Spreading Activation Research Articles

Concert traditions of choral conducting in China in the second half of the 20th – early 21st century

Statement of the problem. Historically, choral performance and conducting in China got extraordinary development in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. But the artistic achievements of Chinese choral performance, the formation of organizational foundations and concert traditions of leading choral groups, the creative manner and achievements of outstanding conductors have not received adequate coverage and generalization in scientific literature. Only since the beginning of the 21st century, some attention of musicologists has been paid to conducting and choral practice and education (Ma Xu, A. Rastrygina, Liu Zhenyan), the activities of regional choral groups (Gui Junjie), the work of some outstanding artists and their groups (Tang Fang). The insufficient research of the stated problem actualizes the topic of the proposed article. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The scientific novelty is due to the purpose of the article – to highlight the creative achievements of outstanding choral conductors and collectives, to reveal the formation of organizational foundations and concert traditions of Chinese choral art of the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century, which did not become the subject of a separate study. A complex of scientific methods and approaches was used, the main of which are historical and cultural (for identification of the features of development, specifics, stylistics and forms of concert performance), historical and biographical (for covering the creative path of outstanding Chinese choral conductors and groups), musicological (analysis of individual performance style, artistic interpretation, repertoire policy), generalization (historical assessment of concert performance achievements of choral art in China). Research results and conclusion. A review of the development of choral art in China in the second half of the 20th – beginning of the 21st century proved that until the 1980s, the features of its development were determined by the ideology and policy of the Communist Party. It was found that the concert activity of the leading Chinese choirs is characterized by a peculiar manner of performance. The concert programs were analyzed, and it was found that the basis of the repertoire of most choirs are plays by Chinese composers and arrangements of songs of various peoples of China. Works of the world repertoire are mainly performed by Chinese groups during participation in international events. Since the 1990s, the organization of national and international choral competitions and festivals has played a significant role in the development of concert traditions and the spread of choral concert activities in China. At the beginning of the 21st century, the expressiveness of the musical component has been enhanced by theatrical performance. With the spread of Internet networks and computer technologies, new virtual forms of choral concert work are being introduced.

The effect of P2X7 antagonism on subcortical spread of optogenetically-triggered cortical spreading depression and neuroinflammation

Migraine is a neurological disorder characterized by episodes of severe headache. Cortical spreading depression (CSD), the electrophysiological equivalent of migraine aura, results in opening of pannexin 1 megachannels that release ATP and triggers parenchymal neuroinflammatory signaling cascade in the cortex. Migraine symptoms suggesting subcortical dysfunction bring subcortical spread of CSD under the light. Here, we investigated the role of purinergic P2X7 receptors on the subcortical spread of CSD and its consequent neuroinflammation using a potent and selective P2X7R antagonist, JNJ-47965567. P2X7R antagonism had no effect on the CSD threshold and characteristics but increased the latency to hypothalamic voltage deflection following CSD suggesting that ATP acts as a mediator in the subcortical spread. P2X7R antagonism also prevented cortical and subcortical neuronal activation following CSD, revealed by bilateral decrease in c-fos positive neuron count, and halted CSD-induced neuroinflammation revealed by decreased neuronal HMGB1 release and decreased nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B-p65 in astrocytes. In conclusion, our data suggest that P2X7R plays a role in CSD-induced neuroinflammation, subcortical spread of CSD and CSD-induced neuronal activation hence can be a potential target.

Multi-Source Information Graph Embedding with Ensemble Learning for Link Prediction

Link prediction is a key technique for connecting entities and relationships in a graph reasoning field. It leverages known information about the graph structure data to predict missing factual information. Previous studies have either focused on the semantic representation of a single triplet or on the graph structure data built on triples. The former ignores the association between different triples, and the latter ignores the true meaning of the node itself. Furthermore, common graph-structured datasets inherently face challenges, such as missing information and incompleteness. In light of this challenge, we present a novel model called Multi-source Information Graph Embedding with Ensemble Learning for Link Prediction (EMGE), which can effectively improve the reasoning of link prediction. Ensemble learning is systematically applied throughout the model training process. At the data level, this approach enhances entity embeddings by integrating structured graph information and unstructured textual data as multi-source information inputs. The fusion of these inputs is effectively addressed by introducing an attention mechanism. During the training phase, the principle of ensemble learning is employed to extract semantic features from multiple neural network models, facilitating the interaction of enriched information. To ensure effective model learning, a novel loss function based on contrastive learning is devised, effectively minimizing the discrepancy between predicted values and the ground truth. Moreover, to enhance the semantic representation of graph nodes in link prediction, two rules are introduced during the aggregation of graph structure information. These rules incorporate the concept of spreading activation, enabling a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships between nodes and edges in the graph. During the testing phase, the EMGE model is validated on three datasets, including WN18RR, FB15k-237, and a private Chinese financial dataset. The experimental results demonstrate a reduction in the mean rank (MR) by 0.2 times, an improvement in the mean reciprocal rank (MRR) by 5.9%, and an increase in the Hit@1 by 12.9% compared to the baseline model.

