Changes In Internal State Research Articles

Közpénzügyi gazdálkodási folyamatok modellezése

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Identifying and modelling objects/information flowing through business systems is a key topic in examining the efficacy of public finance administration processes. One of the important scientific results of the research was the development of mathematical models applicable to service processes. It is a process rationalization method based on heuristic simulation that is capable of efficiently reorganizing not only processes but also their connections and the object-flowing between these nodes by reorganizing service processes. Improving public finance processes is a major challenge for those interested in the topic, as public finance processes are highly regulated. This means, on the one hand, the legal environment and, on the other hand, the bound, internal regulation based on it. The purpose of this study is to present a new mathematical application, which is better suited to the public finance management system, using the previous scientific results (improvement of service processes) in the field of efficiency improvement. METHODOLOGY In the applied mathematical model, we primarily characterize the state changes in the nodes from process and flow aspects, thus creating interdependent transformation systems. If the processes disclosed herein are not considered from the conventional flow point of view, but from the aspect of internal state changes, their treatment and repair can be solved in the same way as in other more flexible service process systems. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Process analyses have shown that processes can be handled separately from an object-flow perspective, that is, we can significantly improve them using the model of independent transformations. This is also valid for highly regulated process systems - public finance administration processes. Mapping the model to a public finance administration system will result in more transparent organizational units and easier process improvements without breaking regulatory requirements. RECOMMENDATIONS In working management systems, no process improvement measure can be conceived in an isolated manner, but targeted interventions should be carried out at all relevant nodes. When implementing organizational changes, it is necessary to apply the model of independent transformations to modify the processes only in the “good direction” and “without side effects”. Following the introduction, this paper focuses on reviewing the literature, the second part detailing the efficiency improvement tool developed to the public finance sector. A summary concludes the study where we evaluate the results obtained.

Internal state transition to switch behavioral strategies in cricket phonotaxis.

Animals employ multiple behavioral strategies for exploring food and mating partners based on both their internal state and external environment. Here, we examined how cricket phonotaxis, which was considered an innate reactive behavior of females to approach the calling song of conspecific males, depended on these internal and external conditions. Our observation revealed that the phonotaxis process consisted of two distinctive phases: wandering and approaching. In the latter phase, crickets moved directly towards the sound source. The transition into this phase, referred to as the 'approach phase', was based on changes in the animal's internal state. Moreover, retention of the approach phase required recognition of the calling song, while song loss downregulated cricket mobility and induced frequent stopping. This is a typical movement in local search behaviors. Our results indicate that phonotaxis is not only a reactive response but a complicated process including multiple behavioral strategies.

Sleep in Drosophila and Its Context.

A prominent idea emerging from the study of sleep is that this key behavioural state is regulated in a complex fashion by ecologically and physiologically relevant environmental factors. This concept implies that sleep, as a behaviour, is plastic and can be regulated by external agents and changes in internal state. Drosophila melanogaster constitutes a resourceful model system to study behaviour. In the year 2000, the utility of the fly to study sleep was realised, and has since extensively contributed to this exciting field. At the centre of this review, we will discuss studies showing that temperature, food availability/quality, and interactions with conspecifics can regulate sleep. Indeed the relationship can be reciprocal and sleep perturbation can also affect feeding and social interaction. In particular, different environmental temperatures as well as gradual changes in temperature regulate when, and how much flies sleep. Moreover, the satiation/starvation status of an individual dictates the balance between sleep and foraging. Nutritional composition of diet also has a direct impact on sleep amount and its fragmentation. Likewise, aggression between males, courtship, sexual arousal, mating, and interactions within large groups of animals has an acute and long-lasting effect on sleep amount and quality. Importantly, the genes and neuronal circuits that relay information about the external environment and internal state to sleep centres are starting to be elucidated in the fly and are the focus of this review. In conclusion, sleep, as with most behaviours, needs the full commitment of the individual, preventing participation in other vital activities. A vast array of behaviours that are modulated by external and internal factors compete with the need to sleep and thus have a significant role in regulating it.

