18,827 research outputs found
State Dependence of Stimulus-Induced Variability Tuning in Macaque MT
Behavioral states marked by varying levels of arousal and attention modulate
some properties of cortical responses (e.g. average firing rates or pairwise
correlations), yet it is not fully understood what drives these response
changes and how they might affect downstream stimulus decoding. Here we show
that changes in state modulate the tuning of response variance-to-mean ratios
(Fano factors) in a fashion that is neither predicted by a Poisson spiking
model nor changes in the mean firing rate, with a substantial effect on
stimulus discriminability. We recorded motion-sensitive neurons in middle
temporal cortex (MT) in two states: alert fixation and light, opioid
anesthesia. Anesthesia tended to lower average spike counts, without decreasing
trial-to-trial variability compared to the alert state. Under anesthesia,
within-trial fluctuations in excitability were correlated over longer time
scales compared to the alert state, creating supra-Poisson Fano factors. In
contrast, alert-state MT neurons have higher mean firing rates and largely
sub-Poisson variability that is stimulus-dependent and cannot be explained by
firing rate differences alone. The absence of such stimulus-induced variability
tuning in the anesthetized state suggests different sources of variability
between states. A simple model explains state-dependent shifts in the
distribution of observed Fano factors via a suppression in the variance of gain
fluctuations in the alert state. A population model with stimulus-induced
variability tuning and behaviorally constrained information-limiting
correlations explores the potential enhancement in stimulus discriminability by
the cortical population in the alert state.Comment: 36 pages, 18 figure
Elastic lines on splayed columnar defects studied numerically
We investigate by exact optimization method properties of two- and
three-dimensional systems of elastic lines in presence of splayed columnar
disorder. The ground state of many lines is separable both in 2d and 3d leading
to a random walk -like roughening in 2d and ballistic behavior in 3d.
Furthermore, we find that in the case of pure splayed columnar disorder in
contrast to point disorder there is no entanglement transition in 3d.
Entanglement can be triggered by perturbing the pure splay system with point
defects.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures. Accepted for publication in PR
GRBs and the thermalization process of electron-positron plasmas
We discuss the temporal evolution of the pair plasma created in Gamma-Ray
Burst sources. A particular attention is paid to the relaxation of the plasma
into thermal equilibrium. We also discuss the connection between the dynamics
of expansion and the spatial geometry of the plasma. The role of the baryonic
loading parameter is emphasized.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, in the Proceedings of the "Gamma Ray Bursts 2007"
meeting, November 5-9, 2007, Santa Fe, New Mexico, US
CLCN4-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder
Clinical characteristics CLCN4-related neurodevelopmental disorder (CLCN4-NDD), an X-linked disorder, is characterized in the 36 males reported to date by developmental delay or intellectual disability, behavioral/mental health issues (e.g., autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, hyperactivity, and bipolar disorder), epilepsy, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. The five heterozygous females with a de novo CLCN4 variant reported to date had findings very similar to those of affected males. Twenty-two of 25 heterozygous females identified in family studies following identification of an affected male were unaffected or had only mild specific learning difficulties and/or mental health concerns, whereas three were more severely affected. Diagnosis/testing The diagnosis of CLCN4-NDD is established in a male proband with suggestive findings and a hemizygous pathogenic variant in CLCN4 identified by molecular genetic testing. The diagnosis of CLCN4-NDD is usually established in a female proband with suggestive findings and a heterozygous pathogenic variant in CLCN4 identified by molecular genetic testing; however, the phenotype in females with a pathogenic variant can range from asymptomatic to severe. Management Treatment of manifestations: Treatment is supportive and often includes multidisciplinary specialists in neurology, pediatrics, mental health, physiatry, occupational and physical therapy, gastroenterology, feeding therapy, ophthalmology, audiology, and medical genetics. Surveillance: Routine monitoring of neurologic findings (response to anti-seizure medications; emergence of new findings), development and educational progress, psychiatric/behavioral issues (response to medications; emergence of new findings), mobility and self-help skills, growth and gastrointestinal manifestations, ophthalmologic findings, hearing, and family support systems. Genetic counseling CLCN4-NDD is inherited in an X-linked manner. The father of an affected male will not have the disorder nor will he be hemizygous for the CLCN4 pathogenic variant. If the mother of a proband has a CLCN4 pathogenic variant, the chance of transmitting it in each pregnancy is 50%: males who inherit the pathogenic variant will be affected; females who inherit the pathogenic variant will be heterozygotes and may be unaffected or have clinical findings ranging from mild learning difficulties and mental health concerns to severe manifestations. If the proband represents a simplex case and if the CLCN4 pathogenic variant cannot be detected in the leukocyte DNA of the mother, the risk to sibs is presumed to be low but greater than that of the general population. Once the CLCN4 pathogenic variant has been identified in an affected family member, prenatal and preimplantation genetic testing are possible
Ab Initio Liquid Hydrogen Muon Cooling Simulations with ELMS in ICOOL
This paper presents new theoretical results on the passage of muons through
liquid hydrogen which have been confirmed in a recent experiment. These are
used to demonstrate that muon bunches may be compressed by ionisation cooling
more effectively than suggested by previous calculations.
