Correlations in the adiabatic response of chaotic systems

Adiabatic variation of the parameters of a chaotic system results in a fluctuating reaction force. The quantum analog of a classical dissipative force, proportional to the time integral of the force-force correlation function, vanishes. We study this quantum-classical crossover for random matrix models. For the Gaussian unitary ensemble the crossover is found to take place on the Heisenberg time scale and the finite time integral practically vanishes for longer times. For the Gaussian orthogonal case, there is no such time scale and the integral falls off inversely proportional to time.     

Complex tone processing in primary auditory cortex of the awake monkey. I. Neural ensemble correlates of roughness

Previous physiological studies [e.g., Bieser and Muller-Preuss, Exp. Brain Res. 108, 273-284 (1996); Schulze and Langner, J. Comp. Physiol. A 181, 651-663 (1997); Steinschneider et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 104, 2935-2955 (1998)] have suggested that neural activity in primary auditory cortex (A1) phase-locked to the waveform envelope of complex sounds with low (<300 Hz) periodicities may represent a neural correlate of roughness perception. However, a correspondence between these temporal response patterns and human psychophysical boundaries of roughness has not yet been demonstrated. The present study examined whether the degree of synchronized phase-locked activity of neuronal ensembles in A1 of the awake monkey evoked by complex tones parallels human psychoacoustic data defining the existence region and frequency dependence of roughness. Stimuli consisted of three consecutive harmonics of fundamental frequencies (f(0)s) ranging from 25 to 4000 Hz. The center frequency of the complex tones was fixed at the best frequency (BF) of the cortical sites, which ranged from 0.3 to 10 kHz. Neural ensemble activity in the thalamorecipient zone (lower lamina III) and supragranular cortical laminae (upper lamina III and lamina II) was measured using multiunit activity and current source density techniques and the degree of phase-locking to the f0 was quantified by spectral analysis. In the thalamorecipient zone, the stimulus f0 at which phase-locking was maximal increased with BF and reached an upper limit between 75 and 150 Hz for BFs greater than about 3 kHz. Estimates of limiting phase-locking rates also increased with BF and approximated psychoacoustic values for the disappearance of roughness. These physiological relationships parallel human perceptual data and therefore support the relevance of phase-locked activity of neuronal ensembles in A1 for the physiological representation of roughness.     

Complex tone processing in primary auditory cortex of the awake monkey. II. Pitch versus critical band representation

Noninvasive neurophysiological studies in humans support the existence of an orthogonal spatial representation of pure tone frequency and complex tone pitch in auditory cortex [Langner et al., J. Comp. Physiol. A 181, 665-676 (1997)]. However, since this topographic organization is based on neuromagnetic responses evoked by wideband harmonic complexes (HCs) of variable fundamental frequency (f0), and thus interharmonic frequency separation (deltaF), critical band filtering effects due to differential resolvability of harmonics may have contributed to shaping these responses. To test this hypothesis, the present study examined responses evoked by three-component HCs of variable f0 in primary auditory cortex (A1) of the awake monkey. The center frequency of the HCs was fixed at the best frequency (BF) of the cortical site. Auditory evoked potential (AEP), multiunit activity, and current source density techniques were used to evaluate A1 responses as a function of f0 (=deltaF). Generally, amplitudes of nearly all response components increased with f0, such that maximal responses were evoked by HCs comprised of low-order resolved harmonics. Statistically significant increases in response amplitude typically occurred at deltaFs between 10% and 20% of center frequency, suggestive of critical bandlike behavior. Complex tone response amplitudes also reflected nonlinear summation in that they could not be predicted by the pure tone frequency sensitivity curves of the cortical sites. A mechanism accounting for the observed results is proposed which involves mutual lateral inhibitory interactions between responses evoked by stimulus components lying within the same critical band. As intracortical AEP components likely to be propagated to the scalp were also strongly modulated by deltaF, these findings indicate that noninvasive recordings of responses to complex sounds may require a consideration of critical band effects in their interpretation.     

Localization in frequency for periodically kicked light propagation in a dispersive single-mode fiber

We show a special effect of localization in the temporal frequency domain of light pulses that propagate in a dispersive single-mode fiber in the presence of a time-periodic phase modulation that is repeatedly applied at equally spaced locations along the fiber. The effect is analogous to the dynamical localization that occurs for the quantum kicked rotor, which is similar to Anderson localization in disordered solids. The wave behavior eliminates the diffusive spread of sidebands (harmonics). The light propagation, which is described by a Schr?dinger-like propagation equation, can provide a new testing ground for the investigation of localization besides shedding light on technologically important pulse propagation in fibers and mode-locked lasers.     

