The stellar obliquity of a transiting planetary system can be constrained by combining measurements of the star’s rotation period, radius, and projected rotational velocity. Here, we present a hierarchical Bayesian technique for recovering the obliquity distribution of a population of transiting planetary systems and apply it to a sample of 70 Kepler objects of interest. With ≈95% confidence, w...

We investigate the prospects for characterizing extrasolar giant planets by measuring planetary oblateness from transit photometry and inferring planetary rotational periods. The rotation rates of planets in the solar system vary widely, reflecting the planets’ diverse formational and evolutionary histories. A measured oblateness, assumed composition, and equation of state yields a rotation rat...

Permafrost is ground remaining frozen (temperatures are below the freezing point of water) for more than two consecutive years. An active layer in permafrost regions is defined as a near-surface layer that undergoes freeze–thaw cycles due to day-average surface and soil temperatures oscillating about the freezing point of water. A ‘‘dry’’ active layer may occur in parched soils without free wat...

Introduction: Deposits on the flanks of the large Tharsis Montes volcanoes have been recognized to be of glacial origin [1,2,3]. These Amazonian-aged deposits display three distinct facies, ridged, knobby, and smooth [4], each of which can be associated with different glacial processes [1]. We use the fundamental differences between the atmospheric snow accumulation environments on Earth [5] an...

PURPOSE To assess and evaluate the usefulness of 7 morphological measurements of the acetabulum in establishing the prevalence of acetabular dysplasia in the Singaporean population. METHODS Standardised plain anteroposterior radiographs of 522 hip joints of 261 asymptomatic patients (mean age, 60 years; range, 16-99 years) were evaluated. The 7 morphological measurements were centre-edge angl...

The rotational state of Europa is only rather poorly constrained at present. It is known to rotate about an axis that is nearly perpendicular to the orbit plane, at a rate that is nearly constant and approximates the mean orbital rate. Small departures from a constant rotation rate and oscillations of the rotation axis both lead to stresses that may influence the location and orientation of sur...

The wavelet time-frequency spectral analysis is applied to geological records that are proxies of paleoclimatic variations: d18O in sedimentary cores, atmospheric CO2 concentration, and a loess magnetic susceptibility stratigraphy within the past million years. These spectra are compared with those for the astronomically predicted variations of the earth’s orbital eccentricity, obliquity, prece...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Stiff-knee gait is defined as reduced knee flexion during the swing phase. It is accompanied by frontal plane compensatory movements (eg, circumduction and hip hiking) typically thought to result from reduced toe clearance. As such, we examined if knee flexion assistance before foot-off would reduce exaggerated frontal plane movements in people with stiff-knee gait after ...