, Johan; Loeys, Tom; Moerkerke, Beatrijs; Vansteelandt, Stijn

2017-07-15

The advent of counterfactual-based mediation analysis has triggered enormous progress on how, and under what assumptions, one may disentangle path-specific effects upon combining arbitrary (possibly nonlinear) models for mediator and outcome. However, current developments have largely focused on single mediators because required identification assumptions prohibit simple extensions to settings with multiple mediators that may depend on one another. In this article, we propose a procedure for obtaining fine-grained decompositions that may still be recovered from observed data in such complex settings. We first show that existing analytical approaches target specific instances of a more general set of decompositions and may therefore fail to provide a comprehensive assessment of the processes that underpin cause-effect relationships between exposure and outcome. We then outline conditions for obtaining the remaining set of decompositions. Because the number of targeted decompositions increases rapidly with the number of mediators, we introduce natural effects models along with estimation methods that allow for flexible and parsimonious modeling. Our procedure can easily be implemented using off-the-shelf software and is illustrated using a reanalysis of the World Health Organization's Large Analysis and Review of European Housing and Health Status (WHO-LARES) study on the effect of mold exposure on mental health (2002-2003). © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The design and fabrication of power splitter used in the timescale system of soft X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer in ICF experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Huige; China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang; Bai Lixin; Yu Ruizhen; Yang Cunbang; Su Cunxiao

2006-01-01

An improved eight power splitter is designed and fabricated newly, which is crucial in the time-scale system of soft X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer. The spectrometer is used in ICF laser facility to measure the evolution of soft X-ray spectrum, whose duration is only several nanoseconds. The synchronization and high bandwidth of signals produced by power splitter are tested, which shows the power splitter could meet the strict requirements of the experiments. The discussion of further improvement of power splitter are also presented. (authors)

Interventional effects for mediation analysis with multiple mediators

OpenAIRE

Vansteelandt, Stijn; Daniel, Rhian M.

2017-01-01

The mediation formula for the identification of natural (in)direct effects has facilitated mediation analyses that better respect the nature of the data, with greater consideration of the need for confounding control. The default assumptions on which it relies are strong, however. In particular, they are known to be violated when confounders of the mediator–outcome association are affected by the exposure. This complicates extensions of counterfactual-based mediation analysis to settings that...

Online cell SOC estimation of Li-ion battery packs using a dual time-scale Kalman filtering for EV applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai, Haifeng; Wei, Xuezhe; Sun, Zechang; Wang, Jiayuan; Gu, Weijun

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► We use an equivalent circuit model to describe the characteristics of battery. ► A dual time-scale estimator is used to calculate pack average SOC and cell SOC. ► The estimator is based on the dynamic descriptions and extended Kalman filter. ► Three different test cases are designed to validate the proposed method. ► Test results indicate a good performance of the method for EV applications. -- Abstract: For the vehicular operation, due to the voltage and power/energy requirements, the battery systems are usually composed of up to hundreds of cells connected in series or parallel. To accommodate the operation conditions, the battery management system (BMS) should estimate State of Charge (SOC) to facilitate safe and efficient utilization of the battery. The performance difference among the cells makes a pure pack SOC estimation hardly provide sufficient information, which at last affects the computation of available energy and power and the safety of the battery system. So for a reliable and accurate management, the BMS should “know” the SOC of each individual cell. Several possible solutions on this issue have been reported in the recent years. This paper studies a method to determine online all individual cell SOCs of a series-connected battery pack. This method, with an equivalent circuit based “averaged cell” model, estimates the battery pack’s average SOC first, and then incorporates the performance divergences between the “averaged cell” and each individual cell to generate the SOC estimations for all cells. This method is developed based on extended Kalman filter (EKF), and to reduce the computation cost, a dual time-scale implementation is designed. The method is validated using results obtained from the measurements of a Li-ion battery pack under three different tests, and analysis indicates the good performance of the algorithm.

Deep Roots? Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS) Sensitivity and Entrepreneurship

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lerner, Daniel; Hatak, Isabella; Rauch, Andreas

2018-01-01

A growing number of studies suggest a link between disinhibition and entrepreneurship. Separately, psychology literature has theorized and empirically shown that the roots of disinhibition can largely be traced to two psychophysiological systems – the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and

General gauge mediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meade, Patrick; Seiberg, Nathan; Shih, David

2009-01-01

We give a general definition of gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking which encompasses all the known gauge mediation models. In particular, it includes both models with messengers as well as direct mediation models. A formalism for computing the soft terms in the generic model is presented. Such a formalism is necessary in strongly-coupled direct mediation models where perturbation theory cannot be used. It allows us to identify features of the entire class of gauge mediation models and to distinguish them from specific signatures of various subclasses. (author)

MULTIFREQUENCY PHOTO-POLARIMETRIC WEBT OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN ON THE BLAZAR S5 0716+714: SOURCE MICROVARIABILITY AND SEARCH FOR CHARACTERISTIC TIMESCALES

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bhatta, G.; Stawarz, Ł.; Ostrowski, M.; Markowitz, A.; Akitaya, H.; Arkharov, A. A.; Bachev, R.; Benítez, E.; Borman, G. A.; Carosati, D.; Cason, A. D.; Chanishvili, R.; Damljanovic, G.; Dhalla, S.; Frasca, A.; Hiriart, D.; Hu, S-M.

2016-01-01

Here we report on the results of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope photo-polarimetric campaign targeting the blazar S5 0716+71, organized in 2014 March to monitor the source simultaneously in BVRI and near-IR filters. The campaign resulted in an unprecedented data set spanning ∼110 hr of nearly continuous, multiband observations, including two sets of densely sampled polarimetric data mainly in the R filter. During the campaign, the source displayed pronounced variability with peak-to-peak variations of about 30% and “bluer-when-brighter” spectral evolution, consisting of a day-timescale modulation with superimposed hour-long microflares characterized by ∼0.1 mag flux changes. We performed an in-depth search for quasi-periodicities in the source light curve; hints for the presence of oscillations on timescales of ∼3 and ∼5 hr do not represent highly significant departures from a pure red-noise power spectrum. We observed that, at a certain configuration of the optical polarization angle (PA) relative to the PA of the innermost radio jet in the source, changes in the polarization degree (PD) led the total flux variability by about 2 hr; meanwhile, when the relative configuration of the polarization and jet angles altered, no such lag could be noted. The microflaring events, when analyzed as separate pulse emission components, were found to be characterized by a very high PD (>30%) and PAs that differed substantially from the PA of the underlying background component, or from the radio jet positional angle. We discuss the results in the general context of blazar emission and energy dissipation models.

MULTIFREQUENCY PHOTO-POLARIMETRIC WEBT OBSERVATION CAMPAIGN ON THE BLAZAR S5 0716+714: SOURCE MICROVARIABILITY AND SEARCH FOR CHARACTERISTIC TIMESCALES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bhatta, G.; Stawarz, Ł.; Ostrowski, M. [Astronomical Observatory of Jagiellonian University, ul. Orla 171, 30-244 Krakow (Poland); Markowitz, A. [Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093-0424 (United States); Akitaya, H. [Hiroshima Astrophysical Science Center, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Hiroshima 739-8526 (Japan); Arkharov, A. A. [Main (Pulkovo) Astronomical Observatory of RAS, Pulkovskoye shosse, 60, 196140 St. Petersburg (Russian Federation); Bachev, R. [Institute of Astronomy, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 72, Tsarigradsko Shosse Blvd., 1784 Sofia (Bulgaria); Benítez, E. [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico DF (Mexico); Borman, G. A. [Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, P/O Nauchny, Crimea, 298409 (Russian Federation); Carosati, D. [EPT Observatories, Tijarafe, La Palma (Spain); Cason, A. D. [Private address, 105 Glen Pine Trail, Dawnsonville, GA 30534 (United States); Chanishvili, R. [Abastumani Observatory, Mt. Kanobili, 0301 Abastumani, Georgia (United States); Damljanovic, G. [Astronomical Observatory, Volgina 7, 11060 Belgrade (Serbia); Dhalla, S. [Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199 (United States); Frasca, A. [INAF—Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania (Italy); Hiriart, D. [Instituto de Astronomía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ensenada (Mexico); Hu, S-M., E-mail: gopalbhatta716@gmail.com [Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy and Solar-Terrestrial Environment, Institute of Space Sciences, Shandong University at Weihai, 264209 Weihai (China); and others

2016-11-01

Here we report on the results of the Whole Earth Blazar Telescope photo-polarimetric campaign targeting the blazar S5 0716+71, organized in 2014 March to monitor the source simultaneously in BVRI and near-IR filters. The campaign resulted in an unprecedented data set spanning ∼110 hr of nearly continuous, multiband observations, including two sets of densely sampled polarimetric data mainly in the R filter. During the campaign, the source displayed pronounced variability with peak-to-peak variations of about 30% and “bluer-when-brighter” spectral evolution, consisting of a day-timescale modulation with superimposed hour-long microflares characterized by ∼0.1 mag flux changes. We performed an in-depth search for quasi-periodicities in the source light curve; hints for the presence of oscillations on timescales of ∼3 and ∼5 hr do not represent highly significant departures from a pure red-noise power spectrum. We observed that, at a certain configuration of the optical polarization angle (PA) relative to the PA of the innermost radio jet in the source, changes in the polarization degree (PD) led the total flux variability by about 2 hr; meanwhile, when the relative configuration of the polarization and jet angles altered, no such lag could be noted. The microflaring events, when analyzed as separate pulse emission components, were found to be characterized by a very high PD (>30%) and PAs that differed substantially from the PA of the underlying background component, or from the radio jet positional angle. We discuss the results in the general context of blazar emission and energy dissipation models.

Time-scales of assembly and thermal history of a composite felsic pluton: constraints from the Emerald Lake area, northern Canadian Cordillera, Yukon

Science.gov (United States)

Coulson, Ian M.; Villeneuve, Mike E.; Dipple, Gregory M.; Duncan, Robert A.; Russell, James K.; Mortensen, James K.

2002-05-01

Knowledge of the time-scales of emplacement and thermal history during assembly of composite felsic plutons in the shallow crust are critical to deciphering the processes of crustal growth and magma chamber development. Detailed petrological and chemical study of the mid-Cretaceous, composite Emerald Lake pluton, from the northern Canadian Cordillera, Yukon Territory, coupled with U-Pb and 40Ar/ 39Ar geochronology, indicates that this pluton was intruded as a series of magmatic pulses. Intrusion of these pulses produced a strong petrological zonation from augite syenite, hornblende quartz syenite and monzonite, to biotite granite. Our data further indicate that multiple phases were emplaced and cooled to below the mineral closure temperatures over a time-scale on the order of the resolution of the 40Ar/ 39Ar technique (˜1 Myr), and that emplacement occurred at 94.3 Ma. Simple thermal modelling and heat conduction calculations were used to further constrain the temporal relationships within the intrusion. These calculations are consistent with the geochronology and show that emplacement and cooling were complete in less than 100 kyr and probably 70±5 kyr. These results demonstrate that production, transport and emplacement of the different phases of the Emerald Lake pluton occurred essentially simultaneously, and that these processes must also have been closely related in time and space. By analogy, these results provide insights into the assembly and petrogenesis of other complex intrusions and ultimately lead to an understanding of the processes involved in crustal development.

