7,817 research outputs found
Frequency decomposition of conditional Granger causality and application to multivariate neural field potential data
It is often useful in multivariate time series analysis to determine
statistical causal relations between different time series. Granger causality
is a fundamental measure for this purpose. Yet the traditional pairwise
approach to Granger causality analysis may not clearly distinguish between
direct causal influences from one time series to another and indirect ones
acting through a third time series. In order to differentiate direct from
indirect Granger causality, a conditional Granger causality measure in the
frequency domain is derived based on a partition matrix technique. Simulations
and an application to neural field potential time series are demonstrated to
validate the method.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, Journal publishe
Artificial trapping of a stable high-density dipolar exciton fluid
We present compelling experimental evidence for a successful electrostatic
trapping of two-dimensional dipolar excitons that results in stable formation
of a well confined, high-density and spatially uniform dipolar exciton fluid.
We show that, for at least half a microsecond, the exciton fluid sustains a
density higher than the critical density for degeneracy if the exciton fluid
temperature reaches the lattice temperature within that time. This method
should allow for the study of strongly interacting bosons in two dimensions at
low temperatures, and possibly lead towards the observation of quantum phase
transitions of 2D interacting excitons, such as superfluidity and
crystallization.Comment: 11 pages 4 figure
A Network Model of Observation and Imitation of Speech
Much evidence has now accumulated demonstrating and quantifying the extent of shared regional brain activation for observation and execution of speech. However, the nature of the actual networks that implement these functions, i.e., both the brain regions and the connections among them, and the similarities and differences across these networks has not been elucidated. The current study aims to characterize formally a network for observation and imitation of syllables in the healthy adult brain and to compare their structure and effective connectivity. Eleven healthy participants observed or imitated audiovisual syllables spoken by a human actor. We constructed four structural equation models to characterize the networks for observation and imitation in each of the two hemispheres. Our results show that the network models for observation and imitation comprise the same essential structure but differ in important ways from each other (in both hemispheres) based on connectivity. In particular, our results show that the connections from posterior superior temporal gyrus and sulcus to ventral premotor, ventral premotor to dorsal premotor, and dorsal premotor to primary motor cortex in the left hemisphere are stronger during imitation than during observation. The first two connections are implicated in a putative dorsal stream of speech perception, thought to involve translating auditory speech signals into motor representations. Thus, the current results suggest that flow of information during imitation, starting at the posterior superior temporal cortex and ending in the motor cortex, enhances input to the motor cortex in the service of speech execution
Facile Syntheses of Titanium(II), Tin(II), and Vanadium(II) Porphyrin Complexes through Homogeneous Reduction. Reactivity of trans-(TTP)TiL2 (L = THF, t-BuNC)
Facile syntheses of the meso-tetra-p-tolylporphyrin (TTP) complexes trans-(TTP)Ti(THF)2(1), (TTP)Sn (2), and trans-(TTP)V(THF)2 (3) are achieved through homogeneous reduction of high-valent precursors using NaBEt3H. The composition of the new compound trans-(TTP)Ti(THF)2 was determined by spectroscopic and chemical characterization. Ligand displacement reactions of trans-(TTP)Ti(THF)2 with t-BuNC produced a new Ti(II) complex,trans-(TTP)Ti(t-BuNC)2. The ligand-binding preference of (TTP)TiIILn (n = 1, 2) is picoline ∼pyridine \u3e t-BuNC \u3e PhC⋮CPh \u3e EtC⋮CEt \u3e THF
Changes in PM2.5 Peat Combustion Source Profiles with Atmospheric Aging in an Oxidation Flow Reactor
Smoke from laboratory chamber burning of peat fuels from Russia, Siberia, the USA (Alaska and Florida), and Malaysia representing boreal, temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions was sampled before and after passing through a potential-aerosol-mass oxidation flow reactor (PAM-OFR) to simulate intermediately aged (∼2 d) and well-aged (∼7 d) source profiles. Species abundances in PM2.5 between aged and fresh profiles varied by several orders of magnitude with two distinguishable clusters, centered around 0.1 % for reactive and ionic species and centered around 10 % for carbon. Organic carbon (OC) accounted for 58 %–85 % of PM2.5 mass in fresh profiles with low elemental carbon (EC) abundances (0.67 %–4.4 %). OC abundances decreased by 20 %–33 % for well-aged profiles, with reductions of 3 %–14 % for the volatile OC fractions (e.g., OC1 and OC2, thermally evolved at 140 and 280 ∘C). Ratios of organic matter (OM) to OC abundances increased by 12 %–19 % from intermediately aged to well-aged smoke. Ratios of ammonia (NH3) to PM2.5 decreased after intermediate aging. Well-aged NH+4 and NO−3 abundances increased to 7 %–8 % of PM2.5 mass, associated with decreases in NH3, low-temperature OC, and levoglucosan abundances for Siberia, Alaska, and Everglades (Florida) peats. Elevated levoglucosan was found for Russian peats, accounting for 35 %–39 % and 20 %–25 % of PM2.5 mass for fresh and aged profiles, respectively. The water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) fractions of PM2.5 were over 2-fold higher in fresh Russian peat (37.0±2.7 %) than in Malaysian (14.6±0.9 %) peat. While Russian peat OC emissions were largely water-soluble, Malaysian peat emissions were mostly water-insoluble, with WSOC ∕ OC ratios of 0.59–0.71 and 0.18–0.40, respectively. This study shows significant differences between fresh and aged peat combustion profiles among the four biomes that can be used to establish speciated emission inventories for atmospheric modeling and receptor model source apportionment. A sufficient aging time (∼7 d) is needed to allow gas-to-particle partitioning of semi-volatilized species, gas-phase oxidation, and particle volatilization to achieve representative source profiles for regional-scale source apportionment
HIV Risk Among Female Sex Workers in Miami: The Impact of Violent Victimization and Untreated Mental Illness
Street-based female sex workers constitute a vulnerable population for HIV, as they are often enmeshed in chronic patterns of substance use, sexual risk, homelessness, and violent victimization. This study examined the specific contributions of victimization history and abuse-related traumagenic factors to mental health functioning and sexual risk behaviors, while considering the impact of environmental risk factors as well. Using targeted sampling strategies, we enrolled 562 Miami-based female sex workers into an intervention trial testing the relative effectiveness of two alternative case management conditions in establishing linkages with health services and reducing risk for HIV. Lifetime prevalence of abuse was extremely elevated at 88%. Nearly half reported abuse before the age of 18, while 34% reported violent encounters with dates or clients in the past 90 days. Serious mental illness (SMI) was quite common, with 74% reporting severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, or traumatic stress. For those with histories of abuse, SMI appeared to mediate the association between abuse-related trauma and unprotected sex behaviors. Mental health treatment would appear to be an important component of effective HIV prevention among this vulnerable group, and should form part of a compendium of services offered to female sex workers
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