Sample records for dependent plasticity stdp
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Homeostatic plasticity and STDP: keeping a neuron's cool in a fluctuating world
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Alanna J Watt
2010-06-01
Full Text Available Spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP offers a powerful means of forming and modifying neural circuits. Experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated its potential usefulness for functions as varied as cortical map development, sharpening of sensory receptive fields, working memory, and associative learning. Even so, it is unlikely that STDP works alone. Unless changes in synaptic strength are coordinated across multiple synapses and with other neuronal properties, it is difficult to maintain the stability and functionality of neural circuits. Moreover, there are certain features of early postnatal development (e.g., rapid changes in sensory input that threaten neural circuit stability in ways that STDP may not be well placed to counter. These considerations have led researchers to investigate additional types of plasticity, complementary to STDP, that may serve to constrain synaptic weights and/or neuronal firing. These are collectively known as “homeostatic plasticity” and include schemes that control the total synaptic strength of a neuron, that modulate its intrinsic excitability as a function of average activity, or that make the ability of synapses to undergo Hebbian modification depend upon their history of use. In this article, we will review the experimental evidence for homeostatic forms of plasticity and consider how they might interact with STDP during development and learning & memory.
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Li, Xiumin; Wang, Wei; Xue, Fangzheng; Song, Yongduan
2018-02-01
Recently there has been continuously increasing interest in building up computational models of spiking neural networks (SNN), such as the Liquid State Machine (LSM). The biologically inspired self-organized neural networks with neural plasticity can enhance the capability of computational performance, with the characteristic features of dynamical memory and recurrent connection cycles which distinguish them from the more widely used feedforward neural networks. Despite a variety of computational models for brain-like learning and information processing have been proposed, the modeling of self-organized neural networks with multi-neural plasticity is still an important open challenge. The main difficulties lie in the interplay among different forms of neural plasticity rules and understanding how structures and dynamics of neural networks shape the computational performance. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to develop the models of LSM with a biologically inspired self-organizing network based on two neural plasticity learning rules. The connectivity among excitatory neurons is adapted by spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning; meanwhile, the degrees of neuronal excitability are regulated to maintain a moderate average activity level by another learning rule: intrinsic plasticity (IP). Our study shows that LSM with STDP+IP performs better than LSM with a random SNN or SNN obtained by STDP alone. The noticeable improvement with the proposed method is due to the better reflected competition among different neurons in the developed SNN model, as well as the more effectively encoded and processed relevant dynamic information with its learning and self-organizing mechanism. This result gives insights to the optimization of computational models of spiking neural networks with neural plasticity.
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Timing is not everything: neuromodulation opens the STDP gate
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Verena Pawlak
2010-10-01
Full Text Available Spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP is a temporally specific extension of Hebbian associative plasticity that has tied together the timing of presynaptic inputs relative to the postsynaptic single spike. However, it is difficult to translate this mechanism to in vivo conditions where there is an abundance of presynaptic activity constantly impinging upon the dendritic tree as well as ongoing postsynaptic spiking activity that backpropagates along the dendrite. Theoretical studies have proposed that, in addition to this pre- and postsynaptic activity, a ‘third factor’ would enable the association of specific inputs to specific outputs. Experimentally, the picture that is beginning to emerge, is that in addition to the precise timing of pre- and postsynaptic spikes, this third factor involves neuromodulators that have a distinctive influence on STDP rules. Specifically, neuromodulatory systems can influence STDP rules by acting via dopaminergic, noradrenergic, muscarinic and nicotinic receptors. Neuromodulator actions can enable STDP induction or - by increasing or decreasing the threshold - can change the conditions for plasticity induction. Because some of the neuromodulators are also involved in reward, a link between STDP and reward-mediated learning is emerging. However, many outstanding questions concerning the relationship between neuromodulatory systems and STDP rules remain, that once solved, will help make the crucial link from timing-based synaptic plasticity rules to behaviorally-based learning.
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Synchrony detection and amplification by silicon neurons with STDP synapses.
Bofill-i-petit, Adria; Murray, Alan F
2004-09-01
Spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) is a form of plasticity driven by precise spike-timing differences between presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes. Thus, the learning rules underlying STDP are suitable for learning neuronal temporal phenomena such as spike-timing synchrony. It is well known that weight-independent STDP creates unstable learning processes resulting in balanced bimodal weight distributions. In this paper, we present a neuromorphic analog very large scale integration (VLSI) circuit that contains a feedforward network of silicon neurons with STDP synapses. The learning rule implemented can be tuned to have a moderate level of weight dependence. This helps stabilise the learning process and still generates binary weight distributions. From on-chip learning experiments we show that the chip can detect and amplify hierarchical spike-timing synchrony structures embedded in noisy spike trains. The weight distributions of the network emerging from learning are bimodal.
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STDP in adaptive neurons gives close-to-optimal information transmission
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Guillaume Hennequin
2010-12-01
Full Text Available Spike-frequency adaptation is known to enhance the transmission of information in sensory spiking neurons, by rescaling the dynamic range for input processing, matching it to the temporal statistics of the sensory stimulus. Achieving maximal information transmission has also been recently postulated as a role for Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP. However, the link between optimal plasticity and STDP in cortex remains loose, and so does the relationship between STDP and adaptation processes. We investigate how STDP, as described by recent minimal models derived from experimental data, influences the quality of information transmission in an adapting neuron. We show that a phenomenological model based on triplets of spikes yields almost the same information rate as an optimal model specially designed to this end. In contrast, the standard pair-based model of STDP does not improve information transmission as much. This result holds not only for additive STDP with hard weight bounds, known to produce bimodal distributions of synaptic weights, but also for weight-dependent STDP in the context of unimodal but skewed weight distributions. We analyze the similarities between the triplet model and the optimal learning rule, and find that the triplet effect is an important feature of the optimal model when the neuron is adaptive. If STDP is optimized for information transmission, it must take into account the dynamical properties of the postsynaptic cell, which might explain the target-cell specificity of STDP. In particular, it accounts for the differences found in vitro between STDP at excitatory synapses onto principal cells and those onto fast-spiking interneurons.
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Plasticity resembling spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity: the evidence in human cortex
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Florian Müller-Dahlhaus
2010-07-01
Full Text Available Spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP has been studied extensively in a variety of animal models during the past decade but whether it can be studied at the systems level of the human cortex has been a matter of debate. Only recently newly developed non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS have made it possible to induce and assess timing dependent plasticity in conscious human subjects. This review will present a critical synopsis of these experiments, which suggest that several of the principal characteristics and molecular mechanisms of TMS-induced plasticity correspond to those of STDP as studied at a cellular level. TMS combined with a second phasic stimulation modality can induce bidirectional long-lasting changes in the excitability of the stimulated cortex, whose polarity depends on the order of the associated stimulus-evoked events within a critical time window of tens of milliseconds. Pharmacological evidence suggests an NMDA receptor mediated form of synaptic plasticity. Studies in human motor cortex demonstrated that motor learning significantly modulates TMS-induced timing dependent plasticity, and, conversely, may be modulated bidirectionally by prior TMS-induced plasticity, providing circumstantial evidence that long-term potentiation-like mechanisms may be involved in motor learning. In summary, convergent evidence is being accumulated for the contention that it is now possible to induce STDP-like changes in the intact human central nervous system by means of TMS to study and interfere with synaptic plasticity in neural circuits in the context of behaviour such as learning and memory.
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Energy-efficient neuron, synapse and STDP integrated circuits.
Cruz-Albrecht, Jose M; Yung, Michael W; Srinivasa, Narayan
2012-06-01
Ultra-low energy biologically-inspired neuron and synapse integrated circuits are presented. The synapse includes a spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) learning rule circuit. These circuits have been designed, fabricated and tested using a 90 nm CMOS process. Experimental measurements demonstrate proper operation. The neuron and the synapse with STDP circuits have an energy consumption of around 0.4 pJ per spike and synaptic operation respectively.
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Network evolution induced by asynchronous stimuli through spike-timing-dependent plasticity.
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Wu-Jie Yuan
Full Text Available In sensory neural system, external asynchronous stimuli play an important role in perceptual learning, associative memory and map development. However, the organization of structure and dynamics of neural networks induced by external asynchronous stimuli are not well understood. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP is a typical synaptic plasticity that has been extensively found in the sensory systems and that has received much theoretical attention. This synaptic plasticity is highly sensitive to correlations between pre- and postsynaptic firings. Thus, STDP is expected to play an important role in response to external asynchronous stimuli, which can induce segregative pre- and postsynaptic firings. In this paper, we study the impact of external asynchronous stimuli on the organization of structure and dynamics of neural networks through STDP. We construct a two-dimensional spatial neural network model with local connectivity and sparseness, and use external currents to stimulate alternately on different spatial layers. The adopted external currents imposed alternately on spatial layers can be here regarded as external asynchronous stimuli. Through extensive numerical simulations, we focus on the effects of stimulus number and inter-stimulus timing on synaptic connecting weights and the property of propagation dynamics in the resulting network structure. Interestingly, the resulting feedforward structure induced by stimulus-dependent asynchronous firings and its propagation dynamics reflect both the underlying property of STDP. The results imply a possible important role of STDP in generating feedforward structure and collective propagation activity required for experience-dependent map plasticity in developing in vivo sensory pathways and cortices. The relevance of the results to cue-triggered recall of learned temporal sequences, an important cognitive function, is briefly discussed as well. Furthermore, this finding suggests a potential
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A theory of loop formation and elimination by spike timing-dependent plasticity
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James Kozloski
2010-03-01
Full Text Available We show that the local Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP rule has the effect of regulating the trans-synaptic weights of loops of any length within a simulated network of neurons. We show that depending on STDP's polarity, functional loops are formed or eliminated in networks driven to normal spiking conditions by random, partially correlated inputs, where functional loops comprise synaptic weights that exceed a non-zero threshold. We further prove that STDP is a form of loop-regulating plasticity for the case of a linear network driven by noise. Thus a notable local synaptic learning rule makes a specific prediction about synapses in the brain in which standard STDP is present: that under normal spiking conditions, they should participate in predominantly feed-forward connections at all scales. Our model implies that any deviations from this prediction would require a substantial modification to the hypothesized role for standard STDP. Given its widespread occurrence in the brain, we predict that STDP could also regulate long range functional loops among individual neurons across all brain scales, up to, and including, the scale of global brain network topology.
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Yotam Luz
Full Text Available Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP is characterized by a wide range of temporal kernels. However, much of the theoretical work has focused on a specific kernel - the "temporally asymmetric Hebbian" learning rules. Previous studies linked excitatory STDP to positive feedback that can account for the emergence of response selectivity. Inhibitory plasticity was associated with negative feedback that can balance the excitatory and inhibitory inputs. Here we study the possible computational role of the temporal structure of the STDP. We represent the STDP as a superposition of two processes: potentiation and depression. This allows us to model a wide range of experimentally observed STDP kernels, from Hebbian to anti-Hebbian, by varying a single parameter. We investigate STDP dynamics of a single excitatory or inhibitory synapse in purely feed-forward architecture. We derive a mean-field-Fokker-Planck dynamics for the synaptic weight and analyze the effect of STDP structure on the fixed points of the mean field dynamics. We find a phase transition along the Hebbian to anti-Hebbian parameter from a phase that is characterized by a unimodal distribution of the synaptic weight, in which the STDP dynamics is governed by negative feedback, to a phase with positive feedback characterized by a bimodal distribution. The critical point of this transition depends on general properties of the STDP dynamics and not on the fine details. Namely, the dynamics is affected by the pre-post correlations only via a single number that quantifies its overlap with the STDP kernel. We find that by manipulating the STDP temporal kernel, negative feedback can be induced in excitatory synapses and positive feedback in inhibitory. Moreover, there is an exact symmetry between inhibitory and excitatory plasticity, i.e., for every STDP rule of inhibitory synapse there exists an STDP rule for excitatory synapse, such that their dynamics is identical.
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Emergence of slow collective oscillations in neural networks with spike-timing dependent plasticity
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Mikkelsen, Kaare; Imparato, Alberto; Torcini, Alessandro
2013-01-01
The collective dynamics of excitatory pulse coupled neurons with spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) is studied. The introduction of STDP induces persistent irregular oscillations between strongly and weakly synchronized states, reminiscent of brain activity during slow-wave sleep. We explain...
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Multi-layer network utilizing rewarded spike time dependent plasticity to learn a foraging task.
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Pavel Sanda
2017-09-01
Full Text Available Neural networks with a single plastic layer employing reward modulated spike time dependent plasticity (STDP are capable of learning simple foraging tasks. Here we demonstrate advanced pattern discrimination and continuous learning in a network of spiking neurons with multiple plastic layers. The network utilized both reward modulated and non-reward modulated STDP and implemented multiple mechanisms for homeostatic regulation of synaptic efficacy, including heterosynaptic plasticity, gain control, output balancing, activity normalization of rewarded STDP and hard limits on synaptic strength. We found that addition of a hidden layer of neurons employing non-rewarded STDP created neurons that responded to the specific combinations of inputs and thus performed basic classification of the input patterns. When combined with a following layer of neurons implementing rewarded STDP, the network was able to learn, despite the absence of labeled training data, discrimination between rewarding patterns and the patterns designated as punishing. Synaptic noise allowed for trial-and-error learning that helped to identify the goal-oriented strategies which were effective in task solving. The study predicts a critical set of properties of the spiking neuronal network with STDP that was sufficient to solve a complex foraging task involving pattern classification and decision making.
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Mirrored STDP Implements Autoencoder Learning in a Network of Spiking Neurons.
Burbank, Kendra S
2015-12-01
The autoencoder algorithm is a simple but powerful unsupervised method for training neural networks. Autoencoder networks can learn sparse distributed codes similar to those seen in cortical sensory areas such as visual area V1, but they can also be stacked to learn increasingly abstract representations. Several computational neuroscience models of sensory areas, including Olshausen & Field's Sparse Coding algorithm, can be seen as autoencoder variants, and autoencoders have seen extensive use in the machine learning community. Despite their power and versatility, autoencoders have been difficult to implement in a biologically realistic fashion. The challenges include their need to calculate differences between two neuronal activities and their requirement for learning rules which lead to identical changes at feedforward and feedback connections. Here, we study a biologically realistic network of integrate-and-fire neurons with anatomical connectivity and synaptic plasticity that closely matches that observed in cortical sensory areas. Our choice of synaptic plasticity rules is inspired by recent experimental and theoretical results suggesting that learning at feedback connections may have a different form from learning at feedforward connections, and our results depend critically on this novel choice of plasticity rules. Specifically, we propose that plasticity rules at feedforward versus feedback connections are temporally opposed versions of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP), leading to a symmetric combined rule we call Mirrored STDP (mSTDP). We show that with mSTDP, our network follows a learning rule that approximately minimizes an autoencoder loss function. When trained with whitened natural image patches, the learned synaptic weights resemble the receptive fields seen in V1. Our results use realistic synaptic plasticity rules to show that the powerful autoencoder learning algorithm could be within the reach of real biological networks.
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Anti-hebbian spike-timing-dependent plasticity and adaptive sensory processing.
Roberts, Patrick D; Leen, Todd K
2010-01-01
Adaptive sensory processing influences the central nervous system's interpretation of incoming sensory information. One of the functions of this adaptive sensory processing is to allow the nervous system to ignore predictable sensory information so that it may focus on important novel information needed to improve performance of specific tasks. The mechanism of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) has proven to be intriguing in this context because of its dual role in long-term memory and ongoing adaptation to maintain optimal tuning of neural responses. Some of the clearest links between STDP and adaptive sensory processing have come from in vitro, in vivo, and modeling studies of the electrosensory systems of weakly electric fish. Plasticity in these systems is anti-Hebbian, so that presynaptic inputs that repeatedly precede, and possibly could contribute to, a postsynaptic neuron's firing are weakened. The learning dynamics of anti-Hebbian STDP learning rules are stable if the timing relations obey strict constraints. The stability of these learning rules leads to clear predictions of how functional consequences can arise from the detailed structure of the plasticity. Here we review the connection between theoretical predictions and functional consequences of anti-Hebbian STDP, focusing on adaptive processing in the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish. After introducing electrosensory adaptive processing and the dynamics of anti-Hebbian STDP learning rules, we address issues of predictive sensory cancelation and novelty detection, descending control of plasticity, synaptic scaling, and optimal sensory tuning. We conclude with examples in other systems where these principles may apply.
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Anti-Hebbian Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity and Adaptive Sensory Processing
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Patrick D Roberts
2010-12-01
Full Text Available Adaptive processing influences the central nervous system's interpretation of incoming sensory information. One of the functions of this adaptative sensory processing is to allow the nervous system to ignore predictable sensory information so that it may focus on important new information needed to improve performance of specific tasks. The mechanism of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP has proven to be intriguing in this context because of its dual role in long-term memory and ongoing adaptation to maintain optimal tuning of neural responses. Some of the clearest links between STDP and adaptive sensory processing have come from in vitro, in vivo, and modeling studies of the electrosensory systems of fish. Plasticity in such systems is anti-Hebbian, i.e. presynaptic inputs that repeatedly precede and hence could contribute to a postsynaptic neuron’s firing are weakened. The learning dynamics of anti-Hebbian STDP learning rules are stable if the timing relations obey strict constraints. The stability of these learning rules leads to clear predictions of how functional consequences can arise from the detailed structure of the plasticity. Here we review the connection between theoretical predictions and functional consequences of anti-Hebbian STDP, focusing on adaptive processing in the electrosensory system of weakly electric fish. After introducing electrosensory adaptive processing and the dynamics of anti-Hebbian STDP learning rules, we address issues of predictive sensory cancellation and novelty detection, descending control of plasticity, synaptic scaling, and optimal sensory tuning. We conclude with examples in other systems where these principles may apply.
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Competitive STDP Learning of Overlapping Spatial Patterns.
Krunglevicius, Dalius
2015-08-01
Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a set of Hebbian learning rules firmly based on biological evidence. It has been demonstrated that one of the STDP learning rules is suited for learning spatiotemporal patterns. When multiple neurons are organized in a simple competitive spiking neural network, this network is capable of learning multiple distinct patterns. If patterns overlap significantly (i.e., patterns are mutually inclusive), however, competition would not preclude trained neuron's responding to a new pattern and adjusting synaptic weights accordingly. This letter presents a simple neural network that combines vertical inhibition and Euclidean distance-dependent synaptic strength factor. This approach helps to solve the problem of pattern size-dependent parameter optimality and significantly reduces the probability of a neuron's forgetting an already learned pattern. For demonstration purposes, the network was trained for the first ten letters of the Braille alphabet.
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Franosch, Jan-Moritz P; Urban, Sebastian; van Hemmen, J Leo
2013-12-01
How can an animal learn from experience? How can it train sensors, such as the auditory or tactile system, based on other sensory input such as the visual system? Supervised spike-timing-dependent plasticity (supervised STDP) is a possible answer. Supervised STDP trains one modality using input from another one as "supervisor." Quite complex time-dependent relationships between the senses can be learned. Here we prove that under very general conditions, supervised STDP converges to a stable configuration of synaptic weights leading to a reconstruction of primary sensory input.
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Stability versus neuronal specialization for STDP: long-tail weight distributions solve the dilemma.
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Matthieu Gilson
Full Text Available Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP modifies the weight (or strength of synaptic connections between neurons and is considered to be crucial for generating network structure. It has been observed in physiology that, in addition to spike timing, the weight update also depends on the current value of the weight. The functional implications of this feature are still largely unclear. Additive STDP gives rise to strong competition among synapses, but due to the absence of weight dependence, it requires hard boundaries to secure the stability of weight dynamics. Multiplicative STDP with linear weight dependence for depression ensures stability, but it lacks sufficiently strong competition required to obtain a clear synaptic specialization. A solution to this stability-versus-function dilemma can be found with an intermediate parametrization between additive and multiplicative STDP. Here we propose a novel solution to the dilemma, named log-STDP, whose key feature is a sublinear weight dependence for depression. Due to its specific weight dependence, this new model can produce significantly broad weight distributions with no hard upper bound, similar to those recently observed in experiments. Log-STDP induces graded competition between synapses, such that synapses receiving stronger input correlations are pushed further in the tail of (very large weights. Strong weights are functionally important to enhance the neuronal response to synchronous spike volleys. Depending on the input configuration, multiple groups of correlated synaptic inputs exhibit either winner-share-all or winner-take-all behavior. When the configuration of input correlations changes, individual synapses quickly and robustly readapt to represent the new configuration. We also demonstrate the advantages of log-STDP for generating a stable structure of strong weights in a recurrently connected network. These properties of log-STDP are compared with those of previous models. Through
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Spike-timing dependent plasticity and the cognitive map.
Bush, Daniel; Philippides, Andrew; Husbands, Phil; O'Shea, Michael
2010-01-01
Since the discovery of place cells - single pyramidal neurons that encode spatial location - it has been hypothesized that the hippocampus may act as a cognitive map of known environments. This putative function has been extensively modeled using auto-associative networks, which utilize rate-coded synaptic plasticity rules in order to generate strong bi-directional connections between concurrently active place cells that encode for neighboring place fields. However, empirical studies using hippocampal cultures have demonstrated that the magnitude and direction of changes in synaptic strength can also be dictated by the relative timing of pre- and post-synaptic firing according to a spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) rule. Furthermore, electrophysiology studies have identified persistent "theta-coded" temporal correlations in place cell activity in vivo, characterized by phase precession of firing as the corresponding place field is traversed. It is not yet clear if STDP and theta-coded neural dynamics are compatible with cognitive map theory and previous rate-coded models of spatial learning in the hippocampus. Here, we demonstrate that an STDP rule based on empirical data obtained from the hippocampus can mediate rate-coded Hebbian learning when pre- and post-synaptic activity is stochastic and has no persistent sequence bias. We subsequently demonstrate that a spiking recurrent neural network that utilizes this STDP rule, alongside theta-coded neural activity, allows the rapid development of a cognitive map during directed or random exploration of an environment of overlapping place fields. Hence, we establish that STDP and phase precession are compatible with rate-coded models of cognitive map development.
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Spike-timing dependent plasticity and the cognitive map
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Daniel eBush
2010-10-01
Full Text Available Since the discovery of place cells – single pyramidal neurons that encode spatial location – it has been hypothesised that the hippocampus may act as a cognitive map of known environments. This putative function has been extensively modelled using auto-associative networks, which utilise rate-coded synaptic plasticity rules in order to generate strong bi-directional connections between concurrently active place cells that encode for neighbouring place fields. However, empirical studies using hippocampal cultures have demonstrated that the magnitude and direction of changes in synaptic strength can also be dictated by the relative timing of pre- and post- synaptic firing according to a spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP rule. Furthermore, electrophysiology studies have identified persistent ‘theta-coded’ temporal correlations in place cell activity in vivo, characterised by phase precession of firing as the corresponding place field is traversed. It is not yet clear if STDP and theta-coded neural dynamics are compatible with cognitive map theory and previous rate-coded models of spatial learning in the hippocampus. Here, we demonstrate that an STDP rule based on empirical data obtained from the hippocampus can mediate rate-coded Hebbian learning when pre- and post- synaptic activity is stochastic and has no persistent sequence bias. We subsequently demonstrate that a spiking recurrent neural network that utilises this STDP rule, alongside theta-coded neural activity, allows the rapid development of a cognitive map during directed or random exploration of an environment of overlapping place fields. Hence, we establish that STDP and phase precession are compatible with rate-coded models of cognitive map development.
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STDP and STDP Variations with Memristors for Spiking Neuromorphic Learning Systems
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Teresa eSerrano-Gotarredona
2013-02-01
Full Text Available In this paper we review several ways of realizing asynchronous Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP using memristors as synapses. Our focus is on how to use individual memristors to implement synaptic weight multiplications, in a way such that it is not necessary to (a introduce global synchronization and (b to separate memristor learning phases from memristor performing phases. In the approaches described, neurons fire spikes asynchronously when they wish and memristive synapses perform computation and learn at their own pace, as it happens in biological neural systems. We distinguish between two different memristor physics, depending on whether they respond to the original ``moving wall'' or to the ``filament creation and annihilation'' models. Independent of the memristor physics, we discuss two different types of STDP rules that can be implemented with memristors: either the pure timing-based rule that takes into account the arrival time of the spikes from the pre- and the post-synaptic neurons, or a hybrid rule that takes into account only the timing of pre-synaptic spikes and the membrane potential and other state variables of the post-synaptic neuron. We show how to implement these rules in cross-bar architectures that comprise massive arrays of memristors, and we discuss applications for artificial vision.
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Spike-timing dependent plasticity in the striatum
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Elodie Fino
2010-06-01
Full Text Available The striatum is the major input nucleus of basal ganglia, an ensemble of interconnected sub-cortical nuclei associated with fundamental processes of action-selection and procedural learning and memory. The striatum receives afferents from the cerebral cortex and the thalamus. In turn, it relays the integrated information towards the basal ganglia output nuclei through which it operates a selected activation of behavioral effectors. The striatal output neurons, the GABAergic medium-sized spiny neurons (MSNs, are in charge of the detection and integration of behaviorally relevant information. This property confers to the striatum the ability to extract relevant information from the background noise and select cognitive-motor sequences adapted to environmental stimuli. As long-term synaptic efficacy changes are believed to underlie learning and memory, the corticostriatal long-term plasticity provides a fundamental mechanism for the function of the basal ganglia in procedural learning. Here, we reviewed the different forms of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP occurring at corticostriatal synapses. Most of the studies have focused on MSNs and their ability to develop long-term plasticity. Nevertheless, the striatal interneurons (the fast-spiking GABAergic, the NO synthase and cholinergic interneurons also receive monosynaptic afferents from the cortex and tightly regulated corticostriatal information processing. Therefore, it is important to take into account the variety of striatal neurons to fully understand the ability of striatum to develop long-term plasticity. Corticostriatal STDP with various spike-timing dependence have been observed depending on the neuronal sub-populations and experimental conditions. This complexity highlights the extraordinary potentiality in term of plasticity of the corticostriatal pathway.
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Nicolangelo L Iannella
2010-07-01
Full Text Available Synapse location, dendritic active properties and synaptic plasticity are all known to play some role in shaping the different input streams impinging onto a neuron. It remains unclear however, how the magnitude and spatial distribution of synaptic efficacies emerge from this interplay. Here, we investigate this interplay using a biophysically detailed neuron model of a reconstructed layer 2/3 pyramidal cell and spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP. Specifically, we focus on the issue of how the efficacy of synapses contributed by different input streams are spatially represented in dendrites after STDP learning. We construct a simple feed forward network where a detailed model neuron receives synaptic inputs independently from multiple yet equally sized groups of afferent fibres with correlated activity, mimicking the spike activity from different neuronal populations encoding, for example, different sensory modalities. Interestingly, ensuing STDP learning, we observe that for all afferent groups, STDP leads to synaptic efficacies arranged into spatially segregated clusters effectively partitioning the dendritic tree. These segregated clusters possess a characteristic global organisation in space, where they form a tessellation in which each group dominates mutually exclusive regions of the dendrite.Put simply, the dendritic imprint from different input streams left after STDP learning effectively forms what we term a dendritic efficacy mosaic. Furthermore, we show how variations of the inputs and STDP rule affect such an organization. Our model suggests that STDP may be an important mechanism for creating a clustered plasticity engram, which shapes how different input streams are spatially represented in dendrite.
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Self-organization in Balanced State Networks by STDP and Homeostatic Plasticity.
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Felix Effenberger
2015-09-01
Full Text Available Structural inhomogeneities in synaptic efficacies have a strong impact on population response dynamics of cortical networks and are believed to play an important role in their functioning. However, little is known about how such inhomogeneities could evolve by means of synaptic plasticity. Here we present an adaptive model of a balanced neuronal network that combines two different types of plasticity, STDP and synaptic scaling. The plasticity rules yield both long-tailed distributions of synaptic weights and firing rates. Simultaneously, a highly connected subnetwork of driver neurons with strong synapses emerges. Coincident spiking activity of several driver cells can evoke population bursts and driver cells have similar dynamical properties as leader neurons found experimentally. Our model allows us to observe the delicate interplay between structural and dynamical properties of the emergent inhomogeneities. It is simple, robust to parameter changes and able to explain a multitude of different experimental findings in one basic network.
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Spike-timing-dependent plasticity in the human dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex.
Casula, Elias Paolo; Pellicciari, Maria Concetta; Picazio, Silvia; Caltagirone, Carlo; Koch, Giacomo
2016-12-01
Changes in the synaptic strength of neural connections are induced by repeated coupling of activity of interconnected neurons with precise timing, a phenomenon known as spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). It is debated if this mechanism exists in large-scale cortical networks in humans. We combined transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with concurrent electroencephalography (EEG) to directly investigate the effects of two paired associative stimulation (PAS) protocols (fronto-parietal and parieto-frontal) of pre and post-synaptic inputs within the human fronto-parietal network. We found evidence that the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has the potential to form robust STDP. Long-term potentiation/depression of TMS-evoked cortical activity is prompted after that DLPFC stimulation is followed/preceded by posterior parietal stimulation. Such bidirectional changes are paralleled by sustained increase/decrease of high-frequency oscillatory activity, likely reflecting STDP responsivity. The current findings could be important to drive plasticity of damaged cortical circuits in patients with cognitive or psychiatric disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Matthijs B. Verhoog
2011-01-01
Full Text Available Throughout life, activity-dependent changes in neuronal connection strength enable the brain to refine neural circuits and learn based on experience. In line with predictions made by Hebb, synapse strength can be modified depending on the millisecond timing of action potential firing (STDP. The sign of synaptic plasticity depends on the spike order of presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. Ionotropic neurotransmitter receptors, such as NMDA receptors and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, are intimately involved in setting the rules for synaptic strengthening and weakening. In addition, timing rules for STDP within synapses are not fixed. They can be altered by activation of ionotropic receptors located at, or close to, synapses. Here, we will highlight studies that uncovered how network actions control and modulate timing rules for STDP by activating presynaptic ionotropic receptors. Furthermore, we will discuss how interaction between different types of ionotropic receptors may create “timing” windows during which particular timing rules lead to synaptic changes.
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A forecast-based STDP rule suitable for neuromorphic implementation.
Davies, S; Galluppi, F; Rast, A D; Furber, S B
2012-08-01
Artificial neural networks increasingly involve spiking dynamics to permit greater computational efficiency. This becomes especially attractive for on-chip implementation using dedicated neuromorphic hardware. However, both spiking neural networks and neuromorphic hardware have historically found difficulties in implementing efficient, effective learning rules. The best-known spiking neural network learning paradigm is Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP) which adjusts the strength of a connection in response to the time difference between the pre- and post-synaptic spikes. Approaches that relate learning features to the membrane potential of the post-synaptic neuron have emerged as possible alternatives to the more common STDP rule, with various implementations and approximations. Here we use a new type of neuromorphic hardware, SpiNNaker, which represents the flexible "neuromimetic" architecture, to demonstrate a new approach to this problem. Based on the standard STDP algorithm with modifications and approximations, a new rule, called STDP TTS (Time-To-Spike) relates the membrane potential with the Long Term Potentiation (LTP) part of the basic STDP rule. Meanwhile, we use the standard STDP rule for the Long Term Depression (LTD) part of the algorithm. We show that on the basis of the membrane potential it is possible to make a statistical prediction of the time needed by the neuron to reach the threshold, and therefore the LTP part of the STDP algorithm can be triggered when the neuron receives a spike. In our system these approximations allow efficient memory access, reducing the overall computational time and the memory bandwidth required. The improvements here presented are significant for real-time applications such as the ones for which the SpiNNaker system has been designed. We present simulation results that show the efficacy of this algorithm using one or more input patterns repeated over the whole time of the simulation. On-chip results show that
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Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity in Unipolar Silicon Oxide RRAM Devices.
Zarudnyi, Konstantin; Mehonic, Adnan; Montesi, Luca; Buckwell, Mark; Hudziak, Stephen; Kenyon, Anthony J
2018-01-01
Resistance switching, or Resistive RAM (RRAM) devices show considerable potential for application in hardware spiking neural networks (neuro-inspired computing) by mimicking some of the behavior of biological synapses, and hence enabling non-von Neumann computer architectures. Spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) is one such behavior, and one example of several classes of plasticity that are being examined with the aim of finding suitable algorithms for application in many computing tasks such as coincidence detection, classification and image recognition. In previous work we have demonstrated that the neuromorphic capabilities of silicon-rich silicon oxide (SiO x ) resistance switching devices extend beyond plasticity to include thresholding, spiking, and integration. We previously demonstrated such behaviors in devices operated in the unipolar mode, opening up the question of whether we could add plasticity to the list of features exhibited by our devices. Here we demonstrate clear STDP in unipolar devices. Significantly, we show that the response of our devices is broadly similar to that of biological synapses. This work further reinforces the potential of simple two-terminal RRAM devices to mimic neuronal functionality in hardware spiking neural networks.
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Does spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity couple or decouple neurons firing in synchrony?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Andreas eKnoblauch
2012-08-01
Full Text Available Spike synchronization is thought to have a constructive role for feature integration, attention, associativelearning, and the formation of bidirectionally connected Hebbian cell assemblies. By contrast, theoreticalstudies on spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP report an inherently decoupling influence of spikesynchronization on synaptic connections of coactivated neurons. For example, bidirectional synapticconnections as found in cortical areas could be reproduced only by assuming realistic models of STDP andrate coding. We resolve this conflict by theoretical analysis and simulation of various simple and realisticSTDP models that provide a more complete characterization of conditions when STDP leads to eithercoupling or decoupling of neurons firing in synchrony. In particular, we show that STDP consistentlycouples synchronized neurons if key model parameters are matched to physiological data: First, synapticpotentiation must be significantly stronger than synaptic depression for small (positive or negative timelags between presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes. Second, spike synchronization must be sufficientlyimprecise, for example, within a time window of 5-10msec instead of 1msec. Third, axonal propagationdelays should not be much larger than dendritic delays. Under these assumptions synchronized neuronswill be strongly coupled leading to a dominance of bidirectional synaptic connections even for simpleSTDP models and low mean firing rates at the level of spontaneous activity.
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Spike-timing dependent plasticity in a transistor-selected resistive switching memory
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ambrogio, S; Balatti, S; Nardi, F; Facchinetti, S; Ielmini, D
2013-01-01
In a neural network, neuron computation is achieved through the summation of input signals fed by synaptic connections. The synaptic activity (weight) is dictated by the synchronous firing of neurons, inducing potentiation/depression of the synaptic connection. This learning function can be supported by the resistive switching memory (RRAM), which changes its resistance depending on the amplitude, the pulse width and the bias polarity of the applied signal. This work shows a new synapse circuit comprising a MOS transistor as a selector and a RRAM as a variable resistance, displaying spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) similar to the one originally experienced in biological neural networks. We demonstrate long-term potentiation and long-term depression by simulations with an analytical model of resistive switching. Finally, the experimental demonstration of the new STDP scheme is presented. (paper)
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Lu, Ke; Li, Yi; He, Wei-Fan; Chen, Jia; Zhou, Ya-Xiong; Duan, Nian; Jin, Miao-Miao; Gu, Wei; Xue, Kan-Hao; Sun, Hua-Jun; Miao, Xiang-Shui
2018-06-01
Memristors have emerged as promising candidates for artificial synaptic devices, serving as the building block of brain-inspired neuromorphic computing. In this letter, we developed a Pt/HfO x /Ti memristor with nonvolatile multilevel resistive switching behaviors due to the evolution of the conductive filaments and the variation in the Schottky barrier. Diverse state-dependent spike-timing-dependent-plasticity (STDP) functions were implemented with different initial resistance states. The measured STDP forms were adopted as the learning rule for a three-layer spiking neural network which achieves a 75.74% recognition accuracy for MNIST handwritten digit dataset. This work has shown the capability of memristive synapse in spiking neural networks for pattern recognition application.
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Marukame, Takao; Nishi, Yoshifumi; Yasuda, Shin-ichi; Tanamoto, Tetsufumi
2018-04-01
The use of memristive devices for creating artificial neurons is promising for brain-inspired computing from the viewpoints of computation architecture and learning protocol. We present an energy-efficient multiplier accumulator based on a memristive array architecture incorporating both analog and digital circuitries. The analog circuitry is used to full advantage for neural networks, as demonstrated by the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) in fabricated AlO x /TiO x -based metal-oxide memristive devices. STDP protocols for controlling periodic analog resistance with long-range stability were experimentally verified using a variety of voltage amplitudes and spike timings.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Seo, Kyungah; Park, Sangsu; Lee, Kwanghee; Lee, Byounghun; Hwang, Hyunsang; Kim, Insung; Jung, Seungjae; Jo, Minseok; Park, Jubong; Shin, Jungho; Biju, Kuyyadi P; Kong, Jaemin
2011-01-01
We demonstrated analog memory, synaptic plasticity, and a spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) function with a nanoscale titanium oxide bilayer resistive switching device with a simple fabrication process and good yield uniformity. We confirmed the multilevel conductance and analog memory characteristics as well as the uniformity and separated states for the accuracy of conductance change. Finally, STDP and a biological triple model were analyzed to demonstrate the potential of titanium oxide bilayer resistive switching device as synapses in neuromorphic devices. By developing a simple resistive switching device that can emulate a synaptic function, the unique characteristics of synapses in the brain, e.g. combined memory and computing in one synapse and adaptation to the outside environment, were successfully demonstrated in a solid state device.
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D'Souza, Prashanth; Liu, Shih-Chii; Hahnloser, Richard H R
2010-03-09
It is widely believed that sensory and motor processing in the brain is based on simple computational primitives rooted in cellular and synaptic physiology. However, many gaps remain in our understanding of the connections between neural computations and biophysical properties of neurons. Here, we show that synaptic spike-time-dependent plasticity (STDP) combined with spike-frequency adaptation (SFA) in a single neuron together approximate the well-known perceptron learning rule. Our calculations and integrate-and-fire simulations reveal that delayed inputs to a neuron endowed with STDP and SFA precisely instruct neural responses to earlier arriving inputs. We demonstrate this mechanism on a developmental example of auditory map formation guided by visual inputs, as observed in the external nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICX) of barn owls. The interplay of SFA and STDP in model ICX neurons precisely transfers the tuning curve from the visual modality onto the auditory modality, demonstrating a useful computation for multimodal and sensory-guided processing.
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STDP-based behavior learning on the TriBot robot
Arena, P.; De Fiore, S.; Patané, L.; Pollino, M.; Ventura, C.
2009-05-01
This paper describes a correlation-based navigation algorithm, based on an unsupervised learning paradigm for spiking neural networks, called Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP). This algorithm was implemented on a new bio-inspired hybrid mini-robot called TriBot to learn and increase its behavioral capabilities. In fact correlation based algorithms have been found to explain many basic behaviors in simple animals. The main interesting consequence of STDP is that the system is able to learn high-level sensor features, based on a set of basic reflexes, depending on some low-level sensor inputs. TriBot is composed of 3 modules, the first two being identical and inspired by the Whegs hybrid robot. The peculiar characteristics of the robot consists in the innovative shape of the three-spoke appendages that allow to increase stability of the structure. The last module is composed of two standard legs with 3 degrees of freedom each. Thanks to the cooperation among these modules, TriBot is able to face with irregular terrains overcoming potential deadlock situations, to climb high obstacles compared to its size and to manipulate objects. Robot experiments will be reported to demonstrate the potentiality and the effectiveness of the approach.
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Antunes, Gabriela; Faria da Silva, Samuel F; Simoes de Souza, Fabio M
2018-06-01
Mirror neurons fire action potentials both when the agent performs a certain behavior and watches someone performing a similar action. Here, we present an original mirror neuron model based on the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) between two morpho-electrical models of neocortical pyramidal neurons. Both neurons fired spontaneously with basal firing rate that follows a Poisson distribution, and the STDP between them was modeled by the triplet algorithm. Our simulation results demonstrated that STDP is sufficient for the rise of mirror neuron function between the pairs of neocortical neurons. This is a proof of concept that pairs of neocortical neurons associating sensory inputs to motor outputs could operate like mirror neurons. In addition, we used the mirror neuron model to investigate whether channelopathies associated with autism spectrum disorder could impair the modeled mirror function. Our simulation results showed that impaired hyperpolarization-activated cationic currents (Ih) affected the mirror function between the pairs of neocortical neurons coupled by STDP.
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Learning of spiking networks with different forms of long-term synaptic plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Vlasov, D.S.; Sboev, A.G.; Serenko, A.V.; Rybka, R.B.; Moloshnikov, I.A.
2016-01-01
The possibility of modeling the learning process based on different forms of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) has been studied. It has been shown that the learnability depends on the choice of the spike pairing scheme in the STDP rule and the type of the input signal used during learning [ru
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Distributed Cerebellar Motor Learning; a Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity Model
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Niceto Rafael Luque
2016-03-01
Full Text Available Deep cerebellar nuclei neurons receive both inhibitory (GABAergic synaptic currents from Purkinje cells (within the cerebellar cortex and excitatory (glutamatergic synaptic currents from mossy fibres. Those two deep cerebellar nucleus inputs are thought to be also adaptive, embedding interesting properties in the framework of accurate movements. We show that distributed spike-timing-dependent plasticity mechanisms (STDP located at different cerebellar sites (parallel fibres to Purkinje cells, mossy fibres to deep cerebellar nucleus cells, and Purkinje cells to deep cerebellar nucleus cells in close-loop simulations provide an explanation for the complex learning properties of the cerebellum in motor learning. Concretely, we propose a new mechanistic cerebellar spiking model. In this new model, deep cerebellar nuclei embed a dual functionality: deep cerebellar nuclei acting as a gain adaptation mechanism and as a facilitator for the slow memory consolidation at mossy fibres to deep cerebellar nucleus synapses. Equipping the cerebellum with excitatory (e-STDP and inhibitory (i-STDP mechanisms at deep cerebellar nuclei afferents allows the accommodation of synaptic memories that were formed at parallel fibres to Purkinje cells synapses and then transferred to mossy fibres to deep cerebellar nucleus synapses. These adaptive mechanisms also contribute to modulate the deep-cerebellar-nucleus-output firing rate (output gain modulation towards optimising its working range.
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Dynamic Hebbian Cross-Correlation Learning Resolves the Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity Conundrum
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Tjeerd V. olde Scheper
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Spike Timing-Dependent Plasticity has been found to assume many different forms. The classic STDP curve, with one potentiating and one depressing window, is only one of many possible curves that describe synaptic learning using the STDP mechanism. It has been shown experimentally that STDP curves may contain multiple LTP and LTD windows of variable width, and even inverted windows. The underlying STDP mechanism that is capable of producing such an extensive, and apparently incompatible, range of learning curves is still under investigation. In this paper, it is shown that STDP originates from a combination of two dynamic Hebbian cross-correlations of local activity at the synapse. The correlation of the presynaptic activity with the local postsynaptic activity is a robust and reliable indicator of the discrepancy between the presynaptic neuron and the postsynaptic neuron's activity. The second correlation is between the local postsynaptic activity with dendritic activity which is a good indicator of matching local synaptic and dendritic activity. We show that this simple time-independent learning rule can give rise to many forms of the STDP learning curve. The rule regulates synaptic strength without the need for spike matching or other supervisory learning mechanisms. Local differences in dendritic activity at the synapse greatly affect the cross-correlation difference which determines the relative contributions of different neural activity sources. Dendritic activity due to nearby synapses, action potentials, both forward and back-propagating, as well as inhibitory synapses will dynamically modify the local activity at the synapse, and the resulting STDP learning rule. The dynamic Hebbian learning rule ensures furthermore, that the resulting synaptic strength is dynamically stable, and that interactions between synapses do not result in local instabilities. The rule clearly demonstrates that synapses function as independent localized
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STDP-based spiking deep convolutional neural networks for object recognition.
Kheradpisheh, Saeed Reza; Ganjtabesh, Mohammad; Thorpe, Simon J; Masquelier, Timothée
2018-03-01
Previous studies have shown that spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) can be used in spiking neural networks (SNN) to extract visual features of low or intermediate complexity in an unsupervised manner. These studies, however, used relatively shallow architectures, and only one layer was trainable. Another line of research has demonstrated - using rate-based neural networks trained with back-propagation - that having many layers increases the recognition robustness, an approach known as deep learning. We thus designed a deep SNN, comprising several convolutional (trainable with STDP) and pooling layers. We used a temporal coding scheme where the most strongly activated neurons fire first, and less activated neurons fire later or not at all. The network was exposed to natural images. Thanks to STDP, neurons progressively learned features corresponding to prototypical patterns that were both salient and frequent. Only a few tens of examples per category were required and no label was needed. After learning, the complexity of the extracted features increased along the hierarchy, from edge detectors in the first layer to object prototypes in the last layer. Coding was very sparse, with only a few thousands spikes per image, and in some cases the object category could be reasonably well inferred from the activity of a single higher-order neuron. More generally, the activity of a few hundreds of such neurons contained robust category information, as demonstrated using a classifier on Caltech 101, ETH-80, and MNIST databases. We also demonstrate the superiority of STDP over other unsupervised techniques such as random crops (HMAX) or auto-encoders. Taken together, our results suggest that the combination of STDP with latency coding may be a key to understanding the way that the primate visual system learns, its remarkable processing speed and its low energy consumption. These mechanisms are also interesting for artificial vision systems, particularly for hardware
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Unsupervised learning by spike timing dependent plasticity in phase change memory (PCM synapses
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Stefano eAmbrogio
2016-03-01
Full Text Available We present a novel one-transistor/one-resistor (1T1R synapse for neuromorphic networks, based on phase change memory (PCM technology. The synapse is capable of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP, where gradual potentiation relies on set transition, namely crystallization, in the PCM, while depression is achieved via reset or amorphization of a chalcogenide active volume. STDP characteristics are demonstrated by experiments under variable initial conditions and number of pulses. Finally, we support the applicability of the 1T1R synapse for learning and recognition of visual patterns by simulations of fully connected neuromorphic networks with 2 or 3 layers with high recognition efficiency. The proposed scheme provides a feasible low-power solution for on-line unsupervised machine learning in smart reconfigurable sensors.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Xie, Huijuan; Gong, Yubing
2017-01-01
In this paper, we numerically study the effect of spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) on multiple coherence resonances (MCR) and synchronization transitions (ST) induced by time delay in adaptive scale-free Hodgkin–Huxley neuronal networks. It is found that STDP has a big influence on MCR and ST induced by time delay and on the effect of network average degree on the MCR and ST. MCR is enhanced or suppressed as the adjusting rate A p of STDP decreases or increases, and there is optimal A p by which ST becomes strongest. As network average degree 〈k〉 increases, ST is enhanced and there is optimal 〈k〉 at which MCR becomes strongest. Moreover, for a larger A p value, ST is enhanced more rapidly with increasing 〈k〉 and the optimal 〈k〉 for MCR increases. These results show that STDP can either enhance or suppress MCR, and there is optimal STDP that can most strongly enhance ST induced by time delay in the adaptive neuronal networks. These findings could find potential implication for the information processing and transmission in neural systems.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Yu, Haitao; Guo, Xinmeng; Wang, Jiang, E-mail: jiangwang@tju.edu.cn; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xile [School of Electrical Engineering and Automation, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)
2014-09-01
The phenomenon of stochastic resonance in Newman-Watts small-world neuronal networks is investigated when the strength of synaptic connections between neurons is adaptively adjusted by spike-time-dependent plasticity (STDP). It is shown that irrespective of the synaptic connectivity is fixed or adaptive, the phenomenon of stochastic resonance occurs. The efficiency of network stochastic resonance can be largely enhanced by STDP in the coupling process. Particularly, the resonance for adaptive coupling can reach a much larger value than that for fixed one when the noise intensity is small or intermediate. STDP with dominant depression and small temporal window ratio is more efficient for the transmission of weak external signal in small-world neuronal networks. In addition, we demonstrate that the effect of stochastic resonance can be further improved via fine-tuning of the average coupling strength of the adaptive network. Furthermore, the small-world topology can significantly affect stochastic resonance of excitable neuronal networks. It is found that there exists an optimal probability of adding links by which the noise-induced transmission of weak periodic signal peaks.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yu, Haitao; Guo, Xinmeng; Wang, Jiang; Deng, Bin; Wei, Xile
2014-01-01
The phenomenon of stochastic resonance in Newman-Watts small-world neuronal networks is investigated when the strength of synaptic connections between neurons is adaptively adjusted by spike-time-dependent plasticity (STDP). It is shown that irrespective of the synaptic connectivity is fixed or adaptive, the phenomenon of stochastic resonance occurs. The efficiency of network stochastic resonance can be largely enhanced by STDP in the coupling process. Particularly, the resonance for adaptive coupling can reach a much larger value than that for fixed one when the noise intensity is small or intermediate. STDP with dominant depression and small temporal window ratio is more efficient for the transmission of weak external signal in small-world neuronal networks. In addition, we demonstrate that the effect of stochastic resonance can be further improved via fine-tuning of the average coupling strength of the adaptive network. Furthermore, the small-world topology can significantly affect stochastic resonance of excitable neuronal networks. It is found that there exists an optimal probability of adding links by which the noise-induced transmission of weak periodic signal peaks
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A neuromorphic architecture for object recognition and motion anticipation using burst-STDP.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Andrew Nere
Full Text Available In this work we investigate the possibilities offered by a minimal framework of artificial spiking neurons to be deployed in silico. Here we introduce a hierarchical network architecture of spiking neurons which learns to recognize moving objects in a visual environment and determine the correct motor output for each object. These tasks are learned through both supervised and unsupervised spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP. STDP is responsible for the strengthening (or weakening of synapses in relation to pre- and post-synaptic spike times and has been described as a Hebbian paradigm taking place both in vitro and in vivo. We utilize a variation of STDP learning, called burst-STDP, which is based on the notion that, since spikes are expensive in terms of energy consumption, then strong bursting activity carries more information than single (sparse spikes. Furthermore, this learning algorithm takes advantage of homeostatic renormalization, which has been hypothesized to promote memory consolidation during NREM sleep. Using this learning rule, we design a spiking neural network architecture capable of object recognition, motion detection, attention towards important objects, and motor control outputs. We demonstrate the abilities of our design in a simple environment with distractor objects, multiple objects moving concurrently, and in the presence of noise. Most importantly, we show how this neural network is capable of performing these tasks using a simple leaky-integrate-and-fire (LIF neuron model with binary synapses, making it fully compatible with state-of-the-art digital neuromorphic hardware designs. As such, the building blocks and learning rules presented in this paper appear promising for scalable fully neuromorphic systems to be implemented in hardware chips.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yves Frégnac
2010-12-01
Full Text Available Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP is considered as an ubiquitous rule for associative plasticity in cortical networks in vitro. However, limited supporting evidence for its functional role has been provided in vivo. In particular, there are very few studies demonstrating the co-occurence of synaptic efficiency changes and alteration of sensory responses in adult cortex during Hebbian or STDP protocols. We addressed this issue by reviewing and comparing the functional effects of two types of cellular conditioning in cat visual cortex. The first one, referred to as the covariance protocol, obeys a generalized Hebbian framework, by imposing, for different stimuli, supervised positive and negative changes in covariance between postsynaptic and presynaptic activity rates. The second protocol, based on intracellular recordings, replicated in vivo variants of the theta-burst paradigm (TBS, proven successful in inducing long-term potentiation (LTP in vitro. Since it was shown to impose a precise correlation delay between the electrically activated thalamic input and the TBS-induced postsynaptic spike, this protocol can be seen as a probe of causal (pre-before-post STDP. By choosing a thalamic region where the visual field representation was in retinotopic overlap with the intracellularly recorded cortical receptive field as the afferent site for supervised electrical stimulation, this protocol allowed to look for possible correlates between STDP and functional reorganization of the conditioned cortical receptive field. The rate-based covariance protocol induced significant and large amplitude changes in receptive field properties, in both kitten and adult V1 cortex. The TBS STDP-like protocol produced in the adult significant changes in the synaptic gain of the electrically activated thalamic pathway, but the statistical significance of the functional correlates was detectable mostly at the population level. Comparison of our observations with the
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Hayashi, Hatsuo; Igarashi, Jun
2009-06-01
Spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) is a simple and effective learning rule for sequence learning. However, synapses being subject to STDP rules are readily influenced in noisy circumstances because synaptic conductances are modified by pre- and postsynaptic spikes elicited within a few tens of milliseconds, regardless of whether those spikes convey information or not. Noisy firing existing everywhere in the brain may induce irrelevant enhancement of synaptic connections through STDP rules and would result in uncertain memory encoding and obscure memory patterns. We will here show that the LTD windows of the STDP rules enable robust sequence learning amid background noise in cooperation with a large signal transmission delay between neurons and a theta rhythm, using a network model of the entorhinal cortex layer II with entorhinal-hippocampal loop connections. The important element of the present model for robust sequence learning amid background noise is the symmetric STDP rule having LTD windows on both sides of the LTP window, in addition to the loop connections having a large signal transmission delay and the theta rhythm pacing activities of stellate cells. Above all, the LTD window in the range of positive spike-timing is important to prevent influences of noise with the progress of sequence learning.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Garrido, Jesús A.; Luque, Niceto R.; Tolu, Silvia
2016-01-01
The majority of operations carried out by the brain require learning complex signal patterns for future recognition, retrieval and reuse. Although learning is thought to depend on multiple forms of long-term synaptic plasticity, the way this latter contributes to pattern recognition is still poorly...... and at the inhibitory interneuron-interneuron synapses, the interneurons rapidly learned complex input patterns. Interestingly, induction of plasticity required that the network be entrained into theta-frequency band oscillations, setting the internal phase-reference required to drive STDP. Inhibitory plasticity...... effectively distributed multiple patterns among available interneurons, thus allowing the simultaneous detection of multiple overlapping patterns. The addition of plasticity in intrinsic excitability made the system more robust allowing self-adjustment and rescaling in response to a broad range of input...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Robert R Kerr
Full Text Available Learning rules, such as spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP, change the structure of networks of neurons based on the firing activity. A network level understanding of these mechanisms can help infer how the brain learns patterns and processes information. Previous studies have shown that STDP selectively potentiates feed-forward connections that have specific axonal delays, and that this underlies behavioral functions such as sound localization in the auditory brainstem of the barn owl. In this study, we investigate how STDP leads to the selective potentiation of recurrent connections with different axonal and dendritic delays during oscillatory activity. We develop analytical models of learning with additive STDP in recurrent networks driven by oscillatory inputs, and support the results using simulations with leaky integrate-and-fire neurons. Our results show selective potentiation of connections with specific axonal delays, which depended on the input frequency. In addition, we demonstrate how this can lead to a network becoming selective in the amplitude of its oscillatory response to this frequency. We extend this model of axonal delay selection within a single recurrent network in two ways. First, we show the selective potentiation of connections with a range of both axonal and dendritic delays. Second, we show axonal delay selection between multiple groups receiving out-of-phase, oscillatory inputs. We discuss the application of these models to the formation and activation of neuronal ensembles or cell assemblies in the cortex, and also to missing fundamental pitch perception in the auditory brainstem.
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Structural Plasticity Denoises Responses and Improves Learning Speed
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Robin Spiess
2016-09-01
Full Text Available Despite an abundance of computational models for learning of synaptic weights, there has been relatively little research on structural plasticity, i.e. the creation and elimination of synapses. Especially, it is not clear how structural plasticity works in concert with spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP and what advantages their combination offers.Here we present a fairly large-scale functional model that uses leaky integrate-and-fire neurons, STDP, homeostasis, recurrent connections, and structural plasticity to learn the input encoding, the relation between inputs, and to infer missing inputs. Using this model, we compare the error and the amount of noise in the network's responses with and without structural plasticity and the influence of structural plasticity on the learning speed of the network.Using structural plasticity during learning shows good results for learning the representation of input values, i.e. structural plasticity strongly reduces the noise of the response by preventing spikes with a high error.For inferring missing inputs we see similar results, with responses having less noise if the network was trained using structural plasticity.Additionally, using structural plasticity with pruning significantly decreased the time to learn weights suitable for inference.Presumably, this is due to the clearer signal containing less spikes that misrepresent the desired value. Therefore, this work shows that structural plasticity is not only able to improve upon the performance using STDP without structural plasticity but also speeds up learning.Additionally, it addresses the practical problem of limited resources for connectivity that is not only apparent in the mammalian neocortex but also in computer hardware or neuromorphic (brain-inspired hardware by efficiently pruning synapses without losing performance.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Quan Wang
2017-08-01
Full Text Available The ability to learn sequential behaviors is a fundamental property of our brains. Yet a long stream of studies including recent experiments investigating motor sequence learning in adult human subjects have produced a number of puzzling and seemingly contradictory results. In particular, when subjects have to learn multiple action sequences, learning is sometimes impaired by proactive and retroactive interference effects. In other situations, however, learning is accelerated as reflected in facilitation and transfer effects. At present it is unclear what the underlying neural mechanism are that give rise to these diverse findings. Here we show that a recently developed recurrent neural network model readily reproduces this diverse set of findings. The self-organizing recurrent neural network (SORN model is a network of recurrently connected threshold units that combines a simplified form of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP with homeostatic plasticity mechanisms ensuring network stability, namely intrinsic plasticity (IP and synaptic normalization (SN. When trained on sequence learning tasks modeled after recent experiments we find that it reproduces the full range of interference, facilitation, and transfer effects. We show how these effects are rooted in the network's changing internal representation of the different sequences across learning and how they depend on an interaction of training schedule and task similarity. Furthermore, since learning in the model is based on fundamental neuronal plasticity mechanisms, the model reveals how these plasticity mechanisms are ultimately responsible for the network's sequence learning abilities. In particular, we find that all three plasticity mechanisms are essential for the network to learn effective internal models of the different training sequences. This ability to form effective internal models is also the basis for the observed interference and facilitation effects. This suggests that
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A compound memristive synapse model for statistical learning through STDP in spiking neural networks
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Johannes eBill
2014-12-01
Full Text Available Memristors have recently emerged as promising circuit elements to mimic the function of biological synapses in neuromorphic computing. The fabrication of reliable nanoscale memristive synapses, that feature continuous conductance changes based on the timing of pre- and postsynaptic spikes, has however turned out to be challenging. In this article, we propose an alternative approach, the compound memristive synapse, that circumvents this problem by the use of memristors with binary memristive states. A compound memristive synapse employs multiple bistable memristors in parallel to jointly form one synapse, thereby providing a spectrum of synaptic efficacies. We investigate the computational implications of synaptic plasticity in the compound synapse by integrating the recently observed phenomenon of stochastic filament formation into an abstract model of stochastic switching. Using this abstract model, we first show how standard pulsing schemes give rise to spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP with a stabilizing weight dependence in compound synapses. In a next step, we study unsupervised learning with compound synapses in networks of spiking neurons organized in a winner-take-all architecture. Our theoretical analysis reveals that compound-synapse STDP implements generalized Expectation-Maximization in the spiking network. Specifically, the emergent synapse configuration represents the most salient features of the input distribution in a Mixture-of-Gaussians generative model. Furthermore, the network’s spike response to spiking input streams approximates a well-defined Bayesian posterior distribution. We show in computer simulations how such networks learn to represent high-dimensional distributions over images of handwritten digits with high fidelity even in presence of substantial device variations and under severe noise conditions. Therefore, the compound memristive synapse may provide a synaptic design principle for future neuromorphic
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Bill, Johannes; Legenstein, Robert
2014-01-01
Memristors have recently emerged as promising circuit elements to mimic the function of biological synapses in neuromorphic computing. The fabrication of reliable nanoscale memristive synapses, that feature continuous conductance changes based on the timing of pre- and postsynaptic spikes, has however turned out to be challenging. In this article, we propose an alternative approach, the compound memristive synapse, that circumvents this problem by the use of memristors with binary memristive states. A compound memristive synapse employs multiple bistable memristors in parallel to jointly form one synapse, thereby providing a spectrum of synaptic efficacies. We investigate the computational implications of synaptic plasticity in the compound synapse by integrating the recently observed phenomenon of stochastic filament formation into an abstract model of stochastic switching. Using this abstract model, we first show how standard pulsing schemes give rise to spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) with a stabilizing weight dependence in compound synapses. In a next step, we study unsupervised learning with compound synapses in networks of spiking neurons organized in a winner-take-all architecture. Our theoretical analysis reveals that compound-synapse STDP implements generalized Expectation-Maximization in the spiking network. Specifically, the emergent synapse configuration represents the most salient features of the input distribution in a Mixture-of-Gaussians generative model. Furthermore, the network's spike response to spiking input streams approximates a well-defined Bayesian posterior distribution. We show in computer simulations how such networks learn to represent high-dimensional distributions over images of handwritten digits with high fidelity even in presence of substantial device variations and under severe noise conditions. Therefore, the compound memristive synapse may provide a synaptic design principle for future neuromorphic architectures.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Teng-Fei Ma
Full Text Available The recent history of activity input onto granule cells (GCs in the main olfactory bulb can affect the strength of lateral inhibition, which functions to generate contrast enhancement. However, at the plasticity level, it is unknown whether and how the prior modification of lateral inhibition modulates the subsequent induction of long-lasting changes of the excitatory olfactory nerve (ON inputs to mitral cells (MCs. Here we found that the repetitive stimulation of two distinct excitatory inputs to the GCs induced a persistent modification of lateral inhibition in MCs in opposing directions. This bidirectional modification of inhibitory inputs differentially regulated the subsequent synaptic plasticity of the excitatory ON inputs to the MCs, which was induced by the repetitive pairing of excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs with postsynaptic bursts. The regulation of spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP was achieved by the regulation of the inter-spike-interval (ISI of the postsynaptic bursts. This novel form of inhibition-dependent regulation of plasticity may contribute to the encoding or processing of olfactory information in the olfactory bulb.
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Banerjee, A.; Meredith, R.M.; Rodriguez-Moreno, A.; Mierau, S.B.; Auberson, Y.P.; Paulsen, O.
2009-01-01
Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a strong candidate for an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent form of synaptic plasticity that could underlie the development of receptive field properties in sensory neocortices. Whilst induction of timing-dependent long-term potentiation
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2D co-ordinate transformation based on a spike timing-dependent plasticity learning mechanism.
Wu, QingXiang; McGinnity, Thomas Martin; Maguire, Liam; Belatreche, Ammar; Glackin, Brendan
2008-11-01
In order to plan accurate motor actions, the brain needs to build an integrated spatial representation associated with visual stimuli and haptic stimuli. Since visual stimuli are represented in retina-centered co-ordinates and haptic stimuli are represented in body-centered co-ordinates, co-ordinate transformations must occur between the retina-centered co-ordinates and body-centered co-ordinates. A spiking neural network (SNN) model, which is trained with spike-timing-dependent-plasticity (STDP), is proposed to perform a 2D co-ordinate transformation of the polar representation of an arm position to a Cartesian representation, to create a virtual image map of a haptic input. Through the visual pathway, a position signal corresponding to the haptic input is used to train the SNN with STDP synapses such that after learning the SNN can perform the co-ordinate transformation to generate a representation of the haptic input with the same co-ordinates as a visual image. The model can be applied to explain co-ordinate transformation in spiking neuron based systems. The principle can be used in artificial intelligent systems to process complex co-ordinate transformations represented by biological stimuli.
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Energy-efficient STDP-based learning circuits with memristor synapses
Wu, Xinyu; Saxena, Vishal; Campbell, Kristy A.
2014-05-01
It is now accepted that the traditional von Neumann architecture, with processor and memory separation, is ill suited to process parallel data streams which a mammalian brain can efficiently handle. Moreover, researchers now envision computing architectures which enable cognitive processing of massive amounts of data by identifying spatio-temporal relationships in real-time and solving complex pattern recognition problems. Memristor cross-point arrays, integrated with standard CMOS technology, are expected to result in massively parallel and low-power Neuromorphic computing architectures. Recently, significant progress has been made in spiking neural networks (SNN) which emulate data processing in the cortical brain. These architectures comprise of a dense network of neurons and the synapses formed between the axons and dendrites. Further, unsupervised or supervised competitive learning schemes are being investigated for global training of the network. In contrast to a software implementation, hardware realization of these networks requires massive circuit overhead for addressing and individually updating network weights. Instead, we employ bio-inspired learning rules such as the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) to efficiently update the network weights locally. To realize SNNs on a chip, we propose to use densely integrating mixed-signal integrate-andfire neurons (IFNs) and cross-point arrays of memristors in back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) of CMOS chips. Novel IFN circuits have been designed to drive memristive synapses in parallel while maintaining overall power efficiency (<1 pJ/spike/synapse), even at spike rate greater than 10 MHz. We present circuit design details and simulation results of the IFN with memristor synapses, its response to incoming spike trains and STDP learning characterization.
