Automatic correction of hand pointing in stereoscopic depth

In order to examine whether stereoscopic depth information could drive fast automatic correction of hand pointing, an experiment was designed in a 3D visual environment in which participants were asked to point to a target at different stereoscopic depths as quickly and accurately as possible within a limited time window (≤300 ms). The experiment consisted of two tasks: "depthGO" in which participants were asked to point to the new target position if the target jumped, and "depthSTOP" in which participants were instructed to abort their ongoing movements after the target jumped. The depth jump was designed to occur in 20% of the trials in both tasks. Results showed that fast automatic correction of hand movements could be driven by stereoscopic depth to occur in as early as 190 ms.This work was supported by the Grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (60970062 and 61173116) and the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (20110072110014)

Dolomitized tidal cycles in the Agua de la Mula Member of the Agrio Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Neuquén Basin, Argentina

The Agrio Formation (Valanginian to early Barremian) is a siliciclastic and carbonate unit of the Neuquén Basin in west central Argentina. A conspicuous 20 m thick dolomitized section near the top of the upper Agua de la Mula Member of the Agrio Formation was identified for the first time in this unit. The analyzed section is composed of dolostones with scarce siliciclastic intercalations. A tidal flat environment with highfrequency cycles is suggested for the measured section. Petrography, SEM, X-Ray, EDAX and cathodoluminiscence analyses showed two different dolomitization processes. The first one comprises early mimetic and non mimetic dolomitization on ooids, bioclasts and early marine cements. The second one reveals precipitation of dolomite cement. The mimic dolomitization indicates that this process took place before the inversion from aragonite to calcite, or from low magnesium calcite to high magnesium calcite. The dolomitization should have been soon after the deposition. The presence of dolomite cement is probably related to a high concentration of Mg2+ coming from sea water flushing into highly porous sediments mixed with fresh waters from the continent. This is suggestive of a change of diagenetic environment from marine to meteoric, probably during sea level changes. A model that explains these processes is the shallow seawater dolomitization model. This model proposes that dolomitization is triggered by the drive of large amount of seawaters through the sediments

Predicting the solvation of organic compounds in aqueous environments: from alkanes and alcohols to pharmaceuticals

The development of accurate models to predict the solvation, solubility, and partitioning of nonpolar and amphiphilic compounds in aqueous environments remains an important challenge. We develop state-of-the-art group-interaction models that deliver an accurate description of the thermodynamic properties of alkanes and alcohols in aqueous solution. The group-contribution formulation of the statistical associating fluid theory based on potentials with a variable Mie form (SAFT-γ Mie) is shown to provide accurate predictions of the phase equilibria, including liquid–liquid equilibria, solubility, free energies of solvation, and other infinite-dilution properties. The transferability of the model is further exemplified with predictions of octanol–water partitioning and solubility for a range of organic and pharmaceutically relevant compounds. Our SAFT-γ Mie platform is reliable for the prediction of challenging properties such as mutual solubilities of water and organic compounds which can span over 10 orders of magnitude, while remaining generic in its applicability to a wide range of compounds and thermodynamic conditions. Our work sheds light on contradictory findings related to alkane–water solubility data and the suitability of models that do not account explicitly for polarity

Explaining racial disparities in incidence of and survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/55494/1/galea_explaining racial disparities_2007.pd

Cretaceous intraplate contraction in Southern Patagonia: A far-field response to changing subduction dynamics?

The origin, extent, and timing of intraplate contraction in Patagonia are among the least understood geological processes of southern South America. Particularly, the intraplate Deseado fold-thrust belt (FTB), located in the Patagonian broken foreland (47°–48°300 S), is one of the most enigmatic areas. In this belt, time constraints on tectonic events are limited and synorogenic deposits have not been documented so far. Furthermore, the driving mechanism for intraplate contraction remains unknown. In this study, we carried out a structural and sedimentological analysis. We report the first syntectonic deposits in this area in the Baqueró (Aptian) and Chubut (Cenomanian/Campanian) groups and a newly found unit referred to as the Albian beds (109.9 ± 1.5 Ma). Thus, several contractional stages in late Aptian, Albian, and Cenomanian-Campanian are then inferred. We suggest that the Deseado FTB constituted the southernmost expression of the early Patagonian broken foreland in Cretaceous times. Additionally, we analyzed the spatiotemporal magmatic arc behavior as a proxy of dynamic changes in the Andean subduction during determined stages of intraplate contraction. We observe a significant arc broadening from ~121 to 82 Myr and magmatic quiescence after ~67 Ma. This is interpreted as a slab shallowing to flattening process. Far-field tectonic forces would have been produced by increased plate coupling linked to the slab flattening as indirectly indicated by the correlation between Cretaceous arc expansion and intraplate contraction. Finally, the tectonic evolution of the Deseado FTB favors studies supporting inception of Andean shortening since Cretaceous times.Fil: Gianni, Guido Martin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Navarrete Granzotto, César Rodrigo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Liendo, Ingrid Florencia. Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia "San Juan Bosco"; ArgentinaFil: Díaz, Marianela Ximena Yasmin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Departamento de Geología; ArgentinaFil: Gimenez, Mario Ernesto. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - San Juan; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de San Juan. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Geofísico Sismológico Volponi; ArgentinaFil: Encinas, Alfonso. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Folguera Telichevsky, Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber". Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Estudios Andinos "Don Pablo Groeber"; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias Geológicas; Argentin

The Effect of Keyboard-Based Word Processing on Students With Different Working Memory Capacity During the Process of Academic Writing

