4,902 research outputs found
Individual differences in white matter microstructure reflect variation in functional connectivity during action choice.
The relation between brain structure and function is of fundamental importance in neuroscience. Comparisons between behavioral and brain imaging measures suggest that variation in brain structure correlates with the presence of specific skills[1-3]. Behavioral measures, however, reflect the integrated function of multiple brain regions. Rather than behavior, a physiological index of function could be a more sensitive and informative measure with which to compare structural measures. Here, we test for a relationship between a physiological measure of functional connectivity between two brain areas during a simple decision making task and a measure of structural connectivity. Paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation indexed functional connectivity between two regions important for action choices: premotor and motor cortex. Fractional anisotropy (FA), a marker of microstructural integrity, indexed structural connectivity. Individual differences in functional connectivity during action selection show highly specific correlations with FA in localised regions of white matter interconnecting regions including the premotor and motor cortex. Probabilistic tractography[4, 5], a technique for identifying fibre pathways from diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), reconstructed the anatomical networks linking the component brain regions involved in making decisions. These findings demonstrate a relationship between individual differences in functional and structural connectivity within human brain networks central to action choice
Nonclassicality in Weak Measurements
We examine weak measurements of arbitrary observables where the object is
prepared in a mixed state and on which measurements with imperfect detectors
are made. The weak value of an observable can be expressed as a conditional
expectation value over an infinite class of different generalized Kirkwood
quasi-probability distributions. "Strange" weak values for which the real part
exceeds the eigenvalue spectrum of the observable can only be found if the
Terletsky-Margenau-Hill distribution is negative, or, equivalently, if the real
part of the weak value of the density operator is negative. We find that a
classical model of a weak measurement exists whenever the
Terletsky-Margenau-Hill representation of the observable equals the classical
representation of the observable and the Terletsky-Margenau-Hill distribution
is nonnegative. Strange weak values alone are not sufficient to obtain a
contradiction with classical models.
We propose feasible weak measurements of photon number of the radiation
field. Negative weak values of energy contradicts all classical stochastic
models, whereas negative weak values of photon number contradict all classical
stochastic models where the energy is bounded from below by the zero-point
energy. We examine coherent states in particular, and find negative weak values
with probabilities of 16% for kinetic energy (or squared field quadrature), 8%
for harmonic oscillator energy and 50% for photon number. These experiments are
robust against detector inefficiency and thermal noise.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figure
Challenges with Respect to Control of Digital Displacement Hydraulic Units
This paper investigates the many complications arising when controlling a digital displacement hydraulic machine with non-smooth dynamical behavior. The digital hydraulic machine has a modular construction with numerous independently controlled pressure chambers. For proper control of dynamical systems, a model representation of the systems fundamental dynamics is required for transient analysis and controller design. Since the input is binary (active or inactive) and it may only be updated discretely, the machine comprises both continuous and discrete dynamics and therefore belongs to the class of hybrid dynamical systems. The study shows that the dynamical system behavior and control complexity are greatly dependent on the configuration of the machine, the operation strategy, and in which application it is used. Although the system has non-smooth dynamics, the findings show that simple continuous and discrete approximations may be applicable for control development in certain situations, whereas more advanced hybrid control theory is necessary to cover a broader range of situations
Vortex avalanches and self organized criticality in superconducting niobium
In 1993 Tang proposed [1] that vortex avalanches should produce a self
organized critical state in superconductors, but conclusive evidence for this
has heretofore been lacking. In the present paper, we report extensive
micro-Hall probe data from the vortex dynamics in superconducting niobium,
where a broad distribution of avalanche sizes scaling as a power-law for more
than two decades is found. The measurements are combined with magneto-optical
imaging, and show that over a widely varying magnetic landscape the scaling
behaviour does not change, hence establishing that the dynamics of
superconducting vortices is a SOC phenomenon.Comment: 3 pages + 4 figures, a reference added, citation typos fixe
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