Role of personal relative deprivation in promoting working memory capacity for neutral social information: Facial expressions and body motions

Personal relative deprivation can lead to changes in internal states and actual behaviours, but little is known on the cognitive consequences of such deprivation. In a series of three experiments, we used a change-detection protocol, after personal relative deprivation manipulation, to measure the visual working memory capacity for neutral/emotional social information and non-social information. The first experiment demonstrated that personal relative deprivation increased visual working memory capacity for body motions. The second experiment indicated that personal relative deprivation also improved visual working memory capacity for faces with neutral facial expressions, but not for faces with angry or happy expressions. The third experiment showed that the effects of non-social emotional valence information (positive and negative) on visual working memory capacity were similar to that of facial expressions. However, no effect was observed in terms of visual working memory capacity for non-social neutral information (nonsense shapes). Overall, our findings suggest that personal relative deprivation enhances visual working memory capacity for neutral social information, which could be used to promote individuals' own position (achievement behaviours) or to detract from a competitor's advantage (deviant behaviours).

Revealing the effects of aerosol deposition on the substrate‐film interface using NaCl coating

AbstractAerosol deposition is a feasible method of fabricating dense ceramic films at room temperature by the impact consolidation of submicron‐sized particles on ceramic, metal, glass, and polymer substrates at a rapid rate. Despite the potential usefulness of the aerosol deposition process, there are issues, such as deposition mechanisms and structure of the film‐substrate interface, that are not well understood. We have used complementary structural and microstructural analysis to capture the state of the substrate surface after the aerosol deposition process. The results reveal that modification of the substrate surface by the ejected submicron‐sized particles is essential for the formation of anchoring layer, thereby, a change in internal residual stress state and surface free energy of the substrate is required to deposit film using AD process. Our analysis also suggests that the adhesion between the metal substrate and ceramic particles is possibly contributed by both physical bonding and mechanical interlocking.

Experimental study on fatigue performance of Q460 and Q690 steel bolted connections

In this paper, we present an experimental study of the fatigue performance of high-strength steels base materials, perforated plate, and bolted connection. The corresponding fatigue life was predicted. According to the stress concentration degree, the location of the initial crack was discussed, and the reduction degree in fatigue strength was quantitatively analyzed by the fatigue notch factor. Finally, the fatigue damage development process was analyzed on the basis of fatigue damage theory. Results indicated that the base materials and perforated plate showed good fatigue performance in the finite fatigue range. Their fatigue limit was clearly higher than the code value. The fatigue strengths of the Q690 base material and the perforated plate under the 95% survival probability were 1.3 and 1.2 times that of Q460, respectively. The fatigue performance of bolted connection Q690 was significantly higher than of Q460. Under the 95% survival probability, the fatigue strength of bolted connection Q690 was 1.5 times that of Q460. The stress concentration led to enhanced local stress and stress gradient. It also restricted crack initiation at maximum stress and reduced the fatigue strength of specimens. Damage value could better reflect the internal state changes of the components well in the process of fatigue failure. With the fatigue cycles times increased，the damage value gradually increased, whereas the effective bearing area and bearing capacity decreased, and the instantaneous fracture occurred.

Control‐oriented fault detection of solid oxide fuel cell system unknown input on fuel supply

AbstractAs the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system work environment is a high‐temperature environment for a long time, it is difficult to obtain the SOFC stack internal state change directly. When the fault occurs, it is difficult to determine where the fault occurs. Moreover, the existing literature ignores the impact of faults, which creates many problems for SOFC system control. Therefore, a state observer‐based fault detection method, which is used to detect the input flow sensor fault and the fuel input fault, is proposed. Their advantage is that they do not need data processing. To realize the fault detection, the observer is used to track the changes of SOFC stack chamber temperature. To obtain the observer estimation parameter, an approach from the actual stack structure parameters is employed to approximate the observer parameters. The results show the proposed fault detect method can judge fuel input fault type quickly and shield the disturbances signals from the sensor effectively. The proposed method also can be used to other operating points or air input fault.

Are individuals with loss-of-control eating more prone to dietary lapse in behavioural weight loss treatment? An ecological momentary assessment study.