This study addresses the current debate about the beneficial effects of text processing software on students with different working memory (WM) during the process of academic writing, especially with regard to the ability to display higher-level conceptual thinking. A total of 54 graduate students (15 male, 39 female) wrote one essay by hand and one by keyboard. Our results show a beneficial effect of text processing software, in terms of both the qualitative and quantitative writing output. A hierarchical cluster analysis was used to detect distinct performance groups in the sample. These performance groups mapped onto three differing working memory profiles. The groups with higher mean WM scores manifested superior writing complexity using a keyboard, in contrast to the cluster with the lowest mean WM. The results also point out that more revision during the writing process itself does not inevitably reduce the quality of the final output

The neuroscience of vision-based grasping: a functional review for computational modeling and bio-inspired robotics

The topic of vision-based grasping is being widely studied using various techniques and with different goals in humans and in other primates. The fundamental related findings are reviewed in this paper, with the aim of providing researchers from different fields, including intelligent robotics and neural computation, a comprehensive but accessible view on the subject. A detailed description of the principal sensorimotor processes and the brain areas involved in them is provided following a functional perspective, in order to make this survey especially useful for computational modeling and bio-inspired robotic application

Luminescence Solvato- and Vapochromism of Alkynyl-Phosphine Copper Clusters

The reaction of [Cu(NCMe)4][PF6] with aromatic acetylenes HC2R and triphosphine 1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphino)methane in the presence of NEt3 results in the formation of hexanuclear Cu(I) clusters with the general formula [Cu6(C2R)4{(PPh2)3CH}2][PF6]2 (R = 4-X-C6H4 (1-5) and C5H4N (6); X = NMe2 (1), OMe (2), H (3), Ph (4), CF3 (5)). The structural motif of the complexes studied consists of a Cu6 metal core supported by two phosphine ligands and stabilized by σ- and π-coordination of the alkynyl fragments (together with coordination of pyridine nitrogen atoms in cluster 6). The solid state structures of complexes 2-6 were determined by single crystal XRD analysis. The structures of the complexes in solution were elucidated by (1)H, (31)P, (1)H-(1)H COSY NMR spectroscopy, and ESI mass spectrometry. Clusters 1-6 exhibit moderately strong phosphorescence in the solid state with quantum yields up to 17%. Complexes 1-5 were found to form solvates (acetone, acetonitrile) in the solid state. The coordination of loosely bound solvent molecules strongly affects emission characteristics and leads to solvato- and vapochromic behavior of the clusters. Thus, solvent-free and acetonitrile solvated forms of 3 demonstrate contrasting emission in orange (615 nm) and blue (475 nm) regions, respectively. The computational studies show that alkynyl-centered IL transitions mixed with those of MLCT between the Cu6 metal core and the ligand environment play a dominant role in the formation of excited states and can be considerably modulated by weakly coordinating solvent molecules leading to luminescence vapochromism.This research has been supported by St. Petersburg State University Research Grant 0.37.169.2014, and Russian Foundation for Basic Research Grants 13-03-00970, 14-03-32077, and 13-03-12411. Academy of Finland (Grant 268993/2013, I.O.K), University of Eastern Finland (strategic funding—Russian–Finnish collaborative project), is also gratefully acknowledged. The work was carried out using equipment of the Analytical Center of Nano- and Biotechnologies of SPbSPU with financial support of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russian Federation; Centers for Magnetic Resonance, X-ray Diffraction Studies, Chemical Analysis and Materials Research, Optical and Laser Materials Research; and Computer Center of St. Petersburg State University

The cognitive neuroscience of prehension: recent developments

Prehension, the capacity to reach and grasp, is the key behavior that allows humans to change their environment. It continues to serve as a remarkable experimental test case for probing the cognitive architecture of goal-oriented action. This review focuses on recent experimental evidence that enhances or modifies how we might conceptualize the neural substrates of prehension. Emphasis is placed on studies that consider how precision grasps are selected and transformed into motor commands. Then, the mechanisms that extract action relevant information from vision and touch are considered. These include consideration of how parallel perceptual networks within parietal cortex, along with the ventral stream, are connected and share information to achieve common motor goals. On-line control of grasping action is discussed within a state estimation framework. The review ends with a consideration about how prehension fits within larger action repertoires that solve more complex goals and the possible cortical architectures needed to organize these actions

The role of the cerebellum in adaptation: ALE meta‐analyses on sensory feedback error

It is widely accepted that unexpected sensory consequences of self‐action engage the cerebellum. However, we currently lack consensus on where in the cerebellum, we find fine‐grained differentiation to unexpected sensory feedback. This may result from methodological diversity in task‐based human neuroimaging studies that experimentally alter the quality of self‐generated sensory feedback. We gathered existing studies that manipulated sensory feedback using a variety of methodological approaches and performed activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta‐analyses. Only half of these studies reported cerebellar activation with considerable variation in spatial location. Consequently, ALE analyses did not reveal significantly increased likelihood of activation in the cerebellum despite the broad scientific consensus of the cerebellum's involvement. In light of the high degree of methodological variability in published studies, we tested for statistical dependence between methodological factors that varied across the published studies. Experiments that elicited an adaptive response to continuously altered sensory feedback more frequently reported activation in the cerebellum than those experiments that did not induce adaptation. These findings may explain the surprisingly low rate of significant cerebellar activation across brain imaging studies investigating unexpected sensory feedback. Furthermore, limitations of functional magnetic resonance imaging to probe the cerebellum could play a role as climbing fiber activity associated with feedback error processing may not be captured by it. We provide methodological recommendations that may guide future studies