Prediction Space Weather Using an Asymmetric Cone Model for Halo CMEs

Halo coronal mass ejections (HCMEs) are responsible of the most severe geomagnetic storms. A prediction of their geoeffectiveness and travel time to Earth's vicinity is crucial to forecast space weather. Unfortunately coronagraphic observations are subjected to projection effects and do not provide true characteristics of CMEs. Recently, Michalek (2006, {\it Solar Phys.}, {\bf237}, 101) developed an asymmetric cone model to obtain the space speed, width and source location of HCMEs. We applied this technique to obtain the parameters of all front-sided HCMEs observed by the SOHO/LASCO experiment during a period from the beginning of 2001 until the end of 2002 (solar cycle 23). These parameters were applied for the space weather forecast. Our study determined that the space speeds are strongly correlated with the travel times of HCMEs within Earth's vicinity and with the magnitudes related to geomagnetic disturbances

Stability of a neural network model with small-world connections

Small-world networks are highly clustered networks with small distances among the nodes. There are many biological neural networks that present this kind of connections. There are no special weightings in the connections of most existing small-world network models. However, this kind of simply-connected models cannot characterize biological neural networks, in which there are different weights in synaptic connections. In this paper, we present a neural network model with weighted small-world connections, and further investigate the stability of this model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Estimation of the length of interactions in arena game semantics

We estimate the maximal length of interactions between strategies in HO/N game semantics, in the spirit of the work by Schwichtenberg and Beckmann for the length of reduction in simply typed lambdacalculus. Because of the operational content of game semantics, the bounds presented here also apply to head linear reduction on lambda-terms and to the execution of programs by abstract machines (PAM/KAM), including in presence of computational effects such as non-determinism or ground type references. The proof proceeds by extracting from the games model a combinatorial rewriting rule on trees of natural numbers, which can then be analyzed independently of game semantics or lambda-calculus.Comment: Foundations of Software Science and Computational Structures 14th International Conference, FOSSACS 2011, Saarbr\"ucken : Germany (2011

Anharmonic transitions in nearly dry L-cysteine I

Two special dynamical transitions of universal character have been recently observed in macromolecules at $T_{D}\sim 180 - 220$ K and $T^{*}\sim 100$ K. Despite their relevance, a complete understanding of the nature of these transitions and their consequences for the bio-activity of the macromolecule is still lacking. Our results and analysis concerning the temperature dependence of structural, vibrational and thermodynamical properties of the orthorhombic polymorph of the amino acid L-cysteine (at a hydration level of 3.5%) indicated that the two referred temperatures define the triggering of very simple and specific events that govern all the biochemical interactions of the biomolecule: activation of rigid rotors ($T<T^{*}$), phonon-phonon interactions with phonons of water dimer ($T^{*}<T<T_{D}$), and water rotational barriers surpassing ($T>T_{D}$).Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter

Space Weather Application Using Projected Velocity Asymmetry of Halo CMEs

Halo coronal mass ejections (HCMEs) originating from regions close to the center of the Sun are likely to be responsible for severe geomagnetic storms. It is important to predict geo-effectiveness of HCMEs using observations when they are still near the Sun. Unfortunately, coronagraphic observations do not provide true speeds of CMEs due to the projection effects. In the present paper, we present a new technique allowing estimate the space speed and approximate source location using projected speeds measured at different position angles for a given HCME (velocity asymmetry). We apply this technique to HCMEs observed during 2001-2002 and find that the improved speeds are better correlated with the travel times of HCMEs to Earth and with the magnitudes ensuing geomagnetic storms.Comment: accepted for [publication in Solar Physic

Scale-free brain functional networks

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is used to extract {\em functional networks} connecting correlated human brain sites. Analysis of the resulting networks in different tasks shows that: (a) the distribution of functional connections, and the probability of finding a link vs. distance are both scale-free, (b) the characteristic path length is small and comparable with those of equivalent random networks, and (c) the clustering coefficient is orders of magnitude larger than those of equivalent random networks. All these properties, typical of scale-free small world networks, reflect important functional information about brain states.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Low-temperature muon spin rotation studies of the monopole charges and currents in Y doped Ho2Ti2O7

