Entanglement and Density Matrix of a Block of Spins in AKLT Model

We study a 1-dimensional AKLT spin chain, consisting of spins S in the bulk and S/2 at both ends. The unique ground state of this AKLT model is described by the Valence-Bond-Solid (VBS) state. We investigate the density matrix of a contiguous block of bulk spins in this ground state. It is shown that the density matrix is a projector onto a subspace of dimension . This subspace is described by non-zero eigenvalues and corresponding eigenvectors of the density matrix. We prove that for large block the von Neumann entropy coincides with Renyi entropy and is equal to . NSF Grant DMS-0503712.     

Strong decay Δ<Superscript>++</Superscript>→<Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">π</Emphasis> with light-cone QCD sum rules

We calculate the strong coupling constant g _{ΔN π} and study the strong decay Δ⁺⁺→p π with light-cone QCD sum rules. The numerical value of the strong coupling constant g _{ΔN π} is consistent with the experimental data. The small discrepancy may be due to the failure to take into account perturbative corrections.     

Neural markers of a greater female responsiveness to social stimuli

Background  

There is fMRI evidence that women are neurally predisposed to process infant laughter and crying. Other findings show that women might be more empathic and sensitive than men to emotional facial expressions. However, no gender difference in the brain responses to persons and unanimated scenes has hitherto been demonstrated.     

The pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus and the nucleus basalis magnocellularis: Do both have a role in sustained attention?

Background  

It is well established that nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NbM) lesions impair performance on tests of sustained attention. Previous work from this laboratory has also demonstrated that pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg) lesioned rats make more omissions on a test of sustained attention, suggesting that it might also play a role in mediating this function. However, the results of the PPTg study were open to alternative interpretation. We aimed to resolve this by conducting a detailed analysis of the effects of damage to each brain region in the same sustained attention task used in our previous work. Rats were trained in the task before surgery and post-surgical testing examined performance in response to unpredictable light signals of 1500 ms and 4000 ms duration. Data for PPTg lesioned rats were compared to control rats, and rats with 192 IgG saporin infusions centred on the NbM. In addition to operant data, video data of rats' performance during the task were also analysed.     

Imaging the neural circuitry and chemical control of aggressive motivation

Background  

With the advent of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in awake animals it is possible to resolve patterns of neuronal activity across the entire brain with high spatial and temporal resolution. Synchronized changes in neuronal activity across multiple brain areas can be viewed as functional neuroanatomical circuits coordinating the thoughts, memories and emotions for particular behaviors. To this end, fMRI in conscious rats combined with 3D computational analysis was used to identifying the putative distributed neural circuit involved in aggressive motivation and how this circuit is affected by drugs that block aggressive behavior.     

Baryon polarization in low-energy unpolarized meson-baryon scattering

We compute the polarization of the final-state baryon, in its rest frame, in low-energy mesonbaryon scattering with unpolarized initial state, in unitarized BChPT. Free parameters are determined by fitting total and differential cross-section data (and spin-asymmetry or polarization data if available) for pK ⁻, pK ⁺ and pπ⁺ scattering. We also compare our results with those of leading-order BChPT.     

Diverse antidepressants increase CDP-diacylglycerol production and phosphatidylinositide resynthesis in depression-relevant regions of the rat brain

Background  

Major depression is a serious mood disorder affecting millions of adults and children worldwide. While the etiopathology of depression remains obscure, antidepressant medications increase synaptic levels of monoamine neurotransmitters in brain regions associated with the disease. Monoamine transmitters activate multiple signaling cascades some of which have been investigated as potential mediators of depression or antidepressant drug action. However, the diacylglycerol arm of phosphoinositide signaling cascades has not been systematically investigated, even though downstream targets of this cascade have been implicated in depression. With the ultimate goal of uncovering the primary postsynaptic actions that may initiate cellular antidepressive signaling, we have examined the antidepressant-induced production of CDP-diacylglycerol which is both a product of diacylglycerol phosphorylation and a precursor for the synthesis of physiologically critical glycerophospholipids such as the phosphatidylinositides. For this, drug effects on [³H]cytidine-labeled CDP-diacylglycerol and [³H]inositol-labeled phosphatidylinositides were measured in response to the tricyclics desipramine and imipramine, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors fluoxetine and paroxetine, the atypical antidepressants maprotiline and nomifensine, and several monoamine oxidase inhibitors.     

Rotational analysis of the (3, 6) band in the comet-tail (AΠi -XΣ) system of CO

The direct observation and rotational analysis of the (3, 6) band in the comet-tail (A²Π_i-X²Σ⁺) system of CO⁺ are carried out for the first time employing optical heterodyne and magnetic rotation enhanced velocity modulation spectroscopy. That 193 lines are assigned to this band ranging from 12 100 to 12 370 cm⁻¹ results in most accurate molecular constants by nonlinear least-squares fitting procedure employing the effective Hamiltonians.     

An Interactive Heuristic Approach for Multi-Objective Integer-Programming Problems

An interactive approach to solve the multi-objective integer-programming problem heuristically is described. The approach consists of two main parts. The first is an algorithm to guide the search for a set of weights to the objective functions which would produce the solution most preferred by the decision-maker given a linear utility function. The search area is successively decreased through an interaction process, with the decision-maker using a selection and contraction method. During each stage of this algorithm, a number of single integer-programming problems are solved heuristically. The motivation for this approach, along with some computational experimentation, is provided.     

Network Flow Models in Image Processing

Two problems in image processing are presented: chromosome classification and the construction of cross-sectional images from non-cross-sectional views. Both problems are formulated as network flow models, a type of model generally found in the O.R. setting. This shows the applicability of such O.R. techniques to problems of intelligent information processing.