Missing reversals in the geomagnetic polarity timescale: Their influence on the analysis and in constraining the process that generates geomagnetic reversals

Science.gov (United States)

Marzocchi, W.

1997-03-01

A major problem in defining the chronology of geomagnetic reversals is linked to the detection of short (short TIBR or to paleointensity fluctuations. Particular attention is paid to the influence of measurement errors estimated for the most recently published Cenozoic timescale. By following the minimalist philosophy of Occam's razor, which is particularly suitable for studying poorly known processes, the reliability of the simplest model, i.e., the Poisson process which is symmetric in polarity, can be checked. The results indicate the plausibility of a generalized renewal process; the only regularity is relative to the long-term trend, which is probably linked to core-mantle coupling. In detail, a uniform exponential trend in the last 80 Myr is found for the timescale; it is not presently possible to estimate the influence of the inclusion of tiny wiggles because they are well-resolved only in the last 30 Myr, a period in which both series are stationary. The sequences, with and without tiny wiggles, are symmetric in polarity, with no evidence of low-dimensional chaos and memory of past configurations. The empirical statistical distribution of the TIBR departs slightly from a theoretical exponential distribution, i.e., from a Poisson process, which can be explained by a lack of short anomalies, and/or by a generating process with wear-out properties (a more general renewal process). A real exponential distribution is sustainable only if the number of missing short TIBR in the last 30 Myr is larger than the number of tiny wiggles observed in the same period.

Northward extent of East Asian monsoon covaries with intensity on orbital and millennial timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Goldsmith, Yonaton; Broecker, Wallace S.; Xu, Hai; Polissar, Pratigya J.; deMenocal, Peter B.; Porat, Naomi; Lan, Jianghu; Cheng, Peng; Zhou, Weijian; An, Zhisheng

2017-02-01

The magnitude, rate, and extent of past and future East Asian monsoon (EAM) rainfall fluctuations remain unresolved. Here, late Pleistocene-Holocene EAM rainfall intensity is reconstructed using a well-dated northeastern China closed-basin lake area record located at the modern northwestern fringe of the EAM. The EAM intensity and northern extent alternated rapidly between wet and dry periods on time scales of centuries. Lake levels were 60 m higher than present during the early and middle Holocene, requiring a twofold increase in annual rainfall, which, based on modern rainfall distribution, requires a ˜400 km northward expansion/migration of the EAM. The lake record is highly correlated with both northern and southern Chinese cave deposit isotope records, supporting rainfall “intensity based” interpretations of these deposits as opposed to an alternative “water vapor sourcing” interpretation. These results indicate that EAM intensity and the northward extent covary on orbital and millennial timescales. The termination of wet conditions at 5.5 ka BP (˜35 m lake drop) triggered a large cultural collapse of Early Neolithic cultures in north China, and possibly promoted the emergence of complex societies of the Late Neolithic.

No evidence of inhibition of horizontal gene transfer by CRISPR-Cas on evolutionary timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Gophna, Uri; Kristensen, David M; Wolf, Yuri I; Popa, Ovidiu; Drevet, Christine; Koonin, Eugene V

2015-09-01

The CRISPR (clustered, regularly, interspaced, short, palindromic repeats)-Cas (CRISPR-associated genes) systems of archaea and bacteria provide adaptive immunity against viruses and other selfish elements and are believed to curtail horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Limiting acquisition of new genetic material could be one of the sources of the fitness cost of CRISPR-Cas maintenance and one of the causes of the patchy distribution of CRISPR-Cas among bacteria, and across environments. We sought to test the hypothesis that the activity of CRISPR-Cas in microbes is negatively correlated with the extent of recent HGT. Using three independent measures of HGT, we found no significant dependence between the length of CRISPR arrays, which reflects the activity of the immune system, and the estimated number of recent HGT events. In contrast, we observed a significant negative dependence between the estimated extent of HGT and growth temperature of microbes, which could be explained by the lower genetic diversity in hotter environments. We hypothesize that the relevant events in the evolution of resistance to mobile elements and proclivity for HGT, to which CRISPR-Cas systems seem to substantially contribute, occur on the population scale rather than on the timescale of species evolution.

Northward extent of East Asian monsoon covaries with intensity on orbital and millennial timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldsmith, Yonaton; Broecker, Wallace S; Xu, Hai; Polissar, Pratigya J; deMenocal, Peter B; Porat, Naomi; Lan, Jianghu; Cheng, Peng; Zhou, Weijian; An, Zhisheng

2017-02-21

The magnitude, rate, and extent of past and future East Asian monsoon (EAM) rainfall fluctuations remain unresolved. Here, late Pleistocene-Holocene EAM rainfall intensity is reconstructed using a well-dated northeastern China closed-basin lake area record located at the modern northwestern fringe of the EAM. The EAM intensity and northern extent alternated rapidly between wet and dry periods on time scales of centuries. Lake levels were 60 m higher than present during the early and middle Holocene, requiring a twofold increase in annual rainfall, which, based on modern rainfall distribution, requires a ∼400 km northward expansion/migration of the EAM. The lake record is highly correlated with both northern and southern Chinese cave deposit isotope records, supporting rainfall "intensity based" interpretations of these deposits as opposed to an alternative "water vapor sourcing" interpretation. These results indicate that EAM intensity and the northward extent covary on orbital and millennial timescales. The termination of wet conditions at 5.5 ka BP (∼35 m lake drop) triggered a large cultural collapse of Early Neolithic cultures in north China, and possibly promoted the emergence of complex societies of the Late Neolithic.

Bayesian Mediation Analysis

OpenAIRE

Yuan, Ying; MacKinnon, David P.

2009-01-01

This article proposes Bayesian analysis of mediation effects. Compared to conventional frequentist mediation analysis, the Bayesian approach has several advantages. First, it allows researchers to incorporate prior information into the mediation analysis, thus potentially improving the efficiency of estimates. Second, under the Bayesian mediation analysis, inference is straightforward and exact, which makes it appealing for studies with small samples. Third, the Bayesian approach is conceptua...

Validity and reliability of a questionnaire to assess social skills in traumatic brain injury: A preliminary study.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Heather M; Osborne-Crowley, Katherine; McDonald, Skye

2017-01-01

To describe the reliability and validity of a new measure, the Social Skills Questionnaire for Traumatic Brain Injury (SSQ-TBI). Fifty-one adults with severe TBI completed the SSQ-TBI questionnaire. Scores were compared to informant- and self-report on questionnaires addressing frontal lobe mediated behaviour, as well as performance on an objective measure of social cognition and neuropsychological tasks, in order to provide evidence of concurrent, divergent and predictive validity. Internal consistency was excellent at α = 0.90. Convergent validity was good, with informant ratings on the SSQ-TBI significantly correlated with Neuropsychiatric Inventory Disinhibition sub-scales (r = 0.50-63), the Current Behaviour Scale (r = 0.39-0.48) and Frontal Systems Behaviour Scale (r = 0.60-0.83). However, no relationship was seen with an objective measure of social skills or neuropsychological tasks of disinhibition. There was a significant relationship with real-world psychosocial outcomes on the Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale-2 (r = -0.38--0.69) Conclusions: This study provides preliminary findings of good internal consistency and convergent and predictive validity of a social skills questionnaire adapted to be appropriate for individuals with TBI. Further assessment of psychometric properties such as test-re-test reliability and factor structure is warranted.

Time-scale invariant changes in atmospheric radon concentration and crustal strain prior to a large earthquake

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Kawada

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Prior to large earthquakes (e.g. 1995 Kobe earthquake, Japan, an increase in the atmospheric radon concentration is observed, and this increase in the rate follows a power-law of the time-to-earthquake (time-to-failure. This phenomenon corresponds to the increase in the radon migration in crust and the exhalation into atmosphere. An irreversible thermodynamic model including time-scale invariance clarifies that the increases in the pressure of the advecting radon and permeability (hydraulic conductivity in the crustal rocks are caused by the temporal changes in the power-law of the crustal strain (or cumulative Benioff strain, which is associated with damage evolution such as microcracking or changing porosity. As the result, the radon flux and the atmospheric radon concentration can show a temporal power-law increase. The concentration of atmospheric radon can be used as a proxy for the seismic precursory processes associated with crustal dynamics.

Ratio-of-Mediator-Probability Weighting for Causal Mediation Analysis in the Presence of Treatment-by-Mediator Interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Guanglei; Deutsch, Jonah; Hill, Heather D.

2015-01-01

Conventional methods for mediation analysis generate biased results when the mediator--outcome relationship depends on the treatment condition. This article shows how the ratio-of-mediator-probability weighting (RMPW) method can be used to decompose total effects into natural direct and indirect effects in the presence of treatment-by-mediator…

Selective visual scaling of time-scale processes facilitates broadband learning of isometric force frequency tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

King, Adam C; Newell, Karl M

2015-10-01

The experiment investigated the effect of selectively augmenting faster time scales of visual feedback information on the learning and transfer of continuous isometric force tracking tasks to test the generality of the self-organization of 1/f properties of force output. Three experimental groups tracked an irregular target pattern either under a standard fixed gain condition or with selectively enhancement in the visual feedback display of intermediate (4-8 Hz) or high (8-12 Hz) frequency components of the force output. All groups reduced tracking error over practice, with the error lowest in the intermediate scaling condition followed by the high scaling and fixed gain conditions, respectively. Selective visual scaling induced persistent changes across the frequency spectrum, with the strongest effect in the intermediate scaling condition and positive transfer to novel feedback displays. The findings reveal an interdependence of the timescales in the learning and transfer of isometric force output frequency structures consistent with 1/f process models of the time scales of motor output variability.

Technology-Use Mediation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bansler, Jørgen P.; Havn, Erling C.

2003-01-01

This study analyzes how a group of ‘mediators’ in a large, multinational company adapted a computer-mediated communication technology (a ‘virtual workspace’) to the organizational context (and vice versa) by modifying features of the technology, providing ongoing support for users, and promoting...... appropriate conventions of use. Our findings corroborate earlier research on technology-use mediation, which suggests that such mediators can exert considerable influence on how a particular technology will be established and used in an organization. However, this study also indicates that the process...... of technology-use mediation is more complex and indeterminate than earlier literature suggests. In particular, we want to draw attention to the fact that advanced computer-mediated communication technologies are equivocal and that technology-use mediation consequently requires ongoing sensemaking (Weick 1995)....

