The upgrading of glass microballoons

The processes and mechanisms involved in producing glass microballoons of acceptable quality for laser fusion by gas jet levitation and manipulation were studied. Glass microballoons (GMBs) levitated at temperatures below, as well as above the liquidus, appear to diffuse sulfur dioxide, a polar molecule with a moderately large diameter, and hydrogen, a much smaller molecule at comparable rates. Rates on the order of tens of atmospheres per hour (constant volume) per atmosphere of partial pressure differential have been observed at temperatures around the liquidus. Relatively rapid and convenient filling of molten GMBs by levitation in deuterium and tritium appears to be a possibility

Optical enhancement of sensitivity in laser Doppler velocity systems

Utilization of optical enhancement techniques prevents loss of light by reflections at the photocathode of a photomultiplier and increases signal detection sensitivity

Quasi-Normal Modes of Brane-Localised Standard Model Fields

We present here a detailed study of the quasi-normal spectrum of brane-localised Standard Model fields in the vicinity of D-dimensional black-holes. A variety of such backgrounds (Schwarzschild, Reissner-Nordstrom and Schwarzszchild-(Anti) de Sitter) are investigated. The dependence of the quasi-normal spectra on the dimensionality D, spin of the field s, and multipole number l is analyzed. Analytical formulae are obtained for a number of limiting cases: in the limit of large multipole number for Schwarzschild, Schwarzschild-de Sitter and Reissner-Nordstrom black holes, in the extremal limit of the Schwarzschild-de Sitter black hole, and in the limit of small horizon radius in the case of Schwarzschild-Anti de Sitter black holes. We show that an increase in the number of hidden, extra dimensions results in the faster damping of all fields living on the brane, and that the localization of fields on a brane affects the QN spectrum in a number of additional ways, both direct and indirect.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.

Bach speaks: A cortical "language-network" serves the processing of music

The aim of the present study was the investigation of neural correlates of music processing with fMRI. Chord sequences were presented to the participants, infrequently containing unexpected musical events. These events activated the areas of Broca and Wernicke, the superior temporal sulcus, Heschl's gyrus, both planum polare and planum temporale, as well as the anterior superior insular cortices. Some of these brain structures have previously been shown to be involved in music processing, but the cortical network comprising all these structures has up to now been thought to be domain-specific for language processing. To what extent this network might also be activated by the processing of non-linguistic information has remained unknown. The present fMRI-data reveal that the human brain employs this neuronal network also for the processing of musical information, suggesting that the cortical network known to support language processing is less domain-specific than previously believed

Working memory and lexical ambiguity resolution as revealed by ERPs: A difficult case for activation theories

This series of three event-related potential experiments explored the issue of whether the underlying mechanism of working memory (WM) supporting language processing is inhibitory or activational in nature. These different cognitive mechanisms have been proposed to explain the more efficient processing of subjects with a high WM span compared to those with a low WM span. Participants with high and low WM span were presented with sentences containing a homonym followed three words later by a nominal disambiguation cue and a final disambiguation using a verb. At the position of the disambiguation cue, inhibitory or activational WM mechanisms predict contrasting results. When activation is the underlying mechanism for efficient processing, the prediction is that high memory span persons activate both meanings of the homonym equally in WM, whereas low memory span persons only have one meaning present. When inhibition is the underlying mechanism, the predictions are the reverse. The ERP data, in particular, the variations of the meaning related N400 component, showed clear evidence for inhibition as the underlying cognitive mechanism in high-span readers. For low-span participants the cueing towards the dominant or the subordinate meaning elicited an equivalently large N400 component suggesting that both meanings are active in WM. In high-span subjects, the dominant disambiguation cue elicited a smaller N400 than the subordinate one, indicating that for these subjects particularly the dominant meaning is active. The experiments showed that inhibitory processes are probably underlying WM used during language comprehension in high-span subjects. Moreover, they demonstrate that these subjects can use their inhibition in a more flexible manner than low-span subjects. The effects that these processing differences have on the efficiency of language parsing are discussed

