Decorrelation of neural-network activity by inhibitory feedback

Correlations in spike-train ensembles can seriously impair the encoding of information by their spatio-temporal structure. An inevitable source of correlation in finite neural networks is common presynaptic input to pairs of neurons. Recent theoretical and experimental studies demonstrate that spike correlations in recurrent neural networks are considerably smaller than expected based on the amount of shared presynaptic input. By means of a linear network model and simulations of networks of leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, we show that shared-input correlations are efficiently suppressed by inhibitory feedback. To elucidate the effect of feedback, we compare the responses of the intact recurrent network and systems where the statistics of the feedback channel is perturbed. The suppression of spike-train correlations and population-rate fluctuations by inhibitory feedback can be observed both in purely inhibitory and in excitatory-inhibitory networks. The effect is fully understood by a linear theory and becomes already apparent at the macroscopic level of the population averaged activity. At the microscopic level, shared-input correlations are suppressed by spike-train correlations: In purely inhibitory networks, they are canceled by negative spike-train correlations. In excitatory-inhibitory networks, spike-train correlations are typically positive. Here, the suppression of input correlations is not a result of the mere existence of correlations between excitatory (E) and inhibitory (I) neurons, but a consequence of a particular structure of correlations among the three possible pairings (EE, EI, II)

Signatures of current loop coalescence in solar flares

The nonlinear coalescence instability of current carrying solar loops can explain many of the characteristics of the solar flares such as their impulsive nature, heating and high energy particle acceleration, amplitude oscillations of electromagnetic emission as well as the characteristics of 2-D microwave images obtained during a solar flare. The physical characteristics of the explosive coalescence of currents are presented in detail through computer simulation and theory. Canonical characteristics of the explosive coalescence are: (1) a large amount of impulsive increase of kinetic energies of electrons and ions; (2) simultaneous heating and acceleration of electrons and ions in high and low energy spectra; (3) ensuing quasi-periodic amplitude oscillations in fields and particle quantities; and (4) the double peak (or triple peak) structure in these profiles, participate in the coalescence process, yielding varieties of phenomena

Chemistry on the inside: green chemistry in mesoporous materials

An overview of the rapidly expanding area of tailored mesoporous solids is presented. The synthesis of a wide range of the materials is covered, both inorganically and organically modified. Their applications, in particular those relating to green chemistry, are also highlighted. Finally, potential future directions for these materials are discussed

太陽フレアーにおける融合不安定

Double sub-peak structures in the quasi-periodic oscillations found in the time profiles of two solar flares on 1980 June 7 and 1982 November 26 are well explained in terms of the coalescence instability of two current loops. This interpretation is supported by the observations of two microwave sources and their interaction for the November 26 flare. The difference of both sub-peak structures and time scales between the two flares are discussed from the viewpoint of different plasma parameters in our computer simulations

Fermionic field theory for directed percolation in (1+1) dimensions

We formulate directed percolation in (1+1) dimensions in the language of a reaction-diffusion process with exclusion taking place in one space dimension. We map the master equation that describes the dynamics of the system onto a quantum spin chain problem. From there we build an interacting fermionic field theory of a new type. We study the resulting theory using renormalization group techniques. This yields numerical estimates for the critical exponents and provides a new alternative analytic systematic procedure to study low-dimensional directed percolation.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figure

ソーラーフレアーにおける電流ループのコアレッセンス

The nonlinear coalescence instability of current carrying solar loops can explain many of the characteristics of the solar flares such as their impulsive nature, heating and high energy particle acceleration, amplitude oscillations of electromagnetic emission as well as the characteristics of 2-D microwave images obtained during a solar flare. The physical characteristics of the explosive coalescence of currents are presented in detail through computer simulation and theory.Canonical characteristics of the explosive coalescence are: (1) a large amount of impulsive increase of kinetic energies of electrons and ions, (2) simultaneous heating and acceleration of electrons and ions in high and low energy spectra, (3) ensuing quasi-periodic amplitude oscillations in fields and particle quantities, (4) the double peak (or triple peak) structure in these profiles, and (5) characteristic break in energy spectra of electrons and ions. A single pair of currents as well as multiple currents may participate in the coalescence process, yielding varieties of phenomena. These physical properties seem to underlie in some of impulsive solar flares.In particular, double sub-peak structures in the quasi-periodic oscillations found in the time profiles of two solar flares on June 7, 1980 and November 26, 1982 are well explained in terms of the coalescence instability of two current loops. This interpretation is supported by the observations of two microwave sources and their interaction for the November 26, 1982 flare.Some more details as well as a generalization of the present model to solar flares with the coalescence as an elementary process in the flare phenomenon are presented

太陽フレアーにおけるCoalescence不安定

The non-linear coalescence instability of current carrying solar loops can explain many of the characteristics of the solar flares such as their impulsive nature, heating and high energy particle acceleration, amplitude oscillations of electromagnetic emission as well as the characteristics of 2-D microwave images obtained during a flare. The plasma compressibility leads to the explosive phase of loop coalescence and its overshoot results in amplitude oscillations in temperatures by adiabatic compression and decompression. We note that the presence of strong electric fields and super-Alfvenic flows during the course of the instabilty paly an important role in the production of non-thermal particles. A qualitative explanation on the physical processes taking place during the non-linear stages of the instability is given

Mutual Information of Population Codes and Distance Measures in Probability Space

We studied the mutual information between a stimulus and a large system consisting of stochastic, statistically independent elements that respond to a stimulus. The Mutual Information (MI) of the system saturates exponentially with system size. A theory of the rate of saturation of the MI is developed. We show that this rate is controlled by a distance function between the response probabilities induced by different stimuli. This function, which we term the {\it Confusion Distance} between two probabilities, is related to the Renyi $\alpha$-Information.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figures, accepted to PR

速い無衝突磁気再結合の計算機によるモデル化

Particle simulations of collisionless tearing, reconnection and coalescence of magnetic fields for a sheet-pinch configuration show that reconnection is Sweet-Parker like in the tearing and island formation phase. It is much faster to explosive in the island coalescence stage. Island coalescence is the most energetic process arrl leads to large ion temperature increase and oscillations in the merged state. Similar phenomena have been observed in equivalent MHD simulations.Coalescence and its effects, as observed in our simulations, may explain many of the features of solar flares and coronal X-ray brightening