195 research outputs found
Big Bang nucleosynthesis revisited via Trojan Horse Method measurements
Nuclear reaction rates are among the most important input for understanding
the primordial nucleosynthesis and therefore for a quantitative description of
the early Universe. An up-to-date compilation of direct cross sections of
2H(d,p)3H, 2H(d,n)3He, 7Li(p,alpha)4He and 3He(d,p)4He reactions is given.
These are among the most uncertain cross sections used and input for Big Bang
nucleosynthesis calculations. Their measurements through the Trojan Horse
Method (THM) are also reviewed and compared with direct data. The reaction
rates and the corresponding recommended errors in this work were used as input
for primordial nucleosynthesis calculations to evaluate their impact on the 2H,
3,4He and 7Li primordial abundances, which are then compared with observations.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
Magnetic properties of single-crystalline CeCuGa3
The magnetic behavior of single-crystalline CeCuGa3 has been investigated.
The compound forms in a tetragonal BaAl4-type structure consisting of
rare-earth planes separated by Cu-Ga layers. If the Cu-Ga site disorder is
reduced, CeCuGa3 adopts the related, likewise tetragonal BaNiSn3-type
structure, in which the Ce ion are surrounded by different Cu and Ga layers and
the inversion symmetry is lost. In the literature conflicting reports about the
magnetic order of CeCuGa3 have been published. Single crystals with the
centrosymmetric structure variant exhibit ferromagnetic order below approx. 4 K
with a strong planar anisotropy. The magnetic behavior above the transition
temperature can be well understood by the crystal-field splitting of the 4f
Hund's rule ground-state multiplet of the Ce ions
A GABAergic projection from the centromedial nuclei of the amygdala to ventromedial prefrontal cortex modulates reward behavior
The neural circuitry underlying mammalian reward behaviors involves several distinct nuclei throughout the brain. It is widely accepted that the midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons are critical for the reward-related behaviors. Recent studies have shown that the centromedial nucleus of the amygdala (CeMA) has a distinct role in regulating reward-related behaviors. However, the CeMA and ventromedial PFC (vmPFC) interaction in reward regulation remains poorly understood. Here, we identify and dissect a GABAergic projection that originates in the CeMA and terminates in the vmPFC (VGat-Cre(CeMA-vmPFC)) using viral-vector-mediated, cell-type-specific optogenetic techniques in mice. Pathway-specific optogenetic activation of the VGat-Cre(CeMA-vmPFC) circuit in awake, behaving animals produced a positive, reward-like phenotype in real-time place preference and increased locomotor activity in open-field testing. In sucrose operant conditioning, the photoactivation of these terminals increased nose-poking effort with no effect on licking behavior and robustly facilitated the extinction of operant behavior. However, photoactivation of these terminals did not induce self-stimulation in the absence of an external reward. The results described here suggest that the VGat-Cre(CeMA-vmPFC) projection acts to modulate existing reward-related behaviors. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Many studies have shown that the interactions between the centromedial nucleus of the amygdala (CeMA) and ventromedial PFC (vmPFC) have critical roles for emotional regulation. However, most studies have associated this circuit with fear and anxiety behaviors and emphasized top-down processing from vmPFC to CeMA. Here, we provide new evidence for bottom-up CeMA to vmPFC influence on reward-related behaviors. Although previous work implicated the CeMA in incentive salience, our results isolate the investigation to a specific CeMA GABAergic projection to the vmPFC. This long-range GABAergic interaction between amygdala and frontal cortex adds a new dimension to the complex regulation of reward-related behaviors
Finite-Temperature Transition in the Spin-Dimer Antiferromagnet BaCuSi2O6
We consider a classical XY-like Hamiltonian on a body-centered tetragonal
lattice, focusing on the role of interlayer frustration. A three-dimensional
(3D) ordered phase is realized via thermal fluctuations, breaking the
mirror-image reflection symmetry in addition to the XY symmetry. A heuristic
field-theoretical model of the transition has a decoupled fixed point in the 3D