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Depression-Biased Reverse Plasticity Rule Is Required for Stable Learning at Top-Down Connections
Burbank, Kendra S.; Kreiman, Gabriel
2012-01-01
Top-down synapses are ubiquitous throughout neocortex and play a central role in cognition, yet little is known about their development and specificity. During sensory experience, lower neocortical areas are activated before higher ones, causing top-down synapses to experience a preponderance of post-synaptic activity preceding pre-synaptic activity. This timing pattern is the opposite of that experienced by bottom-up synapses, which suggests that different versions of spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) rules may be required at top-down synapses. We consider a two-layer neural network model and investigate which STDP rules can lead to a distribution of top-down synaptic weights that is stable, diverse and avoids strong loops. We introduce a temporally reversed rule (rSTDP) where top-down synapses are potentiated if post-synaptic activity precedes pre-synaptic activity. Combining analytical work and integrate-and-fire simulations, we show that only depression-biased rSTDP (and not classical STDP) produces stable and diverse top-down weights. The conclusions did not change upon addition of homeostatic mechanisms, multiplicative STDP rules or weak external input to the top neurons. Our prediction for rSTDP at top-down synapses, which are distally located, is supported by recent neurophysiological evidence showing the existence of temporally reversed STDP in synapses that are distal to the post-synaptic cell body. PMID:22396630
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Depression-biased reverse plasticity rule is required for stable learning at top-down connections.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kendra S Burbank
Full Text Available Top-down synapses are ubiquitous throughout neocortex and play a central role in cognition, yet little is known about their development and specificity. During sensory experience, lower neocortical areas are activated before higher ones, causing top-down synapses to experience a preponderance of post-synaptic activity preceding pre-synaptic activity. This timing pattern is the opposite of that experienced by bottom-up synapses, which suggests that different versions of spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP rules may be required at top-down synapses. We consider a two-layer neural network model and investigate which STDP rules can lead to a distribution of top-down synaptic weights that is stable, diverse and avoids strong loops. We introduce a temporally reversed rule (rSTDP where top-down synapses are potentiated if post-synaptic activity precedes pre-synaptic activity. Combining analytical work and integrate-and-fire simulations, we show that only depression-biased rSTDP (and not classical STDP produces stable and diverse top-down weights. The conclusions did not change upon addition of homeostatic mechanisms, multiplicative STDP rules or weak external input to the top neurons. Our prediction for rSTDP at top-down synapses, which are distally located, is supported by recent neurophysiological evidence showing the existence of temporally reversed STDP in synapses that are distal to the post-synaptic cell body.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Runchun Mark Wang
2015-05-01
Full Text Available We present a neuromorphic implementation of multiple synaptic plasticity learning rules, which include both Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP and Spike Timing Dependent Delay Plasticity (STDDP. We present a fully digital implementation as well as a mixed-signal implementation, both of which use a novel dynamic-assignment time-multiplexing approach and support up to 2^26 (64M synaptic plasticity elements. Rather than implementing dedicated synapses for particular types of synaptic plasticity, we implemented a more generic synaptic plasticity adaptor array that is separate from the neurons in the neural network. Each adaptor performs synaptic plasticity according to the arrival times of the pre- and post-synaptic spikes assigned to it, and sends out a weighted and/or delayed pre-synaptic spike to the target synapse in the neural network. This strategy provides great flexibility for building complex large-scale neural networks, as a neural network can be configured for multiple synaptic plasticity rules without changing its structure. We validate the proposed neuromorphic implementations with measurement results and illustrate that the circuits are capable of performing both STDP and STDDP. We argue that it is practical to scale the work presented here up to 2^36 (64G synaptic adaptors on a current high-end FPGA platform.
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Basura, Gregory J; Koehler, Seth D; Shore, Susan E
2015-12-01
Central auditory circuits are influenced by the somatosensory system, a relationship that may underlie tinnitus generation. In the guinea pig dorsal cochlear nucleus (DCN), pairing spinal trigeminal nucleus (Sp5) stimulation with tones at specific intervals and orders facilitated or suppressed subsequent tone-evoked neural responses, reflecting spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). Furthermore, after noise-induced tinnitus, bimodal responses in DCN were shifted from Hebbian to anti-Hebbian timing rules with less discrete temporal windows, suggesting a role for bimodal plasticity in tinnitus. Here, we aimed to determine if multisensory STDP principles like those in DCN also exist in primary auditory cortex (A1), and whether they change following noise-induced tinnitus. Tone-evoked and spontaneous neural responses were recorded before and 15 min after bimodal stimulation in which the intervals and orders of auditory-somatosensory stimuli were randomized. Tone-evoked and spontaneous firing rates were influenced by the interval and order of the bimodal stimuli, and in sham-controls Hebbian-like timing rules predominated as was seen in DCN. In noise-exposed animals with and without tinnitus, timing rules shifted away from those found in sham-controls to more anti-Hebbian rules. Only those animals with evidence of tinnitus showed increased spontaneous firing rates, a purported neurophysiological correlate of tinnitus in A1. Together, these findings suggest that bimodal plasticity is also evident in A1 following noise damage and may have implications for tinnitus generation and therapeutic intervention across the central auditory circuit. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zedong eBi
2016-02-01
Full Text Available In neural systems, synaptic plasticity is usually driven by spike trains. Due to the inherent noises of neurons and synapses as well as the randomness of connection details, spike trains typically exhibit variability such as spatial randomness and temporal stochasticity, resulting in variability of synaptic changes under plasticity, which we call efficacy variability. How the variability of spike trains influences the efficacy variability of synapses remains unclear. In this paper, we try to understand this influence under pair-wise additive spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP when the mean strength of plastic synapses into a neuron is bounded (synaptic homeostasis. Specifically, we systematically study, analytically and numerically, how four aspects of statistical features, i.e. synchronous firing, burstiness/regularity, heterogeneity of rates and heterogeneity of cross-correlations, as well as their interactions influence the efficacy variability in converging motifs (simple networks in which one neuron receives from many other neurons. Neurons (including the post-synaptic neuron in a converging motif generate spikes according to statistical models with tunable parameters. In this way, we can explicitly control the statistics of the spike patterns, and investigate their influence onto the efficacy variability, without worrying about the feedback from synaptic changes onto the dynamics of the post-synaptic neuron. We separate efficacy variability into two parts: the drift part (DriftV induced by the heterogeneity of change rates of different synapses, and the diffusion part (DiffV induced by weight diffusion caused by stochasticity of spike trains. Our main findings are: (1 synchronous firing and burstiness tend to increase DiffV, (2 heterogeneity of rates induces DriftV when potentiation and depression in STDP are not balanced, and (3 heterogeneity of cross-correlations induces DriftV together with heterogeneity of rates. We anticipate our
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zedong Bi
2016-08-01
Full Text Available Synapses may undergo variable changes during plasticity because of the variability of spike patterns such as temporal stochasticity and spatial randomness. Here, we call the variability of synaptic weight changes during plasticity to be efficacy variability. In this paper, we investigate how four aspects of spike pattern statistics (i.e., synchronous firing, burstiness/regularity, heterogeneity of rates and heterogeneity of cross-correlations influence the efficacy variability under pair-wise additive spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP and synaptic homeostasis (the mean strength of plastic synapses into a neuron is bounded, by implementing spike shuffling methods onto spike patterns self-organized by a network of excitatory and inhibitory leaky integrate-and-fire (LIF neurons. With the increase of the decay time scale of the inhibitory synaptic currents, the LIF network undergoes a transition from asynchronous state to weak synchronous state and then to synchronous bursting state. We first shuffle these spike patterns using a variety of methods, each designed to evidently change a specific pattern statistics; and then investigate the change of efficacy variability of the synapses under STDP and synaptic homeostasis, when the neurons in the network fire according to the spike patterns before and after being treated by a shuffling method. In this way, we can understand how the change of pattern statistics may cause the change of efficacy variability. Our results are consistent with those of our previous study which implements spike-generating models on converging motifs. We also find that burstiness/regularity is important to determine the efficacy variability under asynchronous states, while heterogeneity of cross-correlations is the main factor to cause efficacy variability when the network moves into synchronous bursting states (the states observed in epilepsy.
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Cameron, Katherine; Murray, Alan
2008-05-01
This paper investigates whether spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) can minimize the effect of mismatch within the context of a depth-from-motion algorithm. To improve noise rejection, this algorithm contains a spike prediction element, whose performance is degraded by analog very large scale integration (VLSI) mismatch. The error between the actual spike arrival time and the prediction is used as the input to an STDP circuit, to improve future predictions. Before STDP adaptation, the error reflects the degree of mismatch within the prediction circuitry. After STDP adaptation, the error indicates to what extent the adaptive circuitry can minimize the effect of transistor mismatch. The circuitry is tested with static and varying prediction times and chip results are presented. The effect of noisy spikes is also investigated. Under all conditions the STDP adaptation is shown to improve performance.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ting-Shuo eChou
2015-07-01
Full Text Available Neurorobots enable researchers to study how behaviors are produced by neural mechanisms in an uncertain, noisy, real-world environment. To investigate how the somatosensory system processes noisy, real-world touch inputs, we introduce a neurorobot called CARL-SJR, which has a full-body tactile sensory area. The design of CARL-SJR is such that it encourages people to communicate with it through gentle touch. CARL-SJR provides feedback to users by displaying bright colors on its surface. In the present study, we show that CARL-SJR is capable of learning associations between conditioned stimuli (CS; a color pattern on its surface and unconditioned stimuli (US; a preferred touch pattern by applying a spiking neural network (SNN with neurobiologically inspired plasticity. Specifically, we modeled the primary somatosensory cortex, prefrontal cortex, striatum, and the insular cortex, which is important for hedonic touch, to process noisy data generated directly from CARL-SJR’s tactile sensory area. To facilitate learning, we applied dopamine-modulated Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP to our simulated prefrontal cortex, striatum and insular cortex. To cope with noisy, varying inputs, the SNN was tuned to produce traveling waves of activity that carried spatiotemporal information. Despite the noisy tactile sensors, spike trains, and variations in subject hand swipes, the learning was quite robust. Further, the plasticity (i.e., STDP in primary somatosensory cortex and insular cortex in the incremental pathway of dopaminergic reward system allowed us to control CARL-SJR’s preference for touch direction without heavily pre-processed inputs. The emerged behaviors we found in this model match animal’s behaviors wherein they prefer touch in particular areas and directions. Thus, the results in this paper could serve as an explanation on the underlying neural mechanisms for developing tactile preferences and hedonic touch.
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A framework for plasticity implementation on the SpiNNaker neural architecture.
Galluppi, Francesco; Lagorce, Xavier; Stromatias, Evangelos; Pfeiffer, Michael; Plana, Luis A; Furber, Steve B; Benosman, Ryad B
2014-01-01
Many of the precise biological mechanisms of synaptic plasticity remain elusive, but simulations of neural networks have greatly enhanced our understanding of how specific global functions arise from the massively parallel computation of neurons and local Hebbian or spike-timing dependent plasticity rules. For simulating large portions of neural tissue, this has created an increasingly strong need for large scale simulations of plastic neural networks on special purpose hardware platforms, because synaptic transmissions and updates are badly matched to computing style supported by current architectures. Because of the great diversity of biological plasticity phenomena and the corresponding diversity of models, there is a great need for testing various hypotheses about plasticity before committing to one hardware implementation. Here we present a novel framework for investigating different plasticity approaches on the SpiNNaker distributed digital neural simulation platform. The key innovation of the proposed architecture is to exploit the reconfigurability of the ARM processors inside SpiNNaker, dedicating a subset of them exclusively to process synaptic plasticity updates, while the rest perform the usual neural and synaptic simulations. We demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed approach by showing the implementation of a variety of spike- and rate-based learning rules, including standard Spike-Timing dependent plasticity (STDP), voltage-dependent STDP, and the rate-based BCM rule. We analyze their performance and validate them by running classical learning experiments in real time on a 4-chip SpiNNaker board. The result is an efficient, modular, flexible and scalable framework, which provides a valuable tool for the fast and easy exploration of learning models of very different kinds on the parallel and reconfigurable SpiNNaker system.
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Lajoie, Guillaume; Krouchev, Nedialko I; Kalaska, John F; Fairhall, Adrienne L; Fetz, Eberhard E
2017-02-01
Experiments show that spike-triggered stimulation performed with Bidirectional Brain-Computer-Interfaces (BBCI) can artificially strengthen connections between separate neural sites in motor cortex (MC). When spikes from a neuron recorded at one MC site trigger stimuli at a second target site after a fixed delay, the connections between sites eventually strengthen. It was also found that effective spike-stimulus delays are consistent with experimentally derived spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) rules, suggesting that STDP is key to drive these changes. However, the impact of STDP at the level of circuits, and the mechanisms governing its modification with neural implants remain poorly understood. The present work describes a recurrent neural network model with probabilistic spiking mechanisms and plastic synapses capable of capturing both neural and synaptic activity statistics relevant to BBCI conditioning protocols. Our model successfully reproduces key experimental results, both established and new, and offers mechanistic insights into spike-triggered conditioning. Using analytical calculations and numerical simulations, we derive optimal operational regimes for BBCIs, and formulate predictions concerning the efficacy of spike-triggered conditioning in different regimes of cortical activity.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter Jedlicka
2015-11-01
Full Text Available Long-term potentiation (LTP and long-term depression (LTD are widely accepted to be synaptic mechanisms involved in learning and memory. It remains uncertain, however, which particular activity rules are utilized by hippocampal neurons to induce LTP and LTD in behaving animals. Recent experiments in the dentate gyrus of freely moving rats revealed an unexpected pattern of LTP and LTD from high-frequency perforant path stimulation. While 400 Hz theta-burst stimulation (400-TBS and 400 Hz delta-burst stimulation (400-DBS elicited substantial LTP of the tetanized medial path input and, concurrently, LTD of the non-tetanized lateral path input, 100 Hz theta-burst stimulation (100-TBS, a normally efficient LTP protocol for in vitro preparations produced only weak LTP and concurrent LTD. Here we show in a biophysically realistic compartmental granule cell model that this pattern of results can be accounted for by a voltage-based spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP rule combined with a relatively fast Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro (BCM-like homeostatic metaplasticity rule, all on a background of ongoing spontaneous activity in the input fibers. Our results suggest that, at least for dentate granule cells, the interplay of STDP-BCM plasticity rules and ongoing pre- and postsynaptic background activity determines not only the degree of input-specific LTP elicited by various plasticity-inducing protocols, but also the degree of associated LTD in neighboring non-tetanized inputs, as generated by the ongoing constitutive activity at these synapses.
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Grytskyy, Dmytro; Diesmann, Markus; Helias, Moritz
2016-06-01
Self-organized structures in networks with spike-timing dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) are likely to play a central role for information processing in the brain. In the present study we derive a reaction-diffusion-like formalism for plastic feed-forward networks of nonlinear rate-based model neurons with a correlation sensitive learning rule inspired by and being qualitatively similar to STDP. After obtaining equations that describe the change of the spatial shape of the signal from layer to layer, we derive a criterion for the nonlinearity necessary to obtain stable dynamics for arbitrary input. We classify the possible scenarios of signal evolution and find that close to the transition to the unstable regime metastable solutions appear. The form of these dissipative solitons is determined analytically and the evolution and interaction of several such coexistent objects is investigated.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Guillaume Lajoie
2017-02-01
Full Text Available Experiments show that spike-triggered stimulation performed with Bidirectional Brain-Computer-Interfaces (BBCI can artificially strengthen connections between separate neural sites in motor cortex (MC. When spikes from a neuron recorded at one MC site trigger stimuli at a second target site after a fixed delay, the connections between sites eventually strengthen. It was also found that effective spike-stimulus delays are consistent with experimentally derived spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP rules, suggesting that STDP is key to drive these changes. However, the impact of STDP at the level of circuits, and the mechanisms governing its modification with neural implants remain poorly understood. The present work describes a recurrent neural network model with probabilistic spiking mechanisms and plastic synapses capable of capturing both neural and synaptic activity statistics relevant to BBCI conditioning protocols. Our model successfully reproduces key experimental results, both established and new, and offers mechanistic insights into spike-triggered conditioning. Using analytical calculations and numerical simulations, we derive optimal operational regimes for BBCIs, and formulate predictions concerning the efficacy of spike-triggered conditioning in different regimes of cortical activity.
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Neuromodulated Synaptic Plasticity on the SpiNNaker Neuromorphic System
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mantas Mikaitis
2018-02-01
Full Text Available SpiNNaker is a digital neuromorphic architecture, designed specifically for the low power simulation of large-scale spiking neural networks at speeds close to biological real-time. Unlike other neuromorphic systems, SpiNNaker allows users to develop their own neuron and synapse models as well as specify arbitrary connectivity. As a result SpiNNaker has proved to be a powerful tool for studying different neuron models as well as synaptic plasticity—believed to be one of the main mechanisms behind learning and memory in the brain. A number of Spike-Timing-Dependent-Plasticity(STDP rules have already been implemented on SpiNNaker and have been shown to be capable of solving various learning tasks in real-time. However, while STDP is an important biological theory of learning, it is a form of Hebbian or unsupervised learning and therefore does not explain behaviors that depend on feedback from the environment. Instead, learning rules based on neuromodulated STDP (three-factor learning rules have been shown to be capable of solving reinforcement learning tasks in a biologically plausible manner. In this paper we demonstrate for the first time how a model of three-factor STDP, with the third-factor representing spikes from dopaminergic neurons, can be implemented on the SpiNNaker neuromorphic system. Using this learning rule we first show how reward and punishment signals can be delivered to a single synapse before going on to demonstrate it in a larger network which solves the credit assignment problem in a Pavlovian conditioning experiment. Because of its extra complexity, we find that our three-factor learning rule requires approximately 2× as much processing time as the existing SpiNNaker STDP learning rules. However, we show that it is still possible to run our Pavlovian conditioning model with up to 1 × 104 neurons in real-time, opening up new research opportunities for modeling behavioral learning on SpiNNaker.
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Different propagation speeds of recalled sequences in plastic spiking neural networks
Huang, Xuhui; Zheng, Zhigang; Hu, Gang; Wu, Si; Rasch, Malte J.
2015-03-01
Neural networks can generate spatiotemporal patterns of spike activity. Sequential activity learning and retrieval have been observed in many brain areas, and e.g. is crucial for coding of episodic memory in the hippocampus or generating temporal patterns during song production in birds. In a recent study, a sequential activity pattern was directly entrained onto the neural activity of the primary visual cortex (V1) of rats and subsequently successfully recalled by a local and transient trigger. It was observed that the speed of activity propagation in coordinates of the retinotopically organized neural tissue was constant during retrieval regardless how the speed of light stimulation sweeping across the visual field during training was varied. It is well known that spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) is a potential mechanism for embedding temporal sequences into neural network activity. How training and retrieval speeds relate to each other and how network and learning parameters influence retrieval speeds, however, is not well described. We here theoretically analyze sequential activity learning and retrieval in a recurrent neural network with realistic synaptic short-term dynamics and STDP. Testing multiple STDP rules, we confirm that sequence learning can be achieved by STDP. However, we found that a multiplicative nearest-neighbor (NN) weight update rule generated weight distributions and recall activities that best matched the experiments in V1. Using network simulations and mean-field analysis, we further investigated the learning mechanisms and the influence of network parameters on recall speeds. Our analysis suggests that a multiplicative STDP rule with dominant NN spike interaction might be implemented in V1 since recall speed was almost constant in an NMDA-dominant regime. Interestingly, in an AMPA-dominant regime, neural circuits might exhibit recall speeds that instead follow the change in stimulus speeds. This prediction could be tested in
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Li, Qiang; Wang, Zhi; Le, Yansi; Sun, Chonghui; Song, Xiaojia; Wu, Chongqing
2016-10-01
Neuromorphic engineering has a wide range of applications in the fields of machine learning, pattern recognition, adaptive control, etc. Photonics, characterized by its high speed, wide bandwidth, low power consumption and massive parallelism, is an ideal way to realize ultrafast spiking neural networks (SNNs). Synaptic plasticity is believed to be critical for learning, memory and development in neural circuits. Experimental results have shown that changes of synapse are highly dependent on the relative timing of pre- and postsynaptic spikes. Synaptic plasticity in which presynaptic spikes preceding postsynaptic spikes results in strengthening, while the opposite timing results in weakening is called antisymmetric spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning rule. And synaptic plasticity has the opposite effect under the same conditions is called antisymmetric anti-STDP learning rule. We proposed and experimentally demonstrated an optical implementation of neural learning algorithms, which can achieve both of antisymmetric STDP and anti-STDP learning rule, based on the cross-gain modulation (XGM) within a single semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). The weight and height of the potentitation and depression window can be controlled by adjusting the injection current of the SOA, to mimic the biological antisymmetric STDP and anti-STDP learning rule more realistically. As the injection current increases, the width of depression and potentitation window decreases and height increases, due to the decreasing of recovery time and increasing of gain under a stronger injection current. Based on the demonstrated optical STDP circuit, ultrafast learning in optical SNNs can be realized.
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Kwon, Min-Woo; Baek, Myung-Hyun; Hwang, Sungmin; Kim, Sungjun; Park, Byung-Gook
2018-09-01
We designed the CMOS analog integrate and fire (I&F) neuron circuit can drive resistive synaptic device. The neuron circuit consists of a current mirror for spatial integration, a capacitor for temporal integration, asymmetric negative and positive pulse generation part, a refractory part, and finally a back-propagation pulse generation part for learning of the synaptic devices. The resistive synaptic devices were fabricated using HfOx switching layer by atomic layer deposition (ALD). The resistive synaptic device had gradual set and reset characteristics and the conductance was adjusted by spike-timing-dependent-plasticity (STDP) learning rule. We carried out circuit simulation of synaptic device and CMOS neuron circuit. And we have developed an unsupervised spiking neural networks (SNNs) for 5 × 5 pattern recognition and classification using the neuron circuit and synaptic devices. The hardware-based SNNs can autonomously and efficiently control the weight updates of the synapses between neurons, without the aid of software calculations.
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Emergence of task-dependent representations in working memory circuits
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Cristina eSavin
2014-05-01
Full Text Available A wealth of experimental evidence suggests that working memory circuits preferentially represent information that is behaviorally relevant. Still, we are missing a mechanistic account of how these representations come about. Here we provide a simple explanation for a range of experimental findings, in light of prefrontal circuits adapting to task constraints by reward-dependent learning. In particular, we model a neural network shaped by reward-modulated spike-timing dependent plasticity (r-STDP and homeostatic plasticity (intrinsic excitability and synaptic scaling. We show that the experimentally-observed neural representations naturally emerge in an initially unstructured circuit as it learns to solve several working memory tasks. These results point to a critical, and previously unappreciated, role for reward-dependent learning in shaping prefrontal cortex activity.
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Srinivasa, Narayan; Cho, Youngkwan
2014-01-01
A spiking neural network model is described for learning to discriminate among spatial patterns in an unsupervised manner. The network anatomy consists of source neurons that are activated by external inputs, a reservoir that resembles a generic cortical layer with an excitatory-inhibitory (EI) network and a sink layer of neurons for readout. Synaptic plasticity in the form of STDP is imposed on all the excitatory and inhibitory synapses at all times. While long-term excitatory STDP enables sparse and efficient learning of the salient features in inputs, inhibitory STDP enables this learning to be stable by establishing a balance between excitatory and inhibitory currents at each neuron in the network. The synaptic weights between source and reservoir neurons form a basis set for the input patterns. The neural trajectories generated in the reservoir due to input stimulation and lateral connections between reservoir neurons can be readout by the sink layer neurons. This activity is used for adaptation of synapses between reservoir and sink layer neurons. A new measure called the discriminability index (DI) is introduced to compute if the network can discriminate between old patterns already presented in an initial training session. The DI is also used to compute if the network adapts to new patterns without losing its ability to discriminate among old patterns. The final outcome is that the network is able to correctly discriminate between all patterns-both old and new. This result holds as long as inhibitory synapses employ STDP to continuously enable current balance in the network. The results suggest a possible direction for future investigation into how spiking neural networks could address the stability-plasticity question despite having continuous synaptic plasticity.
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Frequency dependent changes in NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity
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Arvind eKumar
2011-09-01
Full Text Available The NMDAR-dependent synaptic plasticity is thought to mediate several forms of learning, and can be induced by spike trains containing a small number of spikes occurring with varying rates and timing, as well as with oscillations. We computed the influence of these variables on the plasticity induced at a single NMDAR containing synapse using a reduced model that was analytically tractable, and these findings were confirmed using detailed, multi-compartment model. In addition to explaining diverse experimental results about the rate and timing dependence of synaptic plasticity, the model made several novel and testable predictions. We found that there was a preferred frequency for inducing long-term potentiation (LTP such that higher frequency stimuli induced lesser LTP, decreasing as 1/f when the number of spikes in the stimulus was kept fixed. Among other things, the preferred frequency for inducing LTP varied as a function of the distance of the synapse from the soma. In fact, same stimulation frequencies could induce LTP or LTD depending on the dendritic location of the synapse. Next, we found that rhythmic stimuli induced greater plasticity then irregular stimuli. Furthermore, brief bursts of spikes significantly expanded the timing dependence of plasticity. Finally, we found that in the ~5-15Hz frequency range both rate- and timing-dependent plasticity mechanisms work synergistically to render the synaptic plasticity most sensitive to spike-timing. These findings provide computational evidence that oscillations can have a profound influence on the plasticity of an NMDAR-dependent synapse, and show a novel role for the dendritic morphology in this process.
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Enhancement of signal sensitivity in a heterogeneous neural network refined from synaptic plasticity
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Li Xiumin; Small, Michael, E-mail: ensmall@polyu.edu.h, E-mail: 07901216r@eie.polyu.edu.h [Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon (Hong Kong)
2010-08-15
Long-term synaptic plasticity induced by neural activity is of great importance in informing the formation of neural connectivity and the development of the nervous system. It is reasonable to consider self-organized neural networks instead of prior imposition of a specific topology. In this paper, we propose a novel network evolved from two stages of the learning process, which are respectively guided by two experimentally observed synaptic plasticity rules, i.e. the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) mechanism and the burst-timing-dependent plasticity (BTDP) mechanism. Due to the existence of heterogeneity in neurons that exhibit different degrees of excitability, a two-level hierarchical structure is obtained after the synaptic refinement. This self-organized network shows higher sensitivity to afferent current injection compared with alternative archetypal networks with different neural connectivity. Statistical analysis also demonstrates that it has the small-world properties of small shortest path length and high clustering coefficients. Thus the selectively refined connectivity enhances the ability of neuronal communications and improves the efficiency of signal transmission in the network.
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Enhancement of signal sensitivity in a heterogeneous neural network refined from synaptic plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Li Xiumin; Small, Michael
2010-01-01
Long-term synaptic plasticity induced by neural activity is of great importance in informing the formation of neural connectivity and the development of the nervous system. It is reasonable to consider self-organized neural networks instead of prior imposition of a specific topology. In this paper, we propose a novel network evolved from two stages of the learning process, which are respectively guided by two experimentally observed synaptic plasticity rules, i.e. the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) mechanism and the burst-timing-dependent plasticity (BTDP) mechanism. Due to the existence of heterogeneity in neurons that exhibit different degrees of excitability, a two-level hierarchical structure is obtained after the synaptic refinement. This self-organized network shows higher sensitivity to afferent current injection compared with alternative archetypal networks with different neural connectivity. Statistical analysis also demonstrates that it has the small-world properties of small shortest path length and high clustering coefficients. Thus the selectively refined connectivity enhances the ability of neuronal communications and improves the efficiency of signal transmission in the network.
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Self-Organization of Microcircuits in Networks of Spiking Neurons with Plastic Synapses.
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Gabriel Koch Ocker
2015-08-01
Full Text Available The synaptic connectivity of cortical networks features an overrepresentation of certain wiring motifs compared to simple random-network models. This structure is shaped, in part, by synaptic plasticity that promotes or suppresses connections between neurons depending on their joint spiking activity. Frequently, theoretical studies focus on how feedforward inputs drive plasticity to create this network structure. We study the complementary scenario of self-organized structure in a recurrent network, with spike timing-dependent plasticity driven by spontaneous dynamics. We develop a self-consistent theory for the evolution of network structure by combining fast spiking covariance with a slow evolution of synaptic weights. Through a finite-size expansion of network dynamics we obtain a low-dimensional set of nonlinear differential equations for the evolution of two-synapse connectivity motifs. With this theory in hand, we explore how the form of the plasticity rule drives the evolution of microcircuits in cortical networks. When potentiation and depression are in approximate balance, synaptic dynamics depend on weighted divergent, convergent, and chain motifs. For additive, Hebbian STDP these motif interactions create instabilities in synaptic dynamics that either promote or suppress the initial network structure. Our work provides a consistent theoretical framework for studying how spiking activity in recurrent networks interacts with synaptic plasticity to determine network structure.
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Self-Organization of Microcircuits in Networks of Spiking Neurons with Plastic Synapses.
Ocker, Gabriel Koch; Litwin-Kumar, Ashok; Doiron, Brent
2015-08-01
The synaptic connectivity of cortical networks features an overrepresentation of certain wiring motifs compared to simple random-network models. This structure is shaped, in part, by synaptic plasticity that promotes or suppresses connections between neurons depending on their joint spiking activity. Frequently, theoretical studies focus on how feedforward inputs drive plasticity to create this network structure. We study the complementary scenario of self-organized structure in a recurrent network, with spike timing-dependent plasticity driven by spontaneous dynamics. We develop a self-consistent theory for the evolution of network structure by combining fast spiking covariance with a slow evolution of synaptic weights. Through a finite-size expansion of network dynamics we obtain a low-dimensional set of nonlinear differential equations for the evolution of two-synapse connectivity motifs. With this theory in hand, we explore how the form of the plasticity rule drives the evolution of microcircuits in cortical networks. When potentiation and depression are in approximate balance, synaptic dynamics depend on weighted divergent, convergent, and chain motifs. For additive, Hebbian STDP these motif interactions create instabilities in synaptic dynamics that either promote or suppress the initial network structure. Our work provides a consistent theoretical framework for studying how spiking activity in recurrent networks interacts with synaptic plasticity to determine network structure.
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Panda, Priyadarshini; Roy, Kaushik
2017-01-01
Synaptic Plasticity, the foundation for learning and memory formation in the human brain, manifests in various forms. Here, we combine the standard spike timing correlation based Hebbian plasticity with a non-Hebbian synaptic decay mechanism for training a recurrent spiking neural model to generate sequences. We show that inclusion of the adaptive decay of synaptic weights with standard STDP helps learn stable contextual dependencies between temporal sequences, while reducing the strong attractor states that emerge in recurrent models due to feedback loops. Furthermore, we show that the combined learning scheme suppresses the chaotic activity in the recurrent model substantially, thereby enhancing its' ability to generate sequences consistently even in the presence of perturbations.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Huang Xu-Hui; Hu Gang
2014-01-01
Phase transitions widely exist in nature and occur when some control parameters are changed. In neural systems, their macroscopic states are represented by the activity states of neuron populations, and phase transitions between different activity states are closely related to corresponding functions in the brain. In particular, phase transitions to some rhythmic synchronous firing states play significant roles on diverse brain functions and disfunctions, such as encoding rhythmical external stimuli, epileptic seizure, etc. However, in previous studies, phase transitions in neuronal networks are almost driven by network parameters (e.g., external stimuli), and there has been no investigation about the transitions between typical activity states of neuronal networks in a self-organized way by applying plastic connection weights. In this paper, we discuss phase transitions in electrically coupled and lattice-based small-world neuronal networks (LBSW networks) under spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP). By applying STDP on all electrical synapses, various known and novel phase transitions could emerge in LBSW networks, particularly, the phenomenon of self-organized phase transitions (SOPTs): repeated transitions between synchronous and asynchronous firing states. We further explore the mechanics generating SOPTs on the basis of synaptic weight dynamics. (interdisciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)
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Temperature dependence of plastic scintillators
Peralta, L.
2018-03-01
Plastic scintillator detectors have been studied as dosimeters, since they provide a cost-effective alternative to conventional ionization chambers. Several articles have reported undesired response dependencies on beam energy and temperature, which provides the motivation to determine appropriate correction factors. In this work, we studied the light yield temperature dependency of four plastic scintillators, BCF-10, BCF-60, BC-404, RP-200A and two clear fibers, BCF-98 and SK-80. Measurements were made using a 50 kVp X-ray beam to produce the scintillation and/or radioluminescence signal. The 0 to 40 °C temperature range was scanned for each scintillator, and temperature coefficients were obtained.
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RM-SORN: a reward-modulated self-organizing recurrent neural network.
Aswolinskiy, Witali; Pipa, Gordon
2015-01-01
Neural plasticity plays an important role in learning and memory. Reward-modulation of plasticity offers an explanation for the ability of the brain to adapt its neural activity to achieve a rewarded goal. Here, we define a neural network model that learns through the interaction of Intrinsic Plasticity (IP) and reward-modulated Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP). IP enables the network to explore possible output sequences and STDP, modulated by reward, reinforces the creation of the rewarded output sequences. The model is tested on tasks for prediction, recall, non-linear computation, pattern recognition, and sequence generation. It achieves performance comparable to networks trained with supervised learning, while using simple, biologically motivated plasticity rules, and rewarding strategies. The results confirm the importance of investigating the interaction of several plasticity rules in the context of reward-modulated learning and whether reward-modulated self-organization can explain the amazing capabilities of the brain.
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The sedating antidepressant trazodone impairs sleep-dependent cortical plasticity.
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Sara J Aton
2009-07-01
Full Text Available Recent findings indicate that certain classes of hypnotics that target GABA(A receptors impair sleep-dependent brain plasticity. However, the effects of hypnotics acting at monoamine receptors (e.g., the antidepressant trazodone on this process are unknown. We therefore assessed the effects of commonly-prescribed medications for the treatment of insomnia (trazodone and the non-benzodiazepine GABA(A receptor agonists zaleplon and eszopiclone in a canonical model of sleep-dependent, in vivo synaptic plasticity in the primary visual cortex (V1 known as ocular dominance plasticity.After a 6-h baseline period of sleep/wake polysomnographic recording, cats underwent 6 h of continuous waking combined with monocular deprivation (MD to trigger synaptic remodeling. Cats subsequently received an i.p. injection of either vehicle, trazodone (10 mg/kg, zaleplon (10 mg/kg, or eszopiclone (1-10 mg/kg, and were allowed an 8-h period of post-MD sleep before ocular dominance plasticity was assessed. We found that while zaleplon and eszopiclone had profound effects on sleeping cortical electroencephalographic (EEG activity, only trazodone (which did not alter EEG activity significantly impaired sleep-dependent consolidation of ocular dominance plasticity. This was associated with deficits in both the normal depression of V1 neuronal responses to deprived-eye stimulation, and potentiation of responses to non-deprived eye stimulation, which accompany ocular dominance plasticity.Taken together, our data suggest that the monoamine receptors targeted by trazodone play an important role in sleep-dependent consolidation of synaptic plasticity. They also demonstrate that changes in sleep architecture are not necessarily reliable predictors of how hypnotics affect sleep-dependent neural functions.
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Sandra J Kuhlman
2010-06-01
Full Text Available Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP, a form of Hebbian plasticity, is inherently stabilizing. Whether and how GABAergic inhibition influences STDP is not well understood. Using a model neuron driven by converging inputs modifiable by STDP, we determined that a sufficient level of inhibition was critical to ensure that temporal coherence (correlation among presynaptic spike times of synaptic inputs, rather than initial strength or number of inputs within a pathway, controlled postsynaptic spike timing. Inhibition exerted this effect by preferentially reducing synaptic efficacy, the ability of inputs to evoke postsynaptic action potentials, of the less coherent inputs. In visual cortical slices, inhibition potently reduced synaptic efficacy at ages during but not before the critical period of ocular dominance (OD plasticity. Whole-cell recordings revealed that the amplitude of unitary IPSCs from parvalbumin positive (Pv+ interneurons to pyramidal neurons increased during the critical period, while the synaptic decay time-constant decreased. In addition, intrinsic properties of Pv+ interneurons matured, resulting in an increase in instantaneous firing rate. Our results suggest that maturation of inhibition in visual cortex ensures that the temporally coherent inputs (e.g. those from the open eye during monocular deprivation control postsynaptic spike times of binocular neurons, a prerequisite for Hebbian mechanisms to induce OD plasticity.
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Discrete dislocation plasticity analysis of loading rate-dependent static friction.
Song, H; Deshpande, V S; Van der Giessen, E
2016-08-01
From a microscopic point of view, the frictional force associated with the relative sliding of rough surfaces originates from deformation of the material in contact, by adhesion in the contact interface or both. We know that plastic deformation at the size scale of micrometres is not only dependent on the size of the contact, but also on the rate of deformation. Moreover, depending on its physical origin, adhesion can also be size and rate dependent, albeit different from plasticity. We present a two-dimensional model that incorporates both discrete dislocation plasticity inside a face-centred cubic crystal and adhesion in the interface to understand the rate dependence of friction caused by micrometre-size asperities. The friction strength is the outcome of the competition between adhesion and discrete dislocation plasticity. As a function of contact size, the friction strength contains two plateaus: at small contact length [Formula: see text], the onset of sliding is fully controlled by adhesion while for large contact length [Formula: see text], the friction strength approaches the size-independent plastic shear yield strength. The transition regime at intermediate contact size is a result of partial de-cohesion and size-dependent dislocation plasticity, and is determined by dislocation properties, interfacial properties as well as by the loading rate.
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A plastic damage model with stress triaxiality-dependent hardening
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shen Xinpu; Shen Guoxiao; Zhou Lin
2005-01-01
Emphases of this study were placed on the modelling of plastic damage behaviour of prestressed structural concrete, with special attention being paid to the stress-triaxiality dependent plastic hardening law and the corresponding damage evolution law. A definition of stress triaxiality was proposed and introduced in the model presented here. Drucker-Prager -type plasticity was adopted in the formulation of the plastic damage constitutive equations. Numerical validations were performed for the proposed plasticity-based damage model with a driver subroutine developed in this study. The predicted stress-strain behaviour seems reasonably accurate for the uniaxial tension and uniaxial compression compared with the experimental data reported in references. Numerical calculations of compressions under various hydrostatic stress confinements were carried out in order to validate the stress triaxiality dependent properties of the model. (authors)
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Learning Structure of Sensory Inputs with Synaptic Plasticity Leads to Interference
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Joseph eChrol-Cannon
2015-08-01
Full Text Available Synaptic plasticity is often explored as a form of unsupervised adaptationin cortical microcircuits to learn the structure of complex sensoryinputs and thereby improve performance of classification and prediction. The question of whether the specific structure of the input patterns is encoded in the structure of neural networks has been largely neglected. Existing studies that have analyzed input-specific structural adaptation have used simplified, synthetic inputs in contrast to complex and noisy patterns found in real-world sensory data.In this work, input-specific structural changes are analyzed forthree empirically derived models of plasticity applied to three temporal sensory classification tasks that include complex, real-world visual and auditory data. Two forms of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP and the Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro (BCM plasticity rule are used to adapt the recurrent network structure during the training process before performance is tested on the pattern recognition tasks.It is shown that synaptic adaptation is highly sensitive to specific classes of input pattern. However, plasticity does not improve the performance on sensory pattern recognition tasks, partly due to synaptic interference between consecutively presented input samples. The changes in synaptic strength produced by one stimulus are reversed by thepresentation of another, thus largely preventing input-specific synaptic changes from being retained in the structure of the network.To solve the problem of interference, we suggest that models of plasticitybe extended to restrict neural activity and synaptic modification to a subset of the neural circuit, which is increasingly found to be the casein experimental neuroscience.
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Mixed signal learning by spike correlation propagation in feedback inhibitory circuits.
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Naoki Hiratani
2015-04-01
Full Text Available The brain can learn and detect mixed input signals masked by various types of noise, and spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP is the candidate synaptic level mechanism. Because sensory inputs typically have spike correlation, and local circuits have dense feedback connections, input spikes cause the propagation of spike correlation in lateral circuits; however, it is largely unknown how this secondary correlation generated by lateral circuits influences learning processes through STDP, or whether it is beneficial to achieve efficient spike-based learning from uncertain stimuli. To explore the answers to these questions, we construct models of feedforward networks with lateral inhibitory circuits and study how propagated correlation influences STDP learning, and what kind of learning algorithm such circuits achieve. We derive analytical conditions at which neurons detect minor signals with STDP, and show that depending on the origin of the noise, different correlation timescales are useful for learning. In particular, we show that non-precise spike correlation is beneficial for learning in the presence of cross-talk noise. We also show that by considering excitatory and inhibitory STDP at lateral connections, the circuit can acquire a lateral structure optimal for signal detection. In addition, we demonstrate that the model performs blind source separation in a manner similar to the sequential sampling approximation of the Bayesian independent component analysis algorithm. Our results provide a basic understanding of STDP learning in feedback circuits by integrating analyses from both dynamical systems and information theory.
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Wang, Zhongqiang; Ambrogio, Stefano; Balatti, Simone; Ielmini, Daniele
2014-01-01
Resistive (or memristive) switching devices based on metal oxides find applications in memory, logic and neuromorphic computing systems. Their small area, low power operation, and high functionality meet the challenges of brain-inspired computing aiming at achieving a huge density of active connections (synapses) with low operation power. This work presents a new artificial synapse scheme, consisting of a memristive switch connected to 2 transistors responsible for gating the communication and learning operations. Spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP) is achieved through appropriate shaping of the pre-synaptic and the post synaptic spikes. Experiments with integrated artificial synapses demonstrate STDP with stochastic behavior due to (i) the natural variability of set/reset processes in the nanoscale switch, and (ii) the different response of the switch to a given stimulus depending on the initial state. Experimental results are confirmed by model-based simulations of the memristive switching. Finally, system-level simulations of a 2-layer neural network and a simplified STDP model show random learning and recognition of patterns.
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Plasticity-related genes in brain development and amygdala-dependent learning.
Ehrlich, D E; Josselyn, S A
2016-01-01
Learning about motivationally important stimuli involves plasticity in the amygdala, a temporal lobe structure. Amygdala-dependent learning involves a growing number of plasticity-related signaling pathways also implicated in brain development, suggesting that learning-related signaling in juveniles may simultaneously influence development. Here, we review the pleiotropic functions in nervous system development and amygdala-dependent learning of a signaling pathway that includes brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), extracellular signaling-related kinases (ERKs) and cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (CREB). Using these canonical, plasticity-related genes as an example, we discuss the intersection of learning-related and developmental plasticity in the immature amygdala, when aversive and appetitive learning may influence the developmental trajectory of amygdala function. We propose that learning-dependent activation of BDNF, ERK and CREB signaling in the immature amygdala exaggerates and accelerates neural development, promoting amygdala excitability and environmental sensitivity later in life. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and International Behavioural and Neural Genetics Society.
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Homeostatic role of heterosynaptic plasticity: Models and experiments
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Marina eChistiakova
2015-07-01
Full Text Available Homosynaptic Hebbian-type plasticity provides a cellular mechanism of learning and refinement of connectivity during development in a variety of biological systems. In this review we argue that a complimentary form of plasticity - heterosynaptic plasticity - represents a necessary cellular component for homeostatic regulation of synaptic weights and neuronal activity. The required properties of a homeostatic mechanism which acutely constrains the runaway dynamics imposed by Hebbian associative plasticity have been well-articulated by theoretical and modeling studies. Such mechanism(s should robustly support the stability of operation of neuronal networks and synaptic competition, include changes at non-active synapses, and operate on a similar time scale to Hebbian-type plasticity. The experimentally observed properties of heterosynaptic plasticity have introduced it as a strong candidate to fulfill this homeostatic role. Subsequent modeling studies which incorporate heterosynaptic plasticity into model neurons with Hebbian synapses (utilizing an STDP learning rule have confirmed its ability to robustly provide stability and competition. In contrast, properties of homeostatic synaptic scaling, which is triggered by extreme and long lasting (hours and days changes of neuronal activity, do not fit two crucial requirements for a hypothetical homeostatic mechanism needed to provide stability of operation in the face of on-going synaptic changes driven by Hebbian-type learning rules. Both the trigger and the time scale of homeostatic synaptic scaling are fundamentally different from those of the Hebbian-type plasticity. We conclude that heterosynaptic plasticity, which is triggered by the same episodes of strong postsynaptic activity and operates on the same time scale as Hebbian-type associative plasticity, is ideally suited to serve homeostatic role during on-going synaptic plasticity.
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Inhibitory Synaptic Plasticity - Spike timing dependence and putative network function.
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Tim P Vogels
2013-07-01
Full Text Available While the plasticity of excitatory synaptic connections in the brain has been widely studied, the plasticity of inhibitory connections is much less understood. Here, we present recent experimental and theoretical □ndings concerning the rules of spike timing-dependent inhibitory plasticity and their putative network function. This is a summary of a workshop at the COSYNE conference 2012.
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Deformation patterning driven by rate dependent non-convex strain gradient plasticity
Yalcinkaya, T.; Brekelmans, W.A.M.; Geers, M.G.D.
2011-01-01
A rate dependent strain gradient plasticity framework for the description of plastic slip patterning in a system with non-convex energetic hardening is presented. Both the displacement and the plastic slip fields are considered as primary variables. These fields are determined on a global level by
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A kinetic model of dopamine- and calcium-dependent striatal synaptic plasticity.
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Takashi Nakano
2010-02-01
Full Text Available Corticostriatal synapse plasticity of medium spiny neurons is regulated by glutamate input from the cortex and dopamine input from the substantia nigra. While cortical stimulation alone results in long-term depression (LTD, the combination with dopamine switches LTD to long-term potentiation (LTP, which is known as dopamine-dependent plasticity. LTP is also induced by cortical stimulation in magnesium-free solution, which leads to massive calcium influx through NMDA-type receptors and is regarded as calcium-dependent plasticity. Signaling cascades in the corticostriatal spines are currently under investigation. However, because of the existence of multiple excitatory and inhibitory pathways with loops, the mechanisms regulating the two types of plasticity remain poorly understood. A signaling pathway model of spines that express D1-type dopamine receptors was constructed to analyze the dynamic mechanisms of dopamine- and calcium-dependent plasticity. The model incorporated all major signaling molecules, including dopamine- and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein with a molecular weight of 32 kDa (DARPP32, as well as AMPA receptor trafficking in the post-synaptic membrane. Simulations with dopamine and calcium inputs reproduced dopamine- and calcium-dependent plasticity. Further in silico experiments revealed that the positive feedback loop consisted of protein kinase A (PKA, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A, and the phosphorylation site at threonine 75 of DARPP-32 (Thr75 served as the major switch for inducing LTD and LTP. Calcium input modulated this loop through the PP2B (phosphatase 2B-CK1 (casein kinase 1-Cdk5 (cyclin-dependent kinase 5-Thr75 pathway and PP2A, whereas calcium and dopamine input activated the loop via PKA activation by cyclic AMP (cAMP. The positive feedback loop displayed robust bi-stable responses following changes in the reaction parameters. Increased basal dopamine levels disrupted this dopamine-dependent plasticity. The
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Limits to the development of feed-forward structures in large recurrent neuronal networks
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Susanne Kunkel
2011-02-01
Full Text Available Spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP has traditionally been of great interest to theoreticians, as it seems to provide an answer to the question of how the brain can develop functional structure in response to repeated stimuli. However, despite this high level of interest, convincing demonstrations of this capacity in large, initially random networks have not been forthcoming. Such demonstrations as there are typically rely on constraining the problem artificially. Techniques include employing additional pruning mechanisms or STDP rules that enhance symmetry breaking, simulating networks with low connectivity that magnify competition between synapses, or combinations of the above. In this paper we first review modeling choices that carry particularly high risks of producing non-generalizable results in the context of STDP in recurrent networks. We then develop a theory for the development of feed-forward structure in random networks and conclude that an unstable fixed point in the dynamics prevents the stable propagation of structure in recurrent networks with weight-dependent STDP. We demonstrate that the key predictions of the theory hold in large-scale simulations. The theory provides insight into the reasons why such development does not take place in unconstrained systems and enables us to identify candidate biologically motivated adaptations to the balanced random network model that might enable it.
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Analog memristive synapse in spiking networks implementing unsupervised learning
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Erika Covi
2016-10-01
Full Text Available Emerging brain-inspired architectures call for devices that can emulate the functionality of biological synapses in order to implement new efficient computational schemes able to solve ill-posed problems. Various devices and solutions are still under investigation and, in this respect, a challenge is opened to the researchers in the field. Indeed, the optimal candidate is a device able to reproduce the complete functionality of a synapse, i.e. the typical synaptic process underlying learning in biological systems (activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. This implies a device able to change its resistance (synaptic strength, or weight upon proper electrical stimuli (synaptic activity and showing several stable resistive states throughout its dynamic range (analog behavior. Moreover, it should be able to perform spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP, an associative homosynaptic plasticity learning rule based on the delay time between the two firing neurons the synapse is connected to. This rule is a fundamental learning protocol in state-of-art networks, because it allows unsupervised learning. Notwithstanding this fact, STDP-based unsupervised learning has been proposed several times mainly for binary synapses rather than multilevel synapses composed of many binary memristors. This paper proposes an HfO2-based analog memristor as a synaptic element which performs STDP within a small spiking neuromorphic network operating unsupervised learning for character recognition. The trained network is able to recognize five characters even in case incomplete or noisy characters are displayed and it is robust to a device-to-device variability of up to +/-30%.
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Analog Memristive Synapse in Spiking Networks Implementing Unsupervised Learning.
Covi, Erika; Brivio, Stefano; Serb, Alexander; Prodromakis, Themis; Fanciulli, Marco; Spiga, Sabina
2016-01-01
Emerging brain-inspired architectures call for devices that can emulate the functionality of biological synapses in order to implement new efficient computational schemes able to solve ill-posed problems. Various devices and solutions are still under investigation and, in this respect, a challenge is opened to the researchers in the field. Indeed, the optimal candidate is a device able to reproduce the complete functionality of a synapse, i.e., the typical synaptic process underlying learning in biological systems (activity-dependent synaptic plasticity). This implies a device able to change its resistance (synaptic strength, or weight) upon proper electrical stimuli (synaptic activity) and showing several stable resistive states throughout its dynamic range (analog behavior). Moreover, it should be able to perform spike timing dependent plasticity (STDP), an associative homosynaptic plasticity learning rule based on the delay time between the two firing neurons the synapse is connected to. This rule is a fundamental learning protocol in state-of-art networks, because it allows unsupervised learning. Notwithstanding this fact, STDP-based unsupervised learning has been proposed several times mainly for binary synapses rather than multilevel synapses composed of many binary memristors. This paper proposes an HfO 2 -based analog memristor as a synaptic element which performs STDP within a small spiking neuromorphic network operating unsupervised learning for character recognition. The trained network is able to recognize five characters even in case incomplete or noisy images are displayed and it is robust to a device-to-device variability of up to ±30%.
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Learning and structure of neuronal networks
Indian Academy of Sciences (India)
We study the effect of learning dynamics on network topology. Firstly, a network of discrete dynamical systems is considered for this purpose and the coupling strengths are made to evolve according to a temporal learning rule that is based on the paradigm of spike-time-dependent plasticity (STDP). This incorporates ...
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The dependence of granular plasticity on particle shape
Murphy, Kieran; Jaeger, Heinrich
Granular materials plastically deform through reworking an intricate network of particle-particle contacts. Some particle rearrangements have only a fleeting effect before being forgotten while others set in motion global restructuring. How particle shape affects local interactions and how those, in turn, influence the nature of the aggregate's plasticity is far from clear, especially in three dimensions. Here we investigate the remarkably wide range of behaviors in the yielding regime, from quiescent flow to violent jerks, depending on particle shape. We study this complex dependence via uniaxial compression experiments on aggregates of 3D-printed particles, and complement stress-strain data with simultaneous x-ray videos and volumetric strain measurements. We find power law distributions of the slip magnitudes, and discuss their universality. Our data show that the multitude of small slips serves to gradually dilate the packing whereas the fewer large ones accompany significant compaction events. Our findings provide new insights into general features of granular materials during plastic deformation and highlight how small changes in particle shape can give rise to drastic differences in yielding behavior.
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Activity-Dependent Plasticity of Spike Pauses in Cerebellar Purkinje Cells
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Giorgio Grasselli
2016-03-01
Full Text Available The plasticity of intrinsic excitability has been described in several types of neurons, but the significance of non-synaptic mechanisms in brain plasticity and learning remains elusive. Cerebellar Purkinje cells are inhibitory neurons that spontaneously fire action potentials at high frequencies and regulate activity in their target cells in the cerebellar nuclei by generating a characteristic spike burst-pause sequence upon synaptic activation. Using patch-clamp recordings from mouse Purkinje cells, we find that depolarization-triggered intrinsic plasticity enhances spike firing and shortens the duration of spike pauses. Pause plasticity is absent from mice lacking SK2-type potassium channels (SK2−/− mice and in occlusion experiments using the SK channel blocker apamin, while apamin wash-in mimics pause reduction. Our findings demonstrate that spike pauses can be regulated through an activity-dependent, exclusively non-synaptic, SK2 channel-dependent mechanism and suggest that pause plasticity—by altering the Purkinje cell output—may be crucial to cerebellar information storage and learning.
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Learning of Precise Spike Times with Homeostatic Membrane Potential Dependent Synaptic Plasticity.
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Christian Albers
Full Text Available Precise spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal action potentials underly e.g. sensory representations and control of muscle activities. However, it is not known how the synaptic efficacies in the neuronal networks of the brain adapt such that they can reliably generate spikes at specific points in time. Existing activity-dependent plasticity rules like Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity are agnostic to the goal of learning spike times. On the other hand, the existing formal and supervised learning algorithms perform a temporally precise comparison of projected activity with the target, but there is no known biologically plausible implementation of this comparison. Here, we propose a simple and local unsupervised synaptic plasticity mechanism that is derived from the requirement of a balanced membrane potential. Since the relevant signal for synaptic change is the postsynaptic voltage rather than spike times, we call the plasticity rule Membrane Potential Dependent Plasticity (MPDP. Combining our plasticity mechanism with spike after-hyperpolarization causes a sensitivity of synaptic change to pre- and postsynaptic spike times which can reproduce Hebbian spike timing dependent plasticity for inhibitory synapses as was found in experiments. In addition, the sensitivity of MPDP to the time course of the voltage when generating a spike allows MPDP to distinguish between weak (spurious and strong (teacher spikes, which therefore provides a neuronal basis for the comparison of actual and target activity. For spatio-temporal input spike patterns our conceptually simple plasticity rule achieves a surprisingly high storage capacity for spike associations. The sensitivity of the MPDP to the subthreshold membrane potential during training allows robust memory retrieval after learning even in the presence of activity corrupted by noise. We propose that MPDP represents a biophysically plausible mechanism to learn temporal target activity patterns.
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Learning of Precise Spike Times with Homeostatic Membrane Potential Dependent Synaptic Plasticity.
Albers, Christian; Westkott, Maren; Pawelzik, Klaus
2016-01-01
Precise spatio-temporal patterns of neuronal action potentials underly e.g. sensory representations and control of muscle activities. However, it is not known how the synaptic efficacies in the neuronal networks of the brain adapt such that they can reliably generate spikes at specific points in time. Existing activity-dependent plasticity rules like Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity are agnostic to the goal of learning spike times. On the other hand, the existing formal and supervised learning algorithms perform a temporally precise comparison of projected activity with the target, but there is no known biologically plausible implementation of this comparison. Here, we propose a simple and local unsupervised synaptic plasticity mechanism that is derived from the requirement of a balanced membrane potential. Since the relevant signal for synaptic change is the postsynaptic voltage rather than spike times, we call the plasticity rule Membrane Potential Dependent Plasticity (MPDP). Combining our plasticity mechanism with spike after-hyperpolarization causes a sensitivity of synaptic change to pre- and postsynaptic spike times which can reproduce Hebbian spike timing dependent plasticity for inhibitory synapses as was found in experiments. In addition, the sensitivity of MPDP to the time course of the voltage when generating a spike allows MPDP to distinguish between weak (spurious) and strong (teacher) spikes, which therefore provides a neuronal basis for the comparison of actual and target activity. For spatio-temporal input spike patterns our conceptually simple plasticity rule achieves a surprisingly high storage capacity for spike associations. The sensitivity of the MPDP to the subthreshold membrane potential during training allows robust memory retrieval after learning even in the presence of activity corrupted by noise. We propose that MPDP represents a biophysically plausible mechanism to learn temporal target activity patterns.
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Dosage-dependent non-linear effect of L-dopa on human motor cortex plasticity.
Monte-Silva, Katia; Liebetanz, David; Grundey, Jessica; Paulus, Walter; Nitsche, Michael A
2010-09-15
The neuromodulator dopamine affects learning and memory formation and their likely physiological correlates, long-term depression and potentiation, in animals and humans. It is known from animal experiments that dopamine exerts a dosage-dependent, inverted U-shaped effect on these functions. However, this has not been explored in humans so far. In order to reveal a non-linear dose-dependent effect of dopamine on cortical plasticity in humans, we explored the impact of 25, 100 and 200 mg of L-dopa on transcranial direct current (tDCS)-induced plasticity in twelve healthy human subjects. The primary motor cortex served as a model system, and plasticity was monitored by motor evoked potential amplitudes elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation. As compared to placebo medication, low and high dosages of L-dopa abolished facilitatory as well as inhibitory plasticity, whereas the medium dosage prolonged inhibitory plasticity, and turned facilitatory plasticity into inhibition. Thus the results show clear non-linear, dosage-dependent effects of dopamine on both facilitatory and inhibitory plasticity, and support the assumption of the importance of a specific dosage of dopamine optimally suited to improve plasticity. This might be important for the therapeutic application of dopaminergic agents, especially for rehabilitative purposes, and explain some opposing results in former studies.
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Diederich, Nick; Bartsch, Thorsten; Kohlstedt, Hermann; Ziegler, Martin
2018-06-19
Memristive systems have gained considerable attention in the field of neuromorphic engineering, because they allow the emulation of synaptic functionality in solid state nano-physical systems. In this study, we show that memristive behavior provides a broad working framework for the phenomenological modelling of cellular synaptic mechanisms. In particular, we seek to understand how close a memristive system can account for the biological realism. The basic characteristics of memristive systems, i.e. voltage and memory behavior, are used to derive a voltage-based plasticity rule. We show that this model is suitable to account for a variety of electrophysiology plasticity data. Furthermore, we incorporate the plasticity model into an all-to-all connecting network scheme. Motivated by the auto-associative CA3 network of the hippocampus, we show that the implemented network allows the discrimination and processing of mnemonic pattern information, i.e. the formation of functional bidirectional connections resulting in the formation of local receptive fields. Since the presented plasticity model can be applied to real memristive devices as well, the presented theoretical framework can support both, the design of appropriate memristive devices for neuromorphic computing and the development of complex neuromorphic networks, which account for the specific advantage of memristive devices.
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Learning-dependent plasticity in human auditory cortex during appetitive operant conditioning.
Puschmann, Sebastian; Brechmann, André; Thiel, Christiane M
2013-11-01
Animal experiments provide evidence that learning to associate an auditory stimulus with a reward causes representational changes in auditory cortex. However, most studies did not investigate the temporal formation of learning-dependent plasticity during the task but rather compared auditory cortex receptive fields before and after conditioning. We here present a functional magnetic resonance imaging study on learning-related plasticity in the human auditory cortex during operant appetitive conditioning. Participants had to learn to associate a specific category of frequency-modulated tones with a reward. Only participants who learned this association developed learning-dependent plasticity in left auditory cortex over the course of the experiment. No differential responses to reward predicting and nonreward predicting tones were found in auditory cortex in nonlearners. In addition, learners showed similar learning-induced differential responses to reward-predicting and nonreward-predicting tones in the ventral tegmental area and the nucleus accumbens, two core regions of the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system. This may indicate a dopaminergic influence on the formation of learning-dependent plasticity in auditory cortex, as it has been suggested by previous animal studies. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Long-term memory stabilized by noise-induced rehearsal.
Wei, Yi; Koulakov, Alexei A
2014-11-19
Cortical networks can maintain memories for decades despite the short lifetime of synaptic strengths. Can a neural network store long-lasting memories in unstable synapses? Here, we study the effects of ongoing spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) on the stability of memory patterns stored in synapses of an attractor neural network. We show that certain classes of STDP rules can stabilize all stored memory patterns despite a short lifetime of synapses. In our model, unstructured neural noise, after passing through the recurrent network connections, carries the imprint of all memory patterns in temporal correlations. STDP, combined with these correlations, leads to reinforcement of all stored patterns, even those that are never explicitly visited. Our findings may provide the functional reason for irregular spiking displayed by cortical neurons and justify models of system memory consolidation. Therefore, we propose that irregular neural activity is the feature that helps cortical networks maintain stable connections. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3415804-12$15.00/0.
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Ultrafast Synaptic Events in a Chalcogenide Memristor
Li, Yi; Zhong, Yingpeng; Xu, Lei; Zhang, Jinjian; Xu, Xiaohua; Sun, Huajun; Miao, Xiangshui
2013-04-01
Compact and power-efficient plastic electronic synapses are of fundamental importance to overcoming the bottlenecks of developing a neuromorphic chip. Memristor is a strong contender among the various electronic synapses in existence today. However, the speeds of synaptic events are relatively slow in most attempts at emulating synapses due to the material-related mechanism. Here we revealed the intrinsic memristance of stoichiometric crystalline Ge2Sb2Te5 that originates from the charge trapping and releasing by the defects. The device resistance states, representing synaptic weights, were precisely modulated by 30 ns potentiating/depressing electrical pulses. We demonstrated four spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) forms by applying programmed pre- and postsynaptic spiking pulse pairs in different time windows ranging from 50 ms down to 500 ns, the latter of which is 105 times faster than the speed of STDP in human brain. This study provides new opportunities for building ultrafast neuromorphic computing systems and surpassing Von Neumann architecture.
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Morphofunctional Experience-Dependent Plasticity in the Honeybee Brain
Andrione, Mara; Timberlake, Benjamin F.; Vallortigara, Giorgio; Antolini, Renzo; Haase, Albrecht
2017-01-01
Repeated or prolonged exposure to an odorant without any positive or negative reinforcement produces experience-dependent plasticity, which results in habituation and latent inhibition. In the honeybee ("Apis mellifera"), it has been demonstrated that, even if the absolute neural representation of an odor in the primary olfactory center,…
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Functional requirements for reward-modulated spike-timing-dependent plasticity.
Frémaux, Nicolas; Sprekeler, Henning; Gerstner, Wulfram
2010-10-06
Recent experiments have shown that spike-timing-dependent plasticity is influenced by neuromodulation. We derive theoretical conditions for successful learning of reward-related behavior for a large class of learning rules where Hebbian synaptic plasticity is conditioned on a global modulatory factor signaling reward. We show that all learning rules in this class can be separated into a term that captures the covariance of neuronal firing and reward and a second term that presents the influence of unsupervised learning. The unsupervised term, which is, in general, detrimental for reward-based learning, can be suppressed if the neuromodulatory signal encodes the difference between the reward and the expected reward-but only if the expected reward is calculated for each task and stimulus separately. If several tasks are to be learned simultaneously, the nervous system needs an internal critic that is able to predict the expected reward for arbitrary stimuli. We show that, with a critic, reward-modulated spike-timing-dependent plasticity is capable of learning motor trajectories with a temporal resolution of tens of milliseconds. The relation to temporal difference learning, the relevance of block-based learning paradigms, and the limitations of learning with a critic are discussed.
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A model for rate-dependent but time-independent material behavior in cyclic plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dafalias, Y.F.; Ramey, M.R.; Sheikh, I.
1977-01-01
It is the purpose of this paper to present a model for rate-dependent but time independent material behavior under cyclic loading in the plastic range. What is referred to as time independent behavior here, is the absence of creep and relaxation phenomena from the behavior of the model. The notion of plastic internal variables (piv) is introduced, as properly invariant scalars or second order tensors, whose constitutive relations are rate-type equations not necessarily homogeneous of oder one in the rates, as it would be required for independent plasticity. The concept of a yield surface in the strain space and a loading function in terms of the total strain rate is introduced, where the sign of the loading function defines zero or non-zero value of the rate of piv. Thus rate dependence is achieved without time dependent behavior (no creep or relaxation). In addition, discrete memory parameters associated with the most recent event of unloading-reloading in different directions enter the constitutive relations for the piv. A particular form of the constitutive relations is assumed, where the rate of piv is a linear combination of the strain rate components, with coefficients depending on the second invariant of the strain rate tensor, which can be viewed as a scalar measure of the rate of deformation in the multiaxial case and a direct generalization of the uniaxial strain rate. This leads to a particularly simple form of the constitutive relations resembling the ones for rate independent plasticity. The uniaxial counterpart would be a relation between the plastic strain rate (as one of the piv) and the total strain rate through a plastic modulus which depends on the strain rate, the piv, and the discrete memory parameters
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Temperature-dependent plastic hysteresis in highly confined polycrystalline Nb films
Waheed, S.; Hao, R.; Zheng, Z.; Wheeler, J. M.; Michler, J.; Balint, D. S.; Giuliani, F.
2018-02-01
In this study, the effect of temperature on the cyclic deformation behaviour of a confined polycrystalline Nb film is investigated. Micropillars encapsulating a thin niobium interlayer are deformed under cyclic axial compression at different test temperatures. A distinct plastic hysteresis is observed for samples tested at elevated temperatures, whereas negligible plastic hysteresis is observed for samples tested at room temperature. These results are interpreted using planar discrete dislocation plasticity incorporating slip transmission across grain boundaries. The effect of temperature-dependent grain boundary energy and dislocation mobility on dislocation penetration and, consequently, the size of plastic hysteresis is simulated to correlate with the experimental results. It is found that the decrease in grain boundary energy barrier caused by the increase in temperature does not lead to any appreciable change in the cyclic response. However, dislocation mobility significantly affects the size of plastic hysteresis, with high mobilities leading to a larger hysteresis. Therefore, it is postulated that the experimental observations are predominantly caused by an increase in dislocation mobility as the temperature is increased above the critical temperature of body-centred cubic niobium.
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Enabling an Integrated Rate-temporal Learning Scheme on Memristor
He, Wei; Huang, Kejie; Ning, Ning; Ramanathan, Kiruthika; Li, Guoqi; Jiang, Yu; Sze, Jiayin; Shi, Luping; Zhao, Rong; Pei, Jing
2014-04-01
Learning scheme is the key to the utilization of spike-based computation and the emulation of neural/synaptic behaviors toward realization of cognition. The biological observations reveal an integrated spike time- and spike rate-dependent plasticity as a function of presynaptic firing frequency. However, this integrated rate-temporal learning scheme has not been realized on any nano devices. In this paper, such scheme is successfully demonstrated on a memristor. Great robustness against the spiking rate fluctuation is achieved by waveform engineering with the aid of good analog properties exhibited by the iron oxide-based memristor. The spike-time-dependence plasticity (STDP) occurs at moderate presynaptic firing frequencies and spike-rate-dependence plasticity (SRDP) dominates other regions. This demonstration provides a novel approach in neural coding implementation, which facilitates the development of bio-inspired computing systems.
