Tectonics of the central Andes

Acquisition of nearly complete coverage of Thematic Mapper data for the central Andes between about 15 to 34 degrees S has stimulated a comprehensive and unprecedented study of the interaction of tectonics and climate in a young and actively developing major continental mountain belt. The current state of the synoptic mapping of key physiographic, tectonic, and climatic indicators of the dynamics of the mountain/climate system are briefly reviewed

Calcium Carbide as a Dehydrating Agent for Alcohols

It is well known that almost all alcohols purchased in the market contain considerable water. It varies from five per cent to fifteen per cent in methyl and ethyl alcohols and is less in amyl and other alcohols. It was thought that it would be interesting and profitable to determine the degree of dehydration produced by the action of calcium carbide on the water in these alcohols

Structural Diversity in the Inner Ear of Teleost Fishes: Implications for Connections to the Mauthner Cell

A body of literature suggests that the Mauthner cell startle response can be elicited by stimulation of the ear. While we know that there are projections to the M-cell from the ear, the specific endorgan(s) of the ear projecting to the M-cell are not known. Moreover, there are many reasons to question whether there is one pattern of inner ear to M-cell connection or whether the endorgan(s) projection to the M-cell varies in species that have different hearing capabilities of hearing structures. In this paper, we briefly review the structure of fish ears, with an emphasis on structural regionalization within the ear. We also review the central projections of the ear, along with a discussion of the limited data on projections to the M-cell

Metal-Insulator-Like Behavior in Semimetallic Bismuth and Graphite

When high quality bismuth or graphite crystals are placed in a magnetic field directed along the c-axis (trigonal axis for bismuth) and the temperature is lowered, the resistance increases as it does in an insulator but then saturates. We show that the combination of unusual features specific to semimetals, i.e., low carrier density, small effective mass, high purity, and an equal number of electrons and holes (compensation), gives rise to a unique ordering and spacing of three characteristic energy scales, which not only is specific to semimetals but which concomitantly provides a wide window for the observation of apparent field induced metal-insulator behavior. Using magnetotransport and Hall measurements, the details of this unusual behavior are captured with a conventional multi-band model, thus confirming the occupation by semimetals of a unique niche between conventional metals and semiconductors.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figs, data and discussion on bismuth added, final published versio

Multi-Agent Complex Systems and Many-Body Physics

Multi-agent complex systems comprising populations of decision-making particles, have many potential applications across the biological, informational and social sciences. We show that the time-averaged dynamics in such systems bear a striking resemblance to conventional many-body physics. For the specific example of the Minority Game, this analogy enables us to obtain analytic expressions which are in excellent agreement with numerical simulations.Comment: Accepted for publication in Europhysics Letter

Vlasov Equation In Magnetic Field

The linearized Vlasov equation for a plasma system in a uniform magnetic field and the corresponding linear Vlasov operator are studied. The spectrum and the corresponding eigenfunctions of the Vlasov operator are found. The spectrum of this operator consists of two parts: one is continuous and real; the other is discrete and complex. Interestingly, the real eigenvalues are infinitely degenerate, which causes difficulty solving this initial value problem by using the conventional eigenfunction expansion method. Finally, the Vlasov equation is solved by the resolvent method.Comment: 15 page

Long-Term Renal Function following Exposure to Petroleum Environmental Pollutants in the population of Ogoni Women,Niger Delta: A possible cellular mechanisms of Environmental Pollutants-induced Nephrotoxicity

Environmental toxic pollutants are of environmentalconcern because of its diversity of toxic effects in human body. In this study, randomly selected 184 female volunteers,94  from  Ogoni, Rivers State, Niger Delta and 90 from Ogoja Cross River State,consistently living in the petroleum exploration or gas and oil flaring region and non-petroleum production environments respectively, Nigeria, were used to estimate the contents of renal function indices  using standard procedures. Volunteers’ age ranged from 18 to 50 years. When compared to control, this study indicated significant high level of urea, creatinine, sodium and potassium with the ratio of urea to creatinine of 3:1 for the population of Ogoni women. Correlation coefficient analysis revealed significant positive relationship between heavy metals (lead, cadmium and vanadium) and renal function indices (urea and creatinine). An indication that environmental toxic pollutants cancause direct damage to the kidneysplausibly mediated by the combination of the high content of the exposed environmental pollutants and the induced high level of the renal toxins, specifically urea, which possibly fragmented blood cells without heat leading to nephrotoxicity.Additionally, the inference is that the population in the petroleum exploitation and exploration or oil and gas flaring environments are predisposed to renal dysfunction and are unaware