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A new short-pulse digital profiling radar system that operates at lower frequencies than most ice radars used in polar regions to date has been designed and built by the U.S. Geological Survey. The transmitter is an avalanche transistor pulser which drives a resistively loaded dipole transmitting antenna. A similar, but separate antenna is connected to the receiver. The receiver has adjustable sensitivity time control (STC) of as much as 60 dB to compensate for attenuation and geometric spreading factors. A fiber-optic cable is used to transmit both control signals and data. The data-acquisition and display system incorporates very high-speed digitizing and signal averaging, real-time profile display, and data storage on standard computer nine-track magnetic tape.The system was successfully used on Ice Stream B in West Antarctica at centre frequencies of 1, 2, 4, 8, and 12.5 MHz. Bottom-return signal-to-noise ratios of more than 40 dB were obtained at 2 MHz through 800 m of ice. Convoluted internal surfaces not related to present bottom topography were resolved within the ice streams and anomalous strong reflections or “bright spots” were identified near the base of the ice. At present, there is no satisfactory glaciological explanation for either of these observations.

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) assesses the integrity of white matter (WM) tracts in the brain. Children with bipolar disorder (BPD) may have WM abnormalities that precede illness onset. To more fully examine this possibility, we scanned children with DSM-IV BPD and compared them to healthy peers and children at risk for BPD (AR-BPD), defined as having a first-degree relative with the disorder.Ten children with BPD, eight healthy controls (HC), and seven AR-BPD, similar in age, had MRI scans on a 1.5 Tesla GE scanner, including a standard DT-MRI sequence (T2-EPI) with 25 axial slices. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were compared between groups to determine regions of significant difference (p0.05).Compared to HC, children with BPD had decreased FA in right and left superior frontal tracts, including the superior longitudinal fasciculus I (SLF I) and the cingulate-paracingulate WM (CG-PAC(WM)). In addition, the BPD group had reduced FA in left orbital frontal WM and the right corpus callosum body. Compared to AR-BPD, children with BPD showed reduced FA in the right and left CG-PAC(WM). Both the BPD and AR-BPD groups showed reduced FA relative to HC in bilateral SLF I.The bilateral SLF I finding in both the BPD and AR-BPD groups may represent a trait-based marker or endophenotype of the disorder. The finding of decreased FA in the right and left CG-PAC(WM) in children with BPD compared to the other two groups may represent a disease-state related finding.

Objective: The limbic structures in early-onset schizophrenia-spectrum illness (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BPD) were studied to discern patterns associated with diagnosis and sex. Methods: Thirty-five youths with DSM-IV BPD without psychosis, 19 with BPD with psychosis, 20 with SZ, and 29 healthy controls (HC), similar in age (6-17 years) and sex, underwent structured and clinical interviews, neurological examination, and cognitive testing. Structural magnetic resonance images (MRIs) were acquired on a 1.5 Tesla, General Electric Signa Scanner. Differences in subcortical brain volumes, including the amygdala and hippocampus, were evaluated using two-way (diagnosis, sex) univariate analyses covarying for total cerebral volume and age. Results: Youth with SZ and BPD showed no differences in amygdala and hippocampal volumes. However, boys with SZ had smallest left amygdala and girls with BPD had the smallest left hippocampal volumes. In exploratory analyses, SZ showed reduced thalamic volumes bilaterally and both BPD groups had larger right nucleus accumbens (NA) volumes relative to HC. Conclusion: There were no limbic volumetric differences between BPD and SZ. However, there were diagnosis-by-sex interactions in the amygdala and hippocampus, structures that are rich in sex hormone receptors. In addition, smaller thalamus was associated with SZ while larger right NA volumes were most related to BPD. This study underscores the importance of assessing diagnostic effects and sex effects on the brain in future studies and provides evidence that boys and girls with SZ and BPD may have differential patterns of neuropathology associated with disease expression.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is hypothesized to be due, in part, to structural defects in brain networks influencing cognitive, affective, and motor behaviors. Although the current literature on fiber tracts is limited in ADHD, gray matter abnormalities suggest that white matter (WM) connections may be altered selectively in neural systems. A prior study (Ashtari et al. 2005), using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI), showed alterations within the frontal and cerebellar WM in children and adolescents with ADHD. In this study of adults with childhood ADHD, we hypothesized that fiber pathways subserving attention and executive functions (EFs) would be altered. To this end, the cingulum bundle (CB) and superior longitudinal fascicle II (SLF II) were investigated in vivo in 12 adults with childhood ADHD and 17 demographically comparable unaffected controls using DT-MRI. Relative to controls, the fractional anisotropy (FA) values were significantly smaller in both regions of interest in the right hemisphere, in contrast to a control region (the fornix), indicating an alteration of anatomical connections within the attention and EF cerebral systems in adults with childhood ADHD. The demonstration of FA abnormalities in the CB and SLF II in adults with childhood ADHD provides further support for persistent structural abnormalities into adulthood.

