5,506 research outputs found
The speed of learning instructed stimulus-response association rules in human: experimental data and model.
Humans can learn associations between visual stimuli and motor responses from just a single instruction. This is known to be a fast process, but how fast is it? To answer this question, we asked participants to learn a briefly presented (200ms) stimulus-response rule, which they then had to rapidly apply after a variable delay of between 50 and 1300ms. Participants showed a longer response time with increased variability for short delays. The error rate was low and did not vary with the delay, showing that participants were able to encode the rule correctly in less than 250ms. This time is close to the fastest synaptic learning speed deemed possible by diffusive influx of AMPA receptors. Learning continued at a slower pace in the delay period and was fully completed in average 900ms after rule presentation onset, when response latencies dropped to levels consistent with basic reaction times. A neural model was proposed that explains the reduction of response times and of their variability with the delay by (i) a random synaptic learning process that generates weights of average values increasing with the learning time, followed by (ii) random crossing of the firing threshold by a leaky integrate-and-fire neuron model, and (iii) assuming that the behavioural response is initiated when all neurons in a pool of m neurons have fired their first spike after input onset. Values of m=2 or 3 were consistent with the experimental data. The proposed model is the simplest solution consistent with neurophysiological knowledge. Additional experiments are suggested to test the hypothesis underlying the model and also to explore forgetting effects for which there were indications for the longer delay conditions. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Neural Coding 2012
Nanoscale Suppression of Magnetization at Atomically Assembled Manganite Interfaces
Using polarized X-rays, we compare the electronic and magnetic properties of
a La(2/3)Sr(1/3)MnO(3)(LSMO)/SrTiO(3)(STO) and a modified
LSMO/LaMnO(3)(LMO)/STO interface. Using the technique of X-ray resonant
magnetic scattering (XRMS), we can probe the interfaces of complicated layered
structures and quantitatively model depth-dependent magnetic profiles as a
function of distance from the interface. Comparisons of the average electronic
and magnetic properties at the interface are made independently using X-ray
absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). The
XAS and the XMCD demonstrate that the electronic and magnetic structure of the
LMO layer at the modified interface is qualitatively equivalent to the
underlying LSMO film. From the temperature dependence of the XMCD, it is found
that the near surface magnetization for both interfaces falls off faster than
the bulk. For all temperatures in the range of 50K - 300K, the magnetic
profiles for both systems always show a ferromagnetic component at the
interface with a significantly suppressed magnetization that evolves to the
bulk value over a length scale of ~1.6 - 2.4 nm. The LSMO/LMO/STO interface
shows a larger ferromagnetic (FM) moment than the LSMO/STO interface, however
the difference is only substantial at low temperature.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Interplay of structure and spin-orbit strength in magnetism of metal-benzene sandwiches: from single molecules to infinite wires
Based on first-principles density functional theory calculations we explore
electronic and magnetic properties of experimentally producible sandwiches and
infinite wires made of repeating benzene molecules and transition-metal atoms
of V, Nb, and Ta. We describe the bonding mechanism in the molecules and in
particular concentrate on the origin of magnetism in these structures. We find
that all the considered systems have sizable magnetic moments and ferromagnetic
spin-ordering, with the single exception of the V3-Bz4 molecule. By including
the spin-orbit coupling into our calculations we determine the easy and hard
axes of the magnetic moment, the strength of the uniaxial magnetic anisotropy
energy (MAE), relevant for the thermal stability of magnetic orientation, and
the change of the electronic structure with respect to the direction of the
magnetic moment, important for spin-transport properties. While for the V-based
compounds the values of the MAE are only of the order of 0.05-0.5 meV per metal
atom, increasing the spin-orbit strength by substituting V with heavier Nb and
Ta allows to achieve an increase in anisotropy values by one to two orders of
magnitude. The rigid stability of magnetism in these compounds together with
the strong ferromagnetic ordering makes them attractive candidates for
spin-polarized transport applications. For a Nb-benzene infinite wire the
occurrence of ballistic anisotropic magnetoresistance is demonstrated.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figure
Negative Domain Wall Contribution to the Resistivity of Microfabricated Fe Wires
The effect of domain walls on electron transport has been investigated in
microfabricated Fe wires (0.65 to 20 linewidths) with controlled stripe
domains. Magnetoresistance (MR) measurements as a function of domain wall
density, temperature and the angle of the applied field are used to determine
the low field MR contributions due to conventional sources in ferromagnetic
materials and that due to the erasure of domain walls. A negative domain wall
contribution to the resistivity is found. This result is discussed in light of
a recent theoretical study of the effect of domain walls on quantum transport.Comment: 7 pages, 4 postscript figures and 1 jpg image (Fig. 1
Gene transfer engineering for astrocyte-specific silencing in the CNS.