Individuals with overweight/obesity and loss-of-control eating (LOC) may experience poorer outcomes from behavioural weight loss due to reactivity to internal (e.g., affective and physical) states that impact treatment adherence (e.g., dietary lapses). This study examined (a) whether the presence of LOC increased risk for dietary lapses and (b) the moderating role of LOC on the relation between internal states and dietary lapses. Individuals (n=189) with overweight and obesity completed ecological momentary assessment early in behavioural weight loss. LOC was positively associated with dietary lapse. LOC did not moderate the relation between momentary changes in internal states and dietary lapses. However, the effect of average levels of internal states on lapses was attenuated for those with LOC. Results suggest that those with LOC are at higher risk of dietary lapse, whereas elevated average levels of internal states may contribute to early inadherence for those without LOC.

Insight in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: relationship with behavior, mood and perceived quality of life, underlying causes and emerging treatments.

Poor insight in schizophrenia is prevalent across cultures and phases of illness. In this review, we examine the recent research on the relationship of insight with behavior, mood and perceived quality of life, on its complex roots, and on the effects of existing and emerging treatments. This research indicates that poor insight predicts poorer treatment adherence and therapeutic alliance, higher symptom severity and more impaired community function, while good insight predicts a higher frequency of depression and demoralization, especially when coupled with stigma and social disadvantage. This research also suggests that poor insight may arise in response to biological, experiential, neuropsychological, social-cognitive, metacognitive and socio-political factors. Studies of the effects of existing and developing treatments indicate that they may influence insight. In the context of earlier research and historical models, these findings support an integrative model of poor insight. This model suggests that insight requires the integration of information about changes in internal states, external circumstances, others' perspectives and life trajectory as well as the multifaceted consequences and causes of each of those changes. One implication is that treatments should, beyond providing education, seek to assist persons with schizophrenia to integrate the broad range of complex and potentially deeply painful experiences which are associated with mental illness into their own personally meaningful, coherent and adaptive picture.

Precise predictions of H2O line shapes over a wide pressure range using simulations corrected by a single measurement

In this work, we show that precise predictions of the shapes of H2O rovibrational lines broadened by N2, over a wide pressure range, can be made using simulations corrected by a single measurement. For that, we use the partially-correlated speed-dependent Keilson–Storer (pcsdKS) model whose parameters are deduced from molecular dynamics simulations and semi-classical calculations. This model takes into account the collision-induced velocity-changes effects, the speed dependences of the collisional line width and shift as well as the correlation between velocity and internal-state changes. For each considered transition, the model is corrected by using a parameter deduced from its broadening coefficient measured for a single pressure. The corrected-pcsdKS model is then used to simulate spectra for a wide pressure range. Direct comparisons of the corrected-pcsdKS calculated and measured spectra of 5 rovibrational lines of H2O for various pressures, from 0.1 to 1.2 atm, show very good agreements. Their maximum differences are in most cases well below 1%, much smaller than residuals obtained when fitting the measurements with the Voigt line shape. This shows that the present procedure can be used to predict H2O line shapes for various pressure conditions and thus the simulated spectra can be used to deduce the refined line-shape parameters to complete spectroscopic databases, in the absence of relevant experimental values.

Norepinephrine enhances song responsiveness and encoding in the auditory forebrain of male zebra finches

Norepinephrine (NE) can dynamically modulate excitability and functional connectivity of neural circuits in response to changes in external and internal states. Regulation by NE has been demonstrated extensively in mammalian sensory cortices, but whether NE-dependent modulation in sensory cortex alters response properties in downstream sensorimotor regions is less clear. Here we examine this question in male zebra finches, a songbird species with complex vocalizations and a well-defined neural network for auditory processing of those vocalizations. We test the hypothesis that NE modulates auditory processing and encoding, using paired extracellular electrophysiology recordings and pattern classifier analyses. We report that a NE infusion into the auditory cortical region NCM (caudomedial nidopallium; analogous to mammalian secondary auditory cortex) enhances the auditory responses, burst firing, and coding properties of single NCM neurons. Furthermore, we report that NE-dependent changes in NCM coding properties, but not auditory response strength, are transmitted downstream to the sensorimotor nucleus HVC. Finally, NE modulation in the NCM of males is qualitatively similar to that observed in females: in both sexes, NE increases auditory response strengths. However, we observed a sex difference in the mechanism of enhancement: whereas NE increases response strength in females by decreasing baseline firing rates, NE increases response strength in males by increasing auditory-evoked activity. Therefore, NE signaling exhibits a compensatory sex difference to achieve a similar, state-dependent enhancement in signal-to-noise ratio and coding accuracy in males and females. In summary, our results provide further evidence for adrenergic regulation of sensory processing and modulation of auditory/sensorimotor functional connectivity. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study documents that the catecholamine norepinephrine (also known as noradrenaline) acts in the auditory cortex to shape local processing of complex sound stimuli. Moreover, it also enhances the coding accuracy of neurons in the auditory cortex as well as in the downstream sensorimotor cortex. Finally, this study shows that while the sensory-enhancing effects of norepinephrine are similar in males and females, there are sex differences in the mode of action.