A Review of Salinity Problems of Organisms in United States Coastal Areas Subject to the Effects of Engineering Works

The nongaseous substances that normally move in and out of cells are metabolites, water and salts. The common salts in water determine its salinity, and the definition of sea water salinity and its composition are discussed. The relationships of salinity to all phyla of animals living in the coastal waters are reviewed, with emphasis on the estuaries of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States, which are particularly influenced by coastal engineering works and changes of salinity caused thereby. The fauna of estuaries is made up of a few brackish water species which complete their life cycles there, marine species which spend only a part of their life cycles there and which have definite low-salinity limits, a few anadromous species passing through, and a few fresh water species with high salinity limits. Organisms of marine origin are dominant. Floods and drought periods, resulting in severe osmotic changes, may kill organisms or result in drastic changes of the biota, which may take extended time to reestablish itself, if the conditions return to normal. Many invertebrate animals have few mechanisms for controlling the movement of waters and salts across their external membranes and thus are osmotic conformers. Species that cannot withstand wide salinity change are said to be stenohaline, but many species can tolerate rather wide changes; they have broad tolerance at a cellular level. Osmoregulators exhibit considerable control of their internal salinity by excretory mechanisms and permeability control of the body surface to water and salts. In general, the worms and molluscs are more often osmoconformers than the crustaceans, the latter having greater control over their internal osmotic environment than other invertebrate groups. Effects upon different stages of life history are different, but in general the limiting effects of salinity and other environmental factors bear upon the reproductive stages or the young. The limits of salinities are nearly always on the lower side with regard to estuarine organisms. Aside from osmotic adjustments, animals react to salinity changes by closing their shells, closing their burrows, burying in the bottom where interstitial water has higher salinity, or motile forms simply move out. In spite of these adjustments, none may be successful during large floods. The salinity relationships of all phyla are reviewed, even though some of them are unimportant parts of the marine populations. Dinoflagellate Protozoa which cause red tides have precise salinity requirements and their outbreaks would be subject to control if reservoirs of fresh water were available. Sponges are generally high salinity organisms and not often damaged by low salinity. All the worms, including several phyla and the rather advanced Annelida, and the Mollusca are weakly motile at best and are thus subject to extermination by heavy floods in estuaries. However, most of these animals have short life cycles and their populations are quickly reestablished when the salinity regime returns to normal. The dominant invertebrates in estuaries are crustaceans. The larger species are generally motile and not subject to catastrophic damage. Nevertheless, the lower limits of toleration of most species are quite limited and even a change of half part per thousand salinity will cause changes in the range in many species. If the salinity gradient falls, species drop out of the complex because their lower limits are reached, with the numbers of species becoming less in lower salinities. There is an estuarine life history among the higher crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs which is also applicable to the fishes, and which is closely related to salinity. The adults spawn in high salinities of the open ocean and the young come back into the estuaries to raise. The young apparently prefer the lower salinities that the species will tolerate; and they move back out to sea as they grow, thus bringing about a correlation with risinpsalinity and increase in size, which may be quite precise as in the case of the commercial shrimp of the Gulf coast. Although catastrophic changes in salinity are quite important to populations, the day-today generally normal salinity regimes also play a great part in determining the population picture of an estuary. Ninety-eight per cent of all the commercial fishery production in the Gulf of Mexico is from species connected with the estuary sometime in their life history. The fishes of bays and sounds are made up of a relatively few species which spend their lives there, of semi-anadromous and anadromous fishes going from and coming to fresh water, of a few strays from fresh water, a few strays from the open ocean and a host of semicatadromous species that undergo the marine-estuarine type of life history. Largc specimens are found in higher salinity water for most species. Being strongly motile, few species are damaged by floods. The weakly motile amphioxus is the only chordate known to be destroyed in vast numbers by fresh water. The fishes are strong osmoregulators and in the changing salinity of the bays they regulate as fresh water fishes or marine fishes, depending upon whether or not the ambient salinity is higher or lower than that of the blood. The salinity relations of salt water plants are less well known than those of the animals; however, a summary is given on what information we have concerning the flowering plants of the marshes and the totally submerged marine grasses along the Gulf coast. Each separate bay, sound or estuary is an individual case with regard to salinity, but they can be appraised by biologists acquainted with the local fauna and flora so as to minimize and possibly even enhance their biotic potential in connection with salinity changes caused by engineering works

