132 research outputs found
Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring & Modelling Programme ERAMMP - Technical Annex 6: Public and private funding. Sustainable Farming Scheme Evidence Review
Dopaminergic and prefrontal basis of learning from sensory confidence and reward value
Deciding between stimuli requires combining their learned value with one’s sensory confidence. We trained mice in a visual task that probes this combination. Mouse choices reflected not only present confidence and past rewards but also past confidence. Their behavior conformed to a model that combines signal detection with reinforcement learning. In the model, the predicted value of the chosen option is the product of sensory confidence and learned value. We found precise correlates of this variable in the pre-outcome activity of midbrain dopamine neurons and of medial prefrontal cortical neurons. However, only the latter played a causal role: inactivating medial prefrontal cortex before outcome strengthened learning from the outcome. Dopamine neurons played a causal role only after outcome, when they encoded reward prediction errors graded by confidence, influencing subsequent choices. These results reveal neural signals that combine reward value with sensory confidence and guide subsequent learning
A New Class of Bianchi Type-I Cosmological Models in Scalar-Tensor Theory of Gravitation and Late Time Acceleration
A new class of a spatially homogeneous and anisotropic Bianchi type-I
cosmological models of the universe for perfect fluid distribution within the
framework of scalar-tensor theory of gravitation proposed by Saez and Ballester
(Phys. Lett. 113:467, 1986) is investigated. To prevail the deterministic
solutions we choose the different scale factors which yield time-dependent
deceleration parameters (DP) representing models which generate a transition of
the universe from the early decelerated phase to the recent accelerating phase.
Three different physically viable models of the universe are obtained in which
their anisotropic solutions may enter to some isotropic inflationary era. The
modified Einstein's field equations are solved exactly and the models are found
to be in good concordance with recent observations. Some physical and geometric
properties of the models are also discussed.Comment: 16 pages, 8 figure
Integrated Analysis.:Report 10a:Integrated Analysis. Report to Welsh Government (Contract C210/2016/2017).
Leukocyte gene expression signatures in antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody and lupus glomerulonephritis
Leukocytes play a major role in the development and progression of autoimmune diseases. We measured gene expression differences in leukocytes from patients that were antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody (ANCA) positive, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and healthy donors to explore potential pathways for clinical intervention. Leukocyte gene expression profiles were determined on Affymetrix U133A/B chips in 88 autoimmune patients, 28 healthy donors, and healthy donor leukocyte cell subtypes that were activated . Comparison of gene expression in leukocytes identified differentially expressed signature genes that distinguish each donor source. The microarray expression levels for many signature genes correlated with the clinical activity of small vessel vasculitis in the ANCA patients; a result confirmed by quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction for 16 relevant genes. Comparison with -activated leukocyte subtypes from healthy donors revealed that the ANCA signature genes were expressed by neutrophils while the SLE signature genes were expressed in activated monocytes and T cells. We have found that leukocyte gene expression data can differentiate patients with RA, SLE, and ANCA-related small vessel vasculitis. Monitoring changes in the expression of specific genes may be a tool to help quantify disease activity during treatment
Accelerating Bianchi Type-V Cosmology with Perfect Fluid and Heat Flow in Saez-Ballester Theory
In this paper we discuss the law of variation of scale factor which yields a time-dependent deceleration
parameter (DP) representing a new class of models that generate a transition of
universe from the early decelerated phase to the recent accelerating phase.
Exact solutions of Einstein's modified field equations with perfect fluid and
heat conduction are obtained within the framework of Saez-Ballester
scalar-tensor theory of gravitation and the model is found to be in good
agreement with recent observations. We find, for n = 3, k = 1, the present
value of DP in derived model as q_0 = -0.67 which is very near to the observed
value of DP at present epoch. We find that the time-dependent DP is sensible
for the present day Universe and give an earmark description of evolution of
universe. Some physical and geometric properties of the models are also
discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure
Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring & Modelling Programme - Report 10b: Considerations for the new scheme. Sustainable farming scheme. Evidence review
Environment and Rural Affairs Monitoring & Modelling Programme ERAMMP - Report-10A: Integrated Analysis. Sustainable Farming Scheme. Evidence Review
First-principles quantum transport modeling of thermoelectricity in single-molecule nanojunctions with graphene nanoribbon electrodes
We overview nonequilibrium Green function combined with density functional
theory (NEGF-DFT) modeling of independent electron and phonon transport in
nanojunctions with applications focused on a new class of thermoelectric
devices where a single molecule is attached to two metallic zigzag graphene
nanoribbons (ZGNRs) via highly transparent contacts. Such contacts make
possible injection of evanescent wavefunctions from ZGNRs, so that their
overlap within the molecular region generates a peak in the electronic
transmission. Additionally, the spatial symmetry properties of the transverse
propagating states in the ZGNR electrodes suppress hole-like contributions to
the thermopower. Thus optimized thermopower, together with diminished phonon
conductance through a ZGNR/molecule/ZGNR inhomogeneous structure, yields the
thermoelectric figure of merit ZT~0.5 at room temperature and 0.5<ZT<2.5 below
liquid nitrogen temperature. The reliance on evanescent mode transport and
symmetry of propagating states in the electrodes makes the
electronic-transport-determined power factor in this class of devices largely
insensitive to the type of sufficiently short conjugated organic molecule,
which we demonstrate by showing that both 18-annulene and C10 molecule
sandwiched by the two ZGNR electrodes yield similar thermopower. Thus, one can
search for molecules that will further reduce the phonon thermal conductance
(in the denominator of ZT) while keeping the electronic power factor (in the
nominator of ZT) optimized. We also show how often employed Brenner empirical
interatomic potential for hydrocarbon systems fails to describe phonon
transport in our single-molecule nanojunctions when contrasted with
first-principles results obtained via NEGF-DFT methodology.Comment: 20 pages, 6 figures; mini-review article prepared for the special
issue of the Journal of Computational Electronics on "Simulation of Thermal,
Thermoelectric, and Electrothermal Phenomena in Nanostructures", edited by I.
Knezevic and Z. Aksamij
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