In the ground state of Ho2Ti2O7 spin ice, the disorder of the magnetic moments follows the same rules as the proton disorder in water ice. Excitations take the form of magnetic monopoles that interact via a magnetic Coulomb interaction. Muon spin rotation has been used to probe the low-temperature magnetic behaviour in single crystal Ho2−xYxTi2O7 (x = 0, 0.1, 1, 1.6 and 2). At very low temperatures, a linear field dependence for the relaxation rate of the muon precession λ(B), that in some previous experiments on Dy2Ti2O7 spin ice has been associated with monopole currents, is observed in samples with x = 0, and 0.1. A signal from the magnetic fields penetrating into the silver sample plate due to the magnetization of the crystals is observed for all the samples containing Ho allowing us to study the unusual magnetic dynamics of Y doped spin ice

Combined treatment with caffeic and ferulic acid from Baccharis uncinella C. DC. (Asteraceae) protects against metabolic syndrome in mice

Fractionation of the EtOH extract from aerial parts of Baccharis uncinella C. DC. (Asteraceae) led to isolation of caffeic and ferulic acids, which were identified from spectroscopic and spectrometric evidence. These compounds exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and have been shown to be effective in the prevention/treatment of metabolic syndrome. This study investigated whether the combined treatment of caffeic and ferulic acids exhibits a more significant beneficial effect in a mouse model with metabolic syndrome. The combination treatment with caffeic and ferulic acids was tested for 60 days in C57 mice kept on a high-fat (40%) diet. The data obtained indicated that treatment with caffeic and ferulic acids prevented gain in body weight induced by the high-fat diet and improved hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. The expression of a number of metabolically relevant genes was affected in the liver of these animals, showing that caffeic and ferulic acid treatment results in increased cholesterol uptake and reduced hepatic triglyceride synthesis in the liver, which is a likely explanation for the prevention of hepatic steatosis. In conclusion, the combined treatment of caffeic and ferulic acids displayed major positive effects towards prevention of multiple aspects of the metabolic syndrome and liver steatosis in an obese mouse model.CAPESFAPESPMackPesquisaUniv Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Programa Posgrad Disturbios Desenvolvimento, Ctr Ciencias Biol & Saude, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Med Translac, Escola Paulista Med, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed ABC, Ctr Ciencias Nat & Humanas, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilEscola Ciencias Med, Dept Ciencias Patol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Presbiteriana Mackenzie, Escola Engn, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilRush Univ & Med Ctr, Dept Internal Med, Div Endocrinol & Metab, Chicago, IL 60612 USAUniv Fed Sao Paulo, Inst Ciencias Ambientais Quim & Farmaceut, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 2011/21847-6Web of Scienc

Comparative analysis of the top six and bottom six teams’ corner kick strategies in the 2015/2016 English Premier League

This study compared the corner kick strategies employed by the top six and bottom six teams across 120 matches of the 2015/2016 English Premier League Season. In total, 2,303 corner kicks were examined by univariate analyses individual χ2 and bivariate analyses with contingency tables (χ2 and association measures). Top six teams favoured an outswinging delivery, whilst the bottom six teams favoured inswinging deliveries (p < 0.001). Top six teams operated a dynamic attacking organisation during ball deliveries, (p < 0.001), whereas the bottom six operated static and dynamic attacking strategies in equal measure. Top six teams took corner kicks frequently when winning or drawing, whereas bottom six teams took most corner kicks when losing or drawing (match status, p < 0.001). Bivariate analyses identified that goals were scored from corner kicks when attacking organisation was dynamic, two defenders were on the posts and the score line was level (p < 0.05). Results supplement the design of practice tasks that afford successful corner kicks in training and game play scenarios