Conscious perception of errors and its relation to the anterior insula

To detect erroneous action outcomes is necessary for flexible adjustments and therefore a prerequisite of adaptive, goal-directed behavior. While performance monitoring has been studied intensively over two decades and a vast amount of knowledge on its functional neuroanatomy has been gathered, much less is known about conscious error perception, often referred to as error awareness. Here, we review and discuss the conditions under which error awareness occurs, its neural correlates and underlying functional neuroanatomy. We focus specifically on the anterior insula, which has been shown to be (a) reliably activated during performance monitoring and (b) modulated by error awareness. Anterior insular activity appears to be closely related to autonomic responses associated with consciously perceived errors, although the causality and directions of these relationships still needs to be unraveled. We discuss the role of the anterior insula in generating versus perceiving autonomic responses and as a key player in balancing effortful task-related and resting-state activity. We suggest that errors elicit reactions highly reminiscent of an orienting response and may thus induce the autonomic arousal needed to recruit the required mental and physical resources. We discuss the role of norepinephrine activity in eliciting sufficiently strong central and autonomic nervous responses enabling the necessary adaptation as well as conscious error perception

A multi-purpose Schrödinger-Poisson Solver for TCAD applications

Abstract We present the Vienna Schrödinger-Poisson Solver (VSP), a multi-purpose quantum mechanical solver for investigations on nano-scaled device structures. VSP includes a quantum mechanical solver for closed as well as open boundary problems on fairly arbitrary one-dimensional cross sections within the effective mass framework. For investigations on novel gate dielectrics VSP holds models for bulk and interface trap charges, and direct and trap assisted tunneling. Hetero-structured semiconductor devices, like resonant tunneling diodes (RTD), can be treated within the closed boundary model for quick estimation of resonant energy levels. The open boundary model allows evaluation of current voltage characteristics

Sozialstruktur und Politik

Sozialstruktur und Politik : Forschungsstand und Forschungsperspektiven / Frank Brettschneider ; Jan van Deth ; Edeltraud Roller. - In: Ende der politisierten Sozialstruktur? / Frank Brettschneider ... (Hrsg.). - Opladen : Leske + Budrich, 2002. - S. 7-22. - (Veröffentlichung des Arbeitskreises "Wahlen und Politische Einstellungen" der Deutschen Vereinigung für Politische Wissenschaft ; 8