The application of the two-choice oddball paradigm to the research of behavioral inhibitory control

Behavioral inhibitory control (BIC) refers to one’s inhibitory control of impulsive, context-inappropriate behavioral patterns, which is of vital importance to humans’ adaptation to the changing environment. Go/Nogo paradigm and Stop Signal paradigm are the two widely used paradigms for the studies of behavioral inhibitory control and its cognitive neuroscience underpinnings. In a typical Go/Nogo task, the presentation of go stimulus requires a motor response, which however should be suppressed during Nogo stimulus presentation. As a result, behavioral indicators of BIC and its inter- or intra-individual differences, in most cases, depend solely on the accuracy difference between Go and Nogo conditions, which is sometimes insensitive to inhibitory processing. Also, it is difficult to control the obscuring effects of motor preparation/execution on the interpretation of BIC-related neural activities by a simple Go-Nogo comparison. On the other hand, the stop signal paradigm uses a staircase method to vary the stop-signal delay from the go signal to the stop-signal, to manipulate participants’ successful stop and erroneous response at around 50% of the trials, respectively. This method is used to compute stop-signal reaction time (SSRT), an index considered to reflect one’s behavioral inhibitory function. However, this method sacrifices the analysis and the interpretation of accuracy data and, again, the stop-signal paradigm meets difficulty in controlling the contaminations of a preceding go stimulus processing on the neural processing of the subsequent stop signal. Based on these considerations, we introduced a novel two-choice oddball paradigm for overcoming the limitations of the above paradigms, and for the acquisition of more comprehensive and sensitive behavioral markers of BIC. Using reaction time cost (RT Cost) and accuracy cost as behavioral indexes, relevant empirical studies have shown that the new paradigm can be validly used for the psychological and cognitive neuroscience studies of BIC in the following three domains: (i) to detect inter-individual differences in BIC (e.g. sex differences) by both behavioral and neurophysiological markers; (ii) to detect intra-individual differences in BIC as a function of internal state changes (e.g. emotion); (iii) to assess the impairment and the functional plasticity of impulse inhibition in drug addiction (e.g. nicotine addiction). These evidences suggest that the two-choice oddball paradigm can be widely used to assess behavioral inhibitory function and its variability, in the broad area of psychology and cognitive neuroscience research.

Effects of ambient temperature on electrical tree in epoxy resin under repetitive pulse voltage

Chosen as an important insulation material in high voltage direct current (HVDC) cable terminal, epoxy resin bears the harsh environment of high temperature and changing pulse power. This paper reports on investigations into the effect of high temperature on characteristics of electrical tree growth. Samples made of epoxy resin and equipped with a needle-plate geometry electrode system were stressed with pulse voltage whose amplitude was 12, 14 and 16 kV and frequency was 200, 300 and 400 Hz. The ambient temperature was set to 60, 90 and 120 °C. Four types of typical tree growth process were partitioned to better describe the different growth characteristics. Typical morphology, tree length, fractal dimension, accumulated damage and expansion coefficient were employed to characterize the electrical tree. The initiation and breakdown characteristics were also analyzed. The results indicate that temperature, pulse frequency and pulse amplitude affect electrical tree growth. Higher temperature would lead to more complex tree morphology and promote the growth rate of electrical tree. When reaching the glass transition temperature, which is 93 °C in this paper, the change of internal state of epoxy resin would cause some special characteristics of tree growth. In addition, inception probability increased with temperature rising, whereas the time to breakdown decreased. Meanwhile, obtained results show that pulse frequency and pulse amplitude also play an important role in promoting electrical tree growth processes, including initiation, propagation and breakdown stages.

