2,931 research outputs found
Relating the variability of tone-burst otoacoustic emission and auditory brainstem response latencies to the underlying cochlear mechanics
Forward and reverse cochlear latency and its relation to the frequency tuning of the auditory filters can be assessed using tone bursts (TBs). Otoacoustic emissions (TBOAEs) estimate the cochlear roundtrip time, while auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to the same stimuli aim at measuring the auditory filter buildup time. Latency ratios are generally close to two and controversy exists about the relationship of this ratio to cochlear mechanics. We explored why the two methods provide different estimates of filter buildup time, and ratios with large inter-subject variability, using a time-domain model for OAEs and ABRs. We compared latencies for twenty models, in which all parameters but the cochlear irregularities responsible for reflection-source OAEs were identical, and found that TBOAE latencies were much more variable than ABR latencies. Multiple reflection-sources generated within the evoking stimulus bandwidth were found to shape the TBOAE envelope and complicate the interpretation of TBOAE latency and TBOAE/ABR ratios in terms of auditory filter tuning
Heating and thermal squeezing in parametrically-driven oscillators with added noise
In this paper we report a theoretical model based on Green functions, Floquet
theory and averaging techniques up to second order that describes the dynamics
of parametrically-driven oscillators with added thermal noise. Quantitative
estimates for heating and quadrature thermal noise squeezing near and below the
transition line of the first parametric instability zone of the oscillator are
given. Furthermore, we give an intuitive explanation as to why heating and
thermal squeezing occur. For small amplitudes of the parametric pump the
Floquet multipliers are complex conjugate of each other with a constant
magnitude. As the pump amplitude is increased past a threshold value in the
stable zone near the first parametric instability, the two Floquet multipliers
become real and have different magnitudes. This creates two different effective
dissipation rates (one smaller and the other larger than the real dissipation
rate) along the stable manifolds of the first-return Poincare map. We also show
that the statistical average of the input power due to thermal noise is
constant and independent of the pump amplitude and frequency. The combination
of these effects cause most of heating and thermal squeezing. Very good
agreement between analytical and numerical estimates of the thermal
fluctuations is achieved.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev. E, 29 pages, 12 figures. arXiv admin note:
substantial text overlap with arXiv:1108.484
A metaphor for adiabatic evolution to symmetry
In this paper we study a Hamiltonian system with a spatially asymmetric
potential. We are interested in the effects on the dynamics when the potential
becomes symmetric slowly in time. We focus on a highly simplified non-trivial
model problem (a metaphor) to be able to pursue explicit calculations as far as
possible. Using the techniques of averaging and adiabatic invariants, we are
able to study all bounded solutions, which reveals significant asymmetric
dynamics even when the asymmetric contributions to the potential have become
negligibly small.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX 2e, 8 figures include
A mechanism for pair formation in strongly correlated systems
We start from a Hamiltonian describing non-interacting fermions and add
bosons to the model, with a Jaynes-Cummings-like interaction between the bosons
and fermions. Because of the specific form of the interaction the model can be
solved exactly. In the ground state, part of the electrons form bound pairs
with opposite momentum and spin. The model also shows a gap in the kinetic
energy of the fermions, but not in the spectrum of the full Hamiltonian. This
gap is not of a mean-field nature, but is due to the Pauli exclusion principle.Comment: 13 pages, corrected some notations and made some clarification
Substance Use and Depression Symptomatology: Measurement Invariance of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) among Non-Users and Frequent-Users of Alcohol, Nicotine and Cannabis
Depression is a highly heterogeneous condition, and identifying how symptoms present in various groups may greatly increase our understanding of its etiology. Importantly, Major Depressive Disorder is strongly linked with Substance Use Disorders, which may ameliorate or exacerbate specific depression symptoms. It is therefore quite plausible that depression may present with different symptom profiles depending on an individual’s substance use status. Given these observations, it is important to examine the underlying construct of depression in groups of substance users compared to non-users. In this study we use a non-clinical sample to examine the measurement structure of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) in non-users and frequent-users of various substances. Specifically, measurement invariance was examined across those who do vs. do not use alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis. Results indicate strict factorial invariance across non-users and frequent-users of alcohol and cannabis, and metric invariance across non-users and frequent-users of nicotine. This implies that the factor structure of the BDI-II is similar across all substance use groups
Bifurcation analysis of a normal form for excitable media: Are stable dynamical alternans on a ring possible?
