Study of the Potts Model on the Honeycomb and Triangular Lattices: Low-Temperature Series and Partition Function Zeros

We present and analyze low-temperature series and complex-temperature partition function zeros for the $q$-state Potts model with $q=4$ on the honeycomb lattice and $q=3,4$ on the triangular lattice. A discussion is given as to how the locations of the singularities obtained from the series analysis correlate with the complex-temperature phase boundary. Extending our earlier work, we include a similar discussion for the Potts model with $q=3$ on the honeycomb lattice and with $q=3,4$ on the kagom\'e lattice.Comment: 33 pages, Latex, 9 encapsulated postscript figures, J. Phys. A, in pres

Simulating Quantum Dynamics with Entanglement Mean Field Theory

Exactly solvable many-body systems are few and far between, and the utility of approximate methods cannot be overestimated. Entanglement mean field theory is an approximate method to handle such systems. While mean field theories reduce the many-body system to an effective single-body one, entanglement mean field theory reduces it to a two-body system. And in contrast to mean field theories where the self-consistency equations are in terms of single-site physical parameters, those in entanglement mean field theory are in terms of both single- and two-site parameters. Hitherto, the theory has been applied to predict properties of the static states, like ground and thermal states, of many-body systems. Here we give a method to employ it to predict properties of time-evolved states. The predictions are then compared with known results of paradigmatic spin Hamiltonians.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Dual Resonance Model Solves the Yang-Baxter Equation

The duality of dual resonance models is shown to imply that the four point string correlation function solves the Yang-Baxter equation. A reduction of transfer matrices to $A_l$ symmetry is described by a restriction of the KP $\tau$ function to Toda molecules.Comment: 10 pages, LaTe

Writing in Britain and Ireland, c. 400 to c. 800

No abstract available

Cognitive Engineering

Cognitive engineering is the application of cognitive psychology and related disciplines to the design and operation of human–machine systems. Cognitive engineering combines both detailed and close study of the human worker in the actual work context and the study of the worker in more controlled environments. Cognitive engineering combines multiple methods and perspectives to achieve the goal of improved system performance. Given the origins of experimental psychology itself in issues regarding the design of human–machine systems, cognitive engineering is a core, or fundamental, discipline within academic psychology

Reduced density matrices and entanglement entropy in free lattice models

We review the properties of reduced density matrices for free fermionic or bosonic many-particle systems in their ground state. Their basic feature is that they have a thermal form and thus lead to a quasi-thermodynamic problem with a certain free-particle Hamiltonian. We discuss the derivation of this result, the character of the Hamiltonian and its eigenstates, the single-particle spectra and the full spectra, the resulting entanglement and in particular the entanglement entropy. This is done for various one- and two-dimensional situations, including also the evolution after global or local quenches.Comment: 33 pages, 18 figures, minor changes, references added. Review article for the special issue "Entanglement entropy in extended systems" in J. Phys.

Reward-Related Behavioral Paradigms for Addiction Research in the Mouse: Performance of Common Inbred Strains

The mouse has emerged as a uniquely valuable species for studying the molecular and genetic basis of complex behaviors and modeling neuropsychiatric disease states. While valid and reliable preclinical assays for reward-related behaviors are critical to understanding addiction-related processes, and various behavioral procedures have been developed and characterized in rats and primates, there have been relatively few studies using operant-based addiction-relevant behavioral paradigms in the mouse. Here we describe the performance of the C57BL/6J inbred mouse strain on three major reward-related paradigms, and replicate the same procedures in two other commonly used inbred strains (DBA/2J, BALB/cJ). We examined Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) by measuring the ability of an auditory cue associated with food reward to promote an instrumental (lever press) response. In a separate experiment, we assessed the acquisition and extinction of a simple stimulus-reward instrumental behavior on a touchscreen-based task. Reinstatement of this behavior was then examined following either continuous exposure to cues (conditioned reinforcers, CRs) associated with reward, brief reward and CR exposure, or brief reward exposure followed by continuous CR exposure. The third paradigm examined sensitivity of an instrumental (lever press) response to devaluation of food reward (a probe for outcome insensitive, habitual behavior) by repeated pairing with malaise. Results showed that C57BL/6J mice displayed robust PIT, as well as clear extinction and reinstatement, but were insensitive to reinforcer devaluation. DBA/2J mice showed good PIT and (rewarded) reinstatement, but were slow to extinguish and did not show reinforcer devaluation or significant CR-reinstatement. BALB/cJ mice also displayed good PIT, extinction and reinstatement, and retained instrumental responding following devaluation, but, unlike the other strains, demonstrated reduced Pavlovian approach behavior (food magazine head entries). Overall, these assays provide robust paradigms for future studies using the mouse to elucidate the neural, molecular and genetic factors underpinning reward-related behaviors relevant to addiction research

Amygdala 14-3-3ζ as a Novel Modulator of Escalating Alcohol Intake in Mice

Alcoholism is a devastating brain disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. The development of alcoholism is caused by alcohol-induced maladaptive changes in neural circuits involved in emotions, motivation, and decision-making. Because of its involvement in these processes, the amygdala is thought to be a key neural structure involved in alcohol addiction. However, the molecular mechanisms that govern the development of alcoholism are incompletely understood. We have previously shown that in a limited access choice paradigm, C57BL/6J mice progressively escalate their alcohol intake and display important behavioral characteristic of alcohol addiction, in that they become insensitive to quinine-induced adulteration of alcohol. This study used the limited access choice paradigm to study gene expression changes in the amygdala during the escalation to high alcohol consumption in C57BL/6J mice. Microarray analysis revealed that changes in gene expression occurred predominantly after one week, i.e. during the initial escalation of alcohol intake. One gene that stood out from our analysis was the adapter protein 14-3-3ζ, which was up-regulated during the transition from low to high alcohol intake. Independent qPCR analysis confirmed the up-regulation of amygdala 14-3-3ζ during the escalation of alcohol intake. Subsequently, we found that local knockdown of 14-3-3ζ in the amygdala, using RNA interference, dramatically augmented alcohol intake. In addition, knockdown of amygdala 14-3-3ζ promoted the development of inflexible alcohol drinking, as apparent from insensitivity to quinine adulteration of alcohol. This study identifies amygdala 14-3-3ζ as a novel key modulator that is engaged during escalation of alcohol use