Abandoning and modifying one action plan for alternatives.

Visual scenes are often complex and crowded with many different objects. To interact effectively, we must choose one object at a time as a goal for action. Certain external cues can act as a stop signal, quickly cancelling an ongoing action. Less recognized are internal signals. These can come from recent experience, anticipated action outcomes, cognitive states, and when attention is captured by a salient object. These signals elevate one action plan over alternatives and can quickly modify an initial choice. Here, we focus on these internal processes responsible for selecting, abandoning and modifying action plans. We first highlight how the brain resolves competition among multiple action plans. Critical is the existence of parallel motor planning processes, which allow efficient and timely changes. Then, we discuss how the action system interplays with perception, attention and memory processes to bias action selection and suppress or modify erroneous selections. Subsequently, we show how tracking the continuous modification of action trajectories can provide a tool to read out changes in internal cognitive states. Taken together, we shed light on a broader view that sensorimotor networks can continuously modify actions through simultaneous evaluation of alternative activities in concert with widely distributed perceptual and cognitive networks.This article is part of the themed issue 'Movement suppression: brain mechanisms for stopping and stillness'.

In situ study of annealing-induced strain relaxation in diamond nanoparticles using Bragg coherent diffraction imaging

We observed changes in morphology and internal strain state of commercial diamond nanocrystals during high-temperature annealing. Three nanodiamonds were measured with Bragg coherent x-ray diffraction imaging, yielding three-dimensional strain-sensitive images as a function of time/temperature. Up to temperatures of 800 °C, crystals with Gaussian strain distributions with a full-width-at-half-maximum of less than 8×10−4 were largely unchanged, and annealing-induced strain relaxation was observed in a nanodiamond with maximum lattice distortions above this threshold. X-ray measurements found changes in nanodiamond morphology at temperatures above 600 °C that are consistent with graphitization of the surface, a result verified with ensemble Raman measurements.

A Simple Way to Measure Alterations in Reward-seeking Behavior Using <em>Drosophila melanogaster</em>

We describe a protocol for measuring ethanol self-administration in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as a proxy for changes in reward states. We demonstrate a simple way to tap into the fly reward system, modify experiences related to natural reward, and use voluntary ethanol consumption as a measure for changes in reward states. The approach serves as a relevant tool to study the neurons and genes that play a role in experience-mediated changes of internal state. The protocol is composed of two discrete parts: exposing the flies to rewarding and nonrewarding experiences, and assaying voluntary ethanol consumption as a measure of the motivation to obtain a drug reward. The two parts can be used independently to induce the modulation of experience as an initial step for further downstream assays or as an independent two-choice feeding assay, respectively. The protocol does not require a complicated setup and can therefore be applied in any laboratory with basic fly culture tools.

A Simple Way to Measure Alterations in Reward-seeking Behavior Using Drosophila melanogaster.

We describe a protocol for measuring ethanol self-administration in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) as a proxy for changes in reward states. We demonstrate a simple way to tap into the fly reward system, modify experiences related to natural reward, and use voluntary ethanol consumption as a measure for changes in reward states. The approach serves as a relevant tool to study the neurons and genes that play a role in experience-mediated changes of internal state. The protocol is composed of two discrete parts: exposing the flies to rewarding and nonrewarding experiences, and assaying voluntary ethanol consumption as a measure of the motivation to obtain a drug reward. The two parts can be used independently to induce the modulation of experience as an initial step for further downstream assays or as an independent two-choice feeding assay, respectively. The protocol does not require a complicated setup and can therefore be applied in any laboratory with basic fly culture tools.