Muon cooling depends on the differential cross section for energy loss and
scattering of muons. We have calculated this cross section for liquid H2 from
first principles and atomic data, avoiding traditional assumptions. Thence, 2-D
probability maps of energy loss and scattering in mm-scale thicknesses are
derived by folding, and stored in a database. Large first-order correlations
between energy loss and scattering are found for H2, which are absent in other
simulations. This code is named ELMS, Energy Loss & Multiple Scattering. Single
particle trajectories may then be tracked by Monte Carlo sampling from this
database on a scale of 1 mm or less. This processor has been inserted into the
cooling code ICOOL. Significant improvements in 6-D muon cooling are predicted
compared with previous predictions based on GEANT. This is examined in various
geometries. The large correlation effect is found to have only a small effect
on cooling. The experimental scattering observed for liquid H2 in the MUSCAT
experiment has recently been reported to be in good agreement with the ELMS
prediction, but in poor agreement with GEANT simulation.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
The RFOFO Ionization Cooling Ring for Muons
Practical ionization cooling rings could lead to lower cost or improved
performance in neutrino factory or muon collider designs. The ring modeled here
uses realistic three-dimensional fields. The performance of the ring compares
favorably with the linear cooling channel used in the second US Neutrino
Factory Study. The normalized 6D emittance of an ideal ring is decreased by a
factor of approximately 240, compared with a factor of only 15 for the linear
channel. We also examine such \textit{real-world} effects as windows on the
absorbers and rf cavities and leaving empty lattice cells for injection and
extraction. For realistic conditions the ring decreases the normalized 6D
emittance by a factor of 49.Comment: 27 pages, 18 figures and 5 tables. Submitted to Phys. Rev. ST-A
Development of a Model of Natural Infection with \u3ci\u3eMycobacterium bovis\u3c/i\u3e in White-Tailed Deer
The objective of this study was to develop a suitable experimental model of natural Mycobacterium bovis infection in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), describe the distribution and character of tuberculous lesions, and to examine possible routes of disease transmission. In October 1997, 10 mature female white-tailed deer were inoculated by intratonsilar instillation of 2 3 103 (low dose) or 2 3 105 (high dose) colony forming units (CFU) of M. bovis. In January 1998, deer were euthanatized, examined, and tissues were collected 84 to 87 days post inoculation. Possible routes of disease transmission were evaluated by culture of nasal, oral, tonsilar, and rectal swabs at various times during the study. Gross and microscopic lesions consistent with tuberculosis were most commonly seen in medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes and lung in both dosage groups. Other tissues containing tuberculous lesions included tonsil, trachea, liver, and kidney as well as lateral retropharyngeal, mandibular, parotid, tracheobronchial, mediastinal, hepatic, mesenteric, superficial cervical, and iliac lymph nodes. Mycobacterium bovis was isolated from tonsilar swabs from 8 of 9 deer from both dosage groups at least once 14 to 87 days after inoculation. Mycobacterium bovis was isolated from oral swabs 63 and 80 days after inoculation from one of three deer in the low dose group and none of four deer in the high dose group. Similarly, M. bovis was isolated from nasal swabs 80 and 85 days after inoculation in one of three deer from the low dose group and 63 and 80 days after inoculation from two of four deer in the high dose group. Intratonsilar inoculation with M. bovis results in lesions similar to those seen in naturally infected white-tailed deer; therefore, it represents a suitable model of natural infection. These results also indicate that M. bovis persists in tonsilar crypts for prolonged periods and can be shed in saliva and nasal secretions. These infected fluids represent a likely route of disease transmission to other animals or humans
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