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Banerjee, Abhishek; Meredith, Rhiannon M; Rodríguez-Moreno, Antonio; Mierau, Susanna B; Auberson, Yves P; Paulsen, Ole
2009-12-01
Spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a strong candidate for an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-dependent form of synaptic plasticity that could underlie the development of receptive field properties in sensory neocortices. Whilst induction of timing-dependent long-term potentiation (t-LTP) requires postsynaptic NMDA receptors, timing-dependent long-term depression (t-LTD) requires the activation of presynaptic NMDA receptors at layer 4-to-layer 2/3 synapses in barrel cortex. Here we investigated the developmental profile of t-LTD at layer 4-to-layer 2/3 synapses of mouse barrel cortex and studied their NMDA receptor subunit dependence. Timing-dependent LTD emerged in the first postnatal week, was present during the second week and disappeared in the adult, whereas t-LTP persisted in adulthood. An antagonist at GluN2C/D subunit-containing NMDA receptors blocked t-LTD but not t-LTP. Conversely, a GluN2A subunit-preferring antagonist blocked t-LTP but not t-LTD. The GluN2C/D subunit requirement for t-LTD appears to be synapse specific, as GluN2C/D antagonists did not block t-LTD at horizontal cross-columnar layer 2/3-to-layer 2/3 synapses, which was blocked by a GluN2B antagonist instead. These data demonstrate an NMDA receptor subunit-dependent double dissociation of t-LTD and t-LTP mechanisms at layer 4-to-layer 2/3 synapses, and suggest that t-LTD is mediated by distinct molecular mechanisms at different synapses on the same postsynaptic neuron.
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Sleep and protein synthesis-dependent synaptic plasticity: impacts of sleep loss and stress
Grønli, Janne; Soulé, Jonathan; Bramham, Clive R.
2014-01-01
Sleep has been ascribed a critical role in cognitive functioning. Several lines of evidence implicate sleep in the consolidation of synaptic plasticity and long-term memory. Stress disrupts sleep while impairing synaptic plasticity and cognitive performance. Here, we discuss evidence linking sleep to mechanisms of protein synthesis-dependent synaptic plasticity and synaptic scaling. We then consider how disruption of sleep by acute and chronic stress may impair these mechanisms and degrade sleep function. PMID:24478645
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The evolution of age-dependent plasticity
Fischer, Barbara; van Doorn, G. Sander; Dieckmann, Ulf; Taborsky, Barbara
2014-01-01
When organisms encounter environments that are heterogeneous in time, phenotypic plasticity is often favored by selection. The degree of such plasticity can vary during an organism''s lifetime, but the factors promoting differential plastic responses at different ages or life stages remain poorly
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A model for rate-dependent but time-independent material behavior in cyclic plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dafalias, Y.F.; Ramey, M.R.; Sheikh, I.
1977-01-01
This paper presents a model for rate-dependent but time independent material behavior under cyclic loading in the plastic range. What is referred to as time independent behavior here, is the absence of creep and relaxation phenomena from the behavior of the model. The notion of plastic internal variables (piv) is introduced, as properly invariant scalars or second order tensors, whose constitutive relations are rate-type equations not necessarily homogeneous of order one in the rates, as it would be required for independent plasticity. The concept of a yield surface in the strain space and a loading function in terms of the total strain rate is introduced, where the sign of the loading function defines zero or non-zero value of the rate of piv. Thus rate dependence is achieved without time dependent behaviour (no creep or relaxation). In addition, discrete memory parameters associated with the most recent event of unloading-reloading in different directions enter the constitutive relations for the piv. (Auth.)
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Nielsen, Kim Lau; Niordson, Christian Frithiof
2014-01-01
of a single plastic zone is analyzed to illustrate the agreement with earlier published results, whereafter examples of (ii) multiple plastic zone interaction, and (iii) elastic–plastic loading/unloading are presented. Here, the simple shear problem of an infinite slab constrained between rigid plates......A numerical model formulation of the higher order flow theory (rate-independent) by Fleck and Willis [2009. A mathematical basis for strain-gradient plasticity theory – part II: tensorial plastic multiplier. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 57, 1045-1057.], that allows for elastic–plastic...... loading/unloading and the interaction of multiple plastic zones, is proposed. The predicted model response is compared to the corresponding rate-dependent version of visco-plastic origin, and coinciding results are obtained in the limit of small strain-rate sensitivity. First, (i) the evolution...
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Instrument specific use-dependent plasticity shapes the anatomical properties of the corpus callosum
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Vollmann, Henning; Ragert, Patrick; Conde, Virginia
2014-01-01
Long-term musical expertise has been shown to be associated with a number of functional and structural brain changes, making it an attractive model for investigating use-dependent plasticity in humans. Physiological interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) as examined by transcranial magnetic stimulation......, the amount of IHI in pianists was comparable to that of non-musicians and there was no significant structure-function relationship. Our findings indicate instrument specific use-dependent plasticity in both functional (IHI) and structural (FA) connectivity of motor related brain regions in musicians....
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Increased use-dependent plasticity in chronic insomnia.
Salas, Rachel E; Galea, Joseph M; Gamaldo, Alyssa A; Gamaldo, Charlene E; Allen, Richard P; Smith, Michael T; Cantarero, Gabriela; Lam, Barbara D; Celnik, Pablo A
2014-03-01
During normal sleep several neuroplasticity changes occur, some of which are considered to be fundamental to strengthen memories. Given the evidence linking sleep to neuroplasticity, it is conceivable that individuals with chronic sleep disruption, such as patients with chronic insomnia (CI), would experience abnormalities in neuroplastic processes during daytime. Protocols testing use-dependent plasticity (UDP), one of the mechanisms underlying formation of motor memories traces, provide a sensitive measure to assess neuroplasticity in the context of motor training. A well-established transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) paradigm was used to evaluate the ability of patients with CI and age-matched good sleeper controls to undergo UDP. We also investigated the effect of insomnia on intracortical motor excitability measures reflecting GABAergic and glutamatergic mechanisms. Human Brain Physiology Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. We found that patients with CI experienced increased UDP changes relative to controls. This effect was not due to differences in motor training. In addition, patients with CI showed enhanced intracortical facilitation relative to controls, in the absence of changes in intracortical inhibitory measures. This study provides the first evidence that patients with chronic insomnia have an increased plasticity response to physical exercise, possibly due to larger activation of glutamatergic mechanisms. This suggests a heightened state of neuroplasticity, which may reflect a form of maladaptive plasticity, similar to what has been described in dystonia patients and chronic phantom pain after amputation. These results could lead to development of novel treatments for chronic insomnia.
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Gordon, J A; Cioffi, D; Silva, A J; Stryker, M P
1996-09-01
The recent characterization of plasticity in the mouse visual cortex permits the use of mutant mice to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying activity-dependent development. As calcium-dependent signaling pathways have been implicated in neuronal plasticity, we examined visual cortical plasticity in mice lacking the alpha-isoform of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (alpha CaMKII). In wild-type mice, brief occlusion of vision in one eye during a critical period reduces responses in the visual cortex. In half of the alpha CaMKII-deficient mice, visual cortical responses developed normally, but visual cortical plasticity was greatly diminished. After intensive training, spatial learning in the Morris water maze was severely impaired in a similar fraction of mutant animals. These data indicate that loss of alpha CaMKII results in a severe but variable defect in neuronal plasticity.
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Emergence of Slow Collective Oscillations in Neural Networks with Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity
Mikkelsen, Kaare; Imparato, Alberto; Torcini, Alessandro
2013-05-01
The collective dynamics of excitatory pulse coupled neurons with spike-timing dependent plasticity is studied. The introduction of spike-timing dependent plasticity induces persistent irregular oscillations between strongly and weakly synchronized states, reminiscent of brain activity during slow-wave sleep. We explain the oscillations by a mechanism, the Sisyphus Effect, caused by a continuous feedback between the synaptic adjustments and the coherence in the neural firing. Due to this effect, the synaptic weights have oscillating equilibrium values, and this prevents the system from relaxing into a stationary macroscopic state.
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Precise synaptic efficacy alignment suggests potentiation dominated learning
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christoph eHartmann
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Recent evidence suggests that parallel synapses from the same axonal branch onto the same dendritic branch have almost identical strength. It has been proposed that this alignment is only possible through learning rules that integrate activity over long time spans. However, learning mechanisms such as spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP are commonly assumed to be temporally local. Here, we propose that the combination of temporally local STDP and a multiplicative synaptic normalization mechanism is sufficient to explain the alignment of parallel synapses.To address this issue, we introduce three increasingly complex models: First, we model the idealized interaction of STDP and synaptic normalization in a single neuron as a simple stochastic process and derive analytically that the alignment effect can be described by a so-called Kesten process. From this we can derive that synaptic efficacy alignment requires potentiation-dominated learning regimes. We verify these conditions in a single-neuron model with independent spiking activities but more realistic synapses. As expected, we only observe synaptic efficacy alignment for long-term potentiation-biased STDP. Finally, we explore how well the findings transfer to recurrent neural networks where the learning mechanisms interact with the correlated activity of the network. We find that due to the self-reinforcing correlations in recurrent circuits under STDP, alignment occurs for both long-term potentiation- and depression-biased STDP, because the learning will be potentiation dominated in both cases due to the potentiating events induced by correlated activity. This is in line with recent results demonstrating a dominance of potentiation over depression during waking and normalization during sleep. This leads us to predict that individual spine pairs will be more similar in the morning than they are after sleep depriviation.In conclusion, we show that synaptic normalization in conjunction with
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Discrete dislocation plasticity analysis of loading rate-dependent static friction
Song, H.; Deshpande, V. S.; van der Giessen, E.
2016-01-01
From a microscopic point of view, the frictional force associated with the relative sliding of rough surfaces originates from deformation of the material in contact, by adhesion in the contact interface or both. We know that plastic deformation at the size scale of micrometres is not only dependent
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Kalirin-7 is necessary for normal NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lemtiri-Chlieh Fouad
2011-12-01
Full Text Available Abstract Background Dendritic spines represent the postsynaptic component of the vast majority of excitatory synapses present in the mammalian forebrain. The ability of spines to rapidly alter their shape, size, number and receptor content in response to stimulation is considered to be of paramount importance during the development of synaptic plasticity. Indeed, long-term potentiation (LTP, widely believed to be a cellular correlate of learning and memory, has been repeatedly shown to induce both spine enlargement and the formation of new dendritic spines. In our studies, we focus on Kalirin-7 (Kal7, a Rho GDP/GTP exchange factor (Rho-GEF localized to the postsynaptic density that plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of dendritic spines both in vitro and in vivo. Previous studies have shown that mice lacking Kal7 (Kal7KO have decreased dendritic spine density in the hippocampus as well as focal hippocampal-dependent learning impairments. Results We have performed a detailed electrophysiological characterization of the role of Kal7 in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. We show that loss of Kal7 results in impaired NMDA receptor-dependent LTP and long-term depression, whereas a NMDA receptor-independent form of LTP is shown to be normal in the absence of Kal7. Conclusions These results indicate that Kal7 is an essential and selective modulator of NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.
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Kalirin-7 is necessary for normal NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity
Lemtiri-Chlieh, Fouad
2011-12-19
Background: Dendritic spines represent the postsynaptic component of the vast majority of excitatory synapses present in the mammalian forebrain. The ability of spines to rapidly alter their shape, size, number and receptor content in response to stimulation is considered to be of paramount importance during the development of synaptic plasticity. Indeed, long-term potentiation (LTP), widely believed to be a cellular correlate of learning and memory, has been repeatedly shown to induce both spine enlargement and the formation of new dendritic spines. In our studies, we focus on Kalirin-7 (Kal7), a Rho GDP/GTP exchange factor (Rho-GEF) localized to the postsynaptic density that plays a crucial role in the development and maintenance of dendritic spines both in vitro and in vivo. Previous studies have shown that mice lacking Kal7 (Kal7 KO) have decreased dendritic spine density in the hippocampus as well as focal hippocampal-dependent learning impairments.Results: We have performed a detailed electrophysiological characterization of the role of Kal7 in hippocampal synaptic plasticity. We show that loss of Kal7 results in impaired NMDA receptor-dependent LTP and long-term depression, whereas a NMDA receptor-independent form of LTP is shown to be normal in the absence of Kal7.Conclusions: These results indicate that Kal7 is an essential and selective modulator of NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. 2011 Lemtiri-Chlieh et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
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Shaping inhibition: activity dependent structural plasticity of GABAergic synapses
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carmen E Flores
2014-10-01
Full Text Available Inhibitory transmission through the neurotransmitter Ɣ-aminobutyric acid (GABA shapes network activity in the mammalian cerebral cortex by filtering synaptic incoming information and dictating the activity of principal cells. The incredibly diverse population of cortical neurons that use GABA as neurotransmitter shows an equally diverse range of mechanisms that regulate changes in the strength of GABAergic synaptic transmission and allow them to dynamically follow and command the activity of neuronal ensembles. Similarly to glutamatergic synaptic transmission, activity-dependent functional changes in inhibitory neurotransmission are accompanied by alterations in GABAergic synapse structure that range from morphological reorganization of postsynaptic density to de novo formation and elimination of inhibitory contacts. Here we review several aspects of structural plasticity of inhibitory synapses, including its induction by different forms of neuronal activity, behavioral and sensory experience and the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved. We discuss the functional consequences of GABAergic synapse structural plasticity for information processing and memory formation in view of the heterogenous nature of the structural plasticity phenomena affecting inhibitory synapses impinging on somatic and dendritic compartments of cortical and hippocampal neurons.
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Prusky, Glen T; Silver, Byron D; Tschetter, Wayne W; Alam, Nazia M; Douglas, Robert M
2008-09-24
Developmentally regulated plasticity of vision has generally been associated with "sensitive" or "critical" periods in juvenile life, wherein visual deprivation leads to loss of visual function. Here we report an enabling form of visual plasticity that commences in infant rats from eye opening, in which daily threshold testing of optokinetic tracking, amid otherwise normal visual experience, stimulates enduring, visual cortex-dependent enhancement (>60%) of the spatial frequency threshold for tracking. The perceptual ability to use spatial frequency in discriminating between moving visual stimuli is also improved by the testing experience. The capacity for inducing enhancement is transitory and effectively limited to infancy; however, enhanced responses are not consolidated and maintained unless in-kind testing experience continues uninterrupted into juvenile life. The data show that selective visual experience from infancy can alone enable visual function. They also indicate that plasticity associated with visual deprivation may not be the only cause of developmental visual dysfunction, because we found that experientially inducing enhancement in late infancy, without subsequent reinforcement of the experience in early juvenile life, can lead to enduring loss of function.
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Behavioural plasticity of social trematodes depends upon social context
Kamiya, T.; Poulin, R.
2013-01-01
Members of some social insects adjust their behaviours depending upon social context. Such plasticity allows colonies to sustain efficiency of the whole without the cost of additional production of individuals or delayed responses to perturbations. Using the recently discovered social clonal stage of trematode parasites, we investigated whether members of the reproductive caste adjust their defensive behaviour according to the local availability of non-reproductive defensive specialists, and ...
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nishitani, Y.; Kaneko, Y.; Ueda, M.; Fujii, E.; Morie, T.
2012-01-01
Spike-timing-dependent synaptic plasticity (STDP) is demonstrated in a synapse device based on a ferroelectric-gate field-effect transistor (FeFET). STDP is a key of the learning functions observed in human brains, where the synaptic weight changes only depending on the spike timing of the pre- and post-neurons. The FeFET is composed of the stacked oxide materials with ZnO/Pr(Zr,Ti)O 3 (PZT)/SrRuO 3 . In the FeFET, the channel conductance can be altered depending on the density of electrons induced by the polarization of PZT film, which can be controlled by applying the gate voltage in a non-volatile manner. Applying a pulse gate voltage enables the multi-valued modulation of the conductance, which is expected to be caused by a change in PZT polarization. This variation depends on the height and the duration of the pulse gate voltage. Utilizing these characteristics, symmetric and asymmetric STDP learning functions are successfully implemented in the FeFET-based synapse device by applying the non-linear pulse gate voltage generated from a set of two pulses in a sampling circuit, in which the two pulses correspond to the spikes from the pre- and post-neurons. The three-terminal structure of the synapse device enables the concurrent learning, in which the weight update can be performed without canceling signal transmission among neurons, while the neural networks using the previously reported two-terminal synapse devices need to stop signal transmission for learning.
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Lovelace, Jonathan W; Vieira, Philip A; Corches, Alex; Mackie, Ken; Korzus, Edward
2014-06-01
In addition to its central role in learning and memory, N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent signaling regulates central glutamatergic synapse maturation and has been implicated in schizophrenia. We have transiently induced NMDAR hypofunction in infant mice during postnatal days 7-11, followed by testing fear memory specificity and presynaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in adult mice. We show that transient NMDAR hypofunction during early brain development, coinciding with the maturation of cortical plasticity results in a loss of an endocannabinoid (eCB)-mediated form of long-term depression (eCB-LTD) at adult central glutamatergic synapses, while another form of presynaptic long-term depression mediated by the metabotropic glutamate receptor 2/3 (mGluR2/3-LTD) remains intact. Mice with this selective impairment of presynaptic plasticity also showed deficits in fear memory specificity. The observed deficit in cortical presynaptic plasticity may represent a neural maladaptation contributing to network instability and abnormal cognitive functioning.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mozharovskij, N.S.; Bobyr', N.I.
1979-01-01
Results of investigations into the durability and plasticity of a material under combined proportional cyclic loading over different trajectories depending upon the values of intensity of preliminary plastic deformation obtained by different loading methods are presented. The effect of loading prehistory type on material plastic properties and its durability are shown
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Mozharovskii, N S; Bobyr, N I [Kievskij Politekhnicheskij Inst. (Ukrainian SSR)
1979-12-01
Results of investigations into the durability and plasticity of a material under combined proportional cyclic loading over different trajectories depending upon the values of intensity of preliminary plastic deformation obtained by different loading methods are presented. The effect of loading prehistory type on material plastic properties and its durability are shown.
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Calero-García, M J; Calero, M D; Navarro, E; Ortega, A R
2015-01-01
Bone fractures in older adults involve hospitalization and surgical intervention, aspects that have been related to loss of autonomy and independence. Several variables have been studied as moderators of how these patients recover. However, the implications of cognitive plasticity for functional recovery have not been studied to date. The present study analyzes the relationship between cognitive plasticity--defined as the capacity for learning or improved performance under conditions of training or performance optimization--and functional recovery in older adults hospitalized following a bone fracture. The study comprised 165 older adults who underwent surgery for bone fractures at a hospital in southern Spain. Participants were evaluated at different time points thereafter, with instruments that measure activities of daily life (ADL), namely the Barthel Index (BI) and the Lawton Index, as well as with a learning potential (cognitive plasticity) assessment test (Auditory Verbal Learning Test of Learning Potential, AVLT-LP). Results show that most of the participants have improved their level of independence 3 months after the intervention. However, some patients continue to have medium to high levels of dependency and this dependency is related to cognitive plasticity. The results of this study reveal the importance of the cognitive plasticity variable for evaluating older adults hospitalized for a fracture. They indicate a possible benefit to be obtained by implementing programs that reduce the degree of long-term dependency or decrease the likelihood of it arising.
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Posluszny, Anna; Liguz-Lecznar, Monika; Turzynska, Danuta; Zakrzewska, Renata; Bielecki, Maksymilian; Kossut, Malgorzata
2015-01-01
Experience-induced plastic changes in the cerebral cortex are accompanied by alterations in excitatory and inhibitory transmission. Increased excitatory drive, necessary for plasticity, precedes the occurrence of plastic change, while decreased inhibitory signaling often facilitates plasticity. However, an increase of inhibitory interactions was noted in some instances of experience-dependent changes. We previously reported an increase in the number of inhibitory markers in the barrel cortex of mice after fear conditioning engaging vibrissae, observed concurrently with enlargement of the cortical representational area of the row of vibrissae receiving conditioned stimulus (CS). We also observed that an increase of GABA level accompanied the conditioning. Here, to find whether unaltered GABAergic signaling is necessary for learning-dependent rewiring in the murine barrel cortex, we locally decreased GABA production in the barrel cortex or reduced transmission through GABAA receptors (GABAARs) at the time of the conditioning. Injections of 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA), an inhibitor of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), into the barrel cortex prevented learning-induced enlargement of the conditioned vibrissae representation. A similar effect was observed after injection of gabazine, an antagonist of GABAARs. At the behavioral level, consistent conditioned response (cessation of head movements in response to CS) was impaired. These results show that appropriate functioning of the GABAergic system is required for both manifestation of functional cortical representation plasticity and for the development of a conditioned response.
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Smith, Milo R.; Burman, Poromendro
2016-01-01
Throughout childhood and adolescence, periods of heightened neuroplasticity are critical for the development of healthy brain function and behavior. Given the high prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism, identifying disruptors of developmental plasticity represents an essential step for developing strategies for prevention and intervention. Applying a novel computational approach that systematically assessed connections between 436 transcriptional signatures of disease and multiple signatures of neuroplasticity, we identified inflammation as a common pathological process central to a diverse set of diseases predicted to dysregulate plasticity signatures. We tested the hypothesis that inflammation disrupts developmental cortical plasticity in vivo using the mouse ocular dominance model of experience-dependent plasticity in primary visual cortex. We found that the administration of systemic lipopolysaccharide suppressed plasticity during juvenile critical period with accompanying transcriptional changes in a particular set of molecular regulators within primary visual cortex. These findings suggest that inflammation may have unrecognized adverse consequences on the postnatal developmental trajectory and indicate that treating inflammation may reduce the burden of neurodevelopmental disorders. PMID:28101530
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Limits to high-speed simulations of spiking neural networks using general-purpose computers.
Zenke, Friedemann; Gerstner, Wulfram
2014-01-01
To understand how the central nervous system performs computations using recurrent neuronal circuitry, simulations have become an indispensable tool for theoretical neuroscience. To study neuronal circuits and their ability to self-organize, increasing attention has been directed toward synaptic plasticity. In particular spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) creates specific demands for simulations of spiking neural networks. On the one hand a high temporal resolution is required to capture the millisecond timescale of typical STDP windows. On the other hand network simulations have to evolve over hours up to days, to capture the timescale of long-term plasticity. To do this efficiently, fast simulation speed is the crucial ingredient rather than large neuron numbers. Using different medium-sized network models consisting of several thousands of neurons and off-the-shelf hardware, we compare the simulation speed of the simulators: Brian, NEST and Neuron as well as our own simulator Auryn. Our results show that real-time simulations of different plastic network models are possible in parallel simulations in which numerical precision is not a primary concern. Even so, the speed-up margin of parallelism is limited and boosting simulation speeds beyond one tenth of real-time is difficult. By profiling simulation code we show that the run times of typical plastic network simulations encounter a hard boundary. This limit is partly due to latencies in the inter-process communications and thus cannot be overcome by increased parallelism. Overall, these results show that to study plasticity in medium-sized spiking neural networks, adequate simulation tools are readily available which run efficiently on small clusters. However, to run simulations substantially faster than real-time, special hardware is a prerequisite.
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Transgenerational plasticity of reproduction depends on rate of warming across generations.
Donelson, Jennifer M; Wong, Marian; Booth, David J; Munday, Philip L
2016-10-01
Predicting the impacts of climate change to biological systems requires an understanding of the ability for species to acclimate to the projected environmental change through phenotypic plasticity. Determining the effects of higher temperatures on individual performance is made more complex by the potential for environmental conditions experienced in previous and current generations to independently affect phenotypic responses to high temperatures. We used a model coral reef fish ( Acanthochromis polyacanthus ) to investigate the influence of thermal conditions experienced by two generations on reproductive output and the quality of offspring produced by adults. We found that more gradual warming over two generations, +1.5°C in the first generation and then +3.0°C in the second generation, resulted in greater plasticity of reproductive attributes, compared to fish that experienced the same increase in one generation. Reproduction ceased at the projected future summer temperature (31.5°C) when fish experienced +3.0°C for two generations. Additionally, we found that transgenerational plasticity to +1.5°C induced full restoration of thermally affected reproductive and offspring attributes, which was not possible with developmental plasticity alone. Our results suggest that transgenerational effects differ depending on the absolute thermal change and in which life stage the thermal change is experienced.
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Atomistic Origin of Rate-Dependent Serrated Plastic Flow in Metallic Glasses
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yao YG
2008-01-01
Full Text Available Abstract Nanoindentation simulations on a binary metallic glass were performed under various strain rates by using molecular dynamics. The rate-dependent serrated plastic flow was clearly observed, and the spatiotemporal behavior of its underlying irreversible atomic rearrangement was probed. Our findings clearly validate that the serration is a temporally inhomogeneous characteristic of such rearrangements and not directly dependent on the resultant shear-banding spatiality. The unique spatiotemporal distribution of shear banding during nanoindentation is highlighted in terms of the potential energy landscape (PEL theory.
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The Role of CREB, SRF, and MEF2 in Activity-Dependent Neuronal Plasticity in the Visual Cortex.
Pulimood, Nisha S; Rodrigues, Wandilson Dos Santos; Atkinson, Devon A; Mooney, Sandra M; Medina, Alexandre E
2017-07-12
The transcription factors CREB (cAMP response element binding factor), SRF (serum response factor), and MEF2 (myocyte enhancer factor 2) play critical roles in the mechanisms underlying neuronal plasticity. However, the role of the activation of these transcription factors in the different components of plasticity in vivo is not well known. In this study, we tested the role of CREB, SRF, and MEF2 in ocular dominance plasticity (ODP), a paradigm of activity-dependent neuronal plasticity in the visual cortex. These three proteins bind to the synaptic activity response element (SARE), an enhancer sequence found upstream of many plasticity-related genes (Kawashima et al., 2009; Rodríguez-Tornos et al., 2013), and can act cooperatively to express Arc , a gene required for ODP (McCurry et al., 2010). We used viral-mediated gene transfer to block the transcription function of CREB, SRF, and MEF2 in the visual cortex, and measured visually evoked potentials in awake male and female mice before and after a 7 d monocular deprivation, which allowed us to examine both the depression component (Dc-ODP) and potentiation component (Pc-ODP) of plasticity independently. We found that CREB, SRF, and MEF2 are all required for ODP, but have differential effects on Dc-ODP and Pc-ODP. CREB is necessary for both Dc-ODP and Pc-ODP, whereas SRF and MEF2 are only needed for Dc-ODP. This finding supports previous reports implicating SRF and MEF2 in long-term depression (required for Dc-ODP), and CREB in long-term potentiation (required for Pc-ODP). SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Activity-dependent neuronal plasticity is the cellular basis for learning and memory, and it is crucial for the refinement of neuronal circuits during development. Identifying the mechanisms of activity-dependent neuronal plasticity is crucial to finding therapeutic interventions in the myriad of disorders where it is disrupted, such as Fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, epilepsy, major depressive disorder, and autism
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lee, So-Dam; Lee, Han-Sang; Kim, Yun-Jae; Ainsworth, Robert A.; Dean, David W.
2016-01-01
This technical note presents the effect of elastic-plastic properties on calculated time-dependent C(t) and J(t) values. This is investigated via systematic elastic-plastic-creep finite element (FE) analysis. Three different stress-strain curves are used, having essentially the same plastic properties at large strains but different tensile data near the 0.2% proof (yield) strength. It is found that the plastic property in stress-strain curve affects the FE C(t) values only at short times (within approximately 20% of the redistribution time). The plastic property affects the initial J values at time t = 0 but not the rate of change of J(t) with time. - Highlights: • The effect of elastic-plastic properties on calculated time-dependent C(t) and J(t) values is presented via FE analysis. • The plastic property affects the FE C(t) values only at short times up to ∼20% of the redistribution time. • The plastic property affects the initial J values at time t = 0 but not the rate of change of J(t) with time.
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Neuromodulated Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity and Theory of Three-Factor Learning Rules
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wulfram eGerstner
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Classical Hebbian learning puts the emphasis on joint pre- and postsynaptic activity, but neglects the potential role of neuromodulators. Since neuromodulators convey information about novelty or reward, the influence of neuromodulatorson synaptic plasticity is useful not just for action learning in classical conditioning, but also to decide 'when' to create new memories in response to a flow of sensory stimuli.In this review, we focus on timing requirements for pre- and postsynaptic activity in conjunction with one or several phasic neuromodulatory signals. While the emphasis of the text is on conceptual models and mathematical theories, we also discusssome experimental evidence for neuromodulation of Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity.We highlight the importance of synaptic mechanisms in bridging the temporal gap between sensory stimulation and neuromodulatory signals, and develop a framework for a class of neo-Hebbian three-factor learning rules that depend on presynaptic activity, postsynaptic variables as well as the influence of neuromodulators.
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Development of a temperature-dependent cyclic plasticity constitutive model for SUS304 steel
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Takahashi, Yukio
1990-01-01
Development of an accurate inelastic constitutive model is required to improve the accuracy of inelastic analysis for structural components used in the inelastic region. Based on two fundamental assumptions derived from physical interpretation of temperature dependency of the plastic deformation behavior of type 304 stainless steel, a temperature-dependent cyclic plastic constitutive model is constructed here. Particular emphasis is placed on the modeling of enhanced hardening caused by the dynamic strain aging effect observed in some temperature regimes. Constants and functions involved in the model are determined based on the deformation characteristics observed in the low-cycle fatigue tests conducted at room temperature through 600degC. Several comparisons of model predictions with experimental data show the effectiveness of the present model in non-isothermal condition as well as in isothermal condition between room temperature and 600degC. (author)
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Learning Probabilistic Inference through Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity.
Pecevski, Dejan; Maass, Wolfgang
2016-01-01
Numerous experimental data show that the brain is able to extract information from complex, uncertain, and often ambiguous experiences. Furthermore, it can use such learnt information for decision making through probabilistic inference. Several models have been proposed that aim at explaining how probabilistic inference could be performed by networks of neurons in the brain. We propose here a model that can also explain how such neural network could acquire the necessary information for that from examples. We show that spike-timing-dependent plasticity in combination with intrinsic plasticity generates in ensembles of pyramidal cells with lateral inhibition a fundamental building block for that: probabilistic associations between neurons that represent through their firing current values of random variables. Furthermore, by combining such adaptive network motifs in a recursive manner the resulting network is enabled to extract statistical information from complex input streams, and to build an internal model for the distribution p (*) that generates the examples it receives. This holds even if p (*) contains higher-order moments. The analysis of this learning process is supported by a rigorous theoretical foundation. Furthermore, we show that the network can use the learnt internal model immediately for prediction, decision making, and other types of probabilistic inference.
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Schausberger, Peter; Davaasambuu, Undarmaa; Saussure, Stéphanie; Christiansen, Inga C
2018-04-01
Behavioural plasticity can be categorized into activational (also termed contextual) and developmental plasticity. Activational plasticity allows immediate contextual behavioural changes, whereas developmental plasticity is characterized by time-lagged changes based on memory of previous experiences (learning). Behavioural plasticity tends to decline with age but whether this holds true for both plasticity categories and the effects of first-in-life experiences is poorly understood. We tackled this issue by assessing the foraging plasticity of plant-inhabiting predatory mites, Amblyseius swirskii , on thrips and spider mites following age-dependent prey experience, i.e. after hatching or after reaching maturity. Juvenile and young adult predator females were alternately presented thrips and spider mites, for establishing 1st and 2nd prey-in-life experiences, and tested, as gravid females, for their foraging plasticity when offered both prey species. Prey experience by juvenile predators resulted in clear learning effects, which were evident in likelier and earlier attacks on familiar prey, and higher proportional inclusion of familiar prey in total diet. First prey-in-life experience by juvenile but not adult predators resulted in primacy effects regarding attack latency. Prey experience by adult predators resulted mainly in prey-unspecific physiological changes, with easy-to-grasp spider mites providing higher net energy gains than difficult-to-grasp thrips. Prey experience by juvenile, but not adult, predators was adaptive, which was evident in a negative correlation between attack latencies and egg production. Overall, our study provides key evidence that similar experiences by juvenile and adult predators, including first-in-life experiences, may be associated with different types of behavioural plasticity, i.e. developmental and activational plasticity.
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Davaasambuu, Undarmaa; Saussure, Stéphanie; Christiansen, Inga C.
2018-01-01
Behavioural plasticity can be categorized into activational (also termed contextual) and developmental plasticity. Activational plasticity allows immediate contextual behavioural changes, whereas developmental plasticity is characterized by time-lagged changes based on memory of previous experiences (learning). Behavioural plasticity tends to decline with age but whether this holds true for both plasticity categories and the effects of first-in-life experiences is poorly understood. We tackled this issue by assessing the foraging plasticity of plant-inhabiting predatory mites, Amblyseius swirskii, on thrips and spider mites following age-dependent prey experience, i.e. after hatching or after reaching maturity. Juvenile and young adult predator females were alternately presented thrips and spider mites, for establishing 1st and 2nd prey-in-life experiences, and tested, as gravid females, for their foraging plasticity when offered both prey species. Prey experience by juvenile predators resulted in clear learning effects, which were evident in likelier and earlier attacks on familiar prey, and higher proportional inclusion of familiar prey in total diet. First prey-in-life experience by juvenile but not adult predators resulted in primacy effects regarding attack latency. Prey experience by adult predators resulted mainly in prey-unspecific physiological changes, with easy-to-grasp spider mites providing higher net energy gains than difficult-to-grasp thrips. Prey experience by juvenile, but not adult, predators was adaptive, which was evident in a negative correlation between attack latencies and egg production. Overall, our study provides key evidence that similar experiences by juvenile and adult predators, including first-in-life experiences, may be associated with different types of behavioural plasticity, i.e. developmental and activational plasticity. PMID:29765663
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Schubert, C D; Leitsch, S; Haertnagl, F; Haas, E M; Giunta, R E
2015-08-01
Despite its recognition as an independent specialty, at German university hospitals the field of plastic surgery is still underrepresented in terms of independent departments with a dedicated research focus. The aim of this study was to analyse the publication performance within the German academic plastic surgery environment and to compare independent departments and dependent, subordinate organisational structures regarding their publication performance. Organisational structures and number of attending doctors in German university hospitals were examined via a website analysis. A pubmed analysis was applied to assess the publication performance (number of publications, cumulative impact factor, impact factor/publication, number of publications/MD, number of publications/unit) between 2009 and 2013. In a journal analysis the distribution of the cumulative impact factor and number of publications in different journals as well as the development of the impact factor in the top journals were analysed. Out of all 35 university hospitals there exist 12 independent departments for plastic surgery and 8 subordinate organisational structures. In 15 university hospitals there were no designated plastic surgery units. The number of attending doctors differed considerably between independent departments (3.6 attending doctors/unit) and subordinate organisational structures (1.1 attending doctors/unit). The majority of publications (89.0%) and of the cumulative impact factor (91.2%) as well as most of the publications/MD (54 publications/year) and publications/unit (61 publications/year) were created within the independent departments. Only in departments top publications with an impact factor > 5 were published. In general a negative trend regarding the number of publications (- 13.4%) and cumulative impact factor (- 28.9%) was observed. 58.4% of all publications were distributed over the top 10 journals. Within the latter the majority of articles were published in
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2016-12-01
the extent of injury to determine if variable severity of injury might account for these conflicting responses. Our work on this project has...of phrenic motor output post-CSC; we are currently determining if variability in injury severity can account for these conflicting findings. These...Award Number: W81XWH-13-1-0410 TITLE: Respiratory Plasticity Following Spinal Injury: Role of Chloride-Dependent Inhibitory Neurotransmission
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Short-term immobilization influences use-dependent cortical plasticity and fine motor performance.
Opie, George M; Evans, Alexandra; Ridding, Michael C; Semmler, John G
2016-08-25
Short-term immobilization that reduces muscle use for 8-10h is known to influence cortical excitability and motor performance. However, the mechanisms through which this is achieved, and whether these changes can be used to modify cortical plasticity and motor skill learning, are not known. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of short-term immobilization on use-dependent cortical plasticity, motor learning and retention. Twenty-one adults were divided into control and immobilized groups, both of which underwent two experimental sessions on consecutive days. Within each session, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was used to assess motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitudes, short- (SICI) and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI), and intracortical facilitation (ICF) before and after a grooved pegboard task. Prior to the second training session, the immobilized group underwent 8h of left hand immobilization targeting the index finger, while control subjects were allowed normal limb use. Immobilization produced a reduction in MEP amplitudes, but no change in SICI, LICI or ICF. While motor performance improved for both groups in each session, the level of performance was greater 24-h later in control, but not immobilized subjects. Furthermore, training-related MEP facilitation was greater after, compared with before, immobilization. These results indicate that immobilization can modulate use-dependent plasticity and the retention of motor skills. They also suggest that changes in intracortical excitability are unlikely to contribute to the immobilization-induced modification of cortical excitability. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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Strain-rate dependent plasticity in thermo-mechanical transient analysis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rashid, Y.R.; Sharabi, M.N.
1980-01-01
The thermo-mechanical transient behavior of fuel element cladding and other reactor components is generally governed by the strain-rate properties of the material. Relevant constitutive modeling requires extensive material data in the form of strain-rate response as function of true-stress, temperature, time and environmental conditions, which can then be fitted within a theoretical framework of an inelastic constitutive model. In this paper, we present a constitutive formulation that deals continuously with the entire strain-rate range and has the desirable advantage of utilizing existing material data. The derivation makes use of strain-rate sensitive stress-strain curve and strain-rate dependent yield surface. By postulating a strain-rate dependent on Mises yield function and a strain-rate dependent kinematic hardening rule, we are able to derive incremental stress-strain relations that describe the strain-rate behavior in the entire deformation range spanning high strain-rate plasticity and creep. The model is sufficiently general as to apply to any materials and loading histories for which data is available. (orig.)
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Transformation-invariant visual representations in self-organizing spiking neural networks.
Evans, Benjamin D; Stringer, Simon M
2012-01-01
The ventral visual pathway achieves object and face recognition by building transformation-invariant representations from elementary visual features. In previous computer simulation studies with rate-coded neural networks, the development of transformation-invariant representations has been demonstrated using either of two biologically plausible learning mechanisms, Trace learning and Continuous Transformation (CT) learning. However, it has not previously been investigated how transformation-invariant representations may be learned in a more biologically accurate spiking neural network. A key issue is how the synaptic connection strengths in such a spiking network might self-organize through Spike-Time Dependent Plasticity (STDP) where the change in synaptic strength is dependent on the relative times of the spikes emitted by the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons rather than simply correlated activity driving changes in synaptic efficacy. Here we present simulations with conductance-based integrate-and-fire (IF) neurons using a STDP learning rule to address these gaps in our understanding. It is demonstrated that with the appropriate selection of model parameters and training regime, the spiking network model can utilize either Trace-like or CT-like learning mechanisms to achieve transform-invariant representations.
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Transform-invariant visual representations in self-organizing spiking neural networks
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Benjamin eEvans
2012-07-01
Full Text Available The ventral visual pathway achieves object and face recognition by building transform-invariant representations from elementary visual features. In previous computer simulation studies with rate-coded neural networks, the development of transform invariant representations has been demonstrated using either of two biologically plausible learning mechanisms, Trace learning and Continuous Transformation (CT learning. However, it has not previously been investigated how transform invariant representations may be learned in a more biologically accurate spiking neural network. A key issue is how the synaptic connection strengths in such a spiking network might self-organize through Spike-Time Dependent Plasticity (STDP where the change in synaptic strength is dependent on the relative times of the spikes emitted by the pre- and postsynaptic neurons rather than simply correlated activity driving changes in synaptic efficacy. Here we present simulations with conductance-based integrate-and-fire (IF neurons using a STDP learning rule to address these gaps in our understanding. It is demonstrated that with the appropriate selection of model pa- rameters and training regime, the spiking network model can utilize either Trace-like or CT-like learning mechanisms to achieve transform-invariant representations.
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Learning Probabilistic Inference through Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity123
Pecevski, Dejan
2016-01-01
Abstract Numerous experimental data show that the brain is able to extract information from complex, uncertain, and often ambiguous experiences. Furthermore, it can use such learnt information for decision making through probabilistic inference. Several models have been proposed that aim at explaining how probabilistic inference could be performed by networks of neurons in the brain. We propose here a model that can also explain how such neural network could acquire the necessary information for that from examples. We show that spike-timing-dependent plasticity in combination with intrinsic plasticity generates in ensembles of pyramidal cells with lateral inhibition a fundamental building block for that: probabilistic associations between neurons that represent through their firing current values of random variables. Furthermore, by combining such adaptive network motifs in a recursive manner the resulting network is enabled to extract statistical information from complex input streams, and to build an internal model for the distribution p* that generates the examples it receives. This holds even if p* contains higher-order moments. The analysis of this learning process is supported by a rigorous theoretical foundation. Furthermore, we show that the network can use the learnt internal model immediately for prediction, decision making, and other types of probabilistic inference. PMID:27419214
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Size-dependent plastic deformation of twinned nanopillars in body-centered cubic tungsten
Xu, Shuozhi; Startt, Jacob K.; Payne, Thomas G.; Deo, Chaitanya S.; McDowell, David L.
2017-05-01
Compared with face-centered cubic metals, twinned nanopillars in body-centered cubic (BCC) systems are much less explored partly due to the more complicated plastic deformation behavior and a lack of reliable interatomic potentials for the latter. In this paper, the fault energies predicted by two semi-empirical interatomic potentials in BCC tungsten (W) are first benchmarked against density functional theory calculations. Then, the more accurate potential is employed in large scale molecular dynamics simulations of tensile and compressive loading of twinned nanopillars in BCC W with different cross sectional shapes and sizes. A single crystal, a twinned crystal, and single crystalline nanopillars are also studied as references. Analyses of the stress-strain response and defect nucleation reveal a strong tension-compression asymmetry and a weak pillar size dependence in the yield strength. Under both tensile and compressive loading, plastic deformation in the twinned nanopillars is dominated by dislocation slip on {110} planes that are nucleated from the intersections between the twin boundary and the pillar surface. It is also found that the cross sectional shape of nanopillars affects the strength and the initial site of defect nucleation but not the overall stress-strain response and plastic deformation behavior.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Eva Benito
2018-04-01
Full Text Available Summary: Physical exercise in combination with cognitive training is known to enhance synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory and lower the risk for various complex diseases including Alzheimer’s disease. Here, we show that exposure of adult male mice to an environmental enrichment paradigm leads to enhancement of synaptic plasticity and cognition also in the next generation. We show that this effect is mediated through sperm RNA and especially miRs 212/132. In conclusion, our study reports intergenerational inheritance of an acquired cognitive benefit and points to specific miRs as candidates mechanistically involved in this type of transmission. : Environmental enrichment (EE, a combination of physical and mental exercise, has been shown to increase cognitive abilities in mice and in humans. Benito et al. find that offspring of male mice subjected to EE also show this increase. This effect is dependent on sperm RNA and involves microRNA212/132. Keywords: epigenetics, brain, microRNA, memory, intergenerational, transgenerational, exercise, environmental enrichment, cognition
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Comparison of thermal margin for W-3 R frid and WRB-1 correlations, for STDP and ITDP, RTDP method
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Song, D. S. [KEPRI, Taejon (Korea, Republic of)
1999-05-01
DNBR sensitivity studies ware performed and Design Limit DNBRs were calculated by W-3 R grid and WRB-1 DNB correlations using ITDP(Improved Thermal Design Procedure) for 16 x 16 standard fuel assembly. The results of ITDP design limits using W-3 R grid and WRB-1 correlation were found to be 1.541(typical)/1.464(thimble) and 1.37(typical)/1.36(thimble) respectively. For thermal margin comparison, between W-3 R grid and WRB-1 correlation, minimum DNBRs for several cases were calculated and compared with Design Limit DNBR. It is found that around 7.8 % of thermal margin can be increase by correlation change W3-R to WRB-1. The additional thermal margin of 12-58 % can be obtained by adoption the RTDP or ITDP instead of STDP procedure.
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Comparison of thermal margin for W-3 R frid and WRB-1 correlations, for STDP and ITDP, RTDP method
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Song, D. S.
1999-01-01
DNBR sensitivity studies ware performed and Design Limit DNBRs were calculated by W-3 R grid and WRB-1 DNB correlations using ITDP(Improved Thermal Design Procedure) for 16 x 16 standard fuel assembly. The results of ITDP design limits using W-3 R grid and WRB-1 correlation were found to be 1.541(typical)/1.464(thimble) and 1.37(typical)/1.36(thimble) respectively. For thermal margin comparison, between W-3 R grid and WRB-1 correlation, minimum DNBRs for several cases were calculated and compared with Design Limit DNBR. It is found that around 7.8 % of thermal margin can be increase by correlation change W3-R to WRB-1. The additional thermal margin of 12-58 % can be obtained by adoption the RTDP or ITDP instead of STDP procedure
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Julijana Gjorgjieva
2009-12-01
Full Text Available Spontaneous retinal activity (known as "waves" remodels synaptic connectivity to the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN during development. Analysis of retinal waves recorded with multielectrode arrays in mouse suggested that a cue for the segregation of functionally distinct (ON and OFF retinal ganglion cells (RGCs in the LGN may be a desynchronization in their firing, where ON cells precede OFF cells by one second. Using the recorded retinal waves as input, with two different modeling approaches we explore timing-based plasticity rules for the evolution of synaptic weights to identify key features underlying ON/OFF segregation. First, we analytically derive a linear model for the evolution of ON and OFF weights, to understand how synaptic plasticity rules extract input firing properties to guide segregation. Second, we simulate postsynaptic activity with a nonlinear integrate-and-fire model to compare findings with the linear model. We find that spike-time-dependent plasticity, which modifies synaptic weights based on millisecond-long timing and order of pre- and postsynaptic spikes, fails to segregate ON and OFF retinal inputs in the absence of normalization. Implementing homeostatic mechanisms results in segregation, but only with carefully-tuned parameters. Furthermore, extending spike integration timescales to match the second-long input correlation timescales always leads to ON segregation because ON cells fire before OFF cells. We show that burst-time-dependent plasticity can robustly guide ON/OFF segregation in the LGN without normalization, by integrating pre- and postsynaptic bursts irrespective of their firing order and over second-long timescales. We predict that an LGN neuron will become ON- or OFF-responsive based on a local competition of the firing patterns of neighboring RGCs connecting to it. Finally, we demonstrate consistency with ON/OFF segregation in ferret, despite differences in the firing properties of retinal waves. Our
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Modulation of Human Corticospinal Excitability by Paired Associative Stimulation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Richard G. Carson
2013-12-01
Full Text Available Paired Associative Stimulation (PAS has come to prominence as a potential therapeutic intervention for the treatment of brain injury/disease, and as an experimental method with which to investigate Hebbian principles of neural plasticity in humans. Prototypically, a single electrical stimulus is directed to a peripheral nerve in advance of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS delivered to the contralateral primary motor cortex (M1. Repeated pairing of the stimuli (i.e. association over an extended period may increase or decrease the excitability of corticospinal projections from M1, in manner that depends on the interstimulus interval (ISI. It has been suggested that these effects represent a form of associative long-term potentiation (LTP and depression (LTD that bears resemblance to spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP as it has been elaborated in animal models. With a large body of empirical evidence having emerged since the cardinal features of PAS were first described, and in light of the variations from the original protocols that have been implemented, it is opportune to consider whether the phenomenology of PAS remains consistent with the characteristic features that were initially disclosed. This assessment necessarily has bearing upon interpretation of the effects of PAS in relation to the specific cellular pathways that are putatively engaged, including those that adhere to the rules of STDP. The balance of evidence suggests that the mechanisms that contribute to the LTP- and LTD-type responses to PAS differ depending on the precise nature of the induction protocol that is used. In addition to emphasising the requirement for additional explanatory models, in the present analysis we highlight the key features of the PAS phenomenology that require interpretation.
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Metzger, David C H; Schulte, Patricia M
2018-04-14
Phenotypic plasticity occurs at a variety of timescales, but little is known about the degree to which plastic responses at different timescales are associated with similar underlying molecular processes, which is critical for assessing the effects of plasticity on evolutionary trajectories. To address this issue, we identified differential gene expression in response to developmental temperature in the muscle transcriptome of adult threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) exposed to 12, 18 and 24°C until hatch and then held at 18°C for 9 months and compared these results to differential gene expression in response to adult thermal acclimation in stickleback developed at 18°C and then acclimated to 5 and 25°C as adults. Adult thermal acclimation affected the expression of 7,940 and 7,015 genes in response to cold and warm acclimation, respectively, and 4,851 of these genes responded in both treatments. In contrast, the expression of only 33 and 29 genes was affected by cold and warm development, respectively. The majority of the genes affected by developmental temperature were also affected by adult acclimation temperature. Many genes that were differentially expressed as a result of adult acclimation were associated with previously identified temperature-dependent effects on DNA methylation patterns, suggesting a role of epigenetic mechanisms in regulating gene expression plasticity during acclimation. Taken together, these results demonstrate similarities between the persistent effects of developmental plasticity on gene expression and the effects of adult thermal acclimation, emphasizing the potential for mechanistic links between plasticity acting at these different life stages. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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Synchronization and Inter-Layer Interactions of Noise-Driven Neural Networks.
Yuniati, Anis; Mai, Te-Lun; Chen, Chi-Ming
2017-01-01
In this study, we used the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) model of neurons to investigate the phase diagram of a developing single-layer neural network and that of a network consisting of two weakly coupled neural layers. These networks are noise driven and learn through the spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) or the inverse STDP rules. We described how these networks transited from a non-synchronous background activity state (BAS) to a synchronous firing state (SFS) by varying the network connectivity and the learning efficacy. In particular, we studied the interaction between a SFS layer and a BAS layer, and investigated how synchronous firing dynamics was induced in the BAS layer. We further investigated the effect of the inter-layer interaction on a BAS to SFS repair mechanism by considering three types of neuron positioning (random, grid, and lognormal distributions) and two types of inter-layer connections (random and preferential connections). Among these scenarios, we concluded that the repair mechanism has the largest effect for a network with the lognormal neuron positioning and the preferential inter-layer connections.
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Attaining the rate-independent limit of a rate-dependent strain gradient plasticity theory
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
El-Naaman, Salim Abdallah; Nielsen, Kim Lau; Niordson, Christian Frithiof
2016-01-01
The existence of characteristic strain rates in rate-dependent material models, corresponding to rate-independent model behavior, is studied within a back stress based rate-dependent higher order strain gradient crystal plasticity model. Such characteristic rates have recently been observed...... for steady-state processes, and the present study aims to demonstrate that the observations in fact unearth a more widespread phenomenon. In this work, two newly proposed back stress formulations are adopted to account for the strain gradient effects in the single slip simple shear case, and characteristic...... rates for a selected quantity are identified through numerical analysis. Evidently, the concept of a characteristic rate, within the rate-dependent material models, may help unlock an otherwise inaccessible parameter space....
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Orjon Rroji
Full Text Available Previous research suggests that anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS over the primary motor cortex (M1 modulates NMDA receptor dependent processes that mediate synaptic plasticity. Here we test this proposal by applying anodal versus sham tDCS while subjects practiced to flex the thumb as fast as possible (ballistic movements. Repetitive practice of this task has been shown to result in performance improvements that reflect use-dependent plasticity resulting from NMDA receptor mediated, long-term potentiation (LTP-like processes. Using a double-blind within-subject cross-over design, subjects (n=14 participated either in an anodal or a sham tDCS session which were at least 3 months apart. Sham or anodal tDCS (1 mA was applied for 20 min during motor practice and retention was tested 30 min, 24 hours and one week later. All subjects improved performance during each of the two sessions (p < 0.001 and learning gains were similar. Our main result is that long term retention performance (i.e. 1 week after practice was significantly better when practice was performed with anodal tDCS than with sham tDCS (p < 0.001. This effect was large (Cohen's d=1.01 and all but one subject followed the group trend. Our data strongly suggest that anodal tDCS facilitates long-term memory formation reflecting use-dependent plasticity. Our results support the notion that anodal tDCS facilitates synaptic plasticity mediated by an LTP-like mechanism, which is in accordance with previous research.
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Plasticity dependent damage evolution in composites with strain-gradient effects
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Legarth, Brian Nyvang
2015-01-01
. (2013). In this study the reinforcement is assumed perfectly stiff and consequently only one new cohesive material parameter is introduced. Results are shown for both conventional isotropy as well as plastic anisotropy with higher-order material behavior. Due to fiber-matrix decohesion a sudden stress......A unit cell approach is adopted to numerically analyze the effect of reinforcement size on fracture evolution in metal matrix composites. The matrix material shows plastic size-effects and is modeled by an anisotropic version of the single parameter strain-gradient (higher-order) plasticity model...... by Fleck and Hutchinson (2001). The fracture process along the fiber-matrix interface is modeled using a recently proposed cohesive law extension, where plasticity affects the fracture process as both the average as well as the jump in plastic strain across the interface are accounted for Tvergaard et al...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shahriyar Keshavarz
2017-11-01
Full Text Available This paper develops a framework to obtain the flow stress of nickel-based superalloys as a function of γ-γ’ morphology. The yield strength is a major factor in the design of these alloys. This work provides additional effects of γ’ morphology in the design scope that has been adopted for the model developed by authors. In general, the two-phase γ-γ’ morphology in nickel-based superalloys can be divided into three variables including γ’ shape, γ’ volume fraction and γ’ size in the sub-grain microstructure. In order to obtain the flow stress, non-Schmid crystal plasticity constitutive models at two length scales are employed and bridged through a homogenized multi-scale framework. The multi-scale framework includes two sub-grain and homogenized grain scales. For the sub-grain scale, a size-dependent, dislocation-density-based finite element model (FEM of the representative volume element (RVE with explicit depiction of the γ-γ’ morphology is developed as a building block for the homogenization. For the next scale, an activation-energy-based crystal plasticity model is developed for the homogenized single crystal of Ni-based superalloys. The constitutive models address the thermo-mechanical behavior of nickel-based superalloys for a large temperature range and include orientation dependencies and tension-compression asymmetry. This homogenized model is used to obtain the morphology dependence on the flow stress in nickel-based superalloys and can significantly expedite crystal plasticity FE simulations in polycrystalline microstructures, as well as higher scale FE models in order to cast and design superalloys.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Askadskiy Andrey Aleksandrovich
2012-10-01
Full Text Available Polymeric materials are widely used in construction. The properties of polymeric construction materials vary to a substantial extent; their durability, thermal stability, frost resistance, waterproof and dielectric properties are particularly pronounced. Their properties serve as the drivers of the high market demand for these products. These materials are applied as finishing materials, molded sanitary engineering products and effective thermal insulation and water proofing materials. The authors analyze the influence of the chemical structure and structural features of polymers on their properties. The authors consider flow and vitrification temperatures of polymers. These temperatures determine the parameters of polymeric products, including those important for the construction process. The analysis of influence of concentration of the plasticizer on the vitrification temperature is based on the two basic theories. In accordance with the first one, reduction of the vitrification temperature is proportionate to the molar fraction of the injected plasticizer. According to the second concept, reduction of the vitrification temperature is proportionate to the volume fraction of the injected solvent. Dependencies of the flow temperature on the molecular weight and the molar fraction of the plasticizer are derived for PVC. As an example, two plasticizers were considered, including dibutyl sebacate and dioctylftalatalate. The basic parameters of all mixtures were calculated through the employment of "Cascade" software programme (A.N. Nesmeyanov Institute of Organoelemental Connections, Russian Academy of Sciences.
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Context-Dependent Plastic Response during Egg-Laying in a Widespread Newt Species.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zoltán Tóth
Full Text Available Previous research on predator-induced phenotypic plasticity mostly focused on responses in morphology, developmental time and/or behaviour during early life stages, but the potential significance of anticipatory parental responses has been investigated less often. In this study I examined behavioural and maternal responses of gravid female smooth newts, Lissotriton vulgaris, in the presence of chemical cues originating from invertebrate predators, Acilius sulcatus water beetles and Aeshna cyanea dragonfly larvae. More specifically, I tested the extent of oviposition preference, plasticity in egg-wrapping behaviour and plasticity in egg size when females had the possibility to lay eggs at oviposition sites with and without predator cues during overnight trials. I found that individuals did not avoid laying eggs in the environment with predator cues; however, individuals that deposited eggs into both environments adjusted the size of the laid eggs to the perceived environment. Females deposited larger eggs earlier in the season but egg size decreased with time in the absence of predator cues, whereas individuals laid eggs of average size throughout the investigated reproductive period when such cues were present. Also, egg size was found to be positively related to hatching success. Individuals did not adjust their wrapping behaviour to the presence of predator cues, but females differed in the extent of egg-wrapping between ponds. Females' body mass and tail depth were also different between ponds, whereas their body size was positively associated with egg size. According to these results, female smooth newts have the potential to exhibit activational plasticity and invest differently into eggs depending on temporal and environmental factors. Such an anticipatory response may contribute to the success of this caudate species under a wide range of predator regimes at its natural breeding habitats.
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Anomal, Renata; de Villers-Sidani, Etienne; Merzenich, Michael M; Panizzutti, Rogerio
2013-01-01
Sensory experience powerfully shapes cortical sensory representations during an early developmental "critical period" of plasticity. In the rat primary auditory cortex (A1), the experience-dependent plasticity is exemplified by significant, long-lasting distortions in frequency representation after mere exposure to repetitive frequencies during the second week of life. In the visual system, the normal unfolding of critical period plasticity is strongly dependent on the elaboration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which promotes the establishment of inhibition. Here, we tested the hypothesis that BDNF signaling plays a role in the experience-dependent plasticity induced by pure tone exposure during the critical period in the primary auditory cortex. Elvax resin implants filled with either a blocking antibody against BDNF or the BDNF protein were placed on the A1 of rat pups throughout the critical period window. These pups were then exposed to 7 kHz pure tone for 7 consecutive days and their frequency representations were mapped. BDNF blockade completely prevented the shaping of cortical tuning by experience and resulted in poor overall frequency tuning in A1. By contrast, BDNF infusion on the developing A1 amplified the effect of 7 kHz tone exposure compared to control. These results indicate that BDNF signaling participates in the experience-dependent plasticity induced by pure tone exposure during the critical period in A1.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Renata Anomal
Full Text Available Sensory experience powerfully shapes cortical sensory representations during an early developmental "critical period" of plasticity. In the rat primary auditory cortex (A1, the experience-dependent plasticity is exemplified by significant, long-lasting distortions in frequency representation after mere exposure to repetitive frequencies during the second week of life. In the visual system, the normal unfolding of critical period plasticity is strongly dependent on the elaboration of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF, which promotes the establishment of inhibition. Here, we tested the hypothesis that BDNF signaling plays a role in the experience-dependent plasticity induced by pure tone exposure during the critical period in the primary auditory cortex. Elvax resin implants filled with either a blocking antibody against BDNF or the BDNF protein were placed on the A1 of rat pups throughout the critical period window. These pups were then exposed to 7 kHz pure tone for 7 consecutive days and their frequency representations were mapped. BDNF blockade completely prevented the shaping of cortical tuning by experience and resulted in poor overall frequency tuning in A1. By contrast, BDNF infusion on the developing A1 amplified the effect of 7 kHz tone exposure compared to control. These results indicate that BDNF signaling participates in the experience-dependent plasticity induced by pure tone exposure during the critical period in A1.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Azizi, Reza; Legarth, Brian Nyvang; Niordson, Christian Frithiof
2013-01-01
Metal matrix composites with long aligned elastic fibers are studied using an energetic rate independent strain gradient plasticity theory with an isotropic pressure independent yield function at the microscale. The material response is homogenized to obtain a conventional macroscopic model...... is investigated numerically using a unit cell model with periodic boundary conditions containing a single fiber deformed under generalized plane strain conditions. The homogenized response can be modeled by conventional plasticity with an anisotropic yield surface and a free energy depending on plastic strain...
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Park, Moon Shik; Suh, Yeong Sung; Song, Seung
2011-01-01
An elasto-plastic finite element method using the theory of strain gradient plasticity is proposed to evaluate the size dependency of structural plasticity that occurs when the configuration size decreases to micron scale. For this method, we suggest a low-order plane and three-dimensional displacement-based elements, eliminating the need for a high order, many degrees of freedom, a mixed element, or super elements, which have been considered necessary in previous researches. The proposed method can be performed in the framework of nonlinear incremental analysis in which plastic strains are calculated and averaged at nodes. These strains are then interpolated and differentiated for gradient calculation. We adopted a strain-gradient-hardening constitutive equation from the Taylor dislocation model, which requires the plastic strain gradient. The developed finite elements are tested numerically on the basis of typical size-effect problems such as micro-bending, micro-torsion, and micro-voids. With respect to the strain gradient plasticity, i.e., the size effects, the results obtained by using the proposed method, which are simple in their calculation, are in good agreement with the experimental results cited in previously published papers
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Physical implementation of pair-based spike timing dependent plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Azghadi, M.R.; Al-Sarawi, S.; Iannella, N.; Abbott, D.
2011-01-01
Full text: Objective Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STOP) is one of several plasticity rules which leads to learning and memory in the brain. STOP induces synaptic weight changes based on the timing of the pre- and post-synaptic neurons. A neural network which can mimic the adaptive capability of biological brains in the temporal domain, requires the weight of single connections to be altered by spike timing. To physically realise this network into silicon, a large number of interconnected STOP circuits on the same substrate is required. This imposes two significant limitations in terms of power and area. To cover these limitations, very large scale integrated circuit (VLSI) technology provides attractive features in terms of low power and small area requirements. An example is demonstrated by (lndiveli et al. 2006). The objective of this paper is to present a new implementation of the STOP circuit which demonstrates better power and area in comparison to previous implementations. Methods The proposed circuit uses complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology as depicted in Fig. I. The synaptic weight can be stored on a capacitor and charging/discharging current can lead to potentiation and depression. HSpice simulation results demonstrate that the average power, peak power, and area of the proposed circuit have been reduced by 6, 8 and 15%, respectively, in comparison with Indiveri's implementation. These improvements naturally lead to packing more STOP circuits onto the same substrate, when compared to previous proposals. Hence, this new implementation is quite interesting for real-world large neural networks.
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This document is a state-of-the-science review – one that summarizes available scientific information on the effects of chemicals associated with plastic pollution and their potential impacts on aquatic life and aquatic-dependent wildlife.
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Monje, Francisco J; Kim, Eun-Jung; Pollak, Daniela D; Cabatic, Maureen; Li, Lin; Baston, Arthur; Lubec, Gert
2012-01-01
The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase abundantly expressed in the mammalian brain and highly enriched in neuronal growth cones. Inhibitory and facilitatory activities of FAK on neuronal growth have been reported and its role in neuritic outgrowth remains controversial. Unlike other tyrosine kinases, such as the neurotrophin receptors regulating neuronal growth and plasticity, the relevance of FAK for learning and memory in vivo has not been clearly defined yet. A comprehensive study aimed at determining the role of FAK in neuronal growth, neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity in hippocampal neurons and in hippocampus-dependent learning and memory was therefore undertaken using the mouse model. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments indicated that FAK is a critical regulator of hippocampal cell morphology. FAK mediated neurotrophin-induced neuritic outgrowth and FAK inhibition affected both miniature excitatory postsynaptic potentials and activity-dependent hippocampal long-term potentiation prompting us to explore the possible role of FAK in spatial learning and memory in vivo. Our data indicate that FAK has a growth-promoting effect, is importantly involved in the regulation of the synaptic function and mediates in vivo hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.
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Activity-Dependent Exocytosis of Lysosomes Regulates the Structural Plasticity of Dendritic Spines.
Padamsey, Zahid; McGuinness, Lindsay; Bardo, Scott J; Reinhart, Marcia; Tong, Rudi; Hedegaard, Anne; Hart, Michael L; Emptage, Nigel J
2017-01-04
Lysosomes have traditionally been viewed as degradative organelles, although a growing body of evidence suggests that they can function as Ca 2+ stores. Here we examined the function of these stores in hippocampal pyramidal neurons. We found that back-propagating action potentials (bpAPs) could elicit Ca 2+ release from lysosomes in the dendrites. This Ca 2+ release triggered the fusion of lysosomes with the plasma membrane, resulting in the release of Cathepsin B. Cathepsin B increased the activity of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), an enzyme involved in extracellular matrix (ECM) remodelling and synaptic plasticity. Inhibition of either lysosomal Ca 2+ signaling or Cathepsin B release prevented the maintenance of dendritic spine growth induced by Hebbian activity. This impairment could be rescued by exogenous application of active MMP-9. Our findings suggest that activity-dependent exocytosis of Cathepsin B from lysosomes regulates the long-term structural plasticity of dendritic spines by triggering MMP-9 activation and ECM remodelling. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Osvaldo eMirante; Osvaldo eMirante; Federico eBrandalise; Johannes eBohacek; Johannes eBohacek; Isabelle M Mansuy; Isabelle M Mansuy
2014-01-01
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that a paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at th...
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Mirante, Osvaldo; Brandalise, Federico; Bohacek, Johannes; Mansuy, Isabelle M
2014-01-01
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thal...
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Nagai, Shiro; Matsuda, Kohji.
1988-01-01
The report outlines major features and applications of plastic dosimeters. Some plastic dosimeters, including the CTA and PVC types, detect the response of the plastic material itself to radiations while others, such as pigment-added plastic dosimeters, contain additives as radiation detecting material. Most of these dosimeters make use of color centers produced in the dosimeter by radiations. The PMMA dosimeter is widely used in the field of radiation sterilization of food, feed and medical apparatus. The blue cellophane dosimeter is easy to handle if calibrated appropriately. The rad-color dosimeter serves to determine whether products have been irradiated appropriately. The CTA dosimeter has better damp proofing properties than the blue cellophane type. The pigment-added plastic dosimeter consists of a resin such as nylon, CTA or PVC that contains a dye. Some other plastic dosimeters are also described briefly. Though having many advantages, these plastic dosimeter have disadvantages as well. Some of their major disadvantages, including fading as well as large dependence on dose, temperature, humidity and anviroment, are discussed. (Nogami, K.)
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Frequency-dependent glycinergic inhibition modulates plasticity in hippocampus.