XY universality, and our Monte Carlo simulation suggests that there is such a
temperature region where long-wavelength fluctuations can be described by this
fixed point. However, it is shown using scaling arguments that the decoupled
fixed point is unstable against a fluctuation-induced biquadratic interaction,
indicating that a crossover to nontrivial critical phenomena with different
exponents appears as one approaches the critical point beyond the transient
temperature region. This new scenario clearly contradicts the previous notion
of the 3D XY universality.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure
X-Band ESR Determination of Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya Interaction in 2D SrCu(BO) System
X-band ESR measurements on a single crystal of SrCu(BO) system in
a temperature range between 10 K and 580 K are presented. The temperature and
angular dependence of unusually broad ESR spectra can be explained by the
inclusion of antisymmetric Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya (DM) interaction, which yields
by far the largest contribution to the linewidth. However, the well-accepted
picture of only out-of-plane interdimer DM vectors is not sufficient for
explanation of the observed angular dependence. In order to account for the
experimental linewidth anisotropy we had to include sizable in-plane components
of interdimer as well as intradimer DM interaction in addition to the
out-of-plane interdimer one. The nearest-neighbor DM vectors lie perpendicular
to crystal anisotropy c-axis due to crystal symmetry. We also emphasize that
above the structural phase transition occurring at 395 K dynamical mechanism
should be present allowing for instantaneous DM interactions. Moreover, the
linewidth at an arbitrary temperature can be divided into two contributions;
namely, the first part arising from spin dynamics governed by the spin
Hamiltonian of the system and the second part due to significant spin-phonon
coupling. The nature of the latter mechanism is attributed to phonon-modulation
of the antisymmetric interaction, which is responsible for the observed linear
increase of the linewidth at high temperatures.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, submitted to PR
A hitchhiker's guide to the Trojan Horse Method
Owing the presence of the Coulomb barrier at astrophysically relevant kinetic energies, it is very difficult, or sometimes impossible to measure astrophysical reaction rates in laboratory. This is why different indirect techniques are being used along with direct measurements. The THM is unique indirect technique allowing one measure astrophysical rearrangement reactions down to astrophysical relevant energies. The basic principle and a review of the main application of the Trojan Horse Method are presented. A step-by-step approach will be adopted in order to describe the features usually unknown to non-experts
Dimensional reduction at a quantum critical point
Competition between electronic ground states near a quantum critical point
(QCP) - the location of a zero-temperature phase transition driven solely by
quantum-mechanical fluctuations - is expected to lead to unconventional
behaviour in low-dimensional systems. New electronic phases of matter have been
predicted to occur in the vicinity of a QCP by two-dimensional theories, and
explanations based on these ideas have been proposed for significant unsolved
problems in condensed-matter physics, such as non-Fermi-liquid behaviour and
high-temperature superconductivity. But the real materials to which these ideas
have been applied are usually rendered three-dimensional by a finite electronic
coupling between their component layers; a two-dimensional QCP has not been
experimentally observed in any bulk three-dimensional system, and mechanisms
for dimensional reduction have remained the subject of theoretical conjecture.
Here we show evidence that the Bose-Einstein condensate of spin triplets in the
three-dimensional Mott insulator BaCuSi2O6 provides an experimentally
verifiable example of dimensional reduction at a QCP. The interplay of
correlations on a geometrically frustrated lattice causes the individual
two-dimensional layers of spin-1/2 Cu2+ pairs (spin dimers) to become decoupled
at the QCP, giving rise to a two-dimensional QCP characterized by power law
scaling distinctly different from that of its three-dimensional counterpart.
