188 research outputs found
Quantum control and the Strocchi map
Identifying the real and imaginary parts of wave functions with coordinates
and momenta, quantum evolution may be mapped onto a classical Hamiltonian
system. In addition to the symplectic form, quantum mechanics also has a
positive-definite real inner product which provides a geometrical
interpretation of the measurement process. Together they endow the quantum
Hilbert space with the structure of a K\"{a}ller manifold. Quantum control is
discussed in this setting. Quantum time-evolution corresponds to smooth
Hamiltonian dynamics and measurements to jumps in the phase space. This adds
additional power to quantum control, non unitarily controllable systems
becoming controllable by ``measurement plus evolution''. A picture of quantum
evolution as Hamiltonian dynamics in a classical-like phase-space is the
appropriate setting to carry over techniques from classical to quantum control.
This is illustrated by a discussion of optimal control and sliding mode
techniques.Comment: 16 pages Late
Cracking the code of oscillatory activity
Neural oscillations are ubiquitous measurements of cognitive processes and dynamic routing and gating of information. The fundamental and so far unresolved problem for neuroscience remains to understand how oscillatory activity in the brain codes information for human cognition. In a biologically relevant cognitive task, we instructed six human observers to categorize facial expressions of emotion while we measured the observers' EEG. We combined state-of-the-art stimulus control with statistical information theory analysis to quantify how the three parameters of oscillations (i.e., power, phase, and frequency) code the visual information relevant for behavior in a cognitive task. We make three points: First, we demonstrate that phase codes considerably more information (2.4 times) relating to the cognitive task than power. Second, we show that the conjunction of power and phase coding reflects detailed visual features relevant for behavioral response-that is, features of facial expressions predicted by behavior. Third, we demonstrate, in analogy to communication technology, that oscillatory frequencies in the brain multiplex the coding of visual features, increasing coding capacity. Together, our findings about the fundamental coding properties of neural oscillations will redirect the research agenda in neuroscience by establishing the differential role of frequency, phase, and amplitude in coding behaviorally relevant information in the brai
Stochastic Resonance of Ensemble Neurons for Transient Spike Trains: A Wavelet Analysis
By using the wavelet transformation (WT), we have analyzed the response of an
ensemble of (=1, 10, 100 and 500) Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) neurons to {\it
transient} -pulse spike trains () with independent Gaussian noises.
The cross-correlation between the input and output signals is expressed in
terms of the WT expansion coefficients. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is
evaluated by using the {\it denoising} method within the WT, by which the noise
contribution is extracted from output signals. Although the response of a
single (N=1) neuron to sub-threshold transient signals with noises is quite
unreliable, the transmission fidelity assessed by the cross-correlation and SNR
is shown to be much improved by increasing the value of : a population of
neurons play an indispensable role in the stochastic resonance (SR) for
transient spike inputs. It is also shown that in a large-scale ensemble, the
transmission fidelity for supra-threshold transient spikes is not significantly
degraded by a weak noise which is responsible to SR for sub-threshold inputs.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure
Optimal Control of Molecular Motion Expressed Through Quantum Fluid Dynamics
A quantum fluid dynamic control formulation is presented for optimally
manipulating atomic and molecular systems. In quantum fluid dynamic the control
quantum system is expressed in terms of the probability density and the quantum
current. This choice of variables is motivated by the generally expected slowly
varying spatial-temporal dependence of the fluid dynamical variables. The
quantum fluid dynamic approach is illustrated for manipulation of the ground
electronic state dynamics of HCl induced by an external electric field.Comment: 18 pages, latex, 3 figure
Gamma Power Is Phase-Locked to Posterior Alpha Activity