Micro dynamics in mediation

OpenAIRE

Boserup, Hans

2014-01-01

The author has identified a number of styles in mediation, which lead to different processes and different outcomes. Through discourse and conversation analysis he examines the micro dynamics in three of these, the postmodern styles: systemic, transformative and narrative mediation. The differences between the three mediation ideologies and practice is illustrated through role play scripts enacted in each style. Mediator and providers of mediation and trainers in mediation are encouraged to a...

Bayesian dynamic mediation analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jing; Yuan, Ying

2017-12-01

Most existing methods for mediation analysis assume that mediation is a stationary, time-invariant process, which overlooks the inherently dynamic nature of many human psychological processes and behavioral activities. In this article, we consider mediation as a dynamic process that continuously changes over time. We propose Bayesian multilevel time-varying coefficient models to describe and estimate such dynamic mediation effects. By taking the nonparametric penalized spline approach, the proposed method is flexible and able to accommodate any shape of the relationship between time and mediation effects. Simulation studies show that the proposed method works well and faithfully reflects the true nature of the mediation process. By modeling mediation effect nonparametrically as a continuous function of time, our method provides a valuable tool to help researchers obtain a more complete understanding of the dynamic nature of the mediation process underlying psychological and behavioral phenomena. We also briefly discuss an alternative approach of using dynamic autoregressive mediation model to estimate the dynamic mediation effect. The computer code is provided to implement the proposed Bayesian dynamic mediation analysis. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Causal mediation analysis with multiple mediators in the presence of treatment noncompliance.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Soojin; Kürüm, Esra

2018-05-20

Randomized experiments are often complicated because of treatment noncompliance. This challenge prevents researchers from identifying the mediated portion of the intention-to-treated (ITT) effect, which is the effect of the assigned treatment that is attributed to a mediator. One solution suggests identifying the mediated ITT effect on the basis of the average causal mediation effect among compliers when there is a single mediator. However, considering the complex nature of the mediating mechanisms, it is natural to assume that there are multiple variables that mediate through the causal path. Motivated by an empirical analysis of a data set collected in a randomized interventional study, we develop a method to estimate the mediated portion of the ITT effect when both multiple dependent mediators and treatment noncompliance exist. This enables researchers to make an informed decision on how to strengthen the intervention effect by identifying relevant mediators despite treatment noncompliance. We propose a nonparametric estimation procedure and provide a sensitivity analysis for key assumptions. We conduct a Monte Carlo simulation study to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed approach. The proposed method is illustrated by an empirical analysis of JOBS II data, in which a job training intervention was used to prevent mental health deterioration among unemployed individuals. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Mediators and Metaphorical Analysis: A Phenomenological Study of Florida Family Court Mediators

Science.gov (United States)

Storrow, Rebecca A.

2012-01-01

Florida family court mediation programs have typically been assessed with quantitative analysis. To understand the complexity of the experience of being a family mediator, it was necessary to explore how mediators practiced through qualitative research. Metaphors have been considered to be representations of mediators' mental models regarding…

FB elements can promote exon shuffling: a promoter-less white allele can be reactivated by FB mediated transposition in Drosophila melanogaster.

Science.gov (United States)

Moschetti, R; Marsano, R M; Barsanti, P; Caggese, C; Caizzi, R

2004-05-01

Foldback ( FB) elements are transposable elements found in many eukaryotic genomes; they are thought to contribute significantly to genome plasticity. In Drosophila melanogaster, FBs have been shown to be involved in the transposition of large chromosomal regions and in the genetic instability of some alleles of the white gene. In this report we show that FB mediated transposition of w(67C23), a mutation that deletes the promoter of the white gene and its first exon, containing the start codon, can restore expression of the white gene. We have characterized three independent events in which a 14-kb fragment from the w(67C23) locus was transposed into an intron region in three different genes. In each case a local promoter drives the expression of white, producing a chimeric mRNA. These findings suggest that, on an evolutionary timescale, FB elements may contribute to the creation of new genes via exon shuffling.

Predicting women's alcohol risk-taking while abroad.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Gabie; Klein, Sarah

2010-05-01

Numerous studies have examined risk factors that are associated with heavy alcohol use; however, much of this research has not addressed factors that specifically relate to women's alcohol use. The current study has extended the previous literature on women's alcohol-use behavior by examining factors associated with risky drinking in young women traveling abroad (n = 55). Using a pretest-posttest design, we examined the influence of disinhibition sensation-seeking and endorsement of social enhancement alcohol expectancies in relation to participation in risky alcohol use while abroad for three weeks. Analyses confirmed that disinhibition sensation-seeking and social enhancement alcohol expectancies were associated with participation in risky alcohol-use behaviors while abroad (controlling for alcohol-use at the pretest). Analysis of qualitative data reinforced the importance of social facilitation in women's alcohol risk-taking. Participants' qualitative data also emphasized characteristics of situational disinhibition relating to travel as well as culturally-specific motivations for alcohol-use behaviors. Further research examining women's personal need for disinhibition and the role of situational disinhibition in motivating alcohol risk-taking is warranted. In addition, the current findings suggest that interventions focusing on the connections between alcohol use and enhancement of social relationships and the potential isolating effects of non-use are necessary.

Astronomical timescale calibration for the Permian-Triassic boundary transition interval from global correlation of cyclic marine sequences

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, C.; Hinnov, L. A.; Tong, J.; Chen, Z.

2011-12-01

The mass extinctions near the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) resulted in the greatest dying of life on Earth. The cause of this catastrophe remains enigmatic. High-resolution chronology is crucial to understanding the recorded pattern of biotic evolution and possible causes for the extinctions. Magnetic susceptibility (MS) data from Shangsi, South China shows evidence for astronomical forcing through the PTB interval, with strong 405-kyr cycling. This allows development of an astrochronology for the PTB interval based on the 405-kyr orbital eccentricity metronome that has been proposed for the Mesozoic timescale. Radioisotope dating combined with the 405-kyr tuned MS series from Shangsi shows that the 405-kyr-cycle predominates throughout the PTB interval. In the Permian segment, ~100-kyr cyclicity dominates, and the 100-kyr-scale MS maxima correlate with high-amplitude precession-scale MS variations. Minima in the ~1.5-Myr, 405-kyr and ~100-kyr cycles converge at 252.6 Ma, approximately 200 kyr before the onset of the main mass extinction near the PTB. In the Triassic aftermath, the recorded astronomical signal is different, with predominant 405-kyr cycles and loss of 100 kyr cyclicity, and appearance of ~33 kyr (obliquity scale) cyclicity; 100-kyr cyclicity strengthens again 2 Myr later. This pattern indicates a change in the response of the depositional environment (or magnetic susceptibility) to astronomical forcing before and after the mass extinction interval. The astrochronology interpolates the timescale between the radioisotopically determined absolute dates; this facilitates estimation of ages for specific events in the PTB crisis, including magnetic reversals, biozone boundaries, and the mass extinctions. An estimated ~700 kyr duration for the Mass Extinction Interval (MEI) at Shangsi based on the 405-kyr tuning is supported by eccentricity-tuned estimates of three other sections in China (Meishan, Huangzhishan, and Heping), and two Alpine sections

Mediation of information and educational mediation: conceptual discussions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helena Célia de Souza Sacerdote

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: This is systematization of theoretical and methodological contributions related to the concepts of mediation information and pedagogical mediation in the literature. Objective: To understand possible intersection of information science and Online Education with regard to these concepts to check that both can be considered as analogous in its essence and practice. Methodology: Literature review based on literature by consulting the scientific productions selected in search of SciELO.ORG databases and EBSCO Host, the portal of CAPES / MEC and Google Scholar. Results: The most cited concepts in information science and education were de Almeida Junior (2009 and Masetto (2013, respectively. Conclusion: It is observed that the concept of mediation can move interchangeably between both areas. This is because the evidence found in the productions of the last five years indicate that the concept of information of mediation seems to have found its bases in education (educational psychology.

Bayesian Mediation Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Ying; MacKinnon, David P.

2009-01-01

In this article, we propose Bayesian analysis of mediation effects. Compared with conventional frequentist mediation analysis, the Bayesian approach has several advantages. First, it allows researchers to incorporate prior information into the mediation analysis, thus potentially improving the efficiency of estimates. Second, under the Bayesian…

The Southern Ocean as a driver of centennial to millenial timescale radiocarbon variations

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, K. B.; Bianchi, D.; Galbraith, E.; Gnanadesikan, A.; Iudicone, D.; Mikaloff Fletcher, S.; Sarmiento, J. L.; Slater, R. D.

2009-04-01

Paleo-proxy records reveal large delta-c14 variations for both the atmosphere and the ocean on centennial to millenial timescales. One of the most pronounced examples is the onset phase of the Younger Dryas, when atmospheric delta-c14 rose by 70 per mil in only 200 years. Another is the most recent deglaciation (and the associated "Mystery Interval"). Many of the significant centennial to millenial transients in atmospheric delta-c14 are reflected in ocean interior delta-c14 at intermediate depths in the Pacific over the last 50kyrs. An ocean model has been used to test the idea that only modest perturbations to Southern Ocean winds provides a means to link the oceanic and atmospheric delta-c14 variations. Perturbations to the winds over the Southern Ocean are able to drive sizable decoupling of the fluxes of 14CO2 and 12CO2 over the Southern Ocean, thus modifying atmospheric delta-c14. These same perturbations are able to perturb rapidly the depth of intermediate water horizons in the North Pacific through the passage of baroclinic planetary (Rossby) waves. This sensitivity is significantly stronger than what previous studies have found for perturbations to the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC) in the North Atlantic. It is suggested that delta-c14 may provide a powerful tracer for understanding past variations in the climate system.

Individual Differences in the Phenotypic Flexibility of Basal Metabolic Rate in Siberian Hamsters Are Consistent on Short- and Long-Term Timescales.

Science.gov (United States)

Boratyński, Jan S; Jefimow, Małgorzata; Wojciechowski, Michał S

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) correlates with the cost of life in endothermic animals. It usually differs consistently among individuals in a population, but it may be adjusted in response to predictable or unpredictable changes in the environment. The phenotypic flexibility of BMR is considered an adaptation to living in a stochastic environment; however, whether it is also repeatable it is still unexplored. Assuming that variations in phenotypic flexibility are evolutionarily important, we hypothesized that they are consistently different among individuals. We predicted that not only BMR but also its flexibility in response to changes in ambient temperature (T a ) are repeatable on short- and long-term timescales. To examine this, we acclimated Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) for 100 d to winterlike and then to summerlike conditions, and after each acclimation we exposed them interchangeably to 10° and 28°C for 14 d. The difference in BMR measured after each exposure defined an individual's phenotypic flexibility (ΔBMR). BMR was repeatable within and among seasons. It was also flexible in both seasons, but in winter this flexibility was lower in individuals responding to seasonal changes than in nonresponding ones. When we accounted for individual responsiveness, the repeatability of ΔBMR was significant in winter (τ = 0.48, P = 0.01) and in summer (τ = 0.55, P = 0.005). Finally, the flexibility of BMR in response to changes in T a was also repeatable on a long-term timescale, that is, among seasons (τ = 0.31, P = 0.008). Our results indicate the evolutionary importance of the phenotypic flexibility of energy metabolism and suggest that it may be subject to selection.