Evading Military Service and Tales of Hidden Artillery: Military Legends in Estonian Folklore

The article explores Estonian military lore, focusing on the legends and rumours that circulated mainly among men conscripted into the Soviet army, but also among those who served in the Estonian Defence Forces. Many of these legends played an important role in fostering a sense of camaraderie among the troops and continue to circulate as part of men’s oral tradition. Although, unfortunately, the legends were not collected during their active spread, we can get some idea of this cultural phenomenon from discussion threads posted on online military forums (e.g., www.militaar.net) and from comparative material sent to the Estonian Folklore Archives in the 1990s. The legends and rumours in the memories of servicemen and veteran soldiers tell us about hidden weapons, army discipline, strategies to evade military service, sexuality, fate, and serendipity, as well as exploring particular natural objects in local landscapes (bridges, secret passages, etc.).

Optimizing information-driven awareness allocation for controlling activity-triggered epidemic spread

In the contemporary era, the advent of epidemics instigates a substantial upswing in relevant information dissemination, bolstering individuals’ resistance to infection by concurrently reducing activity contacts and reinforcing personal protective measures. To elucidate this intricate dynamics, we introduce a composite four-layer network model designed to capture the interplay among information-driven awareness, human activity, and epidemic spread, with a focus on the allocation of individuals’ limited attention in diminishing activity frequency and self-infection rates. One intriguing observation from our findings is an anomalous, concave non-monotonic relationship between awareness trade-off and epidemic spread, with a more pronounced prevalence at an intermediate least awareness efficacy. This underscores the inadvisability of relaxing self-protection through reduced activity frequency or compensating for increased activity frequency by enhancing self-protection. Especially noteworthy is the significance of enhancing self-protection in response to heightened information dissemination and inherent activity demands to curtail infection risk. However, in scenarios with increasing ancillary activity frequency, the emphasis should exclusively shift towards reducing activity exposure. The model establishes a theoretical threshold for accurately predicting awareness efficacy in epidemic outbreaks. Optimal awareness allocation consistently resides at the extremes—either completely avoiding unnecessary activity contact or adopting full self-protection. This guidance, contingent on information level and activity demand, offers valuable insights into the delicate balance between individual behaviors and epidemic prevention.

Gap-junction-mediated bioelectric signaling required for slow muscle development and function in zebrafish

Bioelectric signaling, intercellular communication facilitated by membrane potential and electrochemical coupling, is emerging as a key regulator of animal development. Gap junction (GJ) channels can mediate bioelectric signaling by creating a fast, direct pathway between cells for the movement of ions and other small molecules. In vertebrates, GJ channels are formed by a highly conserved transmembrane protein family called the connexins. The connexin gene family is large and complex, creating challenges in identifying specific connexins that create channels within developing and mature tissues. Using the embryonic zebrafish neuromuscular system as a model, we identify a connexin conserved across vertebrate lineages, gjd4, which encodes the Cx46.8 protein, that mediates bioelectric signaling required for slow muscle development and function. Through mutant analysis and invivo imaging, we show that gjd4/Cx46.8 creates GJ channels specifically in developing slow muscle cells. Using genetics, pharmacology, and calcium imaging, we find that spinal-cord-generated neural activity is transmitted to developing slow muscle cells, and synchronized activity spreads via gjd4/Cx46.8 GJ channels. Finally, we show that bioelectrical signal propagation within the developing neuromuscular system is required for appropriate myofiber organization and that disruption leads to defects in behavior. Our work reveals a molecular basis for GJ communication among developing muscle cells and reveals how perturbations to bioelectric signaling in the neuromuscular system may contribute to developmental myopathies. Moreover, this work underscores a critical motif of signal propagation between organ systems and highlights the pivotal role of GJ communication in coordinating bioelectric signaling during development.