Background Reinforcement of behavioral responses involves a complex cerebral circuit engaging specific neuronal networks that are modulated by cortical oversight systems affiliated with emotion, memory, judgment, and decision making (collectively referred to in this study as the "extended reward and oversight system" or "reward network"). We examined whether reward-network brain volumes are reduced in alcoholics and how volumes of subcomponents within this system are correlated with memory and drinking history. Methods Morphometric analysis was performed on magnetic resonance brain scans in 21 abstinent long-term chronic alcoholic men and 21 healthy control men, group-matched on age, verbal IQ, and education. We derived volumes of total brain and volumes of cortical and subcortical reward-related structures including the dorsolateral-prefrontal, orbitofrontal, cingulate cortices, and the insula, as well as the amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens septi (NAc), and ventral diencephalon. Results Morphometric analyses of reward-related regions revealed decreased total reward-network volume in alcoholic subjects. Volume reduction was most pronounced in right dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex, right anterior insula, and right NAc, as well as left amygdala. In alcoholics, NAc and anterior insula volumes increased with length of abstinence, and total reward-network and amygdala volumes correlated positively with memory scores. Conclusions The observation of decreased reward-network volume suggests that alcoholism is associated with alterations in this neural reward system. These structural reward system deficits and their correlation with memory scores elucidate underlying structural-functional relationships between alcoholism and emotional and cognitive processes.

Our objective was to test for differences between subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and healthy controls with respect to white matter architecture within the cingulum bundle (CB) and anterior limb of the internal capsule (ALIC). We studied eight subjects with active OCD and 10 matched healthy controls using diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI) at 1.5 T (Tesla). Fractional anisotropy (FA) was evaluated in both CB and ALIC. Both voxelwise and region-of-interest methods of analysis were employed. Within both the left CB and the left ALIC, subjects with OCD exhibited significantly greater FA than healthy controls. In the right CB, subjects with OCD exhibited significantly decreased FA versus healthy control subjects. Additionally, the OCD group exhibited abnormal asymmetry (left > right) of FA in the CB. These results provide preliminary evidence for abnormal architecture within the CB and ALIC in OCD. FA differences in these areas are consistent with the presence of abnormal connections between the nodes linked by these tracts. This could explain why surgically severing these tracts is therapeutic. Additional studies are needed to replicate these findings and to clarify their pathological and clinical significance.

Background Basal ganglia (BG) enlargement has been found in studies of adults with bipolar disorder (BPD), while the few studies of BPD youths have had mixed findings. The BG (caudate, putamen, globus pallidus, nucleus accumbens) is interconnected with limbic and prefrontal cortical structures and therefore may be implicated in BPD. Methods Sixty-eight youths (46 with BPD, 22 healthy controls) received neurological and psychiatric assessment, semi-structured interviews, and neuropsychological testing, followed by anatomic magnetic resonance imaging on a 1.5 Tesla scanner. After image segmentation, log BG volumes and asymmetry indices were analyzed using MANOVAs controlling for the effects of cerebral volume, age, sex, and diagnosis. These omnibus tests were followed by univariate linear regression models of each BG structure. Results Youths with BPD had a trend for larger right nucleus accumbens (NA) volumes ( p = 0.089). There were no significant group asymmetry differences, nor volume differences in the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. When analyzed separately by pubertal status, the prepubertal group had significantly larger total NA ( p = 0.035) versus healthy controls, while the pubertal group did not show significant differences in the NA versus healthy controls. Limitations The size of the control group is relatively small, possibly limiting our power to detect significant group differences. The inter-rater reliability for the NA is not as strong as the other structures; the finding of volume differences in this structure is preliminary and warrants replication. Conclusions Youths with BPD had larger right NA volumes; this enlargement was most pronounced in the prepubertal group. The differences between these findings and those seen in adult BPD imply a neurodevelopmental phenomenon.

