3,263 research outputs found
Dispersion Relations in String Theory
We analyze the analytic continuation of the formally divergent one-loop
amplitude for scattering of the graviton multiplet in the Type II Superstring.
In particular we obtain explicit double and single dispersion relations,
formulas for all the successive branch cuts extending out to plus infinity, as
well as for the decay rate of a massive string state of arbitrary mass 2N into
two string states of lower mass. We compare our results with the box diagram in
a superposition of -like field theories. The stringy effects are traced
to a convergence problem in this superposition.Comment: 17 pages, COLUMBIA-YITP-UCLA/93/TEP/45 (figures fixed up
Momentum Analyticity and Finiteness of the 1-Loop Superstring Amplitude
The Type II Superstring amplitude to 1-loop order is given by an integral of
-functions over the moduli space of tori, which diverges for real
momenta. We construct the analytic continuation which renders this amplitude
well defined and finite, and we find the expected poles and cuts in the complex
momentum plane.Comment: 10pp, /UCLA/93/TEP/
A point process framework for modeling electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve
Model-based studies of auditory nerve responses to electrical stimulation can
provide insight into the functioning of cochlear implants. Ideally, these
studies can identify limitations in sound processing strategies and lead to
improved methods for providing sound information to cochlear implant users. To
accomplish this, models must accurately describe auditory nerve spiking while
avoiding excessive complexity that would preclude large-scale simulations of
populations of auditory nerve fibers and obscure insight into the mechanisms
that influence neural encoding of sound information. In this spirit, we develop
a point process model of the auditory nerve that provides a compact and
accurate description of neural responses to electric stimulation. Inspired by
the framework of generalized linear models, the proposed model consists of a
cascade of linear and nonlinear stages. We show how each of these stages can be
associated with biophysical mechanisms and related to models of neuronal
dynamics. Moreover, we derive a semi-analytical procedure that uniquely
determines each parameter in the model on the basis of fundamental statistics
from recordings of single fiber responses to electric stimulation, including
threshold, relative spread, jitter, and chronaxie. The model also accounts for
refractory and summation effects that influence the responses of auditory nerve
fibers to high pulse rate stimulation. Throughout, we compare model predictions
to published physiological data and explain differences in auditory nerve
responses to high and low pulse rate stimulation. We close by performing an
ideal observer analysis of simulated spike trains in response to sinusoidally
amplitude modulated stimuli and find that carrier pulse rate does not affect
modulation detection thresholds.Comment: 1 title page, 27 manuscript pages, 14 figures, 1 table, 1 appendi
Assessing neural tuning for object perception in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder with multivariate pattern analysis of fMRI data.
IntroductionDeficits in visual perception are well-established in schizophrenia and are linked to abnormal activity in the lateral occipital complex (LOC). Related deficits may exist in bipolar disorder. LOC contains neurons tuned to object features. It is unknown whether neural tuning in LOC or other visual areas is abnormal in patients, contributing to abnormal perception during visual tasks. This study used multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) to investigate perceptual tuning for objects in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.MethodsFifty schizophrenia participants, 51 bipolar disorder participants, and 47 matched healthy controls completed five functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) runs of a perceptual task in which they viewed pictures of four different objects and an outdoor scene. We performed classification analyses designed to assess the distinctiveness of activity corresponding to perception of each stimulus in LOC (a functionally localized region of interest). We also performed similar classification analyses throughout the brain using a searchlight technique. We compared classification accuracy and patterns of classification errors across groups.ResultsStimulus classification accuracy was significantly above chance in all groups in LOC and throughout visual cortex. Classification errors were mostly within-category confusions (e.g., misclassifying one chair as another chair). There were no group differences in classification accuracy or patterns of confusion.ConclusionsThe results show for the first time MVPA can be used successfully to classify individual perceptual stimuli in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. However, the results do not provide evidence of abnormal neural tuning in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Teaching Medical Students How to Use Interpreters: A Three Year Experience
Disparities in health exist among ethnic/racial groups, especially among members with limited English proficiency (LEP). The session described in this paper aimed to teach medical students the skills needed to communicate with patients with LEP. Description – We created a required session titled “Cross-Cultural Communication-Using an Interpreter” for third-year medical students with learning objectives and teaching strategies. The session plans evolved over three years. Program Evaluation – Students’ perceived efficacy using retrospective pre/post test analysis (n = 110, 86% response rate) administered 7 weeks post-session revealed that 77.3% of students felt “more prepared to communicate with a patient with LEP”, 77.3% to “give proper instructions to an untrained interpreter” and 76.4% to “access a hospital language line”. Conclusion – Our curricular intervention was effective in increasing students’ perceived efficacy in communicating with a patient with LEP, using untrained interpreters and accessing a hospital language line. Skills practice and discussion of using interpreters should be a part of medical education
Hepatic Transcriptomic and Metabolic Responses of Hybrid Striped Bass (Morone saxatilis × Morone chrysops) to Acute and Chronic Hypoxic Insult
Striped bass (Morone saxatilis), white bass (Morone chrysops), and their hybrid are an important group of fish prized for recreational angling in the United States, and there and abroad as a high-value farmed fish. Regardless of habitat, it is not uncommon for fish of the genus Morone to encounter and cope with conditions of scarce oxygen availability. Previously, we determined that hybrid striped bass reared under conditions of chronic hypoxia exhibited reduced feed intake, lower lipid and nutrient retention, and poor growth. To better understand the molecular mechanisms governing these phenotypes, in the present study, we examined the transcriptomic profiles of hepatic tissue in hybrid striped bass exposed to chronic hypoxia (90 days at 25% oxygen saturation) and acute hypoxia (6 h at 25% oxygen saturation). Using high-throughput RNA-seq, we found that over 1400 genes were differentially expressed under disparate oxygen conditions, with the vast majority of transcriptional changes occurring in the acute hypoxia treatment. Gene pathway and bioenergetics analyses revealed hypoxia-mediated perturbation of genes and gene networks related to lipid metabolism, cell death, and changes in hepatic mitochondrial content and cellular respiration. This study offers a more comprehensive view of the temporal and tissue-specific transcriptional changes that occur during hypoxia, and reveals new and shared mechanisms of hypoxia tolerance in teleosts
Science with an ngVLA: Resolving the Radio Complexity of EXor and FUor-type Systems with the ngVLA
Episodic accretion may be a common occurrence in the evolution of young
pre-main sequence stars and has important implications for our understanding of
star and planet formation. Many fundamental aspects of what drives the
accretion physics, however, are still unknown. The ngVLA will be a key tool in
understanding the nature of these events. The high spatial resolution, broad
spectral coverage, and unprecedented sensitivity will allow for the detailed
analysis of outburst systems. The proposed frequency range of the ngVLA allows
for observations of the gas, dust, and non-thermal emission from the star and
disk.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, To be published in the ASP Monograph Series,
"Science with a Next-Generation VLA", ed. E. J. Murphy (ASP, San Francisco,
CA
Spacecraft Charging Test Considerations for Composite Materials
Composite materials present a growing challenge for spacecraft charging assessments. We review some recent lessons learned for charging tests of composite materials using both parallel-plate and electron beam test geometries. We also discuss examples of materials that exhibit significant variations between samples, despite them all having the same trade name
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