The Role of Vimentin in Human Corneal Fibroblast Spreading and Myofibroblast Transformation.

Vimentin has been reported to play diverse roles in cell processes such as spreading, migration, cell-matrix adhesion, and fibrotic transformation. Here, we assess how vimentin impacts cell spreading, morphology, and myofibroblast transformation of human corneal fibroblasts. Overall, although knockout (KO) of vimentin did not dramatically impact corneal fibroblast spreading and mechanical activity (traction force), cell elongation in response to PDGF was reduced in vimentin KO cells as compared to controls. Blocking vimentin polymerization using Withaferin had even more pronounced effects on cell spreading and also inhibited cell-induced matrix contraction. Furthermore, although absence of vimentin did not completely block TGFβ-induced myofibroblast transformation, the degree of transformation and amount of αSMA protein expression was reduced. Proteomics showed that vimentin KO cells cultured in TGFβ had a similar pattern of protein expression as controls. One exception included periostin, an ECM protein associated with wound healing and fibrosis in other cell types, which was highly expressed only in Vim KO cells. We also demonstrate for the first time that LRRC15, a protein previously associated with myofibroblast transformation of cancer-associated fibroblasts, is also expressed by corneal myofibroblasts. Interestingly, proteins associated with LRRC15 in other cell types, such as collagen, fibronectin, β1 integrin and α11 integrin, were also upregulated. Overall, our data show that vimentin impacts both corneal fibroblast spreading and myofibroblast transformation. We also identified novel proteins that may regulate corneal myofibroblast transformation in the presence and/or absence of vimentin.

Digitalisation of Educational Process in the Context of Information Society Realities

The purpose of the research is to explore the problems and outline the prospects for the digital transformation of education in the context of the realities of the information society, which is guided by the principles and values of the post-industrial era. Research methods. The main methods of the research were analysis and synthesis, generalisation, systematisation, and a dialectical approach, which helped to determine the ratio of the effectiveness of traditional and distance education, analyse the main means and advantages of distance learning and distance education, and identify the features of the digital culture of modern society in the context of its impact on the modernisation of education. Research scientific novelty. The examination of the issue of educational technologisation, in particular its impact on the learning environment, has shown that the active spread of digital technologies will transform the organisation of the educational process into cooperation and productive learning activities of higher education students and teachers. Conclusions. Today, we are at the initial stage of introducing innovative technologies into the educational process, which can improve the overall level of education and literacy of the population and society as a whole. However, despite the fact that the digitalisation of the educational process has become significant at the current stage of development, it needs to be refined, changed, and involve new and additional elements and functions, and attention should be paid to revising the regulatory framework of modern legislation. It is determined that the digitalisation of the educational process involves the transformation and integration of educational technologies into all stages of the educational process: training, education, methodological integration, and career guidance. It is emphasised that the form of organising distance learning contributes to the development of independent work skills, and the range of innovative and attractive learning strategies for higher education students is growing.

Mathematical modeling and flow thermodynamics study of borosilicate glass melt after external addition of Cr2O3

This article uses a high-temperature sintering imaging instrument to test the flowability of borosilicate glass melt doped with Cr2O3, and establishes a mathematical model for high-temperature glass melt spreading. Discuss the glass melt from a thermodynamic perspective by combining model interpretation with experimental characterization. The results indicate that the thermodynamic judgment formula for high-temperature flow spreading of borosilicate glass is: Q≥ρ[A0exp(−T/k0)+S0]−M·δ[A0exp(−T/k0)+S0]1/2. To improve the high-temperature flow ability of borosilicate glass, it is necessary to increase the spreading activation energy Q. On the other hand, it is necessary to reduce the spreading coefficients A0、 k0 and S0. As a refractory metal oxide and active oxide, Cr2O3 plays a role in reducing the spreading coefficient of glass systems.