Keck, Tara; Lillis, Kyle P; Zhou, Yu-Dong; White, John A
2008-07-16
Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of functional glycine receptors (GlyRs) in hippocampus. In this work, we examine the baseline activity and activity-dependent modulation of GlyRs in region CA1. We find that strychnine-sensitive GlyRs are open in the resting CA1 pyramidal cell, creating a state of tonic inhibition that "shunts" the magnitude of EPSPs evoked by electrical stimulation of the Schaffer collateral inputs. This GlyR-mediated shunting conductance is independent of the presynaptic stimulation rate; however, pairs of presynaptic and postsynaptic action potentials, repeated at frequencies above 5 Hz, reduce the GlyR-mediated conductance and increase peak EPSP magnitudes to levels at least 20% larger than those seen with presynaptic stimulation alone. We refer to this phenomenon as rate-dependent efficacy (RDE). Exogenous GlyR agonists (glycine, taurine) block RDE by preventing the closure of postsynaptic GlyRs. The GlyR antagonist strychnine blocks postsynaptic GlyRs under all conditions, occluding RDE. During RDE, GlyRs are less responsive to local glycine application, suggesting that a reduction in the number or sensitivity of membrane-inserted GlyRs underlies RDE. By extending the RDE induction protocol to include 500 paired presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes, we can induce long-term synaptic depression (LTD). Manipulations that lead to reduced functionality of GlyRs, either pharmacologically or through RDE, also lead to increased LTD. This result suggests that RDE contributes to long-term synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
de Jong, Arthur P H; Meijer, Marieke; Saarloos, Ingrid
2016-01-01
Presynaptic activation of the diacylglycerol (DAG)/protein kinase C (PKC) pathway is a central event in short-term synaptic plasticity. Two substrates, Munc13-1 and Munc18-1, are essential for DAG-induced potentiation of vesicle priming, but the role of most presynaptic PKC substrates is not unde......Presynaptic activation of the diacylglycerol (DAG)/protein kinase C (PKC) pathway is a central event in short-term synaptic plasticity. Two substrates, Munc13-1 and Munc18-1, are essential for DAG-induced potentiation of vesicle priming, but the role of most presynaptic PKC substrates...... is not understood. Here, we show that a mutation in synaptotagmin-1 (Syt1(T112A)), which prevents its PKC-dependent phosphorylation, abolishes DAG-induced potentiation of synaptic transmission in hippocampal neurons. This mutant also reduces potentiation of spontaneous release, but only if alternative Ca(2+)sensors...
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Trzcinski, Natalie K; Gomez-Ramirez, Manuel; Hsiao, Steven S
2016-09-01
Continuous training enhances perceptual discrimination and promotes neural changes in areas encoding the experienced stimuli. This type of experience-dependent plasticity has been demonstrated in several sensory and motor systems. Particularly, non-human primates trained to detect consecutive tactile bar indentations across multiple digits showed expanded excitatory receptive fields (RFs) in somatosensory cortex. However, the perceptual implications of these anatomical changes remain undetermined. Here, we trained human participants for 9 days on a tactile task that promoted expansion of multi-digit RFs. Participants were required to detect consecutive indentations of bar stimuli spanning multiple digits. Throughout the training regime we tracked participants' discrimination thresholds on spatial (grating orientation) and temporal tasks on the trained and untrained hands in separate sessions. We hypothesized that training on the multi-digit task would decrease perceptual thresholds on tasks that require stimulus processing across multiple digits, while also increasing thresholds on tasks requiring discrimination on single digits. We observed an increase in orientation thresholds on a single digit. Importantly, this effect was selective for the stimulus orientation and hand used during multi-digit training. We also found that temporal acuity between digits improved across trained digits, suggesting that discriminating the temporal order of multi-digit stimuli can transfer to temporal discrimination of other tactile stimuli. These results suggest that experience-dependent plasticity following perceptual learning improves and interferes with tactile abilities in manners predictive of the task and stimulus features used during training. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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The strain path dependence of plastic deformation response of AA5754: Experiment and modeling
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pham, Minh-Son; Hu, Lin; Iadicola, Mark; Creuziger, Adam; Rollett, Anthony D.
2013-01-01
This work presents modeling of experiments on a balanced biaxial (BB) pre-strained AA5754 alloy, subsequently reloaded uniaxially along the rolling direction and transverse direction. The material exhibits a complex plastic deformation response during the change in strain path due to 1) crystallographic texture, 2) aging (interactions between dislocations and Mg atoms) and 3) recovery (annihilation and re-arrangement of dislocations). With a BB prestrain of about 5 %, the aging process is dominant, and the yield strength for uniaxially deformed samples is observed to be higher than the flow stress during BB straining. The strain hardening rate after changing path is, however, lower than that for pre-straining. Higher degrees of pre-straining make the dynamic recovery more active. The dynamic recovery at higher strain levels compensates for the aging effect, and results in: 1) a reduction of the yield strength, and 2) an increase in the hardening rate of re-strained specimens along other directions. The yield strength of deformed samples is further reduced if these samples are left at room temperature to let static recovery occur. The synergistic influences of texture condition, aging and recovery processes on the material response make the modeling of strain path dependence of mechanical behavior of AA5754 challenging. In this study, the influence of crystallographic texture is taken into account by incorporating the latent hardening into a visco-plastic self-consistent model. Different strengths of dislocation glide interaction models in 24 slip systems are used to represent the latent hardening. Moreover, the aging and recovery effects are also included into the latent hardening model by considering strong interactions between dislocations and dissolved atom Mg and the microstructural evolution. These microstructural considerations provide a powerful capability to successfully describe the strain path dependence of plastic deformation behavior of AA5754
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tabachnikova, E D; Podolskiy, A V; Smirnov, S N; Psaruk, I A; Liao, P K
2014-01-01
Mechanical properties of Ni-18.75 at.% Fe in coarse grained (average grain size 15 gm) and nanocrystalline (average grain size 22 nm) states were studied in uniaxial compression in the temperature range 4.2-350 K. Temperature dependences of the flow stress, strain rate sensitivity and activation volume of plastic deformation were measured. The thermal activation analysis of the experimental data has been fulfilled for the the plastic deformation value of 2 %. It was shown that plastic deformation in temperature range from 35 to 350 K in both studied structural states has the thermally activated type. Comparative analysis of low temperature thermal activation plastic deformation was carried out for the alloy in coarse grained and nanocrystalline states. Empirical estimates of parameters of the dislocation interaction with local barriers and internal stress value estimates were obtained for the both studied structural states. Analysis of the results indicates that different mechanisms control the thermal activation plasticity of the Ni-18.75 at.% Fe alloy in coarse grained and nanocrystalline states. Possible mechanisms, which control plactisity of the studied states, are disscussed
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Laura eMaggi
2011-10-01
Full Text Available In recent years several evidence demonstrated that some features of hippocampal biology, like neurogenesis, synaptic transmission, learning and memory performances are deeply modulated by social, motor and sensorial experiences. Fractalkine/CX3CL1 is a transmembrane chemokine abundantly expressed in the brain by neurons, where it modulates glutamatergic transmission and long-term plasticity processes regulating the intercellular communication between glia and neurons, being its specific receptor CX3CR1 expressed by microglia. In this paper we investigated the role of CX3CL1/CX3CR1 signaling on experience-dependent hippocampal plasticity processes. At this aim wt and CX3CR1GFP/GFP mice were exposed to long-lasting-enriched environment (EE and the effects on hippocampal functions were studied by electrophysiological recordings of long-term potentiation (LTP of synaptic activity, behavioral tests of learning and memory in the Morris water maze paradigm and analysis of neurogenesis in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus (DG.We found that CX3CR1 deficiency increases hippocampal plasticity and spatial memory blunting the potentiating effects of EE. In contrast, exposure to EE increased the number and migration of neural progenitors in the DG of both wt and CX3CR1GFP/GFP mice. These data indicate that CX3CL1/CX3CR1-mediated signaling is crucial for a normal experience-dependent modulation of hippocampal functions.
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Durability of wood plastic composites manufactured from recycled plastic
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Irina Turku
2018-03-01
Full Text Available The influence of accelerated weathering, xenon-arc light and freeze-thaw cycling on wood plastic composites extruded from a recycled plastic was studied. The results showed that, in general, weathering had a stronger impact on samples made from plastic waste compared to a sample made from virgin material. After weathering, the mechanical properties, tensile and flexural, were reduced by 2–30%, depending on the plastic source. Wettability of the samples was shown to play a significant role in their stability. Chemical analysis with infrared spectroscopy and surface observation with a scan electron microscope confirmed the mechanical test results. Incorporation of carbon black retained the properties during weathering, reducing the wettability of the sample, diminishing the change of mechanical properties, and improving color stability. Keywords: Environmental science, Mechanical engineering, Materials science
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Learning-dependent plasticity with and without training in the human brain.
Zhang, Jiaxiang; Kourtzi, Zoe
2010-07-27
Long-term experience through development and evolution and shorter-term training in adulthood have both been suggested to contribute to the optimization of visual functions that mediate our ability to interpret complex scenes. However, the brain plasticity mechanisms that mediate the detection of objects in cluttered scenes remain largely unknown. Here, we combine behavioral and functional MRI (fMRI) measurements to investigate the human-brain mechanisms that mediate our ability to learn statistical regularities and detect targets in clutter. We show two different routes to visual learning in clutter with discrete brain plasticity signatures. Specifically, opportunistic learning of regularities typical in natural contours (i.e., collinearity) can occur simply through frequent exposure, generalize across untrained stimulus features, and shape processing in occipitotemporal regions implicated in the representation of global forms. In contrast, learning to integrate discontinuities (i.e., elements orthogonal to contour paths) requires task-specific training (bootstrap-based learning), is stimulus-dependent, and enhances processing in intraparietal regions implicated in attention-gated learning. We propose that long-term experience with statistical regularities may facilitate opportunistic learning of collinear contours, whereas learning to integrate discontinuities entails bootstrap-based training for the detection of contours in clutter. These findings provide insights in understanding how long-term experience and short-term training interact to shape the optimization of visual recognition processes.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
José Fernando Maya-Vetencourt
2013-01-01
Full Text Available The capability of the brain to change functionally in response to sensory experience is most active during early stages of development but it decreases later in life when major alterations of neuronal network structures no longer take place in response to experience. This view has been recently challenged by experimental strategies based on the enhancement of environmental stimulation levels, genetic manipulations, and pharmacological treatments, which all have demonstrated that the adult brain retains a degree of plasticity that allows for a rewiring of neuronal circuitries over the entire life course. A hot spot in the field of neuronal plasticity centres on gene programs that underlie plastic phenomena in adulthood. Here, I discuss the role of the recently discovered neuronal-specific and activity-dependent transcription factor NPAS4 as a critical mediator of plasticity in the nervous system. A better understanding of how modifications in the connectivity of neuronal networks occur may shed light on the treatment of pathological conditions such as brain damage or disease in adult life, some of which were once considered untreatable.
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Cicvaric, Ana; Yang, Jiaye; Krieger, Sigurd; Khan, Deeba; Kim, Eun-Jung; Dominguez-Rodriguez, Manuel; Cabatic, Maureen; Molz, Barbara; Acevedo Aguilar, Juan Pablo; Milicevic, Radoslav; Smani, Tarik; Breuss, Johannes M; Kerjaschki, Dontscho; Pollak, Daniela D; Uhrin, Pavel; Monje, Francisco J
2016-12-01
Podoplanin is a cell-surface glycoprotein constitutively expressed in the brain and implicated in human brain tumorigenesis. The intrinsic function of podoplanin in brain neurons remains however uncharacterized. Using an established podoplanin-knockout mouse model and electrophysiological, biochemical, and behavioral approaches, we investigated the brain neuronal role of podoplanin. Ex-vivo electrophysiology showed that podoplanin deletion impairs dentate gyrus synaptic strengthening. In vivo, podoplanin deletion selectively impaired hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and memory without affecting amygdala-dependent cued fear conditioning. In vitro, neuronal overexpression of podoplanin promoted synaptic activity and neuritic outgrowth whereas podoplanin-deficient neurons exhibited stunted outgrowth and lower levels of p-Ezrin, TrkA, and CREB in response to nerve growth factor (NGF). Surface Plasmon Resonance data further indicated a physical interaction between podoplanin and NGF. This work proposes podoplanin as a novel component of the neuronal machinery underlying neuritogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and hippocampus-dependent memory functions. The existence of a relevant cross-talk between podoplanin and the NGF/TrkA signaling pathway is also for the first time proposed here, thus providing a novel molecular complex as a target for future multidisciplinary studies of the brain function in the physiology and the pathology. Key messages Podoplanin, a protein linked to the promotion of human brain tumors, is required in vivo for proper hippocampus-dependent learning and memory functions. Deletion of podoplanin selectively impairs activity-dependent synaptic strengthening at the neurogenic dentate-gyrus and hampers neuritogenesis and phospho Ezrin, TrkA and CREB protein levels upon NGF stimulation. Surface plasmon resonance data indicates a physical interaction between podoplanin and NGF. On these grounds, a relevant cross-talk between podoplanin and NGF as well
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Jilg, Andreas; Seifert, Thomas
2018-05-01
Hot work tools are subjected to complex thermal and mechanical loads during hot forming processes. Locally, the stresses can exceed the material's yield strength in highly loaded areas as e.g. in small radii in die cavities. To sustain the high loads, the hot forming tools are typically made of martensitic hot work steels. While temperatures for annealing of the tool steels usually lie in the range between 400 and 600 °C, the steels may experience even higher temperatures during hot forming, resulting in softening of the material due to coarsening of strengthening particles. In this paper, a temperature dependent cyclic plasticity model for the martensitic hot work tool steel 1.2367 (X38CrMoV5-3) is presented that includes softening due to particle coarsening and that can be applied in finite-element calculations to assess the effect of softening on the thermomechanical fatigue life of hot work tools. To this end, a kinetic model for the evolution of the mean size of secondary carbides based on Ostwald ripening is coupled with a cyclic plasticity model with kinematic hardening. Mechanism-based relations are developed to describe the dependency of the mechanical properties on carbide size and temperature. The material properties of the mechanical and kinetic model are determined on the basis of tempering hardness curves as well as monotonic and cyclic tests.
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Shock temperature dependent rate law for plastic bonded explosives
Aslam, Tariq D.
2018-04-01
A reactive flow model for the tri-amino-tri-nitro-benzene (TATB) based plastic bonded explosive PBX 9502 (95% TATB, 5% polymeric binder Kel-F 800) is presented. This newly devised model is based primarily on the shock temperature of the material, along with local pressure, and accurately models a broader range of detonation and initiation scenarios. Specifically, sensitivity changes to the initial explosive temperature are accounted for naturally and with a single set of parameters. The equation of state forms for the reactants and products, as well as the thermodynamic closure of pressure and temperature equilibration, are carried over from the Wescott-Stewart-Davis (WSD) model [Wescott et al., J. Appl. Phys. 98, 053514 (2005) and "Modeling detonation diffraction and dead zones in PBX-9502," in Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Detonation Symposium (2006)]. This newly devised model, with Arrhenius state dependence on the shock temperature, based on the WSD equation of states, is denoted by AWSD. Modifying an existing implementation of the WSD model to the AWSD model in a hydrocode is a rather straightforward procedure.
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A scalable neural chip with synaptic electronics using CMOS integrated memristors
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Cruz-Albrecht, Jose M; Derosier, Timothy; Srinivasa, Narayan
2013-01-01
The design and simulation of a scalable neural chip with synaptic electronics using nanoscale memristors fully integrated with complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) is presented. The circuit consists of integrate-and-fire neurons and synapses with spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP). The synaptic conductance values can be stored in memristors with eight levels, and the topology of connections between neurons is reconfigurable. The circuit has been designed using a 90 nm CMOS process with via connections to on-chip post-processed memristor arrays. The design has about 16 million CMOS transistors and 73 728 integrated memristors. We provide circuit level simulations of the entire chip performing neuronal and synaptic computations that result in biologically realistic functional behavior. (paper)
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When long-range zero-lag synchronization is feasible in cortical networks
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Atthaphon eViriyopase
2012-07-01
Full Text Available Many studies have reported long-range synchronization of neuronal activity between brain areas, in particular in the gamma-band with frequencies in the range of 40-80 Hz. Several studies have reported synchrony with zero phase lag, which is remarkable considering the synaptic and conduction delays inherent in the connections between distant brain areas. This result has led to many speculations about the possible functional role of zero-lag synchrony, e.g., for neuronal communication in attention, memory and feature binding. However, recent studies using recordings of single-unit activity and local field potentials report that neuronal synchronization occurs with non-zero phase lags. This raises the questions whether zero-lag synchrony can occur in the brain and, if so, under which conditions.We used analytical methods and computer simulations to investigate which connectivity between neuronal populations allows or prohibits zero-lag synchrony. We did so for a model where two oscillators interact via a relay oscillator. Analytical results and computer simulations were obtained for both type I Mirollo-Strogatz neurons and type II Hodgkin-Huxley neurons. We have investigated the dynamics of the model for various types of synaptic coupling and importantly considered the potential impact of Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP and its learning window. We confirm previous results that zero-lag synchrony can be achieved in this configuration. This is much easier to achieve with Hodgkin-Huxley neurons, which have a biphasic phase response curve, than for type I neurons. STDP facilitates zero-lag synchrony as it adjusts the synaptic strengths such that zero-lag synchrony is feasible for a much larger range of parameters than without STDP.
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Plasticity characteristic obtained by indentation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Mil'man, Yu.V.; Chugunova, S.I.; Goncharova, I.V.
2011-01-01
Methods for determination plasticity characteristic δH in the measurement of hardness and nanohardness are considered. Parameter δH characterizes the plasticity of a material by the part of plastic deformation in the total elastic-plastic deformation. The value of δH is defined for metals with different types of crystal lattice, covalent and partially covalent crystals, intermetallics, metallic glasses and quasicrystals. It is discussed the dependence of the plasticity characteristic δH on structural factors and temperature. Parameter δH allows to analyze and compare the plasticity of materials which are brittle at standard mechanical tests. The combination of hardness H, as the strength characteristic, and the plasticity characteristic δH makes possible the better characterization of mechanical behavior of materials than only the hardness H. The examples of plasticity characteristic δH application are represented.
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Timing intervals using population synchrony and spike timing dependent plasticity
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wei Xu
2016-12-01
Full Text Available We present a computational model by which ensembles of regularly spiking neurons can encode different time intervals through synchronous firing. We show that a neuron responding to a large population of convergent inputs has the potential to learn to produce an appropriately-timed output via spike-time dependent plasticity. We explain why temporal variability of this population synchrony increases with increasing time intervals. We also show that the scalar property of timing and its violation at short intervals can be explained by the spike-wise accumulation of jitter in the inter-spike intervals of timing neurons. We explore how the challenge of encoding longer time intervals can be overcome and conclude that this may involve a switch to a different population of neurons with lower firing rate, with the added effect of producing an earlier bias in response. Experimental data on human timing performance show features in agreement with the model’s output.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gabriela Vierci
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Histone posttranslational modifications play a fundamental role in orchestrating gene expression. In this work, we analyzed the acetylation of H3 and H4 histones (AcH3-AcH4 and its modulation by visual experience in the mouse visual cortex (VC during normal development and in two experimental conditions that restore juvenile-like plasticity levels in adults (fluoxetine treatment and enriched environment. We found that AcH3-AcH4 declines with age and is upregulated by treatments restoring plasticity in the adult. We also found that visual experience modulates AcH3-AcH4 in young and adult plasticity-restored mice but not in untreated ones. Finally, we showed that the transporter vGAT is downregulated in adult plasticity-restored models. In summary, we identified a dynamic regulation of AcH3-AcH4, which is associated with high plasticity levels and enhanced by visual experience. These data, along with recent ones, indicate H3-H4 acetylation as a central hub in the control of experience-dependent plasticity in the VC.
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Neuromodulation, development and synaptic plasticity.
Foehring, R C; Lorenzon, N M
1999-03-01
We discuss parallels in the mechanisms underlying use-dependent synaptic plasticity during development and long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD) in neocortical synapses. Neuromodulators, such as norepinephrine, serotonin, and acetylcholine have also been implicated in regulating both developmental plasticity and LTP/LTD. There are many potential levels of interaction between neuromodulators and plasticity. Ion channels are substrates for modulation in many cell types. We discuss examples of modulation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels and Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels and the consequences for neocortical pyramidal cell firing behaviour. At the time when developmental plasticity is most evident in rat cortex, the substrate for modulation is changing as the densities and relative proportions of various ion channels types are altered during ontogeny. We discuss examples of changes in K+ and Ca2+ channels and the consequence for modulation of neuronal activity.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhu Guoqi; Chen Ying; Huang Yuying; Li Qinglin; Behnisch, Thomas
2011-01-01
Parkinson's disease (PD)-like symptoms including learning deficits are inducible by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). Therefore, it is possible that MPTP may disturb hippocampal memory processing by modulation of dopamine (DA)- and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. We demonstrate here that intraperitoneal (i.p.) MPTP injection reduces the number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) within 7 days. Subsequently, the TH expression level in SN and hippocampus and the amount of DA and its metabolite DOPAC in striatum and hippocampus decrease. DA depletion does not alter basal synaptic transmission and changes pair-pulse facilitation (PPF) of field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSPs) only at the 30 ms inter-pulse interval. In addition, the induction of long-term potentiation (LTP) is impaired whereas the duration of long-term depression (LTD) becomes prolonged. Since both LTP and LTD depend critically on activation of NMDA and DA receptors, we also tested the effect of DA depletion on NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission. Seven days after MPTP injection, the NMDA receptor-mediated fEPSPs are decreased by about 23%. Blocking the NMDA receptor-mediated fEPSP does not mimic the MPTP-LTP. Only co-application of D1/D5 and NMDA receptor antagonists during tetanization resembled the time course of fEPSP potentiation as observed 7 days after i.p. MPTP injection. Together, our data demonstrate that MPTP-induced degeneration of DA neurons and the subsequent hippocampal DA depletion alter NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic transmission and activity-dependent synaptic plasticity. - Highlights: → I.p. MPTP-injection mediates death of dopaminergic neurons. → I.p. MPTP-injection depletes DA and DOPAC in striatum and hippocampus. → I.p. MPTP-injection does not alter basal synaptic transmission. → Reduction of LTP and enhancement of LTD after i.p. MPTP-injection. → Attenuation of NMDA-receptors mediated
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BACE1 Is Necessary for Experience-Dependent Homeostatic Synaptic Plasticity in Visual Cortex
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Emily Petrus
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD is the most common form of age-related dementia, which is thought to result from overproduction and/or reduced clearance of amyloid-beta (Aβ peptides. Studies over the past few decades suggest that Aβ is produced in an activity-dependent manner and has physiological relevance to normal brain functions. Similarly, physiological functions for β- and γ-secretases, the two key enzymes that produce Aβ by sequentially processing the amyloid precursor protein (APP, have been discovered over recent years. In particular, activity-dependent production of Aβ has been suggested to play a role in homeostatic regulation of excitatory synaptic function. There is accumulating evidence that activity-dependent immediate early gene Arc is an activity “sensor,” which acts upstream of Aβ production and triggers AMPA receptor endocytosis to homeostatically downregulate the strength of excitatory synaptic transmission. We previously reported that Arc is critical for sensory experience-dependent homeostatic reduction of excitatory synaptic transmission in the superficial layers of visual cortex. Here we demonstrate that mice lacking the major neuronal β-secretase, BACE1, exhibit a similar phenotype: stronger basal excitatory synaptic transmission and failure to adapt to changes in visual experience. Our results indicate that BACE1 plays an essential role in sensory experience-dependent homeostatic synaptic plasticity in the neocortex.
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Bäumer, F; Henrich, H A; Ussmüller, J
1986-02-01
The present experiments try to answer the question as to the time-dependent extent of the after-burning process after full-thickness burn (third degree). For an early plastic surgical treatment it was of interest to determine the most early time of escharotomy. The time-dependent spreading of the after-burning area reached its maximum five days after the burn injury. The after-burning area was marked by intravenous injections of Patentblau which caused distinct intravital colouring. Subsequently no further progress could be observed. In the present experiments we suggest this time as the earliest time for plastic covering in case it would be dependent upon the end of the after-burning process.
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Micro-structural evolution in plastically deformed crystalline materials
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Nellemann, Christopher
predictions for the two models to be obtained. Application of the two models to the pure shear boundary value problem is used to characterize plastic behavior, which also allows for the identification of inherent properties through closed form expressions. Single crystal Monazite containing a void is studied......Two rate-independent strain gradient crystal plasticity models are developed and applied in numerical studies designed to identify the properties inherent to model predictions of plastic deformation. The two models incorporate gradients of slip into the framework of conventional crystal plasticity...... in order to model size-dependent plasticity effects. This gradient dependence is achieved by relating a slip measure which combines both slip and their gradients to a shear hardening curve, as commonly done in conventional plasticity theories. Finite element codes are implemented which allow for numerical...
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Recovery of amplitude dependent internal friction in plastically deformed LiF single crystals
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Koshimizu, S.
1977-01-01
The internal friction due to is studied interactions between point defects and dislocations produced in pure LiF single crystais by plastic deformation. The recovery of amplitude dependent damping is investigated in these crystais in the low frequency range. The logarithmic decrement is measured as a function of strain amplitude at several different temperatures in the range 8C - 35C in order to observe thermal breakaway. The results were interpred according to the theory developed by Granato and Lucke. Systematic measurements are also been carried out to determine the logarithmic decrement as a function of time at different temperatures, after driving the specimens at high strains amplitudes, yelding the following results: I) there is a recovery of the amplitude dependent damping upon removal of the high strain excitations, and II) the Kinetic of the recovery follows initially a t sup(2/3) ageing law, changing to tsup(1/3) afterwards [pt
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Gennaro, Mariangela; Mattiello, Alessandro; Mazziotti, Raffaele; Antonelli, Camilla; Gherardini, Lisa; Guzzetta, Andrea; Berardi, Nicoletta; Cioni, Giovanni; Pizzorusso, Tommaso
2017-01-01
Motor system development is characterized by an activity-dependent competition between ipsilateral and contralateral corticospinal tracts (CST). Clinical evidence suggests that age is crucial for developmental stroke outcome, with early lesions inducing a "maladaptive" strengthening of ipsilateral projections from the healthy hemisphere and worse motor impairment. Here, we investigated in developing rats the relation between lesion timing, motor outcome and CST remodeling pattern. We induced a focal ischemia into forelimb motor cortex (fM1) at two distinct pre-weaning ages: P14 and P21. We compared long-term motor outcome with changes in axonal sprouting of contralesional CST at red nucleus and spinal cord level using anterograde tracing. We found that P14 stroke caused a more severe long-term motor impairment than at P21, and induced a strong and aberrant contralesional CST sprouting onto denervated spinal cord and red nucleus. The mistargeted sprouting of CST, and the worse motor outcome of the P14 stroke rats were reversed by an early skilled motor training, underscoring the potential of early activity-dependent plasticity in modulating lesion outcome. Thus, changes in the mechanisms controlling CST plasticity occurring during the third postnatal week are associated with age-dependent regulation of the motor outcome after stroke.
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Le Barillier, Léa; Léger, Lucienne; Luppi, Pierre-Hervé; Fort, Patrice; Malleret, Gaël; Salin, Paul-Antoine
2015-11-01
The cognitive role of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons, a neuronal population located in the mammalian postero-lateral hypothalamus sending projections to all cortical areas, remains poorly understood. Mainly activated during paradoxical sleep (PS), MCH neurons have been implicated in sleep regulation. The genetic deletion of the only known MCH receptor in rodent leads to an impairment of hippocampal dependent forms of memory and to an alteration of hippocampal long-term synaptic plasticity. By using MCH/ataxin3 mice, a genetic model characterized by a selective deletion of MCH neurons in the adult, we investigated the role of MCH neurons in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and hippocampal-dependent forms of memory. MCH/ataxin3 mice exhibited a deficit in the early part of both long-term potentiation and depression in the CA1 area of the hippocampus. Post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) was diminished while synaptic depression induced by repetitive stimulation was enhanced suggesting an alteration of pre-synaptic forms of short-term plasticity in these mice. Behaviorally, MCH/ataxin3 mice spent more time and showed a higher level of hesitation as compared to their controls in performing a short-term memory T-maze task, displayed retardation in acquiring a reference memory task in a Morris water maze, and showed a habituation deficit in an open field task. Deletion of MCH neurons could thus alter spatial short-term memory by impairing short-term plasticity in the hippocampus. Altogether, these findings could provide a cellular mechanism by which PS may facilitate memory encoding. Via MCH neuron activation, PS could prepare the day's learning by increasing and modulating short-term synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Denise eManahan-Vaughan
2011-03-01
Full Text Available Hippocampal synaptic plasticity is believed to comprise the cellular basis for spatial learning. Strain-dependent differences in synaptic plasticity in the CA1 region have been reported. However, it is not known whether these differences extend to other synapses within the trisynaptic circuit, although there is evidence for morphological variations within that path. We investigated whether Wistar and Hooded Lister (HL rat strains express differences in synaptic plasticity in the dentate gyrus in vivo. We also explored whether they exhibit differences in the ability to engage in spatial learning in an 8-arm radial maze. Basal synaptic transmission was stable over a 24h period in both rat strains, and the input-output relationship of both strains was not significantly different. Paired-pulse analysis revealed significantly less paired-pulse facilitation in the Hooded Lister strain when pulses were given 40-100 msec apart. Low frequency stimulation at 1Hz evoked long-term depression (>24h in Wistar and short-term depression (<2h in HL rats; 200Hz stimulation induced long-term potentiation (>24h in Wistar, and a transient, significantly smaller potentiation (<1h in HL rats, suggesting that HL rats have higher thresholds for expression of persistent synaptic plasticity. Training for 10d in an 8-arm radial maze revealed that HL rats master the working memory task faster than Wistar rats, although both strains show an equivalent performance by the end of the trial period. HL rats also perform more efficiently in a double working and reference memory task. On the other hand, Wistar rats show better reference memory performance on the final (8-10 days of training. Wistar rats were less active and more anxious than HL rats.These data suggest that strain-dependent variations in hippocampal synaptic plasticity occur in different hippocampal synapses. A clear correlation with differences in spatial learning is not evident however.
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Abiotic degradation of plastic films
Ángeles-López, Y. G.; Gutiérrez-Mayen, A. M.; Velasco-Pérez, M.; Beltrán-Villavicencio, M.; Vázquez-Morillas, A.; Cano-Blanco, M.
2017-01-01
Degradable plastics have been promoted as an option to mitigate the environmental impacts of plastic waste. However, there is no certainty about its degradability under different environmental conditions. The effect of accelerated weathering (AW), natural weathering (NW) and thermal oxidation (TO) on different plastics (high density polyethylene, HDPE; oxodegradable high density polyethylene, HDPE-oxo; compostable plastic, Ecovio ® metalized polypropylene, PP; and oxodegradable metalized polypropylene, PP-oxo) was studied. Plastics films were exposed to AW per 110 hours; to NW per 90 days; and to TO per 30 days. Plastic films exposed to AW and NW showed a general loss on mechanical properties. The highest reduction in elongation at break on AW occurred to HDPE-oxo (from 400.4% to 20.9%) and was higher than 90% for HDPE, HDPE-oxo, Ecovio ® and PP-oxo in NW. No substantial evidence of degradation was found on plastics exposed to TO. Oxo-plastics showed higher degradation rates than their conventional counterparts, and the compostable plastic was resistant to degradation in the studied abiotic conditions. This study shows that degradation of plastics in real life conditions will vary depending in both, their composition and the environment.
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Elastic-plastic transition on rotating spherical shells in dependence of compressibility
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Thakur Pankaj
2017-01-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to establish the mathematical model on the elastic-plastic transitions occurring in the rotating spherical shells based on compressibility of materials. The paper investigates the elastic-plastic stresses and angular speed required to start yielding in rotating shells for compressible and incompressible materials. The paper is based on the non-linear transition theory of elastic-plastic shells given by B.R. Seth. The elastic-plastic transition obtained is treated as an asymptotic phenomenon at critical points & the solution obtained at these points generates stresses. The solution obtained does not require the use of semi-empirical yield condition like Tresca or Von Mises or other certain laws. Results are obtained numerically and depicted graphically. It has been observed that Rotating shells made of the incompressible material are on the safer side of the design as compared to rotating shells made of compressible material. The effect of density variation has been discussed numerically on the stresses. With the effect of density variation parameter, rotating spherical shells start yielding at the internal surface with the lower values of the angular speed for incompressible/compressible materials.
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Ebenau, Melanie; Radeck, Désirée; Bambynek, Markus; Sommer, Holger; Flühs, Dirk; Spaan, Bernhard; Eichmann, Marion
2016-08-01
Plastic scintillation detectors are promising candidates for the dosimetry of low- to medium-energy photons but quantitative knowledge of their energy response is a prerequisite for their correct use. The purpose of this study was to characterize the energy dependent response of small scintillation detectors (active volume <1 mm(3)) made from the commonly used plastic scintillator BC400. Different detectors made from BC400 were calibrated at a number of radiation qualities ranging from 10 to 280 kV and at a (60)Co beam. All calibrations were performed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, the National Metrology Institute of Germany. The energy response in terms of air kerma, dose to water, and dose to the scintillator was determined. Conversion factors from air kerma to dose to water and to dose to the scintillator were derived from Monte Carlo simulations. In order to quantitatively describe the energy dependence, a semiempirical model known as unimolecular quenching or Birks' formula was fitted to the data and from this the response to secondary electrons generated within the scintillator material BC400 was derived. The detector energy response in terms of air kerma differs for different scintillator sizes and different detector casings. It is therefore necessary to take attenuation within the scintillator and in the casing into account when deriving the response in terms of dose to water from a calibration in terms of air kerma. The measured energy response in terms of dose to water for BC400 cannot be reproduced by the ratio of mean mass energy-absorption coefficients for polyvinyl toluene to water but shows evidence of quenching. The quenching parameter kB in Birks' formula was determined to be kB = (12.3 ± 0.9) mg MeV(-1) cm(-2). The energy response was quantified relative to the response to (60)Co which is the common radiation quality for the calibration of therapy dosemeters. The observed energy dependence could be well explained with the
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Ebenau, Melanie, E-mail: melanie.ebenau@tu-dortmunde.de; Sommer, Holger; Spaan, Bernhard; Eichmann, Marion [Fakultät Physik, Technische Universität Dortmund, Otto-Hahn Str. 4a, 44221 Dortmund (Germany); Radeck, Désirée; Bambynek, Markus [Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, Bundesallee 100, 38116 Braunschweig (Germany); Flühs, Dirk [Universitätsklinikum Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, 45147 Essen (Germany)
2016-08-15
Purpose: Plastic scintillation detectors are promising candidates for the dosimetry of low- to medium-energy photons but quantitative knowledge of their energy response is a prerequisite for their correct use. The purpose of this study was to characterize the energy dependent response of small scintillation detectors (active volume <1 mm{sup 3}) made from the commonly used plastic scintillator BC400. Methods: Different detectors made from BC400 were calibrated at a number of radiation qualities ranging from 10 to 280 kV and at a {sup 60}Co beam. All calibrations were performed at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, the National Metrology Institute of Germany. The energy response in terms of air kerma, dose to water, and dose to the scintillator was determined. Conversion factors from air kerma to dose to water and to dose to the scintillator were derived from Monte Carlo simulations. In order to quantitatively describe the energy dependence, a semiempirical model known as unimolecular quenching or Birks’ formula was fitted to the data and from this the response to secondary electrons generated within the scintillator material BC400 was derived. Results: The detector energy response in terms of air kerma differs for different scintillator sizes and different detector casings. It is therefore necessary to take attenuation within the scintillator and in the casing into account when deriving the response in terms of dose to water from a calibration in terms of air kerma. The measured energy response in terms of dose to water for BC400 cannot be reproduced by the ratio of mean mass energy-absorption coefficients for polyvinyl toluene to water but shows evidence of quenching. The quenching parameter kB in Birks’ formula was determined to be kB = (12.3 ± 0.9) mg MeV{sup −1} cm{sup −2}. Conclusions: The energy response was quantified relative to the response to {sup 60}Co which is the common radiation quality for the calibration of therapy dosemeters. The
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Network Supervision of Adult Experience and Learning Dependent Sensory Cortical Plasticity.
Blake, David T
2017-06-18
The brain is capable of remodeling throughout life. The sensory cortices provide a useful preparation for studying neuroplasticity both during development and thereafter. In adulthood, sensory cortices change in the cortical area activated by behaviorally relevant stimuli, by the strength of response within that activated area, and by the temporal profiles of those responses. Evidence supports forms of unsupervised, reinforcement, and fully supervised network learning rules. Studies on experience-dependent plasticity have mostly not controlled for learning, and they find support for unsupervised learning mechanisms. Changes occur with greatest ease in neurons containing α-CamKII, which are pyramidal neurons in layers II/III and layers V/VI. These changes use synaptic mechanisms including long term depression. Synaptic strengthening at NMDA-containing synapses does occur, but its weak association with activity suggests other factors also initiate changes. Studies that control learning find support of reinforcement learning rules and limited evidence of other forms of supervised learning. Behaviorally associating a stimulus with reinforcement leads to a strengthening of cortical response strength and enlarging of response area with poor selectivity. Associating a stimulus with omission of reinforcement leads to a selective weakening of responses. In some preparations in which these associations are not as clearly made, neurons with the most informative discharges are relatively stronger after training. Studies analyzing the temporal profile of responses associated with omission of reward, or of plasticity in studies with different discriminanda but statistically matched stimuli, support the existence of limited supervised network learning. © 2017 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 7:977-1008, 2017. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Lim, Chae-Seok; Hoang, Elizabeth T; Viar, Kenneth E; Stornetta, Ruth L; Scott, Michael M; Zhu, J Julius
2014-02-01
Fragile X syndrome, caused by the loss of Fmr1 gene function, is the most common form of inherited mental retardation, with no effective treatment. Using a tractable animal model, we investigated mechanisms of action of a few FDA-approved psychoactive drugs that modestly benefit the cognitive performance in fragile X patients. Here we report that compounds activating serotonin (5HT) subtype 2B receptors (5HT2B-Rs) or dopamine (DA) subtype 1-like receptors (D1-Rs) and/or those inhibiting 5HT2A-Rs or D2-Rs moderately enhance Ras-PI3K/PKB signaling input, GluA1-dependent synaptic plasticity, and learning in Fmr1 knockout mice. Unexpectedly, combinations of these 5HT and DA compounds at low doses synergistically stimulate Ras-PI3K/PKB signal transduction and GluA1-dependent synaptic plasticity and remarkably restore normal learning in Fmr1 knockout mice without causing anxiety-related side effects. These findings suggest that properly dosed and combined FDA-approved psychoactive drugs may effectively treat the cognitive impairment associated with fragile X syndrome.
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Candidate genes in ocular dominance plasticity
Rietman, M.L.; Sommeijer, J.-P.; Levelt, C.N.; Heimel, J.A.; Brussaard, A.B.; Borst, J.G.G.; Elgersma, Y.; Galjart, N.; van der Horst, G.T.; Pennartz, C.M.; Smit, A.B.; Spruijt, B.M.; Verhage, M.; de Zeeuw, C.I.
2012-01-01
Many studies have been devoted to the identification of genes involved in experience-dependent plasticity in the visual cortex. To discover new candidate genes, we have reexamined data from one such study on ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in recombinant inbred BXD mouse strains. We have correlated
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Unsupervised Learning of Digit Recognition Using Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Peter U. Diehl
2015-08-01
Full Text Available In order to understand how the mammalian neocortex is performing computations, two things are necessary; we need to have a good understanding of the available neuronal processing units and mechanisms, and we need to gain a better understanding of how those mechanisms are combined to build functioning systems. Therefore, in recent years there is an increasing interest in how spiking neural networks (SNN can be used to perform complex computations or solve pattern recognition tasks. However, it remains a challenging task to design SNNs which use biologically plausible mechanisms (especially for learning new patterns, since most of such SNN architectures rely on training in a rate-based network and subsequent conversion to a SNN. We present a SNN for digit recognition which is based on mechanisms with increased biological plausibility, i.e. conductance-based instead of current-based synapses, spike-timing-dependent plasticity with time-dependent weight change, lateral inhibition, and an adaptive spiking threshold. Unlike most other systems, we do not use a teaching signal and do not present any class labels to the network. Using this unsupervised learning scheme, our architecture achieves 95% accuracy on the MNIST benchmark, which is better than previous SNN implementations without supervision. The fact that we used no domain-specific knowledge points toward the general applicability of our network design. Also, the performance of our network scales well with the number of neurons used and shows similar performance for four different learning rules, indicating robustness of the full combination of mechanisms, which suggests applicability in heterogeneous biological neural networks.
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Unsupervised learning in neural networks with short range synapses
Brunnet, L. G.; Agnes, E. J.; Mizusaki, B. E. P.; Erichsen, R., Jr.
2013-01-01
Different areas of the brain are involved in specific aspects of the information being processed both in learning and in memory formation. For example, the hippocampus is important in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory, while emotional memory seems to be dealt by the amygdala. On the microscopic scale the underlying structures in these areas differ in the kind of neurons involved, in their connectivity, or in their clustering degree but, at this level, learning and memory are attributed to neuronal synapses mediated by longterm potentiation and long-term depression. In this work we explore the properties of a short range synaptic connection network, a nearest neighbor lattice composed mostly by excitatory neurons and a fraction of inhibitory ones. The mechanism of synaptic modification responsible for the emergence of memory is Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP), a Hebbian-like rule, where potentiation/depression is acquired when causal/non-causal spikes happen in a synapse involving two neurons. The system is intended to store and recognize memories associated to spatial external inputs presented as simple geometrical forms. The synaptic modifications are continuously applied to excitatory connections, including a homeostasis rule and STDP. In this work we explore the different scenarios under which a network with short range connections can accomplish the task of storing and recognizing simple connected patterns.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Christoph Hartmann
2015-12-01
Full Text Available Even in the absence of sensory stimulation the brain is spontaneously active. This background "noise" seems to be the dominant cause of the notoriously high trial-to-trial variability of neural recordings. Recent experimental observations have extended our knowledge of trial-to-trial variability and spontaneous activity in several directions: 1. Trial-to-trial variability systematically decreases following the onset of a sensory stimulus or the start of a motor act. 2. Spontaneous activity states in sensory cortex outline the region of evoked sensory responses. 3. Across development, spontaneous activity aligns itself with typical evoked activity patterns. 4. The spontaneous brain activity prior to the presentation of an ambiguous stimulus predicts how the stimulus will be interpreted. At present it is unclear how these observations relate to each other and how they arise in cortical circuits. Here we demonstrate that all of these phenomena can be accounted for by a deterministic self-organizing recurrent neural network model (SORN, which learns a predictive model of its sensory environment. The SORN comprises recurrently coupled populations of excitatory and inhibitory threshold units and learns via a combination of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP and homeostatic plasticity mechanisms. Similar to balanced network architectures, units in the network show irregular activity and variable responses to inputs. Additionally, however, the SORN exhibits sequence learning abilities matching recent findings from visual cortex and the network's spontaneous activity reproduces the experimental findings mentioned above. Intriguingly, the network's behaviour is reminiscent of sampling-based probabilistic inference, suggesting that correlates of sampling-based inference can develop from the interaction of STDP and homeostasis in deterministic networks. We conclude that key observations on spontaneous brain activity and the variability of neural
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A strain gradient plasticity theory with application to wire torsion
Liu, J. X.; El Sayed, Tamer S.
2014-01-01
Based on the framework of the existing strain gradient plasticity theories, we have examined three kinds of relations for the plastic strain dependence of the material intrinsic length scale, and thus developed updated strain gradient plasticity
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Grain Interactions in Crystal Plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Boyle, K.P.; Curtin, W.A.
2005-01-01
The plastic response of a sheet metal is governed by the collective response of the underlying grains. Intragranular plasticity depends on intrinsic variables such as crystallographic orientation and on extrinsic variables such as grain interactions; however, the role of the latter is not well understood. A finite element crystal plasticity formulation is used to investigate the importance of grain interactions on intragranular plastic deformation in initially untextured polycrystalline aggregates. A statistical analysis reveals that grain interactions are of equal (or more) importance for determining the average intragranular deviations from the applied strain as compared to the orientation of the grain itself. Furthermore, the influence of the surrounding grains is found to extend past nearest neighbor interactions. It is concluded that the stochastic nature of the mesoscale environment must be considered for a proper understanding of the plastic response of sheet metals at the grain-scale
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Plastic food packaging and health
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Raika Durusoy
2011-02-01
Full Text Available Plastics have a wide usage in our daily lives. One of their uses is for food packaging and food containers. The aim of this review is to introduce different types of chemicals that can leach from food packaging plastics into foods and cause human exposure and to mention their effects on health. The types of plastics were reviewed under the 13 headings in Turkish Codex Alimentarius and plastics recycling symbols were provided to enable the recognition of the type of plastic when applicable. Chemicals used during the production and that can cause health risks are investigated under the heading of the relevant type of plastic. The most important chemicals from plastic food packaging that can cause toxicity are styrene, 1,3-butadiene, melamine, formaldehyde, acrylamide, di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, di-2-ethylhexyl adipate, vinyl chloride and bisphenol A. These chemicals have endocrine disrupting, carcinogenic and/or development disrupting effects. These chemicals may leach into foods depending on the chemical properties of the plastic or food, temperature during packaging, processing and storage, exposure to UV and duration of storage. Contact with fatty/oily or acidic foods, heating of the food inside the container, or drinking hot drinks from plastic cups, use of old and scratched plastics and some detergents increase the risk of leaching. The use of plastic containers and packaging for food and beveradges should be avoided whenever possible and when necessary, less harmful types of plastic should be preferred. [TAF Prev Med Bull 2011; 10(1.000: 87-96
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Phyllosphere yeasts rapidly break down biodegradable plastics
Kitamoto, Hiroko K; Shinozaki, Yukiko; Cao, Xiao-hong; Morita, Tomotake; Konishi, Masaaki; Tago, Kanako; Kajiwara, Hideyuki; Koitabashi, Motoo; Yoshida, Shigenobu; Watanabe, Takashi; Sameshima-Yamashita, Yuka; Nakajima-Kambe, Toshiaki; Tsushima, Seiya
2011-01-01
The use of biodegradable plastics can reduce the accumulation of environmentally persistent plastic wastes. The rate of degradation of biodegradable plastics depends on environmental conditions and is highly variable. Techniques for achieving more consistent degradation are needed. However, only a few microorganisms involved in the degradation process have been isolated so far from the environment. Here, we show that Pseudozyma spp. yeasts, which are common in the phyllosphere and are easily ...
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Ataei, Negar; Sabzghabaee, Ali Mohammad; Movahedian, Ahmad
2015-01-01
Background: Long-term memory is based on synaptic plasticity, a series of biochemical mechanisms include changes in structure and proteins of brain's neurons. In this article, we systematically reviewed the studies that indicate calcium/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) is a ubiquitous molecule among different enzymes involved in human long-term memory and the main downstream signaling pathway of long-term memory. Methods: All of the observational, case–control and review studies were considered and evaluated by the search engines PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ScienceDirect Scopus between 1990 and February 2015. We did not carry out meta-analysis. Results: At the first search, it was fined 1015 articles which included “synaptic plasticity” OR “neuronal plasticity” OR “synaptic density” AND memory AND “molecular mechanism” AND “calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II” OR CaMKII as the keywords. A total of 335 articles were duplicates in the databases and eliminated. A total of 680 title articles were evaluated. Finally, 40 articles were selected as reference. Conclusions: The studies have shown the most important intracellular signal of long-term memory is calcium-dependent signals. Calcium linked calmodulin can activate CaMKII. After receiving information for learning and memory, CaMKII is activated by Glutamate, the most important neurotransmitter for memory-related plasticity. Glutamate activates CaMKII and it plays some important roles in synaptic plasticity modification and long-term memory. PMID:26445635
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Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity and the Cognitive Map
Bush, Daniel; Philippides, Andrew; Husbands, Phil; O'Shea, Michael
2010-01-01
Since the discovery of place cells – single pyramidal neurons that encode spatial location – it has been hypothesized that the hippocampus may act as a cognitive map of known environments. This putative function has been extensively modeled using auto-associative networks, which utilize rate-coded synaptic plasticity rules in order to generate strong bi-directional connections between concurrently active place cells that encode for neighboring place fields. However, empirical studies using hi...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Simon eFriedmann
2013-09-01
Full Text Available In this study, we propose and analyze in simulations a new, highly flexible method of imple-menting synaptic plasticity in a wafer-scale, accelerated neuromorphic hardware system. Thestudy focuses on globally modulated STDP, as a special use-case of this method. Flexibility isachieved by embedding a general-purpose processor dedicated to plasticity into the wafer. Toevaluate the suitability of the proposed system, we use a reward modulated STDP rule in a spiketrain learning task. A single layer of neurons is trained to fire at specific points in time withonly the reward as feedback. This model is simulated to measure its performance, i.e. the in-crease in received reward after learning. Using this performance as baseline, we then simulatethe model with various constraints imposed by the proposed implementation and compare theperformance. The simulated constraints include discretized synaptic weights, a restricted inter-face between analog synapses and embedded processor, and mismatch of analog circuits. Wefind that probabilistic updates can increase the performance of low-resolution weights, a simpleinterface between analog synapses and processor is sufficient for learning, and performance isinsensitive to mismatch. Further, we consider communication latency between wafer and theconventional control computer system that is simulating the environment. This latency increasesthe delay, with which the reward is sent to the embedded processor. Because of the time continu-ous operation of the analog synapses, delay can cause a deviation of the updates as compared tothe not delayed situation. We find that for highly accelerated systems latency has to be kept to aminimum. This study demonstrates the suitability of the proposed implementation to emulatethe selected reward modulated STDP learning rule. It is therefore an ideal candidate for imple-mentation in an upgraded version of the wafer-scale system developed within the BrainScaleSproject.
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Friedmann, Simon; Frémaux, Nicolas; Schemmel, Johannes; Gerstner, Wulfram; Meier, Karlheinz
2013-01-01
In this study, we propose and analyze in simulations a new, highly flexible method of implementing synaptic plasticity in a wafer-scale, accelerated neuromorphic hardware system. The study focuses on globally modulated STDP, as a special use-case of this method. Flexibility is achieved by embedding a general-purpose processor dedicated to plasticity into the wafer. To evaluate the suitability of the proposed system, we use a reward modulated STDP rule in a spike train learning task. A single layer of neurons is trained to fire at specific points in time with only the reward as feedback. This model is simulated to measure its performance, i.e., the increase in received reward after learning. Using this performance as baseline, we then simulate the model with various constraints imposed by the proposed implementation and compare the performance. The simulated constraints include discretized synaptic weights, a restricted interface between analog synapses and embedded processor, and mismatch of analog circuits. We find that probabilistic updates can increase the performance of low-resolution weights, a simple interface between analog synapses and processor is sufficient for learning, and performance is insensitive to mismatch. Further, we consider communication latency between wafer and the conventional control computer system that is simulating the environment. This latency increases the delay, with which the reward is sent to the embedded processor. Because of the time continuous operation of the analog synapses, delay can cause a deviation of the updates as compared to the not delayed situation. We find that for highly accelerated systems latency has to be kept to a minimum. This study demonstrates the suitability of the proposed implementation to emulate the selected reward modulated STDP learning rule. It is therefore an ideal candidate for implementation in an upgraded version of the wafer-scale system developed within the BrainScaleS project.
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Mirante, Osvaldo; Brandalise, Federico; Bohacek, Johannes; Mansuy, Isabelle M
2014-01-01
N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-dependent long-term depression (LTD) in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA) is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thalamic and cortical inputs to LA, and we identify different underlying molecular components at these pathways. We show that while LTD depends on NMDARs and activation of the protein phosphatases PP2B and PP1 at both pathways, it requires NR2B-containing NMDARs at the thalamic pathway, but NR2C/D-containing NMDARs at the cortical pathway. LTD appears to be induced post-synaptically at the thalamic input but presynaptically at the cortical input, since post-synaptic calcium chelation and NMDAR blockade prevent thalamic but not cortical LTD. These results highlight distinct molecular features of LTD in LA that may be relevant for traumatic memory and its erasure, and for pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
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Non-local crystal plasticity model with intrinsic SSD and GND effects
Evers, L.P.; Brekelmans, W.A.M.; Geers, M.G.D.
2004-01-01
A strain gradient-dependent crystal plasticity approach is presented to model the constitutive behaviour of polycrystal FCC metals under large plastic deformation. In order to be capable of predicting scale dependence, the heterogeneous deformation-induced evolution and distribution of geometrically
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Renteria, R; Jeanes, Z M; Mangieri, R A; Maier, E Y; Kircher, D M; Buske, T R; Morrisett, R A
2016-01-01
The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is a central component of the mesocorticolimbic reward system. Increasing evidence strongly implicates long-term synaptic neuroadaptations in glutamatergic excitatory activity of the NAc shell and/or core medium spiny neurons in response to chronic drug and alcohol exposure. Such neuroadaptations likely play a critical role in the development and expression of drug-seeking behaviors. We have observed unique cell-type-specific bidirectional changes in NAc synaptic plasticity (metaplasticity) following acute and chronic intermittent ethanol exposure. Other investigators have also previously observed similar metaplasticity in the NAc following exposure to psychostimulants, opiates, and amazingly, even following an anhedonia-inducing experience. Considering that the proteome of the postsynaptic density likely contains hundreds of biochemicals, proteins and other components and regulators, we believe that there is a large number of potential molecular sites through which accumbal metaplasticity may be involved in chronic alcohol abuse. Many of our companion laboratories are now engaged in identifying and screening medications targeting candidate genes and its products previously linked to maladaptive alcohol phenotypes. We hypothesize that if manipulation of such target genes and their products change NAc plasticity, then that observation constitutes an important validation step for the development of novel therapeutics to treat alcohol dependence. © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jeong Gi Hyeon
1987-04-01
This book deals with plastic, which includes introduction for plastic, chemistry of high polymers, polymerization, speciality and structure of a high molecule property of plastic, molding, thermosetting plastic, such as polyethylene, polyether, polyamide and polyvinyl acetyl, thermal plastic like phenolic resins, xylene resins, melamine resin, epoxy resin, alkyd resin and poly urethan resin, new plastic like ionomer and PPS resin, synthetic laminated tape and synthetic wood, mixed materials in plastic, reprocessing of waste plastic, polymer blend, test method for plastic materials and auxiliary materials of plastic.
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A study of microindentation hardness tests by mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Huang, Y.; Xue, Z.; Gao, H.; Nix, W. D.; Xia, Z. C.
2000-01-01
We recently proposed a theory of mechanism-based strain gradient (MSG) plasticity to account for the size dependence of plastic deformation at micron- and submicron-length scales. The MSG plasticity theory connects micron-scale plasticity to dislocation theories via a multiscale, hierarchical framework linking Taylor's dislocation hardening model to strain gradient plasticity. Here we show that the theory of MSG plasticity, when used to study micro-indentation, indeed reproduces the linear dependence observed in experiments, thus providing an important self-consistent check of the theory. The effects of pileup, sink-in, and the radius of indenter tip have been taken into account in the indentation model. In accomplishing this objective, we have generalized the MSG plasticity theory to include the elastic deformation in the hierarchical framework. (c) 2000 Materials Research Society
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Benito, Eva; Kerimoglu, Cemil; Ramachandran, Binu; Pena-Centeno, Tonatiuh; Jain, Gaurav; Stilling, Roman Manuel; Islam, Md Rezaul; Capece, Vincenzo; Zhou, Qihui; Edbauer, Dieter; Dean, Camin; Fischer, André
2018-04-10
Physical exercise in combination with cognitive training is known to enhance synaptic plasticity, learning, and memory and lower the risk for various complex diseases including Alzheimer's disease. Here, we show that exposure of adult male mice to an environmental enrichment paradigm leads to enhancement of synaptic plasticity and cognition also in the next generation. We show that this effect is mediated through sperm RNA and especially miRs 212/132. In conclusion, our study reports intergenerational inheritance of an acquired cognitive benefit and points to specific miRs as candidates mechanistically involved in this type of transmission. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Daroles, Laura; Gribaudo, Simona; Doulazmi, Mohamed; Scotto-Lomassese, Sophie; Dubacq, Caroline; Mandairon, Nathalie; Greer, Charles August; Didier, Anne; Trembleau, Alain; Caillé, Isabelle
2016-07-15
In the adult brain, structural plasticity allowing gain or loss of synapses remodels circuits to support learning. In fragile X syndrome, the absence of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) leads to defects in plasticity and learning deficits. FMRP is a master regulator of local translation but its implication in learning-induced structural plasticity is unknown. Using an olfactory learning task requiring adult-born olfactory bulb neurons and cell-specific ablation of FMRP, we investigated whether learning shapes adult-born neuron morphology during their synaptic integration and its dependence on FMRP. We used alpha subunit of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (αCaMKII) mutant mice with altered dendritic localization of αCaMKII messenger RNA, as well as a reporter of αCaMKII local translation to investigate the role of this FMRP messenger RNA target in learning-dependent structural plasticity. Learning induces profound changes in dendritic architecture and spine morphology of adult-born neurons that are prevented by ablation of FMRP in adult-born neurons and rescued by an metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 antagonist. Moreover, dendritically translated αCaMKII is necessary for learning and associated structural modifications and learning triggers an FMRP-dependent increase of αCaMKII dendritic translation in adult-born neurons. Our results strongly suggest that FMRP mediates structural plasticity of olfactory bulb adult-born neurons to support olfactory learning through αCaMKII local translation. This reveals a new role for FMRP-regulated dendritic local translation in learning-induced structural plasticity. This might be of clinical relevance for the understanding of critical periods disruption in autism spectrum disorder patients, among which fragile X syndrome is the primary monogenic cause. Copyright © 2016 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Cyanobacterial carbon metabolism: Fluxome plasticity and oxygen dependence
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wan, Ni; Delorenzo, Drew M.; He, Lian
2017-01-01
Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 has been widely used as a photo-biorefinery chassis. Based on its genome annotation, this species contains a complete TCA cycle, an Embden-Meyerhof-Parnas pathway (EMPP), an oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OPPP), and an Entner-Doudoroff pathway (EDP). To eva...... the ability to regulate their fluxes under various growth conditions (plastic), whereas its TCA cycle always maintains at low levels (rigid). This work also demonstrates how genetic profiles do not always reflect actual metabolic flux through native or heterologous pathways....
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GREEN PLASTIC: A NEW PLASTIC FOR PACKAGING
Mr. Pankaj Kumar*, Sonia
2016-01-01
This paper gives a brief idea about a new type of plastic called as bio-plastic or green plastic. Plastic is used as a packaging material for various products, but this plastic is made up of non renewable raw materials. There are various disadvantages of using conventional plastic like littering, CO2 production, non-degradable in nature etc. To overcome these problems a new type of plastic is discovered called bio-plastic or green plastic. Bio-plastic is made from renewable resources and also...
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Unified pre- and postsynaptic long-term plasticity enables reliable and flexible learning.
Costa, Rui Ponte; Froemke, Robert C; Sjöström, P Jesper; van Rossum, Mark Cw
2015-08-26
Although it is well known that long-term synaptic plasticity can be expressed both pre- and postsynaptically, the functional consequences of this arrangement have remained elusive. We show that spike-timing-dependent plasticity with both pre- and postsynaptic expression develops receptive fields with reduced variability and improved discriminability compared to postsynaptic plasticity alone. These long-term modifications in receptive field statistics match recent sensory perception experiments. Moreover, learning with this form of plasticity leaves a hidden postsynaptic memory trace that enables fast relearning of previously stored information, providing a cellular substrate for memory savings. Our results reveal essential roles for presynaptic plasticity that are missed when only postsynaptic expression of long-term plasticity is considered, and suggest an experience-dependent distribution of pre- and postsynaptic strength changes.
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Materials dependence of mixed gas plasticization behavior in asymmetric membranes
Visser, Tymen; Masetto, N.; Wessling, Matthias
2007-01-01
The mass transport of asymmetric membranes for the separation of carbon dioxide/methane mixtures is determined by competitive sorption and plasticization. With increasing feed pressure in mixed gas experiments, the selectivity decreases due to both effects. Distinction whether one or the other
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Osvaldo eMirante
2014-07-01
Full Text Available N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR-dependent long-term depression (LTD in the lateral nucleus of the amygdala (LA is a form of synaptic plasticity thought to be a cellular substrate for the extinction of fear memory. The LA receives converging inputs from the sensory thalamus and neocortex that are weakened following fear extinction. Combining field and patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings in mice, we show that a paired-pulse low-frequency stimulation can induce a robust LTD at thalamic and cortical inputs to LA, and we identify different underlying molecular components at these pathways. We show that while LTD depends on NMDARs and activation of the protein phosphatases PP2B and PP1 at both pathways, it requires NR2B-containing NMDARs at the thalamic pathway, but NR2C/D-containing NMDARs at the cortical pathway. LTD appears to be induced postsynaptically at the thalamic input but presynaptically at the cortical input, since postsynaptic calcium chelation and NMDAR blockade prevent thalamic but not cortical LTD. These results highlight distinct molecular features of LTD in LA that may be relevant for traumatic memory and its erasure, and for pathologies such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD.
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Phenotypic Plasticity of Cuticular Hydrocarbon Profiles in Insects.
Otte, Tobias; Hilker, Monika; Geiselhardt, Sven
2018-03-01
The insect integument is covered by cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) which provide protection against environmental stresses, but are also used for communication. Here we review current knowledge on environmental and insect-internal factors which shape phenotypic plasticity of solitary living insects, especially herbivorous ones. We address the dynamics of changes which may occur within minutes, but may also last weeks, depending on the species and conditions. Two different modes of changes are suggested, i.e. stepwise and gradual. A switch between two distinct environments (e.g. host plant switch by phytophagous insects) results in stepwise formation of two distinct adaptive phenotypes, while a gradual environmental change (e.g. temperature gradients) induces a gradual change of numerous adaptive CHC phenotypes. We further discuss the ecological and evolutionary consequences of phenotypic plasticity of insect CHC profiles by addressing the question at which conditions is CHC phenotypic plasticity beneficial. The high plasticity of CHC profiles might be a trade-off for insects using CHCs for communication. We discuss how insects cope with the challenge to produce and "understand" a highly plastic, environmentally dependent CHC pattern that conveys reliable and comprehensible information. Finally, we outline how phenotypic plasticity of CHC profiles may promote speciation in insects that rely on CHCs for mate recognition.
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Learning to learn - intrinsic plasticity as a metaplasticity mechanism for memory formation.
Sehgal, Megha; Song, Chenghui; Ehlers, Vanessa L; Moyer, James R
2013-10-01
"Use it or lose it" is a popular adage often associated with use-dependent enhancement of cognitive abilities. Much research has focused on understanding exactly how the brain changes as a function of experience. Such experience-dependent plasticity involves both structural and functional alterations that contribute to adaptive behaviors, such as learning and memory, as well as maladaptive behaviors, including anxiety disorders, phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder. With the advancing age of our population, understanding how use-dependent plasticity changes across the lifespan may also help to promote healthy brain aging. A common misconception is that such experience-dependent plasticity (e.g., associative learning) is synonymous with synaptic plasticity. Other forms of plasticity also play a critical role in shaping adaptive changes within the nervous system, including intrinsic plasticity - a change in the intrinsic excitability of a neuron. Intrinsic plasticity can result from a change in the number, distribution or activity of various ion channels located throughout the neuron. Here, we review evidence that intrinsic plasticity is an important and evolutionarily conserved neural correlate of learning. Intrinsic plasticity acts as a metaplasticity mechanism by lowering the threshold for synaptic changes. Thus, learning-related intrinsic changes can facilitate future synaptic plasticity and learning. Such intrinsic changes can impact the allocation of a memory trace within a brain structure, and when compromised, can contribute to cognitive decline during the aging process. This unique role of intrinsic excitability can provide insight into how memories are formed and, more interestingly, how neurons that participate in a memory trace are selected. Most importantly, modulation of intrinsic excitability can allow for regulation of learning ability - this can prevent or provide treatment for cognitive decline not only in patients with clinical disorders but
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Maladaptive spinal plasticity opposes spinal learning and recovery in spinal cord injury
Ferguson, Adam R.; Huie, J. Russell; Crown, Eric D.; Baumbauer, Kyle M.; Hook, Michelle A.; Garraway, Sandra M.; Lee, Kuan H.; Hoy, Kevin C.; Grau, James W.
