20,098 research outputs found
Role of the cerebellum in adaptation to delayed action effects
Actions are typically associated with sensory consequences. For example, knocking at a door results in predictable sounds. These self-initiated sensory stimuli are known to elicit smaller cortical responses compared to passively presented stimuli, e.g., early auditory evoked magnetic fields known as M100 and M200 components are attenuated. Current models implicate the cerebellum in the prediction of the sensory consequences of our actions. However, causal evidence is largely missing. In this study, we introduced a constant delay (of 100 ms) between actions and action-associated sounds, and we recorded magnetoencephalography (MEG) data as participants adapted to the delay. We found an increase in the attenuation of the M100 component over time for self-generated sounds, which indicates cortical adaptation to the introduced delay. In contrast, no change in M200 attenuation was found. Interestingly, disrupting cerebellar activity via transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) abolished the adaptation of M100 attenuation, while the M200 attenuation reverses to an M200 enhancement. Our results provide causal evidence for the involvement of the cerebellum in adapting to delayed action effects, and thus in the prediction of the sensory consequences of our actions
Chandra X-Ray Point Sources, including Supernova 1979C, in the Spiral Galaxy M100
Six x-ray point sources, with luminosities of in the 0.4--7 keV band, were detected in Chandra
observations of the spiral galaxy M100. One source is identified with supernova
SN 1979C and appears to have roughly constant x-ray flux for the period 16--20
years after the outburst. The x-ray spectrum is soft, as would be expected if
the x-ray emission is due to the interaction of supernova ejecta with
circumstellar matter. Most of the other sources are variable either within the
Chandra observation or when compared to archival data. None are coincident with
the peak of the radio emission at the nucleus. These sources have harder
spectra than the supernova and are likely x-ray binaries. M100 has more bright
x-ray sources than typical for spiral galaxies of its size. This is likely
related to active star formation occurring in the galaxy.Comment: accepted by the Astrophysical Journal, 7 page
Early occipital sensitivity to syntactic category is based on form typicality
Syntactic factors can rapidly affect behavioral and neural responses during language processing; however, the mechanisms that allow this rapid extraction of syntactically relevant information remain poorly understood. We addressed this issue using magnetoencephalography and found that an unexpected word category (e.g., “The recently princess . . . ”) elicits enhanced activity in visual cortex as early as 120 ms after exposure, and that this activity occurs as a function of the compatibility of a word’s form with the form properties associated with a predicted word category. Because no sensitivity to linguistic factors has been previously reported for words in isolation at this stage of visual analysis, we propose that predictions about upcoming syntactic categories are translated into form-based estimates, which are made available to sensory cortices. This finding may be a key component to elucidating the mechanisms that allow the extreme rapidity and efficiency of language comprehension
Magnetization reversal and anomalous coercive field temperature dependence in MnAs epilayers grown on GaAs(100) and GaAs(111)B
The magnetic properties of MnAs epilayers have been investigated for two
different substrate orientations: GaAs(100) and GaAs(111). We have analyzed the
magnetization reversal under magnetic field at low temperatures, determining
the anisotropy of the films. The results, based on the shape of the
magnetization loops, suggest a domain movement mechanism for both types of
samples. The temperature dependence of the coercivity of the films has been
also examined, displaying a generic anomalous reentrant behavior at T200 K.
This feature is independent of the substrate orientation and films thickness
and may be associated to the appearance of new pinning centers due to the
nucleation of the -phase at high temperatures.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
Dynamics of Inner Galactic Disks: The Striking Case of M100
We investigate gas dynamics in the presence of a double inner Lindblad
resonance within a barred disk galaxy. Using an example of a prominent spiral,
M100, we reproduce the basic central morphology, including four dominant
regions of star formation corresponding to the compression maxima in the gas.
These active star forming sites delineate an inner boundary (so-called nuclear
ring) of a rather broad oval detected in the near infrared. We find that
inclusion of self-gravitational effects in the gas is necessary in order to
understand its behavior in the vicinity of the resonances and its subsequent
evolution. The self-gravity of the gas is also crucial to estimate the effect
of a massive nuclear ring on periodic orbits in the stellar bar.Comment: 11 pages, postscript, compressed, uuencoded. Paper and 4 figures
available at ftp://pa.uky.edu/shlosman/nobel or at
http://www.pa.uky.edu/~shlosman/ . Invited talk at the Centennial Nobel
Symposium on "Barred Galaxies and Circumnuclear Activity," A.Sandquist et al.
(Eds.), Springer-Verlag, in pres
Accretion and magnetic field morphology around Class 0 stage protostellar discs
We analyse simulations of turbulent, magnetised molecular cloud cores
focussing on the formation of Class 0 stage protostellar discs and the physical
conditions in their surroundings. We show that for a wide range of initial
conditions Keplerian discs are formed in the Class 0 stage already. In
particular, we show that even subsonic turbulent motions reduce the magnetic
braking efficiency sufficiently in order to allow rotationally supported discs
to form. We therefore suggest that already during the Class 0 stage the
fraction of Keplerian discs is significantly higher than 50%, consistent with
recent observational trends but significantly higher than predictions based on
simulations with misaligned magnetic fields, demonstrating the importance of
turbulent motions for the formation of Keplerian discs. We show that the
accretion of mass and angular momentum in the surroundings of protostellar
discs occurs in a highly anisotropic manner, by means of a few narrow accretion
channels. The magnetic field structure in the vicinity of the discs is highly
disordered, revealing field reversals up to distances of 1000 AU. These
findings demonstrate that as soon as even mild turbulent motions are included,
the classical disc formation scenario of a coherently rotating environment and
a well-ordered magnetic field breaks down. Hence, it is highly questionable to
assess the magnetic braking efficiency based on non-turbulent collapse
simulation. We strongly suggest that, in addition to the global magnetic field
properties, the small-scale accretion flow and detailed magnetic field
structure have to be considered in order to assess the likelihood of Keplerian
discs to be present.Comment: 14 pages, 6 figures, accepted for publication in MNRAS, updated to
final versio
- …