The Contemporary Ethno-Confessional Situation Among the Udmurts of Perm Territory

Abstract The article, which is based on both published sources and field expedition materials from recent decades, sets out to examine the confessional processes taking place in a small area in the south of Perm Territory that is settled by Udmurts, the foundation of whose religious tradition was the preservation of traditional beliefs. The author has conducted an analysis of the historical prerequisites for the formation of a multi-confessional community, characterised by both the preservation of traditional religion and the active spread of Islam and Christianity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The historical experience of this period has influenced the modern ethno-confessional situation. Today, each of the religious traditions observed by the community being studied has a different potential for development. Following the restoration of the system of prayers and institutions, traditional religion has played a vital role, both in the modern ethnic identity of the group as a whole, and in the local identity of the inhabitants of specific villages and hamlets. In their capacity as significant and major social events of the year, prayers occupy an important place in the contemporary ethno-cultural life of the Kuyeda Udmurts. At the same time, the symbolic nature of prayers, the loss of a developed system of ideas, along with the absence of outstanding confessional leaders are often the reasons for the absence of public religious life in some Udmurt villages, and for the lack of involvement of a significant part of the local community in contemporary confessional events. Christianity currently has significant potential to spread within the group individual strategies, as well as missionary work, are the main reasons for its active spread in recent decades. Islam has maintained its position in the same period.

Study of the Impact of High Temperature of Cooling Water and Hydrocarbon Waste Discharged from Musayyib Thermal Station to the Euphrates River Using Remote Sensing Stations

The spread of industrial activities, especially electrical power generation stations on the banks of rivers, increases the pollution of the surrounding water environment as a result of the release of industrial water that is not treated adequately. Among these stations is the Al-Musayyib Thermal Power Station. The research focused onstudying the quality of the water entering and leaving the station by installing two sensing stations. Remote monitoring of the Euphrates River, as the station contains several sensors, including measuring acidity, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, and the amount of total salts, in addition to a sensor for measuring refined fuel. These results are collected around the clock at a central station, where the results showed a decrease in the level of dissolved oxygen ranging between (3.5-5) RSD% 0.1-0.2 as well as an increase in The temperature of the excreted water ranging between from(30Cº-33Cº) RSD% 0.1-0.2, both of which negatively affect the environmental life of living organisms, as well as the appearance of a high percentage of pollutants resulting from refined fuel, ranging between (2.1-8.1) ppm, The findings will contribute to improving the efficiency of treatment plants to suit the environment surrounding the river, In order to preserve the water environment, it is necessary to place oil dispensers in the treatment units, as well as work to reduce the temperatures of the cooling water, which are at temperatures higher than the medical grades coming out of the station.

Content-Aware Rectified Activation for Zero-Shot Fine-Grained Image Retrieval.

Fine-grained image retrieval mainly focuses on learning salient features from the seen subcategories as discriminative embedding while neglecting the problems behind zero-shot settings. We argue that retrieving fine-grained objects from unseen subcategories may rely on more diverse clues, which are easily restrained by the salient features learnt from seen subcategories. To address this issue, we propose a novel Content-aware Rectified Activation model, which enables this model to suppress the activation on salient regions while preserving their discrimination, and spread activation to adjacent non-salient regions, thus mining more diverse discriminative features for retrieving unseen subcategories. Specifically, we construct a content-aware rectified prototype (CARP) by perceiving semantics of salient regions. CARP acts as a channel-wise non-destructive activation upper bound and can be selectively used to suppress salient regions for obtaining the rectified features. Moreover, two regularizations are proposed: 1) a semantic coherency constraint that imposes a restriction on semantic coherency of CARP and salient regions, aiming at propagating the discriminative ability of salient regions to CARP, 2) a feature-navigated constraint to further guide the model to adaptively balance the discrimination power of rectified features and the suppression power of salient features. Experimental results on fine-grained and product retrieval benchmarks demonstrate that our method consistently outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.

Lattice ultrasensitivity produces large gain in E. coli chemosensing.

E. coli use a regular lattice of receptors and attached kinases to detect and amplify faint chemical signals. Kinase output is characterized by precise adaptation to a wide range of background ligand levels and large gain in response to small relative changes in ligand concentration. These characteristics are well described by models which achieve their gain through equilibrium cooperativity. But these models are challenged by two experimental results. First, neither adaptation nor large gain are present in receptor binding assays. Second, in cells lacking adaptation machinery, fluctuations can sometimes be enormous, with essentially all kinases transitioning together. Here we introduce a far-from equilibrium model in which receptors gate the spread of activity between neighboring kinases. This model achieves large gain through a mechanism we term lattice ultrasensitivity (LU). In our LU model, kinase and receptor states are separate degrees of freedom, and kinase kinetics are dominated by chemical rates far-from-equilibrium rather than by equilibrium allostery. The model recapitulates the successes of past models, but also matches the challenging experimental findings. Importantly, unlike past lattice critical models, our LU model does not require parameters to be fine tuned for function.