Background Limited knowledge exists regarding the neurobiology of trichotillomania (TTM). Cerebellum (CBM) volumes were explored, given its role in complex, coordinated motor sequences. Methods Morphometric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained for 14 female subjects with DSM-IV diagnoses of TTM and 12 age-, education-, and gender-matched normal control (NC) participants. Parcellation was performed utilizing a recently developed methodology to measure subterritory volumes of the CBM. Regions were defined based on knowledge of the structural and functional subunits of the CBM. Results As predicted, significant group differences were reported for CBM raw cortical volumes (p = .008) that survived correction for total brain volume (TBV; p = .037) and head circumference (HC; p = .011). A priori and post hoc group raw volume comparisons for CBM subterritories and functional clusters revealed many significant differences. However, most differences failed to withstand correction for total CBM volumes (TCV). Smaller volumes were consistently reported for the TTM versus NC cohorts. Total Massachusetts General Hospital Hair Pulling Scale (MGHHPS) scores were significantly inversely correlated with left primary sensorimotor cluster volumes (p = .008), with smaller volumes associated with more severe TTM symptoms. Conclusions These findings implicate the CBM in the neurobiology of TTM, with reduced subterritory volumes reported for the TTM versus NC groups.

Language deficits are among the core impairments of autism. We previously reported asymmetry reversal of frontal language cortex in boys with autism. Specific language impairment (SLI) and autism share similar language deficits and may share genetic links. This study evaluated asymmetry of frontal language cortex in a new, independent sample of right-handed boys, including a new sample of boys with autism and a group of boys with SLI. The boys with autism were divided into those with language impairment (ALI) and those with normal language ability (ALN). Subjects (right-handed, aged 6.2-13.4 years) included 22 boys with autism (16 ALI and 6 ALN), 9 boys with a history of or present SLI, and 11 normal controls. MRI brain scans were segmented into grey and white matter; then the cerebral cortex was parcellated into 48 gyral-based divisions per hemisphere. Group differences in volumetric asymmetry were predicted a priori in language-related regions in inferior lateral frontal (Broca's area) and posterior superior temporal cortex. Language impaired boys with autism and SLI both had significant reversal of asymmetry in frontal language-related cortex; larger on the right side in both groups of language impaired boys and larger on the left in both unimpaired language groups, strengthening a phenotypic link between ALI and SLI. Thus, we replicated the observation of reversed asymmetry in frontal language cortex reported previously in an independent autism sample, and observed similar reversal in boys with SLI, further strengthening a phenotypic link between SLI and a subgroup of autism. Linguistically unimpaired boys with autism had similar asymmetry compared with the control group, suggesting that Broca's area asymmetry reversal is related more to language impairment than specifically to autism diagnosis.

We revisit here a surface assisted parcellation (SAP) system of the human cerebellar cortex originally described in Makris, N., Hodge, S.M., Haselgrove, C., Kennedy, D.N., Dale, A., Fischl, B., Rosen, B.R., Harris, G., Caviness, V.S., Jr., Schmahmann, J.D., 2003. Human cerebellum: surface-assisted cortical parcellation and volumetry with magnetic resonance imaging. J Cogn Neurosci 15, 584-599. This system preserves the topographic and morphologic uniqueness of the individual cerebellum and allows for volumetric analysis and representation of multimodal structural and functional data on the cerebellar cortex. This methodology integrates features of automated routines of the program FreeSurfer as well as semi-automated and manual procedures of the program Cardviews to create 64 cerebellar parcellation units based on fissure information and anatomical landmarks of the cerebellar surface. Using this technique, we undertook the parcellation of ten cerebella by two independent raters. The reliability of the resulting parcellation units (64 total) was high, with an average Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) of 0.724 in the vermis and 0.853 in the hemispheres. Clusters of parcellation units were then created, based on lobar and connectivity data and functional hypotheses. These 36 clusters, when treated as anatomical units, had an average ICC of 0.933. Whereas the individual units provide a high level of detail and anatomical specificity, the clusters add flexibility to the analysis by providing higher reliability.

We describe a system of surface-assisted parcellation (SAP) of the human cerebellar cortex derived from neural systems functional and behavioral anatomy. This system is based on MRI and preserves the unique morphologic and topographic features of the individual cerebellum. All major fissures of the cerebellum were identified and traced in the flattened representation of the cerebellar cortex using the program “Free Surfer.” Parcellation of the cerebellar cortex followed using the fissure information in conjunction with landmarks using the program “Cardviews” to create 64 gyral-based cerebellar parcellation units. Computer-assisted algorithms enable the execution of the cerebellar parcellation procedure as well as volumetric measurements and topographic localization. The SAP technique makes it possible to represent multimodal structural and functional imaging data on the flattened surface of the cerebellar cortex as illustrated in one functional MRI experiment.