A Review of Salinity Problems of Organisms in United States Coastal Areas Subject to the Effects of Engineering Works

The nongaseous substances that normally move in and out of cells are metabolites, water and salts. The common salts in water determine its salinity, and the definition of sea water salinity and its composition are discussed. The relationships of salinity to all phyla of animals living in the coastal waters are reviewed, with emphasis on the estuaries of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States, which are particularly influenced by coastal engineering works and changes of salinity caused thereby. The fauna of estuaries is made up of a few brackish water species which complete their life cycles there, marine species which spend only a part of their life cycles there and which have definite low-salinity limits, a few anadromous species passing through, and a few fresh water species with high salinity limits. Organisms of marine origin are dominant. Floods and drought periods, resulting in severe osmotic changes, may kill organisms or result in drastic changes of the biota, which may take extended time to reestablish itself, if the conditions return to normal. Many invertebrate animals have few mechanisms for controlling the movement of waters and salts across their external membranes and thus are osmotic conformers. Species that cannot withstand wide salinity change are said to be stenohaline, but many species can tolerate rather wide changes; they have broad tolerance at a cellular level. Osmoregulators exhibit considerable control of their internal salinity by excretory mechanisms and permeability control of the body surface to water and salts. In general, the worms and molluscs are more often osmoconformers than the crustaceans, the latter having greater control over their internal osmotic environment than other invertebrate groups. Effects upon different stages of life history are different, but in general the limiting effects of salinity and other environmental factors bear upon the reproductive stages or the young. The limits of salinities are nearly always on the lower side with regard to estuarine organisms. Aside from osmotic adjustments, animals react to salinity changes by closing their shells, closing their burrows, burying in the bottom where interstitial water has higher salinity, or motile forms simply move out. In spite of these adjustments, none may be successful during large floods. The salinity relationships of all phyla are reviewed, even though some of them are unimportant parts of the marine populations. Dinoflagellate Protozoa which cause red tides have precise salinity requirements and their outbreaks would be subject to control if reservoirs of fresh water were available. Sponges are generally high salinity organisms and not often damaged by low salinity. All the worms, including several phyla and the rather advanced Annelida, and the Mollusca are weakly motile at best and are thus subject to extermination by heavy floods in estuaries. However, most of these animals have short life cycles and their populations are quickly reestablished when the salinity regime returns to normal. The dominant invertebrates in estuaries are crustaceans. The larger species are generally motile and not subject to catastrophic damage. Nevertheless, the lower limits of toleration of most species are quite limited and even a change of half part per thousand salinity will cause changes in the range in many species. If the salinity gradient falls, species drop out of the complex because their lower limits are reached, with the numbers of species becoming less in lower salinities. There is an estuarine life history among the higher crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs which is also applicable to the fishes, and which is closely related to salinity. The adults spawn in high salinities of the open ocean and the young come back into the estuaries to raise. The young apparently prefer the lower salinities that the species will tolerate; and they move back out to sea as they grow, thus bringing about a correlation with risinpsalinity and increase in size, which may be quite precise as in the case of the commercial shrimp of the Gulf coast. Although catastrophic changes in salinity are quite important to populations, the day-today generally normal salinity regimes also play a great part in determining the population picture of an estuary. Ninety-eight per cent of all the commercial fishery production in the Gulf of Mexico is from species connected with the estuary sometime in their life history. The fishes of bays and sounds are made up of a relatively few species which spend their lives there, of semi-anadromous and anadromous fishes going from and coming to fresh water, of a few strays from fresh water, a few strays from the open ocean and a host of semicatadromous species that undergo the marine-estuarine type of life history. Largc specimens are found in higher salinity water for most species. Being strongly motile, few species are damaged by floods. The weakly motile amphioxus is the only chordate known to be destroyed in vast numbers by fresh water. The fishes are strong osmoregulators and in the changing salinity of the bays they regulate as fresh water fishes or marine fishes, depending upon whether or not the ambient salinity is higher or lower than that of the blood. The salinity relations of salt water plants are less well known than those of the animals; however, a summary is given on what information we have concerning the flowering plants of the marshes and the totally submerged marine grasses along the Gulf coast. Each separate bay, sound or estuary is an individual case with regard to salinity, but they can be appraised by biologists acquainted with the local fauna and flora so as to minimize and possibly even enhance their biotic potential in connection with salinity changes caused by engineering works

