176 research outputs found
Inversely Unstable Solutions of Two-Dimensional Systems on Genus-p Surfaces and the Topology of Knotted Attractors
In this paper, we will show that a periodic nonlinear, time-varying
dissipative system that is defined on a genus-p surface contains one or more
invariant sets which act as attractors. Moreover, we shall generalize a result
in [Martins, 2004] and give conditions under which these invariant sets are not
homeomorphic to a circle individually, which implies the existence of chaotic
behaviour. This is achieved by studying the appearance of inversely unstable
solutions within each invariant set.Comment: 19 pages with 20 figures, AMS La-TeX, to be published in
International Journal of Bifurcation and Chao
Exploring complex networks via topological embedding on surfaces
We demonstrate that graphs embedded on surfaces are a powerful and practical
tool to generate, characterize and simulate networks with a broad range of
properties. Remarkably, the study of topologically embedded graphs is
non-restrictive because any network can be embedded on a surface with
sufficiently high genus. The local properties of the network are affected by
the surface genus which, for example, produces significant changes in the
degree distribution and in the clustering coefficient. The global properties of
the graph are also strongly affected by the surface genus which is constraining
the degree of interwoveness, changing the scaling properties from
large-world-kind (small genus) to small- and ultra-small-world-kind (large
genus). Two elementary moves allow the exploration of all networks embeddable
on a given surface and naturally introduce a tool to develop a statistical
mechanics description. Within such a framework, we study the properties of
topologically-embedded graphs at high and low `temperatures' observing the
formation of increasingly regular structures by cooling the system. We show
that the cooling dynamics is strongly affected by the surface genus with the
manifestation of a glassy-like freezing transitions occurring when the amount
of topological disorder is low.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figure
Precision atomic gravimeter based on Bragg diffraction
We present a precision gravimeter based on coherent Bragg diffraction of
freely falling cold atoms. Traditionally, atomic gravimeters have used
stimulated Raman transitions to separate clouds in momentum space by driving
transitions between two internal atomic states. Bragg interferometers utilize
only a single internal state, and can therefore be less susceptible to
environmental perturbations. Here we show that atoms extracted from a
magneto-optical trap using an accelerating optical lattice are a suitable
source for a Bragg atom interferometer, allowing efficient beamsplitting and
subsequent separation of momentum states for detection. Despite the inherently
multi-state nature of atom diffraction, we are able to build a Mach-Zehnder
interferometer using Bragg scattering which achieves a sensitivity to the
gravitational acceleration of with an
integration time of 1000s. The device can also be converted to a gravity
gradiometer by a simple modification of the light pulse sequence.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure
β-Adrenoceptor blockade modulates fusiform gyrus activity to black versus white faces.
INTRODUCTION: The beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol is known to reduce peripheral and central activity of noradrenaline. A recent study found that intervention with propranolol diminished negative implicit racial bias. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The current study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in order to determine the neural correlates of this effect. Healthy volunteers (N = 40) of white ethnic origin received a single oral dose (40 mg) of propranolol, in a randomised, double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled design, before viewing unfamiliar faces of same and other race. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: We found significantly reduced activity in the fusiform gyrus and thalamus following propranolol to out-group faces only. Additionally, propranolol lowered the implicit attitude score, without affecting explicit prejudice measure. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that noradrenaline pathways might modulate racial bias by acting on the processing of categorisation in the fusiform gyrus
Cardiac afferent activity modulates the expression of racial stereotypes
Negative racial stereotypes tend to associate Black people with threat. This often leads to the misidentification of harmless objects as weapons held by a Black individual. Yet, little is known about how bodily states impact the expression of racial stereotyping. By tapping into the phasic activation of arterial baroreceptors, known to be associated with changes in the neural processing of fearful stimuli, we show activation of race-threat stereotypes synchronized with the cardiovascular cycle. Across two established tasks, stimuli depicting Black or White individuals were presented to coincide with either the cardiac systole or diastole. Results show increased race-driven misidentification of weapons during systole, when baroreceptor afferent firing is maximal, relative to diastole. Importantly, a third study examining the positive Black-athletic stereotypical association fails to demonstrate similar modulations by cardiac cycle. We identify a body–brain interaction wherein interoceptive cues can modulate threat appraisal and racially biased behaviour in context-dependent ways
The Cortisol Response to Anticipated Intergroup Interactions Predicts Self-Reported Prejudice
Objectives: While prejudice has often been shown to be rooted in experiences of threat, the biological underpinnings of this threat–prejudice association have received less research attention. The present experiment aims to test whether activations of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, due to anticipated interactions with out-group members, predict self-reported prejudice. Moreover, we explore potential moderators of this relationship (i.e., interpersonal similarity; subtle vs. blatant prejudice). Methodology/Principal findings: Participants anticipated an interaction with an out-group member who was similar or dissimilar to the self. To index HPA activation, cortisol responses to this event were measured. Then, subtle and blatant prejudices were measured via questionnaires. Findings indicated that only when people anticipated an interaction with an out-group member who was dissimilar to the self, their cortisol response to this event significantly predicted subtle (r =.50) and blatant (r =.53) prejudice. Conclusions: These findings indicate that prejudicial attitudes are linked to HPA-axis activity. Furthermore, when intergroup interactions are interpreted to be about individuals (and not so much about groups), experienced threat (or its biological substrate) is less likely to relate to prejudice. This conclusion is discussed in terms of recent insights from social neuroscience
Why organizational and community diversity matter:Representativeness and the Emergence of Incivility and Organizational Performance
Integrating sociological and psychological perspectives, this research considers the value of organizational ethnic diversity as a function of community diversity. Employee and patient surveys, census data, and performance indexes relevant to 142 hospitals in the United Kingdom suggest that intraorganizational ethnic diversity is associated with reduced civility toward patients. However, the degree to which organizational demography was representative of community demography was positively related to civility experienced by patients and ultimately enhanced organizational performance. These findings underscore the understudied effects of community context and imply that intergroup biases manifested in incivility toward out-group members hinder organizational performance
An integrated ultrasound curriculum (iUSC) for medical students: 4-year experience
A review of the development and implementation of a 4-year medical student integrated ultrasound curriculum is presented. Multiple teaching and assessment modalities are discussed as well as results from testing and student surveys. Lessons learned while establishing the curriculum are summarized. It is concluded that ultrasound is a well received, valuable teaching tool across all 4 years of medical school, and students learn ultrasound well, and they feel their ultrasound experience enhances their medical education
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