Objective To test whether lesion site patterns in patients with chronic, severe aphasia who have no meaningful spontaneous speech are predictive of outcome following treatment with a nonverbal, icon-based computer-assisted visual communication (C-ViC) program. Design Retrospective study in which computed tomographic scans performed 3 months after onset of stroke and aphasia test scores obtained before C-ViC therapy were reviewed for patients after receiving C-ViC treatment. Setting A neurology department and speech pathology service of a Department of Veterans Affairs medical center and a university aphasia research center. Patients Seventeen patients with stroke and severe aphasia who began treatment with C-ViC from 3 months to 10 years after onset of stroke. Main Outcome Measure Level of ability to use C-ViC on a personal computer to communicate. Results All patients with bilateral lesions failed to learn C-ViC. For patients with unilateral left hemisphere lesion sites, statistical analyses accurately discriminated between those who could initiate communication with C-ViC from those who were only able to answer directed questions. The critical lesion areas involved temporal lobe structures (Wernicke cortical area and the subcortical temporal isthmus), supraventricular frontal lobe structures (supplementary motor area or cingulate gyrus 24), and the subcortical medial subcallosal fasciculus, deep to the Broca area. Specific lesion sites were also identified for appropriate candidacy for C-ViC. Conclusions Lesion site patterns on computed tomographic scans are helpful to define candidacy for C-ViC training, and to predict outcome level. A practical method is presented for clinical application of these lesion site results in combination with aphasia test scores.

Over the past decade, as airborne gravity data acquisition and reduction has become increasingly refined, its usage by academic, industrial and government researchers has expanded. Recent data collected jrom a Cessna 404 over water and a ski-equipped Twin Otter over a grounded ice sheet, have demonstrated that airborne gravity can recover anomalies with wavelengths greater than about 5 kilometers to accuracies of better than 3 mGal. The Cessna 404 was used over the Long Island Sound off the East Coast of the U.S., a region with extensive marine and land ground truth. The output from the Bell Aerospace BGM-3 was reduced with psuedorange GPS positioning from a Trimble 4000 CA-code receiver and with vertical positions and accelerations from a radar altimeter. The Twin Otter experiment was flown over the West Antarctic Rift system, where limited ground truth from surface gravity data exists that was collected in the early 1960’s. The navigation in this experiment included CA-code and P-code psuedorange solutions, differential carrier phase positions, radio transponder locations and pressure altimetry. Base stations were used for the differential GPS and pressure altimetry. The results from an overflight of a traverse gravity line indicate that even in this remote location airborne gravity can recover anomalies with accuracy adequate for geologic studies. The current level of resolution and accuracy from airborne gravity is adequate for tectonic studies and deciphering the history of sedimentary basins but it falls short of the high resolution required for detailed studies of intrusive features, hydrothermal deposits and other small, yet important, geologic features. To increase the accuracy and resolution of the airborne measurements utilizing the current systems requires improved positioning systems, stabilized platforms and improved sensors. Gravity gradiometry may also prove to be an important technique as it eliminates some of the stringent requirements for high resolution navigation.

Background Acupuncture stimulation elicits deqi, a composite of unique sensations that is essential for clinical efficacy according to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). There is lack of adequate experimental data to indicate what sensations comprise deqi, their prevalence and intensity, their relationship to acupoints, how they compare with conventional somatosensory or noxious response. The objective of this study is to provide scientific evidence on these issues and to characterize the nature of the deqi phenomenon in terms of the prevalence of sensations as well as the uniqueness of the sensations underlying the deqi experience. Methods Manual acupuncture was performed at LI4, ST36 and LV3 on the extremities in randomized order during fMRI in 42 acupuncture naïve healthy adult volunteers. Non-invasive tactile stimulation was delivered to the acupoints by gentle tapping with a von Frey monofilament prior to acupuncture to serve as a sensory control. At the end of each procedure, the subject was asked if each of the sensations listed in a questionnaire or any other sensations occurred during stimulation, and if present to rate its intensity on a numerical scale of 1–10. Statistical analysis including paired t-test, analysis of variance, Spearman's correlation and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare responses between acupuncture and sensory stimulation. Results The deqi response was elicited in 71% of the acupuncture procedures compared with 24% for tactile stimulation when thresholded at a minimum total score of 3 for all the sensations. The frequency and intensity of individual sensations were significantly higher in acupuncture. Among the sensations typically associated with deqi, aching, soreness and pressure were most common, followed by tingling, numbness, dull pain, heaviness, warmth, fullness and coolness. Sharp pain of brief duration that occurred in occasional subjects was regarded as inadvertent noxious stimulation. The most significant differences in the deqi sensations between acupuncture and tactile stimulation control were observed with aching, soreness, pressure and dull pain. Consistent with its prominent role in TCM, LI4 showed the most prominent response, the largest number of sensations as well as the most marked difference in the frequency and intensity of aching, soreness and dull pain between acupuncture and tactile stimulation control. Interestingly, the dull pain generally preceded or occurred in the absence of sharp pain in contrast to reports in the pain literature. An approach to summarize a sensation profile, called the deqi composite, is proposed and applied to explain differences in deqi among acupoints. Conclusion The complex pattern of sensations in the deqi response suggests involvement of a wide spectrum of myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers, particularly the slower conducting fibers in the tendinomuscular layers. The study provides scientific data on the characteristics of the 'deqi' response in acupuncture and its association with distinct nerve fibers. The findings are clinically relevant and consistent with modern concepts in neurophysiology. They can provide a foundation for future studies on the deqi phenomenon.