Mediation Works: An Action Research Study Evaluating the Peer Mediation Program from the Eyes of Mediators and Faculty

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Jacqueline Yvonne; Boes, Susan R.

2013-01-01

A literature review was conducted to understand how mediators and faculty view a Peer Mediation Program (PMP). The review identified four subgroups: mediators, teachers, administrators, and school counselors as well as their views on the success or lack of success of PMPs. The research also reflects how to best engage stakeholders in the mediation…

Alcohol Use and Antisocial Behavior in Late Adolescence: Characteristics of a Sample Attending a GED Program

Science.gov (United States)

Owens, Meredith Reesman; Bergman, Andrea

2010-01-01

This study examined peer deviance, disinhibition, and ADHD symptoms as differential predictors of alcohol use, alcohol use disorder symptoms, and antisocial behavior. It was hypothesized that peer deviance would most strongly predict alcohol use while disinhibition and ADHD would predict alcohol use disorder symptoms and antisocial behavior.…

Avoiding math on a rapid timescale: Emotional responsivity and anxious attention in math anxiety.

Science.gov (United States)

Pizzie, Rachel G; Kraemer, David J M

2017-11-01

Math anxiety (MA) is characterized by negative feelings towards mathematics, resulting in avoidance of math classes and of careers that rely on mathematical skills. Focused on a long timescale, this research may miss important cognitive and affective processes that operate moment-to-moment, changing rapid reactions even when a student simply sees a math problem. Here, using fMRI with an attentional deployment paradigm, we show that MA influences rapid spontaneous emotional and attentional responses to mathematical stimuli upon brief presentation. Critically, participants viewed but did not attempt to solve the problems. Indicating increased threat reactivity to even brief presentations of math problems, increased MA was associated with increased amygdala response during math viewing trials. Functionally and anatomically defined amygdala ROIs yielded similar results, indicating robustness of the finding. Similar to the pattern of vigilance and avoidance observed in specific phobia, behavioral results of the attentional paradigm demonstrated that MA is associated with attentional disengagement for mathematical symbols. This attentional avoidance is specific to math stimuli; when viewing negatively-valenced images, MA is correlated with attentional engagement, similar to other forms of anxiety. These results indicate that even brief exposure to mathematics triggers a neural response related to threat avoidance in highly MA individuals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Extracting surface waves, hum and normal modes: time-scale phase-weighted stack and beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Ventosa, Sergi; Schimmel, Martin; Stutzmann, Eleonore

2017-10-01

Stacks of ambient noise correlations are routinely used to extract empirical Green's functions (EGFs) between station pairs. The time-frequency phase-weighted stack (tf-PWS) is a physically intuitive nonlinear denoising method that uses the phase coherence to improve EGF convergence when the performance of conventional linear averaging methods is not sufficient. The high computational cost of a continuous approach to the time-frequency transformation is currently a main limitation in ambient noise studies. We introduce the time-scale phase-weighted stack (ts-PWS) as an alternative extension of the phase-weighted stack that uses complex frames of wavelets to build a time-frequency representation that is much more efficient and fast to compute and that preserve the performance and flexibility of the tf-PWS. In addition, we propose two strategies: the unbiased phase coherence and the two-stage ts-PWS methods to further improve noise attenuation, quality of the extracted signals and convergence speed. We demonstrate that these approaches enable to extract minor- and major-arc Rayleigh waves (up to the sixth Rayleigh wave train) from many years of data from the GEOSCOPE global network. Finally we also show that fundamental spheroidal modes can be extracted from these EGF.

Sop-GPU: accelerating biomolecular simulations in the centisecond timescale using graphics processors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhmurov, A; Dima, R I; Kholodov, Y; Barsegov, V

2010-11-01

Theoretical exploration of fundamental biological processes involving the forced unraveling of multimeric proteins, the sliding motion in protein fibers and the mechanical deformation of biomolecular assemblies under physiological force loads is challenging even for distributed computing systems. Using a C(α)-based coarse-grained self organized polymer (SOP) model, we implemented the Langevin simulations of proteins on graphics processing units (SOP-GPU program). We assessed the computational performance of an end-to-end application of the program, where all the steps of the algorithm are running on a GPU, by profiling the simulation time and memory usage for a number of test systems. The ∼90-fold computational speedup on a GPU, compared with an optimized central processing unit program, enabled us to follow the dynamics in the centisecond timescale, and to obtain the force-extension profiles using experimental pulling speeds (v(f) = 1-10 μm/s) employed in atomic force microscopy and in optical tweezers-based dynamic force spectroscopy. We found that the mechanical molecular response critically depends on the conditions of force application and that the kinetics and pathways for unfolding change drastically even upon a modest 10-fold increase in v(f). This implies that, to resolve accurately the free energy landscape and to relate the results of single-molecule experiments in vitro and in silico, molecular simulations should be carried out under the experimentally relevant force loads. This can be accomplished in reasonable wall-clock time for biomolecules of size as large as 10(5) residues using the SOP-GPU package. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

45 CFR 16.18 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Mediation. 16.18 Section 16.18 Public Welfare... BOARD § 16.18 Mediation. (a) In cases pending before the Board. If the Board decides that mediation... mediation techniques and will provide or assist in selecting a mediator. The mediator may take any steps...

Implementation of higher-order vertical finite elements in ISSM v4.13 for improved ice sheet flow modeling over paleoclimate timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Cuzzone, Joshua K.; Morlighem, Mathieu; Larour, Eric; Schlegel, Nicole; Seroussi, Helene

2018-05-01

Paleoclimate proxies are being used in conjunction with ice sheet modeling experiments to determine how the Greenland ice sheet responded to past changes, particularly during the last deglaciation. Although these comparisons have been a critical component in our understanding of the Greenland ice sheet sensitivity to past warming, they often rely on modeling experiments that favor minimizing computational expense over increased model physics. Over Paleoclimate timescales, simulating the thermal structure of the ice sheet has large implications on the modeled ice viscosity, which can feedback onto the basal sliding and ice flow. To accurately capture the thermal field, models often require a high number of vertical layers. This is not the case for the stress balance computation, however, where a high vertical resolution is not necessary. Consequently, since stress balance and thermal equations are generally performed on the same mesh, more time is spent on the stress balance computation than is otherwise necessary. For these reasons, running a higher-order ice sheet model (e.g., Blatter-Pattyn) over timescales equivalent to the paleoclimate record has not been possible without incurring a large computational expense. To mitigate this issue, we propose a method that can be implemented within ice sheet models, whereby the vertical interpolation along the z axis relies on higher-order polynomials, rather than the traditional linear interpolation. This method is tested within the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM) using quadratic and cubic finite elements for the vertical interpolation on an idealized case and a realistic Greenland configuration. A transient experiment for the ice thickness evolution of a single-dome ice sheet demonstrates improved accuracy using the higher-order vertical interpolation compared to models using the linear vertical interpolation, despite having fewer degrees of freedom. This method is also shown to improve a model's ability to capture sharp

Time-scales of erosion and weathering processes in the Himalayan river system: Element and isotope approach using the U-series; Constantes de temps des processus d'erosion et d'alteration dans le systeme himalayen: approche geochimique elementaire et isotopique par les series de l'uranium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Granet, M

2007-06-15

The time-scales of erosion and weathering processes are key parameters which need to be determined to understand the response of the reliefs to external forcing like tectonics, climate and human activities. They were recovered by using U-series nuclides analyzed in sediments and suspended materials carried by the Himalayan rivers of the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins. In the Ganges basin, the time-scales of weathering determined from the study of coarse sediments carried by the Kali Gandaki range from several ky, where the uplift is located, to 350 ky. Such values indicate that the bed-rocks are in situ weathered for a long period before the weathering residual products get transported in the rivers as coarse sediments. At the outlet of the high range, these sediments are carried by the tributaries of the Ganges, the Gandak and Ghaghara, during a transfer period of about 100 ka. The study of the sediments at the outlet of the Brahmaputra tributaries allows to propose time-scales of weathering ranging from 110 to 270 ky. Such long periods confirm that during their transfer in the plains, the sediments are temporarily trapped at several places in the basins. In the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, the time-scales of sedimentary transfer are 575 and 160 ky, respectively. These values, which are of the same order as their response times, are much longer than the timescales of the Quaternary climate oscillations. It confirms the buffering action of the asiatic alluvial plains for the high-frequency sediment flux variations in response to external forcing in the chain. The study of suspended materials suggests that their chemical compositions result from the mixing of coarse river sediments with fine particles from various locations in the basin which are affected by vegetation recycling. By contrast to coarse sediments, the time-scales of transfer for the suspended materials are fast, e.g. a few ky, pointing the potential of U-series nuclides to assess particle transport

Hour time-scale QPOs in the X-ray and radio emission of LS I +61°303

Science.gov (United States)

Nösel, S.; Sharma, R.; Massi, M.; Cimò, G.; Chernyakova, M.

2018-05-01

LS I +61°303 is an X-ray binary with a radio outburst every ˜27 d. Previous studies of the stellar system revealed radio microflares superimposed on the large radio outburst. We present here new radio observations of LS I +61°303 at 2.2 GHz with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT). Using various timing analysis methods, we find significant quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs) of 55 min stable over the duration of 4 d. We also use archival data obtained from the Suzaku satellite at X-ray wavelengths. We report here for the first time significant X-ray QPOs of about 2 h present over the time span of 21 h. We compare our results with the previously reported QPO observations and we conclude that the QPOs seem to be associated with the radio outburst, independent of the amplitude of the outburst. Finally, the different QPO time-scales are discussed in the context of magnetic reconnection.

The plasma transport equations derived by multiple time-scale expansions and turbulent transport. I. General theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edenstrasser, J.W.

1995-01-01

A multiple time-scale derivative expansion scheme is applied to the dimensionless Fokker--Planck equation and to Maxwell's equations, where the parameter range of a typical fusion plasma was assumed. Within kinetic theory, the four time scales considered are those of Larmor gyration, particle transit, collisions, and classical transport. The corresponding magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) time scales are those of ion Larmor gyration, Alfven, MHD collision, and resistive diffusion. The solution of the zeroth-order equations results in the force-free equilibria and ideal Ohm's law. The solution of the first-order equations leads under the assumption of a weak collisional plasma to the ideal MHD equations. On the MHD-collision time scale, not only the full set of the MHD transport equations is obtained, but also turbulent terms, where the related transport quantities are one order in the expansion parameter larger than those of classical transport. Finally, at the resistive diffusion time scale the known transport equations are arrived at including, however, also turbulent contributions. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

Combined gauge-mediated and anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking and conformal sequestering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundrum, Raman

2005-01-01

Anomaly-mediated supersymmetry breaking in the context of 4D conformally sequestered models is combined with Poppitz-Trivedi D-type gauge-mediation. The implementation of the two mediation mechanisms naturally leads to visible soft masses at the same scale so that they can cooperatively solve the μ and flavor problems of weak scale supersymmetry, as well as the tachyonic-slepton problem of pure anomaly-mediation. The tools are developed in a modular fashion for more readily fitting into the general program of optimizing supersymmetric dynamics in hunting for the most attractive weak scale phenomenologies combined with Planck-scale plausibility

Designing business rules for mediation : a process towards agent-mediated business coordination

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhao, Z.; Dignum, M.V.; Dignum, F.P.M.