Generalized Finsler geometric continuum physics with applications in fracture and phase transformations

A theory of deformation of continuous media based on concepts from Finsler differential geometry is presented. The general theory accounts for finite deformations, nonlinear elasticity, and changes in internal state of the material, the latter represented by elements of a state vector of generalized Finsler space whose entries consist of one or more order parameter(s). Two descriptive representations of the deformation gradient are considered. The first invokes an additive decomposition and is applied to problems involving localized inelastic deformation mechanisms such as fracture. The second invokes a multiplicative decomposition and is applied to problems involving distributed deformation mechanisms such as phase transformations or twinning. Appropriate free energy functions are posited for each case, and Euler–Lagrange equations of equilibrium are derived. Solutions are obtained for specific problems of tensile fracture of an elastic cylinder and for amorphization of a crystal under spherical and uniaxial compression. The Finsler-based approach is demonstrated to be more general and potentially more physically descriptive than existing hyperelasticity models couched in Riemannian geometry or Euclidean space, without incorporation of supplementary ad hoc equations or spurious fitting parameters. Predictions for single crystals of boron carbide ceramic agree qualitatively, and in many instances quantitatively, with results from physical experiments and atomic simulations involving structural collapse and failure of the crystal along its c-axis.

Transcription Factor Gene Fluorescent Reporters Track Lineage Fate in Lymphoid Commitment

The transition from multipotency to lineage commitment can be followed with particular clarity for T cell precursors. In this lineage, the role of environmental signals can be clearly separated from the role of intrinsic fate programming in individual cells and the cells' developmental responses to changing conditions and can be tracked in real time. T cell precursors are still multipotent when they first enter the thymus, and if they are removed from the thymic microenvironment at this stage they can give rise to non-T cells including dendritic cells and myeloid cells. For multiple cell divisions, they preserve this multipotency and are only kept in line to become T cells conditionally, by Notch signaling from the thymic stroma. Then at a specific point of no return, the cells become unable to give rise to anything except T cells regardless of environment, and this is the point of commitment. Commitment is clearly the readout of a change in internal transcriptional regulatory state. To determine how this is controlled, we and others have charted transcription factor expression changes across this interval and changes in chromatin modification and DNA accessibility that accompany the transition, and we have been able to use functional perturbation tests to narrow down the key regulators that catalyze and enforce this transition. A particularly important commitment factor is encoded by the Bcl11b gene, which is released from previously repressed chromatin and sharply activated at the transcriptional level just as the cells become committed. The Bcl11b gene product is required in all alpha beta and most gamma delta T cells to enable the commitment process to occur. These properties make it highly illuminating as an indicator of the regulatory state in individual differentiating T-cell precursors. We have generated a series of knock-in Bcl11b fluorescent reporter alleles to probe the correlation of Bcl11b expression with changes in specific target genes, to determine the transcription factor requirements for Bcl11b gene activation in the gene regulatory network controlling commitment in single cells, and to measure the role of epigenetic modification of the Bcl11b locus on the kinetics of transition from uncommitted to committed states. These results and their implications will be presented. Importantly, the use of live-cell reporters reveals a level of all-or-none, stochastic regulation in the responses of individual cells to combinatorial transcription factor action at this developmental watershed1.Reference:1. Kueh HY, Yui MA, Ng KKH, et al. Asynchronous combinatorial action of four regulatory factors activates Bcl11b for T cell commitment. Nature Immunology. 2016.17, 956-965. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Adapting to Adaptations: Behavioural Strategies that are Robust to Mutations and Other Organisational-Transformations.

Genetic mutations, infection by parasites or symbionts, and other events can transform the way that an organism’s internal state changes in response to a given environment. We use a minimalistic computational model to support an argument that by behaving “interoceptively,” i.e. responding to internal state rather than to the environment, organisms can be robust to these organisational-transformations. We suggest that the robustness of interoceptive behaviour is due, in part, to the asymmetrical relationship between an organism and its environment, where the latter more substantially influences the former than vice versa. This relationship means that interoceptive behaviour can respond to the environment, the internal state and the interaction between the two, while exteroceptive behaviour can only respond to the environment. We discuss the possibilities that (i) interoceptive behaviour may play an important role of facilitating adaptive evolution (especially in the early evolution of primitive life) and (ii) interoceptive mechanisms could prove useful in efforts to create more robust synthetic life-forms.