The late Cenozoic volcanic and tectonic activity of the enigmatic West Antarctic rift system, the least understood of the great active continental rifts, has been suggested to be plume driven. In 1991-1992, as part of the CASERTZ (Corridor Aerogeophysics of the Southeast Ross Transect Zone) program, an ∼25000 km aeromagnetic survey over the ice-covered Byrd subglacial basin shows magnetic "texture" critical to interpretations of the underlying extended volcanic terrane. The aeromagnetic data reveal numerous semicircular anomalies ∼100-1100 nT in amplitude, interpreted as having volcanic sources at the base of the ice sheet; they are concentrated along north-trending magnetic lineations interpreted as rift fabric. Models constrained by coincident radar ice soundings indicate highly magnetic sources, with a probable high remanent magnetization in the present field direction, strongly suggesting a late Cenozoic age. Magnetic anomalies over exposed late Cenozoic volcanic rocks along part of the rift shoulder and in coastal Marie Byrd Land are similar in form and amplitude. The CASERTZ aeromagnetic results, combined with >100 000 km of widely spaced aeromagnetic profiles, indicate at least 10 6 km 3 of probable late Cenozoic volcanic rock (flood basalt?) in the West Antarctic rift beneath the ice sheet and Ross Ice Shelf. Comparison with other plumes in active rift areas (e.g., Yellowstone and East Africa) indicates that this volume estimate lies in the range of magma generation found in these other low-extension continental rifts.

In 1975 and 1977, 24 bore holes were drilled to the bed of South Cascade Glacier, Washington, U.S.A., using both electrothermal and hot-water drills. Only two holes connected directly with the basal water system, a significant decrease from the four to five such connections in 13 holes drilled in 1973 and 1974 (Hodge, 1976). Most of the bed, possibly as much as 90%, appears to be hydraulically inactive and isolated from a few active subglacial conduits. Bore holes which penetrate these inactive areas initially should connect eventually with the active basal water system due to bed pressurization by the water standing in the bore hole, provided there is a sufficient supply of water available to form and maintain the connection passageway. These sealed-off areas probably consist of the sub-sole drift and permeability barriers found recently at the bed of Blue Glacier by Engelhardt and others (1978); an increase in the area of bed covered by these features probably caused the decrease in chance of bore-hole connection. This apparently was not due to any external cause but rather was the result of a real internal change in the subglacial hydraulic system which occurred between 1974 and 1975.If most of the area of a glacier bed is hydraulically isolated sub-sole drift, or something similar, such features may well control large-scale glacier sliding changes, since changes in the amount of water having access to the glacier bed will take considerable time to affect the interstitial water pressure in the more widespread sub-sole drift.Water pressures in the active part of the basal water system of South Cascade Glacier are generally in the range of 50–75% of the ice overburden pressure. Water levels in a connected bore hole are probably representative over an area of the bed 100 m or more in extent. A correlation of bore-hole water levels with changes in surface motion supports the idea that the sliding of a temperate glacier is controlled largely by the basal water pressure.