Neuronal oscillations in various frequency bands have been reported in numerous studies in both humans and animals. While it is obvious that these oscillations play an important role in cognitive processing, it remains unclear how oscillations in various frequency bands interact. In this study we have investigated phase to power locking in MEG activity of healthy human subjects at rest with their eyes closed. To examine cross-frequency coupling, we have computed coherence between the time course of the power in a given frequency band and the signal itself within every channel. The time-course of the power was calculated using a sliding tapered time window followed by a Fourier transform. Our findings show that high-frequency gamma power (30–70 Hz) is phase-locked to alpha oscillations (8–13 Hz) in the ongoing MEG signals. The topography of the coupling was similar to the topography of the alpha power and was strongest over occipital areas. Interestingly, gamma activity per se was not evident in the power spectra and only became detectable when studied in relation to the alpha phase. Intracranial data from an epileptic subject confirmed these findings albeit there was slowing in both the alpha and gamma band. A tentative explanation for this phenomenon is that the visual system is inhibited during most of the alpha cycle whereas a burst of gamma activity at a specific alpha phase (e.g. at troughs) reflects a window of excitability
Priorities for nucleotide trace, sequence and annotation data capture at the Ensembl Trace Archive and the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database
The Ensembl Trace Archive (http://trace.ensembl.org/) and the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database (http://www.ebi.ac.uk/embl/), known together as the European Nucleotide Archive, continue to see growth in data volume and diversity. Selected major developments of 2007 are presented briefly, along with data submission and retrieval information. In the face of increasing requirements for nucleotide trace, sequence and annotation data archiving, data capture priority decisions have been taken at the European Nucleotide Archive. Priorities are discussed in terms of how reliably information can be captured, the long-term benefits of its capture and the ease with which it can be captured
Morse Stretch Potential Charge Equilibrium Force Field for Ceramics: Application to the Quartz-Stishovite Phase Transition and to Silica Glass
Cross-frequency coupling of brain oscillations in studying motivation and emotion
Research has shown that brain functions are realized by simultaneous oscillations in various frequency bands. In addition to examining oscillations in pre-specified bands, interactions and relations between the different frequency bandwidths is another important aspect that needs to be considered in unraveling the workings of the human brain and its functions. In this review we provide evidence that studying interdependencies between brain oscillations may be a valuable approach to study the electrophysiological processes associated with motivation and emotional states. Studies will be presented showing that amplitude-amplitude coupling between delta-alpha and delta-beta oscillations varies as a function of state anxiety and approach-avoidance-related motivation, and that changes in the association between delta-beta oscillations can be observed following successful psychotherapy. Together these studies suggest that cross-frequency coupling of brain oscillations may contribute to expanding our understanding of the neural processes underlying motivation and emotion
A remarkable spectral feature of the Schrödinger Hamiltonian of the harmonic oscillator perturbed by an attractive δ′-interaction centred at the origin: double degeneracy and level crossing
Transcriptional Regulation of BMP2 Expression by the PTH-CREB Signaling Pathway in Osteoblasts
Intermittent application of parathyroid hormone (PTH) has well established anabolic effects on bone mass in rodents and humans. Although transcriptional mechanisms responsible for these effects are not fully understood, it is recognized that transcriptional factor cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) mediates PTH signaling in osteoblasts, and that there is a communication between the PTH-CREB pathway and the BMP2 signaling pathway, which is important for osteoblast differentiation and bone formations. These findings, in conjunction with putative cAMP response elements (CREs) in the BMP2 promoter, led us to hypothesize that the PTH-CREB pathway could be a positive regulator of BMP2 transcription in osteoblasts. To test this hypothesis, we first demonstrated that PTH signaling activated CREB by phosphorylation in osteoblasts, and that both PTH and CREB were capable of promoting osteoblastic differentiation of primary mouse osteoblast cells and multiple rodent osteoblast cell lines. Importantly, we found that the PTH-CREB signaling pathway functioned as an effective activator of BMP2 expression, as pharmacologic and genetic modulation of PTH-CREB activity significantly affected BMP2 expression levels in these cells. Lastly, through multiple promoter assays, including promoter reporter deletion, mutation, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), we identified a specific CRE in the BMP2 promoter which is responsible for CREB transactivation of the BMP2 gene in osteoblasts. Together, these results demonstrate that the anabolic function of PTH signaling in bone is mediated, at least in part, by CREB transactivation of BMP2 expression in osteoblasts
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