Cell-type-specific gene silencing is critical to understand cell functions in normal and pathological conditions, in particular in the brain where strong cellular heterogeneity exists. Molecular engineering of lentiviral vectors has been widely used to express genes of interest specifically in neurons or astrocytes. However, we show that these strategies are not suitable for astrocyte-specific gene silencing due to the processing of small hairpin RNA (shRNA) in a cell. Here we develop an indirect method based on a tetracycline-regulated system to fully restrict shRNA expression to astrocytes. The combination of Mokola-G envelope pseudotyping, glutamine synthetase promoter and two distinct microRNA target sequences provides a powerful tool for efficient and cell-type-specific gene silencing in the central nervous system. We anticipate our vector will be a potent and versatile system to improve the targeting of cell populations for fundamental as well as therapeutic applications
Carbohydrate reserves in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L. 'Chasselas'): the influence of the leaf to fruit ratio
Seasonal dynamics of total non-structural carbohydrates (TNC) in relation to the leaf-fruit ratio were measured over five years at different grapevine phenological stages in one- and two-year-old canes, trunks and roots of the cultivar 'Chasselas' (Vitis vinifera L.). Carbohydrates were mainly stored as starch in different parts of the grapevine during the growing season. Soluble carbohydrates represented only a small part (< 7 % of dry weight, DW) of the TNC. In the roots and trunks, the starch content fluctuated during the growing season, reaching the lowest values between budbreak and flowering depending on the year, and the highest values between harvest and leaf fall. The soluble sugar content increased in the trunks and the two-year-old canes during the winter period with the decrease in temperatures. A negative correlation was established between the average air temperature recorded during the seven days before sample collection for carbohydrate analysis, and soluble carbohydrate content in the trunks and two-year-old canes. The leaffruit ratio (source-sink), expressed by the “light-exposed leaf area∙kg-1 fruit”, not only substantially influenced the soluble sugar content in berries but also the starch and TNC concentrations in the trunks and roots at harvest. Higher leaf-fruit ratios resulted in increased starch and TNC concentrations in the trunks and roots, which attained the maximum values when the leaf-fruit ratio neared 2.0 m2 of light-exposed leaf area∙kg-1 fruit. Canopy height and leaf area had no predominant influence on the soluble sugars, starch contents, or TNC in the permanent vine parts.
Ballistic and diffuse transport through a ferromagnetic domain wall
We study transport through ballistic and diffuse ferromagnetic domain walls
in a two-band Stoner model with a rotating magnetization direction. For a
ballistic domain wall, the change in the conductance due to the domain wall
scattering is obtained from an adiabatic approximation valid when the length of
the domain wall is much longer than the Fermi wavelength. In diffuse systems,
the change in the resistivity is calculated using a diagrammatic technique to
the lowest order in the domain wall scattering and taking into account
spin-dependent scattering lifetimes and screening of the domain wall potential.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev.
Qualification of the LHC Corrector Magnet Production with the CERN-built Measurement Benches
The LHC will incorporate about 7600 superconducting single aperture corrector magnets mounted in the main magnet cold masses. In order to follow up their production, we have designed and built 12 different benches for warm magnetic measurements based on rotating coils. Each bench was manufactured in two copies, one installed at the industry sites and the other kept at CERN for cross checks and monitoring of the measurement quality. These systems measure the main field, the field quality and the position and orientation of the field relative to the mechanical construction, all properties that are required for an effective use of the magnets. After calibration, the benches automatically refer the measured quantities to the mechanical interfaces used to align the correctors in the cold masses (pin holes or keys). In this paper we evaluate the global uncertainty achieved with the benches and compare the field measurements performed at room temperature in industry with measurements at 1.9 K performed at CERN on samples of each corrector type
Negative Domain Wall Resistance in Ferromagnets
The electrical resistance of a diffusive ferromagnet with magnetic domain
walls is studied theoretically, taking into account the spatial dependence of
the magnetization. The semiclassical domain wall resistance is found to be
either negative or positive depending on the difference between the
spin-dependent scattering life-times. The predictions can be tested
experimentally by transport studies in doped ferromagnets.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, accepted Phys. Rev. Let
Spin flip scattering in magnetic junctions
Processes which flip the spin of an electron tunneling in a junction made up
of magnetic electrodes are studied. It is found that: i) Magnetic impurities
give a contribution which increases the resistance and lowers the
magnetoresistance, which saturates at low temperatures. The conductance
increases at high fields. ii) Magnon assisted tunneling reduces the
magnetoresistance as , and leads to a non ohmic contribution to the
resistance which goes as , iii) Surface antiferromagnetic magnons,
which may appear if the interface has different magnetic properties from the
bulk, gives rise to and contributions to the magnetoresistance and
resistance, respectively, and, iv) Coulomb blockade effects may enhance the
magnetoresistance, when transport is dominated by cotunneling processes.Comment: 5 page
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