Detailed measurements of the positions of stakes along the center-line of the lower Nisqually Glacier were made over a period of two years. Variations in the basal sliding speed were calculated from the measured changes in surface speed, surface slope, and thickness, using the glacier flow model of Nye (1952) and allowing for the effect of the valley walls, longitudinal stress gradients, and uncertainties in the flow law of ice. The flow is predominantly by basal sliding and has a pronounced seasonal variation of approximately ±25%. Internal deformation contributes progressively less to the total motion with distance up-glacier. Neither the phase nor the magnitude of the seasonal velocity fluctuations can be accounted for by seasonal variations in the state of stress within the ice or at the bed, and the variations do not correlate directly with the melt-water discharge from the terminus. A seasonal wave in the ice flow travels down the glacier at a speed too high for propagation by internal deformation or the pressure melting/enhanced creep mechanism of basal sliding. The rate of sliding appears to be determined primarily by the amount of water in temporary storage in the glacier. The peak in sliding speed occurs, on the average, at the same time as the maximum liquid water storage of the South Cascade Glacier. The data support the idea that glaciers store water in the fall, winter and spring and then release it in the summer. This temporary storage may be greatest near the equilibrium line. The amount of stored water may increase over a period of years and be released catastrophically as a jökulhlaup. Any dependence of sliding on the basal shear stress is probably masked by the effect of variations in the hydrostatic pressure of water having access to the bed.

The two-dimensional, time-dependent flow of an arbitrarily shaped ice mass can be successfully modeled with the finite-element technique on a small computer. Methods developed for automatically generating the mesh data greatly simplify the data preparation and optimize the numerical simulations. Using quadratic basis functions permits the flow to be approximated quite adequately by only two element rows (five nodes vertically). Mixed-order basis functions, however, must be used so that numerical oscillations do not set in, and the ends of the ice mass, where the thickness tends to zero, must be treated carefully. Time simulations to a steady-state condition are necessary to test such numerical models adequately.South Cascade Glacier, Washington, is currently close to equilibrium. A bedrock sill dominates the bed topography in the lower half of the glacier, rising to a height of about 20% of the ice thickness. This sill produces a maximum increase in the overall thickness of about 6–7% compared to what the thickness would have been if the sill were not present. Finally, this glacier does not appear to be sliding much, if at all, despite its maritime alpine environment. This could help explain the difficulties encountered when trying to measure sliding and basal water pressures on the same glacier (Hodge, 1979), or it could imply that drag exerted by the valley walls has a significantly greater effect than conventional shape-factor concepts imply.

Bore-hole drilling techniques have been used to connect with the subglacial water system of the temperate South Cascade Glacier. The water level in a connecting bore hole probably represents a direct measurement of the basal water pressure over an area at least to m in extent. Fluctuations of up to 40 m in bore-hole water levels occur typically over periods of several days and often peak about 2 d after large changes in water input at the glacier surface. The long-term trend in bore-hole water levels supports the idea of seasonal storage and release of liquid water.

A further development of the Howorka steam-operated ice drill is given. It is mounted on a pack frame for easy transportation in rugged terrain. A propane flame is used to vaporize water in a single-pass fire-tube boiler. The steam is delivered to the ice through a double-walled flexible hose and a straight guide tube with an exchangeable nozzle at the end. One hole, 25 mm in diameter and 8 m deep, can be drilled in 15 min; four such holes can be drilled with one tank of water and 10 with one tank of propane. Holes deeper than 16 m are impractical as heat losses in the hose become too large. Sturdy construction has been used and the drill has been tested and found to work satisfactorily under both temperate and arctic conditions.

The amygdala is instrumental to a set of brain processes that lead to cocaine consumption, including those that mediate reward and drug craving. This study examined the volumes of the amygdala and hippocampus in cocaine-addicted subjects and matched healthy controls and determined that the amygdala but not the hippocampus was significantly reduced in volume. The right-left amygdala asymmetry in control subjects was absent in the cocaine addicts. Topological analysis of amygdala isosurfaces (population averages) revealed that the isosurface of the cocaine-dependent group undercut the anterior and superior surfaces of the control group, implicating a difference in the corticomedial and basolateral nuclei. In cocaine addicts, amygdala volume did not correlate with any measure of cocaine use. The amygdala symmetry coefficient did correlate with baseline but not cocaine-primed craving. These findings argue for a condition that predisposes the individual to cocaine dependence by affecting the amygdala, or a primary event early in the course of cocaine use.

An unstable situation can develop when a calving glacier (one that ends in water but is still grounded throughout) terminates on a shoal. This instability is largely a consequence of continuity and the extending flow which occurs up-glacier of the shoal. Whenever the calving-rate exceeds the ice velocity the ice front will start to retreat; the rate of retreat is accentuated by the extending flow and the front continues to retreat at an increasing rate.