A Review of Salinity Problems of Organisms in United States Coastal Areas Subject to the Effects of Engineering Works

The nongaseous substances that normally move in and out of cells are metabolites, water and salts. The common salts in water determine its salinity, and the definition of sea water salinity and its composition are discussed. The relationships of salinity to all phyla of animals living in the coastal waters are reviewed, with emphasis on the estuaries of the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of the United States, which are particularly influenced by coastal engineering works and changes of salinity caused thereby. The fauna of estuaries is made up of a few brackish water species which complete their life cycles there, marine species which spend only a part of their life cycles there and which have definite low-salinity limits, a few anadromous species passing through, and a few fresh water species with high salinity limits. Organisms of marine origin are dominant. Floods and drought periods, resulting in severe osmotic changes, may kill organisms or result in drastic changes of the biota, which may take extended time to reestablish itself, if the conditions return to normal. Many invertebrate animals have few mechanisms for controlling the movement of waters and salts across their external membranes and thus are osmotic conformers. Species that cannot withstand wide salinity change are said to be stenohaline, but many species can tolerate rather wide changes; they have broad tolerance at a cellular level. Osmoregulators exhibit considerable control of their internal salinity by excretory mechanisms and permeability control of the body surface to water and salts. In general, the worms and molluscs are more often osmoconformers than the crustaceans, the latter having greater control over their internal osmotic environment than other invertebrate groups. Effects upon different stages of life history are different, but in general the limiting effects of salinity and other environmental factors bear upon the reproductive stages or the young. The limits of salinities are nearly always on the lower side with regard to estuarine organisms. Aside from osmotic adjustments, animals react to salinity changes by closing their shells, closing their burrows, burying in the bottom where interstitial water has higher salinity, or motile forms simply move out. In spite of these adjustments, none may be successful during large floods. The salinity relationships of all phyla are reviewed, even though some of them are unimportant parts of the marine populations. Dinoflagellate Protozoa which cause red tides have precise salinity requirements and their outbreaks would be subject to control if reservoirs of fresh water were available. Sponges are generally high salinity organisms and not often damaged by low salinity. All the worms, including several phyla and the rather advanced Annelida, and the Mollusca are weakly motile at best and are thus subject to extermination by heavy floods in estuaries. However, most of these animals have short life cycles and their populations are quickly reestablished when the salinity regime returns to normal. The dominant invertebrates in estuaries are crustaceans. The larger species are generally motile and not subject to catastrophic damage. Nevertheless, the lower limits of toleration of most species are quite limited and even a change of half part per thousand salinity will cause changes in the range in many species. If the salinity gradient falls, species drop out of the complex because their lower limits are reached, with the numbers of species becoming less in lower salinities. There is an estuarine life history among the higher crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs which is also applicable to the fishes, and which is closely related to salinity. The adults spawn in high salinities of the open ocean and the young come back into the estuaries to raise. The young apparently prefer the lower salinities that the species will tolerate; and they move back out to sea as they grow, thus bringing about a correlation with risinpsalinity and increase in size, which may be quite precise as in the case of the commercial shrimp of the Gulf coast. Although catastrophic changes in salinity are quite important to populations, the day-today generally normal salinity regimes also play a great part in determining the population picture of an estuary. Ninety-eight per cent of all the commercial fishery production in the Gulf of Mexico is from species connected with the estuary sometime in their life history. The fishes of bays and sounds are made up of a relatively few species which spend their lives there, of semi-anadromous and anadromous fishes going from and coming to fresh water, of a few strays from fresh water, a few strays from the open ocean and a host of semicatadromous species that undergo the marine-estuarine type of life history. Largc specimens are found in higher salinity water for most species. Being strongly motile, few species are damaged by floods. The weakly motile amphioxus is the only chordate known to be destroyed in vast numbers by fresh water. The fishes are strong osmoregulators and in the changing salinity of the bays they regulate as fresh water fishes or marine fishes, depending upon whether or not the ambient salinity is higher or lower than that of the blood. The salinity relations of salt water plants are less well known than those of the animals; however, a summary is given on what information we have concerning the flowering plants of the marshes and the totally submerged marine grasses along the Gulf coast. Each separate bay, sound or estuary is an individual case with regard to salinity, but they can be appraised by biologists acquainted with the local fauna and flora so as to minimize and possibly even enhance their biotic potential in connection with salinity changes caused by engineering works

