Some remarks on stability for a phase-field model with memory

The phase field system with memory can be viewed as a phenomenological extension of the classical phase equations in which memory effects have been taken into account in both fields. Such memory effects could be important for example during phase transition in polymer melts in the proximity of the glass transition temperature where configurational degrees of freedom in the polymer melt constitute slowly relaxing "internal modes" which are di±cult to model explicitly. They should be relevant in particular to glass-liquid-glass transitions where re-entrance effects have been recently reported [27]. We note that in numerical studies based on sharp interface equations obtained from (PFM), grains have been seen to rotate as they shrink [35, 36]. While further modelling and numerical efforts are now being undertaken, the present manuscript is devoted to strengthening the analytical underpinnings of the model

Justice Holmes\u27s Philosophy

In my biography of Justice Holmes it seemed proper to let him have his effects. But explanation also has its part to play, if only below decks; so while Holmes lightly touches the helm, we may now trudge down to the engine room and have a look at the machinery

The Benefits of Executive Control Training and the Implications for Language Processing

Recent psycholinguistics research suggests that the executive function (EF) skill known as conflict resolution – the ability to adjust behavior in the service of resolving among incompatible representations – is important for several language processing tasks such as lexical and syntactic ambiguity resolution, verbal fluency, and common-ground assessment. Here, we discuss work showing that various EF skills can be enhanced through consistent practice with working-memory tasks that tap these EFs, and, moreover, that improvements on the training tasks transfer across domains to novel tasks that may rely on shared underlying EFs. These findings have implications for language processing and could launch new research exploring if EF training, within a “process-specific” framework, could be used as a remediation tool for improving general language use. Indeed, work in our lab demonstrates that EF training that increases conflict-resolution processes has selective benefits on an untrained sentence-processing task requiring syntactic ambiguity resolution, which relies on shared conflict-resolution functions. Given claims that conflict-resolution abilities contribute to a range of linguistic skills, EF training targeting this process could theoretically yield wider performance gains beyond garden-path recovery. We offer some hypotheses on the potential benefits of EF training as a component of interventions to mitigate general difficulties in language processing. However, there are caveats to consider as well, which we also address

Beyond Broca’s area: why undergraduate neuroscience education matters

Patients with psychiatric illness often present a unique challenge to medical students: in contrast to some medical conditions, in which patients may seem to be stricken by a disease, patients with certain psychiatric illnesses may seem complicit with the illness. Questions of free will, choice, and the role of the physician can quickly become overwhelming. This may result in students feeling helpless, disinterested, or even resentful. Here we argue that integrating a modern neuroscience perspective into medical education allows students to conceptualize psychiatric patients in a way that promotes empathy and enhances patient care. Specifically, a strong grasp of neuroscience prevents the future physician from falling into dualistic thinking in which the psychosocial aspects of a patient’s presentation are considered beyond the realm of medicine. The value of incorporating neuroscience into a full, biopsychosocial formulation is demonstrated with the case example of a “difficult patient.

Spectroscopy from 2 to 200 keV

The astrophysical processes responsible for line and continuum emission in the spectra range 2 keV to 200 keV are examined from the viewpoint of designing a spectrometer which would operate in this regime. Phenomena considered include fluorescent line radiation in X-ray binaries, magnetically shifted iron lines and cyclotron emission from neutron star surfaces, line emission from cosmically abundant elements in thermal plasmas, and nuclear deexcitation lines in fresh nucleosynthetically produced matter. An instrument consisting of a approximately 10 sq cm array of planar germanium detectors surrounded by a large sodium-iodide anticoincidence shield is described and projected background rates and sensitivities are considered. A sample observing program for a two-day shuttle-based mission is included as an example of the wide range of scientific questions which could be addressed by such an instrument