2012-01-01
Synaptic plasticity within the spinal cord has great potential to facilitate recovery of function after spinal cord injury (SCI). Spinal plasticity can be induced in an activity-dependent manner even without input from the brain after complete SCI. A mechanistic basis for these effects is provided by research demonstrating that spinal synapses have many of the same plasticity mechanisms that are known to underlie learning and memory in the brain. In addition, the lumbar spinal cord can sustain several forms of learning and memory, including limb-position training. However, not all spinal plasticity promotes recovery of function. Central sensitization of nociceptive (pain) pathways in the spinal cord may emerge in response to various noxious inputs, demonstrating that plasticity within the spinal cord may contribute to maladaptive pain states. In this review we discuss interactions between adaptive and maladaptive forms of activity-dependent plasticity in the spinal cord below the level of SCI. The literature demonstrates that activity-dependent plasticity within the spinal cord must be carefully tuned to promote adaptive spinal training. Prior work from our group has shown that stimulation that is delivered in a limb position-dependent manner or on a fixed interval can induce adaptive plasticity that promotes future spinal cord learning and reduces nociceptive hyper-reactivity. On the other hand, stimulation that is delivered in an unsynchronized fashion, such as randomized electrical stimulation or peripheral skin injuries, can generate maladaptive spinal plasticity that undermines future spinal cord learning, reduces recovery of locomotor function, and promotes nociceptive hyper-reactivity after SCI. We review these basic phenomena, how these findings relate to the broader spinal plasticity literature, discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms, and finally discuss implications of these and other findings for improved rehabilitative therapies after SCI. PMID
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Maladaptive spinal plasticity opposes spinal learning and recovery in spinal cord injury
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Adam R Ferguson
2012-10-01
Full Text Available Synaptic plasticity within the spinal cord has great potential to facilitate recovery of function after spinal cord injury (SCI. Spinal plasticity can be induced in an activity-dependent manner even without input from the brain after complete SCI. The mechanistic basis for these effects is provided by research demonstrating that spinal synapses have many of the same plasticity mechanisms that are known to underlie learning and memory in the brain. In addition, the lumbar spinal cord can sustain several forms of learning and memory, including limb-position training. However, not all spinal plasticity promotes recovery of function. Central sensitization of nociceptive (pain pathways in the spinal cord may emerge with certain patterns of activity, demonstrating that plasticity within the spinal cord may contribute to maladaptive pain states. In this review we discuss interactions between adaptive and maladaptive forms of activity-dependent plasticity in the spinal cord. The literature demonstrates that activity-dependent plasticity within the spinal cord must be carefully tuned to promote adaptive spinal training. Stimulation that is delivered in a limb position-dependent manner or on a fixed interval can induce adaptive plasticity that promotes future spinal cord learning and reduces nociceptive hyper-reactivity. On the other hand, stimulation that is delivered in an unsynchronized fashion, such as randomized electrical stimulation or peripheral skin injuries, can generate maladaptive spinal plasticity that undermines future spinal cord learning, reduces recovery of locomotor function, and promotes nociceptive hyper-reactivity after spinal cord injury. We review these basic phenomena, discuss the cellular and molecular mechanisms, and discuss implications of these findings for improved rehabilitative therapies after spinal cord injury.
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Banana peels based bio-plastic
Taodharos, Shady
2018-01-01
Every developed country depends on the industry as the main factor of its economy. Lack of exports, depression in both the general economy and the value of the currency are consequences of neglecting the industry. All countries work on increasing the efficiency of their industries by whether working on the input, the output, the cost or the time of the process. Plastic industry is considered one of the most important industries because plastic is an important factor in the making of many usef...
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Technology update on fast plastic scintillators for medical applications
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lyons, P.B.
1977-01-01
Plastic scintillators appear to have potential utility in three research areas related to nuclear medicine: (1) high count rate applications in general, (2) positron camera applications, and (3) positron source localization through measurement of relative arrival times of annihilation quanta at two co-linear detectors. These three areas of applicability depend on improvement in three specific areas of plastic scintillator technology: (a) development of plastics with very fast decay times, (b) development of plastics with greatly improved high energy photon detection efficiencies (high-Z loaded plastics), and (c) improvement of fast timing system capabilities. The three preceding areas of improvement are discussed
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Goldberg, Robert K.; Carney, Kelly S.; DuBois, Paul; Hoffarth, Canio; Rajan, Subramaniam; Blankenhorn, Gunther
2015-01-01
Several key capabilities have been identified by the aerospace community as lacking in the material/models for composite materials currently available within commercial transient dynamic finite element codes such as LS-DYNA. Some of the specific desired features that have been identified include the incorporation of both plasticity and damage within the material model, the capability of using the material model to analyze the response of both three-dimensional solid elements and two dimensional shell elements, and the ability to simulate the response of composites composed with a variety of composite architectures, including laminates, weaves and braids. In addition, a need has been expressed to have a material model that utilizes tabulated experimentally based input to define the evolution of plasticity and damage as opposed to utilizing discrete input parameters (such as modulus and strength) and analytical functions based on curve fitting. To begin to address these needs, an orthotropic macroscopic plasticity based model suitable for implementation within LS-DYNA has been developed. Specifically, the Tsai-Wu composite failure model has been generalized and extended to a strain-hardening based orthotropic plasticity model with a non-associative flow rule. The coefficients in the yield function are determined based on tabulated stress-strain curves in the various normal and shear directions, along with selected off-axis curves. Incorporating rate dependence into the yield function is achieved by using a series of tabluated input curves, each at a different constant strain rate. The non-associative flow-rule is used to compute the evolution of the effective plastic strain. Systematic procedures have been developed to determine the values of the various coefficients in the yield function and the flow rule based on the tabulated input data. An algorithm based on the radial return method has been developed to facilitate the numerical implementation of the material
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Cladding failure by local plastic instability
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kramer, J.M.; Deitrich, L.W.
1977-01-01
Cladding failure is one of the major considerations in analysis of fast-reactor fuel pin behavior during hypothetical accident transients since time, location and nature of failure govern the early post-failure material motion and reactivity feedback. Out-of-Pile transient burst tests of both irradiated and unirradiated fast-reactor cladding show that local plastic instability, or bulging, often precedes rupture. To investigate the details of cladding bulging, a perturbation analysis of the equations governing the large deformation of a cylindrical shell has been developed. The overall deformation history is assumed to consist of a small perturbation epsilon of the radial displacement superimposed on large axisymmetric displacements. Computations have been carried out using high temperature properties of stainless steel in conjunction with various constitutive theories, including a generalization of the Endochronic Theory of Plasticity in which both time-independent and time-dependent plastic strains are modeled. Although the results of the calculations are all qualitatively similar, it appears that modeling of both time-independent and time-dependent plastic strains is necessary to interpret the transient burst test results. Sources for bulge formation that have been considered include initial geometric imperfections and thermal perturbations due to either eccentric fuel pellets or non-symmetric cooling. (Auth.)
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Event-Driven Contrastive Divergence for Spiking Neuromorphic Systems
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Emre eNeftci
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs and Deep Belief Networks have been demonstrated to perform efficiently in variety of applications, such as dimensionality reduction, feature learning, and classification. Their implementation on neuromorphic hardware platforms emulating large-scale networks of spiking neurons can have significant advantages from the perspectives of scalability, power dissipation and real-time interfacing with the environment. However the traditional RBM architecture and the commonly used training algorithm known as Contrastive Divergence (CD are based on discrete updates and exact arithmetics which do not directly map onto a dynamical neural substrate. Here, we present an event-driven variation of CD to train a RBM constructed with Integrate & Fire (I&F neurons, that is constrained by the limitations of existing and near future neuromorphic hardware platforms. Our strategy is based on neural sampling, which allows us to synthesize a spiking neural network that samples from a target Boltzmann distribution. The reverberating activity of the network replaces the discrete steps of the CD algorithm, while Spike Time Dependent Plasticity (STDP carries out the weight updates in an online, asynchronous fashion.We demonstrate our approach by training an RBM composed of leaky I&F neurons with STDP synapses to learn a generative model of the MNIST hand-written digit dataset, and by testing it in recognition, generation and cue integration tasks. Our results contribute to a machine learning-driven approach for synthesizing networks of spiking neurons capable of carrying out practical, high-level functionality.
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Event-driven contrastive divergence for spiking neuromorphic systems.
Neftci, Emre; Das, Srinjoy; Pedroni, Bruno; Kreutz-Delgado, Kenneth; Cauwenberghs, Gert
2013-01-01
Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) and Deep Belief Networks have been demonstrated to perform efficiently in a variety of applications, such as dimensionality reduction, feature learning, and classification. Their implementation on neuromorphic hardware platforms emulating large-scale networks of spiking neurons can have significant advantages from the perspectives of scalability, power dissipation and real-time interfacing with the environment. However, the traditional RBM architecture and the commonly used training algorithm known as Contrastive Divergence (CD) are based on discrete updates and exact arithmetics which do not directly map onto a dynamical neural substrate. Here, we present an event-driven variation of CD to train a RBM constructed with Integrate & Fire (I&F) neurons, that is constrained by the limitations of existing and near future neuromorphic hardware platforms. Our strategy is based on neural sampling, which allows us to synthesize a spiking neural network that samples from a target Boltzmann distribution. The recurrent activity of the network replaces the discrete steps of the CD algorithm, while Spike Time Dependent Plasticity (STDP) carries out the weight updates in an online, asynchronous fashion. We demonstrate our approach by training an RBM composed of leaky I&F neurons with STDP synapses to learn a generative model of the MNIST hand-written digit dataset, and by testing it in recognition, generation and cue integration tasks. Our results contribute to a machine learning-driven approach for synthesizing networks of spiking neurons capable of carrying out practical, high-level functionality.
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Plastic strain and flux jumps in hard and composite superconductors
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Maksimov, I.L.; Mints, R.G.
1981-01-01
A study is made into the effect of the critical current density dependence upon the value of plastic strain on the critical state stability in hard and composite superconductors under conditions of plastic yield of the material. Criteria of the critical state stability relative to the jointly developing magnetic flux jumps and plastic strain jerks, are found. (author)
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Advances in neuromorphic hardware exploiting emerging nanoscale devices
2017-01-01
This book covers all major aspects of cutting-edge research in the field of neuromorphic hardware engineering involving emerging nanoscale devices. Special emphasis is given to leading works in hybrid low-power CMOS-Nanodevice design. The book offers readers a bidirectional (top-down and bottom-up) perspective on designing efficient bio-inspired hardware. At the nanodevice level, it focuses on various flavors of emerging resistive memory (RRAM) technology. At the algorithm level, it addresses optimized implementations of supervised and stochastic learning paradigms such as: spike-time-dependent plasticity (STDP), long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD), extreme learning machines (ELM) and early adoptions of restricted Boltzmann machines (RBM) to name a few. The contributions discuss system-level power/energy/parasitic trade-offs, and complex real-world applications. The book is suited for both advanced researchers and students interested in the field.
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Non-uniform plastic deformation of micron scale objects
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Niordson, Christian Frithiof; Hutchinson, J. W.
2003-01-01
Significant increases in apparent flow strength are observed when non-uniform plastic deformation of metals occurs at the scale ranging from roughly one to ten microns. Several basic plane strain problems are analyzed numerically in this paper based on a new formulation of strain gradient...... plasticity. The problems are the tangential and normal loading of a finite rectangular block of material bonded to rigid platens and having traction-free ends, and the normal loading of a half-space by a flat, rigid punch. The solutions illustrate fundamental features of plasticity at the micron scale...... that are not captured by conventional plasticity theory. These include the role of material length parameters in establishing the size dependence of strength and the elevation of resistance to plastic flow resulting from constraint on plastic flow at boundaries. Details of the finite element method employed...
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Recycling of plastic: accounting of greenhouse gases and global warming contributions.
Astrup, Thomas; Fruergaard, Thilde; Christensen, Thomas H
2009-11-01
Major greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to plastic waste recycling were evaluated with respect to three management alternatives: recycling of clean, single-type plastic, recycling of mixed/contaminated plastic, and use of plastic waste as fuel in industrial processes. Source-separated plastic waste was received at a material recovery facility (MRF) and processed for granulation and subsequent downstream use. In the three alternatives, plastic was assumed to be substituting virgin plastic in new products, wood in low-strength products (outdoor furniture, fences, etc.), and coal or fuel oil in the case of energy utilization. GHG accounting was organized in terms of indirect upstream emissions (e.g. provision of energy, fuels, and materials), direct emissions at the MRF (e.g. fuel combustion), and indirect downstream emissions (e.g. avoided emissions from production of virgin plastic, wood, or coal/oil). Combined, upstream and direct emissions were estimated to be roughly between 5 and 600 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne( -1) of plastic waste depending on treatment at the MRF and CO(2) emissions from electricity production. Potential downstream savings arising from substitution of virgin plastic, wood, and energy fuels were estimated to be around 60- 1600 kg CO(2)-eq. tonne( -1) of plastic waste depending on substitution ratios and CO(2) emissions from electricity production. Based on the reviewed data, it was concluded that substitution of virgin plastic should be preferred. If this is not viable due to a mixture of different plastic types and/or contamination, the plastic should be used for energy utilization. Recycling of plastic waste for substitution of other materials such as wood provided no savings with respect to global warming.
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Wyse, Meghan M.; Lei, Jun; Nestor-Kalinoski, Andrea L.; Eisenmann, Kathryn M.
2012-01-01
Tumor cells rely upon membrane pliancy to escape primary lesions and invade secondary metastatic sites. This process relies upon localized assembly and disassembly cycles of F-actin that support and underlie the plasma membrane. Dynamic actin generates both spear-like and bleb structures respectively characterizing mesenchymal and amoeboid motility programs utilized by metastatic cells in three-dimensional matrices. The molecular mechanism and physiological trigger(s) driving membrane plasticity are poorly understood. mDia formins are F-actin assembly factors directing membrane pliancy in motile cells. mDia2 is functionally coupled with its binding partner DIP, regulating cortical actin and inducing membrane blebbing in amoeboid cells. Here we show that mDia2 and DIP co-tether to nascent blebs and this linkage is required for bleb formation. DIP controls mesenchymal/amoeboid cell interconvertability, while CXCL12 induces assembly of mDia2:DIP complexes to bleb cortices in 3D matrices. These results demonstrate how DIP-directed mDia2-dependent F-actin dynamics regulate morphological plasticity in motile cancer cells. PMID:23024796
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Meghan M Wyse
Full Text Available Tumor cells rely upon membrane pliancy to escape primary lesions and invade secondary metastatic sites. This process relies upon localized assembly and disassembly cycles of F-actin that support and underlie the plasma membrane. Dynamic actin generates both spear-like and bleb structures respectively characterizing mesenchymal and amoeboid motility programs utilized by metastatic cells in three-dimensional matrices. The molecular mechanism and physiological trigger(s driving membrane plasticity are poorly understood. mDia formins are F-actin assembly factors directing membrane pliancy in motile cells. mDia2 is functionally coupled with its binding partner DIP, regulating cortical actin and inducing membrane blebbing in amoeboid cells. Here we show that mDia2 and DIP co-tether to nascent blebs and this linkage is required for bleb formation. DIP controls mesenchymal/amoeboid cell interconvertability, while CXCL12 induces assembly of mDia2:DIP complexes to bleb cortices in 3D matrices. These results demonstrate how DIP-directed mDia2-dependent F-actin dynamics regulate morphological plasticity in motile cancer cells.
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Neurogenomic mechanisms of social plasticity.
Cardoso, Sara D; Teles, Magda C; Oliveira, Rui F
2015-01-01
Group-living animals must adjust the expression of their social behaviour to changes in their social environment and to transitions between life-history stages, and this social plasticity can be seen as an adaptive trait that can be under positive selection when changes in the environment outpace the rate of genetic evolutionary change. Here, we propose a conceptual framework for understanding the neuromolecular mechanisms of social plasticity. According to this framework, social plasticity is achieved by rewiring or by biochemically switching nodes of a neural network underlying social behaviour in response to perceived social information. Therefore, at the molecular level, it depends on the social regulation of gene expression, so that different genomic and epigenetic states of this brain network correspond to different behavioural states, and the switches between states are orchestrated by signalling pathways that interface the social environment and the genotype. Different types of social plasticity can be recognized based on the observed patterns of inter- versus intra-individual occurrence, time scale and reversibility. It is proposed that these different types of social plasticity rely on different proximate mechanisms at the physiological, neural and genomic level. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
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Epigenetic Basis of Neuronal and Synaptic Plasticity.
Karpova, Nina N; Sales, Amanda J; Joca, Samia R
2017-01-01
Neuronal network and plasticity change as a function of experience. Altered neural connectivity leads to distinct transcriptional programs of neuronal plasticity-related genes. The environmental challenges throughout life may promote long-lasting reprogramming of gene expression and the development of brain disorders. The modifications in neuronal epigenome mediate gene-environmental interactions and are required for activity-dependent regulation of neuronal differentiation, maturation and plasticity. Here, we highlight the latest advances in understanding the role of the main players of epigenetic machinery (DNA methylation and demethylation, histone modifications, chromatin-remodeling enzymes, transposons, and non-coding RNAs) in activity-dependent and long- term neural and synaptic plasticity. The review focuses on both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression levels, including the processes of promoter activation, alternative splicing, regulation of stability of gene transcripts by natural antisense RNAs, and alternative polyadenylation. Further, we discuss the epigenetic aspects of impaired neuronal plasticity and the pathogenesis of neurodevelopmental (Rett syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, genomic imprinting disorders, schizophrenia, and others), stressrelated (mood disorders) and neurodegenerative Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disorders. The review also highlights the pharmacological compounds that modulate epigenetic programming of gene expression, the potential treatment strategies of discussed brain disorders, and the questions that should be addressed during the development of effective and safe approaches for the treatment of brain disorders.
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Gur, Rotem; Tendler, Alex; Wagner, Shlomo
2014-09-01
Recognition of specific individuals is fundamental to mammalian social behavior and is mediated in most mammals by the main and accessory olfactory systems. Both these systems innervate the medial amygdala (MeA), where activity of the neuropeptide oxytocin is thought to mediate social recognition memory (SRM). The specific contribution of the MeA to SRM formation and the specific actions of oxytocin in the MeA are unknown. We used the social discrimination test to evaluate short-term and long-term SRM in adult Sprague-Dawley male rats (n = 38). The role of protein synthesis in the MeA was investigated by local application of the protein synthesis blocker anisomycin (n = 11). Synaptic plasticity was assessed in vivo by recording the MeA evoked field potential responses to stimulation of the main (n = 21) and accessory (n = 56) olfactory bulbs before and after theta burst stimulation. Intracerebroventricular administration of saline, oxytocin, or oxytocin receptor antagonist was used to measure the effect of oxytocin on synaptic plasticity. Anisomycin application to the MeA prevented the formation of long-term SRM. In addition, the responses of MeA neurons underwent long-term depression (LTD) after theta burst stimulation of the accessory olfactory bulb, but not the main accessory bulb, in an oxytocin-dependent manner. No LTD was found in socially isolated rats, which are known to lack long-term SRM. Finally, accessory olfactory bulb stimulation before SRM acquisition blocked long-term SRM, supporting the involvement of LTD in the MeA in formation of long-term SRM. Our results indicate that long-term SRM in rats involves protein synthesis and oxytocin-dependent LTD in the MeA. Copyright © 2014 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pierre Berthet
2016-07-01
Full Text Available The brain enables animals to behaviourally adapt in order to survive in a complex and dynamic environment, but how reward-oriented behaviours are achieved and computed by its underlying neural circuitry is an open question. To address this concern, we have developed a spiking model of the basal ganglia (BG that learns to dis-inhibit the action leading to a reward despite ongoing changes in the reward schedule. The architecture of the network features the two pathways commonly described in BG, the direct (denoted D1 and the indirect (denoted D2 pathway, as well as a loop involving striatum and the dopaminergic system. The activity of these dopaminergic neurons conveys the reward prediction error (RPE, which determines the magnitude of synaptic plasticity within the different pathways. All plastic connections implement a versatile four-factor learning rule derived from Bayesian inference that depends upon pre- and postsynaptic activity, receptor type and dopamine level. Synaptic weight updates occur in the D1 or D2 pathways depending on the sign of the RPE, and an efference copy informs upstream nuclei about the action selected. We demonstrate successful performance of the system in a multiple-choice learning task with a transiently changing reward schedule. We simulate lesioning of the various pathways and show that a condition without the D2 pathway fares worse than one without D1. Additionally, we simulate the degeneration observed in Parkinson’s disease (PD by decreasing the number of dopaminergic neurons during learning. The results suggest that the D1 pathway impairment in PD might have been overlooked. Furthermore, an analysis of the alterations in the synaptic weights shows that using the absolute reward value instead of the RPE leads to a larger change in D1.
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The Size Spectrum as Tool for Analyzing Marine Plastic Pollution
Martí, E.
2016-12-02
Marine plastic debris spans over six orders of magnitude in lineal size, from microns to meters. The broad range of plastic sizes mainly arises from the continuous photodegradation and fragmentation affecting the plastic objects. Interestingly, this time-dependent process links, to some degree, the size to the age of the debris. The variety of plastic sizes gives the possibility to marine biota to interact and possible take up microplastics through numerous pathways. Physical processes such as sinking and wind-induced transport or the chemical adsorption of contaminants are also closely related to the size and shape of the plastic items. Likewise, available sampling techniques should be considered as partial views of the marine plastic size range. This being so and given that the size is one of the most easily measurable plastic traits, the size spectrum appears as an ideal frame to arrange, integrate, and analyze plastic data of diverse nature. In this work, we examined tens of thousands of plastic items sampled from across the world with the aim of (1) developing and standardizing the size-spectrum tool to study marine plastics, and (2) assembling a global plastic size spectrum (GPSS) database, relating individual size measurements to abundance, color (129 tons), polymer type, and category (rigid fragments, films, threads, foam, pellets, and microbeads). Using GPSS database, we show for instance the dependence of plastic composition on the item size, with high diversity of categories for items larger than 1 cm and a clear dominance (~90%) of hard fragments below, except for the size interval corresponding to microbeads (around 0.5 mm). GPSS database depicts a comprehensive size-based framework for analyzing the marine plastic pollution, enabling the comparison of size-related studies or the testing of hypothesis.
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Learning to learn – intrinsic plasticity as a metaplasticity mechanism for memory formation
Sehgal, Megha; Song, Chenghui; Ehlers, Vanessa L.; Moyer, James R.
2013-01-01
“Use it or lose it” is a popular adage often associated with use-dependent enhancement of cognitive abilities. Much research has focused on understanding exactly how the brain changes as a function of experience. Such experience-dependent plasticity involves both structural and functional alterations that contribute to adaptive behaviors, such as learning and memory, as well as maladaptive behaviors, including anxiety disorders, phobias, and posttraumatic stress disorder. With the advancing age of our population, understanding how use-dependent plasticity changes across the lifespan may also help to promote healthy brain aging. A common misconception is that such experience-dependent plasticity (e.g., associative learning) is synonymous with synaptic plasticity. Other forms of plasticity also play a critical role in shaping adaptive changes within the nervous system, including intrinsic plasticity – a change in the intrinsic excitability of a neuron. Intrinsic plasticity can result from a change in the number, distribution or activity of various ion channels located throughout the neuron. Here, we review evidence that intrinsic plasticity is an important and evolutionarily conserved neural correlate of learning. Intrinsic plasticity acts as a metaplasticity mechanism by lowering the threshold for synaptic changes. Thus, learning-related intrinsic changes can facilitate future synaptic plasticity and learning. Such intrinsic changes can impact the allocation of a memory trace within a brain structure, and when compromised, can contribute to cognitive decline during the aging process. This unique role of intrinsic excitability can provide insight into how memories are formed and, more interestingly, how neurons that participate in a memory trace are selected. Most importantly, modulation of intrinsic excitability can allow for regulation of learning ability – this can prevent or provide treatment for cognitive decline not only in patients with clinical
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Sustainable fibre materials for replacing plastics in 3D-forming applications
Jacobsen, Eirik Ulsaker
2017-01-01
Plastic is a very broad family of materials that may provide a wide array of mechanical properties depending on the plastic or production method in question. This is why many industries have chosen plastic as their material of choice for the production of anything from plastic bags to underground piping. There is, however, a prominent issue concerning the heavy environmental impact of plastic. This is both due to the processing of crude oil and lack of biodegradability which in turn impact na...
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Theory of reversal nonisothermal elastic-plastic deformation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shorr, B.F.
1979-01-01
Considered is approximated theory of nonisothermal elastic-plastic deformation at arbitrary laws of loading, permitting to describe nonisothermal isotropic and anisotropic strengthening of the material, Bauschinger effect and different tempo of plastic deformation development over different directions of loading depending on the deformation prehistory. The comparison of the theory with the experimental data showed good coincidence and sufficient simplicity permits to use it in technical calcualtions
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schnabel, F.
1987-01-01
The present report deals with the influence of time-dependent material behavior on the load-carrying capacity of thin-walled shells of revolution. In the first part various creep-hardening hypotheses as well as the spatial and temporal discretization procedures employed are described. The adaptation of a well-tested finite element method based on ring elements to the treatment of creep problems and several time-integration procedures, in particular the iterative treatment of the coupling between creep and elastic-plastic strains as well as the important aspect of time-step-control are discussed in detail. In the second part several typical shell configurations are analyzed and a comparison with available theoretical and experimental results is made. Finally, the time-dependent load-carrying behavior of torispherical pressure vessel ends subjected to internal and external pressure is investigated and design aids for the determination of creep collapse times are proposed. (orig.) [de
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Kalirin-7 is necessary for normal NMDA receptor-dependent synaptic plasticity
Lemtiri-Chlieh, Fouad; Zhao, Liangfang; Kiraly, Drew D; Eipper, Betty A; Mains, Richard E; Levine, Eric S
2011-01-01
to stimulation is considered to be of paramount importance during the development of synaptic plasticity. Indeed, long-term potentiation (LTP), widely believed to be a cellular correlate of learning and memory, has been repeatedly shown to induce both spine
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Diacylglycerol kinases in the coordination of synaptic plasticity
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dongwon Lee
2016-08-01
Full Text Available Synaptic plasticity is activity-dependent modification of the efficacy of synaptic transmission. Although detailed mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity are diverse and vary at different types of synapses, diacylglycerol (DAG-associated signaling has been considered as an important regulator of many forms of synaptic plasticity, including long-term potentiation (LTP and long-term depression (LTD. Recent evidence indicate that DAG kinases (DGKs, which phosphorylate DAG to phosphatidic acid to terminate DAG signaling, are important regulators of LTP and LTD, as supported by the results from mice lacking specific DGK isoforms. This review will summarize these studies and discuss how specific DGK isoforms distinctly regulate different forms of synaptic plasticity at pre- and postsynaptic sites. In addition, we propose a general role of DGKs as coordinators of synaptic plasticity that make local synaptic environments more permissive for synaptic plasticity by regulating DAG concentration and interacting with other synaptic proteins.
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Pal, P.; Ghosh, A.
2017-07-01
We have studied the charge carrier dynamics in poly(methylmethacrylate)-LiClO4 polymer electrolytes plasticized with different plasticizers such as ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). We have measured the broadband complex conductivity spectra of these electrolytes in the frequency range of 0.01 Hz-3 GHz and in the temperature range of 203 K-363 K and analyzed the conductivity spectra in the framework of the random barrier model by taking into account the contribution of the electrode polarization observed at low frequencies and/or at high temperatures. It is observed that the temperature dependences of the ionic conductivity and relaxation time follow the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher relation for all plasticized electrolytes. We have also performed the scaling of the conductivity spectra, which indicates that the charge carrier dynamics is almost independent of temperature and plasticizers in a limited frequency range. The existence of nearly constant loss in these electrolytes has been observed at low temperatures and/or high frequencies. We have studied the dielectric relaxation in these electrolytes using electric modulus formalism and obtained the stretched exponent and the decay function. We have observed less cooperative ion dynamics in electrolytes plasticized with DMC compared to electrolytes plasticized with EC, PC, and PEG.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sidarta Ribeiro
2007-10-01
Full Text Available Episodic and spatial memories engage the hippocampus during acquisition but migrate to the cerebral cortex over time. We have recently proposed that the interplay between slow-wave (SWS and rapid eye movement (REM sleep propagates recent synaptic changes from the hippocampus to the cortex. To test this theory, we jointly assessed extracellular neuronal activity, local field potentials (LFP, and expression levels of plasticity-related immediate-early genes (IEG arc and zif-268 in rats exposed to novel spatio-tactile experience. Post-experience firing rate increases were strongest in SWS and lasted much longer in the cortex (hours than in the hippocampus (minutes. During REM sleep, firing rates showed strong temporal dependence across brain areas: cortical activation during experience predicted hippocampal activity in the first post-experience hour, while hippocampal activation during experience predicted cortical activity in the third post-experience hour. Four hours after experience, IEG expression was specifically upregulated during REM sleep in the cortex, but not in the hippocampus. Arc gene expression in the cortex was proportional to LFP amplitude in the spindle-range (10-14 Hz but not to firing rates, as expected from signals more related to dendritic input than to somatic output. The results indicate that hippocampo-cortical activation during waking is followed by multiple waves of cortical plasticity as full sleep cycles recur. The absence of equivalent changes in the hippocampus may explain its mnemonic disengagement over time.
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Motor cortical plasticity in Parkinson's disease.
Udupa, Kaviraja; Chen, Robert
2013-09-04
In Parkinson's disease (PD), there are alterations of the basal ganglia (BG) thalamocortical networks, primarily due to degeneration of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. These changes in subcortical networks lead to plastic changes in primary motor cortex (M1), which mediates cortical motor output and is a potential target for treatment of PD. Studies investigating the motor cortical plasticity using non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have found altered plasticity in PD, but there are inconsistencies among these studies. This is likely because plasticity depends on many factors such as the extent of dopaminergic loss and disease severity, response to dopaminergic replacement therapies, development of l-DOPA-induced dyskinesias (LID), the plasticity protocol used, medication, and stimulation status in patients treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS). The influences of LID and DBS on BG and M1 plasticity have been explored in animal models and in PD patients. In addition, many other factors such age, genetic factors (e.g., brain derived neurotropic factor and other neurotransmitters or receptors polymorphism), emotional state, time of the day, physical fitness have been documented to play role in the extent of plasticity induced by TMS in human studies. In this review, we summarize the studies that investigated M1 plasticity in PD and demonstrate how these afore-mentioned factors affect motor cortical plasticity in PD. We conclude that it is important to consider the clinical, demographic, and technical factors that influence various plasticity protocols while developing these protocols as diagnostic or prognostic tools in PD. We also discuss how the modulation of cortical excitability and the plasticity with these non-invasive brain stimulation techniques facilitate the understanding of the pathophysiology of PD and help design potential therapeutic possibilities in this disorder.
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Mizusaki, Beatriz E. P.; Agnes, Everton J.; Erichsen, Rubem; Brunnet, Leonardo G.
2017-08-01
The plastic character of brain synapses is considered to be one of the foundations for the formation of memories. There are numerous kinds of such phenomenon currently described in the literature, but their role in the development of information pathways in neural networks with recurrent architectures is still not completely clear. In this paper we study the role of an activity-based process, called pre-synaptic dependent homeostatic scaling, in the organization of networks that yield precise-timed spiking patterns. It encodes spatio-temporal information in the synaptic weights as it associates a learned input with a specific response. We introduce a correlation measure to evaluate the precision of the spiking patterns and explore the effects of different inhibitory interactions and learning parameters. We find that large learning periods are important in order to improve the network learning capacity and discuss this ability in the presence of distinct inhibitory currents.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Elisa M. Nabel
2013-11-01
Full Text Available Early temporary windows of heightened brain plasticity called critical periods developmentally sculpt neural circuits and contribute to adult behavior. Regulatory mechanisms of visual cortex development –the preeminent model of experience-dependent critical period plasticity- actively limit adult plasticity and have proved fruitful therapeutic targets to reopen plasticity and rewire faulty visual system connections later in life. Interestingly, these molecular mechanisms have been implicated in the regulation of plasticity in other functions beyond vision. Applying mechanistic understandings of critical period plasticity in the visual cortex to fear circuitry may provide a conceptual framework for developing novel therapeutic tools to mitigate aberrant fear responses in post traumatic stress disorder. In this review, we turn to the model of experience-dependent visual plasticity to provide novel insights for the mechanisms regulating plasticity in the fear system. Fear circuitry, particularly fear memory erasure, also undergoes age-related changes in experience-dependent plasticity. We consider the contributions of molecular brakes that halt visual critical period plasticity to circuitry underlying fear memory erasure. A major molecular brake in the visual cortex, perineuronal net formation, recently has been identified in the development of fear systems that are resilient to fear memory erasure. The roles of other molecular brakes, myelin-related Nogo receptor signaling and Lynx family proteins– endogenous inhibitors for nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, are explored in the context of fear memory plasticity. Such fear plasticity regulators, including epigenetic effects, provide promising targets for therapeutic interventions.
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Phyllosphere yeasts rapidly break down biodegradable plastics.
Kitamoto, Hiroko K; Shinozaki, Yukiko; Cao, Xiao-Hong; Morita, Tomotake; Konishi, Masaaki; Tago, Kanako; Kajiwara, Hideyuki; Koitabashi, Motoo; Yoshida, Shigenobu; Watanabe, Takashi; Sameshima-Yamashita, Yuka; Nakajima-Kambe, Toshiaki; Tsushima, Seiya
2011-11-29
The use of biodegradable plastics can reduce the accumulation of environmentally persistent plastic wastes. The rate of degradation of biodegradable plastics depends on environmental conditions and is highly variable. Techniques for achieving more consistent degradation are needed. However, only a few microorganisms involved in the degradation process have been isolated so far from the environment. Here, we show that Pseudozyma spp. yeasts, which are common in the phyllosphere and are easily isolated from plant surfaces, displayed strong degradation activity on films made from poly-butylene succinate or poly-butylene succinate-co-adipate. Strains of P. antarctica isolated from leaves and husks of paddy rice displayed strong degradation activity on these films at 30°C. The type strain, P. antarctica JCM 10317, and Pseudozyma spp. strains from phyllosphere secreted a biodegradable plastic-degrading enzyme with a molecular mass of about 22 kDa. Reliable source of biodegradable plastic-degrading microorganisms are now in our hands.
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Phyllosphere yeasts rapidly break down biodegradable plastics
2011-01-01
The use of biodegradable plastics can reduce the accumulation of environmentally persistent plastic wastes. The rate of degradation of biodegradable plastics depends on environmental conditions and is highly variable. Techniques for achieving more consistent degradation are needed. However, only a few microorganisms involved in the degradation process have been isolated so far from the environment. Here, we show that Pseudozyma spp. yeasts, which are common in the phyllosphere and are easily isolated from plant surfaces, displayed strong degradation activity on films made from poly-butylene succinate or poly-butylene succinate-co-adipate. Strains of P. antarctica isolated from leaves and husks of paddy rice displayed strong degradation activity on these films at 30°C. The type strain, P. antarctica JCM 10317, and Pseudozyma spp. strains from phyllosphere secreted a biodegradable plastic-degrading enzyme with a molecular mass of about 22 kDa. Reliable source of biodegradable plastic-degrading microorganisms are now in our hands. PMID:22126328
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Shobe, Justin L; Zhao, Yali; Stough, Shara; Ye, Xiaojing; Hsuan, Vickie; Martin, Kelsey C; Carew, Thomas J
2009-01-15
An activity-dependent form of intermediate memory (AD-ITM) for sensitization is induced in Aplysia by a single tail shock that gives rise to plastic changes (AD-ITF) in tail sensory neurons (SNs) via the interaction of action potential firing in the SN coupled with the release of serotonin in the CNS. Activity-dependent long-term facilitation (AD-LTF, lasting >24hr) requires protein synthesis dependent persistent mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation and translocation to the SN nucleus. We now show that the induction of the earlier temporal phase (AD-ITM and AD-ITF), which is translation and transcription independent, requires the activation of a compartmentally distinct novel signaling cascade that links second messengers, MAPK and PKC into a unified pathway within tail SNs. Since both AD-ITM and AD-LTM require MAPK activity, these collective findings suggest that presynaptic SNs route the flow of molecular information to distinct subcellular compartments during the induction of activity-dependent long-lasting memories.
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Yang, Liya; Zou, Bende; Xiong, Xiaoxing; Pascual, Conrado; Xie, James; Malik, Adam; Xie, Julian; Sakurai, Takeshi; Xie, Xinmin Simon
2013-03-20
Hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt)-producing neurons in the lateral hypothalamus project throughout the brain, including to the hippocampus, where Hcrt receptors are widely expressed. Hcrt neurons activate these targets to orchestrate global arousal state, wake-sleep architecture, energy homeostasis, stress adaptation, and reward behaviors. Recently, Hcrt has been implicated in cognitive functions and social interaction. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that Hcrt neurons are critical to social interaction, particularly social memory, using neurobehavioral assessment and electrophysiological approaches. The validated "two-enclosure homecage test" devices and procedure were used to test sociability, preference for social novelty (social novelty), and recognition memory. A conventional direct contact social test was conducted to corroborate the findings. We found that adult orexin/ataxin-3-transgenic (AT) mice, in which Hcrt neurons degenerate by 3 months of age, displayed normal sociability and social novelty with respect to their wild-type littermates. However, AT mice displayed deficits in long-term social memory. Nasal administration of exogenous Hcrt-1 restored social memory to an extent in AT mice. Hippocampal slices taken from AT mice exhibited decreases in degree of paired-pulse facilitation and magnitude of long-term potentiation, despite displaying normal basal synaptic neurotransmission in the CA1 area compared to wild-type hippocampal slices. AT hippocampi had lower levels of phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB), an activity-dependent transcription factor important for synaptic plasticity and long-term memory storage. Our studies demonstrate that Hcrt neurons play an important role in the consolidation of social recognition memory, at least in part through enhancements of hippocampal synaptic plasticity and cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation.
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Compensatory plasticity: time matters
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Latifa eLazzouni
2014-06-01
Full Text Available Plasticity in the human and animal brain is the rule, the base for development, and the way to deal effectively with the environment for making the most efficient use of all the senses. When the brain is deprived of one sensory modality, plasticity becomes compensatory: the exception that invalidates the general loss hypothesis giving the opportunity of effective change. Sensory deprivation comes with massive alterations in brain structure and function, behavioural outcomes, and neural interactions. Blind individuals do as good as the sighted and even more, show superior abilities in auditory, tactile and olfactory processing. This behavioural enhancement is accompanied with changes in occipital cortex function, where visual areas at different levels become responsive to non-visual information. The intact senses are in general used more efficiently in the blind but are also used more exclusively. New findings are disentangling these two aspects of compensatory plasticity. What is due to visual deprivation and what is dependent on the extended use of spared modalities? The latter seems to contribute highly to compensatory changes in the congenitally blind. Short term deprivation through the use of blindfolds shows that cortical excitability of the visual cortex is likely to show rapid modulatory changes after few minutes of light deprivation and therefore changes are possible in adulthood. However, reorganization remains more pronounced in the congenitally blind. Cortico-cortical pathways between visual areas and the areas of preserved sensory modalities are inhibited in the presence of vision, but are unmasked after loss of vision or blindfolding as a mechanism likely to drive cross-modal information to the deafferented visual cortex. Plasticity in the blind is also accompanied with neurochemical and morphological changes; both intrinsic connectivity and functional coupling at rest are altered but are likewise dependent on different sensory
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Leroy, Felix; Brann, David H; Meira, Torcato; Siegelbaum, Steven A
2017-08-30
Input-timing-dependent plasticity (ITDP) is a circuit-based synaptic learning rule by which paired activation of entorhinal cortical (EC) and Schaffer collateral (SC) inputs to hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons (PNs) produces a long-term enhancement of SC excitation. We now find that paired stimulation of EC and SC inputs also induces ITDP of SC excitation of CA2 PNs. However, whereas CA1 ITDP results from long-term depression of feedforward inhibition (iLTD) as a result of activation of CB1 endocannabinoid receptors on cholecystokinin-expressing interneurons, CA2 ITDP results from iLTD through activation of δ-opioid receptors on parvalbumin-expressing interneurons. Furthermore, whereas CA1 ITDP has been previously linked to enhanced specificity of contextual memory, we find that CA2 ITDP is associated with enhanced social memory. Thus, ITDP may provide a general synaptic learning rule for distinct forms of hippocampal-dependent memory mediated by distinct hippocampal regions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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The Plastic Potential, Double-slip, Double-spin and Viscoplasticity
Harris, David
2010-05-01
In this paper we describe two classical models for rate-independent behaviour of granular materials, namely the plastic potential and the double shearing model, emphasising their ill-posedness. We then describe a model, called the doubleslip and double-spin model which generalises the plastic potential model and is closely related to the double shearing model. This new model eliminates the causes of the ill-posedness in the classical models and provides a suitable basis for the analysis of the deformation and flow of granular materials in the rate-independent regime. There has been considerable recent interest in the intermediate regime between densely-packed, rate-independent, quasistatic flow and the rate-dependent dilute gaseous regime. In this intermediate regime the material also exhibits a degree of ratedependence. The natural extension of a rate-independent plasticity model to incorporate rate-dependent material behaviour is by way of viscoplasticity. The archetypal example here is the Bingham material which generalises a von Mises type plasticity model and introduces a viscosity parameter into the model. We propose an extension of the double-slip and double-spin model to incorporate viscosity, thereby extending the range of the model to incorporate rate-dependent behaviour. The new model is then applied to a simplified problem of pipe flow.
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Rigid-plastic seismic design of reinforced concrete structures
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Costa, Joao Domingues; Bento, R.; Levtchitch, V.
2007-01-01
structural strength with respect to a pre-defined performance parameter using a rigid-plastic response spectrum, which is characteristic of the ground motion alone. The maximum strength demand at any point is solely dependent on the intensity of the ground motion, which facilitates the task of distributing......In this paper a new seismic design procedure for Reinforced Concrete (R/C) structures is proposed-the Rigid-Plastic Seismic Design (RPSD) method. This is a design procedure based on Non-Linear Time-History Analysis (NLTHA) for systems expected to perform in the non-linear range during a lifetime...... earthquake event. The theoretical background is the Theory of Plasticity (Rigid-Plastic Structures). Firstly, a collapse mechanism is chosen and the corresponding stress field is made safe outside the regions where plastic behaviour takes place. It is shown that this allows the determination of the required...
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Pathological Plasticity in Fragile X Syndrome
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Brandon S. Martin
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Deficits in neuronal plasticity are common hallmarks of many neurodevelopmental disorders. In the case of fragile-X syndrome (FXS, disruption in the function of a single gene, FMR1, results in a variety of neurological consequences directly related to problems with the development, maintenance, and capacity of plastic neuronal networks. In this paper, we discuss current research illustrating the mechanisms underlying plasticity deficits in FXS. These processes include synaptic, cell intrinsic, and homeostatic mechanisms both dependent on and independent of abnormal metabotropic glutamate receptor transmission. We place particular emphasis on how identified deficits may play a role in developmental critical periods to produce neuronal networks with permanently decreased capacity to dynamically respond to changes in activity central to learning, memory, and cognition in patients with FXS. Characterizing early developmental deficits in plasticity is fundamental to develop therapies that not only treat symptoms but also minimize the developmental pathology of the disease.
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Lim, Chae-Seok; Hoang, Elizabeth T.; Viar, Kenneth E.; Stornetta, Ruth L.; Scott, Michael M.; Zhu, J. Julius
2014-01-01
Fragile X syndrome, caused by the loss of Fmr1 gene function, is the most common form of inherited mental retardation. Lim et al. find that compounds activating serotonin (5HT) subtype 2B receptors or dopamine (DA) subtype 1-like receptors and those inhibiting 5HT2A-Rs or D2-Rs enhance Ras signaling, GluA1-dependent synaptic plasticity, and learning in Fmr1 knockout mice. Combining 5HT and DA compounds at low doses synergistically restored normal learning. This suggests that properly dosed an...
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Production of Methane and Water from Crew Plastic Waste
Captain, Janine; Santiago, Eddie; Parrish, Clyde; Strayer, Richard F.; Garland, Jay L.
2008-01-01
Recycling is a technology that will be key to creating a self sustaining lunar outpost. The plastics used for food packaging provide a source of material that could be recycled to produce water and methane. The recycling of these plastics will require some additional resources that will affect the initial estimate of starting materials that will have to be transported from earth, mainly oxygen, energy and mass. These requirements will vary depending on the recycling conditions. The degredation products of these plastics will vary under different atmospheric conditions. An estimate of the the production rate of methane and water using typical ISRU processes along with the plastic recycling will be presented.
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Field based plastic contamination sensing
The United States has a long-held reputation of being a dependable source of high quality, contaminant-free cotton. Recently, increased incidence of plastic contamination from sources such as shopping bags, vegetable mulch, surface irrigation tubing, and module covers has threatened the reputation o...
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Dynamic plastic buckling of rings and cylindrical shells
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jones, N.; Okawa, D.M.
1975-01-01
A theoretical analysis is developed to predict the dynamic plastic buckling of a long, impulsively loaded cylindrical shell. This theoretical work is used to examine various features of plastic buckling and to assess the importance of several approximations which previous authors have introduced in dynamic plastic buckling studies. In particular, the influence of a time-dependent circumferential membrane force, the sharpness of the peaks in the displacement and velocity amplification functions, the restrictions which are implicit when employing the Prandtl-Reuss equations in this class of problems, and the limitations due to elastic unloading are examined in some detail. (Auth.)
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Integrated neuron circuit for implementing neuromorphic system with synaptic device
Lee, Jeong-Jun; Park, Jungjin; Kwon, Min-Woo; Hwang, Sungmin; Kim, Hyungjin; Park, Byung-Gook
2018-02-01
In this paper, we propose and fabricate Integrate & Fire neuron circuit for implementing neuromorphic system. Overall operation of the circuit is verified by measuring discrete devices and the output characteristics of the circuit. Since the neuron circuit shows asymmetric output characteristic that can drive synaptic device with Spike-Timing-Dependent-Plasticity (STDP) characteristic, the autonomous weight update process is also verified by connecting the synaptic device and the neuron circuit. The timing difference of the pre-neuron and the post-neuron induce autonomous weight change of the synaptic device. Unlike 2-terminal devices, which is frequently used to implement neuromorphic system, proposed scheme of the system enables autonomous weight update and simple configuration by using 4-terminal synapse device and appropriate neuron circuit. Weight update process in the multi-layer neuron-synapse connection ensures implementation of the hardware-based artificial intelligence, based on Spiking-Neural- Network (SNN).
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A strain gradient plasticity theory with application to wire torsion
Liu, J. X.
2014-06-05
Based on the framework of the existing strain gradient plasticity theories, we have examined three kinds of relations for the plastic strain dependence of the material intrinsic length scale, and thus developed updated strain gradient plasticity versions with deformation-dependent characteristic length scales. Wire torsion test is taken as an example to assess existing and newly built constitutive equations. For torsion tests, with increasing plastic strain, a constant intrinsic length predicts too high a torque, while a decreasing intrinsic length scale can produce better predictions instead of the increasing one, different from some published observations. If the Taylor dislocation rule is written in the Nix-Gao form, the derived constitutive equations become singular when the hardening exponent gets close to zero, which seems questionable and calls for further experimental clarifications on the exact coupling of hardening due to statistically stored dislocations and geometrically necessary dislocations. Particularly, when comparing the present model with the mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity, the present model satisfies the reciprocity relation naturally and gives different predictions even under the same parameter setting. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.
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Computational description of nanocrystalline deformation based on crystal plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Fu, H.-H.; Benson, David J.; Andre Meyers, Marc
2004-01-01
The effect of grain size on the mechanical response of polycrystalline metals was investigated computationally and applied to the nanocrystalline domain. A phenomenological constitutive description is adopted to build the computational crystal model. Two approaches are implemented. In the first, the material is envisaged as a composite; the grain interior is modeled as a monocrystalline core surrounded by a mantle (grain boundary) with a lower yield stress and higher work hardening rate response. Both a quasi-isotropic and crystal plasticity approaches are used to simulate the grain interiors. The grain boundary is modeled either by an isotropic Voce equation (Model I) or by crystal plasticity (Model II). Elastic and plastic anisotropy are incorporated into this simulation. An implicit Eulerian finite element formulation with von Mises plasticity or rate dependent crystal plasticity is used to study the nonuniform deformation and localized plastic flow. The computational predictions are compared with the experimentally determined mechanical response of copper with grain sizes of 1 μm and 26 nm. Shear localization is observed during work hardening in view of the inhomogeneous mechanical response. In the second approach, the use of a continuous change in mechanical response, expressed by the magnitude of the maximum shear stress orientation gradient, is introduced. It is shown that the magnitude of the gradient is directly dependent on grain size. This gradient term is inserted into a constitutive equation that predicts the local stress-strain evolution
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Lubliner, Jacob
2008-01-01
The aim of Plasticity Theory is to provide a comprehensive introduction to the contemporary state of knowledge in basic plasticity theory and to its applications. It treats several areas not commonly found between the covers of a single book: the physics of plasticity, constitutive theory, dynamic plasticity, large-deformation plasticity, and numerical methods, in addition to a representative survey of problems treated by classical methods, such as elastic-plastic problems, plane plastic flow, and limit analysis; the problem discussed come from areas of interest to mechanical, structural, and
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Allyson P Mackey
2012-08-01
Full Text Available Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI techniques have made it possible to investigate white matter plasticity in humans. Changes in DTI measures, principally increases in fractional anisotropy (FA, have been observed following training programs as diverse as juggling, meditation, and working memory. Here, we sought to test whether three months of reasoning training could alter white matter microstructure. We recruited participants (n=23 who were enrolled in a course to prepare for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT, a test that places strong demands on reasoning skills, as well as age- and IQ-matched controls planning to take the LSAT in the future (n=22. DTI data were collected at two scan sessions scheduled three months apart. In trained participants but not controls, we observed decreases in radial diffusivity (RD in white matter connecting frontal cortices, and in mean diffusivity (MD within frontal and parietal lobe white matter. Further, participants exhibiting larger gains on the LSAT exhibited greater decreases in MD in the right internal capsule. In summary, reasoning training altered multiple measures of white matter structure in young adults. While the cellular underpinnings are unknown, these results provide evidence of experience-dependent white matter changes that may not be limited to myelination.
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Motor cortical plasticity in Parkinson’s disease
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kaviraja eUdupa
2013-09-01
Full Text Available In Parkinson’s disease (PD, there are alterations of the basal ganglia (BG thalamo-cortical networks, primarily due to degeneration of nigrostrial dopaminergic neurons. These changes in subcortical networks lead to plastic changes in primary motor cortex (M1, which mediates cortical motor output and is a potential target for treatment of PD. Studies investigating the motor cortical plasticity using non-invasive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS have found altered plasticity in PD, but there are inconsistencies among these studies. This is likely because plasticity depends on many factors such as the extent of dopaminergic loss and disease severity, response to dopaminergic replacement therapies, development of L-dopa-induced dyskinesias (LID, the plasticity protocol used, medication and stimulation status in patients treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS. The influences of LID and DBS on BG and M1 plasticity have been explored in animal models and in PD patients. In addition, many other factors such age, genetic factors (e.g. brain derived neurotropic factor and other neurotransmitters or receptors polymorphism, emotional state, time of the day, physical fitness have been documented to play role in the extent of plasticity induced by TMS in human studies. In this review, we summarize the studies that investigated M1 plasticity in PD and demonstrate how these afore-mentioned factors affect motor cortical plasticity in PD. We conclude that it is important to consider the clinical, demographic and technical factors that influence various plasticity protocols while developing these protocols as diagnostic or prognostic tools in PD. We also discuss how the modulation of cortical excitability and the plasticity with these non-invasive brain stimulation techniques facilitate the understanding of the pathophysiology of PD and help design potential therapeutic possibilities in this disorder.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Paul Miller
2010-06-01
Full Text Available Adults with sensory impairment, such as reduced hearing acuity, have impaired ability to recall identifiable words, even when their memory is otherwise normal. We hypothesize that poorer stimulus quality causes weaker activity in neurons responsive to the stimulus and more time to elapse between stimulus onset and identification. The weaker activity and increased delay to stimulus identification reduce the necessary strengthening of connections between neurons active before stimulus presentation and neurons active at the time of stimulus identification. We test our hypothesis through a biologically motivated computational model, which performs item recognition, memory formation and memory retrieval. In our simulations, spiking neurons are distributed into pools representing either items or context, in two separate, but connected winner-takes-all (WTA networks. We include associative, Hebbian learning, by comparing multiple forms of spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP, which strengthen synapses between coactive neurons during stimulus identification. Synaptic strengthening by STDP can be sufficient to reactivate neurons during recall if their activity during a prior stimulus rose strongly and rapidly. We find that a single poor quality stimulus impairs recall of neighboring stimuli as well as the weak stimulus itself. We demonstrate that within the WTA paradigm of word recognition, reactivation of separate, connected sets of non-word, context cells permits reverse recall. Also, only with such coactive context cells, does slowing the rate of stimulus presentation increase recall probability. We conclude that significant temporal overlap of neural activity patterns, absent from individual WTA networks, is necessary to match behavioral data for word recall.
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Deshpande, VS; Needleman, A; Van der Giessen, E; Deshpande, V.S.
2005-01-01
The initiation of frictional sliding between a flat-bottomed indenter and a planar single crystal substrate is analyzed using discrete dislocation plasticity. Plastic deformation is modeled through the motion of edge dislocations in an elastic solid with the lattice resistance to dislocation motion,
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CCR5 is a suppressor for cortical plasticity and hippocampal learning and memory.
Zhou, Miou; Greenhill, Stuart; Huang, Shan; Silva, Tawnie K; Sano, Yoshitake; Wu, Shumin; Cai, Ying; Nagaoka, Yoshiko; Sehgal, Megha; Cai, Denise J; Lee, Yong-Seok; Fox, Kevin; Silva, Alcino J
2016-12-20
Although the role of CCR5 in immunity and in HIV infection has been studied widely, its role in neuronal plasticity, learning and memory is not understood. Here, we report that decreasing the function of CCR5 increases MAPK/CREB signaling, long-term potentiation (LTP), and hippocampus-dependent memory in mice, while neuronal CCR5 overexpression caused memory deficits. Decreasing CCR5 function in mouse barrel cortex also resulted in enhanced spike timing dependent plasticity and consequently, dramatically accelerated experience-dependent plasticity. These results suggest that CCR5 is a powerful suppressor for plasticity and memory, and CCR5 over-activation by viral proteins may contribute to HIV-associated cognitive deficits. Consistent with this hypothesis, the HIV V3 peptide caused LTP, signaling and memory deficits that were prevented by Ccr5 knockout or knockdown. Overall, our results demonstrate that CCR5 plays an important role in neuroplasticity, learning and memory, and indicate that CCR5 has a role in the cognitive deficits caused by HIV.
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Emergent Auditory Feature Tuning in a Real-Time Neuromorphic VLSI System.
Sheik, Sadique; Coath, Martin; Indiveri, Giacomo; Denham, Susan L; Wennekers, Thomas; Chicca, Elisabetta
2012-01-01
Many sounds of ecological importance, such as communication calls, are characterized by time-varying spectra. However, most neuromorphic auditory models to date have focused on distinguishing mainly static patterns, under the assumption that dynamic patterns can be learned as sequences of static ones. In contrast, the emergence of dynamic feature sensitivity through exposure to formative stimuli has been recently modeled in a network of spiking neurons based on the thalamo-cortical architecture. The proposed network models the effect of lateral and recurrent connections between cortical layers, distance-dependent axonal transmission delays, and learning in the form of Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP), which effects stimulus-driven changes in the pattern of network connectivity. In this paper we demonstrate how these principles can be efficiently implemented in neuromorphic hardware. In doing so we address two principle problems in the design of neuromorphic systems: real-time event-based asynchronous communication in multi-chip systems, and the realization in hybrid analog/digital VLSI technology of neural computational principles that we propose underlie plasticity in neural processing of dynamic stimuli. The result is a hardware neural network that learns in real-time and shows preferential responses, after exposure, to stimuli exhibiting particular spectro-temporal patterns. The availability of hardware on which the model can be implemented, makes this a significant step toward the development of adaptive, neurobiologically plausible, spike-based, artificial sensory systems.
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Emergent auditory feature tuning in a real-time neuromorphic VLSI system
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sadique eSheik
2012-02-01
Full Text Available Many sounds of ecological importance, such as communication calls, are characterised by time-varying spectra. However, most neuromorphic auditory models to date have focused on distinguishing mainly static patterns, under the assumption that dynamic patterns can be learned as sequences of static ones. In contrast, the emergence of dynamic feature sensitivity through exposure to formative stimuli has been recently modeled in a network of spiking neurons based on the thalamocortical architecture. The proposed network models the effect of lateral and recurrent connections between cortical layers, distance-dependent axonal transmission delays, and learning in the form of Spike Timing Dependent Plasticity (STDP, which effects stimulus-driven changes in the pattern of network connectivity. In this paper we demonstrate how these principles can be efficiently implemented in neuromorphic hardware. In doing so we address two principle problems in the design of neuromorphic systems: real-time event-based asynchronous communication in multi-chip systems, and the realization in hybrid analog/digital VLSI technology of neural computational principles that we propose underlie plasticity in neural processing of dynamic stimuli. The result is a hardware neural network that learns in real-time and shows preferential responses, after exposure, to stimuli exhibiting particular spectrotemporal patterns. The availability of hardware on which the model can be implemented, makes this a significant step towards the development of adaptive, neurobiologically plausible, spike-based, artificial sensory systems.
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kim, Gwang Ung
1988-01-15
This book introduces engineering plastic about advantage of engineering plastic, plastic material from processing method, plastic shock, plastic until now, background of making of engineering plastic, wonderful engineering plastic science such as a high molecule and molecule, classification of high molecule, difference between metal and high molecule, heat and high molecule materials, and property of surface, engineering plastic of dream like from linseed oil to aramid, small dictionary of engineering plastic.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kim, Gwang Ung
1988-01-01
This book introduces engineering plastic about advantage of engineering plastic, plastic material from processing method, plastic shock, plastic until now, background of making of engineering plastic, wonderful engineering plastic science such as a high molecule and molecule, classification of high molecule, difference between metal and high molecule, heat and high molecule materials, and property of surface, engineering plastic of dream like from linseed oil to aramid, small dictionary of engineering plastic.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Faramarz eFaghihi
2015-04-01
Full Text Available Synapses act as information filters by different molecular mechanisms including retrograde messenger that affect neuronal spiking activity. One of the well-known effects of retrograde messenger in presynaptic neurons is a change of the probability of neurotransmitter release. Hebbian learning describe a strengthening of a synapse between a presynaptic input onto a postsynaptic neuron when both pre- and postsynaptic neurons are coactive. In this work, a theory of homeostatic regulation of neurotransmitter release by retrograde messenger and Hebbian plasticity in neuronal encoding is presented. Encoding efficiency was measured for different synaptic conditions. In order to gain high encoding efficiency, the spiking pattern of a neuron should be dependent on the intensity of the input and show low levels of noise. In this work, we represent spiking trains as zeros and ones (corresponding to non-spike or spike in a time bin, respectively as words with length equal to three. Then the frequency of each word (here eight words is measured using spiking trains. These frequencies are used to measure neuronal efficiency in different conditions and for different parameter values. Results show that neurons that have synapses acting as band-pass filters show the highest efficiency to encode their input when both Hebbian mechanism and homeostatic regulation of neurotransmitter release exist in synapses. Specifically, the integration of homeostatic regulation of feedback inhibition with Hebbian mechanism and homeostatic regulation of neurotransmitter release in the synapses leads to even higher efficiency when high stimulus intensity is presented to the neurons. However, neurons with synapses acting as high-pass filters show no remarkable increase in encoding efficiency for all simulated synaptic plasticity mechanisms.
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Shoshan, Noa; Segev, Amir; Abush, Hila; Mizrachi Zer-Aviv, Tomer; Akirav, Irit
2017-10-01
Exposure to excessive or uncontrolled stress is a major factor associated with various diseases including posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The consequences of exposure to trauma are affected not only by aspects of the event itself, but also by the frequency and severity of trauma reminders. It was suggested that in PTSD, hippocampal-dependent memory is compromised while amygdala-dependent memory is strengthened. Several lines of evidence support the role of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system as a modulator of the stress response. In this study we aimed to examine cannabinoids modulation of the long-term effects (i.e., 1 month) of exposure to a traumatic event on memory and plasticity in the hippocampus and amygdala. Following exposure to the shock and reminders model of PTSD in an inhibitory avoidance light-dark apparatus rats demonstrated: (i) enhanced fear retrieval and impaired inhibitory extinction (Ext), (ii) no long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1, (iii) impaired hippocampal-dependent short-term memory in the object location task, (iv) enhanced LTP in the amygdala, and (v) enhanced amygdala-dependent conditioned taste aversion memory. The cannabinoid CB1/2 receptor agonist WIN55-212,2 (0.5mg/kg, i.p.) and the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) inhibitor URB597 (0.3mg/kg, i.p.), administered 2 hr after shock exposure prevented these opposing effects on hippocampal- and amygdala-dependent processes. Moreover, the effects of WIN55-212,2 and URB597 on Ext and acoustic startle were prevented by co-administration of a low dose of the CB1 receptor antagonist AM251 (0.5mg/kg, i.p.), suggesting that the preventing effects of both drugs are mediated by CB1 receptors. Exposure to shock and reminders increased CB1 receptor levels in the CA1 and basolateral amygdala 1 month after shock exposure and this increase was also prevented by administering WIN55-212,2 or URB597. Taken together, these findings suggest the involvement of the eCB system, and specifically CB1
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Developmental plasticity and the evolution of parental effects.
Uller, Tobias
2008-08-01
One of the outstanding challenges for evolutionary biologists is to understand how developmental plasticity can influence the evolutionary process. Developmental plasticity frequently involves parental effects, which might enable adaptive and context-dependent transgenerational transmission of phenotypic strategies. However, parent-offspring conflict will frequently result in parental effects that are suboptimal for parents, offspring or both. The fitness consequences of parental effects at evolutionary equilibrium will depend on how conflicts can be resolved by modifications of developmental processes, suggesting that proximate studies of development can inform ultimate questions. Furthermore, recent studies of plants and animals show how studies of parental effects in an ecological context provide important insights into the origin and evolution of adaptation under variable environmental conditions.
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Synaptic plasticity, memory and the hippocampus: a neural network approach to causality.
Neves, Guilherme; Cooke, Sam F; Bliss, Tim V P
2008-01-01
Two facts about the hippocampus have been common currency among neuroscientists for several decades. First, lesions of the hippocampus in humans prevent the acquisition of new episodic memories; second, activity-dependent synaptic plasticity is a prominent feature of hippocampal synapses. Given this background, the hypothesis that hippocampus-dependent memory is mediated, at least in part, by hippocampal synaptic plasticity has seemed as cogent in theory as it has been difficult to prove in practice. Here we argue that the recent development of transgenic molecular devices will encourage a shift from mechanistic investigations of synaptic plasticity in single neurons towards an analysis of how networks of neurons encode and represent memory, and we suggest ways in which this might be achieved. In the process, the hypothesis that synaptic plasticity is necessary and sufficient for information storage in the brain may finally be validated.
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Xanthos, Dirk; Walker, Tony R
2017-05-15
Marine plastic pollution has been a growing concern for decades. Single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads) are a significant source of this pollution. Although research outlining environmental, social, and economic impacts of marine plastic pollution is growing, few studies have examined policy and legislative tools to reduce plastic pollution, particularly single-use plastics (plastic bags and microbeads). This paper reviews current international market-based strategies and policies to reduce plastic bags and microbeads. While policies to reduce microbeads began in 2014, interventions for plastic bags began much earlier in 1991. However, few studies have documented or measured the effectiveness of these reduction strategies. Recommendations to further reduce single-use plastic marine pollution include: (i) research to evaluate effectiveness of bans and levies to ensure policies are having positive impacts on marine environments; and (ii) education and outreach to reduce consumption of plastic bags and microbeads at source. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Short-term ionic plasticity at GABAergic synapses
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Joseph Valentino Raimondo
2012-10-01
Full Text Available Fast synaptic inhibition in the brain is mediated by the pre-synaptic release of the neurotransmitter γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA and the post-synaptic activation of GABA-sensitive ionotropic receptors. As with excitatory synapses, it is being increasinly appreciated that a variety of plastic processes occur at inhibitory synapses, which operate over a range of timescales. Here we examine a form of activity-dependent plasticity that is somewhat unique to GABAergic transmission. This involves short-lasting changes to the ionic driving force for the postsynaptic receptors, a process referred to as short-term ionic plasticity. These changes are directly related to the history of activity at inhibitory synapses and are influenced by a variety of factors including the location of the synapse and the post-synaptic cell’s ion regulation mechanisms. We explore the processes underlying this form of plasticity, when and where it can occur, and how it is likely to impact network activity.
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Three dimensional grain boundary modeling in polycrystalline plasticity
Yalçinkaya, Tuncay; Özdemir, Izzet; Fırat, Ali Osman
2018-05-01
At grain scale, polycrystalline materials develop heterogeneous plastic deformation fields, localizations and stress concentrations due to variation of grain orientations, geometries and defects. Development of inter-granular stresses due to misorientation are crucial for a range of grain boundary (GB) related failure mechanisms, such as stress corrosion cracking (SCC) and fatigue cracking. Local crystal plasticity finite element modelling of polycrystalline metals at micron scale results in stress jumps at the grain boundaries. Moreover, the concepts such as the transmission of dislocations between grains and strength of the grain boundaries are not included in the modelling. The higher order strain gradient crystal plasticity modelling approaches offer the possibility of defining grain boundary conditions. However, these conditions are mostly not dependent on misorientation of grains and can define only extreme cases. For a proper definition of grain boundary behavior in plasticity, a model for grain boundary behavior should be incorporated into the plasticity framework. In this context, a particular grain boundary model ([l]) is incorporated into a strain gradient crystal plasticity framework ([2]). In a 3-D setting, both bulk and grain boundary models are implemented as user-defined elements in Abaqus. The strain gradient crystal plasticity model works in the bulk elements and considers displacements and plastic slips as degree of freedoms. Interface elements model the plastic slip behavior, yet they do not possess any kind of mechanical cohesive behavior. The physical aspects of grain boundaries and the performance of the model are addressed through numerical examples.
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Hebbian Plasticity Guides Maturation of Glutamate Receptor Fields In Vivo
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dmitrij Ljaschenko
2013-05-01
Full Text Available Synaptic plasticity shapes the development of functional neural circuits and provides a basis for cellular models of learning and memory. Hebbian plasticity describes an activity-dependent change in synaptic strength that is input-specific and depends on correlated pre- and postsynaptic activity. Although it is recognized that synaptic activity and synapse development are intimately linked, our mechanistic understanding of the coupling is far from complete. Using Channelrhodopsin-2 to evoke activity in vivo, we investigated synaptic plasticity at the glutamatergic Drosophila neuromuscular junction. Remarkably, correlated pre- and postsynaptic stimulation increased postsynaptic sensitivity by promoting synapse-specific recruitment of GluR-IIA-type glutamate receptor subunits into postsynaptic receptor fields. Conversely, GluR-IIA was rapidly removed from synapses whose activity failed to evoke substantial postsynaptic depolarization. Uniting these results with developmental GluR-IIA dynamics provides a comprehensive physiological concept of how Hebbian plasticity guides synaptic maturation and sparse transmitter release controls the stabilization of the molecular composition of individual synapses.