Thus the very notion of dimensionality can be said to acquire an 'emergent'
nature: although the individual particles move on a three-dimensional lattice,
their collective behaviour occurs in lower-dimensional space.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure
Accurate Treatment of Large Supramolecular Complexes by Double-Hybrid Density Functionals Coupled with Nonlocal van der Waals Corrections
In this work, we present a thorough assessment of the performance of some representative double-hybrid density functionals (revPBE0-DH-NL and B2PLYP-NL) as well as their parent hybrid and GGA counterparts, in combination with the most modern version of the nonlocal (NL) van der Waals correction to describe very large weakly interacting molecular systems dominated by noncovalent interactions. Prior to the assessment, an accurate and homogeneous set of reference interaction energies was computed for the supramolecular complexes constituting the L7 and S12L data sets by using the novel, precise, and efficient DLPNO-CCSD(T) method at the complete basis set limit (CBS). The correction of the basis set superposition error and the inclusion of the deformation energies (for the S12L set) have been crucial for obtaining precise DLPNO-CCSD(T)/CBS interaction energies. Among the density functionals evaluated, the double-hybrid revPBE0-DH-NL and B2PLYP-NL with the three-body dispersion correction provide remarkably accurate association energies very close to the chemical accuracy. Overall, the NL van der Waals approach combined with proper density functionals can be seen as an accurate and affordable computational tool for the modeling of large weakly bonded supramolecular systems.Financial support by the âMinisterio de EconomĂa y Competitividadâ (MINECO) of Spain and European FEDER funds through projects CTQ2011-27253 and CTQ2012-31914 is acknowledged. The support of the Generalitat Valenciana (Prometeo/2012/053) is also acknowledged. J.A. thanks the EU for the FP7-PEOPLE-2012-IEF-329513 grant. J.C. acknowledges the âMinisterio de EducaciĂłn, Cultura y Deporteâ (MECD) of Spain for a predoctoral FPU grant
Prefrontal cortex output circuits guide reward seeking through divergent cue encoding
The prefrontal cortex is a critical neuroanatomical hub for controlling motivated behaviours across mammalian species. In addition to intra-cortical connectivity, prefrontal projection neurons innervate subcortical structures that contribute to reward-seeking behaviours, such as the ventral striatum and midline thalamus. While connectivity among these structures contributes to appetitive behaviours, how projection-specific prefrontal neurons encode reward-relevant information to guide reward seeking is unknown. Here we use in vivo two-photon calcium imaging to monitor the activity of dorsomedial prefrontal neurons in mice during an appetitive Pavlovian conditioning task. At the population level, these neurons display diverse activity patterns during the presentation of reward-predictive cues. However, recordings from prefrontal neurons with resolved projection targets reveal that individual corticostriatal neurons show response tuning to reward-predictive cues, such that excitatory cue responses are amplified across learning. By contrast, corticothalamic neurons gradually develop new, primarily inhibitory responses to reward-predictive cues across learning. Furthermore, bidirectional optogenetic manipulation of these neurons reveals that stimulation of corticostriatal neurons promotes conditioned reward-seeking behaviour after learning, while activity in corticothalamic neurons suppresses both the acquisition and expression of conditioned reward seeking. These data show how prefrontal circuitry can dynamically control reward-seeking behaviour through the opposing activities of projection-specific cell populations
Resolving the neural circuits of anxiety
Although anxiety disorders represent a major societal problem demanding new therapeutic targets, these efforts have languished in the absence of a mechanistic understanding of this subjective emotional state. While it is impossible to know with certainty the subjective experience of a rodent, rodent models hold promise in dissecting well-conserved limbic circuits. The application of modern approaches in neuroscience has already begun to unmask the neural circuit intricacies underlying anxiety by allowing direct examination of hypotheses drawn from existing psychological concepts. This information points toward an updated conceptual model for what neural circuit perturbations could give rise to pathological anxiety and thereby provides a roadmap for future therapeutic development.National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (U.S.) (NIH Directorâs New Innovator Award DP2-DK-102256-01)National Institute of Mental Health (U.S.) (NIH) R01-MH102441-01)JPB Foundatio
- âŠ