What is a mantra? Guidance for practitioners, researchers, and editors.

Mantras, sometimes called holy names or prayer words, are increasingly included and studied as components in health and human services interventions. In this emerging field, the term "mantra" has been implicitly defined over several decades in a way that has been useful, largely shared across research teams, and historically resonant. However, confusion has arisen in how "mantra" is defined and used in a small fraction of recent publications that depart from longstanding usage. To provide needed guidance going forward for researchers, editors, reviewers, and practitioners, the present article discusses historical, cross-cultural, conceptual, and empirical background and proposes a definition of "mantra" for use in empirical research on mantra interventions: A mantra is a phrase or sound that has been repeated and sanctified over time within a spiritual tradition. Using this definition, we categorize several dozen empirical studies of mantra repetition interventions. Emphasizing well-established psychosocial processes such as priming and spreading activation, we explain theoretical and empirical bases for expecting repetition of mantras to enlist spiritual resources and provide added value for health and well-being, over and above the repetition of neutral non-mantra sounds or phrases. Although the term mantra should be used carefully in professional discourse, we allow that looser definitions can be acceptable in communications with intervention recipients, clients, and patients, parallel to recent recommendations for how to employ the term "spirituality." Directions for future research are suggested. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Subduction of active spreading ridges and the disappearance of Andean-type cordilleras

Subduction of active spreading ridges and the disappearance of Andean-type cordilleras

Association Between Intracochlear Electrode Design and Electrically-Evoked Compound Action Potential Measures in Cochlear Implant Users.

Cochlear implant (CI) electrode design has changed over time. Changes in intracochlear electrode design might influence the spread of neural activation along the auditory nerve and the number of independent channels. This study aimed to investigate the impact of intracochlear electrode design on the electrode-neuron interface using electrophysiological measures. Prospective cohort study. A single tertiary hospital. Fifty-two ears who were implanted with CI divided into 3 groups based on the design of intracochlear electrode arrays. Twenty-three ears were implanted with lateral wall straight electrodes. Eighteen ears were implanted with the slim perimodiolar electrode, and 11 ears were implanted with the old perimodiolar electrode. Various electrically-evoked compound action potential (ECAP) metrics were measured to quantify spread of excitation and channel interaction. ECAP threshold and slope were not significantly different among groups. ECAP spread of excitation (SOE) half-width and channel interaction index (CII) were significantly larger in subjects implanted with the lateral wall straight electrodes, indicating a wider spread of excitation compared to those with perimodiolar electrodes. Electrode impedance was significantly lower in subjects implanted with perimodiolar electrodes than those with lateral wall electrodes. Perimodiolar electrode groups yielded significantly narrower SOE half-widths and smaller CII than the lateral wall straight electrode group. This may indicate that the electrode array that hugged the modiolus had less overlap in neural excitation between adjacent electrodes, resulting in reduced channel interaction and potentially better spectral resolution than the electrode array positioned more laterally.

Platelet Spreading and Clot Retraction are Regulated by two Distinct αIIbβ3 Outside-in Signaling Pathways.

Bi-directional signaling through platelet integrin αIIbβ3 is essential in hemostasis and thrombosis. In quiescent platelets αIIbβ3 is in a low-affinity ligand binding state. However, upon platelet activation by agonists through inside-out signaling, a rapid switch in the conformation of the integrin results in a high affinity ligand binding state capable of binding soluble fibrinogen. Ligand binding to the αIIbβ3 induces a signaling termed outside-in signaling that regulate platelet spreading and clot retraction. These events are often interchangeably used to represent outside-in signaling pathway. Using pharmacological inhibitors of known signaling molecules that have been implicated to regulate outside-in signaling, we assessed human platelet spreading and clot retraction. We found that inhibition of PI3K, PLC, PKC, and FAK strongly attenuated both platelet spreading and clot retraction suggesting that they are essential for both clot retraction and platelet spreading. Whereas inhibition of Rac1, ROCK, p38, and MEK did not affect platelet spreading but significantly delayed clot retraction suggesting that these signaling molecules do not participate in platelet spreading. Interestingly, Src family kinases (SFKs) are required for platelet spreading and FAK activation but suppresses clot retraction since their inhibition causes faster clot retraction. Thus, it becomes evident that platelet spreading, and clot retraction are differently regulated through αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling and should not be used interchangeably as readout for αIIbβ3 outside-in signaling assessment. Significance Statement Current anti-platelet drugs have increased risk of bleeding and low efficacy. There is an increased effort to identify novel anti-platelet agents that have improved efficacy with reduced risk of bleeding. It is increasingly felt that inhibition of αIIbβ3-induced outside-in signaling may inhibit thrombosis without compromising hemostasis. However, the signaling entities regulating outside-in signaling is poorly understood. Our work included in this manuscript delineates the distinct signaling pathways involved in outside-in signaling and identify potential novel targets for intervention of thrombosis.