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Bavis, Ryan W; DeAngelis, Kathryn J; Horowitz, Terry C; Reedich, Lisa M; March, Ryan J
2014-01-15
Rats reared in hyperoxia exhibit a sustained (vs. biphasic) hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) at an earlier age than untreated, Control rats. Given the similarity between the sustained HVR obtained after chronic exposure to developmental hyperoxia and the mature HVR, it was hypothesized that hyperoxia-induced plasticity and normal maturation share common mechanisms such as enhanced glutamate and nitric oxide signaling and diminished platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling. Rats reared in 21% O2 (Control) or 60% O2 (Hyperoxia) from birth until 4-5 days of age were studied after intraperitoneal injection of drugs targeting these pathways. Hyperoxia rats receiving saline showed a sustained HVR to 12% O2, but blockade of NMDA glutamate receptors (MK-801) restored the biphasic HVR typical of newborn rats. Blockade of PDGF-β receptors (imatinib) had no effect on the pattern of the HVR in Hyperoxia rats, although it attenuated ventilatory depression during the late phase of the HVR in Control rats. Neither nitric oxide synthase inhibitor used in this study (nNOS inhibitor I and l-NAME) altered the pattern of the HVR in Control or Hyperoxia rats. Drug-induced changes in the biphasic HVR were not correlated with changes in metabolic rate. Collectively, these results suggest that developmental hyperoxia hastens the transition from a biphasic to sustained HVR by upregulating glutamate-dependent mechanisms and downregulating PDGF-dependent mechanisms, similar to the changes underlying normal postnatal maturation of the biphasic HVR. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Palacios-Prado, Nicolás; Chapuis, Sandrine; Panjkovich, Alejandro; Fregeac, Julien; Nagy, James I.; Bukauskas, Feliksas F.
2014-08-01
Neuronal gap junction (GJ) channels composed of connexin36 (Cx36) play an important role in neuronal synchronization and network dynamics. Here we show that Cx36-containing electrical synapses between inhibitory neurons of the thalamic reticular nucleus are bidirectionally modulated by changes in intracellular free magnesium concentration ([Mg2+]i). Chimeragenesis demonstrates that the first extracellular loop of Cx36 contains a Mg2+-sensitive domain, and site-directed mutagenesis shows that the pore-lining residue D47 is critical in determining high Mg2+-sensitivity. Single-channel analysis of Mg2+-sensitive chimeras and mutants reveals that [Mg2+]i controls the strength of electrical coupling mostly via gating mechanisms. In addition, asymmetric transjunctional [Mg2+]i induces strong instantaneous rectification, providing a novel mechanism for electrical rectification in homotypic Cx36 GJs. We suggest that Mg2+-dependent synaptic plasticity of Cx36-containing electrical synapses could underlie neuronal circuit reconfiguration via changes in brain energy metabolism that affects neuronal levels of intracellular ATP and [Mg2+]i.
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Influence of deformation rate on plasticity of metals under pressure
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Churbaev, R.V.; Dobromyslov, A.V.; Kolmogorov, V.L.; Taluts, G.G.
1990-01-01
Change of polycrystalline molybdenum (BCC) and titanium (HCP) plasticity under pressure depeding on the deformation rate at the room temperature is studied. It is shown that the reduction of molybdenum and titanium deformation rate leads to a substantial growth of their plastic properties with the effect being increased with pressure growth. Production of several necks testifying to the transition to a superplastic state is observed at high pressures and low deformation rates. A functional dependence of plasticity change on the deformation rate under pressure is ascertained
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Multi-scale Modeling of Plasticity in Tantalum.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lim, Hojun [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Battaile, Corbett Chandler. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Carroll, Jay [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Buchheit, Thomas E. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Boyce, Brad [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Weinberger, Christopher [Drexel Univ., Philadelphia, PA (United States)
2015-12-01
In this report, we present a multi-scale computational model to simulate plastic deformation of tantalum and validating experiments. In atomistic/ dislocation level, dislocation kink- pair theory is used to formulate temperature and strain rate dependent constitutive equations. The kink-pair theory is calibrated to available data from single crystal experiments to produce accurate and convenient constitutive laws. The model is then implemented into a BCC crystal plasticity finite element method (CP-FEM) model to predict temperature and strain rate dependent yield stresses of single and polycrystalline tantalum and compared with existing experimental data from the literature. Furthermore, classical continuum constitutive models describing temperature and strain rate dependent flow behaviors are fit to the yield stresses obtained from the CP-FEM polycrystal predictions. The model is then used to conduct hydro- dynamic simulations of Taylor cylinder impact test and compared with experiments. In order to validate the proposed tantalum CP-FEM model with experiments, we introduce a method for quantitative comparison of CP-FEM models with various experimental techniques. To mitigate the effects of unknown subsurface microstructure, tantalum tensile specimens with a pseudo-two-dimensional grain structure and grain sizes on the order of millimeters are used. A technique combining an electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) and high resolution digital image correlation (HR-DIC) is used to measure the texture and sub-grain strain fields upon uniaxial tensile loading at various applied strains. Deformed specimens are also analyzed with optical profilometry measurements to obtain out-of- plane strain fields. These high resolution measurements are directly compared with large-scale CP-FEM predictions. This computational method directly links fundamental dislocation physics to plastic deformations in the grain-scale and to the engineering-scale applications. Furthermore, direct
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Phenotypic plasticity as an adaptive response to predictable and unpredictable environmental changes
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Manenti, Tommaso
Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of a genotype to modify its phenotype in response to environmental changes as a consequence of an interaction between genes and environment (Bradshaw, 1965). Plasticity contributes to the vast phenotypic variation observed in natural populations. Many examples...... of a plastic response are expected to depend on the environmental conditions experienced by organisms. Thus, in populations exposed to a non-changing environment, the plastic machinery might be a waste of resources. Contrary, in populations experiencing varying environmental conditions, plasticity is expected...... such as anti-predator behaviours or the activation of mechanisms to prevent thermal stress injuries suggest that plasticity is an adaptive response, favoured by natural selection. At the same time, organisms do show limited plastic responses, indicating that this ability is not for free. Costs and benefits...
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Nava, Nicoletta; Treccani, Giulia; Müller, Heidi Kaastrup; Popoli, Maurizio; Wegener, Gregers; Elfving, Betina
2017-01-01
It is well established that stress plays a major role in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric diseases. Stress-induced alteration of synaptic plasticity has been hypothesized to underlie the morphological changes observed by neuroimaging in psychiatric patients in key regions such as hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC). We have recently shown that a single acute stress exposure produces significant short-term alterations of structural plasticity within medial PFC. These alterations were partially prevented by previous treatment with chronic desipramine (DMI). In the present study we evaluated the effects of acute Foot-shock (FS)-stress and pre-treatment with the traditional antidepressant DMI on the gene expression of key regulators of synaptic plasticity and structure. Expression of Homer, Shank, Spinophilin, Densin-180, and the small RhoGTPase related gene Rac1 and downstream target genes, Limk1, Cofilin1 and Rock1 were investigated 1 day (1d), 7 d and 14d after FS-stress exposure. We found that DMI specifically increases the short-term expression of Spinophilin, as well as Homer and Shank family genes, and that both acute stress and DMI exert significant long-term effects on mRNA levels of genes involved in spine plasticity. These findings support the knowledge that acute FS stress and antidepressant treatment induce both rapid and sustained time-dependent alterations in structural components of synaptic plasticity in rodent medial PFC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. and ECNP. All rights reserved.
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Sensory Cortical Plasticity Participates in the Epigenetic Regulation of Robust Memory Formation
Mimi L. Phan; Kasia M. Bieszczad
2016-01-01
Neuroplasticity remodels sensory cortex across the lifespan. A function of adult sensory cortical plasticity may be capturing available information during perception for memory formation. The degree of experience-dependent remodeling in sensory cortex appears to determine memory strength and specificity for important sensory signals. A key open question is how plasticity is engaged to induce different degrees of sensory cortical remodeling. Neural plasticity for long-term memory requires the ...
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PINK1 heterozygous mutations induce subtle alterations in dopamine-dependent synaptic plasticity
Madeo, G.; Schirinzi, T.; Martella, G.; Latagliata, E.C.; Puglisi, F.; Shen, J.; Valente, E.M.; Federici, M.; Mercuri, N.B.; Puglisi-Allegra, S.; Bonsi, P.; Pisani, A.
2014-01-01
Background Homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1) gene are causative of autosomal recessive, early onset PD. Single heterozygous mutations have been repeatedly detected in a subset of patients as well as in non-affected subjects, and their significance has long been debated. Several neurophysiological studies from non-manifesting PINK1 heterozygotes have shown the existence of neural plasticity abnormalities, indicating the presence of specific endophenotypic traits in the heterozygous state. Methods In the present study, we performed a functional analysis of corticostriatal synaptic plasticity in heterozygous PINK1 knock-out (PINK1+/−) mice by a multidisciplinary approach. Results We found that, despite a normal motor behavior, repetitive activation of cortical inputs to striatal neurons failed to induce long-term potentiation (LTP), whereas long-term depression (LTD) was normal. Although nigral dopaminergic neurons exhibited normal morphological and electrophysiological properties with normal responses to dopamine receptor activation, we measured a significantly lower dopamine release in the striatum of PINK1+/−, compared to control mice, suggesting that a decrease in stimulus-evoked dopamine overflow acts as a major determinant for the LTP deficit. Accordingly, pharmacological agents capable of increasing the availability of dopamine in the synaptic cleft restored a normal LTP in heterozygous mice. Moreover, MAO-B inhibitors rescued a physiological LTP and a normal dopamine release. Conclusions Our results provide novel evidence for striatal plasticity abnormalities even in the heterozygous disease state. These alterations might be considered an endophenotype to this monogenic form of PD, and a valid tool to characterize early disease stage and design possible disease-modifying therapies. PMID:24167038
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Evolution of elastic precursor and plastic shock wave in copper via molecular dynamics simulations
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Perriot, Romain; Zhakhovsky, Vasily V; Oleynik, Ivan I; Inogamov, Nail A
2014-01-01
Large-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to investigate shock propagation in single crystal copper. It is shown that the P-V plastic Hugoniot is unique regardless of the sample's orientation, its microstructure, or its length. However, the P-V pathway to the final state is not, and depends on many factors. Specifically, it is shown that the pressure in the elastic precursor (the Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL)) decreases as the shock wave propagates in a micron-sized sample. The attenuation of the HEL in sufficiently-long samples is the main source of disagreement between previous MD simulations and experiment: while single crystal experiments showed that the plastic shock speed is orientation-independent, the simulated plastic shock speed was observed to be orientation-dependent in relatively short single-crystal samples. Such orientation dependence gradually disappears for relatively long, micrometer-sized, samples for all three low-index crystallographic directions (100), (110), and (111), and the plastic shock velocities for all three directions approach the one measured in experiment. The MD simulations also demonstrate the existence of subsonic plastic shock waves generated by relatively weak supporting pressures.
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Dynamic plastic buckling of cylindrical and spherical shells
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jones, N.; Okawa, D.M.
1975-01-01
A theoretical analysis is developed to predict the dynamic plastic buckling of a long, impulsively loaded cylindrical shell in order to examine various features of plastic buckling and to assess the importance of several approximations with previous authors have introduced in dynamic plastic buckling studies. The influence of a time-dependent circumferential membrane force, the sharpness of the peaks in the displacement and velocity amplification functions, the restrictions which are implicit when employing the Prandtl-Reuss equations in this class of problems, and the limitations due to elastic unloading are examined in some detail. A summary of all previously published theoretical investigations known to the authors is undertaken for the dynamic plastic behavior of cylindrical shells and rings which are made from rigid-plastic, rigid-visco-plastic, elastic-plastic and elastic-visco-plastic materials and subjected to initial axisymmetric impulsive velocity fields. The theoretical predictions of the dominant motions, critical mode numbers, and threshold impulses are compared and critically reviewed. An experimental investigation was also undertaken into the dynamic plastic buckling of circular rings subjected to uniformly distributed external impulsive velocities. It appears that no experiments have been reported previously on mild steel cylindrical shells with an axial length (L) less than four times the shell radius (R). The experimental values of the average final radial deflections, critical mode numbers and dimensions of the permanent wrinkles in the mild steel and some aliminium 6,061 T6 specimens are compared with all the previously published theoretical predictions and experimental results on cylindrical shells with various axial lengths. (orig./HP) [de
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Two Back Stress Hardening Models in Rate Independent Rigid Plastic Deformation
Yun, Su-Jin
In the present work, the constitutive relations based on the combination of two back stresses are developed using the Armstrong-Frederick, Phillips and Ziegler’s type hardening rules. Various evolutions of the kinematic hardening parameter can be obtained by means of a simple combination of back stress rate using the rule of mixtures. Thus, a wide range of plastic deformation behavior can be depicted depending on the dominant back stress evolution. The ultimate back stress is also determined for the present combined kinematic hardening models. Since a kinematic hardening rule is assumed in the finite deformation regime, the stress rate is co-rotated with respect to the spin of substructure obtained by incorporating the plastic spin concept. A comparison of the various co-rotational rates is also included. Assuming rigid plasticity, the continuum body consists of the elastic deformation zone and the plastic deformation zone to form a hybrid finite element formulation. Then, the plastic deformation behavior is investigated under various loading conditions with an assumption of the J2 deformation theory. The plastic deformation localization turns out to be strongly dependent on the description of back stress evolution and its associated hardening parameters. The analysis for the shear deformation with fixed boundaries is carried out to examine the deformation localization behavior and the evolution of state variables.
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Simplified Theory of Plastic Zones for cyclic loading and multilinear hardening
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hübel, Hartwig
2015-01-01
The Simplified Theory of Plastic Zones (STPZ) is a direct method based on Zarka's method, primarily developed to estimate post-shakedown quantities of structures under cyclic loading, avoiding incremental analyses through a load histogram. In a different paper the STPZ has previously been shown to provide excellent estimates of the elastic–plastic strain ranges in the state of plastic shakedown as required for fatigue analyses. In the present paper, it is described how the STPZ can be used to predict the strains accumulated through a number of loading cycles due to a ratcheting mechanism, until either elastic or plastic shakedown is achieved, so that strain limits can be satisfied. Thus, a consistent means of estimating both, strain ranges and accumulated strains is provided for structural integrity assessment as required by pressure vessel codes. The computational costs involved typically consist of few linear elastic analyses and some local calculations. Multilinear kinematic hardening and temperature dependent yield stresses are accounted for. The quality of the results and the computational burden involved are demonstrated through four examples. - Highlights: • A method is provided to estimate accumulated elastic–plastic strains. • A consistent method is provided to estimate elastic–plastic strain ranges. • Effect of multilinear kinematic hardening is captured. • Temperature dependent material properties are accounted for. • Few linear elastic analyses required
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Genetic Analysis of Micro-environmental Plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Morgante, Fabio; Sorensen, Daniel A; Sørensen, Peter
Quantitative genetic models recognize the potential for genotype by environment interaction, whereby different genotypes have different plastic responses to changes in macro-environmental conditions. Recently, it has been recognized that micro-environmental plasticity (‘residual’ variance) may also...... be genetically variable. This study utilized the Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel (DGRP) to accurately estimate the genetic variance of micro-environmental plasticity for chill coma recovery time and startle response. Estimates of broad sense heritabilities for both traits are substantial (from 0.51 to 0.......77), of the same order as the heritability at the level of the trait mean for startle response and even larger for chill coma recovery. Genome wide association analyses identified molecular variants (from 15 to 31 depending on the sex and the trait) associated with micro-environmental plasticity. These findings...
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Critical neural networks with short- and long-term plasticity
Michiels van Kessenich, L.; Luković, M.; de Arcangelis, L.; Herrmann, H. J.
2018-03-01
In recent years self organized critical neuronal models have provided insights regarding the origin of the experimentally observed avalanching behavior of neuronal systems. It has been shown that dynamical synapses, as a form of short-term plasticity, can cause critical neuronal dynamics. Whereas long-term plasticity, such as Hebbian or activity dependent plasticity, have a crucial role in shaping the network structure and endowing neural systems with learning abilities. In this work we provide a model which combines both plasticity mechanisms, acting on two different time scales. The measured avalanche statistics are compatible with experimental results for both the avalanche size and duration distribution with biologically observed percentages of inhibitory neurons. The time series of neuronal activity exhibits temporal bursts leading to 1 /f decay in the power spectrum. The presence of long-term plasticity gives the system the ability to learn binary rules such as xor, providing the foundation of future research on more complicated tasks such as pattern recognition.
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Protein Phosphatase 1-Dependent Transcriptional Programs for Long-Term Memory and Plasticity
Graff, Johannes; Koshibu, Kyoko; Jouvenceau, Anne; Dutar, Patrick; Mansuy, Isabelle M.
2010-01-01
Gene transcription is essential for the establishment and the maintenance of long-term memory (LTM) and for long-lasting forms of synaptic plasticity. The molecular mechanisms that control gene transcription in neuronal cells are complex and recruit multiple signaling pathways in the cytoplasm and the nucleus. Protein kinases (PKs) and…
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Antifriction basalt-plastics based on polypropylene
Bashtannik, P. I.; Ovcharenko, V. G.
1997-05-01
A study is made of the dependence of the mechanical and friction-engineering properties of polypropylene reinforced with basalt fibers on the viscosity of the polymer matrix. It is established that the main factors that determine the mechanical properties of the plastics are the quality of impregnation of the fibers by the binder and the residual length of the reinforcing filler in the composite after extrusion and injection molding. The material that was developed has a low friction coefficient and low rate of wear within a relatively brood range of friction conditions. The basalt-plastics can be used in the rubbing parts of machines and mechanisms subjected to dry friction.
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Chang, Yao-Feng; Fowler, Burt; Chen, Ying-Chen; Zhou, Fei; Pan, Chih-Hung; Chang, Ting-Chang; Lee, Jack C.
2016-02-01
We realize a device with biological synaptic behaviors by integrating silicon oxide (SiOx) resistive switching memory with Si diodes. Minimal synaptic power consumption due to sneak-path current is achieved and the capability for spike-induced synaptic behaviors is demonstrated, representing critical milestones for the use of SiO2-based materials in future neuromorphic computing applications. Biological synaptic behaviors such as long-term potentiation (LTP), long-term depression (LTD) and spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) are demonstrated systematically using a comprehensive analysis of spike-induced waveforms, and represent interesting potential applications for SiOx-based resistive switching materials. The resistive switching SET transition is modeled as hydrogen (proton) release from (SiH)2 to generate the hydrogen bridge defect, and the RESET transition is modeled as an electrochemical reaction (proton capture) that re-forms (SiH)2. The experimental results suggest a simple, robust approach to realize programmable neuromorphic chips compatible with large-scale CMOS manufacturing technology.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Dante Picchioni
2014-03-01
Full Text Available Sleep is important for neural plasticity, and plasticity underlies sleep-dependent memory consolidation. It is widely appreciated that protein synthesis plays an essential role in neural plasticity. Studies of sleep-dependent memory and sleep-dependent plasticity have begun to examine alterations in these functions in populations with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Such an approach acknowledges that disordered sleep may have functional consequences during wakefulness. Although neurodevelopmental disorders are not considered to be sleep disorders per se, recent data has revealed that sleep abnormalities are among the most prevalent and common symptoms and may contribute to the progression of these disorders. The main goal of this review is to highlight the role of disordered sleep in the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders and to examine some potential mechanisms by which sleep-dependent plasticity may be altered. We will also briefly attempt to extend the same logic to the other end of the developmental spectrum and describe a potential role of disordered sleep in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. We conclude by discussing ongoing studies that might provide a more integrative approach to the study of sleep, plasticity, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Kuriyama, Kenichi; Honma, Motoyasu; Yoshiike, Takuya; Kim, Yoshiharu
2013-07-01
Sleep deprivation immediately following an aversive event reduces fear by preventing memory consolidation during homeostatic sleep. This suggests that acute insomnia might act prophylactically against the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) even though it is also a possible risk factor for PTSD. We examined total sleep deprivation and memory suppression to evaluate the effects of these interventions on subsequent aversive memory formation and fear conditioning. Active suppression of aversive memory impaired retention of event memory. However, although the remembered fear was more reduced in sleep-deprived than sleep-control subjects, suppressed fear increased, and seemed to abandon the sleep-dependent plasticity of fear. Active memory suppression, which provides a psychological model for Freud's ego defense mechanism, enhances fear and casts doubt on the potential of acute insomnia as a prophylactic measure against PTSD. Our findings bring into question the role of sleep in aversive-memory consolidation in clinical PTSD pathophysiology.
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The J-integral concept for elastic-plastic material behavior
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schmitt, W.; Kienzler, R.
1987-03-01
A simple analytical extension of the J integral has been presented which extends the J concept to apply for materials described by an incremental theory of plasticity. The stress work density replacing the strain energy density is load-history dependent. The J integral may be made path independent by virtue of an additional volume integral and may be understood as work dissipation rate. The discussion of the consequences for the applicability of the J concept to describe fracture processes showed that validity criteria proposed in the standards are not sufficient to yield configuration-independent J-resistance curves. However, a possibility is sketched to assess those structure-dependent resistance curves based on plastic-collapse considerations. With 6 figs., 33 refs
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Electromigration-induced plasticity and texture in Cu interconnects
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Advanced Light Source; Tamura, Nobumichi; Budiman, A. S.; Hau-Riege, C.S.; Besser, P. R.; Marathe, A.; Joo, Y.-C.; Tamura, N.; Patel, J. R.; Nix, W. D.
2007-01-01
Plastic deformation has been observed in damascene Cu interconnect test structures during an in-situ electromigration experiment and before the onset of visible microstructural damage (ie. voiding) using a synchrotron technique of white beam X-ray microdiffraction. We show here that the extent of this electromigration-induced plasticity is dependent on the texture of the Cu grains in the line. In lines with strong textures, the extent of plastic deformation is found to be relatively large compared to our plasticity results in the previous study [1] using another set of Cu lines with weaker textures. This is consistent with our earlier observation that the occurrence of plastic deformation in a given grain can be strongly correlated with the availability of a direction of the crystal in the proximity of the direction of the electron flow in the line (within an angle of 10 o ). In out-of-plane oriented grains in a damascene interconnect scheme, the crystal plane facing the sidewall tends to be a {110} plane,[2-4] so as to minimize interfacial energy. Therefore, it is deterministic rather than probabilistic that the grains will have a direction nearly parallel to the direction of electron flow. Thus, strong textures lead to more plasticity, as we observe
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Electromigration-induced Plasticity and Texture in Cu Interconnects
Budiman, A. S.; Hau-Riege, C. S.; Besser, P. R.; Marathe, A.; Joo, Y.-C.; Tamura, N.; Patel, J. R.; Nix, W. D.
2007-10-01
Plastic deformation has been observed in damascene Cu interconnect test structures during an in-situ electromigration experiment and before the onset of visible microstructural damage (ie. voiding) using a synchrotron technique of white beam X-ray microdiffraction. We show here that the extent of this electromigration-induced plasticity is dependent on the texture of the Cu grains in the line. In lines with strong textures, the extent of plastic deformation is found to be relatively large compared to our plasticity results in the previous study[1] using another set of Cu lines with weaker textures. This is consistent with our earlier observation that the occurrence of plastic deformation in a given grain can be strongly correlated with the availability of a direction of the crystal in the proximity of the direction of the electron flow in the line (within an angle of 10°). In out-of-plane oriented grains in a damascene interconnect scheme, the crystal plane facing the sidewall tends to be a {110} plane,[2-4] so as to minimize interfacial energy. Therefore, it is deterministic rather than probabilistic that the grains will have a direction nearly parallel to the direction of electron flow. Thus, strong textures lead to more plasticity, as we observe.
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MAGNETAR FIELD EVOLUTION AND CRUSTAL PLASTICITY
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lander, S. K.
2016-01-01
The activity of magnetars is believed to be powered by colossal magnetic energy reservoirs. We sketch an evolutionary picture in which internal field evolution in magnetars generates a twisted corona, from which energy may be released suddenly in a single giant flare, or more gradually through smaller outbursts and persistent emission. Given the ages of magnetars and the energy of their giant flares, we suggest that their evolution is driven by a novel mechanism: magnetic flux transport/decay due to persistent plastic flow in the crust, which would invalidate the common assumption that the crustal lattice is static and evolves only under Hall drift and Ohmic decay. We estimate the field strength required to induce plastic flow as a function of crustal depth, and the viscosity of the plastic phase. The star’s superconducting core may also play a role in magnetar field evolution, depending on the star’s spindown history and how rotational vortices and magnetic fluxtubes interact.
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Genetic Regulation of Phenotypic Plasticity and Canalisation in Yeast Growth.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Anupama Yadav
Full Text Available The ability of a genotype to show diverse phenotypes in different environments is called phenotypic plasticity. Phenotypic plasticity helps populations to evade extinctions in novel environments, facilitates adaptation and fuels evolution. However, most studies focus on understanding the genetic basis of phenotypic regulation in specific environments. As a result, while it's evolutionary relevance is well established, genetic mechanisms regulating phenotypic plasticity and their overlap with the environment specific regulators is not well understood. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is highly sensitive to the environment, which acts as not just external stimulus but also as signalling cue for this unicellular, sessile organism. We used a previously published dataset of a biparental yeast population grown in 34 diverse environments and mapped genetic loci regulating variation in phenotypic plasticity, plasticity QTL, and compared them with environment-specific QTL. Plasticity QTL is one whose one allele exhibits high plasticity whereas the other shows a relatively canalised behaviour. We mapped phenotypic plasticity using two parameters-environmental variance, an environmental order-independent parameter and reaction norm (slope, an environmental order-dependent parameter. Our results show a partial overlap between pleiotropic QTL and plasticity QTL such that while some plasticity QTL are also pleiotropic, others have a significant effect on phenotypic plasticity without being significant in any environment independently. Furthermore, while some plasticity QTL are revealed only in specific environmental orders, we identify large effect plasticity QTL, which are order-independent such that whatever the order of the environments, one allele is always plastic and the other is canalised. Finally, we show that the environments can be divided into two categories based on the phenotypic diversity of the population within them and the two categories have
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Thermoinduced plastic flow and shape memory effects
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiao Heng
2011-01-01
Full Text Available We propose an enhanced form of thermocoupled J2-flow models of finite deformation elastoplasticity with temperature-dependent yielding and hardening behaviour. The thermomechanical constitutive structure of these models is rendered free and explicit in the rigorous sense of thermodynamic consistency. Namely, with a free energy function explicitly introduced in terms of almost any given form of the thermomechanical constitutive functions, the requirements from the second law are identically fulfilled with positive internal dissipation. We study the case when a dependence of yielding and hardening on temperature is given and demonstrate that thermosensitive yielding with anisotropic hardening may give rise to appreciable plastic flow either in a process of heating or in a cyclic process of heating/cooling, thus leading to the findings of one- and two-way thermoinduced plastic flow. We then show that such theoretical findings turn out to be the effects found in shape memory materials, such as one- and two-way memory effects. Thus, shape memory effects may be explained to be thermoinduced plastic flow resulting from thermosensitive yielding and hardening behaviour. These and other relevant facts may suggest that, from a phenomenological standpoint, thermocoupled elastoplastic J2-flow models with thermosensitive yielding and hardening may furnish natural, straightforward descriptions of thermomechanical behaviour of shape memory materials.
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Stress Wave Propagation in Viscoelastic-Plastic Rock-Like Materials
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Liu Lang
2016-05-01
Full Text Available Rock-like materials are composites that can be regarded as a mixture composed of elastic, plastic, and viscous components. They exhibit viscoelastic-plastic behavior under a high-strain-rate loading according to element model theory. This paper presents an analytical solution for stress wave propagation in viscoelastic-plastic rock-like materials under a high-strain-rate loading and verifies the solution through an experimental test. A constitutive equation of viscoelastic-plastic rock-like materials was first established, and then kinematic and kinetic equations were then solved to derive the analytic solution for stress wave propagation in viscoelastic-plastic rock-like materials. An experimental test using the SHPB (Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar for a concrete specimen was conducted to obtain a stress-strain curve under a high-strain-rate loading. Inverse analysis based on differential evolution was conducted to estimate undetermined variables for constitutive equations. Finally, the relationship between the attenuation factor and the strain rate in viscoelastic-plastic rock-like materials was investigated. According to the results, the frequency of the stress wave, viscosity coefficient, modulus of elasticity, and density play dominant roles in the attenuation of the stress wave. The attenuation decreases with increasing strain rate, demonstrating strongly strain-dependent attenuation in viscoelastic-plastic rock-like materials.
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Transgenerational plasticity in the sea: context-dependent maternal effects across the life history.
Marshall, Dustin J
2008-02-01
Maternal effects can have dramatic influences on the phenotype of offspring. Maternal effects can act as a conduit by which the maternal environment negatively affects offspring fitness, but they can also buffer offspring from environmental change by altering the phenotype of offspring according to local environmental conditions and as such, are a form of transgenerational plasticity. The benefits of maternal effects can be highly context dependent, increasing performance in one life-history stage but reducing it in another. While maternal effects are increasingly well understood in terrestrial systems, studies in the marine environment are typically restricted to a single, early life-history stage. Here, I examine the role of maternal effects across the life history of the bryozoan Bugula neritina. I exposed maternal colonies to a common pollution stress (copper) in the laboratory and then placed them in the field for one week to brood offspring. I then examined the resistance of offspring to copper from toxicant-exposed and toxicant-naïve mothers and found that offspring from toxicant-exposed mothers were larger, more dispersive, and more resistant to copper stress than offspring from naïve mothers. However, maternal exposure history had pervasive, negative effects on the post-metamorphic performance (particularly survival) of offspring: offspring from toxicant-exposed mothers had poorer performance after six weeks in the field, especially when facing high levels of intraspecific competition. Maternal experience can have complex effects on offspring phenotype, enhancing performance in one life-history stage while decreasing performance in another. The context-dependent costs and benefits associated with maternally derived pollution resistance may account for why such resistance is induced rather than continually expressed: mothers must balance the benefits of producing pollution-resistant larvae with the costs of producing poorer performing adults (in the
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... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Plastic Surgery KidsHealth / For Teens / Plastic Surgery What's in ... her forehead lightened with a laser? What Is Plastic Surgery? Just because the name includes the word " ...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Guy eCheron
2014-11-01
Full Text Available Angelman syndrome is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder in which cerebellar functioning impairment has been documented despite the absence of gross structural abnormalities. Characteristically, a spontaneous 160 Hz oscillation emerges in the Purkinje cells network of the Ube3am-/p+ Angelman mouse model. This abnormal oscillation is induced by enhanced Purkinje cell rhythmicity and hypersynchrony along the parallel fiber beam. We present a pathophysiological hypothesis for the neurophysiology underlying major aspects of the clinical phenotype of Angelman syndrome, including cognitive, language and motor deficits, involving long-range connection between the cerebellar and the cortical networks. This hypothesis states that the alteration of the cerebellar rhythmic activity impinges cerebellar long-term depression (LTD plasticity, which in turn alters the LTD plasticity in the cerebral cortex. This hypothesis was based on preliminary experiments using electrical stimulation of the whiskers pad performed in alert mice showing that after a 8 Hz LTD-inducing protocol, the cerebellar LTD accompanied by a delayed response in the wild type mice is missing in Ube3am-/p+ mice and that the LTD induced in the barrel cortex following the same peripheral stimulation in wild mice is reversed into a LTP in the Ube3am-/p+ mice. The control exerted by the cerebellum on the excitation vs inhibition balance in the cerebral cortex and possible role played by the timing plasticity of the Purkinje cell LTD on the spike–timing dependent plasticity (STDP of the pyramidal neurons are discussed in the context of the present hypothesis.
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Neuron-glia metabolic coupling and plasticity.
Magistretti, Pierre J
2006-06-01
The coupling between synaptic activity and glucose utilization (neurometabolic coupling) is a central physiological principle of brain function that has provided the basis for 2-deoxyglucose-based functional imaging with positron emission tomography (PET). Astrocytes play a central role in neurometabolic coupling, and the basic mechanism involves glutamate-stimulated aerobic glycolysis; the sodium-coupled reuptake of glutamate by astrocytes and the ensuing activation of the Na-K-ATPase triggers glucose uptake and processing via glycolysis, resulting in the release of lactate from astrocytes. Lactate can then contribute to the activity-dependent fuelling of the neuronal energy demands associated with synaptic transmission. An operational model, the 'astrocyte-neuron lactate shuttle', is supported experimentally by a large body of evidence, which provides a molecular and cellular basis for interpreting data obtained from functional brain imaging studies. In addition, this neuron-glia metabolic coupling undergoes plastic adaptations in parallel with adaptive mechanisms that characterize synaptic plasticity. Thus, distinct subregions of the hippocampus are metabolically active at different time points during spatial learning tasks, suggesting that a type of metabolic plasticity, involving by definition neuron-glia coupling, occurs during learning. In addition, marked variations in the expression of genes involved in glial glycogen metabolism are observed during the sleep-wake cycle, with in particular a marked induction of expression of the gene encoding for protein targeting to glycogen (PTG) following sleep deprivation. These data suggest that glial metabolic plasticity is likely to be concomitant with synaptic plasticity.
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Temperature and phase dependence of positron lifetimes in solid cyclohexane
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Eldrup, Morten Mostgaard
1985-01-01
The temperature dependence of position lifetimes in both the brittle and plastic phases of cyclohaxane has been examined. Long-lived components in both phases are associated with the formation of positronium (Ps). Two long lifetimes attributable to ortho-Ps are resolvable in the plastic phase....... The longer of these (≈ 2.5 ns), which is temperature dependent, is ascribed to ortho-Ps trapped at vacancies. The shorter lifetime (≈ 0.9 ns), shows little temperature dependence. In contrast to most other plastic crystals, no sigmoidal behaviour of the average ortho-Ps lifetime is observed. A possibility...
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Ageing and recycling of plastic crates
Vink, P.; Rotteveel, R.T.; Wisse, J.D.M.
1985-01-01
Plastic crates will deteriorate and ultimately fail due to brittle fracture if, either during use or storage, they are exposed to sunlight. The time to failure depends on the UV stability of the polymer used, but in particular also on the conditions of use, such as time of exposure, height of the
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The Role of Neuromodulators in Cortical Plasticity. A Computational Perspective
Pedrosa, Victor; Clopath, Claudia
2017-01-01
Neuromodulators play a ubiquitous role across the brain in regulating plasticity. With recent advances in experimental techniques, it is possible to study the effects of diverse neuromodulatory states in specific brain regions. Neuromodulators are thought to impact plasticity predominantly through two mechanisms: the gating of plasticity and the upregulation of neuronal activity. However, the consequences of these mechanisms are poorly understood and there is a need for both experimental and theoretical exploration. Here we illustrate how neuromodulatory state affects cortical plasticity through these two mechanisms. First, we explore the ability of neuromodulators to gate plasticity by reshaping the learning window for spike-timing-dependent plasticity. Using a simple computational model, we implement four different learning rules and demonstrate their effects on receptive field plasticity. We then compare the neuromodulatory effects of upregulating learning rate versus the effects of upregulating neuronal activity. We find that these seemingly similar mechanisms do not yield the same outcome: upregulating neuronal activity can lead to either a broadening or a sharpening of receptive field tuning, whereas upregulating learning rate only intensifies the sharpening of receptive field tuning. This simple model demonstrates the need for further exploration of the rich landscape of neuromodulator-mediated plasticity. Future experiments, coupled with biologically detailed computational models, will elucidate the diversity of mechanisms by which neuromodulatory state regulates cortical plasticity. PMID:28119596
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yasuda, Hiroshi
1999-01-01
The present study was done since data are hardly available on the incident-angle dependency of track formation sensitivity (S) of the plastic nuclear track detector. Chips of a TD-1 plate, an antioxidant-doped CR-39 (diethyleglycol-bis-allylcarbonate, HARZLAS, Fukuvi Chem. Ind.), were used as a high-LET radiation detector and were exposed to heavy ion beams of C, Ne, and Si under different incident angles in Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba of National Institute of Radiological Sciences. After exposed and etched, the chips were observed with an optical microscope and a program for image analysis to calculate S. The S values calculated were found smaller for the beams having lower incident angles. Thus the estimated LET values from the S-LET relationship for vertical incident beams showed large reduction for low-angle particles. Those potential errors should be quantified and corrected in determination of LET spectra in space. (K.H.)
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THEORETICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL ASPECTS OF PLASTIC DEFORMATION AND DESTRUCTION OF ROCKS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
A. V. Zhabko
2018-03-01
Full Text Available The urgency of the problem. The main process in mining is the process of destruction of rocks, so the establishment of laws and criteria for plastic deformation and destruction of rocks is the most important and fundamental object. Purpose of the work. The work is devoted to the establishment of laws of plastic deformation of rocks (solids. Methods of research. Analytical and experimental research methods are widely used in this work. Results. On the basis of the earlier studies, which were carried out by the author, the functions of the yield surface and the plastic potential are proposed. The limiting surface for these functions is the surface of the ultimate strength of solids (rocks, described by the Coulomb criterion. The author indicated the fundamental similarity between the proposed criterion of plastic deformation and rock strength with the Mora criterion and with the dry friction law of Amonton. The possibility of applying the proposed criterion as passport dependence is demonstrated. The characteristics of rock strength for shear adhesion and the angle of internal friction act as the parameters of this dependence. The paper provides comparison of the proposed theoretical criterion of plasticity and strength to the experimental data under the conditions of the three-dimensional stress state. The detailed analysis of this comparison between theoretical and experimental data is given, the corresponding conclusions are drawn. An analytical dependence was derived on the basis of the stability criterion obtained earlier by the author. It determines the value of the fundamental parameter of the hierarchy during shear and discontinuous destruction of mountain ranges. The relationship of this parameter hierarchy with the so-called number of Phidias, which determines the “Golden ratio”, is indicated. The dependence for calculation of a large-scale factor of the phenomenon of zonal disintegration of rocks around mine workings is offered. The
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Influence of thickness on properties of plasticized oat starch films
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Melicia Cintia Galdeano
2013-08-01
Full Text Available The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of thickness (between 80 and 120 µm on apparent opacity, water vapor permeability and mechanical properties (tensile and puncture of oat starch films plasticized with glycerol, sorbitol, glycerol:sorbitol mixture, urea and sucrose. Films were stored under 11, 57, 76 and 90% relative humidity (RH to study the mechanical properties. It was observed that the higher the thickness, the higher was the opacity values. Films without the plasticizer were more opaque in comparison with the plasticized ones. Glycerol:sorbitol films presented increased elongation with increasing thickness at all RH. Puncture force showed a strong dependence on the film thickness, except for the films plasticized with sucrose. In general, thickness did not affect the water permeability.
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The Corticohippocampal Circuit, Synaptic Plasticity, and Memory
Basu, Jayeeta; Siegelbaum, Steven A.
2015-01-01
Synaptic plasticity serves as a cellular substrate for information storage in the central nervous system. The entorhinal cortex (EC) and hippocampus are interconnected brain areas supporting basic cognitive functions important for the formation and retrieval of declarative memories. Here, we discuss how information flow in the EC–hippocampal loop is organized through circuit design. We highlight recently identified corticohippocampal and intrahippocampal connections and how these long-range and local microcircuits contribute to learning. This review also describes various forms of activity-dependent mechanisms that change the strength of corticohippocampal synaptic transmission. A key point to emerge from these studies is that patterned activity and interaction of coincident inputs gives rise to associational plasticity and long-term regulation of information flow. Finally, we offer insights about how learning-related synaptic plasticity within the corticohippocampal circuit during sensory experiences may enable adaptive behaviors for encoding spatial, episodic, social, and contextual memories. PMID:26525152
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African Journals Online (AJOL)
Dr Ahmed
incinerators is increasing around the world. Discarded plastic products ... Agency (EPA) estimated that the amount of plastics throw away is. 50 % greater in the ... The waste plastics were identified using the Society of the Plastic. Industry (SPI) ...
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rusu, Patricia; Jansen, Anna; Soba, Peter
2007-01-01
. Specifically, axonal transport defects have been reported in AD animal models, including mice and flies that overexpress APP and tau. Here we demonstrate that the APP-induced traffic jam of vesicles in peripheral nerves of Drosophila melanogaster larvae depends on the four residues NPTY motif in the APP...... neurotransmission at the neuromuscular junction in transgenic larvae that express human APP. Consistent with the observation that these larvae do not show any obvious movement deficits, we found no changes in basal synaptic transmission. However, short-term synaptic plasticity was affected by overexpression of APP...
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Electromigration-induced plasticity and texture in Cu interconnects
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Advanced Light Source; Tamura, Nobumichi; Budiman, A. S.; Hau-Riege, C.S.; Besser, P. R.; Marathe, A.; Joo, Y.-C.; Tamura, N.; Patel, J. R.; Nix, W. D.
2007-10-31
Plastic deformation has been observed in damascene Cu interconnect test structures during an in-situ electromigration experiment and before the onset of visible microstructural damage (ie. voiding) using a synchrotron technique of white beam X-ray microdiffraction. We show here that the extent of this electromigration-induced plasticity is dependent on the texture of the Cu grains in the line. In lines with strong <111> textures, the extent of plastic deformation is found to be relatively large compared to our plasticity results in the previous study [1] using another set of Cu lines with weaker textures. This is consistent with our earlier observation that the occurrence of plastic deformation in a given grain can be strongly correlated with the availability of a <112> direction of the crystal in the proximity of the direction of the electron flow in the line (within an angle of 10{sup o}). In <111> out-of-plane oriented grains in a damascene interconnect scheme, the crystal plane facing the sidewall tends to be a {l_brace}110{r_brace} plane,[2-4] so as to minimize interfacial energy. Therefore, it is deterministic rather than probabilistic that the <111> grains will have a <112> direction nearly parallel to the direction of electron flow. Thus, strong <111> textures lead to more plasticity, as we observe.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Silvia Scarpetta
2010-08-01
Full Text Available We study the storage and retrieval of phase-coded patterns as stable dynamical attractors in recurrent neural networks, for both an analog and a integrate-and-fire spiking model. The synaptic strength is determined by a learning rule based on spike-time-dependent plasticity, with an asymmetric time window depending on the relative timing between pre- and post-synaptic activity. We store multiple patterns and study the network capacity. For the analog model, we find that the network capacity scales linearly with the network size, and that both capacity and the oscillation frequency of the retrieval state depend on the asymmetry of the learning time window. In addition to fully-connected networks, we study sparse networks, where each neuron is connected only to a small number $zll N$ of other neurons. Connections can be short range, between neighboring neurons placed on a regular lattice, or long range, between randomly chosen pairs of neurons. We find that a small fraction of long range connections is able to amplify the capacity of the network. This imply that a small-world-network topology is optimal, as a compromise between the cost of long range connections and the capacity increase. Also in the spiking integrate and fire model the crucial result of storing and retrieval of multiple phase-coded patterns is observed. The capacity of the fully-connected spiking network is investigated, together with the relation between oscillation frequency of retrieval state and window asymmetry.
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Direct liquefaction of plastics and coprocessing of coal with plastics
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Huffman, G.P.; Feng, Z.; Mahajan, V. [Univ. of Kentucky, Lexington, KY (United States)
1995-12-31
The objectives of this work were to optimize reaction conditions for the direct liquefaction of waste plastics and the coprocessing of coal with waste plastics. In previous work, the direct liquefaction of medium and high density polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PPE), poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and a mixed plastic waste, and the coliquefaction of these plastics with coals of three different ranks was studied. The results established that a solid acid catalyst (HZSM-5 zeolite) was highly active for the liquefaction of the plastics alone, typically giving oil yields of 80-95% and total conversions of 90-100% at temperatures of 430-450 {degrees}C. In the coliquefaction experiments, 50:50 mixtures of plastic and coal were used with a tetralin solvent (tetralin:solid = 3:2). Using approximately 1% of the HZSM-5 catalyst and a nanoscale iron catalyst, oil yields of 50-70% and total conversion of 80-90% were typical. In the current year, further investigations were conducted of the liquefaction of PE, PPE, and a commingled waste plastic obtained from the American Plastics Council (APC), and the coprocessing of PE, PPE and the APC plastic with Black Thunder subbituminous coal. Several different catalysts were used in these studies.
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Structural conditions of maximal plasticity of two-phase metal materials
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Movchan, B.A.
1975-01-01
Analysis is given of experimental values of the strength and plasticity of iron- and tungsten-based two-phase materials with the regulated amount of the second phase and the grain size. Specimens in the form of a 120 mm x 200 mm sheet with a thickness of 0.8-1.2 mm are prepared by means of the electron beam evaporation technique and subsequent condensation of the materials on a preheated support. The variable content of the second phase along the sheet in the range 0.5 volume per cent and more than a 10-fold change in the grain size of the metallic matrix are attained by a simultaneous evaporation of pure metal (99.98 per cent) and nonlmetallic material-niobium carbide or zirconium dioxide ZrO 2 -from two separate sources. The content of arbitrarily distributed spherical particles of the second phase corresponding to a maximum of the plasticity depends only on the structural parameter - the d/D ratio. The absolute falue of the plasticity and its dependence on the temperature is a complex function of many variables - mechanical properties of particles and the matrix, peculiarities of interphase interaction on the boundary particle - matrix, the size of particles, the rate of plastic deformation and relaxation processes
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Stochastic synaptic plasticity with memristor crossbar arrays
Naous, Rawan
2016-11-01
Memristive devices have been shown to exhibit slow and stochastic resistive switching behavior under low-voltage, low-current operating conditions. Here we explore such mechanisms to emulate stochastic plasticity in memristor crossbar synapse arrays. Interfaced with integrate-and-fire spiking neurons, the memristive synapse arrays are capable of implementing stochastic forms of spike-timing dependent plasticity which parallel mean-rate models of stochastic learning with binary synapses. We present theory and experiments with spike-based stochastic learning in memristor crossbar arrays, including simplified modeling as well as detailed physical simulation of memristor stochastic resistive switching characteristics due to voltage and current induced filament formation and collapse. © 2016 IEEE.
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Stochastic synaptic plasticity with memristor crossbar arrays
Naous, Rawan; Al-Shedivat, Maruan; Neftci, Emre; Cauwenberghs, Gert; Salama, Khaled N.
2016-01-01
Memristive devices have been shown to exhibit slow and stochastic resistive switching behavior under low-voltage, low-current operating conditions. Here we explore such mechanisms to emulate stochastic plasticity in memristor crossbar synapse arrays. Interfaced with integrate-and-fire spiking neurons, the memristive synapse arrays are capable of implementing stochastic forms of spike-timing dependent plasticity which parallel mean-rate models of stochastic learning with binary synapses. We present theory and experiments with spike-based stochastic learning in memristor crossbar arrays, including simplified modeling as well as detailed physical simulation of memristor stochastic resistive switching characteristics due to voltage and current induced filament formation and collapse. © 2016 IEEE.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Grzegorz eWiera
2015-11-01
Full Text Available Brain is continuously altered in response to experience and environmental changes. One of the underlying mechanisms is synaptic plasticity, which is manifested by modification of synapse structure and function. It is becoming clear that regulated extracellular proteolysis plays a pivotal role in the structural and functional remodeling of synapses during brain development, learning and memory formation. Clearly, plasticity mechanisms may substantially differ between projections. Mossy fiber synapses onto CA3 pyramidal cells display several unique functional features, including pronounced short-term facilitation, a presynaptically expressed LTP that is independent of NMDAR activation, and NMDA-dependent metaplasticity. Moreover, structural plasticity at mossy fiber synapses ranges from the reorganization of projection topology after hippocampus-dependent learning, through intrinsically different dynamic properties of synaptic boutons to pre- and postsynaptic structural changes accompanying LTP induction. Although concomitant functional and structural plasticity in this pathway strongly suggests a role of extracellular proteolysis, its impact only starts to be investigated in this projection. In the present report, we review the role of extracellular proteolysis in various aspects of synaptic plasticity in hippocampal mossy fiber synapses. A growing body of evidence demonstrates that among perisynaptic proteases, tPA/plasmin system, β-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1 and metalloproteinases play a crucial role in shaping plastic changes in this projection. We discuss recent advances and emerging hypotheses on the roles of proteases in mechanisms underlying mossy fiber target specific synaptic plasticity and memory formation.
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Poh, L.H.; Peerlings, R.H.J.; Geers, M.G.D.; Swaddiwudhipong, S.
2011-01-01
Many rate-independent models for metals utilize the gradient of effective plastic strain to capture size-dependent behavior. This enhancement, sometimes termed as "explicit" gradient formulation, requires higher-order tractions to be imposed on the evolving elasto-plastic boundary and the resulting
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Christensen, Thomas Højlund; Fruergaard, Thilde
2011-01-01
Plastic is produced from fossil oil. Plastic is used for many different products. Some plastic products like, for example, wrapping foil, bags and disposable containers for food and beverage have very short lifetimes and thus constitute a major fraction of most waste. Other plastic products like...
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The evolution of phenotypic plasticity in fish swimming
Oufiero, Christopher E.; Whitlow, Katrina R.
2016-01-01
Abstract Fish have a remarkable amount of variation in their swimming performance, from within species differences to diversity among major taxonomic groups. Fish swimming is a complex, integrative phenotype and has the ability to plastically respond to a myriad of environmental changes. The plasticity of fish swimming has been observed on whole-organismal traits such as burst speed or critical swimming speed, as well as underlying phenotypes such as muscle fiber types, kinematics, cardiovascular system, and neuronal processes. Whether the plastic responses of fish swimming are beneficial seems to depend on the environmental variable that is changing. For example, because of the effects of temperature on biochemical processes, alterations of fish swimming in response to temperature do not seem to be beneficial. In contrast, changes in fish swimming in response to variation in flow may benefit the fish to maintain position in the water column. In this paper, we examine how this plasticity in fish swimming might evolve, focusing on environmental variables that have received the most attention: temperature, habitat, dissolved oxygen, and carbon dioxide variation. Using examples from previous research, we highlight many of the ways fish swimming can plastically respond to environmental variation and discuss potential avenues of future research aimed at understanding how plasticity of fish swimming might evolve. We consider the direct and indirect effects of environmental variation on swimming performance, including changes in swimming kinematics and suborganismal traits thought to predict swimming performance. We also discuss the role of the evolution of plasticity in shaping macroevolutionary patterns of diversity in fish swimming. PMID:29491937
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PVC removal from mixed plastics by triboelectrostatic separation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Park, Chul-Hyun; Jeon, Ho-Seok; Park, Jai-Koo
2007-01-01
Ever increasing oil price and the constant growth in generation of waste plastics stimulate a research on material separation for recycling of waste plastics. At present, most waste plastics cause serious environmental problems due to the disposal by reclamation and incineration. Particularly, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials among waste plastics generates hazardous HCl gas, dioxins containing Cl, and so on, which lead to air pollution and shorten the life of incinerator, and it makes difficultly recycling of other plastics. Therefore, we designed a bench scale triboelectrostatic separator for PVC removal from mixed plastics (polyvinyl chloride/polyethylene terephthalate), and then carried out material separation tests. In triboelectrostatic separation, PVC and PET particles are charged negatively and positively, respectively, due to the difference of the work function of plastics in tribo charger of the fluidized-bed, and are separated by means of splitter through an opposite electric field. In this study, the charge efficiency of PVC and PET was strongly dependent on the tribo charger material (polypropylene), relative humidity (below 30%), air velocity (over 10 m/s), and mixture ratio (PET:PVC = 1:1). At the optimum conditions (electrode potential of 20 kV and splitter position of -2 cm), PVC rejection and PET recovery in PET products were 99.60 and 98.10%, respectively, and the reproducibility of optimal test was very good (±1%). In addition, as a change of splitter position, we developed the technique to recover high purity PET (over 99.99%) although PET recovery decreases by degrees
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Faghihi, Faramarz; Moustafa, Ahmed A.
2015-01-01
Synapses act as information filters by different molecular mechanisms including retrograde messenger that affect neuronal spiking activity. One of the well-known effects of retrograde messenger in presynaptic neurons is a change of the probability of neurotransmitter release. Hebbian learning describe a strengthening of a synapse between a presynaptic input onto a postsynaptic neuron when both pre- and postsynaptic neurons are coactive. In this work, a theory of homeostatic regulation of neurotransmitter release by retrograde messenger and Hebbian plasticity in neuronal encoding is presented. Encoding efficiency was measured for different synaptic conditions. In order to gain high encoding efficiency, the spiking pattern of a neuron should be dependent on the intensity of the input and show low levels of noise. In this work, we represent spiking trains as zeros and ones (corresponding to non-spike or spike in a time bin, respectively) as words with length equal to three. Then the frequency of each word (here eight words) is measured using spiking trains. These frequencies are used to measure neuronal efficiency in different conditions and for different parameter values. Results show that neurons that have synapses acting as band-pass filters show the highest efficiency to encode their input when both Hebbian mechanism and homeostatic regulation of neurotransmitter release exist in synapses. Specifically, the integration of homeostatic regulation of feedback inhibition with Hebbian mechanism and homeostatic regulation of neurotransmitter release in the synapses leads to even higher efficiency when high stimulus intensity is presented to the neurons. However, neurons with synapses acting as high-pass filters show no remarkable increase in encoding efficiency for all simulated synaptic plasticity mechanisms. This study demonstrates the importance of cooperation of Hebbian mechanism with regulation of neurotransmitter release induced by rapid diffused retrograde
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Contribution of plastic waste recovery to greenhouse gas (GHG) savings in Spain.
Sevigné-Itoiz, Eva; Gasol, Carles M; Rieradevall, Joan; Gabarrell, Xavier
2015-12-01
This paper concentrates on the quantification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of post-consumer plastic waste recovery (material or energy) by considering the influence of the plastic waste quality (high or low), the recycled plastic applications (virgin plastic substitution or non-plastic substitution) and the markets of recovered plastic (regional or global). The aim is to quantify the environmental consequences of different alternatives in order to evaluate opportunities and limitations to select the best and most feasible plastic waste recovery option to decrease the GHG emissions. The methodologies of material flow analysis (MFA) for a time period of thirteen years and consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) have been integrated. The study focuses on Spain as a representative country for Europe. The results show that to improve resource efficiency and avoid more GHG emissions, the options for plastic waste management are dependent on the quality of the recovered plastic. The results also show that there is an increasing trend of exporting plastic waste for recycling, mainly to China, that reduces the GHG benefits from recycling, suggesting that a new focus should be introduced to take into account the split between local recycling and exporting. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Perceptual learning and adult cortical plasticity.
Gilbert, Charles D; Li, Wu; Piech, Valentin
2009-06-15
The visual cortex retains the capacity for experience-dependent changes, or plasticity, of cortical function and cortical circuitry, throughout life. These changes constitute the mechanism of perceptual learning in normal visual experience and in recovery of function after CNS damage. Such plasticity can be seen at multiple stages in the visual pathway, including primary visual cortex. The manifestation of the functional changes associated with perceptual learning involve both long term modification of cortical circuits during the course of learning, and short term dynamics in the functional properties of cortical neurons. These dynamics are subject to top-down influences of attention, expectation and perceptual task. As a consequence, each cortical area is an adaptive processor, altering its function in accordance to immediate perceptual demands.
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The elasto plastic fracture mechanics in ductile metal sheets
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Khan, M.A.; Malik, M.N.; Naeem, A.; Haq, A.U.; Atkins, A.G.
1999-01-01
The crack initiation of propagation in ductile metal sheets are caused by various micro and macro changes taking place due to material properties, applied loads, shape of the indenter (tool geometry) and the environmental conditions. These microstructural failures are directly related to the atomic bonding, crystal lattices, grain boundary status, material flaws in matrix, inhomogeneities and anisotropy in the metal sheets. The Elasto-Plastic related energy based equations are applied to these Rigid Plastic materials to determine the onset of fracture in metal forming. The combined stress and strain criterion of a critical plastic work per unit volume is no more considered as a universal ductile fracture criterion, rather a critical plastic work per unit volume dependence on all sort of stresses (hydrostatic) are the required features for the sheet metal failure (fracture). In this present study, crack initiation and propagation are related empirically with fracture toughness and the application of the theory in industry to save energy. (author)
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Gupta, Anoop Kumar; Gupta, Sanjay; Chhabra, Rajendra Prasad
2017-08-01
In this work, the buoyancy-induced convection from an isothermal spheroid is studied in a Bingham plastic fluid. Extensive results on the morphology of approximate yield surfaces, temperature profiles, and the local and average Nusselt numbers are reported to elucidate the effects of the pertinent dimensionless parameters: Rayleigh number, 102 ≤ Ra ≤ 106; Prandtl number, 20 ≤ Pr ≤ 100; Bingham number, 0 ≤ Bn ≤ 103, and aspect ratio, 0.2 ≤ e ≤ 5. Due to the fluid yield stress, fluid-like (yielded) and solid-like (unyielded) regions coexist in the flow domain depending upon the prevailing stress levels vis-a-vis the value of the fluid yield stress. The yielded parts progressively grow in size with the rising Rayleigh number while this tendency is countered by the increasing Bingham and Prandtl numbers. Due to these two competing effects, a limiting value of the Bingham number ( Bn max) is observed beyond which heat transfer occurs solely by conduction due to the solid-like behaviour of the fluid everywhere in the domain. Such limiting values bear a positive dependence on the Rayleigh number ( Ra) and aspect ratio ( e). In addition to this, oblate shapes ( e 1) impede it. Finally, simple predictive expressions for the maximum Bingham number and the average Nusselt number are developed which can be used to predict a priori the overall heat transfer coefficient in a new application. Also, a criterion is developed in terms of the composite parameter Bn• Gr-1/2 which predicts the onset of convection in such fluids. Similarly, another criterion is developed which delineates the conditions for the onset of settling due to buoyancy effects. The paper is concluded by presenting limited results to delineate the effects of viscous dissipation and the temperature-dependent viscosity on the Nusselt number. Both these effects are seen to be rather small in Bingham plastic fluids.
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Plasticity of orientation preference maps in the visual cortex of adult cats
Godde, Ben; Leonhardt, Ralph; Cords, Sven M.; Dinse, Hubert R.
2002-01-01
In contrast to the high degree of experience-dependent plasticity usually exhibited by cortical representational maps, a number of experiments performed in visual cortex suggest that the basic layout of orientation preference maps is only barely susceptible to activity-dependent modifications. In fact, most of what we know about activity-dependent plasticity in adults comes from experiments in somatosensory, auditory, or motor cortex. Applying a stimulation protocol that has been proven highly effective in other cortical areas, we demonstrate here that enforced synchronous cortical activity induces major changes of orientation preference maps (OPMs) in adult cats. Combining optical imaging of intrinsic signals and electrophysiological single-cell recordings, we show that a few hours of intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) lead to an enlargement of the cortical representational zone at the ICMS site and an extensive restructuring of the entire OPM layout up to several millimeters away, paralleled by dramatic changes of pinwheel numbers and locations. At the single-cell level, we found that the preferred orientation was shifted toward the orientation of the ICMS site over a region of up to 4 mm. Our results show that manipulating the synchronicity of cortical activity locally without invoking training, attention, or reinforcement, OPMs undergo large-scale reorganization reminiscent of plastic changes observed for nonvisual cortical maps. However, changes were much more widespread and enduring. Such large-scale restructuring of the visual cortical networks indicates a substantial capability for activity-dependent plasticity of adult visual cortex and may provide the basis for cognitive learning processes. PMID:11959906
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Z. A. Radjabova
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Issues of tissue defects replacement after radical surgery for tumors of the head and neck do not lose their relevance. The article presents the results of plastics and replacement of the perforating combined defects of the floor of the mouth, portion of the upper and lower lips, the angle of the mouth, cheeks, neck lateral parts with simultaneous reduction of the configuration and function of the operated organs. Depending on the depth and nature of the existing tissue defect various methods of plastics were applied using arterialized flaps on the vascular pedicle in a free and non-free version. Satisfactory cosmetic and functional results were achieved in patients allowing to improve life quality and to adapt socially.
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Global research priorities to mitigate plastic pollution impacts on marine wildlife
Vegter, Amanda C.; Barletta, Mário; Beck, Cathy A.; Borrero, Jose C.; Burton, Harry; Campbell, Marnie L.; Costa, Monica F.; Eriksen, Marcus; Eriksson, Cecilia; Estrades, Andres; Gilardi, Kirsten V.; Hardesty, Britta D.; do Sul, Juliana A. Ivar; Lavers, Jennifer L.; Lazar, Bojan; Lebreton, Laurent; Nichols, Wallace J.; Ribic, Christine A.; Ryan, Peter G.; Schuyler, Qamar A.; Smith, Stephen D. A.; Takada, Hideshige; Townsend, Kathy A.; Wabnitz, Colette C. C.; Wilcox, Chris; Young, Lindsay C.; Hamann, Mark
2014-01-01
Marine wildlife faces a growing number of threats across the globe, and the survival of many species and populations will be dependent on conservation action. One threat in particular that has emerged over the last 4 decades is the pollution of oceanic and coastal habitats with plastic debris. The increased occurrence of plastics in marine ecosystems mirrors the increased prevalence of plastics in society, and reflects the high durability and persistence of plastics in the environment. In an effort to guide future research and assist mitigation approaches to marine conservation, we have generated a list of 16 priority research questions based on the expert opinions of 26 researchers from around the world, whose research expertise spans several disciplines, and covers each of the world’s oceans and the taxa most at risk from plastic pollution. This paper highlights a growing concern related to threats posed to marine wildlife from microplastics and fragmented debris, the need for data at scales relevant to management, and the urgent need to develop interdisciplinary research and management partnerships to limit the release of plastics into the environment and curb the future impacts of plastic pollution.
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Lande, R
2014-05-01
Quantitative genetic models of evolution of phenotypic plasticity are used to derive environmental tolerance curves for a population in a changing environment, providing a theoretical foundation for integrating physiological and community ecology with evolutionary genetics of plasticity and norms of reaction. Plasticity is modelled for a labile quantitative character undergoing continuous reversible development and selection in a fluctuating environment. If there is no cost of plasticity, a labile character evolves expected plasticity equalling the slope of the optimal phenotype as a function of the environment. This contrasts with previous theory for plasticity influenced by the environment at a critical stage of early development determining a constant adult phenotype on which selection acts, for which the expected plasticity is reduced by the environmental predictability over the discrete time lag between development and selection. With a cost of plasticity in a labile character, the expected plasticity depends on the cost and on the environmental variance and predictability averaged over the continuous developmental time lag. Environmental tolerance curves derived from this model confirm traditional assumptions in physiological ecology and provide new insights. Tolerance curve width increases with larger environmental variance, but can only evolve within a limited range. The strength of the trade-off between tolerance curve height and width depends on the cost of plasticity. Asymmetric tolerance curves caused by male sterility at high temperature are illustrated. A simple condition is given for a large transient increase in plasticity and tolerance curve width following a sudden change in average environment. © 2014 The Author. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2014 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.
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Mechanisms by Which Phenotypic Plasticity Affects Adaptive Divergence and Ecological Speciation.
Nonaka, Etsuko; Svanbäck, Richard; Thibert-Plante, Xavier; Englund, Göran; Brännström, Åke
2015-11-01
Phenotypic plasticity is the ability of one genotype to produce different phenotypes depending on environmental conditions. Several conceptual models emphasize the role of plasticity in promoting reproductive isolation and, ultimately, speciation in populations that forage on two or more resources. These models predict that plasticity plays a critical role in the early stages of speciation, prior to genetic divergence, by facilitating fast phenotypic divergence. The ability to plastically express alternative phenotypes may, however, interfere with the early phase of the formation of reproductive barriers, especially in the absence of geographic barriers. Here, we quantitatively investigate mechanisms under which plasticity can influence progress toward adaptive genetic diversification and ecological speciation. We use a stochastic, individual-based model of a predator-prey system incorporating sexual reproduction and mate choice in the predator. Our results show that evolving plasticity promotes the evolution of reproductive isolation under diversifying environments when individuals are able to correctly select a more profitable habitat with respect to their phenotypes (i.e., adaptive habitat choice) and to assortatively mate with relatively similar phenotypes. On the other hand, plasticity facilitates the evolution of plastic generalists when individuals have a limited capacity for adaptive habitat choice. We conclude that plasticity can accelerate the evolution of a reproductive barrier toward adaptive diversification and ecological speciation through enhanced phenotypic differentiation between diverging phenotypes.
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Activity-regulated genes as mediators of neural circuit plasticity.