2008-01-01

Business process integration is a very active research area, in which mediation is one of the fundamental architectural choices. Mediators have difficulties to design mediation services that meet the requirements of the different stakeholders. Business rules play an important role in the

Designing business rules for mediation : a process towards agent-mediated business coordination

OpenAIRE

Zhao, Z.; Dignum, M.V.; Dignum, F.P.M.

2008-01-01

Business process integration is a very active research area, in which mediation is one of the fundamental architectural choices. Mediators have difficulties to design mediation services that meet the requirements of the different stakeholders. Business rules play an important role in the decision process of mediation. In this paper, we analyze the role of business rules in the decision process, and use some examples to illustrate how business rules should be designed in order to help the deci...

Theorizing with/out "Mediators".

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Wolff-Michael; Jornet, Alfredo

2017-01-05

Mediation is one of the most often cited concepts in current cultural-historical theory literature, in which cultural actions and artifacts are often characterized as mediators standing between situational stimuli and behavioral responses. Most often presented as a means to overcome Cartesian dualism between subject and object, and between individual and society, some scholars have nonetheless raised criticism suggesting that such mediators are problematic for a dialectical psychology that takes a unit analysis (monist) approach. In fact, Spinoza develops a monist theory of mind and body that goes without and even excludes every form of mediation. In this study, we follow up on the latter criticisms and explore what we consider to be problematic uses of the notion of mediation as an analytical construct in the literature. We elaborate an empirically grounded discussion on the ways the concept of mediation may lead to dualistic readings; and we offer an alternative account where the notion of mediator is not needed. We conclude discussing prospects for and implications of a cultural-historical theory where the notion of mediation no longer is invoked to account for human action and development.

Sigma*-mediated electronic relaxation in 200nm photoexcited ammonia and heteroaromatics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evans N. L.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Time–resolved photoelectron spectra of ammonia display combination bands of the umbrella and stretching modes associated with the N–H coordinate of σ* relaxation. Time–resolved photodissociation studies determine timescales <200fs. Similar σ* photochemistry is found in heteroaromatics

Phonon-Mediated Quasiparticle Poisoning of Superconducting Microwave Resonators

OpenAIRE

Patel, U.; Pechenezhskiy, Ivan V.; Plourde, B. L. T.; Vavilov, M. G.; McDermott, R.

2016-01-01

Nonequilibrium quasiparticles represent a significant source of decoherence in superconducting quantum circuits. Here we investigate the mechanism of quasiparticle poisoning in devices subjected to local quasiparticle injection. We find that quasiparticle poisoning is dominated by the propagation of pair-breaking phonons across the chip. We characterize the energy dependence of the timescale for quasiparticle poisoning. Finally, we observe that incorporation of extensive normal metal quasipar...

Stability of Sexual Attractions Across Different Timescales: The Roles of Bisexuality and Gender.

Science.gov (United States)

Diamond, Lisa M; Dickenson, Janna A; Blair, Karen L

2017-01-01

We examined the stability of same-sex and other-sex attractions among 294 heterosexual, lesbian, gay, and bisexual men and women between the ages of 18 and 40 years. Participants used online daily diaries to report the intensity of each day's strongest same-sex and other-sex attraction, and they also reported on changes they recalled experiencing in their attractions since adolescence. We used multilevel dynamical systems models to examine individual differences in the stability of daily attractions (stability, in these models, denotes the tendency for attractions to "self-correct" toward a person-specific setpoint over time). Women's attractions showed less day-to-day stability than men's, consistent with the notion of female sexual fluidity (i.e., heightened erotic sensitivity to situational and contextual influences). Yet, women did not recollect larger post-adolescent changes in sexual attractions than did men, and larger recollected post-adolescent changes did not predict lower day-to-day stability in the sample as a whole. Bisexually attracted individuals recollected larger post-adolescent changes in their attractions, and they showed lower day-to-day stability in attractions to their "less-preferred" gender, compared to individuals with exclusive same-sex or exclusive other-sex attractions. Our results suggest that both gender and bisexuality have independent influences on sexual fluidity, but these influences vary across short versus long timescales, and they also differ for attractions to one's "more-preferred" versus "less-preferred" gender.

22 CFR 143.33 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mediation. 143.33 Section 143.33 Foreign... Mediation. (a) Referral of complaints for mediation. The agency will refer to the Federal Mediation and... participate in the mediation process to the extent necessary to reach an agreement or make an informed...

32 CFR 776.38 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 32 National Defense 5 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mediation. 776.38 Section 776.38 National... Professional Conduct § 776.38 Mediation. (a) Mediation: (1) A covered attorney may act as a mediator between... mediation, including the advantages and risks involved, and the effect on the attorney-client...

29 CFR 1202.1 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mediation. 1202.1 Section 1202.1 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD RULES OF PROCEDURE § 1202.1 Mediation. The mediation..., or where conferences are refused. The National Mediation Board may proffer its services in case any...

Forms of Mediation: The Case of Interpreter-Mediated Interactions in Medical Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Baraldi, Claudio

2009-01-01

This paper analyses the forms of mediation in interlinguistic interactions performed in Italian healthcare services and in contexts of migration. The literature encourages dialogic transformative mediation, empowering participants' voices and changing cultural presuppositions in social systems. It may be doubtful, however, whether mediation can…

Calibration of the 14C timescale over the past 30,000 years using mass spectrometric U-Th ages from Barbados corals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bard, E.; Hamelin, B.; Fairbanks, R.G.; Zindler, A.

1990-01-01

Uranium-thorium ages obtained by mass spectrometry from corals raised off the island of Barbados confirm the high precision of this technique over at least the past 30,000 years. Comparison of the U-Th ages with 14 C ages obtained on the Holocene samples shows that the U-Th ages are accurate, because they accord with the dendrochronological calibration. Before 9,000 yr BP the 14 C ages are systematically younger than the U-Th ages, with a maximum difference of ∼3,500 yr at ∼20,000 yr BP. The U-Th technique thus provides a way of calibrating the radiocarbon timescale beyond the range of dendrochronological calibration. (author)

24 CFR 3288.35 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mediation. 3288.35 Section 3288.35...-Administered States § 3288.35 Mediation. (a) Mediator. The dispute resolution provider will provide for the... identifies any other party that should be included in the mediation, the mediator will contact the other...

The Schizosaccharomyces pombe Mediator

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Venturi, Michela

, Schizosaccharomyces pombe and mammalian Mediator. In our study, we have taken the S. pombe Mediator into consideration and characterized genetically and biochemically two subunits already know in S. cerevisiae, Med9 and Med11, but still not identified in the S. pombe Mediator. Genetic analysis has shown that med9......In the past several years great attention has been dedicated to the characterization of the Mediator complex in a different range of model organisms. Mediator is a conserved co-activator complex involved in transcriptional regulation and it conveys signals from regulatory transcription factors...... to the basal transcription machinery. Mediator was initially isolated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae based on its ability to render a RNA polymerase II in vitro transcription system responsive to activators. Additionally, structural studies have revealed striking structural similarities between S. cerevisiae...

29 CFR 35.32 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Mediation. 35.32 Section 35.32 Labor Office of the Secretary... Mediation. (a) Referral to mediation. CRC will promptly refer to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or the mediation agency designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under 45 CFR part...

44 CFR 7.942 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 44 Emergency Management and Assistance 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Mediation. 7.942 Section 7..., Conciliation, and Enforcement Procedures § 7.942 Mediation. (a) FEMA will promptly refer to a mediation agency... participate in the mediation process to the extent necessary to reach an agreement or for the mediator to make...

Assessing moderated mediation in linear models requires fewer confounding assumptions than assessing mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

Loeys, Tom; Talloen, Wouter; Goubert, Liesbet; Moerkerke, Beatrijs; Vansteelandt, Stijn

2016-11-01

It is well known from the mediation analysis literature that the identification of direct and indirect effects relies on strong no unmeasured confounding assumptions of no unmeasured confounding. Even in randomized studies the mediator may still be correlated with unobserved prognostic variables that affect the outcome, in which case the mediator's role in the causal process may not be inferred without bias. In the behavioural and social science literature very little attention has been given so far to the causal assumptions required for moderated mediation analysis. In this paper we focus on the index for moderated mediation, which measures by how much the mediated effect is larger or smaller for varying levels of the moderator. We show that in linear models this index can be estimated without bias in the presence of unmeasured common causes of the moderator, mediator and outcome under certain conditions. Importantly, one can thus use the test for moderated mediation to support evidence for mediation under less stringent confounding conditions. We illustrate our findings with data from a randomized experiment assessing the impact of being primed with social deception upon observer responses to others' pain, and from an observational study of individuals who ended a romantic relationship assessing the effect of attachment anxiety during the relationship on mental distress 2 years after the break-up. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

34 CFR 81.13 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mediation. 81.13 Section 81.13 Education Office of the... Mediation. (a) Voluntary mediation is available for proceedings that are pending before the OALJ. (b) A... mediation by filing a motion with the ALJ assigned to the case. The OALJ arranges for a mediator if the...

Inside the mediation room - efficiency, voice and equity in workplace mediation

OpenAIRE

Saundry, R; Bennett, T; Wibberley, G

2016-01-01

Existing research into workplace mediation in the UK has tended to focus on managerial perceptions. Consequently, there has been a unitarist emphasis on the business case for mediation, revolving around its alleged superior efficiency properties compared to conventional rights-based procedures. This paper develops the research agenda in two respects: first, it foregrounds the experiences of participants in mediation through 25 interviews with individuals drawn from a variety of contexts. Seco...

Conceptual Changes to the Definition of Borderline Personality Disorder Proposed for DSM-5

Science.gov (United States)

Samuel, Douglas B.; Widiger, Thomas A.; Pilkonis, Paul A.; Miller, Joshua D.; Lynam, Donald R.; Ball, Samuel A.