Biological activity of tantalum oxide coating doped with calcium and strontium by micro-arc oxidation under osteoimmunomodulation

Tantalum is widely used in clinics due to its excellent properties. However, its high density and elastic modulus constrain its application as a large implant. The new porous tantalum material addresses the issue of incompatibility between the implant and the human body. Nevertheless, it still exhibits biological inertia and limited bone-bonding ability; therefore, it is necessary to modify its surface. At present, some surface modification methods have inconsistent results in vitro and in vivo. To solve this problem, this study described the preparation of a ceramic coating with a "trabeculae-like" structure on the surface of pure tantalum using micro-arc oxidation (MAO). Calcium and strontium ions were introduced by adding acetate to the electrolyte. The effects of incorporating bioactive ions Ca2+ and Sr2+ into the electrolyte on the coating's morphology, coating thickness, phase composition, roughness, hydrophilicity, and the activity of MC3T3-E1 osteoblast cells under osteoimmunomodulation were investigated. The results demonstrated that the introduction of bioactive ions did not change the porous morphology of the coating; instead, it led to an increase in coating thickness, enhancement of surface roughness and hydrophilicity, as well as promotion of osteoblast spreading, proliferation, and ALP activity. Moreover, it regulated the phenotypic polarization of RAW264.7 macrophages to augment osteoblast proliferation, spreading, and ALP activity, implying that the coating has superior osteogenic potential under osteoimmunomodulation.

Attributions of Sexual Assault: Effects of Victim and Perpetrator Stereotypes, Presentation Order, and Participant Characteristics.

Research on sexual assault has shown that victim, perpetrator, and participant characteristics can influence evaluations of an assault. However, the studies have not examined a possible main effect or interactions from respectively introducing the victim or perpetrator first in an assault description, and previous studies have used participant samples with little diversity. We conducted two studies with factorial between-groups designs that varied presentation order in addition to victim and perpetrator stereotypicality and then assessed the impacts on participants' judgments of sexual assault scenarios. We used the online marketplace Prolific to collect large, diverse samples of participants, and in the second study, we collected roughly equal sample sizes of individuals who identified as Black females/males and White females/males. Our results indicate that multiple factors-including victim and perpetrator stereotypicality, presentation order, and participants' gender identities-significantly influenced judgments of the sexual assault, and there were numerous interactions. The results provide strongest support for a spreading activation model in which each factor can influence a participant's judgment of the other factors and the overall scenario. As such, the findings may bear on the legal handling of sexual assault cases as well as suggesting how different presentation formats and emphases in media coverage may sway the court of public opinion.

Oligocene and Miocene blowtorch volcanism within the California Borderland and its influence on the plate-boundary transition

Abstract The California Borderland is a uniquely broad and complex region of the North American–Pacific transform margin. Oligocene to Miocene structural reorganization, including large-magnitude extension and vertical-axis rotation of crustal blocks, formed a network of submerged fault-bounded basins, ridges, and islands offshore of southern California during its evolution from a convergent to transform boundary. Here, we report new 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating age determinations and geochemical analyses of volcanic rocks in the California Borderland, as well as a reconciled regional tectonic model. The California Borderland volcanic rocks are calc-alkaline in composition and mostly silica-oversaturated and represent relatively large-degree partial melts of the asthenosphere that incorporated hydrated forearc lithospheric components. A temporal reconciliation of these records shows that subduction of an active spreading center starting in the Oligocene and again in the Miocene was the critical control on the observed volcanism at ca. 31–30 Ma and 19–13 Ma. We posit that prolonged trench-ridge interaction generated a blowtorch effect, which resulted in widespread forearc volcanism and weakening of the crust to facilitate the unique deformation styles documented in the borderland that did not occur elsewhere along the North American–Pacific plate boundary.