Leslie, Jennifer H; Nedivi, Elly
2011-08-01
Modifications of neuronal circuits allow the brain to adapt and change with experience. This plasticity manifests during development and throughout life, and can be remarkably long lasting. Evidence has linked activity-regulated gene expression to the long-term structural and electrophysiological adaptations that take place during developmental critical periods, learning and memory, and alterations to sensory map representations in the adult. In all these cases, the cellular response to neuronal activity integrates multiple tightly coordinated mechanisms to precisely orchestrate long-lasting, functional and structural changes in brain circuits. Experience-dependent plasticity is triggered when neuronal excitation activates cellular signaling pathways from the synapse to the nucleus that initiate new programs of gene expression. The protein products of activity-regulated genes then work via a diverse array of cellular mechanisms to modify neuronal functional properties. Synaptic strengthening or weakening can reweight existing circuit connections, while structural changes including synapse addition and elimination create new connections. Posttranscriptional regulatory mechanisms, often also dependent on activity, further modulate activity-regulated gene transcript and protein function. Thus, activity-regulated genes implement varied forms of structural and functional plasticity to fine-tune brain circuit wiring. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Multiaxial probabilistic elastic-plastic constitutive simulations of soils
Sadrinezhad, Arezoo
Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov (FPK) equation approach has recently been developed to simulate elastic-plastic constitutive behaviors of materials with uncertain material properties. The FPK equation approach transforms the stochastic constitutive rate equation, which is a stochastic, nonlinear, ordinary differential equation (ODE) in the stress-pseudo time space into a second-order accurate, deterministic, linear FPK partial differential equation (PDE) in the probability density of stress-pseudo time space. This approach does not suffer from the drawbacks of the traditional approaches such as the Monte Carlo approach and the perturbation approach for solving nonlinear ODEs with random coefficients. In this study, the existing one dimensional FPK framework for probabilistic constitutive modeling of soils is extended to multi--dimension. However, the multivariate FPK PDEs cannot be solved using the traditional mathematical techniques such as finite difference techniques due to their high computational cost. Therefore, computationally efficient algorithms based on the Fourier spectral approach are developed for solving a class of FPK PDEs that arises in probabilistic elasto-plasticity. This class includes linear FPK PDEs in (stress) space and (pseudo) time - having space-independent but time-dependent, and both space- and time-dependent coefficients - with impulse initial conditions and reflecting boundary conditions. The solution algorithms, rely on first mapping the stress space of the governing PDE between 0 and 2pi using the change of coordinates rule, followed by approximating the solution of the PDE in the 2pi-periodic domain by a finite Fourier series in the stress space and unknown time-dependent solution coefficients. Finally, the time-dependent solution coefficients are obtained from the initial condition. The accuracy and efficiency of the developed algorithms are tested. The developed algorithms are used to simulate uniaxial and multiaxial, monotonic and cyclic
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Adhesive friction for elastic-plastic contacting rough surfaces considering asperity interaction
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sahoo, Prasanta
2006-01-01
The paper describes a theoretical study of adhesive friction at the contact between rough surfaces taking asperity interaction into consideration and using an elastic-plastic model of contact deformation that is based on an accurate finite element analysis of an elastic-plastic single asperity contact. The micro-contact model of asperity interactions, developed by Zhao and Chang, is integrated into the improved elastic-plastic rough surface adhesive contact analysis to consider the adhesive friction behaviour of rough surfaces. The model considers a large range of interference values from fully elastic through elastic-plastic to fully plastic regimes of contacting asperities. Two well-established adhesion indices are used to consider different conditions that arise as a result of varying load, surface and material parameters. Results are obtained for the coefficient of friction against applied load for various combinations of these parameters. The results show that the coefficient of friction depends strongly on the applied load for the no-interaction case while it becomes insensitive to the load for interaction consideration. Moreover, the inclusion of elastic-plastic asperities further reduces the friction coefficient
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A multi scale model for small scale plasticity
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zbib, Hussein M.
2002-01-01
Full text.A framework for investigating size-dependent small-scale plasticity phenomena and related material instabilities at various length scales ranging from the nano-microscale to the mesoscale is presented. The model is based on fundamental physical laws that govern dislocation motion and their interaction with various defects and interfaces. Particularly, a multi-scale model is developed merging two scales, the nano-microscale where plasticity is determined by explicit three-dimensional dislocation dynamics analysis providing the material length-scale, and the continuum scale where energy transport is based on basic continuum mechanics laws. The result is a hybrid simulation model coupling discrete dislocation dynamics with finite element analyses. With this hybrid approach, one can address complex size-dependent problems, including dislocation boundaries, dislocations in heterogeneous structures, dislocation interaction with interfaces and associated shape changes and lattice rotations, as well as deformation in nano-structured materials, localized deformation and shear band
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Neural plasticity and its initiating conditions in tinnitus.
Roberts, L E
2018-03-01
Deafferentation caused by cochlear pathology (which can be hidden from the audiogram) activates forms of neural plasticity in auditory pathways, generating tinnitus and its associated conditions including hyperacusis. This article discusses tinnitus mechanisms and suggests how these mechanisms may relate to those involved in normal auditory information processing. Research findings from animal models of tinnitus and from electromagnetic imaging of tinnitus patients are reviewed which pertain to the role of deafferentation and neural plasticity in tinnitus and hyperacusis. Auditory neurons compensate for deafferentation by increasing their input/output functions (gain) at multiple levels of the auditory system. Forms of homeostatic plasticity are believed to be responsible for this neural change, which increases the spontaneous and driven activity of neurons in central auditory structures in animals expressing behavioral evidence of tinnitus. Another tinnitus correlate, increased neural synchrony among the affected neurons, is forged by spike-timing-dependent neural plasticity in auditory pathways. Slow oscillations generated by bursting thalamic neurons verified in tinnitus animals appear to modulate neural plasticity in the cortex, integrating tinnitus neural activity with information in brain regions supporting memory, emotion, and consciousness which exhibit increased metabolic activity in tinnitus patients. The latter process may be induced by transient auditory events in normal processing but it persists in tinnitus, driven by phantom signals from the auditory pathway. Several tinnitus therapies attempt to suppress tinnitus through plasticity, but repeated sessions will likely be needed to prevent tinnitus activity from returning owing to deafferentation as its initiating condition.
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Liu, Han-Hsuan; Cline, Hollis T
2016-07-06
Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is thought to regulate neuronal plasticity by limiting dendritic protein synthesis, but direct demonstration of a requirement for FMRP control of local protein synthesis during behavioral plasticity is lacking. Here we tested whether FMRP knockdown in Xenopus optic tectum affects local protein synthesis in vivo and whether FMRP knockdown affects protein synthesis-dependent visual avoidance behavioral plasticity. We tagged newly synthesized proteins by incorporation of the noncanonical amino acid azidohomoalanine and visualized them with fluorescent noncanonical amino acid tagging (FUNCAT). Visual conditioning and FMRP knockdown produce similar increases in FUNCAT in tectal neuropil. Induction of visual conditioning-dependent behavioral plasticity occurs normally in FMRP knockdown animals, but plasticity degrades over 24 h. These results indicate that FMRP affects visual conditioning-induced local protein synthesis and is required to maintain the visual conditioning-induced behavioral plasticity. Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is the most common form of inherited intellectual disability. Exaggerated dendritic protein synthesis resulting from loss of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is thought to underlie cognitive deficits in FXS, but no direct evidence has demonstrated that FMRP-regulated dendritic protein synthesis affects behavioral plasticity in intact animals. Xenopus tadpoles exhibit a visual avoidance behavior that improves with visual conditioning in a protein synthesis-dependent manner. We showed that FMRP knockdown and visual conditioning dramatically increase protein synthesis in neuronal processes. Furthermore, induction of visual conditioning-dependent behavioral plasticity occurs normally after FMRP knockdown, but performance rapidly deteriorated in the absence of FMRP. These studies show that FMRP negatively regulates local protein synthesis and is required to maintain visual conditioning
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Non-local plasticity effects on the tensile properties of a metal matrix composite
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Niordson, Christian Frithiof; Tvergaard, Viggo
2001-01-01
For a metal reinforced by aligned short fibres the effect of a material length scale characterising the inelastic deformations of the metal is studied. The elastic-plastic constitutive relations used here to represent the nonlocal effects are formulated so that the instantaneous hardening moduli...... depend on the gradient of the effective plastic strain. Numerical cell-model analyses are used to obtain a parametric understanding of the influence of different combinations of the main material parameters. The analyses show a strong dependence on the fibre diameter for given values of all other...
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Factors determining radiation stability of plastic scintillators
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Barashkov, N.N. [Texas Univ., Richardson, TX (United States). Dept. of Chemistry; Gunder, O.A.; Voronkina, N.I. [National Ukrainian Academy of Science, Kharkov (Ukraine). Inst. for Single Crystals; Milinchuk, V.K. [Karpov Inst. of Physical Chemistry, Moscow (Russian Federation)
1996-11-01
Polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylxylene (PVX) are the base materials for plastic scintillators u.v.-Vis spectrophotometry, luminescence and ESR spectroscopy were performed on irradiated samples of PS and PVX with the p-terphenyl (TP) as the primary luminophore and 1,4-di-2(5-phenyloxazolyl-1,3) benzene (POPOP) as the secondary one. Dependence of the radioluminescence intensity of the scintillators on the concentration of the macroradicals formed by irradiation was investigated. Dose dependence of the radiation stability of scintillators is discussed. (author).
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Factors determining radiation stability of plastic scintillators
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Barashkov, N.N.
1996-01-01
Polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylxylene (PVX) are the base materials for plastic scintillators u.v.-Vis spectrophotometry, luminescence and ESR spectroscopy were performed on irradiated samples of PS and PVX with the p-terphenyl (TP) as the primary luminophore and 1,4-di-2(5-phenyloxazolyl-1,3) benzene (POPOP) as the secondary one. Dependence of the radioluminescence intensity of the scintillators on the concentration of the macroradicals formed by irradiation was investigated. Dose dependence of the radiation stability of scintillators is discussed. (author)
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Baxter, John; Wahlstrom, Margareta; Zu Castell-Rüdenhausen, Malin
2014-01-01
Optimizing plastic value chains is regarded as an important measure in order to increase recycling of plastics in an efficient way. This can also lead to improved awareness of the hazardous substances contained in plastic waste, and how to avoid that these substances are recycled. As an example......, plastics from WEEE is chosen as a Nordic case study. The project aims to propose a number of improvements for this value chain together with representatives from Nordic stakeholders. Based on the experiences made, a guide for other plastic value chains shall be developed....
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Thompson, Richard C; Swan, Shanna H; Moore, Charles J; vom Saal, Frederick S
2009-07-27
Within the last few decades, plastics have revolutionized our daily lives. Globally we use in excess of 260 million tonnes of plastic per annum, accounting for approximately 8 per cent of world oil production. In this Theme Issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, we describe current and future trends in usage, together with the many benefits that plastics bring to society. At the same time, we examine the environmental consequences resulting from the accumulation of waste plastic, the effects of plastic debris on wildlife and concerns for human health that arise from the production, usage and disposal of plastics. Finally, we consider some possible solutions to these problems together with the research and policy priorities necessary for their implementation.
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Thompson, Richard C.; Swan, Shanna H.; Moore, Charles J.; vom Saal, Frederick S.
2009-01-01
Within the last few decades, plastics have revolutionized our daily lives. Globally we use in excess of 260 million tonnes of plastic per annum, accounting for approximately 8 per cent of world oil production. In this Theme Issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, we describe current and future trends in usage, together with the many benefits that plastics bring to society. At the same time, we examine the environmental consequences resulting from the accumulation of waste plastic, the effects of plastic debris on wildlife and concerns for human health that arise from the production, usage and disposal of plastics. Finally, we consider some possible solutions to these problems together with the research and policy priorities necessary for their implementation. PMID:19528049
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Nonlocal plasticity effects on interaction of different size voids
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Tvergaard, Viggo; Niordson, Christian Frithiof
2004-01-01
A nonlocal elastic-plastic material model is used to show that the rate of void growth is significantly reduced when the voids are small enough to be comparable with a characteristic material length. For a very small void in the material between much larger voids the competition between...... dimensional array of spherical voids. It is shown that the high growth rate of very small voids predicted by conventional plasticity theory is not realistic when the effect of a characteristic length, dependent on the dislocation structure, is accounted for. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....
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Size effects in olivine control strength in low-temperature plasticity regime
Kumamoto, K. M.; Thom, C.; Wallis, D.; Hansen, L. N.; Armstrong, D. E. J.; Goldsby, D. L.; Warren, J. M.; Wilkinson, A. J.
2017-12-01
The strength of the lithospheric mantle during deformation by low-temperature plasticity controls a range of geological phenomena, including lithospheric-scale strain localization, the evolution of friction on deep seismogenic faults, and the flexure of tectonic plates. However, constraints on the strength of olivine in this deformation regime are difficult to obtain from conventional rock-deformation experiments, and previous results vary considerably. We demonstrate via nanoindentation that the strength of olivine in the low-temperature plasticity regime is dependent on the length-scale of the test, with experiments on smaller volumes of material exhibiting larger yield stresses. This "size effect" has previously been explained in engineering materials as a result of the role of strain gradients and associated geometrically necessary dislocations in modifying plastic behavior. The Hall-Petch effect, in which a material with a small grain size exhibits a higher strength than one with a large grain size, is thought to arise from the same mechanism. The presence of a size effect resolves discrepancies among previous experimental measurements of olivine, which were either conducted using indentation methods or were conducted on polycrystalline samples with small grain sizes. An analysis of different low-temperature plasticity flow laws extrapolated to room temperature reveals a power-law relationship between length-scale (grain size for polycrystalline deformation and contact radius for indentation tests) and yield strength. This suggests that data from samples with large inherent length scales best represent the plastic strength of the coarse-grained lithospheric mantle. Additionally, the plastic deformation of nanometer- to micrometer-sized asperities on fault surfaces may control the evolution of fault roughness due to their size-dependent strength.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Owen Rackham
2010-07-01
Full Text Available Associative synaptic plasticity is synapse specific and requires coincident activity in presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons to activate NMDA receptors (NMDARs. The resultant Ca2+ influx is the critical trigger for the induction of synaptic plasticity. Given its centrality for the induction of synaptic plasticity, a model for NMDAR activation incorporating the timing of presynaptic glutamate release and postsynaptic depolarization by back-propagating action potentials could potentially predict the pre- and post-synaptic spike patterns required to induce synaptic plasticity. We have developed such a model by incorporating currently available data on the timecourse and amplitude of the postsynaptic membrane potential within individual spines. We couple this with data on the kinetics of synaptic NMDARs and then use the model to predict the continuous spine [Ca2+] in response to regular or irregular pre- and post-synaptic spike patterns. We then incorporate experimental data from synaptic plasticity induction protocols by regular activity patterns to couple the predicted local peak [Ca2+] to changes in synaptic strength. We find that our model accurately describes [Ca2+] in dendritic spines resulting from NMDAR activation during presynaptic and postsynaptic activity when compared to previous experimental observations. The model also replicates the experimentally determined plasticity outcome of regular and irregular spike patterns when applied to a single synapse. This model could therefore be used to predict the induction of synaptic plasticity under a variety of experimental conditions and spike patterns.
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Derivative criteria of plasticity anddurability of metal materials
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Gustov Yuriy Ivanovich
Full Text Available Criteria of plasticity and durability derivative of standard indicators of plasticity (δ, ψ and durability (σ , σ are offered. Criteria К and К follow from the equation of relative indicators of durability and plasticity. The purpose of the researches is the establishment of interrelation of derivative criteria with the Page indicator. The values of derivative criteria were defined for steels 50X and 50XH after processing by cold, and also for steels 50G2 and 38HGN after sorbitizing. It was established that the sum of the offered derivative criteria of plasticity and durability С considered for the steels is almost equal to unit and corresponds to a square root of relative durability and plasticity criterion C . Both criteria testify to two-unity opposite processes of deformation and resistance to deformation. By means of the equations for S and С it is possible to calculate an indicator of uniform plastic deformation of σ and through it to estimate synergetic criteria - true tension and specific energy of deformation and destruction of metal materials. On the basis of the received results the expressions for assessing the uniform and concentrated components of plastic deformation are established. The preference of the dependence of uniform relative lengthening from a cubic root of criterion К , and also to work of the criteria of relative lengthening and relative durability is given. The advantage of the formulas consists in simplicity and efficiency of calculation, in ensuring necessary accuracy of calculation of the size δ for the subsequent calculation of structural and power (synergetic criteria of reliability of metals.
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Owen, Scott F; Berke, Joshua D; Kreitzer, Anatol C
2018-02-08
Fast-spiking interneurons (FSIs) are a prominent class of forebrain GABAergic cells implicated in two seemingly independent network functions: gain control and network plasticity. Little is known, however, about how these roles interact. Here, we use a combination of cell-type-specific ablation, optogenetics, electrophysiology, imaging, and behavior to describe a unified mechanism by which striatal FSIs control burst firing, calcium influx, and synaptic plasticity in neighboring medium spiny projection neurons (MSNs). In vivo silencing of FSIs increased bursting, calcium transients, and AMPA/NMDA ratios in MSNs. In a motor sequence task, FSI silencing increased the frequency of calcium transients but reduced the specificity with which transients aligned to individual task events. Consistent with this, ablation of FSIs disrupted the acquisition of striatum-dependent egocentric learning strategies. Together, our data support a model in which feedforward inhibition from FSIs temporally restricts MSN bursting and calcium-dependent synaptic plasticity to facilitate striatum-dependent sequence learning. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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Impact of Bio-Based Plastics on Current Recycling of Plastics
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Luc Alaerts
2018-05-01
Full Text Available Bio-based plastics are increasingly appearing in a range of consumption products, and after use they often end up in technical recycling chains. Bio-based plastics are different from fossil-based ones and could disturb the current recycling of plastics and hence inhibit the closure of plastic cycles, which is undesirable given the current focus on a transition towards a circular economy. In this paper, this risk has been assessed via three elaborated case studies using data and information retrieved through an extended literature search. No overall risks were revealed for bio-based plastics as a group; rather, every bio-based plastic is to be considered as a potential separate source of contamination in current recycling practices. For PLA (polylactic acid, a severe incompatibility with PET (polyethylene terephthalate recycling is known; hence, future risks are assessed by measuring amounts of PLA ending up in PET waste streams. For PHA (polyhydroxy alkanoate there is no risk currently, but it will be crucial to monitor future application development. For PEF (polyethylene furanoate, a particular approach for contamination-related issues has been included in the upcoming market introduction. With respect to developing policy, it is important that any introduction of novel plastics is well guided from a system perspective and with a particular eye on incompatibilities with current and upcoming practices in the recycling of plastics.
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1968-01-01
Only simple equipment, simple technology and low initial capital investment are needed in their manufacture. The condoms can be made by people who were previously unskilled or only semi-skilled workers. Plastic condoms differ from those made of latex rubber in that the nature of the plastic film allows unlimited shelf-life. Also, the plastic has a higher degree of lubricity than latex rubber; if there is a demand for extra lubrication in a particular market, this can be provided. Because the plastic is inert, these condoms need not be packaged in hermetically sealed containers. All these attributes make it possible to put these condoms on the distributors' shelves in developing countries competitively with rubber condoms. The shape of the plastic condom is based on that of the lamb caecum, which has long been used as luxury-type condom. The plastic condom is made from plastic film (ethylene ethyl acrilate) of 0.001 inch (0.0254 mm.) thickness. In addition, a rubber ring is provided and sealed into the base of the condom for retention during coitus. The advantage of the plastic condom design and the equipment on which it is made is that production can be carried out either in labour-intensive economy or with varying degrees of mechanization and automation. The uniform, finished condom if made using previously untrained workers. Training of workers can be done in a matter of hours on the two machines which are needed to produce and test the condoms. The plastic film is provided on a double wound roll, and condom blanks are prepared by means of a heat-sealing die on the stamping machine. The rubber rings are united to the condom blanks on an assembly machine, which consists of a mandrel and heat-sealing equipment to seal the rubber ring to the base of the condom. Built into the assembly machine is a simple air-testing apparatus that can detect the smallest pinhole flaw in a condom. The manufacturing process is completed by unravelling the condom from the assembly
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Tokiwa, Yutaka; Calabia, Buenaventurada P; Ugwu, Charles U; Aiba, Seiichi
2009-08-26
Plastic is a broad name given to different polymers with high molecular weight, which can be degraded by various processes. However, considering their abundance in the environment and their specificity in attacking plastics, biodegradation of plastics by microorganisms and enzymes seems to be the most effective process. When plastics are used as substrates for microorganisms, evaluation of their biodegradability should not only be based on their chemical structure, but also on their physical properties (melting point, glass transition temperature, crystallinity, storage modulus etc.). In this review, microbial and enzymatic biodegradation of plastics and some factors that affect their biodegradability are discussed.
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Characterization of plastic blends made from mixed plastics waste of different sources.
Turku, Irina; Kärki, Timo; Rinne, Kimmo; Puurtinen, Ari
2017-02-01
This paper studies the recyclability of construction and household plastic waste collected from local landfills. Samples were processed from mixed plastic waste by injection moulding. In addition, blends of pure plastics, polypropylene and polyethylene were processed as a reference set. Reference samples with known plastic ratio were used as the calibration set for quantitative analysis of plastic fractions in recycled blends. The samples were tested for the tensile properties; scanning electron microscope-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was used for elemental analysis of the blend surfaces and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis was used for the quantification of plastics contents.
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Plastic scintillation detectors for dose monitoring in digital breast tomosynthesis
Antunes, J.; Machado, J.; Peralta, L.; Matela, N.
2018-01-01
Plastic scintillators detectors (PSDs) have been studied as dosimeters, since they provide a cost-effective alternative to conventional ionization chambers. Measurement and analysis of energy dependency were performed on a Siemens Mammomat tomograph for two different peak kilovoltages: 26 kV and 35 kV. Both PSD displayed good linearity for each energy considered and almost no energy dependence.
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Factors determining radiation stability of plastic scintillators
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Gunder, O.A.; Voronkina, N.I. [National Ukranian Academy of Science, Kharkov (Ukraine). Inst. for Single Crystals; Barashkov, N.N.; Milinchuk, V.K.; Jdanov, G.S. [Karpov Inst. of Physical Chemistry, Moscow (Russian Federation)
1995-07-01
Polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylxylene (PVX) are the base materials for plastic scintillators. UV-Vis spectrophotometry, luminescence and EPR spectroscopy were performed on irradiated samples of PS and PVX with the p-terphenyl (TP) as primary luminophore and 1,4-di-2(5-phenyloxazolyl-1,3)benzene (POPOP) as secondary one. Dependence of the radioluminescence intensity of the scintillators on the concentration of the macroradicals formed in them in the process of irradiation was investigated. Dose dependence of the radiation stability of scintillators is discussed. (Author).
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Factors determining radiation stability of plastic scintillators
Gunder, O. A.; Voronkina, N. I.; Barashkov, N. N.; Milinchuk, V. K.; Jdanov, G. S.
1995-07-01
Polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylxylene (PVX) are the base materials for plastic scintillators. UV-Vis spectrophotometry, luminescence and EPR spectroscopy were performed on irradiated samples of PS and PVX with the p-terphenyl (TP) as primary luminophore and 1,4-di-2(5-phenyloxazolyl-1,3)benzene (POPOP) as secondary one. Dependence of the radioluminescence intensity of the scintillators on the concentration of the macroradicals formed in them in the process of irradiation was investigated. Dose dependence of the radiation stability of scintillators is discussed.
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Factors determining radiation stability of plastic scintillators
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gunder, O.A.; Voronkina, N.I.
1995-01-01
Polystyrene (PS) and polyvinylxylene (PVX) are the base materials for plastic scintillators. UV-Vis spectrophotometry, luminescence and EPR spectroscopy were performed on irradiated samples of PS and PVX with the p-terphenyl (TP) as primary luminophore and 1,4-di-2(5-phenyloxazolyl-1,3)benzene (POPOP) as secondary one. Dependence of the radioluminescence intensity of the scintillators on the concentration of the macroradicals formed in them in the process of irradiation was investigated. Dose dependence of the radiation stability of scintillators is discussed. (Author)
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Gender Authorship Trends of Plastic Surgery Research in the United States.
Silvestre, Jason; Wu, Liza C; Lin, Ines C; Serletti, Joseph M
2016-07-01
An increasing number of women are entering the medical profession, but plastic surgery remains a male-dominated profession, especially within academia. As academic aspirations and advancement depend largely on research productivity, the authors assessed the number of articles authored by women published in the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Original articles in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery published during the years 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000, 2004, and 2014 were analyzed. First and senior authors with an M.D. degree and U.S. institutional affiliation were categorized by gender. Authorship trends were compared with those from other specialties. Findings were placed in the context of gender trends among plastic surgery residents in the United States. The percentage of female authors in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery increased from 2.4 percent in 1970 to 13.3 percent in 2014. Over the same time period, the percentage of female plastic surgery residents increased from 2.6 percent to 32.5 percent. By 2014, there were more female first authors (19.1 percent) than senior authors (7.7 percent) (p < 0.001). As a field, plastic surgery had fewer female authors than other medical specialties including pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery, internal medicine, and radiation oncology (p < 0.05). The increase in representation of female authors in plastic surgery is encouraging but lags behind advances in other specialties. Understanding reasons for these trends may help improve gender equity in academic plastic surgery.
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The Prevalence of Cosmetic Facial Plastic Procedures among Facial Plastic Surgeons.
Moayer, Roxana; Sand, Jordan P; Han, Albert; Nabili, Vishad; Keller, Gregory S
2018-04-01
This is the first study to report on the prevalence of cosmetic facial plastic surgery use among facial plastic surgeons. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency with which facial plastic surgeons have cosmetic procedures themselves. A secondary aim is to determine whether trends in usage of cosmetic facial procedures among facial plastic surgeons are similar to that of nonsurgeons. The study design was an anonymous, five-question, Internet survey distributed via email set in a single academic institution. Board-certified members of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) were included in this study. Self-reported history of cosmetic facial plastic surgery or minimally invasive procedures were recorded. The survey also queried participants for demographic data. A total of 216 members of the AAFPRS responded to the questionnaire. Ninety percent of respondents were male ( n = 192) and 10.3% were female ( n = 22). Thirty-three percent of respondents were aged 31 to 40 years ( n = 70), 25% were aged 41 to 50 years ( n = 53), 21.4% were aged 51 to 60 years ( n = 46), and 20.5% were older than 60 years ( n = 44). Thirty-six percent of respondents had a surgical cosmetic facial procedure and 75% has at least one minimally invasive cosmetic facial procedure. Facial plastic surgeons are frequent users of cosmetic facial plastic surgery. This finding may be due to access, knowledge base, values, or attitudes. By better understanding surgeon attitudes toward facial plastic surgery, we can improve communication with patients and delivery of care. This study is a first step in understanding use of facial plastic procedures among facial plastic surgeons. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.
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Recycling of plastic waste: Presence of phthalates in plastics from households and industry.
Pivnenko, K; Eriksen, M K; Martín-Fernández, J A; Eriksson, E; Astrup, T F
2016-08-01
Plastics recycling has the potential to substitute virgin plastics partially as a source of raw materials in plastic product manufacturing. Plastic as a material may contain a variety of chemicals, some potentially hazardous. Phthalates, for instance, are a group of chemicals produced in large volumes and are commonly used as plasticisers in plastics manufacturing. Potential impacts on human health require restricted use in selected applications and a need for the closer monitoring of potential sources of human exposure. Although the presence of phthalates in a variety of plastics has been recognised, the influence of plastic recycling on phthalate content has been hypothesised but not well documented. In the present work we analysed selected phthalates (DMP, DEP, DPP, DiBP, DBP, BBzP, DEHP, DCHP and DnOP) in samples of waste plastics as well as recycled and virgin plastics. DBP, DiBP and DEHP had the highest frequency of detection in the samples analysed, with 360μg/g, 460μg/g and 2700μg/g as the maximum measured concentrations, respectively. Among other, statistical analysis of the analytical results suggested that phthalates were potentially added in the later stages of plastic product manufacturing (labelling, gluing, etc.) and were not removed following recycling of household waste plastics. Furthermore, DEHP was identified as a potential indicator for phthalate contamination of plastics. Close monitoring of plastics intended for phthalates-sensitive applications is recommended if recycled plastics are to be used as raw material in production. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Plastic deformation of Fortissimo fuel cans
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Marbach, G.; Millet, P.; Blanchard, P.
1979-01-01
The study of a great number of standard Fortissimo fuel rods clad in 316 hyper quenched steel shows that the plastic deformation depends linearily on the pressure of the fission gases and on the dose. The irradiation creep module deduced therefrom is between 1 and 2x10 -6 (MPa F atomic displacement) -1 at 450 0 C and increases regularly with the temperature [fr
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Neuron-glia metabolic coupling and plasticity.
Magistretti, Pierre J
2011-04-01
The focus of the current research projects in my laboratory revolves around the question of metabolic plasticity of neuron-glia coupling. Our hypothesis is that behavioural conditions, such as for example learning or the sleep-wake cycle, in which synaptic plasticity is well documented, or during specific pathological conditions, are accompanied by changes in the regulation of energy metabolism of astrocytes. We have indeed observed that the 'metabolic profile' of astrocytes is modified during the sleep-wake cycle and during conditions mimicking neuroinflammation in the presence or absence of amyloid-β. The effect of amyloid-β on energy metabolism is dependent on its state of aggregation and on internalization of the peptide by astrocytes. Distinct patterns of metabolic activity could be observed during the learning and recall phases in a spatial learning task. Gene expression analysis in activated areas, notably hippocampous and retrosplenial cortex, demonstrated that the expression levels of several genes implicated in astrocyte-neuron metabolic coupling are enhanced by learning. Regarding metabolic plasticity during the sleep-wake cycle, we have observed that the level of expression of a panel of selected genes, which we know are key for neuron-glia metabolic coupling, is modulated by sleep deprivation.
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Recycling of plastic waste: Presence of phthalates in plastics from households and industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pivnenko, Kostyantyn; Eriksen, Marie Kampmann; Martín-Fernández, J. A.
2016-01-01
Plastics recycling has the potential to substitute virgin plastics partially as a source of raw materials in plastic product manufacturing. Plastic as a material may contain a variety of chemicals, some potentially hazardous. Phthalates, for instance, are a group of chemicals produced in large...... recognised, the influence of plastic recycling on phthalate content has been hypothesised but not well documented. In the present work we analysed selected phthalates (DMP, DEP, DPP, DiBP, DBP, BBzP, DEHP, DCHP and DnOP) in samples of waste plastics as well as recycled and virgin plastics. DBP, DiBP and DEHP...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Yutaka Tokiwa
2009-08-01
Full Text Available Plastic is a broad name given to different polymers with high molecular weight, which can be degraded by various processes. However, considering their abundance in the environment and their specificity in attacking plastics, biodegradation of plastics by microorganisms and enzymes seems to be the most effective process. When plastics are used as substrates for microorganisms, evaluation of their biodegradability should not only be based on their chemical structure, but also on their physical properties (melting point, glass transition temperature, crystallinity, storage modulus etc.. In this review, microbial and enzymatic biodegradation of plastics and some factors that affect their biodegradability are discussed.
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NREM sleep oscillations and brain plasticity in aging
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stuart eFogel
2012-12-01
Full Text Available The human electroencephalogram (EEG during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM is characterized mainly by high-amplitude (> 75 µV, slow-frequency (< 4 Hz waves (slow waves; SW and sleep spindles (~11-15 Hz; > 0.25 s. These NREM oscillations play a crucial role in brain plasticity, and importantly, NREM sleep oscillations change considerably with aging. This review discusses the association between NREM sleep oscillations and cerebral plasticity as well as the functional impact of age-related changes on NREM sleep oscillations. We propose that age-related reduction in sleep-dependent memory consolidation may be due in part to changes in NREM sleep oscillations.
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Basic Strain Gradient Plasticity Theories with Application to Constrained Film Deformation
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Niordson, Christian Frithiof; Hutchinson, John W.
2011-01-01
films: the compression or extension of a finite layer joining rigid platens. Full elastic-plastic solutions are obtained for the same problem based on a finite element method devised for the new class of flow theories. Potential difficulties and open issues associated with the new class of flow theories......A family of basic rate-independent strain gradient plasticity theories is considered that generalize conventional J(2) deformation and flow theories of plasticity to include a dependence on strain gradients in a simple way. The theory builds on three recent developments: the work of Gudmundson (J....... Mech. Phys. Solids 52 (2004), 1379-1406) and Gurtin and Anand (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 57 (2009), 405-421), proposing constitutive relations for flow theories consistent with requirements of positive plastic dissipation; the work of Fleck and Willis (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 57 (2009), 161-177 and 1045...
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Determination of the diffusion coefficient and solubility of radon in plastics.
Pressyanov, D; Georgiev, S; Dimitrova, I; Mitev, K; Boshkova, T
2011-05-01
This paper describes a method for determination of the diffusion coefficient and the solubility of radon in plastics. The method is based on the absorption and desorption of radon in plastics. Firstly, plastic specimens are exposed for controlled time to referent (222)Rn concentrations. After exposure, the activity of the specimens is followed by HPGe gamma spectrometry. Using the mathematical algorithm described in this report and the decrease of activity as a function of time, the diffusion coefficient can be determined. In addition, if the referent (222)Rn concentration during the exposure is known, the solubility of radon can be determined. The algorithm has been experimentally applied for different plastics. The results show that this approach allows the specified quantities to be determined with a rather high accuracy-depending on the quality of the counting equipment, it can be better than 10 %.
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Dislocations and Plastic Deformation in MgO Crystals: A Review
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jonathan Amodeo
2018-05-01
Full Text Available This review paper focuses on dislocations and plastic deformation in magnesium oxide crystals. MgO is an archetype ionic ceramic with refractory properties which is of interest in several fields of applications such as ceramic materials fabrication, nano-scale engineering and Earth sciences. In its bulk single crystal shape, MgO can deform up to few percent plastic strain due to dislocation plasticity processes that strongly depend on external parameters such as pressure, temperature, strain rate, or crystal size. This review describes how a combined approach of macro-mechanical tests, multi-scale modeling, nano-mechanical tests, and high pressure experiments and simulations have progressively helped to improve our understanding of MgO mechanical behavior and elementary dislocation-based processes under stress.
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Elastic-plastic behaviour of thick-walled containers considering plastic compressibility
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Betten, J.; Frosch, H.G.
1983-01-01
In this paper the elastic-plastic behaviour of thick-walled pressure vessels with internal and external pressure is studied. To describe the mechanical behaviour of isotropic, plastic compressible materials we use a plastic potential which is a single-valued function of the principle stresses. For cylinders and spheres an analytic expression for the computation of stresses and residual stresses is specified. Afterwards the strains are calculated by using the finite difference method. Some examples will high-light the influence of the plastic compressibility on the behaviour of pressure vessels. (orig.) [de
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A Comparison Among Plastic Deformation Capacities of RC Members According to International Codes
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tripepi, C.; Failla, G.; Santini, A.; Nucera, F.
2008-01-01
The aim is to compare plastic deformation capacities of flexure-controlled reinforced concrete members, as predicted by the Italian Seismic Code, Eurocode 8 and FEMA356. For completeness, recent studies in the literature are also referred to. The comparison is pursued in context with a nonlinear static analysis run on 2D frame structures. This allows to assess whether and to which extent plastic deformation capacities may be affected by variations in those quantities, such as shear span and/or axial load, depending on which plastic deformation capacities are generally given
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Simulation of finite-strain inelastic phenomena governed by creep and plasticity
Li, Zhen; Bloomfield, Max O.; Oberai, Assad A.
2017-11-01
Inelastic mechanical behavior plays an important role in many applications in science and engineering. Phenomenologically, this behavior is often modeled as plasticity or creep. Plasticity is used to represent the rate-independent component of inelastic deformation and creep is used to represent the rate-dependent component. In several applications, especially those at elevated temperatures and stresses, these processes occur simultaneously. In order to model these process, we develop a rate-objective, finite-deformation constitutive model for plasticity and creep. The plastic component of this model is based on rate-independent J_2 plasticity, and the creep component is based on a thermally activated Norton model. We describe the implementation of this model within a finite element formulation, and present a radial return mapping algorithm for it. This approach reduces the additional complexity of modeling plasticity and creep, over thermoelasticity, to just solving one nonlinear scalar equation at each quadrature point. We implement this algorithm within a multiphysics finite element code and evaluate the consistent tangent through automatic differentiation. We verify and validate the implementation, apply it to modeling the evolution of stresses in the flip chip manufacturing process, and test its parallel strong-scaling performance.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Oh, Chang Kyun; Myung, Man Sik; Kim, Yun Jae; Park, Jin Moo
2005-01-01
For the last four decades, tension test of notched bars has been performed to investigate the effect of stress triaxiality on ductile fracture. To quantify the effect of the notch radius on stress triaxiality, the Bridgman equation is typically used. However, recent works based on detailed finite element analysis have shown that the Bridgman equation is not correct, possibly due to his assumption that strain is constant in the necked ligament. Up to present, no systematic work has been performed on fully plastic stress fields for notched bars in tension. This paper presents fully plastic results for tension of notched bars and plates in plane strain, via finite element limit analysis. The notch radius is systematically varied, covering both un-cracked and cracked cases. Comparison of plastic limit loads with existing solutions shows that existing solutions are accurate for notched plates, but not for notched bars. Accordingly new limit load solutions are given for notched bars. Variations of stress triaxiality with the notch radius and depth are also given, which again indicates that the Bridgman solution for notched bars is not correct and inaccuracy depends on the notch radius and depth
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Root plasticity buffers competition among plants: theory meets experimental data.
Schiffers, Katja; Tielbörger, Katja; Tietjen, Britta; Jeltsch, Florian
2011-03-01
Morphological plasticity is a striking characteristic of plants in natural communities. In the context of foraging behavior particularly, root plasticity has been documented for numerous species. Root plasticity is known to mitigate competitive interactions by reducing the overlap of the individuals' rhizospheres. But despite its obvious effect on resource acquisition, plasticity has been generally neglected in previous empirical and theoretical studies estimating interaction intensity among plants. In this study, we developed a semi-mechanistic model that addresses this shortcoming by introducing the idea of compensatory growth into the classical-zone-of influence (ZOI) and field-of-neighborhood (FON) approaches. The model parameters describing the belowground plastic sphere of influence (PSI) were parameterized using data from an accompanying field experiment. Measurements of the uptake of a stable nutrient analogue at distinct distances to the neighboring plants showed that the study species responded plastically to belowground competition by avoiding overlap of individuals' rhizospheres. An unexpected finding was that the sphere of influence of the study species Bromus hordeaceus could be best described by a unimodal function of distance to the plant's center and not with a continuously decreasing function as commonly assumed. We employed the parameterized model to investigate the interplay between plasticity and two other important factors determining the intensity of competitive interactions: overall plant density and the distribution of individuals in space. The simulation results confirm that the reduction of competition intensity due to morphological plasticity strongly depends on the spatial structure of the competitive environment. We advocate the use of semi-mechanistic simulations that explicitly consider morphological plasticity to improve our mechanistic understanding of plant interactions.
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Evolution of plasticity and adaptive responses to climate change along climate gradients.
Kingsolver, Joel G; Buckley, Lauren B
2017-08-16
The relative contributions of phenotypic plasticity and adaptive evolution to the responses of species to recent and future climate change are poorly understood. We combine recent (1960-2010) climate and phenotypic data with microclimate, heat balance, demographic and evolutionary models to address this issue for a montane butterfly, Colias eriphyle , along an elevational gradient. Our focal phenotype, wing solar absorptivity, responds plastically to developmental (pupal) temperatures and plays a central role in thermoregulatory adaptation in adults. Here, we show that both the phenotypic and adaptive consequences of plasticity vary with elevation. Seasonal changes in weather generate seasonal variation in phenotypic selection on mean and plasticity of absorptivity, especially at lower elevations. In response to climate change in the past 60 years, our models predict evolutionary declines in mean absorptivity (but little change in plasticity) at high elevations, and evolutionary increases in plasticity (but little change in mean) at low elevation. The importance of plasticity depends on the magnitude of seasonal variation in climate relative to interannual variation. Our results suggest that selection and evolution of both trait means and plasticity can contribute to adaptive response to climate change in this system. They also illustrate how plasticity can facilitate rather than retard adaptive evolutionary responses to directional climate change in seasonal environments. © 2017 The Author(s).
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Mechanically equivalent elastic-plastic deformations and the problem of plastic spin
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Steigmann David J.
2011-01-01
Full Text Available The problem of plastic spin is phrased in terms of a notion of mechanical equivalence among local intermediate configurations of an elastic/ plastic crystalline solid. This idea is used to show that, without further qualification, the plastic spin may be suppressed at the constitutive level. However, the spin is closely tied to an underlying undistorted crystal lattice which, once specified, eliminates the freedom afforded by mechanical equivalence. As a practical matter a constitutive specification of plastic spin is therefore required. Suppression of plastic spin thus emerges as merely one such specification among many. Restrictions on these are derived in the case of rate-independent response.
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Plasticity-Related Gene Expression During Eszopiclone-Induced Sleep.
Gerashchenko, Dmitry; Pasumarthi, Ravi K; Kilduff, Thomas S
2017-07-01
Experimental evidence suggests that restorative processes depend on synaptic plasticity changes in the brain during sleep. We used the expression of plasticity-related genes to assess synaptic plasticity changes during drug-induced sleep. We first characterized sleep induced by eszopiclone in mice during baseline conditions and during the recovery from sleep deprivation. We then compared the expression of 18 genes and two miRNAs critically involved in synaptic plasticity in these mice. Gene expression was assessed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus by the TaqMan reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and correlated with sleep parameters. Eszopiclone reduced the latency to nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and increased NREM sleep amounts. Eszopiclone had no effect on slow wave activity (SWA) during baseline conditions but reduced the SWA increase during recovery sleep (RS) after sleep deprivation. Gene expression analyses revealed three distinct patterns: (1) four genes had higher expression either in the cortex or hippocampus in the group of mice with increased amounts of wakefulness; (2) a large proportion of plasticity-related genes (7 out of 18 genes) had higher expression during RS in the cortex but not in the hippocampus; and (3) six genes and the two miRNAs showed no significant changes across conditions. Even at a relatively high dose (20 mg/kg), eszopiclone did not reduce the expression of plasticity-related genes during RS period in the cortex. These results indicate that gene expression associated with synaptic plasticity occurs in the cortex in the presence of a hypnotic medication. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Lacroix, Frederic; Guillot, Mathieu; McEwen, Malcolm; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc
2011-10-01
This work presents the experimental extraction of the perturbation factor in megavoltage electron beams for three models of silicon diodes (IBA Dosimetry, EFD and SFD, and the PTW 60012 unshielded) using a plastic scintillation detector (PSD). The authors used a single scanning PSD mounted on a high-precision scanning tank to measure depth-dose curves in 6-, 12-, and 18-MeV clinical electron beams. They also measured depth-dose curves using the IBA Dosimetry, EFD and SFD, and the PTW 60012 unshielded diodes. The authors used the depth-dose curves measured with the PSD as a perturbation-free reference to extract the perturbation factors of the diodes. The authors found that the perturbation factors for the diodes increased substantially with depth, especially for low-energy electron beams. The experimental results show the same trend as published Monte Carlo simulation results for the EFD diode; however, the perturbations measured experimentally were greater. They found that using an effective point of measurement (EPOM) placed slightly away from the source reduced the variation of perturbation factors with depth and that the optimal EPOM appears to be energy dependent. The manufacturer recommended EPOM appears to be incorrect at low electron energy (6 MeV). In addition, the perturbation factors for diodes may be greater than predicted by Monte Carlo simulations.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lacroix, Frederic; Guillot, Mathieu; McEwen, Malcolm; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc
2011-01-01
Purpose: This work presents the experimental extraction of the perturbation factor in megavoltage electron beams for three models of silicon diodes (IBA Dosimetry, EFD and SFD, and the PTW 60012 unshielded) using a plastic scintillation detector (PSD). Methods: The authors used a single scanning PSD mounted on a high-precision scanning tank to measure depth-dose curves in 6-, 12-, and 18-MeV clinical electron beams. They also measured depth-dose curves using the IBA Dosimetry, EFD and SFD, and the PTW 60012 unshielded diodes. The authors used the depth-dose curves measured with the PSD as a perturbation-free reference to extract the perturbation factors of the diodes. Results: The authors found that the perturbation factors for the diodes increased substantially with depth, especially for low-energy electron beams. The experimental results show the same trend as published Monte Carlo simulation results for the EFD diode; however, the perturbations measured experimentally were greater. They found that using an effective point of measurement (EPOM) placed slightly away from the source reduced the variation of perturbation factors with depth and that the optimal EPOM appears to be energy dependent. Conclusions: The manufacturer recommended EPOM appears to be incorrect at low electron energy (6 MeV). In addition, the perturbation factors for diodes may be greater than predicted by Monte Carlo simulations.
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A Review on Landfill Management in the Utilization of Plastic Waste as an Alternative Fuel
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hidayah Nurul
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Wastes from landfills originate from many spheres of life. These are produces as a result of human activities either domestically or industrially. The global plastic production increased over years due to the vast applications of plastics in many sectors. The continuous demand of plastics caused the plastic wastes accumulation in the landfill consumed a lot of spaces that contributed to the environmental. In addition, economic growth and development also increased our demand and dependency on plastics which leads to its accumulation in landfills imposing risk on human health, animals and cause environmental pollution problems such as ground water contamination, sanitary related issues, etc. The management and disposal of plastic waste have become a major concern, especially in developing cities. The idea of waste to energy recovery is one of the promising techniques used for managing the waste of plastic. Hence, this paper aims review at utilizing of plastic as an alternative fuel.
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A Review on Landfill Management in the Utilization of Plastic Waste as an Alternative Fuel
Hidayah, Nurul; Syafrudin
2018-02-01
Wastes from landfills originate from many spheres of life. These are produces as a result of human activities either domestically or industrially. The global plastic production increased over years due to the vast applications of plastics in many sectors. The continuous demand of plastics caused the plastic wastes accumulation in the landfill consumed a lot of spaces that contributed to the environmental. In addition, economic growth and development also increased our demand and dependency on plastics which leads to its accumulation in landfills imposing risk on human health, animals and cause environmental pollution problems such as ground water contamination, sanitary related issues, etc. The management and disposal of plastic waste have become a major concern, especially in developing cities. The idea of waste to energy recovery is one of the promising techniques used for managing the waste of plastic. Hence, this paper aims review at utilizing of plastic as an alternative fuel.
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Gamma spectrometry and plastic-scintillator inherent background
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pomerantsev, V.V.; Gagauz, I.B.; Mitsai, L.I.; Pilipenko, V.S.; Solomonov, V.M.; Chernikov, V.V.; Tsirlin, Y.A.
1988-01-01
The authors measured the energy resolution for a linear dependence of light yield on gamma radiation energy of gamma spectrometers based on plastic scintillation detectors for several plastic scintillators. If there were several gamma lines from the source the line with the highest energy was used to eliminate distortion due to overlap from the Compton background from gamma radiation of higher energy. Attenuation lengths were calculated. The tests were based on three modes of interaction between the gamma radiation and the scintillator: Compton scattering, the photoelectric effect, and pair formation. The contribution from light collection was also considered. The scintillators tested included polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, cesium iodide, and sodium iodide. Gamma sources included cesium 137, sodium 22, potassium 40, yttrium 88, thorium 232, and plutonium-beryllium
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Detection unit with corrected energy dependence
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Viererbl, L.
1989-01-01
The detection unit consists of a plastic scintillator with a layer of a powder semicrystalline scintillator deposited on its surface. An inorgaic monocrystalline scintillator is placed inside the plastic scintillator and surrounded with an absorption layer, except for the window. The advantage of the detection unit is a reduced energy dependence of response, especially in the energy range 100 to 400 keV. (E.J.). 3 figs
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Halden, Rolf U
2010-01-01
By 2010, the worldwide annual production of plastics will surpass 300 million tons. Plastics are indispensable materials in modern society, and many products manufactured from plastics are a boon to public health (e.g., disposable syringes, intravenous bags). However, plastics also pose health risks. Of principal concern are endocrine-disrupting properties, as triggered for example by bisphenol A and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). Opinions on the safety of plastics vary widely, and despite more than five decades of research, scientific consensus on product safety is still elusive. This literature review summarizes information from more than 120 peer-reviewed publications on health effects of plastics and plasticizers in lab animals and humans. It examines problematic exposures of susceptible populations and also briefly summarizes adverse environmental impacts from plastic pollution. Ongoing efforts to steer human society toward resource conservation and sustainable consumption are discussed, including the concept of the 5 Rs--i.e., reduce, reuse, recycle, rethink, restrain--for minimizing pre- and postnatal exposures to potentially harmful components of plastics.
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Magnetic Non-destructive Testing of Plastically Deformed Mild Steel
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jozef Pala
2004-01-01
Full Text Available The Barkhausen noise analysis and coercive field measurement have been used as magnetic non-destructive testing methods for plastically deformed high quality carbon steel specimens. The strain dependence of root mean square value and power spectrum of the Barkhausen noise and the coercive field are explained in terms of the dislocation density. The specimens have been subjected to different magnetizing frequencies to show the overlapping nature of the Barkhausen noise. The results are discussed in the context of usage of magnetic non-destructive testing to evaluate the plastic deformation of high quality carbon steel products.
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Network reconfiguration and neuronal plasticity in rhythm-generating networks.
Koch, Henner; Garcia, Alfredo J; Ramirez, Jan-Marino
2011-12-01
Neuronal networks are highly plastic and reconfigure in a state-dependent manner. The plasticity at the network level emerges through multiple intrinsic and synaptic membrane properties that imbue neurons and their interactions with numerous nonlinear properties. These properties are continuously regulated by neuromodulators and homeostatic mechanisms that are critical to maintain not only network stability and also adapt networks in a short- and long-term manner to changes in behavioral, developmental, metabolic, and environmental conditions. This review provides concrete examples from neuronal networks in invertebrates and vertebrates, and illustrates that the concepts and rules that govern neuronal networks and behaviors are universal.
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A Presynaptic Role for FMRP during Protein Synthesis-Dependent Long-Term Plasticity in "Aplysia"
Till, Sally M.; Li, Hsiu-Ling; Miniaci, Maria Concetta; Kandel, Eric R.; Choi, Yun-Beom
2011-01-01
Loss of the Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is associated with presumed postsynaptic deficits in mouse models of Fragile X syndrome. However, the possible presynaptic roles of FMRP in learning-related plasticity have received little attention. As a result, the mechanisms whereby FMRP influences synaptic function remain poorly…
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Phenotypic plasticity and longevity in plants and animals: cause and effect?
Borges, Renee M
2009-10-01
Immobile plants and immobile modular animals outlive unitary animals. This paper discusses competing but not necessarily mutually exclusive theories to explain this extreme longevity, especially from the perspective of phenotypic plasticity. Stem cell immortality, vascular autonomy, and epicormic branching are some important features of the phenotypic plasticity of plants that contribute to their longevity. Monocarpy versus polycarpy can also influence the kind of senescent processes experienced by plants. How density-dependent phenomena affecting the establishment of juveniles in these immobile organisms can influence the evolution of senescence, and consequently longevity, is reviewed and discussed. Whether climate change scenarios will favour long-lived or short-lived organisms, with their attendant levels of plasticity, is also presented.
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Recycling of plastic waste: Presence of phthalates in plastics from households and industry
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pivnenko, Kostyantyn; Eriksen, Marie Kampmann; Martín-Fernández, J. A.
2016-01-01
recognised, the influence of plastic recycling on phthalate content has been hypothesised but not well documented. In the present work we analysed selected phthalates (DMP, DEP, DPP, DiBP, DBP, BBzP, DEHP, DCHP and DnOP) in samples of waste plastics as well as recycled and virgin plastics. DBP, DiBP and DEHP...... product manufacturing (labelling, gluing, etc.) and were not removed following recycling of household waste plastics. Furthermore, DEHP was identified as a potential indicator for phthalate contamination of plastics. Close monitoring of plastics intended for phthalates-sensitive applications...
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Stress and strain fluctuations in plastic deformation of crystals with disordered microstructure
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kapetanou, O; Zaiser, M; Weygand, D
2015-01-01
We investigate the spatial structure of stress and strain patterns in crystal plasticity. To this end, we combine theoretical arguments with plasticity simulations using three different models: (i) a generic model of bulk crystal plasticity with stochastic evolution of the local microstructure, (ii) a 2D discrete dislocation simulation assuming single-slip deformation in a bulk crystal, and (iii) a 3D discrete dislocation model for deformation of micropillars in multiple slip. For all three models we investigate the scale-dependent magnitude of local fluctuations of internal stress and plastic strain, and we determine the spatial structure of the respective auto- and cross-correlation functions. The investigations show that, in the course of deformation, nontrivial long range correlations emerge in the stress and strain patterns. We investigate the influence of boundary conditions on the observed spatial patterns of stress and strain, and discuss implications of our findings for larger-scale plasticity models. (paper)
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Small scale plasticity and compressive properties of composites
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mikkelsen, Lars Pilgaard
in the commercial finite element code Abaqus [3]. In addition, in a supplementary study, taken into account the length scale effect of the yielding behavior using a strain gradient dependent plasticity law [4] implemented as a user element [5], it is possible investigating the scale effect on the yielding behavior...
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Evaluation of a disposable plastic Neubauer counting chamber for semen analysis.
Kirkman-Brown, Jackson; Björndahl, Lars
2009-02-01
To evaluate whether disposable plastic counting chambers effectively could replace nondisposable, time-consuming, and potentially dangerous glass hemocytometers. Evaluation of equipment in modern laboratory andrology. Comparison of results obtained with plastic chambers with results obtained with "gold-standard" glass hemocytometer counts. Diagnostic laboratory for andrology. Twenty-one patients undergoing investigation for infertility problems. No interventions with patients; sperm in diluted semen samples were used when patients had allowed the use for research and training. Sperm concentration, difference from results obtained with standard equipment. In the first three experimental series, with use of standard routine phase-contrast microscopy, significantly lower count results were obtained consistently from the plastic chambers than from standard chambers. In the fourth series, with use of specialized equipment, equivalent results were obtained but with a considerably greater time commitment because of difficulties in distinguishing sperm adjacent to the gridlines in the plastic chambers. The plastic disposable chamber type was not suitable for routine semen analysis because results are variable depending on the microscope used, and increased time is necessary to do the assessment accurately.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Wayne Croft
2015-01-01
Full Text Available The capacity of synaptic networks to express activity-dependent changes in strength and connectivity is essential for learning and memory processes. In recent years, glial cells (most notably astrocytes have been recognized as active participants in the modulation of synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity, implicating these electrically nonexcitable cells in information processing in the brain. While the concept of bidirectional communication between neurons and glia and the mechanisms by which gliotransmission can modulate neuronal function are well established, less attention has been focussed on the computational potential of neuron-glial transmission itself. In particular, whether neuron-glial transmission is itself subject to activity-dependent plasticity and what the computational properties of such plasticity might be has not been explored in detail. In this review, we summarize current examples of plasticity in neuron-glial transmission, in many brain regions and neurotransmitter pathways. We argue that induction of glial plasticity typically requires repetitive neuronal firing over long time periods (minutes-hours rather than the short-lived, stereotyped trigger typical of canonical long-term potentiation. We speculate that this equips glia with a mechanism for monitoring average firing rates in the synaptic network, which is suited to the longer term roles proposed for astrocytes in neurophysiology.
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Transport and release of chemicals from plastics to the environment and to wildlife
Teuten, Emma L.; Saquing, Jovita M.; Knappe, Detlef R. U.; Barlaz, Morton A.; Jonsson, Susanne; Björn, Annika; Rowland, Steven J.; Thompson, Richard C.; Galloway, Tamara S.; Yamashita, Rei; Ochi, Daisuke; Watanuki, Yutaka; Moore, Charles; Viet, Pham Hung; Tana, Touch Seang; Prudente, Maricar; Boonyatumanond, Ruchaya; Zakaria, Mohamad P.; Akkhavong, Kongsap; Ogata, Yuko; Hirai, Hisashi; Iwasa, Satoru; Mizukawa, Kaoruko; Hagino, Yuki; Imamura, Ayako; Saha, Mahua; Takada, Hideshige
2009-01-01
Plastics debris in the marine environment, including resin pellets, fragments and microscopic plastic fragments, contain organic contaminants, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum hydrocarbons, organochlorine pesticides (2,2′-bis(p-chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane, hexachlorinated hexanes), polybrominated diphenylethers, alkylphenols and bisphenol A, at concentrations from sub ng g–1 to µg g–1. Some of these compounds are added during plastics manufacture, while others adsorb from the surrounding seawater. Concentrations of hydrophobic contaminants adsorbed on plastics showed distinct spatial variations reflecting global pollution patterns. Model calculations and experimental observations consistently show that polyethylene accumulates more organic contaminants than other plastics such as polypropylene and polyvinyl chloride. Both a mathematical model using equilibrium partitioning and experimental data have demonstrated the transfer of contaminants from plastic to organisms. A feeding experiment indicated that PCBs could transfer from contaminated plastics to streaked shearwater chicks. Plasticizers, other plastics additives and constitutional monomers also present potential threats in terrestrial environments because they can leach from waste disposal sites into groundwater and/or surface waters. Leaching and degradation of plasticizers and polymers are complex phenomena dependent on environmental conditions in the landfill and the chemical properties of each additive. Bisphenol A concentrations in leachates from municipal waste disposal sites in tropical Asia ranged from sub µg l–1 to mg l–1 and were correlated with the level of economic development. PMID:19528054
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Sensory Cortical Plasticity Participates in the Epigenetic Regulation of Robust Memory Formation
Phan, Mimi L.; Bieszczad, Kasia M.
2016-01-01
Neuroplasticity remodels sensory cortex across the lifespan. A function of adult sensory cortical plasticity may be capturing available information during perception for memory formation. The degree of experience-dependent remodeling in sensory cortex appears to determine memory strength and specificity for important sensory signals. A key open question is how plasticity is engaged to induce different degrees of sensory cortical remodeling. Neural plasticity for long-term memory requires the expression of genes underlying stable changes in neuronal function, structure, connectivity, and, ultimately, behavior. Lasting changes in transcriptional activity may depend on epigenetic mechanisms; some of the best studied in behavioral neuroscience are DNA methylation and histone acetylation and deacetylation, which, respectively, promote and repress gene expression. One purpose of this review is to propose epigenetic regulation of sensory cortical remodeling as a mechanism enabling the transformation of significant information from experiences into content-rich memories of those experiences. Recent evidence suggests how epigenetic mechanisms regulate highly specific reorganization of sensory cortical representations that establish a widespread network for memory. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms could initiate events to establish exceptionally persistent and robust memories at a systems-wide level by engaging sensory cortical plasticity for gating what and how much information becomes encoded. PMID:26881129
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Sensory Cortical Plasticity Participates in the Epigenetic Regulation of Robust Memory Formation.
Phan, Mimi L; Bieszczad, Kasia M
2016-01-01
Neuroplasticity remodels sensory cortex across the lifespan. A function of adult sensory cortical plasticity may be capturing available information during perception for memory formation. The degree of experience-dependent remodeling in sensory cortex appears to determine memory strength and specificity for important sensory signals. A key open question is how plasticity is engaged to induce different degrees of sensory cortical remodeling. Neural plasticity for long-term memory requires the expression of genes underlying stable changes in neuronal function, structure, connectivity, and, ultimately, behavior. Lasting changes in transcriptional activity may depend on epigenetic mechanisms; some of the best studied in behavioral neuroscience are DNA methylation and histone acetylation and deacetylation, which, respectively, promote and repress gene expression. One purpose of this review is to propose epigenetic regulation of sensory cortical remodeling as a mechanism enabling the transformation of significant information from experiences into content-rich memories of those experiences. Recent evidence suggests how epigenetic mechanisms regulate highly specific reorganization of sensory cortical representations that establish a widespread network for memory. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms could initiate events to establish exceptionally persistent and robust memories at a systems-wide level by engaging sensory cortical plasticity for gating what and how much information becomes encoded.
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Sensory Cortical Plasticity Participates in the Epigenetic Regulation of Robust Memory Formation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mimi L. Phan
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Neuroplasticity remodels sensory cortex across the lifespan. A function of adult sensory cortical plasticity may be capturing available information during perception for memory formation. The degree of experience-dependent remodeling in sensory cortex appears to determine memory strength and specificity for important sensory signals. A key open question is how plasticity is engaged to induce different degrees of sensory cortical remodeling. Neural plasticity for long-term memory requires the expression of genes underlying stable changes in neuronal function, structure, connectivity, and, ultimately, behavior. Lasting changes in transcriptional activity may depend on epigenetic mechanisms; some of the best studied in behavioral neuroscience are DNA methylation and histone acetylation and deacetylation, which, respectively, promote and repress gene expression. One purpose of this review is to propose epigenetic regulation of sensory cortical remodeling as a mechanism enabling the transformation of significant information from experiences into content-rich memories of those experiences. Recent evidence suggests how epigenetic mechanisms regulate highly specific reorganization of sensory cortical representations that establish a widespread network for memory. Thus, epigenetic mechanisms could initiate events to establish exceptionally persistent and robust memories at a systems-wide level by engaging sensory cortical plasticity for gating what and how much information becomes encoded.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
André eCyr
2014-07-01
Full Text Available We demonstrate the operant conditioning (OC learning process within a basic bio-inspired robot controller paradigm, using an artificial spiking neural network (ASNN with minimal component count as artificial brain. In biological agents, OC results in behavioral changes that are learned from the consequences of previous actions, using progressive prediction adjustment triggered by reinforcers. In a robotics context, virtual and physical robots may benefit from a similar learning skill when facing unknown environments with no supervision. In this work, we demonstrate that a simple ASNN can efficiently realise many OC scenarios. The elementary learning kernel that we describe relies on a few critical neurons, synaptic links and the integration of habituation and spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP as learning rules. Using four tasks of incremental complexity, our experimental results show that such minimal neural component set may be sufficient to implement many OC procedures. Hence, with the described bio-inspired module, OC can be implemented in a wide range of robot controllers, including those with limited computational resources.
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Challenges in plastics recycling
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Pivnenko, Kostyantyn; Jakobsen, L. G.; Eriksen, Marie Kampmann
2015-01-01
Recycling of waste plastics still remains a challenging area in the waste management sector. The current and potential goals proposed on EU or regional levels are difficult to achieve, and even to partially fullfil them the improvements in collection and sorting should be considerable. A study...... was undertaken to investigate the factors affecting quality in plastics recycling. The preliminary results showed factors primarily influencing quality of plastics recycling to be polymer cross contamination, presence of additives, non-polymer impurities, and polymer degradation. Deprivation of plastics quality......, with respect to recycling, has been shown to happen throughout the plastics value chain, but steps where improvements may happen have been preliminary identified. Example of Cr in plastic samples analysed showed potential spreading and accumulation of chemicals ending up in the waste plastics. In order...
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Tutorial on state variable based plasticity: an Abaqus UHARD subroutine
CSIR Research Space (South Africa)
Jansen van Rensburg, GJ
2012-12-01
Full Text Available Since plasticity is path dependent, it is necessary to properly take into account the deformation, strain rate and temperature history in applications such as crash worthiness and ballistics simulations. To accurately model the evolution...
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Neuron Morphology Influences Axon Initial Segment Plasticity.
Gulledge, Allan T; Bravo, Jaime J
2016-01-01
In most vertebrate neurons, action potentials are initiated in the axon initial segment (AIS), a specialized region of the axon containing a high density of voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels. It has recently been proposed that neurons use plasticity of AIS length and/or location to regulate their intrinsic excitability. Here we quantify the impact of neuron morphology on AIS plasticity using computational models of simplified and realistic somatodendritic morphologies. In small neurons (e.g., dentate granule neurons), excitability was highest when the AIS was of intermediate length and located adjacent to the soma. Conversely, neurons having larger dendritic trees (e.g., pyramidal neurons) were most excitable when the AIS was longer and/or located away from the soma. For any given somatodendritic morphology, increasing dendritic membrane capacitance and/or conductance favored a longer and more distally located AIS. Overall, changes to AIS length, with corresponding changes in total sodium conductance, were far more effective in regulating neuron excitability than were changes in AIS location, while dendritic capacitance had a larger impact on AIS performance than did dendritic conductance. The somatodendritic influence on AIS performance reflects modest soma-to-AIS voltage attenuation combined with neuron size-dependent changes in AIS input resistance, effective membrane time constant, and isolation from somatodendritic capacitance. We conclude that the impact of AIS plasticity on neuron excitability will depend largely on somatodendritic morphology, and that, in some neurons, a shorter or more distally located AIS may promote, rather than limit, action potential generation.
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The impact law of confining pressure and plastic parameter on Dilatancy of rock
Wang, Bin; Zhang, Zhenjie; Zhu, Jiebing
2017-08-01
Based on cyclic loading-unloading triaxle test of marble, the double parameter dilation angle model is established considering confining pressure effect and plastic parameter. Research shows that not only the strength but also the militancy behavior is highly depended on its confining pressure and plastic parameter during process of failure. Dilation angle evolution law shows obvious nonlinear characteristic almost with a rapid increase to the peak and then decrease gradually with plastic increasing, and the peak dilation angle value is inversely proportional with confining pressure. The proposed double parameter nonlinear dilation angle model can be used to well describe the Dilatancy of rock, which helps to understand the failure mechanism of surrounding rock mass and predict the range of plastic zone.
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LAPAROSCOPIC PLASTIC WITH PRIMARY STRICTURES OF THE URETEROPELVIC SEGMENT
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
N. V. Polyakov
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Determination of indications for performing reconstructive and plastic surgical interventions in stricture of UPS is a difficult task. When making an incorrect decision, the treatment can be ineffective. Functional and anatomical preservation of the kidney can significantly affect the outcome of the operation.Purpose. Evaluation of the effectiveness of laparoscopic plastic surgery of stricture of UPS, depending on the anatomical and functional state of the ipsilateral kidney.Material and method. The results of treatment of 134 patients, who underwent for the period from 2012 to 2015 the different types of reconstructive surgical interventions for stricture of the pelvic-ureteral segment (Calp de Virde scrappy plastic surgery, Andersen-Heinz ureteropyelanastomosis, and antineoplastic ureteropyeloanastomosis, were analyzed. To analyze the effectiveness of the treatment, in the preand postoperative period, the following parameters were evaluated: the presence of pain syndrome, the presence of pyeloectasia, the functional state of the renal parenchyma (according to radioisotope renography, and the absence of recurrence of the UPS stricture.Result. The overall efficacy of laparoscopic UPS reconstruction was 94.7%. The results of treatment did not depend on the chosen technique of operative intervention. In this case, the effectiveness of the treatment was dependent on the initial deficiency of kidney function: the best results were seen in patients with kidney function deficiency of less than 25%, and the proportion of ineffective interventions was highest among patients with a deficit of more than 75%. The degree of dilatation of the pelvis in the postoperative period was also associated with preoperative indicators of kidney function deficiency, this may be due to the presence of cup-pelvis-plating system atony.Conclusion. Thus, the results of our work demonstrated the high efficiency of laparoscopic plastics of UPS. The effective- ness of
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Individual differences in behavioural plasticities.