2013-01-01

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-5 Personality and Personality Disorders Work Group proposed the elimination of diagnostic criterion sets in favor of a prototype matching system that defines personality disorders using narrative descriptions. Although some research supports this general approach, no empirical studies have yet examined the specific definitions proposed for DSM–5. Given the wide interest in borderline personality disorder (BPD), it is crucial to determine how this methodological shift might affect the content and conceptualization of the diagnosis. Eighty-two experts on BPD provided ratings of the DSM–IV–TR or DSM–5 version of BPD in terms of 37 traits proposed for DSM–5. Analyses revealed significant and meaningful differences among the two constructs, with the DSM–5 version evincing increased interpersonal dependency but a decreased emphasis on antagonism and disinhibition. A second study within a clinical sample demonstrated that both antagonism and disinhibition mediated the relationships between DSM–IV BPD and impairment, suggesting that the proposed changes might have important consequences for BPD’s coverage, prevalence, and nomological network. More globally, our results illustrate that unanticipated shifts in diagnostic constructs can stem from seemingly minor revisions and suggest that research is needed to understand how these, or other changes, might affect our conceptualization, diagnosis, and treatment of BPD. PMID:21875165

Nordic Mediation Reseach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

A presentation of 12 studies on mediation from researchers from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.......A presentation of 12 studies on mediation from researchers from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden....

Analysis of multiparty mediation processes

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vuković, Siniša

2013-01-01

Crucial challenges for multiparty mediation processes include the achievement of adequate cooperation among the mediators and consequent coordination of their activities in the mediation process. Existing literature goes only as far as to make it clear that successful mediation requires necessary

Technology-Use Mediation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bansler, Jørgen P.; Havn, Erling C.

2004-01-01

Implementation of new computer-mediated communication (CMC) systems in organizations is a complex socio-technical endeavour, involving the mutual adaptation of technology and organization over time. Drawing on the analytic concept of sensemaking, this paper provides a theoretical perspective...... that deepens our understanding of how organizations appropriate new electronic communication media. The paper analyzes how a group of mediators in a large, multinational company adapted a new web-based CMC technology (a virtual workspace) to the local organizational context (and vice versa) by modifying...... features of the technology, providing ongoing support for users, and promoting appropriate conventions of use. We found that these mediators exerted considerable influence on how the technology was established and used in the organization. The mediators were not neutral facilitators of a well...

MEDIATOR18 and MEDIATOR20 confer susceptibility to Fusarium oxysporum in Arabidopsis thaliana

OpenAIRE

Fallath, Thorya; Kidd, Brendan N.; Stiller, Jiri; Davoine, Celine; Bj?rklund, Stefan; Manners, John M.; Kazan, Kemal; Schenk, Peer M.

2017-01-01

The conserved protein complex known as Mediator conveys transcriptional signals by acting as an intermediary between transcription factors and RNA polymerase II. As a result, Mediator subunits play multiple roles in regulating developmental as well as abiotic and biotic stress pathways. In this report we identify the head domain subunits MEDIATOR18 and MEDIATOR20 as important susceptibility factors for Fusarium oxysporum infection in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutants of MED18 and MED20 display do...

Transgenerational soil-mediated differences between plants experienced or naïve to a grass invasion.

Science.gov (United States)

Deck, Anna; Muir, Adrianna; Strauss, Sharon

2013-10-01

Invasive species may undergo rapid change as they invade. Native species persisting in invaded areas may also experience rapid change over this short timescale relative to native populations in uninvaded areas. We investigated the response of the native Achillea millefolium to soil from Holcus lanatus-invaded and uninvaded areas, and we sought to determine whether differential responses between A. millefolium from invaded (invader experienced) and uninvaded (invader naïve) areas were mediated by soil community changes. Plants grown from seed from experienced and naïve areas responded differently to invaded and uninvaded soil with respect to germination time, biomass, and height. Overall, experienced plants grew faster and taller than their naïve counterparts. Naïve native plants showed negative feedbacks with their home soil and positive feedbacks with invaded soil; experienced plants were less responsive to soil differences. Our results suggest that native plants naïve to invasion may be more sensitive to soil communities than experienced plants, consistent with recent studies. While differences between naïve and experienced plants are transgenerational, our design cannot differentiate between differences that are genetically based, plastic, or both. Regardless, our results highlight the importance of seed source and population history in restoration, emphasizing the restoration potential of experienced seed sources.

Implementation of higher-order vertical finite elements in ISSM v4.13 for improved ice sheet flow modeling over paleoclimate timescales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. K. Cuzzone

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Paleoclimate proxies are being used in conjunction with ice sheet modeling experiments to determine how the Greenland ice sheet responded to past changes, particularly during the last deglaciation. Although these comparisons have been a critical component in our understanding of the Greenland ice sheet sensitivity to past warming, they often rely on modeling experiments that favor minimizing computational expense over increased model physics. Over Paleoclimate timescales, simulating the thermal structure of the ice sheet has large implications on the modeled ice viscosity, which can feedback onto the basal sliding and ice flow. To accurately capture the thermal field, models often require a high number of vertical layers. This is not the case for the stress balance computation, however, where a high vertical resolution is not necessary. Consequently, since stress balance and thermal equations are generally performed on the same mesh, more time is spent on the stress balance computation than is otherwise necessary. For these reasons, running a higher-order ice sheet model (e.g., Blatter-Pattyn over timescales equivalent to the paleoclimate record has not been possible without incurring a large computational expense. To mitigate this issue, we propose a method that can be implemented within ice sheet models, whereby the vertical interpolation along the z axis relies on higher-order polynomials, rather than the traditional linear interpolation. This method is tested within the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM using quadratic and cubic finite elements for the vertical interpolation on an idealized case and a realistic Greenland configuration. A transient experiment for the ice thickness evolution of a single-dome ice sheet demonstrates improved accuracy using the higher-order vertical interpolation compared to models using the linear vertical interpolation, despite having fewer degrees of freedom. This method is also shown to improve a model's ability

A hierarchy of timescales explains distinct effects of local inhibition of primary visual cortex and frontal eye fields.

Science.gov (United States)

Cocchi, Luca; Sale, Martin V; L Gollo, Leonardo; Bell, Peter T; Nguyen, Vinh T; Zalesky, Andrew; Breakspear, Michael; Mattingley, Jason B

2016-09-06

Within the primate visual system, areas at lower levels of the cortical hierarchy process basic visual features, whereas those at higher levels, such as the frontal eye fields (FEF), are thought to modulate sensory processes via feedback connections. Despite these functional exchanges during perception, there is little shared activity between early and late visual regions at rest. How interactions emerge between regions encompassing distinct levels of the visual hierarchy remains unknown. Here we combined neuroimaging, non-invasive cortical stimulation and computational modelling to characterize changes in functional interactions across widespread neural networks before and after local inhibition of primary visual cortex or FEF. We found that stimulation of early visual cortex selectively increased feedforward interactions with FEF and extrastriate visual areas, whereas identical stimulation of the FEF decreased feedback interactions with early visual areas. Computational modelling suggests that these opposing effects reflect a fast-slow timescale hierarchy from sensory to association areas.

Does mindfulness matter? Everyday mindfulness, mindful eating and self-reported serving size of energy dense foods among a sample of South Australian adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Beshara, Monica; Hutchinson, Amanda D; Wilson, Carlene

2013-08-01

Serving size is a modifiable determinant of energy consumption, and an important factor to address in the prevention and treatment of obesity. The present study tested an hypothesised negative association between individuals' everyday mindfulness and self-reported serving size of energy dense foods. The mediating role of mindful eating was also explored. A community sample of 171 South Australian adults completed self-report measures of everyday mindfulness and mindful eating. The dependent measure was participants' self-reported average serving size of energy dense foods consumed in the preceding week. Participants who reported higher levels of everyday mindfulness were more mindful eaters (r=0.41, pMindful eating fully mediated the negative association between everyday mindfulness and serving size. The domains of mindful eating most relevant to serving size included emotional and disinhibited eating. Results suggest that mindful eating may have a greater influence on serving size than daily mindfulness. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

General resonance mediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGarrie, Moritz

2012-07-01

We extend the framework of general gauge mediation to cases where the mediating fields have a nontrivial spectral function, as might arise from strong dynamics. We demonstrate through examples that this setup describes a broad class of possible models of gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking. A main emphasis is to give general formulas for cross sections for σ(visible → hidden) in these resonance models. We will also give formulas for soft masses, A-terms and demonstrate the framework with a holographic setup.

General resonance mediation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McGarrie, Moritz

2012-07-15

We extend the framework of general gauge mediation to cases where the mediating fields have a nontrivial spectral function, as might arise from strong dynamics. We demonstrate through examples that this setup describes a broad class of possible models of gauge mediated supersymmetry breaking. A main emphasis is to give general formulas for cross sections for {sigma}(visible {yields} hidden) in these resonance models. We will also give formulas for soft masses, A-terms and demonstrate the framework with a holographic setup.

Applied mediation analyses

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lange, Theis; Hansen, Kim Wadt; Sørensen, Rikke

2017-01-01

In recent years, mediation analysis has emerged as a powerful tool to disentangle causal pathways from an exposure/treatment to clinically relevant outcomes. Mediation analysis has been applied in scientific fields as diverse as labour market relations and randomized clinical trials of heart...... disease treatments. In parallel to these applications, the underlying mathematical theory and computer tools have been refined. This combined review and tutorial will introduce the reader to modern mediation analysis including: the mathematical framework; required assumptions; and software implementation...

The multitalented Mediator complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlsten, Jonas O P; Zhu, Xuefeng; Gustafsson, Claes M

2013-11-01

The Mediator complex is needed for regulated transcription of RNA polymerase II (Pol II)-dependent genes. Initially, Mediator was only seen as a protein bridge that conveyed regulatory information from enhancers to the promoter. Later studies have added many other functions to the Mediator repertoire. Indeed, recent findings show that Mediator influences nearly all stages of transcription and coordinates these events with concomitant changes in chromatin organization. We review the multitude of activities associated with Mediator and discuss how this complex coordinates transcription with other cellular events. We also discuss the inherent difficulties associated with in vivo characterization of a coactivator complex that can indirectly affect diverse cellular processes via changes in gene transcription. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mediation analysis with multiple versions of the mediator

OpenAIRE

VanderWeele, Tyler J.

2012-01-01

The causal inference literature has provided definitions of direct and indirect effects based on counterfactuals that generalize the approach found in the social science literature. However, these definitions presuppose well defined hypothetical interventions on the mediator. In many settings there may be multiple ways to fix the mediator to a particular value and these different hypothetical interventions may have very different implications for the outcome of interest. In this paper we cons...

Delay-induced rebounds in CO2 emissions and critical time-scales to meet global warming targets

Science.gov (United States)

Manoli, Gabriele; Katul, Gabriel G.; Marani, Marco

2016-12-01

While climate science debates are focused on the attainment of peak anthropogenic CO2 emissions and policy tools to reduce peak temperatures, the human-energy-climate system can hold "rebound" surprises beyond this peak. Following the second industrial revolution, global per capita CO2 emissions (cc) experienced a punctuated growth of about 100% every 60 years, mainly attributable to technological development and its global spread. A model of the human-energy-climate system capable of reproducing past punctuated dynamics shows that rebounds in global CO2 emissions emerge due to delays intrinsic to the diffusion of innovations. Such intrinsic delays in the adoption and spread of low-carbon emitting technologies, together with projected population growth, upset the warming target set by the Paris Agreement. To avoid rebounds and their negative climate effects, model calculations show that the diffusion of climate-friendly technologies must occur with lags one-order of magnitude shorter (i.e., ˜6 years) than the characteristic timescale of past punctuated growth in cc. Radically new strategies to globally implement the technological advances at unprecedented rates are needed if the current emission goals are to be achieved.

