4,576 research outputs found
Ray and wave chaos in asymmetric resonant optical cavities
Optical resonators are essential components of lasers and other
wavelength-sensitive optical devices. A resonator is characterized by a set of
modes, each with a resonant frequency omega and resonance width Delta
omega=1/tau, where tau is the lifetime of a photon in the mode. In a
cylindrical or spherical dielectric resonator, extremely long-lived resonances
are due to `whispering gallery' modes in which light circulates around the
perimeter trapped by total internal reflection. These resonators emit light
isotropically. Recently, a new category of asymmetric resonant cavities (ARCs)
has been proposed in which substantial shape deformation leads to partially
chaotic ray dynamics. This has been predicted to give rise to a universal,
frequency-independent broadening of the whispering-gallery resonances, and
highly anisotropic emission. Here we present solutions of the wave equation for
ARCs which confirm many aspects of the earlier ray-optics model, but also
reveal interesting frequency-dependent effects characteristic of quantum chaos.
For small deformations the lifetime is controlled by evanescent leakage, the
optical analogue of quantum tunneling. We find that the lifetime is much
shortened by a process known as `chaos-assisted tunneling'. In contrast, for
large deformations (~10%) some resonances are found to have longer lifetimes
than predicted by the ray chaos model due to `dynamical localization'.Comment: 4 pages RevTeX with 7 Postscript figure
Development of the Variable Dexterity Test: construction, reliability and validity
Background/Aims: This article introduces a dexterity test designed to assess individual types of
dexterity used to carry out activities of daily living (ADL). The Variable Dexterity Test (VDT) was
developed as part of a wider study, the broader aim being to fully understand dexterity and its effect
on human-product interaction during ADL. This was done with a view to improve occupational therapy
methods when assessing dexterity and general hand function.
Methods: The control group consisted of 24 healthy participants. Estimates of reliability and validity
were evaluated in this pilot study. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability were assessed using a one-way
ANOVA. The validity of the test was estimated by correlating participantsâ VDT scores with their
proficiency to complete four ADL task actions and a standardised dexterity test (Purdue Pegboard Test).
Results: The test produced consistent results among the control group with both a single assessor
(testâretest reliability) and multiple assessors (interârater reliability). High correlations between
participantsâ VDT scores and proficiency to perform ADL were found for most of the subtests. There
was also a high correlation between participantsâ scores from the Purdue Pegboard Test and the VDT.
Conclusions: The VDT proved to be a flexible, reliable and valid tool that assesses dexterity based on
ability to carry out ADL. Validity and reliability estimates show encouraging values, which recognises
that the VDT can be used as an accurate method to assess more than one type of dexterity.</p
Dopamine neuronal loss contributes to memory and reward dysfunction in a model of Alzheimer's disease
Alterations of the dopaminergic (DAergic) system are frequently reported in Alzheimerâs disease (AD) patients and are commonly linked to cognitive and non-cognitive symptoms. However, the cause of DAergic system dysfunction in AD remains to be elucidated. We investigated alterations of the midbrain DAergic system in the Tg2576 mouse model of AD, overexpressing a mutated human amyloid precursor protein (APPswe). Here, we found an age-dependent DAergic neuron loss in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) at pre-plaque stages, although substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) DAergic neurons were intact. The selective VTA DAergic neuron degeneration results in lower DA outflow in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell. The progression of DAergic cell death correlates with impairments in CA1 synaptic plasticity, memory performance and food reward processing. We conclude that in this mouse model of AD, degeneration of VTA DAergic neurons at pre-plaque stages contributes to memory deficits and dysfunction of reward processing
Phonon anomalies at the valence transition of SmS : An inelasticX-ray scattering study under pressure
The phonon dispersion curve of SmS under pressure was studied by inelastic
x-ray scattering around the pressure-induced valence transition. A significant
softening of the longitudinal acoustic modes propagating along the [111]
direction was observed spanning a wide region from
() up to the zone boundary as
SmS becomes metallic. The largest softening occurs at the zone boundary and
stays stable up to the highest measured pressure of 80 kbar while a gradual
hardening of the low modes simultaneously appears. This phonon spectrum
indicates favorable conditions for the emergence of pressure-induced
superconductivity in SmS.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Lessons Learned From Efforts To Restore Oyster Populations In Maryland And Virginia, 1990 To 2007
A century-long decline of the fishery for the Eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791) in Maryland and Virginia stimulated numerous efforts by federal, state, and nongovernmental agencies to restore oyster populations, with limited success. To learn from recent efforts, we analyzed records of restoration and monitoring activities undertaken between 1990 and 2007 by 12 such agencies. Of the 1,037 oyster bars (reefs, beds, or grounds) for which we obtained data, 43% experienced both restoration and monitoring, with the remaining experiencing either restoration or monitoring only. Restoration activities involved adding substrate (shell), transplanting hatchery or wild seed (juvenile oysters), bar cleaning, and bagless dredging. Of these, substrate addition and transplanting seed were common actions, with bar cleaning and bagless dredging relatively uncommon. Limited monitoring efforts, a lack of replicated postrestoration sampling, and the effects of harvest on some restored bars hinders evaluations of the effectiveness of restoration activities. Future restoration activities should have clearly articulated objectives and be coordinated among agencies and across bars, which should also be off limits to fishing. To evaluate restoration efforts, experimental designs should include replication, quantitative sampling, and robust sample sizes, supplemented by pre- and postrestoration monitoring
Do modifiable risk factors moderate the effect of APOE on cognitive decline?
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Springer via the DOI in this recordBehavior Genetics Association 50th Annual Meeting, 26 June 2020. Onlin
The miswired brain: making connections from neurodevelopment to psychopathology
Developmental neurobiologists have made great progress in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying nervous system development. There has been less focus, however, on the consequences when these processes go wrong. As the evidence increases that mutations in neurodevelopmental genes are associated with major psychiatric disorders, defining these consequences assumes paramount importance in elucidating pathogenic mechanisms
Runs of homozygosity implicate autozygosity as a schizophrenia risk factor
Autozygosity occurs when two chromosomal segments that are identical from a common ancestor are inherited from each parent. This occurs at high rates in the offspring of mates who are closely related (inbreeding), but also occurs at lower levels among the offspring of distantly related mates. Here, we use runs of homozygosity in genome-wide SNP data to estimate the proportion of the autosome that exists in autozygous tracts in 9,388 cases with schizophrenia and 12,456 controls. We estimate that the odds of schizophrenia increase by ~17% for every 1% increase in genome-wide autozygosity. This association is not due to one or a few regions, but results from many autozygous segments spread throughout the genome, and is consistent with a role for multiple recessive or partially recessive alleles in the etiology of schizophrenia. Such a bias towards recessivity suggests that alleles that increase the risk of schizophrenia have been selected against over evolutionary time
Common Genetic Variants Explain the Majority of the Correlation Between Height and Intelligence : The Generation Scotland Study
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