1,245 research outputs found
The Rydberg-Atom-Cavity Axion Search
We report on the present progress in development of the dark matter axion
search experiment with Rydberg-atom-cavity detectors in Kyoto, CARRACK I and
CARRACK II. The axion search has been performed with CARRACK I in the 8 % mass
range around , and CARRACK II is now ready for the search in
the wide range . We have also developed
quantum theoretical calculations on the axion-photon-atom system in the
resonant cavity in order to estimate precisely the detection sensitivity for
the axion signal. Some essential features on the axion-photon-atom interaction
are clarified, which provide the optimum experimental setup for the axion
search.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Invited talk presented at the Dark2000,
Heidelberg, Germany,10-15 July, 200
Evaluating 35 Methods to Generate Structural Connectomes Using Pairwise Classification
There is no consensus on how to construct structural brain networks from
diffusion MRI. How variations in pre-processing steps affect network
reliability and its ability to distinguish subjects remains opaque. In this
work, we address this issue by comparing 35 structural connectome-building
pipelines. We vary diffusion reconstruction models, tractography algorithms and
parcellations. Next, we classify structural connectome pairs as either
belonging to the same individual or not. Connectome weights and eight
topological derivative measures form our feature set. For experiments, we use
three test-retest datasets from the Consortium for Reliability and
Reproducibility (CoRR) comprised of a total of 105 individuals. We also compare
pairwise classification results to a commonly used parametric test-retest
measure, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC).Comment: Accepted for MICCAI 2017, 8 pages, 3 figure
Strategic Framework to Foster Grain Legume and Dryland Cereal Seed Systems Innovations Guidelines to Drive Seed Delivery Systems through Commodity Value Chains
Millions of smallholders in the drylands continue to use non-improved seed with lower productivity. About
half of these farmers live below the poverty line with only US $1.90 per day or less sustaining them. This
Grain Legume and Dryland Cereal (GLDC) crops seed systems strategy has been put together to deliver
realized genetic gains to these farmers’ fields
A brief exposure to rightward prismatic adaptation changes resting-state network characteristics of the ventral attentional system.
A brief session of rightward prismatic adaptation (R-PA) has been shown to alleviate neglect symptoms in patients with right hemispheric damage, very likely by switching hemispheric dominance of the ventral attentional network (VAN) from the right to the left and by changing task-related activity within the dorsal attentional network (DAN). We have investigated this very rapid change in functional organisation with a network approach by comparing resting-state connectivity before and after a brief exposure i) to R-PA (14 normal subjects; experimental condition) or ii) to plain glasses (12 normal subjects; control condition). A whole brain analysis (comprising 129 regions of interest) highlighted R-PA-induced changes within a bilateral, fronto-temporal network, which consisted of 13 nodes and 11 edges; all edges involved one of 4 frontal nodes, which were part of VAN. The analysis of network characteristics within VAN and DAN revealed a R-PA-induced decrease in connectivity strength between nodes and a decrease in local efficiency within VAN but not within DAN. These results indicate that the resting-state connectivity configuration of VAN is modulated by R-PA, possibly by decreasing its modularity
An fMRI study of error monitoring in Montessori and traditionally-schooled children.
The development of error monitoring is central to learning and academic achievement. However, few studies exist on the neural correlates of children's error monitoring, and no studies have examined its susceptibility to educational influences. Pedagogical methods differ on how they teach children to learn from errors. Here, 32 students (aged 8-12 years) from high-quality Swiss traditional or Montessori schools performed a math task with feedback during fMRI. Although the groups' accuracies were similar, Montessori students skipped fewer trials, responded faster and showed more neural activity in right parietal and frontal regions involved in math processing. While traditionally-schooled students showed greater functional connectivity between the ACC, involved in error monitoring, and hippocampus following correct trials, Montessori students showed greater functional connectivity between the ACC and frontal regions following incorrect trials. The findings suggest that pedagogical experience influences the development of error monitoring and its neural correlates, with implications for neurodevelopment and education
Simultaneous Projectile-Target Ionization: A Novel Approach to (e, 2e) Experiments on Ions
A kinematically complete experiment for simultaneous ionization of a projectile and target has been performed for 3.6 MeV/u C2+ on He collisions measuring the final vector momenta of the He1+ recoil ion and of two electrons (projectile, target) in coincidence with the emerging C3+ projectile. The feasibility of an event-by-event separation of the various reaction channels, among them the ionization of C2+ by the interaction with a quasifree target electron, is demonstrated in agreement with six-body classical trajectory Monte Carlo calculations, paving the way to kinematically complete electron-ion scattering experiments
Travel-Associated Zika Virus Disease Acquired in the Americas Through February 2016
BACKGROUND: Zika virus has spread rapidly in the Americas and has been imported into many nonendemic countries by travelers.
OBJECTIVE: To describe clinical manifestations and epidemiology of Zika virus disease in travelers exposed in the Americas.
DESIGN: Descriptive, using GeoSentinel records. SETTING: 63 travel and tropical medicine clinics in 30 countries.
PATIENTS: Ill returned travelers with a confirmed, probable, or clinically suspected diagnosis of Zika virus disease seen between January 2013 and 29 February 2016.
MEASUREMENTS: Frequencies of demographic, trip, and clinical characteristics and complications.
RESULTS: Starting in May 2015, 93 cases of Zika virus disease were reported. Common symptoms included exanthema (88%), fever (76%), and arthralgia (72%). Fifty-nine percent of patients were exposed in South America; 71% were diagnosed in Europe. Case status was established most commonly by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing of blood and less often by PCR testing of other body fluids or serology and plaque-reduction neutralization testing. Two patients developed Guillain–Barre syndrome, and 3 of 4 pregnancies had adverse outcomes (microcephaly, major fetal neurologic abnormalities, and intrauterine fetal death).
LIMITATION: Surveillance data collected by specialized clinics may not be representative of all ill returned travelers, and denominator data are unavailable.
CONCLUSION: These surveillance data help characterize the clinical manifestations and adverse outcomes of Zika virus disease among travelers infected in the Americas and show a need for global standardization of diagnostic testing. The serious fetal complications observed in this study highlight the importance of travel advisories and prevention measures for pregnant women and their partners. Travelers are sentinels for global Zika virus circulation and may facilitate further transmission
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