ERPs reflect lexical identification in word fragment priming

Behavioral evidence suggests that spoken word recognition involves the temporary activation of multiple entries in a listener's mental lexicon. This phenomenon can be demonstrated in cross-modal word fragment priming (CMWP). In CMWP, an auditory word fragment (prime) is immediately followed by a visual word or pseudoword (target). Experiment 1 investigated ERPs for targets presented in this paradigm. Half of the targets were congruent with the prime (e.g., in the prime-target pair: AM-AMBOSS [anvil]), half were not (e.g., AM-PENSUM [pensum]). Lexical entries of the congruent targets should receive activation from the prime. Thus, lexical identification of these targets should be facilitated. An ERP effect named P350, two frontal negative ERP deflections, and the N400 were sensitive to prime-target congruency. In Experiment 2, the relation of the formerly observed ERP effects to processes in a modality-independent mental lexicon was investigated by presenting primes visually. Only the P350 effect could be replicated across different fragment lengths. Therefore, the P350 is discussed as a correlate of lexical identification in a modality-independent mental lexicon

Machine-Checked Proofs For Realizability Checking Algorithms

Virtual integration techniques focus on building architectural models of systems that can be analyzed early in the design cycle to try to lower cost, reduce risk, and improve quality of complex embedded systems. Given appropriate architectural descriptions, assume/guarantee contracts, and compositional reasoning rules, these techniques can be used to prove important safety properties about the architecture prior to system construction. For these proofs to be meaningful, each leaf-level component contract must be realizable; i.e., it is possible to construct a component such that for any input allowed by the contract assumptions, there is some output value that the component can produce that satisfies the contract guarantees. We have recently proposed (in [1]) a contract-based realizability checking algorithm for assume/guarantee contracts over infinite theories supported by SMT solvers such as linear integer/real arithmetic and uninterpreted functions. In that work, we used an SMT solver and an algorithm similar to k-induction to establish the realizability of a contract, and justified our approach via a hand proof. Given the central importance of realizability to our virtual integration approach, we wanted additional confidence that our approach was sound. This paper describes a complete formalization of the approach in the Coq proof and specification language. During formalization, we found several small mistakes and missing assumptions in our reasoning. Although these did not compromise the correctness of the algorithm used in the checking tools, they point to the value of machine-checked formalization. In addition, we believe this is the first machine-checked formalization for a realizability algorithm.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figur