We present a bifurcation analysis of a normal form for travelling waves in
one-dimensional excitable media. The normal form which has been recently
proposed on phenomenological grounds is given in form of a differential delay
equation. The normal form exhibits a symmetry preserving Hopf bifurcation which
may coalesce with a saddle-node in a Bogdanov-Takens point, and a symmetry
breaking spatially inhomogeneous pitchfork bifurcation. We study here the Hopf
bifurcation for the propagation of a single pulse in a ring by means of a
center manifold reduction, and for a wave train by means of a multiscale
analysis leading to a real Ginzburg-Landau equation as the corresponding
amplitude equation. Both, the center manifold reduction and the multiscale
analysis show that the Hopf bifurcation is always subcritical independent of
the parameters. This may have links to cardiac alternans which have so far been
believed to be stable oscillations emanating from a supercritical bifurcation.
We discuss the implications for cardiac alternans and revisit the instability
in some excitable media where the oscillations had been believed to be stable.
In particular, we show that our condition for the onset of the Hopf bifurcation
coincides with the well known restitution condition for cardiac alternans.Comment: to be published in Chao
Which better predicts conduct problems? The relationship of trajectories of Conduct Problems, with ODD and ADHD Symptoms from childhood into adolescence
Background: To assess the co-occurrence in deviant trajectories of parent-rated symptoms of conduct disorder (CD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from age 4 to 18 years old in a general population sample of Dutch children. Methods: Developmental trajectories of CD, ODD, and ADHD were estimatedin a sample of 1,016 males and 1,060 females. Children's disruptive problem behaviors were rated at 5 time-points. The co-occurrence patterns between the deviant CD trajectory, and the high ODD and high ADHD trajectory were studied for males and females separately. Results: Four percent of males and 2% of females followed a deviant CD trajectory. Six percent of the sample followed a high ODD trajectory, and 5% a high ADHD trajectory. Engagement in the deviant CD trajectory was predicted by ODD and ADHD in females, but only by ODD in males. Conclusions: Although ADHD co-occurs with CD, the association between ADHD and CD is largely accounted for by accompanying ODD. Gender differences should be taken into account in understanding the onset of CD. © 2007 The Authors Journal compilation © 2007 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health
Effect of ambient temperature during acute aerobic exercise on short-term appetite, energy intake, and plasma acylated ghrelin in recreationally active males
Ambient temperature during exercise may affect energy intake regulation. Compared with a temperate (20 °C) environment, 1 h of running followed by 6 h of rest tended to decrease energy intake from 2 ad libitum meals in a hot (30 °C) environment but increase energy intake in a cool (10 °C) environment (p = 0.08). Core temperature changes did not appear to mediate this trend; whether acylated ghrelin is involved is unclear. Further research is warranted to clarify these findings
Ensemble averaged entanglement of two-particle states in Fock space
Recent results, extending the Schmidt decomposition theorem to wavefunctions
of identical particles, are reviewed. They are used to give a definition of
reduced density operators in the case of two identical particles. Next, a
method is discussed to calculate time averaged entanglement. It is applied to a
pair of identical electrons in an otherwise empty band of the Hubbard model,
and to a pair of bosons in the the Bose-Hubbard model with infinite range
hopping. The effect of degeneracy of the spectrum of the Hamiltonian on the
average entanglement is emphasised.Comment: 19 pages Latex, changed title, references added in the conclusion
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