22 CFR 218.33 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mediation. 218.33 Section 218.33 Foreign... § 218.33 Mediation. (a) Referral of complaints for mediation. The agency will refer to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service all complaints that: (1) fall within the jurisdiction of these...

24 CFR 146.35 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mediation. 146.35 Section 146.35... ASSISTANCE Investigation, Settlement, and Enforcement Procedures § 146.35 Mediation. (a) HUD shall refer to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a mediation agency designated by the Secretary of...

On the use of a physically-based baseflow timescale in land surface models.

Science.gov (United States)

Jost, A.; Schneider, A. C.; Oudin, L.; Ducharne, A.

2017-12-01

Groundwater discharge is an important component of streamflow and estimating its spatio-temporal variation in response to changes in recharge is of great value to water resource planning, and essential for modelling accurate large scale water balance in land surface models (LSMs). First-order representation of groundwater as a single linear storage element is frequently used in LSMs for the sake of simplicity, but requires a suitable parametrization of the aquifer hydraulic behaviour in the form of the baseflow characteristic timescale (τ). Such a modelling approach can be hampered by the lack of available calibration data at global scale. Hydraulic groundwater theory provides an analytical framework to relate the baseflow characteristics to catchment descriptors. In this study, we use the long-time solution of the linearized Boussinesq equation to estimate τ at global scale, as a function of groundwater flow length and aquifer hydraulic diffusivity. Our goal is to evaluate the use of this spatially variable and physically-based τ in the ORCHIDEE surface model in terms of simulated river discharges across large catchments. Aquifer transmissivity and drainable porosity stem from GLHYMPS high-resolution datasets whereas flow length is derived from an estimation of drainage density, using the GRIN global river network. ORCHIDEE is run in offline mode and its results are compared to a reference simulation using an almost spatially constant topographic-dependent τ. We discuss the limits of our approach in terms of both the relevance and accuracy of global estimates of aquifer hydraulic properties and the extent to which the underlying assumptions in the analytical method are valid.

10 CFR 4.333 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mediation. 4.333 Section 4.333 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY... Investigation, Conciliation, and Enforcement Procedures § 4.333 Mediation. (a) Referral of complaints for mediation. NRC will refer to a mediation agency designated by the Secretary of the Department of Health and...

14 CFR 1252.402 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mediation. 1252.402 Section 1252.402... Procedures § 1252.402 Mediation. (a) Referral of complaints for mediation. NASA will refer to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service all complaints that: (1) Fall within the jurisdiction of the Act and...

34 CFR 110.32 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mediation. 110.32 Section 110.32 Education Regulations..., Conciliation, and Enforcement Procedures § 110.32 Mediation. (a) ED promptly refers to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or to the mediation agency designated by the Secretary of Health and Human...

7 CFR 780.9 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mediation. 780.9 Section 780.9 Agriculture Regulations... PROGRAMS APPEAL REGULATIONS § 780.9 Mediation. (a) Any request for mediation must be submitted after... once: (1) If resolution of an adverse decision is not achieved in mediation, a participant may exercise...

7 CFR 614.11 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mediation. 614.11 Section 614.11 Agriculture... AGRICULTURE CONSERVATION OPERATIONS NRCS APPEAL PROCEDURES § 614.11 Mediation. (a) A participant who wishes to pursue mediation must file request for mediation under this part with the NRCS official designated in the...

38 CFR 18.543 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 38 Pensions, Bonuses, and Veterans' Relief 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mediation. 18.543 Section... Enforcement Procedures § 18.543 Mediation. (a) Referral of complaints for mediation. VA will refer to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service all complaints that: (1) Fall within the jurisdiction of the...

43 CFR 17.332 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Mediation. 17.332 Section 17.332 Public..., and Enforcement Procedures § 17.332 Mediation. (a) Referral of complaints for mediation. DOI will... participate in the mediation process to the extent necessary to reach an agreement or make an informed...

Practical guidance for conducting mediation analysis with multiple mediators using inverse odds ratio weighting.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Quynh C; Osypuk, Theresa L; Schmidt, Nicole M; Glymour, M Maria; Tchetgen Tchetgen, Eric J

2015-03-01

Despite the recent flourishing of mediation analysis techniques, many modern approaches are difficult to implement or applicable to only a restricted range of regression models. This report provides practical guidance for implementing a new technique utilizing inverse odds ratio weighting (IORW) to estimate natural direct and indirect effects for mediation analyses. IORW takes advantage of the odds ratio's invariance property and condenses information on the odds ratio for the relationship between the exposure (treatment) and multiple mediators, conditional on covariates, by regressing exposure on mediators and covariates. The inverse of the covariate-adjusted exposure-mediator odds ratio association is used to weight the primary analytical regression of the outcome on treatment. The treatment coefficient in such a weighted regression estimates the natural direct effect of treatment on the outcome, and indirect effects are identified by subtracting direct effects from total effects. Weighting renders treatment and mediators independent, thereby deactivating indirect pathways of the mediators. This new mediation technique accommodates multiple discrete or continuous mediators. IORW is easily implemented and is appropriate for any standard regression model, including quantile regression and survival analysis. An empirical example is given using data from the Moving to Opportunity (1994-2002) experiment, testing whether neighborhood context mediated the effects of a housing voucher program on obesity. Relevant Stata code (StataCorp LP, College Station, Texas) is provided. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Implementing general gauge mediation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpenter, Linda M.; Dine, Michael; Festuccia, Guido; Mason, John D.

2009-01-01

Recently there has been much progress in building models of gauge mediation, often with predictions different than those of minimal gauge mediation. Meade, Seiberg, and Shih have characterized the most general spectrum which can arise in gauge-mediated models. We discuss some of the challenges of building models of general gauge mediation, especially the problem of messenger parity and issues connected with R symmetry breaking and CP violation. We build a variety of viable, weakly coupled models which exhibit some or all of the possible low energy parameters.

15 CFR 923.54 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mediation. 923.54 Section 923.54... Mediation. (a) Section 307(h) of the Act provides for mediation of serious disagreement between any Federal... cases, mediation by the Secretary, with the assistance of the Executive Office of the President, may be...

45 CFR 1156.16 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Mediation. 1156.16 Section 1156.16 Public Welfare... Procedures § 1156.16 Mediation. (a) Referral of complaints for mediation. The Endowment will promptly refer all complaints to the agency designated by the Secretary of HHS to manage the mediation process that...

15 CFR 20.12 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Mediation. 20.12 Section 20.12... Procedures § 20.12 Mediation. (a) DOC will refer to a mediation service designated by the Secretary all... further processing. (b) Both the complainant and the recipient shall participate in the mediation process...

Timescale- and Sensory Modality-Dependency of the Central Tendency of Time Perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Murai, Yuki; Yotsumoto, Yuko

2016-01-01

When individuals are asked to reproduce intervals of stimuli that are intermixedly presented at various times, longer intervals are often underestimated and shorter intervals overestimated. This phenomenon may be attributed to the central tendency of time perception, and suggests that our brain optimally encodes a stimulus interval based on current stimulus input and prior knowledge of the distribution of stimulus intervals. Two distinct systems are thought to be recruited in the perception of sub- and supra-second intervals. Sub-second timing is subject to local sensory processing, whereas supra-second timing depends on more centralized mechanisms. To clarify the factors that influence time perception, the present study investigated how both sensory modality and timescale affect the central tendency. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to reproduce sub- or supra-second intervals, defined by visual or auditory stimuli. In the sub-second range, the magnitude of the central tendency was significantly larger for visual intervals compared to auditory intervals, while visual and auditory intervals exhibited a correlated and comparable central tendency in the supra-second range. In Experiment 2, the ability to discriminate sub-second intervals in the reproduction task was controlled across modalities by using an interval discrimination task. Even when the ability to discriminate intervals was controlled, visual intervals exhibited a larger central tendency than auditory intervals in the sub-second range. In addition, the magnitude of the central tendency for visual and auditory sub-second intervals was significantly correlated. These results suggest that a common modality-independent mechanism is responsible for the supra-second central tendency, and that both the modality-dependent and modality-independent components of the timing system contribute to the central tendency in the sub-second range.

Timescale- and Sensory Modality-Dependency of the Central Tendency of Time Perception.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuki Murai

Full Text Available When individuals are asked to reproduce intervals of stimuli that are intermixedly presented at various times, longer intervals are often underestimated and shorter intervals overestimated. This phenomenon may be attributed to the central tendency of time perception, and suggests that our brain optimally encodes a stimulus interval based on current stimulus input and prior knowledge of the distribution of stimulus intervals. Two distinct systems are thought to be recruited in the perception of sub- and supra-second intervals. Sub-second timing is subject to local sensory processing, whereas supra-second timing depends on more centralized mechanisms. To clarify the factors that influence time perception, the present study investigated how both sensory modality and timescale affect the central tendency. In Experiment 1, participants were asked to reproduce sub- or supra-second intervals, defined by visual or auditory stimuli. In the sub-second range, the magnitude of the central tendency was significantly larger for visual intervals compared to auditory intervals, while visual and auditory intervals exhibited a correlated and comparable central tendency in the supra-second range. In Experiment 2, the ability to discriminate sub-second intervals in the reproduction task was controlled across modalities by using an interval discrimination task. Even when the ability to discriminate intervals was controlled, visual intervals exhibited a larger central tendency than auditory intervals in the sub-second range. In addition, the magnitude of the central tendency for visual and auditory sub-second intervals was significantly correlated. These results suggest that a common modality-independent mechanism is responsible for the supra-second central tendency, and that both the modality-dependent and modality-independent components of the timing system contribute to the central tendency in the sub-second range.

Biomarkers in sedimentary sequences: Indicators to track sediment sources over decadal timescales

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, F. X.; Fang, N. F.; Wang, Y. X.; Tong, L. S.; Shi, Z. H.