Modified INOvent for delivery of inhaled nitric oxide during cardiac MRI

Background

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of delivering NO through a modified system to allow clearance of the magnetic field and thus compatibility with cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Nitric oxide (NO) is an inhalational, selective pulmonary vasodilator with a wide range of applications in a variety of disease states, including diseases that affect the right ventricle. Accurate assessment of dynamic changes in right ventricular function necessitates CMR; however, delivery of NO is only possible using equipment that is not magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible (INOvent delivery system, Ohmeda, Inc., Madison, WI, USA).

Methods

The INOvent delivery system was modified by using 35 ft. of standard oxygen tubing to allow NO delivery through an electrical conduit and into the MRI suite. The concentrations of oxygen (O₂), nitrogen dioxide (a harmful byproduct, NO₂) and NO were measured in triplicate using the built-in electrochemical analyzer on the INOvent. After confirmation of safety, the system was used to administer drug to a patient x, and dynamic MRI measurements were performed.

Results

When the standard INOvent was set to administer 40 ppm of NO, the mean/standard deviation of gas delivered was as follows: NO: 42/0 ppm; NO₂: 0.3/0.1 ppm; and O₂: 93/0 ppm. In comparison, the gas delivery of the modified INOvent was follows: NO: 41/0 ppm; NO₂: 0.5/0 ppm; and O₂: 93.7/0.6 ppm. During administration to an index patient with severe pulmonic insufficiency (PI), a measurable reduction in PI was observed by CMR.

Conclusions

Nitric oxide can be administered through 35 ft. of standard oxygen tubing without significantly affecting dose delivery. This technique has potential application in patients with right-sided structural heart disease for determination of dynamic physiological changes.     

Excited state properties of 9-amino acridine surface adsorbed onto αZr-phosphate particles

In this report the photo-physical properties of 9-amino acridine (9AA) associated with αZr-phosphate particles (αZrP) is examined. In ethanol solution 9AA exhibits absorption maxima at 425 nm, 402 nm and 383 nm as well as emission bands centered at 455 nm and 483 nm (using 423 nm excitation). The corresponding emission decay is monophasic with a lifetime of 16.5 ns. When αZrP is sonicated in the presence of an ethanol solution of 1 mM 9AA the resulting material exhibits a broad absorption band centered at ～400 nm with shoulders at ～425 nm and ～385 nm and emission bands at 462 nm and 485nm (using 423 nm excitation). Interestingly, the emission decay is biphasic with lifetimes of 1.6 ns and 9.8 ns constituting 57% and 43% of the total emission intensity, respectively. The absence of any shifts in the low angle XRD data suggests that 9AA associates via adsorption onto the exterior surfaces of the αZrP particles. Overall, these results are consistent with different modes of 9AA association to αZrP reflecting different degrees of H-bonding which significantly influences the extent of non-radiative decay from the lowest excited singlet state of 9AA.     

Counting subsets of contingency tables

We describe multistage Markov chain Monte Carlo (MSMCMC) procedures which, in addition to estimating the total number of contingency tables with given positive row and column sums, estimate the number, $Q$ , and the proportion, $P$ , of those tables that satisfy an additional, possibly, nonlinear constraint. Three Options, A, B, and C, are studied. Options A and B exploit locally optimal statistical properties whereas judicious assignment of a particular parameter of Option C allows estimation with approximately minimal standard error. Ten examples of varying dimensions and total entries illustrate and compare the procedures, where $Q$ and $P$ denote the number and proportion of chi-squared statistics less than a given value. For both small and large dimensional tables, the comparisons favor Options A and B for moderate $P$ and Option C for small $P$ . Additional comparison with sequential importance sampling estimates favors the latter for small dimensional tables and moderate $P$ but favors Option C for large dimensional tables for both small and moderate $P$ . The proposed options extend an earlier MSMCMC technique for estimating total count and, in principle, can be further extended to incorporate additional constraints.     

Engineering Peptide Inhibitors of the HFE–Transferrin Receptor 1 Complex

The protein HFE (homeostatic iron regulator) is a key regulator of iron metabolism, and mutations in HFE underlie the most frequent form of hereditary haemochromatosis (HH-type I). Studies have shown that HFE interacts with transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1), a homodimeric type II transmembrane glycoprotein that is responsible for the cellular uptake of iron via iron-loaded transferrin (holo-transferrin) binding. It has been hypothesised that the HFE/TFR1 interaction serves as a sensor to the level of iron-loaded transferrin in circulation by means of a competition mechanism between HFE and iron-loaded transferrin association with TFR1. To investigate this, a series of peptides based on the helical binding interface between HFE and TFR1 were generated and shown to significantly interfere with the HFE/TFR1 interaction in an in vitro proximity ligation assay. The helical conformation of one of these peptides, corresponding to the α1 and α2 helices of HFE, was stabilised by the introduction of sidechain lactam “staples”, but this did not result in an increase in the ability of the peptide to disrupt the HFE/TFR1 interaction. These peptides inhibitors of the protein–protein interaction between HFE and TFR1 are potentially useful tools for the analysis of the functional role of HFE in the regulation of hepcidin expression.