Stamps, Judy A
2016-05-01
Interest in individual differences in animal behavioural plasticities has surged in recent years, but research in this area has been hampered by semantic confusion as different investigators use the same terms (e.g. plasticity, flexibility, responsiveness) to refer to different phenomena. The first goal of this review is to suggest a framework for categorizing the many different types of behavioural plasticities, describe examples of each, and indicate why using reversibility as a criterion for categorizing behavioural plasticities is problematic. This framework is then used to address a number of timely questions about individual differences in behavioural plasticities. One set of questions concerns the experimental designs that can be used to study individual differences in various types of behavioural plasticities. Although within-individual designs are the default option for empirical studies of many types of behavioural plasticities, in some situations (e.g. when experience at an early age affects the behaviour expressed at subsequent ages), 'replicate individual' designs can provide useful insights into individual differences in behavioural plasticities. To date, researchers using within-individual and replicate individual designs have documented individual differences in all of the major categories of behavioural plasticities described herein. Another important question is whether and how different types of behavioural plasticities are related to one another. Currently there is empirical evidence that many behavioural plasticities [e.g. contextual plasticity, learning rates, IIV (intra-individual variability), endogenous plasticities, ontogenetic plasticities) can themselves vary as a function of experiences earlier in life, that is, many types of behavioural plasticity are themselves developmentally plastic. These findings support the assumption that differences among individuals in prior experiences may contribute to individual differences in behavioural
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4 π physics with the plastic ball
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gutbrod, H.H.; Loehner, H.; Poskanzer, A.M.; Renner, T.; Riedesel, H.; Ritter, H.G.; Warwick, A.; Weik, F.; Wieman, H.
1982-10-01
4 π data taken with the Plastic Ball show that cluster production in relativistic nuclear collisions depends on both the size of the participant volume and the finite size of the cluster. The measurement of the degree of thermalization and the search for collective flow will permit the study of the applicability of macroscopic concepts such as temperature and density
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Small scale plasticity - an ad hoc review
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ng, K S; Ngan, A H W
2009-01-01
Recent uniaxial compression experiments on FCC metallic micro-crystals revealed their unique deformation behaviour as compared to the bulk situation. The distinctive behaviour includes size-dependent proof strength, intermittent plasticity during loading and creep, low steady-state creep rate, heterogeneous slip, limited dislocation accumulation, etc. This paper reviews the key experimental observations as well as modelling efforts for the underlying mechanisms.
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Dose errors due to charge storage in electron irradiated plastic phantoms
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Galbraith, D.M.; Rawlinson, J.A.; Munro, P.
1984-01-01
Commercial plastics used for radiation dosimetry are good electrical insulators. Used in electron beams, these insulators store charge and produce internal electric fields large enough to measurably alter the electron dose distribution in the plastic. The reading per monitor unit from a cylindrical ion chamber imbedded in a polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) or polystyrene phantom will increase with accumulated electron dose, the increase being detectable after about 20 Gy of 6-MeV electrons. The magnitude of the effect also depends on the type of the plastic, the thickness of the plastic, the wall thickness of the detector, the diameter and depth of the hole in the plastic, the energy of the electron beam, and the dose rate used. Effects of charge buildup have been documented elsewhere for very low energy electrons at extremely high doses and dose rates. Here we draw attention to the charging effects in plastics at the dose levels encountered in therapy dosimetry where ion chamber or other dosimeter readings may easily increase by 5% to 10% and where a phantom, once charged, will also affect subsequent readings taken in 60 Co beams and high-energy electron and x-ray beams for periods of several days to many months. It is recommended that conducting plastic phantoms replace PMMA and polystyrene phantoms in radiation dosimetry
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Phenotypic plasticity, costs of phenotypes, and costs of plasticity
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Callahan, Hilary S; Maughan, Heather; Steiner, Uli
2008-01-01
Why are some traits constitutive and others inducible? The term costs often appears in work addressing this issue but may be ambiguously defined. This review distinguishes two conceptually distinct types of costs: phenotypic costs and plasticity costs. Phenotypic costs are assessed from patterns...... of covariation, typically between a focal trait and a separate trait relevant to fitness. Plasticity costs, separable from phenotypic costs, are gauged by comparing the fitness of genotypes with equivalent phenotypes within two environments but differing in plasticity and fitness. Subtleties associated with both...... types of costs are illustrated by a body of work addressing predator-induced plasticity. Such subtleties, and potential interplay between the two types of costs, have also been addressed, often in studies involving genetic model organisms. In some instances, investigators have pinpointed the mechanistic...
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Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Zhang, J.Y.; Zeng, F.L.; Wu, K.; Wang, Y.Q.; Liang, X.Q.; Liu, G., E-mail: lgsammer@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Zhang, G.J.; Sun, J., E-mail: junsun@mail.xjtu.edu.cn
2016-09-15
Nanoindentation methodology was used to investigate the plastic deformation characteristics, including the hardness (H), strain rate sensitivity (SRS, m) and activation volume (V{sup *}), of Cu/Mo nanostructured metallic multilayers (NMMs) with equal layer thickness (h) spanning from 10 to 200 nm before and after He-implantation at room temperature. Compared with the as-deposited Cu/Mo NMMs, the irradiated Cu/Mo samples exhibited the enhanced hardness particularly at great h, which is caused by the bubble-hardening effect. Unlike the as-deposited Cu/Mo NMMs displayed a monotonic increase in SRS (or a monotonic decrease in activation volume) with reducing h, the irradiated Cu/Mo samples manifested an unexpected non-monotonic variation in SRS as well as in activation volume. It was clearly unveiled that the SRS of irradiated Cu/Mo firstly decreased with reducing h down to a critical size of ~50 nm and subsequently increased with further reducing h, leaving a minimum value at the critical h. These phenomena are rationalized by considering a competition between dislocation-boundary and dislocation-bubble interactions. A thermally activated model based on the depinning process of bowed-out partial dislocations was employed to quantitatively account for the size-dependent SRS of Cu/Mo NMMs before and after irradiation. Our findings not only provide fundamental understanding of the effects of radiation-induced defects on plastic characteristics of NMMs, but also offer guidance for their microstructure sensitive design for performance optimization at extremes.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhang, J.Y.; Zeng, F.L.; Wu, K.; Wang, Y.Q.; Liang, X.Q.; Liu, G.; Zhang, G.J.; Sun, J.
2016-01-01
Nanoindentation methodology was used to investigate the plastic deformation characteristics, including the hardness (H), strain rate sensitivity (SRS, m) and activation volume (V * ), of Cu/Mo nanostructured metallic multilayers (NMMs) with equal layer thickness (h) spanning from 10 to 200 nm before and after He-implantation at room temperature. Compared with the as-deposited Cu/Mo NMMs, the irradiated Cu/Mo samples exhibited the enhanced hardness particularly at great h, which is caused by the bubble-hardening effect. Unlike the as-deposited Cu/Mo NMMs displayed a monotonic increase in SRS (or a monotonic decrease in activation volume) with reducing h, the irradiated Cu/Mo samples manifested an unexpected non-monotonic variation in SRS as well as in activation volume. It was clearly unveiled that the SRS of irradiated Cu/Mo firstly decreased with reducing h down to a critical size of ~50 nm and subsequently increased with further reducing h, leaving a minimum value at the critical h. These phenomena are rationalized by considering a competition between dislocation-boundary and dislocation-bubble interactions. A thermally activated model based on the depinning process of bowed-out partial dislocations was employed to quantitatively account for the size-dependent SRS of Cu/Mo NMMs before and after irradiation. Our findings not only provide fundamental understanding of the effects of radiation-induced defects on plastic characteristics of NMMs, but also offer guidance for their microstructure sensitive design for performance optimization at extremes.
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Plastic waste as a resource. Strategies for reduction and utilization of plastic waste
Pasqual i Camprubí, Gemma
2010-01-01
Plastic materials have experienced a spectacular rate of growth in recent decades, consequently, production of plastics, and likewise their consumption, has increased markedly since 1950. Moreover, they are lightweight and durable, as well as can be moulded into a variety of products that can be manufactured in many different types of plastic and in a wide range of applications. Inevitably, continually increasing amounts of used plastic are originating daily, resulting in a plastic waste prob...
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Does autophagy work in synaptic plasticity and memory?
Shehata, Mohammad; Inokuchi, Kaoru
2014-01-01
Many studies have reported the roles played by regulated proteolysis in neural plasticity and memory. Within this context, most of the research focused on the ubiquitin-proteasome system and the endosome-lysosome system while giving lesser consideration to another major protein degradation system, namely, autophagy. Although autophagy intersects with many of the pathways known to underlie synaptic plasticity and memory, only few reports related autophagy to synaptic remodeling. These pathways include PI3K-mTOR pathway and endosome-dependent proteolysis. In this review, we will discuss several lines of evidence supporting a physiological role of autophagy in memory processes, and the possible mechanistic scenarios for how autophagy could fulfill this function.
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The Size Spectrum as Tool for Analyzing Marine Plastic Pollution
Martí , E.; Duarte, Carlos M.; Có zar, A.
2016-01-01
to abundance, color (129 tons), polymer type, and category (rigid fragments, films, threads, foam, pellets, and microbeads). Using GPSS database, we show for instance the dependence of plastic composition on the item size, with high diversity of categories
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Chen, J.; Nie, X. A.; Jiang, J. C.; Zhou, Y. H.
2018-01-01
A natural plasticizer cardanol derivatives glycidyl ether (CGE) was synthesized and employed as a plasticizer for the poly(vinyl chloride). The effect of CGE on thermal degradation of PVC films and its plasticizing mechanism were firstly reported. The molecular structure of CGE was characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Thermal properties, degradation properties and compatibility of the PVC films were investigated by Differential scanning calorimeter analysis (DSC), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and FTIR, respectively. Compared with the commercial plasticizers dioctylphthalate (DOP), CGE can endow PVC film with a decrease of 4.31 °C in glass transition temperature (Tg), an increase of 24.01 °C and 25.53 °C in 10% weight loss (T 10) and 50% weight loss (T 50) respectively, and a higher activetion energy of thermal degradation (Ea ).
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
E. De la Poza
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Plastic surgery practice grows continuously among the women in Western countries due to their body image dissatisfaction, aging anxiety, and an ideal body image propagated by the media. The consumption growth is so important that plastic surgery is becoming a normal practice among women, like any other cosmetic product, with the risk of suffering psychopathology disorders in the sense that plastic surgery could be employed as an instrument to recover personal self-esteem or even happiness. Plastic surgery practice depends on economic, demographic, and social contagion factors. In this paper, a mathematical epidemiological model to forecast female plastic surgery consumption in Spain is fully constructed. Overconsumer subpopulation is predicted and simulated. Robustness of the model versus uncertain parameters is studied throughout a sensitivity analysis.
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A review on thermal and catalytic pyrolysis of plastic solid waste (PSW).
Al-Salem, S M; Antelava, A; Constantinou, A; Manos, G; Dutta, A
2017-07-15
Plastic plays an important role in our daily lives due to its versatility, light weight and low production cost. Plastics became essential in many sectors such as construction, medical, engineering applications, automotive, aerospace, etc. In addition, economic growth and development also increased our demand and dependency on plastics which leads to its accumulation in landfills imposing risk on human health, animals and cause environmental pollution problems such as ground water contamination, sanitary related issues, etc. Hence, a sustainable and an efficient plastic waste treatment is essential to avoid such issues. Pyrolysis is a thermo-chemical plastic waste treatment technique which can solve such pollution problems, as well as, recover valuable energy and products such as oil and gas. Pyrolysis of plastic solid waste (PSW) has gained importance due to having better advantages towards environmental pollution and reduction of carbon footprint of plastic products by minimizing the emissions of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide compared to combustion and gasification. This paper presents the existing techniques of pyrolysis, the parameters which affect the products yield and selectivity and identify major research gaps in this technology. The influence of different catalysts on the process as well as review and comparative assessment of pyrolysis with other thermal and catalytic plastic treatment methods, is also presented. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Hardening of Fe-Cr-Mn steels cold plastic working
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Malinov, L.S.; Konop-Lyashko, V.I.; Nikoporets, N.M.
1983-01-01
The dependence is established between the level of proper-- ties obtained after cold plastic working and development of martensite transformations when loading in Fe-Cr-Mn steels containing 0.1-0.5% C, 13% Cr, 8-12% Mn, as well as in a number of complex alloyed steels. It is shown that the highest level of mechanical properties can be obtained after cold plastic working only in steels with definite austenite stability. Cold plastic working can both activize and stabilize austenite relatively to martensite formation during loading. The first thing is found when under the effect of preliminary cold working dislocation splitting takes place, as well as the formation of a small amount of E-phase and martensite. The second thing manifests itself when under the effect of cold working performed above Md (Md<20 deg C) cell dislocation structure is formed and dislocation pinning takes place
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Fritz, Jonathan; Elhilali, Mounya; Shamma, Shihab
2005-08-01
Listening is an active process in which attentive focus on salient acoustic features in auditory tasks can influence receptive field properties of cortical neurons. Recent studies showing rapid task-related changes in neuronal spectrotemporal receptive fields (STRFs) in primary auditory cortex of the behaving ferret are reviewed in the context of current research on cortical plasticity. Ferrets were trained on spectral tasks, including tone detection and two-tone discrimination, and on temporal tasks, including gap detection and click-rate discrimination. STRF changes could be measured on-line during task performance and occurred within minutes of task onset. During spectral tasks, there were specific spectral changes (enhanced response to tonal target frequency in tone detection and discrimination, suppressed response to tonal reference frequency in tone discrimination). However, only in the temporal tasks, the STRF was changed along the temporal dimension by sharpening temporal dynamics. In ferrets trained on multiple tasks, distinctive and task-specific STRF changes could be observed in the same cortical neurons in successive behavioral sessions. These results suggest that rapid task-related plasticity is an ongoing process that occurs at a network and single unit level as the animal switches between different tasks and dynamically adapts cortical STRFs in response to changing acoustic demands.
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Mixed plastics recycling technology
Hegberg, Bruce
1995-01-01
Presents an overview of mixed plastics recycling technology. In addition, it characterizes mixed plastics wastes and describes collection methods, costs, and markets for reprocessed plastics products.
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Development, maternal effects, and behavioral plasticity.
Mateo, Jill M
2014-11-01
Behavioral, hormonal, and genetic processes interact reciprocally, and differentially affect behavior depending on ecological and social contexts. When individual differences are favored either between or within environments, developmental plasticity would be expected. Parental effects provide a rich source for phenotypic plasticity, including anatomical, physiological, and behavioral traits, because parents respond to dynamic cues in their environment and can, in turn, influence offspring accordingly. Because these inter-generational changes are plastic, parents can respond rapidly to changing environments and produce offspring whose phenotypes are well suited for current conditions more quickly than occurs with changes based on evolution through natural selection. I review studies on developmental plasticity and resulting phenotypes in Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi), an ideal species, given the competing demands to avoid predation while gaining sufficient weight to survive an upcoming hibernation, and the need for young to learn their survival behaviors. I will show how local environments and perceived risk of predation influence not only foraging, vigilance, and anti-predator behaviors, but also adrenal functioning, which may be especially important for obligate hibernators that face competing demands on the storage and mobilization of glucose. Mammalian behavioral development is sensitive to the social and physical environments provided by mothers during gestation and lactation. Therefore, maternal effects on offspring's phenotypes, both positive and negative, can be particularly strong. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.
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Hanno-Iijima, Yoko; Tanaka, Masami; Iijima, Takatoshi
2015-01-01
Homeostatic synaptic plasticity, or synaptic scaling, is a mechanism that tunes neuronal transmission to compensate for prolonged, excessive changes in neuronal activity. Both excitatory and inhibitory neurons undergo homeostatic changes based on synaptic transmission strength, which could effectively contribute to a fine-tuning of circuit activity. However, gene regulation that underlies homeostatic synaptic plasticity in GABAergic (GABA, gamma aminobutyric) neurons is still poorly understood. The present study demonstrated activity-dependent dynamic scaling in which NMDA-R (N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor) activity regulated the expression of GABA synthetic enzymes: glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 and 67 (GAD65 and GAD67). Results revealed that activity-regulated BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) release is necessary, but not sufficient, for activity-dependent up-scaling of these GAD isoforms. Bidirectional forms of activity-dependent GAD expression require both BDNF-dependent and BDNF-independent pathways, both triggered by NMDA-R activity. Additional results indicated that these two GAD genes differ in their responsiveness to chronic changes in neuronal activity, which could be partially caused by differential dependence on BDNF. In parallel to activity-dependent bidirectional scaling in GAD expression, the present study further observed that a chronic change in neuronal activity leads to an alteration in neurotransmitter release from GABAergic neurons in a homeostatic, bidirectional fashion. Therefore, the differential expression of GAD65 and 67 during prolonged changes in neuronal activity may be implicated in some aspects of bidirectional homeostatic plasticity within mature GABAergic presynapses. PMID:26241953
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Sub-nanosecond plastic scintillators
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lyons, P.B.; Caldwell, S.E.; Hocker, L.P.; Crandall, D.G.; Zagarino, P.A.; Cheng, J.; Tirsell, G.; Hurlbut, C.R.
1977-01-01
Quenched plastic scintillators have been developed that yield much faster short decay components and greatly reduced long decay components compared to conventional plastic scintillators. The plastics are produced through the addition of selected quench agents to NE111 plastic scintillator that result in reduced total light output. Eight different agents have been studied. Benzophenone and piperidine are two of the most effective quench agents. Data are presented both for short and long decay components. The plastics are expected to make significant contributions in areas of plasma diagnostics
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Sub-nanosecond plastic scintillators
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lyons, P.B.; Caldwell, S.E.; Hocker, L.P.; Crandall, D.G.; Zagarino, P.A.; Cheng, J.; Tirsell, G.; Hurlbut, C.R.
1976-01-01
Quenched plastic scintillators have been developed that yield much faster short decay components and greatly reduced long decay components compared to conventional plastic scintillators. The plastics are produced through the addition of selected quench agents to NE111 plastic scintillator that result in reduced total light output. Eight different agents have been studied. Benzophenone and piperidine are two of the most effective quench agents. Data are presented both for short and long decay components. The plastics are expected to make significant contributions in areas of plasma diagnostics
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Ice sheets on plastically-yielding beds
Hewitt, Ian
2016-11-01
Many fast flowing regions of ice sheets are underlain by a layer of water-saturated sediments, or till. The rheology of the till has been the subject of some controversy, with laboratory tests suggesting almost perfectly plastic behaviour (stress independent of strain rate), but many models adopting a pseudo-viscous description. In this work, we consider the behaviour of glaciers underlain by a plastic bed. The ice is treated as a viscous gravity current, on a bed that allows unconstrained slip above a critical yield stress. This simplified description allows rapid sliding, and aims to investigate 'worst-case' scenarios of possible ice-sheet disintegration. The plastic bed results in an approximate ice-sheet geometry that is primarily controlled by force balance, whilst ice velocity is determined from mass conservation (rather than the other way around, as standard models would hold). The stability of various states is considered, and particular attention is given to the pace at which transitions between unstable states can occur. Finally, we observe that the strength of basal tills depends strongly on pore pressure, and combine the model with a description of subglacial hydrology. Implications for the present-day ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica will be discussed. Funding: ERC Marie Curie FP7 Career Integration Grant.
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Experience-induced interocular plasticity of vision in infancy.
Tschetter, Wayne W; Douglas, Robert M; Prusky, Glen T
2011-01-01
Animal model studies of amblyopia have generally concluded that enduring effects of monocular deprivation (MD) on visual behavior (i.e., loss of visual acuity) are limited to the deprived eye, and are restricted to juvenile life. We have previously reported, however, that lasting effects of MD on visual function can be elicited in adulthood by stimulating visuomotor experience through the non-deprived eye. To test whether stimulating experience would also induce interocular plasticity of vision in infancy, we assessed in rats from eye-opening on postnatal day (P) 15, the effect of pairing MD with the daily experience of measuring thresholds for optokinetic tracking (OKT). MD with visuomotor experience from P15 to P25 led to a ~60% enhancement of the spatial frequency threshold for OKT through the non-deprived eye during the deprivation, which was followed by loss-of-function (~60% below normal) through both eyes when the deprived eye was opened. Reduced thresholds were maintained into adulthood with binocular OKT experience from P25 to P30. The ability to generate the plasticity and maintain lost function was dependent on visual cortex. Strictly limiting the period of deprivation to infancy by opening the deprived eye at P19 resulted in a comparable loss-of-function. Animals with reduced OKT responses also had significantly reduced visual acuity, measured independently in a discrimination task. Thus, experience-dependent cortical plasticity that can lead to amblyopia is present earlier in life than previously recognized.
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Kasimzade, A. A.; Tuhta, S.
2012-03-01
In the article, analytical, numerical (Finite Element Method) and experimental investigation results of beam that was strengthened with fiber reinforced plastic-FRP composite has been given as comparative, the effect of FRP wrapping number to the maximum load and moment capacity has been evaluated depending on this results. Carbon FRP qualitative dependences have been occurred between wrapping number and beam load and moment capacity for repair-strengthen the reinforced concrete beams with carbon fiber. Shown possibilities of application traditional known analysis programs, for the analysis of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) strengthened structures.
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Modelling irradiation-induced softening in BCC iron by crystal plasticity approach
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Xiao, Xiazi; Terentyev, Dmitry; Yu, Long; Song, Dingkun; Bakaev, A.; Duan, Huiling
2015-01-01
Crystal plasticity model (CPM) for BCC iron to account for radiation-induced strain softening is proposed. CPM is based on the plastically-driven and thermally-activated removal of dislocation loops. Atomistic simulations are applied to parameterize dislocation-defect interactions. Combining experimental microstructures, defect-hardening/absorption rules from atomistic simulations, and CPM fitted to properties of non-irradiated iron, the model achieves a good agreement with experimental data regarding radiation-induced strain softening and flow stress increase under neutron irradiation. - Highlights: • A stress- and thermal-activated defect absorption model is proposed for the dislocation-loop interaction. • A temperature-dependent plasticity theory is proposed for the irradiation-induced strain softening of irradiated BCC metals. • The numerical results of the model match with the corresponding experimental data.
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Modelling irradiation-induced softening in BCC iron by crystal plasticity approach
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Xiao, Xiazi [State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); CAPT, HEDPS and IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Terentyev, Dmitry, E-mail: dterenty@SCKCEN.BE [Structural Material Group, Institute of Nuclear Materials Science, SCK-CEN, Mol (Belgium); Yu, Long; Song, Dingkun [State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Bakaev, A. [Structural Material Group, Institute of Nuclear Materials Science, SCK-CEN, Mol (Belgium); Duan, Huiling, E-mail: hlduan@pku.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Turbulence and Complex System, Department of Mechanics and Engineering Science, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); CAPT, HEDPS and IFSA Collaborative Innovation Center of MoE, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)
2015-11-15
Crystal plasticity model (CPM) for BCC iron to account for radiation-induced strain softening is proposed. CPM is based on the plastically-driven and thermally-activated removal of dislocation loops. Atomistic simulations are applied to parameterize dislocation-defect interactions. Combining experimental microstructures, defect-hardening/absorption rules from atomistic simulations, and CPM fitted to properties of non-irradiated iron, the model achieves a good agreement with experimental data regarding radiation-induced strain softening and flow stress increase under neutron irradiation. - Highlights: • A stress- and thermal-activated defect absorption model is proposed for the dislocation-loop interaction. • A temperature-dependent plasticity theory is proposed for the irradiation-induced strain softening of irradiated BCC metals. • The numerical results of the model match with the corresponding experimental data.
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Quasi-static responses and variational principles in gradient plasticity
Nguyen, Quoc-Son
2016-12-01
Gradient models have been much discussed in the literature for the study of time-dependent or time-independent processes such as visco-plasticity, plasticity and damage. This paper is devoted to the theory of Standard Gradient Plasticity at small strain. A general and consistent mathematical description available for common time-independent behaviours is presented. Our attention is focussed on the derivation of general results such as the description of the governing equations for the global response and the derivation of related variational principles in terms of the energy and the dissipation potentials. It is shown that the quasi-static response under a loading path is a solution of an evolution variational inequality as in classical plasticity. The rate problem and the rate minimum principle are revisited. A time-discretization by the implicit scheme of the evolution equation leads to the increment problem. An increment of the response associated with a load increment is a solution of a variational inequality and satisfies also a minimum principle if the energy potential is convex. The increment minimum principle deals with stables solutions of the variational inequality. Some numerical methods are discussed in view of the numerical simulation of the quasi-static response.
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Pathways for degradation of plastic polymers floating in the marine environment.
Gewert, Berit; Plassmann, Merle M; MacLeod, Matthew
2015-09-01
Each year vast amounts of plastic are produced worldwide. When released to the environment, plastics accumulate, and plastic debris in the world's oceans is of particular environmental concern. More than 60% of all floating debris in the oceans is plastic and amounts are increasing each year. Plastic polymers in the marine environment are exposed to sunlight, oxidants and physical stress, and over time they weather and degrade. The degradation processes and products must be understood to detect and evaluate potential environmental hazards. Some attention has been drawn to additives and persistent organic pollutants that sorb to the plastic surface, but so far the chemicals generated by degradation of the plastic polymers themselves have not been well studied from an environmental perspective. In this paper we review available information about the degradation pathways and chemicals that are formed by degradation of the six plastic types that are most widely used in Europe. We extrapolate that information to likely pathways and possible degradation products under environmental conditions found on the oceans' surface. The potential degradation pathways and products depend on the polymer type. UV-radiation and oxygen are the most important factors that initiate degradation of polymers with a carbon-carbon backbone, leading to chain scission. Smaller polymer fragments formed by chain scission are more susceptible to biodegradation and therefore abiotic degradation is expected to precede biodegradation. When heteroatoms are present in the main chain of a polymer, degradation proceeds by photo-oxidation, hydrolysis, and biodegradation. Degradation of plastic polymers can lead to low molecular weight polymer fragments, like monomers and oligomers, and formation of new end groups, especially carboxylic acids.
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Time between plastic displacements of elasto-plastic oscillators subject to Gaussian white noise
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Tarp-Johansen, Niels Jacob; Ditlevsen, Ove Dalager
2001-01-01
A one degree of freedom elasto-plastic oscillator subject to stationary Gaussian white noise has a plastic displacement response process of intermittent character. During shorter or longer time intervals the oscillator vibrates within the elastic domain without undergoing any plastic displacements...... between the clumps of plastic displacements. This is needed for a complete description of the plastic displacement process. A quite accurate fast simulation procedure is presented based on an amplitude model to determine the short waiting times in the transient regime of the elastic vibrations existing...
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Size-Dependent Axonal Bouton Dynamics following Visual Deprivation In Vivo
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rosanna P. Sammons
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Persistent synapses are thought to underpin the storage of sensory experience, yet little is known about their structural plasticity in vivo. We investigated how persistent presynaptic structures respond to the loss of primary sensory input. Using in vivo two-photon (2P imaging, we measured fluctuations in the size of excitatory axonal boutons in L2/3 of adult mouse visual cortex after monocular enucleation. The average size of boutons did not change after deprivation, but the range of bouton sizes was reduced. Large boutons decreased, and small boutons increased. Reduced bouton variance was accompanied by a reduced range of correlated calcium-mediated neural activity in L2/3 of awake animals. Network simulations predicted that size-dependent plasticity may promote conditions of greater bidirectional plasticity. These predictions were supported by electrophysiological measures of short- and long-term plasticity. We propose size-dependent dynamics facilitate cortical reorganization by maximizing the potential for bidirectional plasticity.
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Inflammation subverts hippocampal synaptic plasticity in experimental multiple sclerosis.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Robert Nisticò
Full Text Available Abnormal use-dependent synaptic plasticity is universally accepted as the main physiological correlate of memory deficits in neurodegenerative disorders. It is unclear whether synaptic plasticity deficits take place during neuroinflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS and its mouse model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE. In EAE mice, we found significant alterations of synaptic plasticity rules in the hippocampus. When compared to control mice, in fact, hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP induction was favored over long-term depression (LTD in EAE, as shown by a significant rightward shift in the frequency-synaptic response function. Notably, LTP induction was also enhanced in hippocampal slices from control mice following interleukin-1β (IL-1β perfusion, and both EAE and IL-1β inhibited GABAergic spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSC without affecting glutamatergic transmission and AMPA/NMDA ratio. EAE was also associated with selective loss of GABAergic interneurons and with reduced gamma-frequency oscillations in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Finally, we provided evidence that microglial activation in the EAE hippocampus was associated with IL-1β expression, and hippocampal slices from control mice incubated with activated microglia displayed alterations of GABAergic transmission similar to those seen in EAE brains, through a mechanism dependent on enhanced IL-1β signaling. These data may yield novel insights into the basis of cognitive deficits in EAE and possibly of MS.
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Inflammation Subverts Hippocampal Synaptic Plasticity in Experimental Multiple Sclerosis
Mandolesi, Georgia; Piccinin, Sonia; Berretta, Nicola; Pignatelli, Marco; Feligioni, Marco; Musella, Alessandra; Gentile, Antonietta; Mori, Francesco; Bernardi, Giorgio; Nicoletti, Ferdinando; Mercuri, Nicola B.; Centonze, Diego
2013-01-01
Abnormal use-dependent synaptic plasticity is universally accepted as the main physiological correlate of memory deficits in neurodegenerative disorders. It is unclear whether synaptic plasticity deficits take place during neuroinflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and its mouse model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). In EAE mice, we found significant alterations of synaptic plasticity rules in the hippocampus. When compared to control mice, in fact, hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) induction was favored over long-term depression (LTD) in EAE, as shown by a significant rightward shift in the frequency–synaptic response function. Notably, LTP induction was also enhanced in hippocampal slices from control mice following interleukin-1β (IL-1β) perfusion, and both EAE and IL-1β inhibited GABAergic spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents (sIPSC) without affecting glutamatergic transmission and AMPA/NMDA ratio. EAE was also associated with selective loss of GABAergic interneurons and with reduced gamma-frequency oscillations in the CA1 region of the hippocampus. Finally, we provided evidence that microglial activation in the EAE hippocampus was associated with IL-1β expression, and hippocampal slices from control mice incubated with activated microglia displayed alterations of GABAergic transmission similar to those seen in EAE brains, through a mechanism dependent on enhanced IL-1β signaling. These data may yield novel insights into the basis of cognitive deficits in EAE and possibly of MS. PMID:23355887
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Kotrschal, Alexander; Szidat, Sönke; Taborsky, Barbara
2014-01-01
Nutrition is a potent mediator of developmental plasticity. If food is scarce, developing organisms may invest into growth to outgrow size-dependent mortality (short-term benefit) and/or into an efficient digestion system (long-term benefit). We investigated this potential trade-off, by determining the influence of food availability on juvenile body and organ growth, and on adult digestive efficiency in the cichlid fish Simochromis pleurospilus. We reared two groups of fish at constant high or low food rations, and we switched four other groups between these two rations at an early and late juvenile period. We measured juvenile growth and organ sizes at different developmental stages and determined adult digestive efficiency. Fish kept at constant, high rations grew considerably faster than low-food fish. Nevertheless, S. pleurospilus partly buffered the negative effects of low food availability by developing heavier digestive organs, and they were therefore more efficient in digesting their food as adults. Results of fish exposed to a ration switch during either the early or late juvenile period suggest (i) that the ability to show compensatory growth after early exposure to low food availability persists during the juvenile period, (ii) that digestive efficiency is influenced by varying juvenile food availability during the late juvenile phase and (iii) that the efficiency of the adult digestive system is correlated with the growth rate during a narrow time window of juvenile period. PMID:25866430
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Burrows, Emma L; Hannan, Anthony J
2016-04-01
Schizophrenia is a devastating brain disorder caused by a complex and heterogeneous combination of genetic and environmental factors. In order to develop effective new strategies to prevent and treat schizophrenia, valid animal models are required which accurately model the disorder, and ideally provide construct, face and predictive validity. The cognitive deficits in schizophrenia represent some of the most debilitating symptoms and are also currently the most poorly treated. Therefore it is crucial that animal models are able to capture the cognitive dysfunction that characterizes schizophrenia, as well as the negative and psychotic symptoms. The genomes of mice have, prior to the recent gene-editing revolution, proven the most easily manipulable of mammalian laboratory species, and hence most genetic targeting has been performed using mouse models. Importantly, when key environmental factors of relevance to schizophrenia are experimentally manipulated, dramatic changes in the phenotypes of these animal models are often observed. We will review recent studies in rodent models which provide insight into gene-environment interactions in schizophrenia. We will focus specifically on environmental factors which modulate levels of experience-dependent plasticity, including environmental enrichment, cognitive stimulation, physical activity and stress. The insights provided by this research will not only help refine the establishment of optimally valid animal models which facilitate development of novel therapeutics, but will also provide insight into the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, thus identifying molecular and cellular targets for future preclinical and clinical investigations. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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Yan, Changrong; He, Wenqing; Xue, Yinghao; Liu, Enke; Liu, Qin
2016-06-25
Plastic film has become an important agriculture production material in recent years. Over the past three decades, the amount and application area of plastic film have increased steadily, and in 2014, which are 1.4 million tons and more than 180 million hm² respectively. It plays a key role for ensuring the supply of agricultural goods in China. Meanwhile, plastic film residual pollution becomes more and more serious, and in some regions, the amount of plastic film residues has reached over 250 kg/hm². In part of the Northwest region, soil structure of farmland has been destroyed by plastic film residues and then crop growth and farming operations were suppressed. It is recognized as a good choice to replace plastic film with biodegradable plastic film, an effective measure to solve the plastic film residue pollution. Now, it is in a critical stage of study and assessment of biodegradable plastic film in China and fortunately some biodegradable plastic films show effects in the production of potatoes, peanuts and tobacco. Overall, a series of challenges has still been faced by the biodegradable plastic film, mainly including improving the quality of biodegradable plastic products, such as tensile strength, flexibility, improving the controllability of rupture and degradation, enhancing the ability of increasing soil temperature and preserving soil moisture, and to satisfy the demand of crops production with mulching. In addition, it is essential to reduce the cost of the biodegradable film and promote the application of biodegradable film on large-scale. With the development of biodegradable plastic technology and agricultural production environment, the application of the biodegradable film will have a good future.
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Resistance to small plastic strains during martensite tempering under tension
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Zabil' skij, V.V.; Sarrak, V.I. (AN SSSR, Sverdlovsk. Inst. Fiziki Metallov)
1982-11-01
The mechanism of plastic deformation of martensite of a series of hardened steels (N18, 20KhG, 50KhFA and others) during tempering under tension and the role of residual internal microstresses and phase transformations are studied. It is shown that martensite low resistance to small plastic deformations during tempering under tension which is usually associated with phase transformations depends as well on the level of residual internal microstresses in the martensite structure. The decrease of resistance to deformation in the course of the decomposition of a solid solution is due to weakening of martensitic matrix because of carbon departure from the solid solution and carbide coarsening. An assumption is made that martensite plastic deformation during tempering under tension is realized at the expense of the directed microplastic deformation in the regions of higher concentration of internal stresses.
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Antonella Del Rosso
2015-01-01
In terms of weight, the plastic pollution in the world’s oceans is estimated to be around 300,000 tonnes. This plastic comes from both land-based and ocean-based sources. A lecture at CERN by chemist Wolfgang Trettnak addressed this issue and highlighted the role of art in raising people’s awareness. Artwork by Wolfgang Trettnak. Packaging materials, consumer goods (shoes, kids’ toys, etc.), leftovers from fishing and aquaculture activities… our oceans and beaches are full of plastic litter. Most of the debris from beaches is plastic bottles. “PET bottles have high durability and stability,” explains Wolfgang Trettnak, a chemist by education and artist from Austria, who gave a lecture on this topic organised by the Staff Association at CERN on 26 May. “PET degrades very slowly and the estimated lifetime of a bottle is 450 years.” In addition to the beach litter accumulated from human use, rivers bring several ki...
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Computational modeling of neural plasticity for self-organization of neural networks.
Chrol-Cannon, Joseph; Jin, Yaochu
2014-11-01
Self-organization in biological nervous systems during the lifetime is known to largely occur through a process of plasticity that is dependent upon the spike-timing activity in connected neurons. In the field of computational neuroscience, much effort has been dedicated to building up computational models of neural plasticity to replicate experimental data. Most recently, increasing attention has been paid to understanding the role of neural plasticity in functional and structural neural self-organization, as well as its influence on the learning performance of neural networks for accomplishing machine learning tasks such as classification and regression. Although many ideas and hypothesis have been suggested, the relationship between the structure, dynamics and learning performance of neural networks remains elusive. The purpose of this article is to review the most important computational models for neural plasticity and discuss various ideas about neural plasticity's role. Finally, we suggest a few promising research directions, in particular those along the line that combines findings in computational neuroscience and systems biology, and their synergetic roles in understanding learning, memory and cognition, thereby bridging the gap between computational neuroscience, systems biology and computational intelligence. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Plastics in the Marine Environment.
Law, Kara Lavender
2017-01-03
Plastics contamination in the marine environment was first reported nearly 50 years ago, less than two decades after the rise of commercial plastics production, when less than 50 million metric tons were produced per year. In 2014, global plastics production surpassed 300 million metric tons per year. Plastic debris has been detected worldwide in all major marine habitats, in sizes from microns to meters. In response, concerns about risks to marine wildlife upon exposure to the varied forms of plastic debris have increased, stimulating new research into the extent and consequences of plastics contamination in the marine environment. Here, I present a framework to evaluate the current understanding of the sources, distribution, fate, and impacts of marine plastics. Despite remaining knowledge gaps in mass budgeting and challenges in investigating ecological impacts, the increasing evidence of the ubiquity of plastics contamination in the marine environment, the continued rapid growth in plastics production, and the evidence-albeit limited-of demonstrated impacts to marine wildlife support immediate implementation of source-reducing measures to decrease the potential risks of plastics in the marine ecosystem.
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Plastics in the Marine Environment
Law, Kara Lavender
2017-01-01
Plastics contamination in the marine environment was first reported nearly 50 years ago, less than two decades after the rise of commercial plastics production, when less than 50 million metric tons were produced per year. In 2014, global plastics production surpassed 300 million metric tons per year. Plastic debris has been detected worldwide in all major marine habitats, in sizes from microns to meters. In response, concerns about risks to marine wildlife upon exposure to the varied forms of plastic debris have increased, stimulating new research into the extent and consequences of plastics contamination in the marine environment. Here, I present a framework to evaluate the current understanding of the sources, distribution, fate, and impacts of marine plastics. Despite remaining knowledge gaps in mass budgeting and challenges in investigating ecological impacts, the increasing evidence of the ubiquity of plastics contamination in the marine environment, the continued rapid growth in plastics production, and the evidence—albeit limited—of demonstrated impacts to marine wildlife support immediate implementation of source-reducing measures to decrease the potential risks of plastics in the marine ecosystem.
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Burggren, Warren
2018-05-10
The slow, inexorable rise in annual average global temperatures and acidification of the oceans are often advanced as consequences of global change. However, many environmental changes, especially those involving weather (as opposed to climate), are often stochastic, variable and extreme, particularly in temperate terrestrial or freshwater habitats. Moreover, few studies of animal and plant phenotypic plasticity employ realistic (i.e. short-term, stochastic) environmental change in their protocols. Here, I posit that the frequently abrupt environmental changes (days, weeks, months) accompanying much longer-term general climate change (e.g. global warming over decades or centuries) require consideration of the true nature of environmental change (as opposed to statistical means) coupled with an expansion of focus to consider developmental phenotypic plasticity. Such plasticity can be in multiple forms - obligatory/facultative, beneficial/deleterious - depending upon the degree and rate of environmental variability at specific points in organismal development. Essentially, adult phenotypic plasticity, as important as it is, will be irrelevant if developing offspring lack sufficient plasticity to create modified phenotypes necessary for survival. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.
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Selection of polychlorinated plastics in plastic waste by X-ray fluorescence method
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kumasaki, H.; Shinozaki, Y.
1979-01-01
The X-ray fluorescence method using a small source of 55 Fe was examined and found to be applicable for the selection of polychlorinated plastics from plastic waste in model areas in Tokyo designated for investigating their content in the waste. The weight ratios of soft and hard polychlorinated plastics to the total plastic waste estimated by this method were found to be 15.6% and 0.29% respectively. These values agree well with the results obtained with the Beilstein method. (author)
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Toxicological Threats of Plastic
Plastics pose both physical (e.g., entanglement, gastrointestinal blockage, reef destruction) and chemical threats (e.g., bioaccumulation of the chemical ingredients of plastic or toxic chemicals sorbed to plastics) to wildlife and the marine ecosystem.
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Plasticity and beyond microstructures, crystal-plasticity and phase transitions
Hackl, Klaus
2014-01-01
The book presents the latest findings in experimental plasticity, crystal plasticity, phase transitions, advanced mathematical modeling of finite plasticity and multi-scale modeling. The associated algorithmic treatment is mainly based on finite element formulations for standard (local approach) as well as for non-standard (non-local approach) continua and for pure macroscopic as well as for directly coupled two-scale boundary value problems. Applications in the area of material design/processing are covered, ranging from grain boundary effects in polycrystals and phase transitions to deep-drawing of multiphase steels by directly taking into account random microstructures.
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Iqbal, Q.; Amjad, M.; Ahmad, R.
2009-01-01
Since the beginning of civilization, the man has developed technologies to increase the efficiency of food production. The use of plastic mulch in commercial vegetable production is one of these traditional techniques that have been used for centuries. Studies were conducted to assess the efficacy of plastic mulch on growth and yield of two hot pepper hybrids, viz. Sky Red and Maha in poly/plastic tunnel. The treatments were black plastic mulch, clear plastic mulch and bare soil as control. Both hot pepper hybrids mulched with black plastic showed significantly better vegetative growth (plant height, leaf area etc) and fruit yield. Clear plastic mulch significantly increased soil temperature and reduced the number of days to first flower than black plastic mulch and bare soil. However, fruit yield was higher by 39.56 and 36.49% respectively in both hybrids when they were grown on black and clear plastic mulch as compared to bare soil. Overall results indicated that the use of plastic mulch is an ideal option to maximize hot pepper productivity as well as to extend their production season in poly/plastic tunnels. (author)
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p53-Dependent Nestin Regulation Links Tumor Suppression to Cellular Plasticity in Liver Cancer
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Tschaharganeh, Darjus F; Xue, Wen; Calvisi, Diego F
2014-01-01
The p53 tumor suppressor coordinates a series of antiproliferative responses that restrict the expansion of malignant cells, and as a consequence, p53 is lost or mutated in the majority of human cancers. Here, we show that p53 restricts expression of the stem and progenitor-cell-associated protei...... by p53 restricts cellular plasticity and tumorigenesis in liver cancer....
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Crystal plasticity study of single crystal tungsten by indentation tests
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yao, Weizhi
2012-01-01
Owing to its favorable material properties, tungsten (W) has been studied as a plasma-facing material in fusion reactors. Experiments on W heating in plasma sources and electron beam facilities have shown an intense micro-crack formation at the heated surface and sub-surface. The cracks go deep inside the irradiated sample, and often large distorted areas caused by local plastic deformation are present around the cracks. To interpret the crack-induced microscopic damage evolution process in W, one needs firstly to understand its plasticity on a single grain level, which is referred to as crystal plasticity. In this thesis, the crystal plasticity of single crystal tungsten (SCW) has been studied by spherical and Berkovich indentation tests and the finite element method with a crystal plasticity model. Appropriate values of the material parameters included in the crystal plasticity model are determined by fitting measured load-displacement curves and pile-up profiles with simulated counterparts for spherical indentation. The numerical simulations reveal excellent agreement with experiment. While the load-displacement curves and the deduced indentation hardness exhibit little sensitivity to the indented plane at small indentation depths, the orientation of slip directions within the crystals governs the development of deformation hillocks at the surface. It is found that several factors like friction, indentation depth, active slip systems, misoriented crystal orientation, misoriented sample surface and azimuthal orientation of the indenter can affect the indentation behavior of SCW. The Berkovich indentation test was also used to study the crystal plasticity of SCW after deuterium irradiation. The critical load (pop-in load) for triggering plastic deformation under the indenter is found to depend on the crystallographic orientation. The pop-in loads decrease dramatically after deuterium plasma irradiation for all three investigated crystallographic planes.
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A role for calcium-permeable AMPA receptors in synaptic plasticity and learning.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Brian J Wiltgen
2010-09-01
Full Text Available A central concept in the field of learning and memory is that NMDARs are essential for synaptic plasticity and memory formation. Surprisingly then, multiple studies have found that behavioral experience can reduce or eliminate the contribution of these receptors to learning. The cellular mechanisms that mediate learning in the absence of NMDAR activation are currently unknown. To address this issue, we examined the contribution of Ca(2+-permeable AMPARs to learning and plasticity in the hippocampus. Mutant mice were engineered with a conditional genetic deletion of GluR2 in the CA1 region of the hippocampus (GluR2-cKO mice. Electrophysiology experiments in these animals revealed a novel form of long-term potentiation (LTP that was independent of NMDARs and mediated by GluR2-lacking Ca(2+-permeable AMPARs. Behavioral analyses found that GluR2-cKO mice were impaired on multiple hippocampus-dependent learning tasks that required NMDAR activation. This suggests that AMPAR-mediated LTP interferes with NMDAR-dependent plasticity. In contrast, NMDAR-independent learning was normal in knockout mice and required the activation of Ca(2+-permeable AMPARs. These results suggest that GluR2-lacking AMPARs play a functional and previously unidentified role in learning; they appear to mediate changes in synaptic strength that occur after plasticity has been established by NMDARs.
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A plastic stress intensity factor approach to turbine disk structural integrity assessment
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
V. Shlyannikov
2016-07-01
Full Text Available This study based on a new fracture mechanics parameter is concerned with assessing the integrity of cracked steam turbine disk which operate under startup-shutdown cyclic loading conditions. Damage accumulation and growth in service have occurred on the inner surface of slot fillet of key. In order to determine elastic-plastic fracture mechanics parameters full-size stress-strain state analysis of turbine disk was performed for a quote-elliptical part-through cracks under considering loading conditions. As a result distributions of elastic and plastic stress intensity factors along crack front in slot fillet of key of turbine disk depending on surface crack form are defined. An engineering approach to the prediction of carrying capacity of cracked turbine disk which is sensitive to the loading history at maintenance is proposed. The predictions of the rate of crack growth and residual lifetime of steam turbine disk are compared for elastic and elastic-plastic solutions. It is shown that the previously proposed elastic crack growth models provide overestimate the lifetime with respect to the present one. An advantage to use the plastic stress intensity factor to characterize the fracture resistance as the self-dependent unified parameter for a variety of turbine disk configurations rather than the magnitude of the elastic stress intensity factors alone is discussed.
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The race to learn: spike timing and STDP can coordinate learning and recall in CA3.
Nolan, Christopher R; Wyeth, Gordon; Milford, Michael; Wiles, Janet
2011-06-01
The CA3 region of the hippocampus has long been proposed as an autoassociative network performing pattern completion on known inputs. The dentate gyrus (DG) region is often proposed as a network performing the complementary function of pattern separation. Neural models of pattern completion and separation generally designate explicit learning phases to encode new information and assume an ideal fixed threshold at which to stop learning new patterns and begin recalling known patterns. Memory systems are significantly more complex in practice, with the degree of memory recall depending on context-specific goals. Here, we present our spike-timing separation and completion (STSC) model of the entorhinal cortex (EC), DG, and CA3 network, ascribing to each region a role similar to that in existing models but adding a temporal dimension by using a spiking neural network. Simulation results demonstrate that (a) spike-timing dependent plasticity in the EC-CA3 synapses provides a pattern completion ability without recurrent CA3 connections, (b) the race between activation of CA3 cells via EC-CA3 synapses and activation of the same cells via DG-CA3 synapses distinguishes novel from known inputs, and (c) modulation of the EC-CA3 synapses adjusts the learned versus test input similarity required to evoke a direct CA3 response prior to any DG activity, thereby adjusting the pattern completion threshold. These mechanisms suggest that spike timing can arbitrate between learning and recall based on the novelty of each individual input, ensuring control of the learn-recall decision resides in the same subsystem as the learned memories themselves. The proposed modulatory signal does not override this decision but biases the system toward either learning or recall. The model provides an explanation for empirical observations that a reduction in novelty produces a corresponding reduction in the latency of responses in CA3 and CA1. Copyright © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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Haryono, Agus; Triwulandari, Evi; Jiang, Pingping
2017-01-01
Plasticizer molecules are low molecular weight compounds that are widely used in polymer industries especially in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resin. As an additive in PVC resin, the important role of plasticizer molecules is to improve the flexibility and processability of PVC by lowering the glass transition temperature (Tg). However, the commercial plasticizer like di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) is known to cause liver cancer, at least in laboratory rats. DEHP can leach out from PVC into blood, certain drug solutions and fatty foods, which has been detected in the bloodstream of patients undergoing transfusion. Vegetable oil based plasticizers have some attractive properties such as non-toxic, bio-degradable, good heat and light stability, renewable resources, and environmentally friendly. Here we discussed the main results and development of vegetable oil based plasticizer, and especially palm oil based plasticizer. The interaction between plasticizer and polymer was discussed from the properties of the plasticized polymeric material.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hardy Hagena
2016-09-01
indicate an important role for dopamine acting on D1/D5 receptors in the support of long-lasting and learning-related forms of synaptic plasticity at MF-CA3 synapses and provide further evidence for an important neuromodulatory role for this receptor in experience-dependent synaptic encoding in the hippocampal subfields.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Cervera, Mirna Fernández; Karjalainen, Milja; Airaksinen, Sari
2004-01-01
The short-term stability and the water sorption of films prepared from binary mixtures of chitosan and native amylose maize starch (Hylon VII) were evaluated using free films. The aqueous polymer solutions of the free films contained 2% (w/w) film formers, glycerol, or erythritol as a plasticizer...... in the crystallinity of the films are evident within a 3-month period of storage, and the changes in the solid state are dependent on the plasticizer and storage conditions. When stored at ambient conditions for 3 months, the aqueous chitosan-amylose starch films plasticized with erythritol exhibited a partly...
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Nucleolar integrity is required for the maintenance of long-term synaptic plasticity.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kim D Allen
Full Text Available Long-term memory (LTM formation requires new protein synthesis and new gene expression. Based on our work in Aplysia, we hypothesized that the rRNA genes, stimulation-dependent targets of the enzyme Poly(ADP-ribose polymerase-1 (PARP-1, are primary effectors of the activity-dependent changes in synaptic function that maintain synaptic plasticity and memory. Using electrophysiology, immunohistochemistry, pharmacology and molecular biology techniques, we show here, for the first time, that the maintenance of forskolin-induced late-phase long-term potentiation (L-LTP in mouse hippocampal slices requires nucleolar integrity and the expression of new rRNAs. The activity-dependent upregulation of rRNA, as well as L-LTP expression, are poly(ADP-ribosylation (PAR dependent and accompanied by an increase in nuclear PARP-1 and Poly(ADP ribose molecules (pADPr after forskolin stimulation. The upregulation of PARP-1 and pADPr is regulated by Protein kinase A (PKA and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK--two kinases strongly associated with long-term plasticity and learning and memory. Selective inhibition of RNA Polymerase I (Pol I, responsible for the synthesis of precursor rRNA, results in the segmentation of nucleoli, the exclusion of PARP-1 from functional nucleolar compartments and disrupted L-LTP maintenance. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that new rRNAs (28S, 18S, and 5.8S ribosomal components--hence, new ribosomes and nucleoli integrity--are required for the maintenance of long-term synaptic plasticity. This provides a mechanistic link between stimulation-dependent gene expression and the new protein synthesis known to be required for memory consolidation.
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DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Islam, Aminul
The purpose of this document is to summarize the information about the laser welding of plastic. Laser welding is a matured process nevertheless laser welding of micro dimensional plastic parts is still a big challenge. This report collects the latest information about the laser welding of plastic...... materials and provides an extensive knowhow on the industrial plastic welding process. The objectives of the report include: - Provide the general knowhow of laser welding for the beginners - Summarize the state-of-the-art information on the laser welding of plastics - Find the technological limits in terms...... of design, materials and process - Find the best technology, process and machines adaptive to Sonion’s components - Provide the skills to Sonion’s Design Engineers for successful design of the of the plastic components suitable for the laser welding The ultimate goal of this report is to serve...
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
PEREIRA ADRIANA VARGAS
2000-01-01
Full Text Available The objective of this work was to study the fruit compression behavior aiming to develop new tomato packages. Deformations caused by compression forces were observed inside packages and in individual 'Santa Clara' tomato fruit. The forces applied by a transparent acrylic lever to the fruit surface caused pericarp deformation and the flattened area was proportional to the force magnitude. The deformation was associated to the reduction in the gas volume (Vg, caused by expulsion of the air from the loculus cavity and reduction in the intercellular air volume of the pericarp. As ripening advanced, smaller fractions of the Vg reduced by the compressive force were restored after the stress was relieved. The lack of complete Vg restoration was an indication of permanent plastic deformations of the stressed cells. Vg regeneration (elastic recovery was larger in green fruits than in the red ones. The ratio between the applied force and the flattened area (flattening pressure, which depends on cell turgidity, decreased during ripening. Fruit movements associated with its depth in the container were observed during storage in a transparent glass container (495 x 355 x 220 mm. The downward movement of the fruits was larger in the top layers because these movements seem to be driven by a summation of the deformation of many fruits in all layers.
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Progresses in Polystyrene Biodegradation and Prospects for Solutions to Plastic Waste Pollution
Yang, S. S.; Brandon, A. M.; Xing, D. F.; Yang, J.; Pang, J. W.; Criddle, C. S.; Ren, N. Q.; Wu, W. M.
2018-05-01
Petroleum-based plastic pollution has been a global environmental concern for decades. The obvious contrast between the remarkable durability of the plastics and their short service time leads to the increasing accumulation of plastic wastes in the environment. A cost-effective, sustainable strategy to solve the problem should focus on source control and clean up. Polystyrene (PS) wastes, a recalcitrant plastic polymer, are among the wide spread man-made plastic pollutants. Destruction of PS wastes can be achieved using various abiotic methods such as incineration but such methods release potential air pollution and generation of hazardous by-products. Biodegradation and bioremediation has been proposed for years. Since the 1970’s, the microbial biodegradation of plastics, including PS, has been evaluated with mixed and isolated cultures from different sources such as activated sludge, trash, soil, and manure. To date, PS biodegradation by these microbial cultures is still quite slow. Recently, the larvae of yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus) have demonstrated promising PS biodegradation performance. Mealworms have demonstrated the ability to chew and ingest PS foam as food and are capable of degrading and mineralizing PS into CO2 via microbe-dependent activities within the gut in less than the 12-15 hrs gut retention time. These research results have revealed a potential for microbial biodegradation and bioremediation of plastic pollutants.
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The Ecological Impacts of Marine Plastic Debris in the South Pacific Region
Chowra, Isabella
2013-01-01
The population in the Pacific Islands region is vastly dependant on their oceanic resources, for food, protection and economic income. Today the Pacific Ocean faces many threats that could risk the living hood of its population. This study aims to map the extent of plastic pollution in the South Pacific and possible measurements against it. The study will also be focused on plastic shopping bags and try to assess the most environmentally friendly option. This will be achieved by literature re...
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Guney, Ali; Poyraz, M Ibrahim; Kangal, Olgac; Burat, Firat
2013-09-01
Plastics have become the widely used materials because of their advantages, such as cheapness, endurance, lightness, and hygiene. However, they cause waste and soil pollution and they do not easily decompose. Many promising technologies are being investigated for separating mixed thermoplastics, but they are still uneconomical and unreliable. Depending on their surface characteristics, these plastics can be separated from each other by flotation method which is useful mineral processing technique with its low cost and simplicity. The main objective of this study is to investigate the flotation characteristics of PET and PVC and determine the effect of plasticizer reagents on efficient plastic separation. For that purpose, various parameters such as pH, plasticizer concentration, plasticizer type, conditioning temperature and thermal conditioning were investigated. As a result, PET particles were floated with 95.1% purity and 65.3% efficiency while PVC particles were obtained with 98.1% purity and 65.3% efficiency. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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Experiments with elasto-plastic oscillator
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Randrup-thomsen, Søren; Ditlevsen, Ove Dalager
1996-01-01
Plastic displacements of a Gaussian white noise excited three degrees of freedom non-ideal elasto-plastic oscillator are measured in laboratory experiments and the plastic displacements are compared to computer simulated results for the corresponding ideal elasto-plastic oscillator. The comparative...
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Experiments with elasto-plastic oscillator
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Randrup-Thomsen, S.; Ditlevsen, Ove Dalager
1999-01-01
Plastic displacements of a Gaussian white noise excited three degrees of freedom non-ideal elasto-plastic oscillator are measured in laboratory experiments and the plastic displacements are compared to computer simulated results for the corresponding ideal elasto-plastic oscillator. The comparative...
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Sunita Shakle
2017-01-01
Polythene is the most common plastic, the annual global production is approximately 60 million tones, and its primary use is in packing. Plastic bags pollute soil and waters and kill thousands of marine generalize plastic bags are not biodegradable they clog water ways, spoil the land scape and end up in landfills. Where they may take 1000 year or more to break down into ever smaller particals that continue to pollution the soil and water.
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Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mouna Maroun
2008-02-01
Full Text Available Studies have shown that, depending on its severity and context, stress can affect neural plasticity. Most related studies focused on synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation (LTP of principle cells. However, evidence suggests that following high-frequency stimulation, which induces LTP in principal cells, modifications also take place at the level of complex interactions with interneurons within the dentate gyrus, that is, at the local circuit level. So far, the possible effects of stress on local circuit activity and plasticity were not studied. Therefore, we set out to examine the possible alterations in local circuit activity and plasticity following exposure to stress. Local circuit activity and plasticity were measured by using frequency dependant inhibition (FDI and commissural modulation protocols following exposure to a 15 minute-forced swim trial. Exposure to stress did not alter FDI. The application of theta-burst stimulation (TBS reduced FDI in both control and stressed rats, but this type of plasticity was greater in stressed rats. Commissural-induced inhibition was significantly higher in stressed rats both before and after applying theta-burst stimulation. These findings indicate that the exposure to acute stress affects aspects of local circuit activity and plasticity in the dentate gyrus. It is possible that these alterations underlie some of the behavioral consequences of the stress experience.
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Yarom, Orli; Maroun, Mouna; Richter-Levin, Gal
2008-01-01
Studies have shown that, depending on its severity and context, stress can affect neural plasticity. Most related studies focused on synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation (LTP) of principle cells. However, evidence suggests that following high-frequency stimulation, which induces LTP in principal cells, modifications also take place at the level of complex interactions with interneurons within the dentate gyrus, that is, at the local circuit level. So far, the possible effects of stress on local circuit activity and plasticity were not studied. Therefore, we set out to examine the possible alterations in local circuit activity and plasticity following exposure to stress. Local circuit activity and plasticity were measured by using frequency dependant inhibition (FDI) and commissural modulation protocols following exposure to a 15 minute-forced swim trial. Exposure to stress did not alter FDI. The application of theta-burst stimulation (TBS) reduced FDI in both control and stressed rats, but this type of plasticity was greater in stressed rats. Commissural-induced inhibition was significantly higher in stressed rats both before and after applying theta-burst stimulation. These findings indicate that the exposure to acute stress affects aspects of local circuit activity and plasticity in the dentate gyrus. It is possible that these alterations underlie some of the behavioral consequences of the stress experience. PMID:18301720
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Cho, Junghyun
2013-01-01
Plastic products, due to their durability, safety, and low manufacturing cost, are now rapidly replacing cookware items traditionally made of glass and ceramics. Despite this trend, some still prefer relatively expensive and more fragile ceramic/glassware because plastics can deteriorate over time after exposure to foods, which can generate odors, bad appearance, and/or color change. Nano-ceramic coatings can eliminate these drawbacks while still retaining the advantages of the plastic, since the coating only alters the surface of the plastic. The surface coating adds functionality to the plastics such as self-cleaning and disinfectant capabilities that result from a photocatalytic effect of certain ceramic systems. These ceramic coatings can also provide non-stick surfaces and higher temperature capabilities for the base plastics without resorting to ceramic or glass materials. Titanium dioxide (TiO2) and zinc oxide (ZnO) are the candidates for a nano-ceramic coating to deposit on the plastics or plastic films used in cookware and kitchenware. Both are wide-bandgap semiconductors (3.0 to 3.2 eV for TiO2 and 3.2 to 3.3 eV for ZnO), so they exhibit a photocatalytic property under ultraviolet (UV) light. This will lead to decomposition of organic compounds. Decomposed products can be easily washed off by water, so the use of detergents will be minimal. High-crystalline film with large surface area for the reaction is essential to guarantee good photocatalytic performance of these oxides. Low-temperature processing (nano-ceramic coatings (TiO2, ZnO) on plastic materials (silicone, Teflon, PET, etc.) that can possess both photocatalytic oxide properties and flexible plastic properties. Processing cost is low and it does not require any expensive equipment investment. Processing can be scalable to current manufacturing infrastructure.
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Plastic deformation and hysteresis for hydrogen storage in Pd–Rh alloys
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cappillino, P.J., E-mail: pcappil@sandia.gov [Sandia National Laboratories, PO Box 969, Mail Stop 9292, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States); Lavernia, E.J. [Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Ong, M.D. [Department of Physics, Whitworth University, Spokane, WA 99251 (United States); Wolfer, W.G.; Yang, N.Y. [Sandia National Laboratories, PO Box 969, Mail Stop 9292, Livermore, CA 94551 (United States)
2014-02-15
Highlights: • Experimental evidence of plastic work resulting from hydriding of palladium is presented. • A model of this plastic work was generated and correlated to hysteresis losses. • This hysteresis is thought to be important to the lifetime of hydrogen storage materials. • Yield strength values predicted by this model agree with measured hardness. -- Abstract: The hysteresis observed when reversibly absorbing and desorbing hydrogen in metals is currently not fully understood. In general, a hysteresis represents energy that is dissipated during a cycle, but the underlying mechanism of dissipation is still uncertain. It has been suggested that the hysteresis arises either from plastic work, or from elastic strains associated with the accommodation of the hydride phase, or from both. We present here experimental evidence that implicates plastic deformation as the cause of the hysteresis in a Pd–Rh alloy. The plastic work is evident from the increased dislocation density, from the accumulation of surface steps from slip bands, from line broadening of X-ray diffraction peaks, and from an increase in hardness with the number of hydriding cycles. A model of this plastic work is developed that depends on an effective yield strength. When this model is correlated with the measured hysteresis losses, two values are found for the effective yield strength. The lower value is shown to agree with yield strength values derived from Vickers hardness measurements. The hysteresis areas for repeated cycles of absorption and desorption decrease little with the number of cycles which is reminiscent of the plastic deformation hysteresis during low-cycle fatigue of metals. This similarity further confirms the plastic nature of the hydriding hysteresis.
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Neuron Morphology Influences Axon Initial Segment Plasticity123
2016-01-01
In most vertebrate neurons, action potentials are initiated in the axon initial segment (AIS), a specialized region of the axon containing a high density of voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels. It has recently been proposed that neurons use plasticity of AIS length and/or location to regulate their intrinsic excitability. Here we quantify the impact of neuron morphology on AIS plasticity using computational models of simplified and realistic somatodendritic morphologies. In small neurons (e.g., dentate granule neurons), excitability was highest when the AIS was of intermediate length and located adjacent to the soma. Conversely, neurons having larger dendritic trees (e.g., pyramidal neurons) were most excitable when the AIS was longer and/or located away from the soma. For any given somatodendritic morphology, increasing dendritic membrane capacitance and/or conductance favored a longer and more distally located AIS. Overall, changes to AIS length, with corresponding changes in total sodium conductance, were far more effective in regulating neuron excitability than were changes in AIS location, while dendritic capacitance had a larger impact on AIS performance than did dendritic conductance. The somatodendritic influence on AIS performance reflects modest soma-to-AIS voltage attenuation combined with neuron size-dependent changes in AIS input resistance, effective membrane time constant, and isolation from somatodendritic capacitance. We conclude that the impact of AIS plasticity on neuron excitability will depend largely on somatodendritic morphology, and that, in some neurons, a shorter or more distally located AIS may promote, rather than limit, action potential generation. PMID:27022619
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International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Okajima, Satoshi
2016-01-01
The prevention of excessive deformation by thermal ratcheting is important in the design of high-temperature components of fast breeder reactors (FBR). This includes evaluation methods for a new type of thermal ratcheting caused by an axial traveling of temperature distribution, which corresponds to moving-up of liquid sodium surface in startup phase. Long range traveling of the axial temperature distribution brings flat plastic deformation profile in wide range. Therefore, at the center of this range, residual stress that brings shakedown behavior does not accumulate. As a result, repeating of this temperature traveling brings continuous accumulation of the plastic strain, even if there is no primary stress. In contrast, in the case with short range traveling, residual stress is caused by constraint against elastic part, and finally it results in shakedown. Because of this mechanism, we supposed that limit for the shakedown behavior depends on distance from the elastic part (i.e. half length of region with plastic deformation). In this paper, we examined characteristics of the accumulation of the plastic strain caused by realistic heat transients, namely, traveling of temperature distribution synchronizing with temperature rise. This examination was based on finite element analyses using elastic-perfectly plastic material. As a result, we confirmed that the shakedown limit depends not on the traveling range of the temperature distribution but the plastic deformation range, which was predicted by the elastic analysis. In the actual application, we can control the plastic deformation range by changing rate of the moving-up of liquid sodium surface. (author)
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Elastic-plastic analysis of AS4/PEEK composite laminate using a one-parameter plasticity model
Sun, C. T.; Yoon, K. J.
1992-01-01
A one-parameter plasticity model was shown to adequately describe the plastic deformation of AS4/PEEK (APC-2) unidirectional thermoplastic composite. This model was verified further for unidirectional and laminated composite panels with and without a hole. The elastic-plastic stress-strain relations of coupon specimens were measured and compared with those predicted by the finite element analysis using the one-parameter plasticity model. The results show that the one-parameter plasticity model is suitable for the analysis of elastic-plastic deformation of AS4/PEEK composite laminates.