2017-02-01

Long-term sedimentary sequence research can reveal how human activities and climate interact to affect catchment vegetation, flooding, soil erosion, and sediment sources. In this study, a biomarker sediment fingerprinting technique based on n-alkanes was used to identify long timescale (decadal) sediment sources in a small agricultural catchment. However, the highly saline carbonate environment and bacterial and algal activities elevated the levels of even-chain n-alkanes in the sediments, leading to an obvious even-over-odd predominance of short and middle components (C15-C26). Therefore, by analyzing three odd, long-chain n-alkanes (C27, C29 and C31) in 27 source samples from cropland, gully, and steep slope areas and one sediment sequence (one cultivated horizon and 47 flood couplets), a composite fingerprinting method and genetic algorithm optimization were applied to find the optimal source contributions to sediments. The biomarker fingerprinting results demonstrated that the primary sediment source is gullies, followed by cropland and steep slope areas. The average median source contributions associated with 47 flood couples collected from sediment core samples ranged from 0 ± 0.1% to 91.9 ± 0.4% with an average of 45.0% for gullies, 0 ± 0.4% to 95.6 ± 1.6% with an average of 38.2% for cropland, and 0 ± 2.1% to 60.7 ± 0.4% with an average of 16.8% for steep slopes. However, because farmers were highly motivated to manage the cropland after the 1980s, over half the sediments were derived from cropland in the 1980s. Biomarkers have significant advantages in the identification of sediments derived from different landscape units (e.g., gully and steep slope areas), and n-alkanes have considerable potential in high-resolution research of environmental change based on soil erosion in the hilly Loess Plateau region.

Mediating social media use : connecting parents mediation strategies and social media literacy

OpenAIRE

Daneels, Rowan; Vanwynsberghe, Hadewijch

2017-01-01

Abstract: Increasingly complex and multipurpose social media platforms require digital competences from parents and adolescents alike. While adolescents grow up with social media, parents have more difficulties with them, leading to uncertainties regarding their adolescents social media mediation. This study contributes to parental mediation research by (1) investigating whether mediation strategies defined by previous research are also relevant for social media use, and (2) exploring whether...

The mediation procedure in Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandrina Zaharia

2009-06-01

Full Text Available The mediation activity as an alternative way of solving conflicts occupies an important place in modernsociety. Currently, the mediation reached its maturity worldwide being adopted without reservations.The future of solving conflicts is undoubtedly closely related to mediation. XXth century is the century of solvingconflicts amiably outside the court room. In Romania and the mediation profession were regulated by the Law no.192/2006, on the basis of the idea that mediation is one of the major themes of the reform strategy of the judicialsystem 2005-2007. By adopting the mentioned law it was followed the idea of reducing the volume of activitycourts, and therefore, relieve them of as many cases, with the direct effect on the quality of justice. Mediation is avoluntary process in which the parties with a neutral and impartial third party, without power of decision - themediator - who is qualified to assist the parties to negotiate, facilitating the communication between them andhelping them to reach a unanimous effective and sustainable agreement. The parties may resort to mediation beforeor after triggering a trial. Mediation can be applied, in principle, on any type of conflict. However, theRomanian legislator has established special stipulations on conflict mediation in criminal, civil and familylaw. Although not expressly provided, the stipulations regarding the civil conflicts and also apply to commercialconflicts. Therefore, the mediation is applicable to most types of lawsuits, except those relating to personalrights. As a "win- win" principle, the mediation does not convert any of the parties defeated or victorious; allthose involved have gained by applying this procedure.

45 CFR 91.43 - Mediation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Mediation. 91.43 Section 91.43 Public Welfare... Enforcement Procedures § 91.43 Mediation. (a) HHS will promptly refer to a mediation agency designated by the... mediation process to the extent necessary to reach an agreement or make an informed judgment that an...

MEDIATOR18 and MEDIATOR20 confer susceptibility to Fusarium oxysporum in Arabidopsis thaliana

Science.gov (United States)

Stiller, Jiri; Davoine, Celine; Björklund, Stefan; Manners, John M.; Kazan, Kemal; Schenk, Peer M.

2017-01-01

The conserved protein complex known as Mediator conveys transcriptional signals by acting as an intermediary between transcription factors and RNA polymerase II. As a result, Mediator subunits play multiple roles in regulating developmental as well as abiotic and biotic stress pathways. In this report we identify the head domain subunits MEDIATOR18 and MEDIATOR20 as important susceptibility factors for Fusarium oxysporum infection in Arabidopsis thaliana. Mutants of MED18 and MED20 display down-regulation of genes associated with jasmonate signaling and biosynthesis while up-regulation of salicylic acid associated pathogenesis related genes and reactive oxygen producing and scavenging genes. We propose that MED18 and MED20 form a sub-domain within Mediator that controls the balance of salicylic acid and jasmonate associated defense pathways. PMID:28441405

Music, radio and mediatization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Michelsen, Morten; Krogh, Mads

2016-01-01

of mediatization where media as such seem to be ascribed agency. Instead, we consider historical accounts of music–radio in order to address the complex nonlinearity of concrete processes of mediatization as they take place in the multiple meetings between a decentred notion of radio and musical life.......Mediatization has become a key concept for understanding the relations between media and other cultural and social fields. Contributing to the discussions related to the concept of mediatization, this article discusses how practices of radio and music(al life) influence each other. We follow Deacon......’s and Stanyer’s advice to supplement the concept of mediatization with ‘a series of additional concepts at lower levels of abstraction’ and suggest, in this respect, the notion of heterogeneous milieus of music–radio. Hereby, we turn away from the all-encompassing perspectives related to the concept...

Exploring methods for combining altimetry with other data to extend the 20-year altimetric record onto a 50 year timescale

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svendsen, Peter Limkilde; Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg

Ocean satellite altimetry has provided global sets of sea level data for the last two decades, allowing determination of spatial patterns in global sea level. For reconstructions going back further than this period, tide gauge data can be used as a proxy for the model. We examine different methods......-around of spatial shifts. Parameters from physical oceanography will be incorporated using ocean models (i.e., DRAKKAR; SODA) for a preliminary reference. Our focus is on a timescale going back approximately 50 years, allowing reasonable global availability of model and tide gauge data. This allows for better...... of combining satellite altimetry and tide gauge data using optimal weighting of tide gauge data, linear regression and EOFs, including automatic quality checks of the tide gauge time series. We attempt to test the sensibility of reconstruction using known and existing datasets and to test the important...

29 CFR 1203.1 - Mediation services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Mediation services. 1203.1 Section 1203.1 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) NATIONAL MEDIATION BOARD APPLICATIONS FOR SERVICE § 1203.1 Mediation services. Applications for the mediation services of the National Mediation Board under section 5, First, of the Railway...

Constraints on timescales and mechanics of magmatic underplating from InSAR observations of large active magma sills in the Earth's crust.

Science.gov (United States)

Fialko, Y.

2002-12-01

Theoretical models of the granitoid magma generation due to magmatic underplating predict that anatectic melts are produced on quite short timescales of the order of the crystallization time of typical mafic underplates (e.g., 102-10^3 years for sill intrusions that are a few tens to a few hundred meters thick). If so, the intrusion of mafic underplates, the volume changes associated with in situ melting, and the subsequent evacuation of the resulting granitoid magmas can each generate geodetically observable deformation. Geodetic measurements in areas of contemporaneous large active magma bodies may therefore provide critical constraints on the timescales and dynamics of crustal anatexis. We use Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) observations in regions of the ongoing crustal magmatism to constrain typical rates of the large-scale melt generation and/or migration, and to test the proposed models of the granitic melt production. Our primary targets include large mid-crustal magma bodies imaged by seismic studies, in particular, the Socorro (New Mexico, USA), the Altiplano-Puna (south America), and the south Tibet (Asia) magma bodies. All these magma bodies are located at depth of 19-20 km, suggesting a strong rheological or buoyancy control on the transition from a vertical to a horizontal magma flow. Stacked interferometric data from the Socorro magma body indicate a quasi-steady uplift with a maximum rate of 3-4 mm/yr over the last 10 years covered by the InSAR observations. The uplift morphology can be well described by an elastic inflation of the Socorro sill. We show that deformation models that allow for the viscous-like rheology of the mid-to-lower crust cannot be easily reconciled with the geodetic data. However, thermodynamic modeling, in conjunction with inferences of the nearly constant uplift rates, suggest that the deformations associated with the intrusion emplacement must involve a significant inelastic component. Such inelastic

Mediated moderation or moderated mediation: relationship between length of unemployment, resilience, coping and health.

Science.gov (United States)

Sojo, Víctor; Guarino, Leticia

2011-05-01

The aim of the present research was to evaluate a model of mediated moderation vs. moderated mediation that could explain the relationship between length of unemployment, dispositional resilience, coping styles and depression and social functioning of Venezuelan unemployed individuals. Self-report measures were administered to a sample of 328 unemployed residents in Caracas, Venezuela. Results indicated that emotional coping acted as a mediator in the relationship between resilience and depression. Individuals with greater resilience used more detachment coping when unemployment was longer, while individuals with poorer resilience in the same situation used less avoidance coping. Resilience acted as a protective moderating factor between longer periods of unemployment and social functioning, a process mediated by detachment coping. Overall, results supported a mediated moderation model, with resilience as the moderating factor and coping as the mediator in the relation between stress due to the length of unemployment and well-being.

Laccase/Mediator Systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hilgers, Roelant; Vincken, Jean Paul; Gruppen, Harry; Kabel, Mirjam A.

2018-01-01

Laccase-mediator systems (LMS) have been widely studied for their capacity to oxidize the nonphenolic subunits of lignin (70-90% of the polymer). The phenolic subunits (10-30% of the polymer), which can also be oxidized without mediators, have received considerably less attention. Consequently, it

Current Directions in Mediation Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

MacKinnon, David P.; Fairchild, Amanda J.

2010-01-01

Mediating variables continue to play an important role in psychological theory and research. A mediating variable transmits the effect of an antecedent variable on to a dependent variable, thereby providing more detailed understanding of relations among variables. Methods to assess mediation have been an active area of research for the last two decades. This paper describes the current state of methods to investigate mediating variables. PMID:20157637

Current Directions in Mediation Analysis

OpenAIRE

MacKinnon, David P.; Fairchild, Amanda J.

2009-01-01

Mediating variables continue to play an important role in psychological theory and research. A mediating variable transmits the effect of an antecedent variable on to a dependent variable, thereby providing more detailed understanding of relations among variables. Methods to assess mediation have been an active area of research for the last two decades. This paper describes the current state of methods to investigate mediating variables.

A classical regression framework for mediation analysis: fitting one model to estimate mediation effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Saunders, Christina T; Blume, Jeffrey D

2017-10-26

Mediation analysis explores the degree to which an exposure's effect on an outcome is diverted through a mediating variable. We describe a classical regression framework for conducting mediation analyses in which estimates of causal mediation effects and their variance are obtained from the fit of a single regression model. The vector of changes in exposure pathway coefficients, which we named the essential mediation components (EMCs), is used to estimate standard causal mediation effects. Because these effects are often simple functions of the EMCs, an analytical expression for their model-based variance follows directly. Given this formula, it is instructive to revisit the performance of routinely used variance approximations (e.g., delta method and resampling methods). Requiring the fit of only one model reduces the computation time required for complex mediation analyses and permits the use of a rich suite of regression tools that are not easily implemented on a system of three equations, as would be required in the Baron-Kenny framework. Using data from the BRAIN-ICU study, we provide examples to illustrate the advantages of this framework and compare it with the existing approaches. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.